"Well? I asked you a question," she said.

"There are no turrets here,” replied Raz. "What's to stop me from shooting you?"

She went to move when something erupted from the corner of the room and a pellet smashed into the ground in front of Raz. "That's the warning shot," said the girl. "You don't think we'd make them that obvious, do you?"

"Where is Hyke?" asked Raz.

"I'm the one asking questions," the girl said. She looked over to Axel. "Have we met somewhere before?"

Axel shook his head. "I think I would have remembered."

The girl glared at Raz. "What do you want with Hyke?"

"I see it now," said Raz, she threw her gun to the floor and put her hands in the air then stood up slowly. "You've got his dimples, his smile. Marcella, isn't it?"

A knowing look flashed across the girl's eyes. "Tell me who you are."

"My name is Raz. I'm here with Axel Ford. No doubt you've heard of his father. Quentin Ford."

At his father's name, Marcella lowered her gun a little. "He said you would be here," she said. "But they took him and I don't know where he is."

She was talking fast. Almost to herself. Axel noted the red puff underneath her eyes. She'd been crying. She might be putting on an act of bravery but secretly she was terrified.

Raz tried to step closer. Marcella aimed her gun again. "How do I know you are who you say you are?" she demanded. "Have you got any identification?"

"My friends were killed by them," he said, his voice wavered. "I've only just escaped captivity. I don't have anything left.”

"Marcella," said Raz. "Please, you must tell me. Who took your father?"

Marcella's eyes frosted over. "Those things...they bombed the house," she said. "I wanted to fight back but he forced me to hide in the bunker," she looked up at Raz. "He said you would come here. That you'd need my help."

"Where did they take him?" asked Axel.

Marcella frowned. "If I knew that, don't you think I would have gone after him by now?"

They stood in silence. Marcella's gun remained on Raz. Something scuttled beneath them. Axel leapt away from the hatch. He had completely forgotten that they were in the middle of investigating what it was down there.

Marcella's eyes darted to it. "What's going on in there?"

"We assumed it was one of yours," said Axel.

She shook her head. "I saw you coming down the street and hid out in the warehouse."

Raz picked up her S-90. "If it's dangerous, I'm going to need a way of defending myself," she snapped when Marcella's T-30 twitched. Raz faced the hatch. "You think you can reprogram those turrets of yours?"

"They're remote-activated," said Marcella. "I'm in full control of them."

"Great, you might want to get them to pack a bit more of a punch than a warning shot," replied Raz. "Axel."

Axel looked up at her then curled his hand around the golden handle of the hatch. The scuttle rang out again. Raz aimed her gun at the hatch, Marcella did the same and, without another moment of thought, Axel closed his eyes and yanked it open.

The scuttle came again, this time accompanied by a mechanical buzz. Marcella gasped as a metal sphere rose up and out of the underground room. A blast rang out and the turrets shot a laser. Electricity buzzed around the ball and it dropped to the floor. Axel glanced down at it. "That thing. They attacked me with it when I fought them in space."

Marcella examined it. "I've never seen a syntheticon like that."

"How did it get under there?" asked Axel. Marcella pushed past and started down the stairs.

"Let me go first," he said. "We don't know if there's anything else under there."

Raz rolled her eyes. "As you were such great help with the first one."

She loaded her S-90 and pushed past him. "I'll go."

The three of them crept down into a room that had a similar design to the one at Wizan's mansion. Tables lined the area, full of bits of tech. Boxes were tucked beneath them. More stuck on the walls. That's where they spotted the issue.

"I'm assuming there's not usually a gaping hole in the wall," asked Axel.

"Well obviously," snapped Marcella. She ran her fingers across it. "That thing must have burrowed itself in."

Raz walked over to it and took a look. "If I was to put a bet on it, I'd say that it dug its way in here so that it could spy on you and your father," she said. "They must know about the Ironclad Five. That's the only reason they would have to survey you."

"What are the Ironclad Five?" asked Axel.

Raz didn't get a chance to reply. A smash rang out above them. Axel's heart sank as he heard the rip roaring screech that he'd heard in the Academy. "Close that hatch!"

He pushed past Raz and caught sight of the ugly skull-like head of the disgusting creature before he pulled it tightly shut. It screamed at him from the other side. The entire room shook.

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Axel backed away and joined Raz and Marcella. "We need to get out of here before it gets in."

"Great idea matey," said Raz, aiming up in the direction of the hatch. "Problem is, you've just locked us in."

Marcella took out a device and smiled. "But my turrets are in there," she said and pressed a button.

Lasers crashed against the roof up above. Dust fell. The creature let out a wounded squeal and thumped to the floor.

Raz led the way up the stairs, she pushed against the hatch. It wouldn't budge. "Thing weighs a ton."

Marcella went over to the hole in the wall and took a look up it. "There's another way."

"Yeah, that's not happening for me," said Raz. She was right, there was no way she would be able to crawl up and out.

"I'll go," said Axel. "The Academy taught us how to go through ventilation shafts. It will be no different."

"How will it help if only one of us can get out?" Marcella asked.

Raz drew an energy grenade and passed it to Axel. "You know what to do with one of these."

"You'll kill us all," Marcella snapped.

"Don't worry blondie," said Raz, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I've got this one covered."

Marcella and Raz gave him a lift up and he climbed into the hole. The cold rock of the wall came to meet his cheeks. It was a tight squeeze. He stepped in, arms first and wiggled back and forth. The hole grew bigger the further he went. He pushed himself up through the route that had been formed.

"You almost up there?" came Raz's voice from below.

"Give me a chance," he said as he moved his arms in a motion that pulled him back up and into the light. Dust caught in the back of his throat. He coughed it out and lifted himself onto the ground.

He crawled up through the dead grass and turned to look at the shack. He clutched his T-90 tightly as he walked closer towards the house. He stepped into the destroyed living room. Then listened out for his attacker. Silence.

He crept through to the kitchen where the hulking size of the beast took him by surprise. The thing was just as scary when he was up close. He recalled what his father's research called it: a Sabre Zoone.

Axel fired off a shot at the Zoone. Just in case. No movement. It was out for the count. He put a hand in his pocket and removed the grenade from it.

"You ready, Raz?" he shouted.

"Ready," came the muffled response.

He took a deep breath, pressed the detonator button then threw it at the Zoone. Axel ran outside and dived. The house went up in flames. Debris flew everywhere. Axel held his hands on the back of his head and burrowed his face into the ground. Rubble clapped against the muddy floor.

After a moment of allowing everything to settle, Axel pushed himself back up to his feet. The beautiful three bedroom house had become a stack of bricks and mortar. Fire lit in the middle. One thing that hadn't been touched was the body of the Sabre Zoone. There wasn't a scratch on it!

"That thing can take quite a beating," said Raz, looking around the area. "We better get out of here. Who knows how many more there are."

She turned to look at Marcella. "Did your father tell you what he needed you to do for us?"

"Wait a minute," said Marcella, regaining her composure. "You still haven't shown me any identification."

"Are we seriously still on this subject?" growled Raz. "Do you really think we'd have got you out of there if we came to kill you?"

"How do I know you didn't send that thing?" Marcella asked.

Raz didn't get time to reply as a monstrous howl rang through the air and something pounded into her. Her S-90 skidded across the surface of the forest. The Sabre Zoone was back up again. Ready to sink its teeth into her. Axel acted fast. He dived for the S-90 and aimed it at the creature. Then pulled the trigger. A laser blast boomed off it. The armoured skin was unharmed but the force sent the Zoone flying back.

Axel threw the gun to Raz. She spun back onto her feet. Axel lifted his T-90 and shot three blasts at the Sabre Zoone. Their shots seemed only to annoy it.

It scuttled towards them with its gangly legs.

Raz aimed up and sent it flying back again. "We can't do this forever."

"This thing has to have a weakness," Marcella said and she turned and ran back towards her father's house. The other two followed her. The monster picked itself back up. "Raz, your S-90 has the best effect from this range. It's an energy weapon, right?"

They knew the question was rhetoric. "I think I know what to do. Keep it occupied."

She ran ahead then climbed into the hole the grenade had made. The Sabre Zoone pounded towards them. Axel ran in one direction while Raz aimed and shot it down again. They rinsed and repeated the process for a few minutes. Axel acted as bait long enough for Raz to reload.

"This is my last battery," Raz shouted. The creature lifted itself, its evil eyes determined to catch its prey. Axel tried to get as much distance as he could. The Zoone pelted towards him, its thin legs galloped along.

This time it caught up to Axel. It smashed into him. He groaned as his back hit the floor. The thing was on him in seconds. Spittle ran down its fleshy cheeks It screeched. Its breath smelt of rotten eggs. Its thousands of teeth spiralled into its chasm of a mouth. Raz ran up to the Zoone and positioned herself on the spiky hump on its back. It wasn't long before Raz lost her grip. She cried out as she smashed into the rocky mud below. The beast skulked over to her and circled. A menace of delight flicked upon its face.

Marcella pulled herself back up onto the surface. A metal canister in her hand. She ran over to the S-90 and picked it up. Then loaded the canister inside. The weapon rejected the cartridge, it went spiralling across the floor.

Axel scooped it up and rolled over to Marcella. Loading energy weapons was a skill in and of itself and was something that they had only partially covered at the Academy. There was a knack to it that Striker always seemed to get.

Axel ignored the sad thoughts that tried to bubble to surface. He concentrated on the task at hand.

Raz pushed herself up to her feet, then stood in a combat stance ready for the oncoming attack. It barred its ugly teeth and pounded towards her, she rolled aside and it only just missed her.

Axel threw the now-loaded weapon to Marcella. She went to catch it but the Sabre Zoone got there first and knocked her to the ground. It wasn't taking its time anymore. Raz had angered it and it was ready to take this fury out on Marcella.

Axel scooped up the S-90, turned and shot the Sabre Zoone. It exploded into a mess of guts and gore which went all over Raz and Marcella.

The three of them stood there in silence for a moment and tried to catch their breath.

Axel looked over to Marcella. "What the heck was in that thing?"

"A plasma pellet," she said. "Most energy weapons take them but they're pretty rare. That was the only one we had left. Dad had it hidden away in the underground room."

"But where did he get it from?" asked Axel, plasma was a rare substance. It was only found on the planet Nort in Ivarozza space.

"Your father supplied him," she said. "I figured they would probably do the trick. There must have been a reason he was so insistent on us having them."

Axel held out a hand for her, she took it and he lifted her to her feet. She wiped her hands on her trousers.

"Didn't realise it would be so disgusting though," she said. "Good job they're almost indestructible. The rest of our stock was destroyed."

"I'm just glad that thing's dead," said Axel.

A monstrous roar made Axel's heart sink. It was a fair distance away but enough to be heard. They looked up and saw the source of the issue; an entire hoard of them was running in their direction. Their devilish cries growing closer.

"Had to speak too soon, didn't you," said Marcella.

"Run!" yelled Raz and three of them turned and ran to Raz's Loop Car. The Sabre Zoones stampeded behind them.

"Get in!" yelled Raz.

Axel frowned. "There's only two seats."

"You're going to have to share," Raz replied and jumped onto her own seat. Axel blushed and looked at Marcella.

"You want to go first?"

Raz rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for pleasantries, mate!"

Marcella climbed into the seat and Axel sheepishly followed, half sat on her knee, half sat on the chair itself.

Raz pushed the accelerator pedal down and they rocketed forward. The Sabre Zoones tore through the forest. The pound of their feet getting louder, their war cries rang out through the air and sent a new wave of terror through Axel.

The Loop Car bounced over some rocks. The hoard came to a halt as they reached the main road and the Zoones watched them zip off into the distance.