“Take the second one to your left.”

She tried it. “It’s locked.”

“Kick it open.”

“It’s a sturdy door, Skulduggery.”

“But it’s not reinforced. It’s not designed to keep any prisoners in or out, it’s designed to keep unauthorised personnel from going places they don’t have clearance for. It’s just a simple door with a simple lock. And you’ve got very strong legs.”

She looked at the door. “See, this is where a gun would come in really handy.” She kicked. “Ow! Oh, God!”

“Are you OK?”

“Kicking doors hurts! Even with Ghastly’s boots!”

“Put your weight behind it. Pretend the door is someone who has really annoyed you recently.”

“Can I pretend it’s you?”

“I really don’t see how that would—”

She kicked it, and the door burst open. “I’m in,” she said, closing the door behind her. “And that really hurt my foot. I’m in a room with machines along the walls. Lots of blinking lights.”