Nina grabbed her. ‘No! You won’t reach him – you’ll both die!’

‘Mom, no!’ She tried to break free. ‘We can save him! We can—’

‘Macy!’ Nina pulled her daughter forcefully to her. ‘You. Will. Die. I won’t let that happen. Never.’

‘No!’ Macy wailed again – but she knew her mother was right.

They both stared helplessly as Cheng tried to stand, only for his injured leg to give way. The gas cloud passed the ledge where Nina had been trapped, a vaporous hammer about to crush him . . .

Then, unexpectedly, he looked back at them – face alight with hope. He dragged himself to an empty recess. ‘What are you doing?’ Nina shouted.

‘I can put myself into stasis!’ Cheng called back, excitement plain even through the pain in his voice.

‘You’re crazy! You don’t even know if it’ll work!’ The gap shrank to a foot, then inches.

‘You started the process, so it should keep going – but I don’t have much choice now, do I?’ He dropped back against the glowing crystal. ‘And . . . I really am going to become a part of history!’

‘Cheng, no!’ Nina cried – but then door met floor with a sonorous thud. The light filtering through the crystal wall took on a yellow tinge as the gas finally filled the chamber.

Macy gazed wide-eyed at the barrier. ‘Oh no. Oh no,’ she whispered. ‘Is . . . is he dead?’

‘I don’t know,’ Nina answered truthfully. ‘But maybe some day, a long time from now . . . somebody will find out.’

A noise behind them. She looked around in alarm – was it Nephilim survivors, or the Chinese special forces team? But relief flooded through her when she saw Eddie lumbering across the bridge, a sub-machine gun with a tactical light held awkwardly in one hand as he carried a heavy barrel-like object in both arms. ‘Eddie! Oh thank God, you’re okay!’

He carefully put down the cylinder and hurried to his family. ‘Been better. Jesus, though – so have you!’ he added on seeing her leg wound. ‘Macy, put pressure on it, both sides. Try to stop the bleeding.’

Macy did so, though she still had time for sarcasm. ‘Hi, Dad.’

A faint smile. ‘Sorry, love. Been a bit busy. Are you okay?’ His face grew grim. ‘I’m guessing you didn’t find Barney.’

‘No . . . Gadreel caught me.’ She didn’t need to say more to explain the Australian’s fate.

Eddie muttered a curse. ‘Where is Gadreel – and where’s Cheng? What happened?’

‘Cheng’s . . . in there,’ said Nina, gesturing at the now-sealed door. ‘I don’t know if he’s alive or not – and it might be another hundred thousand years before anyone finds out. Gadreel’s dead, though.’ She pointed down the shaft. ‘So’s Zan. Well, they might not be – I don’t know if they’ve hit bottom yet.’

‘The deeper it is, the better,’ he rumbled.

‘What do you mean?’