Hermes cruised through the air as the entire Conceptual Realisation Facility collapsed in flames behind him, explosions sprouting across the complex as the fire reached more new and excitingly flammable things within it.

'What the hell was going on in there?'

'I don't know. I'm just an intern.'

'An intern. And you have absolutely no idea what they were doing? Didn't you ever glance at any important documents? Wheel equipment into strange and wonderful laboratories?'

'It was my first day.'

'I thought you might like to know that you'll be well enough to go within the next couple of days or so,' said Avgi.

'Er...right,' said Hermes. 'Any luck with your investigations yet?'

'No. None at all.'

'Target located,' Agent Sofia whispered into the special watch around her wrist. 'I am now approaching.

'Target Snails has escaped! Backup!' cried Sofia. 'I require backup immediately!'

Snails was currently in mid-air, in that stage of running where both feet have left the ground. She appeared to be advancing in extremely slow motion, her body moving forwards mere millimetres per second.

'You have some very special abilities, Snails.' she said. 'I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it for myself.'

'I wish you wouldn't call me that,' said Snails. 'It's so unnecessarily derogatory.'

'And your hair is so unnecessarily theatrical!' shouted Sofia, thumping the table.

'How dare you!' screamed Snails.

'Explain your freak powers to me, Snails!' She thumped the table again, and this time it received a generous dent. 'Now!'

The metal chair tipped and fell backwards, hitting the floor with a clang. Avgi stood over her, revving the chainsaw. 'MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF, SNAILS!'

'TELL US WHY YOU CANNOT SLEEP!'

The chair scraped loudly against the floor. Snails worked her legs furiously in a tottering backwards run, losing balance exactly as planned and careening into the door with stupendous force.

'Snails has left the building!' Avgi shouted into her watch. 'I repeat, Snails has left the building!'

She could hear the train getting closer.

'Come on, Snails. Come with us. No more chainsaws, we promise.'

She felt the rattling carriages approach the bridge...

'You're still calling me Snails,' she said. 'You don't care.'

The train shot through the bridge. Snails cruised through the air. She reached out as the final carriage tore away from her; her only chance of escape.

And then she hit the track.

'We need an ambulance! NOW!'

'Almost there,' the driver called back. 'Hold on--what the--'

A long, white lorry that backed out of an alleyway and blocked the entire width of the road. Half a dozen men in white boiler suits and black boots stepped out.

Sofia tucked herself into a roll and managed to brace herself for the main brunt of the impact as she fell out of the ambulance, but was still in pain and bleeding when she staggered with effort to her feet.

The ambulance, with Snails still inside, was gone.

'I didn't do it!' said Holly.

'You're a delivery girl?'

'Yes!'

'Who do you work for?'

'Eugene. Eugene Quirk. Impassionate Deliveries.'

'Eugene!' Holly cried after him, as her own escort grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her in the right direction. 'I'm sorry!'

'Letting her go?' asked one of the officers, holding a heavy glass door open for them.

'Yeah. Brutt says he's done with her.'

'What's going on?' demanded Angus. 'Where's Eugene? And how did you get all those bruises? Did you discover his love for another and kill him? I bet you did.'

'Shut up,' she said, walking over to the tiny office window and peering outside. 'We can't stay here, Angus. We have to find out who blew up the Conceptual Building Facility thing.'

'Are you sure we shouldn't just leave that to--'

'No, they're bastards.'

'What happened last night has come as a shock to all of us,' said Mayor Mawgly, standing with a concerned expression behind a rostrum.

Avgi stood facing away from the television as she picked up her pistol and checked that it was loaded.

'A suspect is being detained in police custody. Please be reassured, my good people, that justice will be had.'

Avgi holstered her weapon and left, allowing the Mayor to continue feeding her drivel to an empty room. She wanted some real answers.