“How does it look?” Rachel’s voice came through clearly in Jessa’s earpiece.

“Crowded. Although there actually might be fewer people here than back near Westminster.”

“Thank goodness,” Flynn added.

They walked around the perimeter of St Paul’s Old Cathedral, and could see at the rear of the building that some people had set up camp on the grassy courtyard. The building itself was still sealed.

At the front of the building again, they surveyed the steps leading up to the main entrance. A group of large men hammered at the opening. They counted to three and hurled their rugby shoulders into the giant hunk of a door. It didn’t budge. Another onlooker informed them they weren’t the first to try getting inside.

“How about the windows?” Rachel’s voice suggested.

“No chance, they’re too high up,” said Hugo.

“If it stays locked like this when not in use, he must have another way of getting in and out,” Jessa said, looking up at the majestic building.

“Maybe he has a key?” Audrey shrugged.

“He’s not that reasonable,” her sister answered definitively.

“Maybe he just telelocates himself in and out?” Flynn suggested.

“Possible,” said Dr Mortlock. “But presumably, he can’t simply walk up to the building and transport himself through walls. He’d be spotted instantly. There must be another route.”

“Rachel,” said Jessa, “can you find out if there’s any way in through other buildings nearby?”

“I’ll try. It’s possible there were once other passages for clergymen and whatnot, but I’m sure those tunnels will have been blocked for a long time. Bear with me; I’m going to access a different view of the map here.”

They whiled the moments away with more sips from their flasks. Hugo heaved off the backpack and flapped the sweat-drenched back of his jacket lightly in the breeze.

“Hey, are you guys there?” Rachel said.

“Yes,” Jessa and Hugo responded quickly.

“All right. This might sound crazy, but I think you can actually get in through the Underground tunnel. I’m looking at a subterranean map right now, and it looks like there’s a tunnel right off the Tube line that should lead you directly into the building. Seems like there’s some kind of bunker in there.”

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Jessa pulled hard on the gates at the entrance to St Paul’s underground station and let out an involuntary grunt of annoyance.

“What’s your plan, Rachel?” Hugo asked their remote director.

“Hang on. The whole Tube network has been locked as a safety precaution, and I can’t overwrite that, but it looks like I can access them individually. Do you see a keypad?

“Yes,” said Hugo.

“Great. I can activate it from here, but you have to type in the number to open the gate. I think you’ll only have a few seconds though before it locks again behind you. Ready?”

A few nearby onlookers had become curious and wandered closer to the group loitering at the entrance to the tube station.

“I don’t like the look of these folks,” he said quietly. “Felicia, keep an eye on them. Go ahead, Rachel.”

“Zero…zero…four…nine…five…three…three…nine…zero…one.”

He input the numbers as inconspicuously as possible.

The incoming gang gathered closer.

The lock buzzed.

“Go, go go!” Hugo urged, and Audrey pulled the gates apart just enough to slip through. Flynn followed, then Jessa, then Felicia Mortlock. Lastly, Hugo moved to step through the gap in the gates, but someone grabbed his rucksack and pulled him back.

“Where you goin’!” a woman’s voice called.

“What you up to?” yelled someone else. “Let us in!”

Audrey and Flynn yanked on Hugo’s arms as hard as they could but there were more hands grabbing at the backpack. Jessa threw herself up to the gate and, with all the force she could muster, directed energy through her hand and knocked the main perpetrator backwards with an invisible crunch to his nose.

Hugo flew through the gate. Jessa pulled it closed behind him and the lock buzzed one more time, sealing them on the inside of the tube station.

“You better watch yourself, you parapsych witch!” the angry man bellowed, rattling the gate hard with one hand and wiping away blood from his face with the other.

The tube station languished, eerily quiet. The escalators waited, motionless and unclunking. A smattering of rubbish lay strewn across the floor, obvious remnants of a hasty evacuation. Ticket barriers greeted them with their electronic vigilance, waiting for the scan of a ticket or Tuberiders’ card. The sound was still and the air felt stale.

Hugo climbed over the barrier, and Jessa and Flynn copied him.

“Hold on!” Audrey called out.

“What are you doing?” Jessa said, watching Audrey fiddle to get something out of her bag.

“Found it,” Audrey pulled out her wallet to scan her Tuberiders’ card, then walked through the barrier that opened itself welcomingly. “Just because the station’s closed doesn’t mean we should deliberately break the rules,” she glared at Jessa.

“We’re not even getting a train,” Jessa rolled her eyes.

“You still there, Rachel?” Jessa asked as they began the descent into the depths of the station.

“I’m here. You might lose me down there, though, so make a note of this. Ready? You gotta head to the eastbound track, and then enter the tunnel on your left. Walk through about a quarter of a mile and there’s a way out from the side of the tunnel. It should be on the right-hand side. Follow the passageway to the end, then take another right turn. That should lead you right up to the bunker, which is directly under St Paul’s. I can’t see from here the exact routes out from the bunker, but hopefully that’ll become clear when you’re there.”

Hugo scribbled down notes as Rachel spoke.

“Is there anything else you need from me?”

“Rachel, is there any word from John about the explosives?” Jessa asked.

“He’s located the stuff. Right now he’s working on getting it to you. But we know where you are, so we’ll get it delivered to you as soon as we can.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” said Hugo.

“You’re welcome. Stay safe, guys. Good luck.”