Damn it. All our battle plans had just gone out of the window.

Without communications, every unit would be fighting on its own – unable to coordinate. The Hierarchy could just concentrate on our units one at a time and wipe them out - defeat in detail, repeated a hundred times over.

: Your bots survived?

: The fullersteel ones got tossed around a bit and their acoustic sensors are down, but the rest is coming through. The plastic and silicon ones didn’t make it.

: Okay. The Hierarchy deployed a jamming field to stop all communications. You communicate with your bots using foldspace - whatever that is - instead of normal radio or EM channels, so it’s not blocked. Tell the officer in charge of the support camp about that.

: Okay. Then what?

: Anne. Right now, as long as the jamming field’s up, you’re the only one who can send messages across the city. Which means you’re going to have to coordinate the response.

: … I’m not liking the sound of this…

: The military needs to have a way to reach their troops and move units to support each other. Otherwise, the enemy can concentrate their troops on individual units, wipe them out, and then move to the next. It’s called ‘defeat in detail’.

: So you need to act as the communication network for the troops in London.

: … I don’t have enough nanobots for that.

: Don’t worry about that. Get as many more as you can, and ask the officers where and how to deploy them.

: … I’m scared.

: So am I. But this is what we chose to do, right? Curry’s out there with his men. Windsor too.

: Anne, you’re the only one who can do this right now. Promise me you’ll do everything you can.

: I will. Stay safe. I’m telling the colonel now.

I gripped my weapon tightly.

Agni had warned me, but I hadn’t really thought about it. Not as much as I should have.

Five Carnotaurs.

Including one that could kill troops with a shout. And, from what I could see, injure soldiers as far as fifteen miles away.

… How many people were within killing range when it first roared?

No, no time for analyzing.

What we did know was that the Greater Carnotaur could roar like that once every two hours. Which meant….

In two hours’ time, it would roar again. And tens of thousands more would die.

Unless we stopped it before that…

“Doyle?” I called. “I need you.”

Lieutenant Doyle turned to me. “You have any idea what that was?”

“A Greater Carnotaur.” I rapidly explained the situation to him. “So unless we take down the Carnotaurs within the next couple of hours, it will repeat what it just did, killing thousands.”

“Five Carnotaurs,” mumbled Kim. “God help us.”

“Snap out of it, soldier,” barked Doyle. “I don’t care if it’s five or fifty, we’re killing them all. You heard the general, didn’t you?”

Kim swallowed but nodded.

“Belessar. Can you reach anyone in command?”

“Nanocloud’s trying. Right now, though, she’s the only one who can communicate throughout the city.”

“What does she need to restore lines of communication?”

“More nanobots, for which she’s asked the Brits to get her raw material. She’s spinning them up as we speak.”

“Your words-in-the-sky tactic. She’ll use those to communicate with troops everywhere?”

“That’s the plan. It’s going to take time, though.”

“Well, we’re not doing her any good standing around here. Winford.” Doyle fixed the SAS sergeant with a stern look. “On my own initiative, I am taking my unit, Phoenix Company, and Belessar to investigate Bushy Park and the alien landing there. Will you be able to guide us there?”

“Yes, sir. It’s a fifteen-mile march, though.”

“We’re not doing any good standing around here. Grab me some trucks. Phoenix Company - you can ride with us.”

“Got that, Lieutenant,” Daisy said smoothly. “We’re ready to move.”

“Good. Belessar - Phoenix Company weren’t affected by the sound waves because?”

“The helmets protect against sonic attacks.”

“Can you rig up something for us? In case we need to close.”

“Short of full body armour, no. But beyond a certain range… earplugs might help.”

“Earplugs. Right. Corporal Bannock, I see a Tesco superstore over there; go get their stock of earplugs.”

“Uh, sir, it’s closed…”

“I said ‘get’, Bannock, not ‘buy’.”

“Right, sir. Got it, sir.”

“Winford, I trust you will disregard this one incident of looting.”

“What looting, sir? Emergency supplies were requisitioned for military needs.”

“Good man. Now let’s get moving.”