Stanton took his eyes from the intensifier and glanced behind, across the small AGC park on top of the building. Local police. He cursed the fact that they were so humanitarian here. This surveillance equipment, two stun pistols and a stun rifle had been the extent of his haul. The charge in the rifle he had used up at close range on the AGC, to burn the paint off. Not that it would have been much use to him. He could have been fairly sure of taking down the locals. But Pelter, Mennecken and Corlackis were another matter. Crane of course would have been unaffected. A stupid option, though. He wanted Pelter dead, not stunned.

‘We can take him down,’ one of the men drawled.

Stanton wondered how Corlackis kept a straight face at that.

‘Not so easy if he has ES regulars with him,’ he said.

‘They’re easy. Boys playing soldier games,’ said the woman.

Corlackis shook his head. ‘I admire your confidence, but would not want you to take on something you couldn’t handle, nor would I want you to go unrewarded.’

The hook was in. Stanton shook his head at the ease of it all. They hadn’t even asked why Corlackis and the rest would not be going in themselves. Corlackis now looked round at Pelter, who gave a nod. Corlackis tossed something on the table. One etched sapphire, Stanton bet. The woman snatched it up.

‘Three more when the job is done,’ Corlackis said.

‘No problem,’ said the woman.

The other four said nothing. They were too busy looking tough and confident behind their black eye-bands. Corlackis now reached under the table and picked up a cloth-wrapped bundle, which he placed before the woman. The woman reached across and flipped the cloth aside, completely unconcerned that anyone might see an assault rifle revealed.

‘We have seeker bullets as well,’ said Corlackis. ‘We would not see you go in unprepared.’

‘How many?’

‘You can have this rifle and a sufficient quantity of seeker rounds. We’ve got laser carbines as well. As many as you need. We also have a nice compact mortar you can use.’

Stanton saw the greedy expression on the woman’s face. She must think all her birthdays had come at once. Poor sap.

‘We get to keep them?’

‘But of course,’ said Corlackis.