And so, by the dim glow of that reading light, the two of them chatted for the next few hours about books, reading and science fiction novels.

As they did, they didn’t realise that they were being watched . . .

. . . not by any enemy, but by their friends, Stretch and Sister Lynda, back in the first class cabin.

Lynda was, quite simply, thunderstruck.

‘They’ve been talking for three hours!’ she whispered excitedly to Stretch. ‘In all the time I’ve known her, I never saw Tracy talk to a man for more than three minutes. I mean, look at her, she’s beautiful—slim and gorgeous—so all her life guys have approached her to chat her up. But she always had a rule: if they didn’t ask her a question about herself or her opinion on something within the first minute, she would end the conversation then and there.’

‘How did that go?’ Stretch asked.

‘Let’s be honest, Benjamin, most guys talk about themselves. Not many of her conversations lasted long.’

Stretch laughed softly. He nodded at Pooh Bear. ‘Well, she’s in for a new experience, because my buddy up there is the last true gentleman on Earth. There’s no human male on this planet who is more polite, courteous and conversationally generous than he is.’

‘Is he single?’

Stretch laughed. ‘To his mother’s eternal anguish, yes, he is. He just never found the right girl.’

They continued to watch Tracy and Pooh Bear converse animatedly.

Lynda sighed. ‘Who knows, maybe he has found the right one now. Be a shame if the world ended.’

At that moment, very suddenly, the plane’s engines roared, thrusting unexpectedly, and the whole airliner banked wildly to the right.

Alarms sounded.

Anything not tied down went tumbling to the floor.

Then the engines roared again and the Air France 737 tilted the other way.

Staggering to keep his balance, Stretch raced up to the cockpit.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked.

Pooh was leaning back in his seat, his eyes wide.

In front of him, the plane’s steering yoke was moving all by itself.

Then the plane levelled off and began flying in a more settled way again.

Pooh scanned the dashboard, checking all the dials and indicators, his hands still held high, off the steering yoke.

‘We’ve been hacked,’ he said ominously. ‘They found us. They finally found us. This plane is now being flown remotely by someone else. Somehow our friend Mr Marren must have alerted his people to his situation and whereabouts.’

He swallowed deeply, gave Stretch a long hard look.

‘We’re now being taken to wherever they want to take us.’

Raven Rock Mountain Complex (Site R)

Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania

28 December, 1900 hours (local time)

[29 December, 0300 hours in the Labyrinth]