Ellis rounded on him. ‘Grint has given nearly all his life to the Time Police. Today he’s been betrayed and attacked and he doesn’t understand what’s happening to the organisation he loves. In so much as it can, his heart is breaking, so shut up, Parrish.’

Luke shut up.

Aware of his colleagues’ habit of shooting first and apologising to the widows and orphans later, Grint was careful to emerge very, very slowly, to stand alongside Jane and Max.

‘They’re all in it together,’ shouted Anders, clambering unsteadily to his feet. North tightened her grip on her tray. He swayed and tried to wipe the blood off his face. ‘We should deal with them now and then go back to Rome and take care of everyone else left on site.’

‘Such as?’

‘Parrish. He’s not here. He must still be there. And anyone else there.’

‘Shoot on sight?’ said Commander Hay.

‘We have no choice, Commander. We have to deal with this now.’

They’re trying to eliminate the witnesses, thought Jane. I don’t know what to do. They’re going to kill us all. This isn’t going to work. They’ll shoot me. And Hay. And North. And then Luke will burst out of the pod and they’ll kill him too, and then they’ll go in and cut down Ellis because he’s too weak to defend himself. And Matthew. And then they’ll jump back to Ancient Rome and kill an entire St Mary’s team, and then all hell will be let loose because St Mary’s will retaliate, and then they’ll have the war everyone here so badly wants and full powers to deal with it and I can’t think of any way to stop it.

Callen pushed his way forwards and put a hand on Anders’s shoulder. ‘Time to shut up, son. You’re just making things worse for yourself.’

Anders stared at him, red-eyed with rage. Foam had collected in the corners of his mouth. ‘I’m making things worse? . . . She’s the one . . . They said . . .’

Pulling out his knife, he lunged. Whether he was heading for Jane, Grint or Commander Hay was never clear. One moment he was looming over them, wild-eyed, his meaty face running with blood and sweat, and then the next, he was toppling slowly to the floor and Major Callen, white-faced, was lowering his gun.

Anders hit the floor. His knife tinkled to the ground beside him. North knelt over him and then looked up. ‘He’s dead. At that range . . . You deliberately killed him.’

For a long second, no one moved. No one spoke. And then Callen drew a long, deep breath.

‘Everyone stand very still, please. I mean it. Let’s not have any silly accidents. Everyone’s hands where I can see them, please.’

Commander Hay said very quietly, ‘What are you doing, Major?’