‘Frederick, I’m here,’ I whispered. I put a hand on his arm.

He swivelled towards me. ‘Lex, you OK?’

‘I’m fine. We need to get down there.’ I motioned back towards my office. ‘They’re after all our intel. They can’t leave here with anything. By my count two or three Ghosts are left in play.’ I winced as I felt my side; blood had soaked through the scarf. ‘Follow my lead.’

Frederick would be as blind as the Ghosts having only been down here once before. With his hand on my shoulder we made slow progress down the corridor. We got to the corner before the offices; the flash of torchlights lit up Watermelon’s office at the end of the corridor.

‘My office is the one nearest to us. You need to cover me when I get in there. How much ammo have you got?’

‘Just what’s in the chamber. Six shots.’

‘Well, I hope it hasn’t been too long since you fired. Just stand at the door. If they look like they’re coming in, start firing.’

I felt my way through our office, I felt past my desk, then Jake’s and finally got to Robin’s. I opened the laptop. The screen announced: ‘Transfer complete’. I unplugged the hard drive and slipped it into my jeans pocket. I moved Robin’s laptop to the safe on the back wall and shut the door.

‘Lex!’ I heard Frederick shout and then two shots fired.

I stumbled back through the dark office.

Frederick was still by the doorway. He was lit up by the torch on the floor next to the body at his feet.

‘I saw the torchlight coming this way and just fired.’ He didn’t take his eyes off the corridor ahead. He was right not to. Another Ghost could be coming.

‘Good call.’ I winced and held my side as I reached down to the body and pulled the gun out his hand and the torch off the floor.

I thought about what I’d do if I was one of the last remaining Ghosts. In an unknown territory. With an unknown number of hostiles. I heard a clatter from the office down the hallway. One was running. The torchlight was flashing down the corridor.

‘Come on. We can’t let him get out.’

We ran after him, Frederick a little ahead, the searing pain in my side slowing me down. I saw the swing of the torch light as the Ghost half-turned back towards us. Getting ready to fire.

Frederick hesitated.

I didn’t.

I fired and the Ghost went down. There was a cry and a series of ‘Fuuuuucckkk’s.

We approached him slowly, guns still raised, torch shining right on him. He held his hands up against the light.

It was just a leg wound. I kicked his gun away from him.