Jess stared at what lay on the floor then tentatively reached up and touched his neck. He felt skin, nothing else. The control collar lay on the floor in front of him. That shouldn’t be possible; once fitted any attempt to remove a collar led to it activating, and all collars within fifty metres doing the same.
Jess turned to look at the other two. Sal had both hands against her neck, staring eyes wide at her collar on the ground with a smile on her face.
Matt had a face like thunder. He looked up, catching both their gazes before speaking.
“We’re dead,” he said flatly.
“What?” spluttered Sal. “Why?”
“That’s why.” Matt gestured at the collars. “We’ve found a way to get them removed. The guards won’t allow that story to get out. The moment they see us we’re dead. If we step
