33
THE BROADCAST
The huge armoured figure designated ‘Echo 01’ landed in the bay with a loud thump. A long, curved blade materialised on its forearm as it rose to its full height and scanned around, taking in its surroundings and the intruders.
“Fan, run!” Gideon opened fire, trying to distract the newcomer, but his rounds splattered harmlessly against its armour. With a creeping sense of dread, he realised that Echo 01’s landing site had been well chosen to split them up. Fan was cut off, trapped alone on the far side of the bay.
“This isn’t good,” Gwendolyne’s voice was laced with an uncharacteristic nervousness. “I’m getting some very strange readings off this thing. It isn’t a person in there, but it’s no robot or drone either. It has a bio-signature but no heartbeat, and its neura
