Chloe pressed a button in the lift. Nothing happened.

"The power must be cut off," Alex said, "looks like it's the stairs again."

They ascended to the first floor. A hallway stretched out before them with five doors on each side. Chloe checked for nameplates, but there were none. Next to each door were four empty screw holes, as if someone had ripped the plates off.

"Let's see what's behind door number one…" Chloe said, pushing it open.

It was a small flat, but Chloe didn't doubt it had been expensive. French windows opened onto a balcony that overlooked the Thames. Inside was an open-plan kitchen and living area. Everything was clean and white, made of wood or marble. Chloe was confused. It was too clean, as someone had prepared it for a viewing. There was nothing to suggest it had been abandoned as the exterior of the building implied. Chloe took a look in the bedroom. A double bed and a dresser were the only objects inside. The only thing odd about the room was that the bed was without any sheets. Even more strange was that the ensuite was completely dry, without a single stray hair or piece of dust. They checked the cabinets, looked underneath the bed, and pulled out every draw. There was absolutely nothing there. Alex went into another flat while Chloe searched one at the far end of the hallway. The same thing was found. A spotless flat with nothing to suggest anyone had ever lived there. They met back in the hall.

"This place had been swept," Chloe realised.

"What do you mean?"

"Someone has gone through the trouble of removing every shred of evidence from the rooms. Whoever it is doesn't want anyone finding anything. I bet if you dusted for fingerprints, there would be none."

"They knew we were coming then," Alex said.

"Which means that Yassen told his employer that he was compromised. I bet the girls were here only yesterday."

Alex swore. They had been so close. It was too frustrating. Chloe couldn't imagine how scared they must have been, suddenly moved from one location to the next. She hoped wherever they were now, it was somewhere as warm and as safe as possible.

"Let's check out the other rooms. They have to have left something."

But the second floor produced the same result. There was nothing to go on. No leads. Chloe thought about calling Jones, explaining everything. Surely with MI6's methods, something could be discovered. She opened the doors of the balcony and looked at the view. The people on the other side of the river, going about their days looked tiny. Tourist boats and kayaks were on the water, enjoying the sun. Chloe wondered if the kidnapped girls ever thought about jumping into the water, or maybe climbing down to the balcony below to escape. From this height, a fall, even into the water, could break bones. She lent on the rails and sighed. Maybe she was in over her head. She followed a white boat with her eyes as it came into view. The engine made no noise, Chloe thought that was strange. Gently and quietly, it turned onto the little rocky beach underneath them. Chloe ducked back into the flat.

"I think the clean-up crew is back," she whispered to the boy.

They crawled back over the balcony and peered over the side. A group of five men in t-shirts and black beanies climbed the ladder to the basement car park. Chloe saw the shape of a gun sticking out of each of their waistlines.

"We have to go," she said, "now."

"The roof. Maybe we can climb down."

They crept to the hallway door. The men were still downstairs, but Chloe didn't want to risk making any noise. They were unarmed and outnumbered. She pushed the door open a crack. The hall was empty, but as she took a step forward, she saw the barrel of a silenced gun poke from around the stairwell five feet away. Chloe jerked back, colliding with Alex who was at her side. She prayed they hadn't made enough noise to be heard.

They're here, she mouthed. There must have been another unit on the road that arrived before the boat team.

They backed away from the door. The only way out now was the balcony. Chloe hadn't noticed the screech of the wheels as she drew the sliding door back the first time, but she felt every second of the sound now. She looked above her. If they stood on the railings, the might be able to reach the next floor. Back inside the building, Chloe could hear doors being opened and closed. Men were shouting which rooms were clear. They were almost upon them. Alex stood on the rail and reached up as Chloe steadied his legs from below. A twenty-foot drop into the Thames was just on the other side. The girl suddenly felt that it was a lot windier than she remembered the day being before. The boy's fingertips barely touched the upper balcony.

"I'm going to have to lift you from here," Alex grimaced as he accidentally looked down.

"That's not going to work! You'll fall!"

"Do you have a better idea?" he hissed.

Chloe took a deep breath and climbed on the railing. She shifted her feet so that her left followed the length of the metal, while the other met it sideways on. It seemed absurd now that humans only had two legs- had it always been this hard to balance? Alex bent down slightly and grabbed her hips. Chloe gripped his shoulders fiercely. She forced herself to look at him rather than the cruel drop behind.

"Ready?"

She nodded. Alex grunted as he picked her up, arms shaking with the effort. Chloe stretched her arms up and gripped the bars. He managed to lift her far enough that she could raise her foot and slot it through the gap.

"Jump down while I climb up," she said.

The only thing he had to help him balance was her left leg, still dangling over the edge as she clung on. She held her breath as he let go and dropped. She didn't dare look down until she heard his feet hit the ground. As quickly as she could, Chloe hooked one arm around the bars and turned around. There was just enough space on the other side of the barrier for her to crouch sideways. She leant down and held out both hands. The arm that would be linked through the bar was going to hurt, but it was better than being shot on sight.

"I'm going to jump for the bar. Make sure you grab me," he said. His expression was fearful, but he trusted her not to miss.

Chloe nodded. The boy climbed back on the rail. He grabbed one of her hands, it was low enough that he could reach it.

"I'll pull as you jump," she said, "ready?"

"Go."

Alex crouched slightly and sprung as high as he could. With his free hand, he grabbed the rail while pulling down on Chloe's arm. She had guessed right. Her shoulder was being pressed against the metal under his weight. It was excruciating, but she focused on keeping his wrist tight in her hand. She lent back and hauled him up. Below them, there was the sound of a door bursting open.

"Here!" someone shouted as the tip of Alex's shoes disappeared, "they're going to the third floor!"

There wasn't another balcony above this one and no way to climb up to the roof. Chloe hauled open the balcony door one-handed, rubbing her shoulder. They sprinted to the hallway where they could hear multiple people running up the stairs to find them. The only choice was to head right towards where the footsteps were coming from- the only way up to the roof. Even though the hall was only a few meters long, Chloe felt as if she was competing in a long-distance sprint. The men were getting closer and they were dashing to meet them. They couldn't let themselves be seen. Chloe took the stairs two at a time, followed closely by Alex. If there was a locked door at the top, it would all be over. Jones would never know what had happened to her. They'd tell Jack that Alex had got into a car accident like his uncle. But by some miracle, the door wasn't locked. It functioned as a push bar. Chloe threw herself against it and it flew open. She didn't stop running. Who knew how close their pursuers were.

"We have to jump!" she shouted over the wind.

They were at least 40 feet above the water. Alex overtook her, leaping into the air over the balconies they had just climbed. She watched him disappear over the edge. There was no time to decide whether it was a bad idea of not. No time to consider if the water was deep enough. Chloe took off on one leg and was soon hurtling at 25 mph towards the river. She crossed her legs at the ankles and pinched her nose shut.

The water felt hard as rock as she breached it. Her whole body felt the impact, travelling up her legs and rattling her brain. With her eyes pressed shut, it was impossible to tell which way was up and how far she'd sunk. Bubbles rushed up to her face, so at least she was still upright. All she could do was wait until her natural buoyancy brought her to the surface. Thirty seconds passed before her head breached the water. Her lungs gratefully sucked in air in huge gulps.

Alex swam over to her. After checking that they were both unharmed, they began to swim downriver. Chloe looked behind her at the roof she'd just jumped off. Men were looking over the edge, scanning the water, but they were already too far away. Even if they were spotted, Chloe doubted that any of them were a good enough shot to hit them from such a distance. Other members of the unit were piling into their boat.

"Morton & Co," she read. The logo was printed on the side of the boat in light blue letters. The same font and colour as The Tideway's sign... Maybe the trip hadn't been a dead end after all.

Alex and Chloe swam for ten minutes before finding somewhere to climb out. They crawled out of the water onto another little stony beach. It was covered in stinking slimy pebbles, but they collapsed on it all the same.

"That-" Chloe heaved in lungfuls of air, "was too bloody close."

She hauled herself onto her feet, pulling Alex up after her. His white t-shirt was now a grey-brown and he had a cut on his leg. Though only two inches long, it was bleeding fairly badly.

"I hit the bottom and cut myself on something," he said, examining the damage.

"We've got to get that treated before it gets infected," Chloe said. Her smaller frame and weight had done her a favour for once. She bet she had only been feet from the bottom of the Thames.

"How are we going to get home? We're soaking wet and we stink. We'll get thrown off public transport."

"And we have to attract as little attention as possible," the girl added.

It wouldn't do to have people taking pictures of the weirdos who had taken a dip in the Thames.

"I think we might have to break the law," Alex said. He was looking above him, where someone had hung out their washing to dry from their tiny patio, "have you ever stolen something before?"

Chloe choices were a short pink dress or a pair of bright orange chinos and no top. She chose the dress, though it was a few sizes too big. She did up the buttons on the blue checkered shirt that Alex had chosen. On his legs were a pair of swimming trunks. There had been no other options. They would have to deal with wet trainers and no underwear too.

"How do I look?" he laughed, "to be honest I probably won't turn any heads- this is London."

"Dashing," she posed, "and me?"

"Bit like Peppa The Pig if I'm telling the truth."

"Oink."

Chloe threw their soaking underwear into a bin. There was no point in taking it home. Alex's leg had stopped bleeding, but the wound was red and angry. Chloe was worried it had got infected already. The boy had been wrong, they did draw the odd look here and there. Their hair was wet and reeked of algae. Alex pulled a piece of moss out of it before they reached the main street. Chloe just held his hand and continued steadfast to the train station. Every man in a beanie made her jump. She was waiting for someone to press a gun into her back and lead them off. Luckily, their railcards still worked and they bought tickets home

"I can't believe we let ourselves be seen," Chloe said as she took her seat in the carriage, "they're going to be on guard now."

"But we have our next lead, that's something."

"Morton & Co," she said, "we have to find out where they're based and who runs it. I just hope we didn't put those girls in more danger. If they are even still-"

Chloe stopped mid-sentence. The man next to her was watching the news live on his phone. The headline read 'seventh girl snatched in serial kidnappings'. She directed the boy's attention to it. His face fell.

At home, they turned on the T.V before doing anything else. It was true. Another girl, Erika Ueno had been taken just hours before.

"How many?" Chloe exclaimed, "how many do they need? What are they doing with them? It doesn't make sense to be so blatant! It's as if they want people to notice…"

"Maybe it's an ego thing. Maybe he gets off on everyone scrambling to try and find him while he's too smart to be caught."

The girl took a deep breath. There was no sense in losing hope. One problem at a time.

"Let's get your leg seen to," she said.

Alex showed her where the medicine was kept. In the bathroom, she cleaned the wound under the running water.

"Does it hurt?"

"A little," he admitted.

"It was too close..." Chloe whispered, mostly to herself. She pat the wound dry with a clean towel. Alex cringed and sucked air through his teeth.

"But we made it," he said, "when have things ever not come down to the wire?"

"One day, our luck is going to run out. From now on, we have to be more prepared. No more spontaneous infiltration missions."

Chloe rubbed some antibiotic cream in the cut and placed a sterile dressing over the top.

"How does that feel?"

"Good, thanks," he said, tapping his foot on the floor to test it, "what do you mean by prepared? We have no resources."

Chloe sat on the edge of the bath. To tell the truth, even she didn't know quite what she meant. In an ideal world, they would have MI6 to back them up, provide equipment and intelligence. But they were on their own for this one. How were they going to get their hands on anything more effective than a kitchen knife? Not that she wanted to use a lethal weapon at all. What she wanted was something that could stun an opponent, or put them to sleep. If Smithers was around, she'd ask for the earrings from Point Blanc and a bulletproof vest. Alex perched next to her. He smelt like soap instead of lake water now. She lent her head against him and closed her eyes.

"Kyra…" Alex said. His tone was speculative.

"What about her?"

"Do you think she could help?"

"Help how?"

"Do you remember her talking about how she gets some of her computer parts from shady corners of the internet? There's this search engine she uses called Tor. It basically blocks anyone from tracking your IP address and finding out who you are."

"What do we need computer parts for?"

"Not computer parts," there was a spark of excitement in his eyes, "she said that you can buy all kinds of things on there. Since everything is anonymous and untraceable, there are people selling anything you can imagine. Drugs, weapons, exotic animals… even body parts," he grimaced.

"Do you think it would work? That seems like something that would be heavily policed with so much illegal activity."

"That's what you would think, but I think if Kyra trusts it, it could be worth a shot."

"Alright. Let's do it," Chloe said, "but let's get Kyra's help. I'd feel a lot better with her expertise on our side."

"Are you sure you want to get her involved?"

"She won't be," Chloe reasoned, "she'll just be helping us out with this one thing. There is no need for her to know about what we're doing."

"Alright, but she's not going to be happy about not being in the loop. Again."

Chloe woke up to a text from the group chat. They all wanted to know how the party planning was going. Neither of them had given it a thought since it had been brought up after paintballing. Alex would turn eighteen tomorrow, Chloe two days after that.

"Do you think Yassen would come after us once we turn eighteen?" she asked the boy.

They'd both passed out in front of the T.V the night before, tangled up in each other's arms. The pair hadn't realised how tired they had been until they finally sat down to relax. Chloe got up and put the kettle on, running a hand through her unbrushed hair.

"It's possible," he said, "I don't doubt that he knows where we live already. But then again, he is a true soldier. He doesn't kill unless he's ordered to. If we keep our identities hidden from his employer, hopefully, we'll be safe."

"I hope so too."

She handed him his tea and snuggled back under their blanket.

"How do you feel about this party?" he said, taking a sip of the drink. He'd taken to camomile more than English breakfast these days, "do you want to do it? Things feel a bit too serious for a party right now."

"Maybe it would be good for us. I could do with some time to decompress with everything going on. We could let people sleep over instead of stumbling home in the dark too."

"I suppose. I want to think about it a little more," he decided, "we can always have it later when things are a bit safer."

"I'll make you a cake," Chloe smiled, "what flavour do you like?"

"You can bake?" Alex raised an incredulous eyebrow, "they teach that at MI6?"

"I can make a bomb out of baking ingredients, does that count?"

"No… Chloe, please don't make a cake. We can just buy one."

"I'm just kidding. I can totally make a cake."

"How about we buy one as a back-up?"

"I'm hurt- you don't trust me?"

"You're the one always telling me to be prepared," he chuckled.

Chloe threw a pillow at him.

"Who's going to call Kyra? Me or you?" she said.

"You do it. I think she feels more comfortable around you."

The girl pulled out her phone. It was pinging non-stop with messages from Alex's friends. A decision had been made to make it a themed party. That was fine with Chloe, as long as no one suggested convicts and criminals.

The tone dialled and Kyra picked up. She was always quick to answer.

"Hey! I just wanted to see if you were up for meeting up later?" Chloe didn't doubt that Kyra was being monitored. It was better to ask in person.

"Yeah, sure. At yours?"

"Ours. Will Jones let you out?"

"Should do. They don't like it when I ask to use the driver but it should be fine."

"Great see you in a bit."

The girl hung up, "do you think she knows that we want something?"

"Definitely. It's Kyra."

Within an hour, Kyra pulled up outside in a fake taxi, Jones' favourite choice of car. Chloe welcomed her inside with a hug. Her dark cropped hair was in a loose ponytail and she was wearing dungarees. She had a large rucksack slung on her shoulder. As she walked inside, Chloe could hear metal scraping against metal. Alex embraced his friend and tried to take the bag. Kyra jerked it away.

"Sorry," Alex said, blushing with embarrassment

Kyra put a finger to her lips and shut the door behind her. They both obeyed without question. The girl put her bag on the floor and pulled out several things. The first was a small black box. She set it on the table and turned it on. Next, she held open a little black bag and put her phone inside. She gestured for them to do the same.

"Now we can talk," she said, "I had to make sure that we weren't being listened to. I still need to scan for RFs and cameras. Wait here."

Kyra took hold of two other objects shaped like walkie-talkies. One had an antenna, the other a red lens at the top. The girl looked through the lens around the lounge and kitchen. By blocking out all other colours, the red lens would detect that of any camera hidden in the house. Finding nothing, she held up the other device. Chloe knew it was an RF scanner. If anything was transmitting a signal from an antenna in the house, this device would find it. After thoroughly searching the house, Kyra decided it was clean.

"I think we're okay," she said, "my equipment is high-grade. Unless MI6 has got hold of some unbelievably powerful technology, they aren't watching us."

"You are something else," Alex said.

"I know. Now, I assume this isn't a social visit. What do you need?"

They gathered around the coffee table. Chloe laid out drinks for them all.

"How did you get all of that stuff out of MI6?"

"I didn't. I picked it up on the way here from a seller from Tor. I told Jones I was meeting you at the cafe. That was a real taxi that dropped me off."

"Clever girl," Chloe smiled, "and you're right. There is something we need."

"Does it have to do with the kidnappings?"

"Do you want to know?" Alex asked.

Kyra was silent as she considered her options.

"No."

"Really?"

"Really. I have a good thing going right now. I'll help you, but that's all. I don't want to get involved."

"I understand," Chloe said, though she was a little sad that their trio wasn't getting back together.

"What do you need?"

"We need to be able to defend ourselves," Alex said, "I know you can buy that kind of thing on Tor but we wanted your help."

"You want weapons?"

"Of the non-lethal variety," Chloe clarified, "we're not out to kill anyone."

"Good," she looked relieved, "non-lethal I don't have a problem with. I brought my laptop with me. We can look now if you like?"

She opened the computer and brought up the Tor browser. The interface was kind of ugly and an odd shade of green, but Chloe trusted her friend to know what she was doing. After some searching, she came upon a user who was selling all kinds of self-defence equipment.

"This guy is quite well-known in certain circles," she explained, "not that anyone on this thing is trustworthy, but he's the closest you'll get to it."

"Let's see what he's selling."

There was a little icon of a shopping cart in the top left. Chloe dropped in two bulletproof vests right off the bat.

"Stun grenades?" Alex offered, looking at a picture of the item.

Chloe added a few to the basket. It felt ridiculous that it should be so easy. She could have been buying something as benign as Ikea furniture. Chloe clicked on a drop-down menu labelled 'guns'. It took her to a list of the available weaponry. There were guns designed to take rubber bullets mostly, but what caught her eye was a little black pistol boasting tranquilising abilities.

Chloe was sceptical. The reason the police and even MI6 didn't use such methods was because of the lack of reliability. No chemical had yet been devised that not only incapacitated a person quick enough to be effective. Not to mention that body weight and metabolism played a significant role in how quickly they went down. Then there was the matter of dosage. Too little wouldn't be enough, too much would kill a person. Had this shady guy selling illegal weapons really found out a way to get past that?

"If you want to ask him about something, you can," Kyra said, "he delivers the gear in person."

"I'm not sure if I want to meet this guy…" Chloe said.

"It's the way he does things. He won't sell to you otherwise."

"Then I guess we have no choice," she said and added the tranquiliser guns to the basket.

For good measure, Chloe threw in a couple of tasers. The total of the whole basket was eye-watering.

"Is it safe to put my card details in?"

"Yeah. Don't worry. Everything's encrypted to hell and back."

"If you're sure…"

Chloe paid the total and sighed, "that's that then. Thanks, Kyra, you've come through for us again."

"No problem. I just hope I haven't enabled you two to do something unbelievably stupid."

Chloe and Alex looked at each other. Even though they didn't yet know what their next step would be, there was no doubt it would be a stupid idea. It would just be a stupid idea undertaken by slightly more prepared teens.

"Not exactly reassuring," she sighed.

"Have you heard anything about what Jones and Wolf's team are up to?" Alex asked, "she said that they would be in charge of investigating the kidnappings."

"I see them having meetings sometimes when I'm in the office. They're working on something, but I have no idea what. And I don't want to know."

"Fair enough."

"What about the clones?" Chloe's tea had gone cold. She put it back on the tray, "any news about them?"

"Jones updates me on them sometimes actually. Florence, that's my clone's real name, she's apparently responding to the therapy."

"What about mine?"

Alex still had nightmares about that night at the school prom. He dreamt about what would have happened if no one noticed he had been replaced.

"His name's Julius. Jones tells me he's not getting on so great. He-" Kyra stopped herself, seeing how anxious Alex looked, "he keeps causing trouble for the guards."

"I just hope they can all find some kind of peace," Chloe said, "the more I think about it, the more I can't help but feel bad for them. Even Julius."

"Easy for you to say. You never had a clone," Kyra pointed out.

"True," the girl cleared away their drinks, "anyway. Now that you're here, you want to hang out?"

"I have to go," said Kyra apologetically, "I have a bunch of stuff I need to finish by tonight."

"In that case, you have to come to our party," Alex asserted, "it's tomorrow. Fancy dress."

Kyra pulled a face. She wasn't one for parties at the best of times. Chloe was surprised he'd decided to go along with the party, but was happy nonetheless.

"If you don't like it you can just hide out in my room. There's internet and a T.V and everything."

"Alright. But if I get bored I'm getting a cab back to MI6, yeah?"

"Fine by me," he smiled.

"And I'm not dressing up or getting you a gift."

"Harsh but also okay," Alex laughed, "you've already helped us out- that counts."

The boy excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving the girls alone with their cold beverages. Chloe asked what had been bothering her for a while.

"What were you going to say before you cut yourself off?"

Kyra opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked troubled.

"I don't know if I should tell you," she said, "it's something kind of scary."

"Then you have to tell me.

"Okay. But don't let Alex know. It's true that Julius has been causing trouble for the guards, but it's specifically because he keeps trying to break out."

Chloe shivered involuntarily. The only reason she was able to sleep at night was that she knew how secure MI6 prison facilities were. Sometimes, just like Alex, she had nightmares that her Alex was the fake and the real one was locked away. He was just biding his time to kill her in the most horrible way possible.

"How far has he gotten?" she asked fearfully.

"He knocked out a guard and stole his keys and weapons, but the camera caught him before he could unlock anything."

"Good," Chloe breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed strange to her that she was so afraid of the clone. He wasn't highly skilled in any kind of combat or weapons training. He wasn't remarkably clever or tactical either. In a fair fight, both she and Alex would overpower him every time. Maybe it was because of the threat he posed that scared her so much. Just by saying the wrong thing to the wrong person, he could change their lives irreparably. She had experienced it when he had pretended to be the original while she was still in recovery. Because of one action, he had almost ruined anything between herself and the real Alex.

"I won't tell him. He has enough trouble sleeping anyway."

"What about you? How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. We have each other. That helps."

Alex returned and they saw Kyra to the door. Another taxi was waiting outside as Chloe opened it for her.

"Don't forget your gadgets," she reminded her.

"Gadgets?" Kyra cracked a smile, "keep the white noise machine. I have others."

"You did get me a gift," Alex said, "how thoughtful."

"Piss off," she laughed, "just don't break it. I want it back later."

"It's safe with us," Chloe promised.

"Unlikely," she pulled them both into a hug, "be safe. Both of you. Please."