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They reached the end of the corridor, hung a left and found themselves in a long passageway with doors leading off to each side. The storeroom was ahead, around a bend to the left.

  ‘Pete?’ They both stopped in the corridor. ‘You go back to the room with the others. Get them ready to move out.’

  ‘What’re you doing?’

  ‘I need to find the cybersuits.’

  ‘I should come too.’

  ‘No. Mai needs help. There are nine survivors. It’ll be easier for me to move on my own. Besides, I don’t want both of us running the risk of getting caught.’

  Pete held Mark’s eyes for a moment then nodded. He turned and sped down the corridor. Stopping at the end, he peered around, then ran on, stun gun ready, gripped in both hands.

  Mark had remembered the schematic of the base down to the last detail. He was in what translated to Corridor B. He raced on, past the turning that led to the storeroom. The passageway curved to the right. A short way along, he stopped, then took a left. The Main Control Room lay directly ahead.

  He could hear voices – half a dozen different people. There were other sounds too, machines whirring, computer crosstalk, a man pacing. Then, cutting over it all, the warning from the computer blared again. Mark leaned back against the wall to the right of the sliding door, and took a deep breath. His left hand was poised over the door’s release button. He gripped the pistol with his right. Pushing away from the wall, he thumped the release.

  ‘Drop the gun,’ a voice shouted in Chinese.

  Mark turned and saw a soldier at the corner. The man ran straight towards him keeping his machine gun trained on Mark. Two more men emerged from the room. Behind them stood Mengde Sun. ‘Oh dear,’ he said in English.

  103

  The door slammed behind him as Mark was shoved into the store-cum-prison. He tripped and landed heavily. Pete walked over and helped him up. Mark gazed around the room and saw all the survivors were there. The Xavier children looked petrified. Hilary was holding Nick close to her and Michael had his arm about Emily’s shoulders, whispering words of comfort. Kristy sat against the far wall, her head down on her raised knees. Harry, Miguel, Jim and Archie formed a small group close to the door. They looked utterly drained.

  ‘You’ve still got the weapons?’ Mark asked urgently.

  Pete patted his hip and Mai nodded towards the machine gun on the shelf at the back of the room.

  ‘I thought I said you should use it, Mai.’

  ‘I know you did. But I didn’t, Mark. Okay?’

  Mark gazed at the floor. ‘I got a message out,’ he said.

  ‘Yeah, I know.’ She nodded at Pete.

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘What’s what?’

  Then Pete and Mai heard it.

  Mark turned and saw vapour appearing from under the shelving unit in the wall furthest from the door. Harry Flanders had seen it too. ‘What the fuck’s that?’ he exclaimed.

  Mark and Mai strode over to the shelves and crouched low near the source of the vapour, trying to find the inlet. They both started coughing and pulled back.

  ‘Oh fuck,’ Jim said. He looked round at the others. ‘They’re poisoning us!’

  Everyone started talking at once.

  ‘Okay, people,’ Mark snapped and raised his hands. They quietened down, but he could see in their faces they were all petrified. They had been through so much, the strain was showing.

  ‘I know it’s hard, but we have to keep calm. Try to not to breathe any more than you have to. My colleagues are on their way. Please, try ... try to remain calm.’

  Mark ripped at the sleeve of his boilersuit, and Pete took his lead. Mai found a bottle of water that had been left with some food a couple of hours earlier. The sleeves were ripped into smaller strips, Mai drenched them with water and handed them out.

  Hilary Xavier, her face drawn, almost skeletal with stress, took two lengths of cloth and told Emily and Nick to put the fabric over their mouths.

  ‘Any idea what the gas is, Pete? Mai?’ Mark asked.

  They shook their heads.

  ‘Odourless, just about visible as a white vapour. Could be anything,’ Pete concluded.

  ‘It’s lighter than air,’ Mai added and nodded towards a wispy trail ascending to the ceiling. ‘Buys us a little time.’

  Michael and Jim started to cough.

  ‘Get to the floor ... Everyone,’ Mark commanded. Hilary pulled the kids down. Emily started to cry. Hilary shushed her. ‘Don’t, Em ... please.’

  ‘Okay, everyone, breathe only when necessary. Shallow breaths,’ Mai told them and threw herself to the floor.

  Mark scrambled under the shelving at the back of the room. He had a damp cloth pushed up against his nose and mouth, but the vapour was still getting through. He waved the gas away, searching for the inlet. He shuffled forward on his belly, alternately pushing himself against the floor and trying to clear his vision with his spare hand. His eyes were streaming.

  His whole body was under the shelving unit before he found the source and, when he did, his heart sank. It was not a single opening, but dozens of small nozzles tucked up inside a cavity under the crossbeam of the shelving support. There was nothing they could do to stop the gas coming in. He swung around, coughing into the damp rag. Pete was crouching down and helped him out.

  ‘Hopeless,’ Mark said, his voice muffled by the wet cloth.

  Pete nodded towards the floor. The civilians were all unconscious.

  Mark felt a movement behind him. He turned just in time to see Mai’s head slump to one side. He lowered her gently, making sure the wet cloth was tight about her nose and mouth. Then, straightening, he shuffled towards the door, his head swimming. He caught a glimpse of Pete drop unconscious beside him. His vision started to go and he felt the room start to shake. Was he imagining it?

  ‘Fight it!’ Mark mumbled. ‘Fight it...’

  104

  The first thing Steph and Josh heard as they entered the base was the blared warning telling them the place was under cyber attack.

  ‘On the ball, this computer,’ Josh said.

  ‘Yeah, but don’t get too cocky,’ Steph retorted and led him to the left along a corridor. They had their stun pistols drawn and were moving along the passageway commando style, crouching low, listening intently. Josh checked his watch. He nodded to Steph and they stopped and pulled back to the wall.

  A low hum filled the corridor and the entire base began to shake. The hum changed into a growl and started to build. Then came a horrible grating sound, a screech and a loud bang.

  ‘Well, the Distractor’s working,’ Josh said. ‘Come on.’

  They took the first bend carefully, hugging the wall and slithering around the corner, stun guns poised.

  They knew where they were going thanks to the schematic of the base Tom had uploaded. A right at the end of the corridor, then a left and they could see the final turn that would take them to the storeroom.

  Steph led and eased herself along the wall. The cacophony from the Distractor was deafening. Then another alarm sounded, a high-pitched wail that resonated along the corridor cutting through the racket. The floor shook and Josh almost lost balance. He grabbed at the wall to steady himself. Steph peeked around the corner and pulled back. ‘One guard,’ she said. Then, before Josh could respond, she had taken a step forward, crouched and fired her stun gun. The guard collapsed, unconscious.

  Steph tugged at the handle to the storeroom. It was locked. Tom obviously had not managed to deactivate the security systems this far in. She stepped back, touched a control at the wrist of her cybersuit. The vector-laser slithered out of her suit. She touched a control on her wrist again and a high energy beam hit the lock and vaporised it in a millisecond.

  Josh kicked the door and it flew inwards.

  Steph almost fell over a body lying close to the entrance. She caught herself and crouched down. It was Harry Flanders. He was unconscious.

  Steph looked up and saw Josh run acro
ss the room to where two children lay on their backs, damp rags over their mouths. Then she saw Mark staggering towards her. He looked terrible. ‘Help me get them into the hall,’ he gasped.

  Steph caught a glimpse of Pete. He was leaning over Mai, bringing her round and helping her to her feet. Turning, Steph helped two more survivors into the corridor, checked each of them with the medscanner and got them to sip some water. Then she went back into the storeroom. Pete and Mai were stumbling towards her, each helping out a semi conscious survivor. Pete had his stun pistol in his spare hand. The machine gun was slung over Mai’s left shoulder.

  Within 20 seconds, everyone was out except Michael Xavier and Miguel Bandonis. Josh ran back into the room. He crouched down beside the two unconscious men, then straightened and grabbed each of them by a leg, sliding them roughly across the metal floor. Mark appeared at his side, gasping into the wet cloth at his mouth.

  ‘I’m okay, Mark. Get out,’ he said. But the E-Force leader ignored him, dragged Bandonis out through the door as Josh pulled Michael Xavier clear of the room.

  The screech of the alarm ricocheted along the passageway. The survivors lay where they had collapsed on the floor, coughing and wheezing, eyes streaming. Steph was crouched down between Emily and Nick. She ran a medscanner across the girl’s head and down her body then repeated the action with Nick. They were both coming to. Nick tried to sit up.

  ‘Sssh,’ Steph said gently. ‘Take it easy.’

  ‘My mum and dad...’

  Steph looked around and saw Hilary sitting up against the wall a few feet away, coughing. Mark was helping Michael to his feet. ‘They’re going to be fine.’

  Mark approached. ‘Good timing, Steph,’ he said. ‘Now, we’ve got to get these people out.’ He led the way, helping Michael Xavier. The others took two civilians each.

  The Distractor stopped suddenly, and a moment later the base alarm cut out abruptly.

  They all froze.

  A deathly silence.

  Then a new computerised message started up. ‘Base will self-destruct in five minutes.’

  105

  Mark didn’t say a word. He just ran on along the corridor as fast as he could.

  Michael pulled away from Mark’s grip. ‘I’m okay,’ he said. ‘My family...’

  ‘They’re all right,’ Mark said and stole a glance back to see Pete immediately behind him with Hilary Xavier and Kristy Sunshine. Further back, the two children were stumbling along. Mark let Michael go and ran on to the next bend. He stopped. The others all came up behind.

  ‘Four minutes 30 seconds to self-destruct,’ said the metallic voice.

  ‘Stay here,’ Mark whispered to Pete, and slid around the wall. A few metres along the passageway there was another turn. Mark stopped before the bend and peered round. Directly ahead was a door marked: ‘DOCKING BAYS’. The door was slightly ajar. There was no one to be seen. He turned and crept back to the others.

  ‘What’s the situation?’ Michael Xavier asked.

  ‘The docking bays are just around the next bend. I couldn’t see anyone.’

  ‘Let’s go then.’

  Mark put a restraining hand on Michael’s shoulder. ‘Not so fast. Just because I didn’t see anyone...’

  Michael nodded and hung back. Mark dashed to Josh, who had been helping Archie and Miguel. ‘Josh, try Tom. See if he can do anything to stop the self-destruct program.’

  Josh nodded and touched a control at his wrist. ‘Tom? Come in, Tom.’

  ‘Josh. This is Madeleine Alexander.’

  ‘Madeleine. We need Tom.’

  ‘He’s on the CyberLink.’

  ‘He has to get to the self-destruct program.’

  ‘The self-destru...?’

  ‘We have less than four...’

  ‘I wouldn’t bother, gentlemen.’

  Josh and Mark snapped round. Mengde Sun was standing at the corner. He had a pistol gripped in his hands. ‘You must be the redoubtable Professor Josh Thompson. It’s...’

  ‘Cut the crap, Mengde,’ Mark barked. The Chief Scientist looked startled. ‘You going to try to shoot us all?’

  ‘Well, yes. I suppose so. Then I’ll deactivate the self-destruct. I’m not the self-sacrificing type.’ He took a step towards them. Michael Xavier stepped forward. Mai came up beside him and started to raise the machine gun.

  ‘Don’t be silly, Ms Buchanan,’ Mengde said. ‘Mr Harrison would be dead before you could get the gun horizontal.’ He turned back to Mark.

  Mai stopped moving.

  Michael Xavier span round, and with lightning reflexes he grabbed Mai’s gun.

  Mengde was so startled, he turned from Mark, swinging his gun around.

  Michael fired.

  Bullets sprayed around the corridor.

  Hilary and Kristy screamed. They fell to the floor, hands over their heads.

  ‘Warning: three minutes to self-destruct.’

  A single shell smashed into Mengde’s right eye sending him sprawling backwards along the corridor. Blood, like a dark fountain, cascaded through the air. The Chief Scientist landed against the wall in a heap and started to scream.

  ‘Come on!’ Josh cried and pulled at two of the civilians. Pete dashed forward, helping Archie along the corridor.

  The others ran on. Josh and Pete led the way, with Mark and Mai shepherding the survivors from the rear. Steph held back and crouched down beside Mengde’s writhing body. She grabbed his chin to stop him moving. A quarter of his face was wrecked, the right eye gone. There was a groove 5 centimetres wide in the side of his head. He stopped moving.

  Steph leaned in to check his pulse and Mengde suddenly jolted up, his hand at her throat.

  Mark turned. Lifted his pistol and shot four bullets into Mengde’s head.

  106

  ‘Two minutes to self-destruct.’

  Pete ran at the door to the docking bays, almost knocking it off its hinges.

  Hilary and the two children were stumbling along a few paces back, with Josh close behind, helping Harry. ‘Madeleine!’ Josh screamed into his comms.

  ‘Tom’s onto it, Josh,’ she replied.

  The airlock lay directly ahead. Pete ran up to it. It was electronically sealed. He span round as Mai crashed through the door to the docking area with a group of survivors. Michael Xavier was behind her, his face white, expressionless. Hilary ran over to him and they gripped each other tight. Michael sobbed into his wife’s shoulder.

  ‘It’s over, Michael. It’s over,’ she said softly.

  ‘Josh. Your vector-laser,’ Pete called over.

  Josh dashed across the corridor, tapping at his wrist as he went.

  ‘Self-destruct in 90 seconds.’

  ‘Stand back,’ Josh said, and put his hand out. A bright light shot from his wrist and hit the lock, melting it instantly.

  Steph appeared around the corner just outside the door to the docking bay. Mark followed her. They could see everyone had gathered at the lock. Josh leaned on the door and it swung inwards. A few seconds later, they were all inside.

  ‘Self-destruct in 60 seconds.’

  ‘Madeleine!’ Josh shouted into his comms.

  ‘I don’t think...’

  Mark dived for the inner door, and then on through the hatch into the Drebbel. ‘Everyone, get in ... NOW!’ he yelled.

  Steph led the others into the main passenger area. ‘Strap yourselves in, quick!’ she said. ‘It’s going to be a bumpy ride.’ She helped Nick and Emily with their belts.

  ‘Self-destruct in 30 seconds.’

  Josh ran after Mark, crashed into the control room and threw himself into the copilot’s seat. Mark barely noticed him. He was running his fingers across the touch-sensitive panels. Two screens lit up showing the E-Force emblem. A hum came from the main engines. Mark depressed a control and the submarine started vibrating. The hum rose in pitch. He touched another control and the screens showed the external view. They were hooked up to the side of the base by two docking clamps.
Ahead of them lay the open water.

  ‘How’re we going to decouple?’ Josh asked.

  Mark ignored him for a second as he gave all his attention to the controls. Then he glanced at Josh. ‘Let’s just pray Tom got this far into their system...’

  ‘Self-destruct in 15 seconds.’

  Mark pulled back on a control and touched a pad on the right of the panel. There were two small explosions in quick succession. The sub juddered, and a deep, heart-shaking roar came from the rear of the vessel. The Drebbel shot forward, turned sharply to port and accelerated away from the Chinese base.

  They felt the shock of the explosion 1.4 seconds after the base ripped itself apart. A great bubble of expanding air smashed into the rear of the Drebbel. It slithered along its sleek Maxinium outer shell and broke into random turbulence which the sub shot through with barely a vibration. Then came the debris, clumps of metal and plastic sprayed out from the heart of the explosion, spiralling through the water, and slowing. A piece of metal wall, half a desk and a door panel slammed into the covered engines of the Drebbel. They bounced off, leaving barely a scratch. Eleven seconds after detaching from the base, the E-Force sub was almost 200 metres away from the shattered complex.

  Mark set the controls to ‘auto’ and threw himself back in the pilot’s seat. ‘Man, that was close,’ he said.

  107

  Base One, Tintara Island, two days later

  ‘So what’s this? The post-mortem post-mortem?’ Josh said lightly as he followed Mark into the E-Force leader’s office. They had just left a meeting to run through the Neptune mission with all six members and some of the senior ancillary crew.

  Mark indicated a chair in front of his desk and perched on the corner close to Josh. Josh crossed his arms and looked directly at Mark.

  ‘It’s about the incident over China.’

  ‘Ah, yes, of course.’

  ‘I had a very long conversation with Senator Mitchell.’

  ‘Oh, how is my friend, Evan?’

  ‘He’s pissed, Josh.’