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Chapters (52)
  1. Title
  2. Copyright
  3. About the Book
  4. About the Author
  5. Also By
  6. Contents
  7. Dedication
  8. Roll Call
  9. A Brief History of the Time Wars
  10. Jane
  11. Luke
  12. Matthew
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 8
  21. 9
  22. 10
  23. 11
  24. 12
  25. 13
  26. 14
  27. 15
  28. 16
  29. 17
  30. 18
  31. 19
  32. 20
  33. 21
  34. 22
  35. 23
  36. 24
  37. 25
  38. 26
  39. 27
  40. 28
  41. 29
  42. 30
  43. 31
  44. 32
  45. 33
  46. 34
  47. 35
  48. 36
  49. 37
  50. Epilogue
  51. Author’s Note
  52. A Note on Recruitment

Jane, both excited and terrified, looked at the rapt faces around her. In less than ten minutes, this man, the man before them, the man whose state of health they were so dispassionately discussing, would be dead. The course of history would be irrevocably changed. And she was here – right on the very spot. For a moment, all her troubles rolled away and she could understand, very clearly, their all-consuming concentration. Their needle-sharp focus. This was what St Mary’s were all about. This was what they did. And she was right alongside them as they were doing it.

30

30

Back at Time Police HQ, the alarms had been silenced, the authorities dealt with and control regained. Commander Hay was addressing a fragile-looking Major Ellis, whose premature attempt to leave MedCen to find out what was going on had propelled him straight back into bed.

‘I’m really not feeling very well,’ he said faintly, in a vain attempt to stem the seemingly never-ending flow of words.

‘So, Major, just to sum up your team’s actions today.’

A feeble attempt to deny any knowledge of his team’s actions today died halfway through the first sentence.

‘One member of your team is, at the moment, guilty of tampering with the scene of a crime, destroying evidence and possibly murdering a fellow officer. A second member of your team has stolen a pod to facilitate the escape of the first member of your team. A third member of your team, presumably feeling left out of the exciting events occurring around him, has initiated a radiation alert, leading to a major evacuation of the entire area and mass panic among our unfortunate neighbours. This team member would now, at this very moment, be answering a series of questions designed to establish how he rigged the computer and how he gained unauthorised access to a pod to facilitate the escape of the first two members of your team, only he can’t because he has – as a member of your team – been shot. By the first two members of your team.’

She paused, possibly for breath but more probably to let her last words sink home, and Major Ellis took full advantage.

‘I think, ma’am, you might be allowing current opinions relating to my team to colour your judgement slightly.’

‘Am I? Speaking as the person who’s spent the last hour explaining and apologising to the Home Secretary and sundry other politicians – who, incidentally, are still refusing to leave the safety of their fallout shelter – the Lord Mayor, the Metropolitan Police, the Queen, the media and God knows who else – am I really?’

She paused for more breath and Major Ellis seized his opportunity.