&uoI swear, it’s going to be fine.’ Mitchell gave him a look that was undoubtedly meant to be reassuring, then pushed the van’s door open and jumped down. ‘We’ll drop him off at the motel, and he’ll make his own way to the Moon,’ he said, looking back up at Jeff. ‘And then we—’

‘Stop.’ Jeff put out a hand. Two Mitchells? It was almost more than his mind could deal with. ‘No more. I’m doing it.’ His skin felt slick with sweat, despite the cool February air.

‘Okay.’ Mitchell stepped back and glanced around. ‘Time to find a new ride out of here. Maybe that one.’ He gestured towards a four-door sedan quietly grazing on some bales of biomass towards the far end of the car park.

‘Good luck,’ said Jeff.

Mitchell silently nodded, then slammed the passenger door shut. Shuffling sideways into the driver’s seat, Jeff took manual control, guiding the van back out of the car park. He glanced in the rear-view mirror, to see Mitchell making his way over to the sedan.

Jeff parked alongside the gates, just next to the short driveway leading up to Arcorex’s main entrance. He got out and walked the rest of the way, trying not to think about the gasoline canisters Mitchell had wired up in the back of the van. Floating in the air before him, a message appeared as he approached the entrance, warning him to comply at all times or risk facing unspecified countermeasures. His contacts chose the same moment to let him know he was being remotely scanned. Jeff tried hard to relax, to avoid looking as scared as he felt, but in truth he was rigid with fear.

Another message appeared, telling him he was clear to go forward. He felt his shoulders sag with relief, and he walked on at a brisker pace. He really hadn’t believed until that moment that he would still be listed as an active member of staff.

Just then he saw a beam of light flicker between two buildings as Arcorex’s armed security made their regular patrol. He wondered if anyone from the neighbouring businesses had ever paused to wonder just why a toy manufacturer needed countermeasure warnings and guards armed with Cobras.

He thrust his hands deep in his pockets and pushed on through the entrance. At least it was the kind of operation where people often put in very irregular hours, which meant being here so late at night did not, in itself, imply suspicious activity.

Jeff had spent much of the last four days helping Mitchell prepare his elaborate plan. Whatever time hadn’t been spent sleeping or hiding in the back of whichever van, car or truck they’d stolen that day had been spent driving around Omaha, trying to locate supplies and looking for what Mitchell called the ‘right’ motel.