Necropolis

carpet. A bottle of cognac with its contents gurgling out. A scattering of broken glass.
    In the end, that was all that was left.
    SIGNAL NINE
    There had been a bloody battle inside the Tai Shan Temple. All the bodies had been taken into one of the other chambers, but the evidence was still there in the bullet holes across the walls, rubble and scorch marks from a grenade, a puddle of blood in front of the main altar. One of the porcelain gods was standing with his arms outstretched, but his body now ended at his neck, which was jagged and hollow.
    His head was in pieces all around him. Another had lost a hand. It was as if they had tried to take part in the fight and had been crippled as a result.
    Jet and Sing had been on their own, waiting for Scarlett and the others to arrive. They had no idea how she had managed to cross Hong Kong —- it would have been impossible now to leave the building —
    but they were glad to see her when she walked in. Jet had been wounded. He was holding a dressing against his neck, and his shirt was soaked in blood. Sing was still holding the sword stick that he had used to kill Audrey Cheng. He seemed to be unhurt.
    Neither of them had noticed that there was another man in the chamber, hiding underneath the altar. He was one of the chairman's men, and he had been shot twice. It was his blood that was pooling out. He knew he didn't have very long. There was a gun inches from his outstretched hand.
    Speaking in Chinese, Lohan demanded a report from his two lieutenants. Quickly, they told him what he wanted to know, and he translated for Matthew and Richard.
    "There were many people waiting here," he said. "They would have killed you if you had tried to reach the door. But they have all been dealt with."
    "Then let's get out of here," Richard said. He turned to Matt. "It's time to go."
    Lohan walked forward and shook Scarlett's hand. "Good luck," he said. "The journey that we made together just now is something that I will never forget."
    "I'm glad I met you, Lohan," Scarlett said. "Thank you for helping me." She had relaxed a little, but Matt could see that she was still concentrating, keeping the typhoon at bay. She had to stay in control. While she was inside the temple, the wind and the rain were barely touching its walls.
    The door with the five-pointed star was in front of them. It seemed so small and ordinary that it was hard to believe that it would lead them, not outside and into the storm but to anywhere in the world.

    "So where are we going, Matt?" Jamie asked.
    The dying man had fumbled for the gun. From where he was lying, he could only see the two boys and the Chinese man who had arrived with them. The girl was standing right behind and the other man was somewhere out of sight. He could probably take out at least two of them before he was killed himself.
    He had decided that was what he would do. After all, it was the reason he was here.
    Which one first?
    The boy who had just asked the question — the one with the long hair and the American accent — was direcdy in his sight. Slowly, the man took aim. The boy was only a few steps away. The man's hand was sticky with his own blood. The gun was covered in it. But he knew exactly what he was doing. There was no way he was going to miss…
    The door with the five-pointed star opened.
    Scott, with Pedro right behind him, burst into the temple. Jamie opened his mouth to speak. Matt was gazing in surprise. What had seemed impossible for so long had finally happened. The Gatekeepers had come together. They were all here, in the same space.
    Scott. Jamie. Matt. Pedro. And Scarlett.
    The Five.
    But Scott hadn't stopped. He ran forward and threw himself at his brother, knocking him aside.
    A second later, there was a gunshot.
    Lohan acted with lightning speed. His own gun was in his hand instantly and he fired five times, the bullets strafing underneath the altar. The man who had been concealed there was killed before he could fire again.
    Richard saw that Jamie was all right. Somehow Scott had known and had arrived in time to save him.
    But then Matt cried out.
    The shot had missed Jamie, but Scarlett had been standing right behind him. She had been hit in the head and the wound was a bad one. Blood was pouring down the side of her neck. She toppled sideways.
    Richard caught her before she hit the floor.
    As she lost consciousness, the whole world exploded.

    The typhoon had been kept at bay for too long. Now, as if recognizing