Sometimes Paul regretted having a high-definition TV.

Currently, the said TV showed an aerial view of Brahampton Stadium. The entire complex was on fire.

It had been less than five minutes into the battle.

Construction work had taught him early on exactly how dangerous flames could be. Even controlled burning was thoroughly planned and monitored.

Right now, he could tell the flames were weakening the stadium’s structural integrity, collapsing girders, melting the seats and making the entire area a deathtrap. The fumes from that much burning could harm people as far as a kilometre away.

Amazingly, in the middle of all that, Andrew seemed to be holding his own.

The camera drones had caught some of Agni’s attacks. Giant geysers of flame, spraying over Belessar’s armour as if they were being hosed - and the armour had held. Hah. Even the paint didn’t appear to be scuffed….

He watched as his adopted son hurled lightning at a foe that had slaughtered armies.

Once, when he was a lot younger, Paul had sent his young wife a photo of him - and the others in his work gang - having sandwiches on top of a girder. Suspended hundreds of feet above ground, at an active work site, held aloft by a crane.

Hilary had been terrified, demanding that he stop risking his life. Paul had shrugged it off. It was just a normal work site activity, he’d explained; and besides, they had safety protocols in place, the cable wouldn’t snap, the crane was rated for fifty tons….

He could understand, now, the fear Hilary had felt.

He watched as cement pillars exploded, steam hissed, and Andrew’s cryogenic grenades added to the chaos.

Someday, even his daughter would be in the middle of battles like this.

Was this what Liverpool had been like for them? New York?

He stood up. “I can’t watch this anymore.”

Anne shrugged. Her attention was focused on a computer screen with code scrolling through it. “I’m shifting some of the bots to grid five-three; five-two is getting too hot for them.”

Paul shook his head. Anne had an even closer view of the battle than he did, through her thousands of eyes; and she wasn’t worried. Yet.

He got up and drank some juice. Midway, a beep startled him.

Anne’s SURGE pager.

…. An alien attack now?

He grabbed the pager.

CHECK BELESSAR EMAIL NOW - WINDSOR

“Anne, do you have access to Belessar’s emails?”

“Little busy, Dad! Check his phone!”

Right, Andrew had left his Unplottable Smartphone in its place on the drawing room shelf. He picked it up and accessed the e-mail.

To: Belessar

From: Group Captain Molly Pemberley, Royal Air Force

CC: General Edward Windsor, Royal Army

Subject: Your Information Request

We just got a breakthrough in the Esperanza reference.

MI6 operatives have identified one of the rescued from the Grunter mansion as one Maria Esperanza. According to our information, the aforesaid Maria Esperanza is believed to be deceased by her family members.

MI6 operatives in Salina Cruz, with the aid of local sources, have located one Jorge Francisco Esperanza, who is Maria’s uncle and a low-level dealer of the Salamander cartel. The Salamanders were major suppliers of drugs and trafficked women to the Grunters.

Jorge Francisco Esperanza was taken into custody a couple of hours ago. During interrogation, our operatives have established that he was recently asked to communicate with a strange lady and inform her that his daughter was being mind-controlled by a villain named Belessar.

Jorge Francisco knew nothing about the identity of the lady, but mentioned that he was asked to carry out this activity by his bosses in the cartel and act like a grieving parent. The lady did not understand Spanish, but an interpreter was present, also a Salamander cartel sympathizer.

We are currently hunting for the interpreter.

Circumstantial evidence indicates Grunter operatives and low-level agents have been in touch with the Salamanders continuously over the last few months, and that Grumman may himself be in Mexico at present, coordinating the operation.

We’ll keep you posted as more information comes in. Godspeed and good luck.

Regards,

Group Captain Pemberley.

Paul felt a cold sweat race through him.

Esperanza.

Agni’s mysterious comments.

She was fighting Andrew because she thought he was a mind-controlling rapist - and she’d been pointed in his direction by the Grunters.

“Anne!”

“Busy, Dad!”

“This is urgent. Do you know a Maria Esperanza! From the girls Andrew rescued!”

Anne looked puzzled. “Uh… no? There’s a girl called Maria Sins?”

He thrust the email into her hands. “Read this. Now.”