On either side of them the stanchion lights flickered out, plunging them back into darkness again. Globes on the station walls blossomed into life and Will had to squint to make out anything more than a harsh, painful blur. Three figures stepped out of the car and onto the platform. The sound of a punchline wafted down the tunnel-just audible over the ringing in his ears-and the newcomers laughed, slapped each other on the back, and disappeared through the station doors.

‘Shite that was close!’ said Brian when they’d gone. ‘My whole life flashed before my eyes…Mind, the dirty bits were good, but.’

Will turned his head and found his face less than an inch away from Constable MacDonald’s. Her hips hard against his, her breath hot on his neck where they were all squashed together against the tunnel wall. The adrenaline of almost getting killed was making this feel a lot more erotic than it should. She smiled at him, licked her lips, and said: ‘My hero!’

‘Yes, well…’ He backed away into the middle of the tunnel. ‘We’d, erm, better get moving.’

Will led the way across to the vacated shuttle and up onto the platform. He pulled his Whomper round, hit the ‘on’ button, and the assault rifle came online with a soft electric whine. Brian powered his up. Then they waited for Cat to get the Bull Thrummer going.

Nothing.

She poked at the buttons and flicked the switches. ‘It’s a different model to the one I’m used to, OK?’

Brian turned it on for her and the siege weapon growled, drowning everything else out.

‘Right,’ said Will, ‘here’s what we’re going to do: single file from here on. I’ll take point; Cat in the middle; Brian, you’re tail-end Charley.’

‘Shite. No’ again.’

‘Yes again. The place will be wired so…’ He dug into Brian’s pack and pulled out a portable jammer. ‘It’s got a range of about two hundred meters.’ He flipped the switch and stuffed it back where he got it. ‘They’ll be able to guess our position as the cameras go out ahead of us, but there’s nothing we can do about that.’

‘Aye there is.’ Brian winked at Cat. ‘Will’s supposed tae be the brains of the organization, but I’m no’ just a pretty face maself.’ He pointed at a big grey box marked ‘DANGER OF ELECTROCUTION!’ welded onto the concrete wall with about a ton of foamsteel. ‘See that? That’s the main power line goin’ in tae the place. Cat, you want to do the honours?’

‘What?’

Brian sighed. ‘Thrum the damn thing.’

‘Oh. My pleasure.’ She swung the massive siege weapon round and thumbed the trigger. Nothing happened.

Brian rolled his eyes and sighed again.

‘It works better when you’ve no’ got the safety on,’ he said, reaching over and clicking it off for her.

‘Thanks.’ This time the tines began to tremble, sticking out behind her like an angry metal porcupine. And then the Bull Thrummer bellowed. Cat rocked back on her feet as a hard blue pulse surged forward, ripping through the foamsteel as if it was made of jelly. Tiny ionized particles of metal and concrete exploded under the Bull Thrummer’s touch, whirling round in a cyclone of powder-grey dust, crackling with static electricity.

Cat McDonald was grinning like a maniac as the siege weapon thundered its way through the power line.

The noise was deafening, amplified by the tunnel walls. Sparks showered out of the ravaged foamcrete and all the lights in the station cracked off. The roar of the Bull Thrummer died away, leaving nothing but the sizzle and fizz of the dust storm, glowing with its own discharging electricity. And then they were back in darkness once again. Tinnitus ringing in their ears.

‘THERE YOU GO,’ Brian yelled. ‘NO POWER. NOW ALL THE CAMERAS ARE ON THE BLINK.’

Will just smiled, shook his head, and pushed through the doors into the darkened facility.

He switched the Whomper’s lightsight on, painting the place in soft green monotone. It wouldn’t be long before they brought the backup generators online and Will was determined to get as far as he could before that happened. He charged up the main corridor, trying to remember as much of the layout as he could from Ken Peitai’s tour. Cat was hot on his heels, sweeping the Bull Thrummer back and forth while Brian brought up the rear, tracker in one hand Whomper in the other.

‘Talk to me, Brian.’

‘Up to the end then left…no right. Shite, the thing’s all over the shop, must be the jammer!’

Will kicked his way though the doors at the end of the corridor and swept the area with green light.

There was a large woman standing beside a vending machine, a plastic of something hot and dark in her hand. ‘What the hell’s goin’ on?’

Will pointed the Whomper straight at her and she had to squint in the lightsight’s glare, her orange hair bleached green in the targeting beam.

‘Buchan, is that you?’ She hobbled forward a step. One leg was encased in plaster to the knee, but she still stood like a rugby player.

‘On the floor now!’

‘I don’t understand-’

‘Get your arse on the ground before I blow it off!’ Will thumbed the trigger, not with enough pressure to fire, just enough to make the weapon snarl in his hands. The woman dropped to the floor fast, coffee splashing across the dark terrazzo.

Will jabbed the Whomper into the back of her neck. ‘Where is she?’

‘I don’t know what you-’

‘Will?’ That was Brian, sounding worried. ‘What you doin’?’

‘This was one of the pickup team that got her.’ Will said. ‘This is the one that put me in the hospital.’ He turned his attention back to the redhead and made the Whomper growl again. ‘I SAID WHERE IS SHE?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about-I don’t even work here!’ She covered her head with her hands, face pressed against the floor. ‘Please don’t hurt me…’

Brian placed a hand on Will’s shoulder. ‘Hud oan. You don’t want to do this. You’re no’ that kind of person.’ Brian gently pushed the Whomper’s barrel away from the big woman. ‘But I am.’ He kicked her in the ribs. Hard. Something dark splashed out of her mouth and Brian kicked her again.

‘Right, sunshine,’ he said balling his fist and grabbing the coughing, gasping woman by the throat. ‘We know who you are.’ He slammed the fist into her face, spreading her nose like meat paste. ‘You know who we are.’ He loosened a couple of teeth for her. ‘And you know where our friend is. Okey doke?’

‘Jesus, Brian!’

‘No’ now Will, I’m workin’.’ He grabbed her arm and twisted it round through ninety degrees, locking the elbow. ‘How about a nice wee game of This Little Piggy?’ Brian took a firm hold of her index finger. ‘Where is she?’

‘I don’t know what-’

‘This little piggy went to market.’ He jerked it back. A soft ‘crack’ sounded and she squealed.

‘Where is she?’

‘Bastard! I don’t-’

‘This little piggy stayed at home.’ Crack.

‘Ah Jesus! I don’t-’

‘This little piggy had roast beef.’ Crack.

‘Aaaagghh!’

‘And this little piggy-’

‘She’s in the main interrogation suite! Down the corridor, first left, second right!’

Will jumped past them, leaving them in darkness.

‘There you go,’ said Brian, as if he was about to give the ginger-haired wifie a lollypop, ‘that wasnae so hard now was it?’ He let go of her hand and she pulled it against her chest, sobbing. Poor wee soul.

‘Come on, Cat.’ He struck a heroic pose. ‘Will’s only gonnae get himself in all kinds of shite if we’re no’ there to bail him out.’

‘First things first.’ Constable MacDonald placed the barrel of the Bull Thrummer against the woman’s battered head. ‘You have beautiful eyes.’ One second the big-boned woman was there, the next there was nothing left but a dark, sticky mist that tasted of iron.

Brian stood, mouth hanging open, eyes wide. ‘But…You…’

‘What?’ Cat hoisted the weapon. ‘Like we’re going to leave her alive to raise the alarm and shoot us in the back? I don’t think so.’