August and Hoff stood at the end of the orchard, their weapons trained on the humans. ‘We have cut off your retreat,’ August advised them. ‘There is no escape. Now, let’s put an end to all this destruction, shall we? We know that the boy has the Pod. Give it to us.’

‘What do you want it for, exactly?’ Smith asked.

‘We’ve already been through all this with Professor Summerfield,’ August began.

‘Professor? I didn’t know she was a professor,’ Smith grinned. ‘Do you know what of?’

‘John, don’t antagonise them!’ Joan hissed.

‘Oh, I’ll antagonise.’ Smith took a step forward. ‘I’ll antagonise like I’ve never antagonised before. After all, these two bullies, these two blundering butchers, are going to get what they want.’ He waved his hands in the air, glaring at the two aliens. ‘They’ve wiped out hundreds of lives, traumatized a whole community and now they’re just going to take what they’re after and go.’ He fixed August with a piercing gaze. ‘Aren’t you?’

‘That is so,’ August assured him. ‘We have no wish to⁠ — hey!’

Tim, noticing that Hoff’s gaze had wandered off him for a moment, had dived off towards the trees.

The two aliens had time to take careful aim before they fired. But Timothy leapt high in the air, then jumped left right left, and the bolts kicked up the earth around him, shattered tree branches, blasted holes through bark and leaves, until the young boy was lost in the darkness of the orchard.

Smith gazed after him and then sheepishly raised his hands to August and Hoff.

‘That, erm, wasn’t actually part of the plan.’

Hoff had made to run after the boy but August put a hand on his arm. ‘No.’

‘No? Do you think I’m going to wait for Greeneye to get here and⁠ —’

‘There’s a much easier way. Serif’s analysis indicated that Dr Smith here has a particular weakness.’ August pulled a device from his pocket and pointed it at Joan.

‘That’s her.’

‘Wait!’ Smith yelled. ‘Don’t⁠ —’

But August had already fired. A tiny dart embedded itself in Joan’s chest. Her expression froze, and she started to walk, unsteadily, towards the aliens. Smith grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her back, but with sudden strength, she threw him aside.

August took Joan by the hand and looked down at Smith. ‘She’s coming with us.’

‘If you hurt her⁠ —’

‘We won’t. You have my word. That is, unless you don’t bring the Pod to our base in the forest before dawn. In that case, I’ll let Greeneye vent his frustrations on her.’

Smith was about to bellow something, but he made it come out as a whisper.

‘Where is your base?’

August raised an eyebrow. ‘You’ll find it. Well, you’d better, hadn’t you?’