Of course, as the situation demands, I call on some false bravado and appear unimpressed by the ease with which they caught me.

“Look, you know how this ends. So do I. You talk about your evil plan, I stop you, and everything is happily ever after.”

The cold steel of the handcuffs were firm, but luckily I’d had the foresight to palm a lockpick before they cuffed me.

“Ah, Mr Smith, you forgot your inside man, who is undoubtedly now trying to infiltrate my security settings, or perhaps cut the power so that you can escape.”

I kept my stiffest poker face but inside my heart started racing. Had they caught Jones? I mean, they were only your standard henchmen, after all. Nothing he couldn’t take care of, surely?

“Anyway, how do you like my secret underwater base? I do love the ambience. Oh, what are you fools waiting for? We’ve already shot the other idiot, just kill him now.”

I swore inwardly as my cuffs silently clicked open at the same time as the henchmen raised their guns.