About 08:30, Orba Organics research centre, somewhere in the Pacific, Friday the 16th of April, 2055.

About 08:30, Orba Organics research centre, somewhere in the Pacific, Friday the 16th of April, 2055.

After the trouble we had with the last AV-4 that paid us an unexpected visit, everyone's determined to be ready for when this one arrives.

Roland gets Sykes to wheel him over to 'our' AV-4, while Crash has run on ahead to get the thing started up. Once he has installed Roland, Sykes heads back into the building and makes for his lucky window. No one has seen Shen.

Yuki rounds up all the female science staff and those too injured to help, and takes them up to a room on the first floor, at the rear of the building.

Everyone retreats inside the building. A couple of the maintenance techs go up to the roof to provide look outs and fire down on anyone who approaches the building. Anthony and those male members of the science team fit enough to help, take up positions around the front doors as we expect the attackers (if that's what they are) to quickly try to storm the building.

I take up a position at the top of the stairs. Just in case anyone gets that far, I might be able to stop them getting to Yuki, Christene and the other women.

A quiet couple of moments, with everyone just waiting, are brought to an end when Maureen's voice comes over the radio to say she thinks the AV-4 should be with us in another 30 seconds.

The techs on the roof report visual contact, saying it looks just like the last one and even inside the building I can now hear it approaching.

In a subtle change of tactics, this AV-4 doesn't land, but instead remains hovering around three feet off the ground, in front of the main doors. The rear door begins to open and then all hell breaks loose.

No one has time to fire a shot before I hear a faint 'whoosh' above the sound of the AV-4, followed immediately by the sound of glass breaking. I don't know whether it's instinct, panic or what, but I dive away from the top of the stairs just in time to avoid the worst of the explosion as an RPG, small rocket or missile explodes at their foot.

Concussed but otherwise unhurt, I lay stunned on the landing, too shocked to move. Despite the ringing in my ears and brain, I hear what I think is automatic weapons fire, the sound of a minigun and the distinctive 'pings' of ricocheting bullets. It's all too much for my senses and they beat a hasty retreat to somewhere darker, quieter and more comfortable...