But he didn’t have Lorraine and Shannon navigating for him .

‘I’m almost here,’ he whispered into his phone. It was an audio call rather than a video call, of course. The fewer visual distractions he had, the safer he would be. ‘Take me through the directions one more time.’

‘Once you’re inside,’ answered Lorraine, ‘you’ll, er, reach a crossroads fairly quickly. Take the right-hand corridor, go past the Nutrition Farm, and follow a curve around when you reach the Special Weapons Storage Facility, which should take you right— no, left…’

‘And how can I tell which rooms are the Nutrition Farm or the Special Weapons place?’

‘Well either way, once you’ve taken the curve to the left… I’m not— wait, yes— you keep going…’

Moments away from storming a one-floor fortress, McCormick came to realise the damage he had inflicted on Lorraine Shepherd. She was exhausted – physically, mentally and emotionally – and almost all of it had been his own fault. He had been too demanding of her, and her limits were finally beginning to show.

McCormick heard the sound of hands against Lorraine’s phone, and after a moment of quiet, Shannon started to talk.

‘McCormick,’ she began, ‘walk to the crossroads and turn right. When the path curves to the left, follow it to the next crossroads and go right again. Then left, left again, and it’s the second door on the right. Did you get that?’

‘Fairly sure.’

‘Then say it back to me. Now, before you forget.’

McCormick smiled. Shannon’s fiery nature had given her an uncompromising personality too. But even though this war was more personal to her than anyone else in the Underdogs, she was uncompromising in a productive way rather than a vengeful way.

‘Right at the crossroads,’ McCormick answered, ‘round the curve and right at the second crossroads. Then left, left, and second door on the right.’

‘Correct. If you find yourself at the Central Power Generator, you’ve gone a door too far.’

Nicholas Grant had put lots of his golden eggs in one basket: his main power source, his army’s food supply, his armoury for advanced weapons and the backup for all his data, all within a square mile. It spoke volumes about Grant’s faith in the security of the HPFC.

‘Thanks, Shannon. I’ll let you know if I get out.’

‘If you get out?’ asked Shannon. Lorraine seized the phone.

‘If you get out?’ she yelled. ‘You’re doing this alone?!’

‘I’m the only one close by, and the other three are fighting their way to Marshall’s office. It’s the only strategy we have.’

‘You won’t even get past the entrance on your own! And how do you plan to get out again?’

McCormick held out his dental mirror around the corner with trembling fingers, and took a long sigh.