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helmet.
    ‘Me,’ Jack said, stepping towards her.
    ‘All right,’ the newcomer replied with surprising confidence. ‘Let’s go. Show me what you’ve found.’
    Jack looked over at Red. His friend had what could only be described as a smirk on his face; he didn’t need to look at the others to realise that they’d be finding the way this chick talked to their unit leader funny. Jack ignored it. ‘Red,’ he commanded, ‘come with me. The rest of you, keep watch.’
    The men took up their positions again.
    ‘Do you have a name?’ Jack asked the woman. ‘Or is that a secret as well?’
    ‘No secret,’ she replied crisply. ‘Caroline Stenton.’
    ‘All right then, Miss Stenton—’
    ‘ Professor Stenton . . .’
    Jack and Red glanced at each other.
    ‘All right then, Professor Stenton. Let’s get the hell inside, shall we?’
    The woman nodded and strode immediately into the cave mouth. Jack ran ahead of her then turned, blocking her way. ‘Keep between me and Red,’ he instructed, ‘and do what I tell you.’
    ‘My understanding,’ Stenton said, still walking, ‘is that you’re to follow my orders while I’m on the ground.’
    Another glance between the two Regiment men. Jack grabbed her by the arm. ‘ My understanding,’ he hissed, ‘is that you’d like to fucking stay alive. I go in front, then you, then Red.’
    A pause.
    ‘Do yourself a favour, missie,’ Red murmured, ‘and listen to the man.’
    Stenton’s eyes hardened, but she said nothing as Jack switched on the Maglite torch clamped to his weapon and, with the butt of his M16 pressed against his shoulder, stepped forward, lighting the way as he went.
    With the way properly lit, they reached the side cave quickly. Jack stopped a few metres short of it and turned to Stenton. ‘It’s not pretty in there,’ he said.
    Stenton gave him a withering look. ‘I’m not a child,’ she said, before walking past him. ‘Light the way.’
    Jack gave a little shrug, walked to the entrance of the cave and illuminated the interior. Stenton looked in and for a moment her face was expressionless. After a few seconds, however, Jack watched as their guest twigged exactly what she was looking at.
    It was carnage inside. Dead bodies littered the floor, their limbs contorted into whatever position they had fallen. Sides of faces had been blown away; skin was spattered in blood; thick grey brain matter lay in viscous pools around them. Caroline stared at the woman Jack had killed. Her long dark hair was matted and bloodied, her torso was mashed up, the exit wound from her skull had distorted her head and her expression was one of gruesome, unrestrained terror.
    ‘How many times did you shoot that woman?’ Stenton asked.
    Jack sniffed. ‘Nine or ten.’
    Her face hardened. ‘Why did you have to shoot her ten times?’ she asked.
    Jack gave her a direct look. ‘I ran out of bullets,’ he said.
    Stenton took a short, sharp breath. She didn’t reply, but instead just stepped inside, walking round the dead woman and up to the nearest workbench, where the metal flight case still sat with blood spattered over its surface. Stenton looked down at it, then around the cave in general.
    ‘Any more containers like this?’ she asked.
    Jack shook his head. ‘Didn’t see any. But we had our mind on other things.’
    ‘Search,’ she replied. ‘Now.’
    It didn’t take long. The cave was big, but the equipment was localised in a small area. Stenton helped with the search, and within a couple of minutes appeared satisfied that there was nothing there to warrant further attention from her. She turned to the two Regiment men. ‘All right,’ she said, pointing at the flight case. ‘We’re taking that with us. You might find it’s heavy.’ She eyed Jack up and down, and an arch smile crept on to her lips. ‘Then again, maybe not.’
    It took two of them to lift it, so Jack detached the Maglite from his M16 and handed it to the woman. ‘Lead the