Alex was up against both the other surviving clones, keeping them in single file ahead of him like a hostile game of piggy-in-the-middle. The soldier in front of him had a chance to fire his handgun, but when Alex seized the barrel and twisted the muzzle towards the clone’s own chest, his enemy decided it wasn’t such a good idea. Alex released one of his hands from the gun – the hand which still held his knife – and plunged it into the centre of the clone’s chest.

A punch to Ewan’s cheek knocked out his sense of direction, and he drew his gaze away from Alex. He kept both his hands in a tight grip on his rifle, but his huge enemy lifted it upwards. Unwilling to let go, Ewan’s feet were separated from the floor, and the clone charged across the chamber and rammed the base of his spine against the computer desk.

Ewan let out a yelp, his back muscles screaming at him as the top half of his body was stretched across the desk. His own weapon lay half a room away, beyond the focus of his blurred vision. The clone’s rifle was the only firearm within reach, but he released one of his hands from it anyway.

With two hands against one, the clone seized his chance and jumped backwards. The rifle was torn from Ewan’s one-handed grip, but the clone was too horrified to open fire. He had seen what Ewan had done with his spare hand: his forefinger had reached over the keyboard beneath it and smashed onto the enter key.

He had just said ‘yes’ to the dialog box.

Ewan did not see the screen as the entirety of Pearce’s AME research began to disappear into nothingness, but the look on the clone’s face told him everything. The distraction was all Ewan needed as he pounced forward, grabbed the giant’s shoulders in both hands and sent both knees into his stomach, the force of his body weight forcing the clone backwards until he tripped over the body of his partner. Ewan held on for dear life, as if to a falling tree, and the clone tumbled to the floor and landed on his back. The shock was enough for the clone to release his grip, and Ewan seized the assault rifle from his hands and smashed the butt repeatedly into his face. After the fifth strike, the clone stopped moving.

Dizzy and in pain, Ewan hopped to his feet to see Alex and the final clone wrestling over a handgun. The clone’s sweaty fingers crept towards the trigger, his plan obvious. It would not matter where the bullet went. It would be a distress signal to every clone within half a mile of the chamber.

Ewan staggered into position behind the clone, secured both hands around his victim’s head, and snapped his neck.