I've learnt already that this establishment is heavily guarded. And if the agency hadn't sacked me for reasons of economy I wouldn't be alone here now, I'd have backup. Already, they will have bought the silence of the farmer who witnessed the crash. And if the man could not be bought they will have silenced him by other means for these are brutal people, ruled by their fear. Learning that your race is not unique only ever happens once.
Headlights appear suddenly, picking out the sleet like a swarm of fireflies.
A jeep, crowded with braying, youthful soldiers. I press my body to the tree, willing them not to look in my direction. The jeep skids, straightens, heads off into the night. I hunch low and run through the slush, keeping a course parallel with the metalled road. This is my big chance.