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attempted this, but they’d all have needed very specialized scientific help.”
    “Tap into every database you can,” said Queen Bee. “Look for anything suspicious with a link to research in robotics. Simon, you coordinate sorting through the data.”
    “Will do, Ms Maynard,” said Simon.
    “SWARM – I want you to watch, follow, gather clues and evidence,” Queen Bee instructed them. “That’s our best chance of tracing the villains behind this. Move in to attack only if an android isabout to cause harm. If they do, take them down – fast. Questions about what’s happened to the people those androids have replaced will have to wait. Our main aim must be to control the threat.”
    At that moment, the door of the laboratory slid back. A man and a woman, both smartly dressed, dashed in and hurried over to Queen Bee. They were known only by their code names Agent J and Agent K, and they were SWARM’s human field agents.
    “Bad news, Queen Bee,” said Agent J, slightly out of breath.
    “It’s Morris Drake,” said Agent K. “He’s just been sprung from an MI5 safe house.”
    Queen Bee shut her eyes for a moment, her hands squeezing into fists. “That’s all we need,” she said. “When was this?”
    “Less than fifteen minutes ago,” Agent K said. “Initial police reports say neighbours heard explosions. The house is a wreck, two agents and a section chief are down. Drake was snatched by three people, all unidentified.”
    “Do you think this is linked to the android situation?” said Chopper.
    “If it isn’t,” said Hercules, “that would be another enormous coincidence!”
    Queen Bee dropped her gaze to the floor for a second, her lips pursed. Not for a moment did she allow her tough, professional exterior to show any of the nerves and uncertainty she felt inside. Life-or-death decisions rested on her leadership. She snapped to attention.
    “Our mission is expanded,” she said. “Nero, Hercules, Widow: go after Drake. We know he’s dangerous and devious, so we can’t allow him to get away. Find him by whatever means necessary. Chopper, Sirena, Morph, Sabre: proceed to the Palace of Westminster. Keep tabs on those androids and gather data. Agent K, you escort the first group. Agent J, the second group.” She turned to Professor Miller. “Get those upgrades finished and launch the SWARM!”

CHAPTER 5
    Twenty minutes later, a small two-seater sports car drew up close to the MI5 safe house where Drake had been held. SWARM’s Agent K was at the wheel.
    The house was cordoned off and a crime-scene-unit van was parked on the pavement outside. Officers could be seen going in and out through the wreckage of the front door.
    Agent K glanced up and down the street to check that none of the police officers had noticed her arrive, then leaned across the dashboard and activated a slim panel. It slid aside with a softhum, and a tray glided out. Embedded into dark foam padding lay Widow, Nero and Hercules. They climbed out and the tray slid back.
    Agent K spoke through an encrypted channel on her smartphone. “SWARM HQ, Hive 2 are online.”
    “Logged, Hive 2,” said Simon Turing, back at base.
    “You’re up, guys,” said Agent K to the three robots.
    Hercules held Nero tightly with his legs and took to the air. Widow spun and swung her way out of the car and up into the trees of a nearby garden. Their voices were relayed through Agent K’s phone.
    “We’re live,” reported Hercules. “We’d better work fast.”
    “Tapping multiple databases… Connected…” said Nero.
    “Whoever has taken Drake currently has a forty-five minute lead on you,” said Agent K. “The only clue we have from the police report is that a neighbour saw a dark blue car driving away from the scene. It’s not exactly much to go on!We don’t even have the registration number.”
    By now the three robots were well out of Agent K’s sight.
    “Drake doesn’t know about SWARM,” said Nero. “We have no reason to