She shook her head with more than a little condescension. ‘No, Daddy. It’s not called that any more. Uluru is the name the Aboriginal people gave it.’

Nina laughed. ‘You just got schooled in post-colonialist nomenclature by a ten-year-old, darling.’

Eddie shrugged. ‘I didn’t understand half those words, so I’m not surprised. But if Macy says that’s the proper name, then Uluru it is.’

‘Are you sure it’s the right spot?’ Nina asked Macy. ‘Like your dad said, it’s a big country.’

‘It is,’ Macy insisted. ‘I remember the maps from when I was reading about lost underground civilisations.’

Her mother adopted a fixed smile. ‘That’s the stuff you remember? Not, y’know, actual archaeology?’

It was Eddie’s turn to be mockingly patronising. ‘We just saw a spaceship full of frozen demons from the Bible blow up a city with death rays. I don’t think we need to worry about scientific accuracy any more.’

‘It wasn’t a spaceship,’ Nina huffed, but she took his point. ‘Okay. So Gadreel and his warriors are on their way to Uluru. We need to follow them – and warn people.’

‘You won’t be able to contact anyone until you are well clear of here,’ said Hui. ‘All civilian communications are blocked. But,’ she picked up a phone, ‘I can get you clear. The jet that brought you here is still on the runway. I can use my authority to arrange a flight to Australia. With luck, you will be out of Chinese airspace before anyone realises you are gone. It should take about two hours to cross the southern border. And,’ a knowing look at Eddie, ‘should an order to turn back come through, I am sure you will be able to persuade the pilots to disobey it.’

He nodded, clenching his fists. ‘I’m sure I will.’

‘I will make the arrangements.’ She started to dial.

‘Okay, so we get out of here – hopefully – and go to Australia,’ said Eddie. ‘Then what?’

‘Tell the Australians they’re going to have some unexpected visitors, I guess,’ Nina replied. ‘I should be able to use my United Nations contacts to reach someone in their government.’

‘What can they do?’ said Cheng. ‘They won’t be able to intercept that ship. If it’s like the fortress, it won’t show up on radar.’

‘What, it’s got stealth as well as a shield?’ Eddie said incredulously.

‘I listened to the helicopter crew on the way back. They said the fighter jets couldn’t use their missiles because they couldn’t lock on to it.’

‘The shield might be what makes it stealthy,’ Nina mused, before turning her mind to more immediate concerns. ‘Anyway, we have to get the Aussies to close off Uluru. There could be hundreds, even thousands of tourists there.’

‘And Aboriginal people live there too,’ Macy was quick to point out.