“Okay,” says Sarra as the metal door grinds open. “This is definitely it.”
Claire’s mouth drops open. They are standing on a balcony from which two sets of stairs curve downwards towards a large central floor. The entire room is cast in an eerie blue-green glow by the object at rest in the middle of it.
“Oh no,” says Conor, leaning over the edge of the balcony to look down at the engine. “No, no, no… that’s impossible.”
Jeremy and Sarra step up on either side of him and follow the direction of his gaze. Sitting at the centre of the room, hooked up to several free-standing control panels and a number of horizontal tubes that look uncomfortably like coffins—is an e-class engine identical to the one in Marcus’s motorbike.
“The mission just changed,” says Conor. “We can’t destroy that. We need to extract it.” Conor places his finger to his ear and says: “Helena, Helena can you hear me?”
But there is no reply over the earpiece, either because they are too far underground or the equipment in the room is interfering with the signal.
“Where did they get that?” asks Sarra as they start down the stairs.
“There is only supposed to be two e-class engines on Earth,” says Conor. “One of them belongs to us and the other… to Eastcrest.”
All four of them are now on the bottom level of the room. Conor immediately heads towards the largest control panel and studies it, scratching his chin. The others are just about to ask him what they can do to help when a loud hissing sound comes from one of the tubes—and the lid slides off.
“Conor!” calls Sarra, but he is too busy hammering dials and flicking switches in an order that makes sense to him alone. Something wearing a black visor sits up in the coffin and from around the room there are a chorus of identical hisses as the other tubes begin to open.
They’re like me, echoes Marcus in their heads.
“This doesn’t look good,” says Jeremy. The first Enforcer steps out of its coffin and Sarra blasts it with heat. A burning smell fills the air, but the Enforcer’s uniform does not catch on fire and the zombie inside the protective suit is unharmed.
“Halt!” booms the artificial voice of another and the cry is repeated by each new Enforcer as they emerge from the tubes.
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“Halt!”
“An Enforcer has arrived,” says the first of the dark-suited figures and reaches for the weapon hanging at its belt. It is a shining black police baton and the Enforcer twirls it through the air with an expert grace that is undoubtedly reminiscent of Marcus.
“I think we might be in trouble,” says Sarra and Jeremy nods. Conor continues battering the switchboard, seemingly oblivious to everything else going on around him.
“Stop!” says Claire, stepping in front of Jeremy and Sarra. She is holding out her police badge and doing an admirable job of not shaking too much, although she is clearly afraid. “I am an officer of the Sanctum and you will do as I say!”
That seems to steady the Enforcers for a moment, but then a gunshot rings out from the balcony where they entered the room. Jeremy, Sarra and Claire hit the floor.
“Step away from the control panel!” says the newcomer as he strides down the stairs. As he steps into the blue light cast by the future engine, Sarra recognises the man as Hogan Dale—Chief of Police.
Now the Enforcers have closed in around them, trapping Jeremy, Sarra and Claire in a tight circle. Each of them is wielding a different weapon—Jeremy spots knives, staffs and even an electric chainsaw amongst them.
“I’ve been expanding the Enforcers repitoire,” says Hogan with a grin. “It would be silly to waste all of that training, afterall.” Then he notices that Conor is still at the control panel and his face goes dark. “Step away,” he repeats. “Or else your friends will die.”
Conor strikes a square button on the console with his elbow and there is a noise like sparking electricity. “Gladly,” he tells the Chief of Police and steps away from the control panel with his hands on his head.