Saul didn’t reply but held out a hand to wave her back. Maren ignored the signal and stepped around him to look over the ledge.

On the expanse of roof below them, as still as a statue, stood a suited figure. Maren couldn’t see who it was through the tinted helmet, but its head was tilted upwards to watch them.

“Holly?” Suriya barked as she caught up. “I’m surprised you’ve stayed for so long.”

The figure didn’t speak or move. If they hadn’t dashed across it barely twenty minutes before, Maren might have thought someone had left an insane modern art statue on the roof to remind them of their transient nature or something equally pretentious.

Mark was chattering in her ear. “Holly’s there? Is she okay? I can’t hear her. Why isn’t she on our system?”

“Gin, please shut the idiot up,” Suriya snapped. “And bring Holly online. We can’t hear her.”

“Hang on, hang on.” Gin was still bright, but stress had edged into her voice. “The system’s only coming back one section at a time. The radar is still down, so I can’t see or hear anyone who isn’t directly connected to the short-range radios.”

The figure was unnerving Maren. It hadn’t moved an inch in the time they’d been watching it. Saul seemed to be sharing her uneasiness; he kept his gun up, aimed at the other’s helmet.

Maren tilted her head to one side and felt a thrill run up her spine. The figure had mimicked her motion, letting its head loll sideways. Huh, so you’re alive after all.

“Jeeze,” Suriya hissed. “What’s her problem? First cutting the cable. Now this. Does she think it’s going to intimidate us?”

“Oh,” Maren said suddenly, clutching at Saul’s arm. She’d realised something, and the idea made her sick to her stomach. “It’s too tall.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“What?” Suriya asked.

“It’s too tall to be Holly. Way too tall.”

Suriya’s helmet swivelled to look at Maren then turned back to the figure waiting below them. She swore.

Holly was a little shorter than Maren, who stood a petite five feet, four inches. The suit below them had to belong to someone edging up on six feet.

Did Saul realise? Is that why he hasn’t lowered his gun?

Maren turned to glance at him again, and Saul swivelled suddenly, spinning in a semicircle to see behind them. Maren followed his motion, and the sick sensation increased. Half a dozen suited figures stood behind them, just in front of the communication system. Maren blinked at them, shocked, then looked back at the first figure and found it was flanked by four new companions.

“Gin?” Suriya said, her voice thin. “What can you tell us?”

“The scanner’s just booting up now… hang on… hang on… what the hell?”

“How many are there?” Suriya asked. She and her teammates had subconsciously drawn together, back-to-back. Maren saw more figures out of the corner of her eye, walking towards them across the red desert.