The police AGC crashed down through the trees, slid sideways towards the house, and landed heavily only a few metres from the door. Two policemen came from it fast, and headed straight for the door. They both appeared to be boosted. The first of them rolled through and came up into a crouch, with a stun gun levelled at the woman. He had half a second to realize his mistake before Stanton was on him. The mercenary stamped the back of his leg. As the officer reeled back, he caught him in a neck-lock, his right hand closing on the man’s gun hand as he turned him. The second officer came through more cautiously, only to walk straight into the blast. He was flung, jerking, back through the door, with small lightnings lacing his uniform. The first officer continued to struggle as Stanton tightened his lock. Eventually his struggles ceased as he blacked out. Stanton held the lock just a little longer to be sure, then released him. He went down on his face. A glance round showed him that a back door was open and the woman was gone. As he collected the two stun guns on his way to the police AGC, Stanton considered how much he had changed. A sleeper lock rather than just breaking the man’s neck. He felt almost civilized.

* * *

A blast of frigid air came in through the door as Thorn entered the shuttle. Cormac pointed to a bench seat and returned his attention to Blegg. The ancient Japanese unclipped the mask of the suit and let it hang to one side. His breath fogged the chill air. Cormac could not help but wonder if he had put on the suit—which a technician had hurriedly fetched for him—out of politeness. In the containment sphere, in his thin monofilament overalls, he had shown no sign of noticing the cold. Cormac unclipped his own mask.

‘You knew about the dracomen,’ he said.

‘I knew,’ Blegg acknowledged.

‘What else didn’t you tell me?’

‘We knew about the artefact as well. It was discovered during the initial survey, and left where it was. It was whole.’ Blegg leaned forwards and spoke loudly, as if Cormac was deaf. ‘No hurry . . . y’understand?’

Cormac nodded. ‘Is that all? Anything else you want to hold back, to keep me dancing?’

‘We knew the egg was adamantium. Not much else could have been learnt.’

‘The tunnel was made by the energy creature—or the dracomen.’

Blegg shrugged. ‘The Maker, yes . . . if it could hatch from an adamantium egg, making a tunnel would have been no problem . . .’ Blegg studied him carefully. ‘What do you think of Dragon’s explanation?’ he asked.

Cormac said, ‘I don’t know. Still not enough evidence to confirm or deny it. What do you think?’

‘Assume it’s the truth. Dragon might not have a great respect for human life, but why should it? There’s plenty to spare.’