‘Pegasus,’ I repeat, panic rising in my throat. ‘You said. Pegasus. Pe-ga-sus.’

Nothing. My arms flap at the camera, up and down, up and down, like I’m a bird that can’t fly.

‘Who the fuck are you, then?’ I shout, freezing as it suddenly flashes red again, rotating like the point of a laser.

The door ahead slides open, revealing the outline of a man with his back to me, hunched over a table against the far wall. I brace myself between the walls and blink into the brighter light. Apart from a low hum of equipment, I can see nothing else in the room.

‘Aren’t you going to come in?’ He doesn’t turn around.

Is there anyone else in there? I brace myself harder. Even though this room is only as big as my whole wingspan, I don’t see any exits in the other one.

‘I asked who you were,’ I spit. ‘Protocol’s protocol, isn’t it? Hardly worth insisting on it in the first place if you lot ditch it whenever it suits you.’

The walls slip a little under my hands as I force myself to stay upright. Finally he turns, blank and empty, dark hair and trousers, white shirt and face. He’d be a mannequin if he wasn’t moving.

‘Perseus,’ he says, staring at me.

I search his face, his body. I’ve never seen him before.

‘Where’s Shacklin,’ I say, arms pinching as they drop to my sides.172

‘Shacklin? Who’s Shacklin?’ He cocks his head, leaning back in his chair.

‘I’m done talking to you lot. Perseus this, Athena that – all these random codewords are actually doing is hiding the lies rather than the truth. I need to see Shacklin. She owes me more than just answers and I’m not leaving till I get them…’

I trail off in spite of myself as he stands up.

‘That’s a shame, because there’s no one here by that name,’ he says. ‘And yet, here you are, breaking all the rules, making a scene, drawing attention to yourself in all manner of damaging ways.’

He takes a step towards me. I start to panic again as I hit the wall trying to step away. The door must have closed.

‘She promised me,’ I say, scrabbling at the wall behind me. It doesn’t feel like it could ever have been a door. ‘You all promised. You all promised that Kayleigh would be kept safe. I thought … I thought I could save her from everything that happened to me. She was supposed to have everything I didn’t. That’s the only reason I ever did any of it in the first place. You promised she wouldn’t get hurt—’

‘And you promised too, didn’t you?’ He cuts me off, shadow falling across my face as he comes closer. ‘You promised you would keep answering our questions…’