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glanced at each other as if there was something that bothered them. But if he noticed it at the time, he didn’t register it.
    He went back into the room and pulled on his sneakers. The SAS had provided him with some fresh clothes, and he took a combat jacket out of the wardrobe. Scooter had talked about swimming, but the sun was getting lower and Alex had already felt a cool breeze rolling in. He thought for a moment, then took a towel and a spare pair of boxers, which would have to do instead of swimming trunks. Just as he was about to leave, he hesitated. Was this a good idea, heading off down the coast with a group of strangers, some of them as much as ten years older than he was? Suddenly he felt very alone and a long, long way from home. But Jack was on her way. Scooter had told him that he would be leaving the next day. He shook himself out of his mood and left the room, closing the door behind him.
    Almost at once, a jeep drew up with Sparks driving and Scooter in the passenger seat. Texas and X-Ray were in the back with bags and coolers, blankets, and a guitar piled up around them. They had left a narrow space for Alex. As he climbed in, he noticed that Texas was balancing an automatic pistol on his lap, testing the mechanism.
    “You ever fired one of these?” Texas asked.
    Alex shook his head.
    “Well, now’s your chance. When we get out there, I’ll set up a few targets. See how you do.”
    Once again, Alex couldn’t shake off a vague feeling that something was wrong, but then Sparks turned on the radio and with a blast of music from some Australian band he had never heard of, they set off. It was going to be a beautiful evening. There were a few streaks of red in the sky but no clouds, and the sun—close to the horizon—was throwing long, stretched-out shadows across the ground. Scooter was slumped in his seat with one foot resting on the dashboard. X-Ray had his hand up, the wind streaming through his fingers. By the time they had passed through the barrier and hit the main road, Alex had relaxed. He only had one evening in Australia. He might as well enjoy it.
    They followed the coast for about ten miles, then turned inland. Why had they come so far? Alex couldn’t shake off a sense of unease. After all, the compound at Swanbourne had been right on the beach to begin with.
    They had already passed a number of suburban houses and shopping malls, but they soon left those behind, and by the time they had joined a four-lane highway, they were driving through open countryside. None of them spoke. It was impossible in the open-top jeep with the wind rushing past. The music pounded out, but any words were snatched away and lost. After about twenty minutes, Scooter turned around and shouted, “You okay?” Alex nodded. But secretly he was wondering how far they intended to travel and when they would arrive.
    The journey took over an hour. They came off the highway and took a road that cut through a wooded area. Then they turned onto a track, and suddenly they were bumping over a rough, uneven surface with eucalyptus and pine trees pressing in on both sides. X-Ray had taken out a map. He leaned forward and tapped Sparks on the shoulder.
    “Is this the right way?” he shouted.
    “Sure!” Sparks shouted back without looking behind him.
    “I think we’ve come too far!”
    “Forget it, X-Ray. This is the right way…”
    There was a barrier ahead of them, similar to the one at Swanbourne except that it was old and rusted. There was a sign next to it.

    MILITARY ZONE
    ABSOLUTELY NO ADMITTANCE.
    TRESPASSERS WILL BE PLACED UNDER ARREST AND MAY BE IMPRISONED.

    Scooter slowed down and, without opening the door, Sparks leapt out of the jeep.
    “Where are we?” Alex asked.
    “You’ll see,” Scooter replied. “We come to a load of places around here. You’ll like it.”
    “We’ve come too far,” X-Ray insisted. “We should have turned off a mile back.”
    Sparks had opened the barrier—it obviously