Two of the men – agents? Soldiers? I had no idea – guided us out from the circle of field-pillars, then led us towards the other Pathfinders. I saw Mayer standing in a far corner of the room, tapping at the notes in his hand and speaking animatedly to another man.

‘Do you think they all share the same tailor to keep the bills down?’ muttered Selwyn, leaning in close to me as he regarded the armed men all around us.

I looked about, seeing that the stage occupied one end of a long, high-ceilinged room with peeling wallpaper. It looked like a ballroom that had seen far better days. Rows of ancient-looking computers sat on desks pushed up against one wall, their screens shrouded with plastic dust covers. I heard the muffled honk of traffic from beyond heavily curtained windows, and shivered. It was freezing cold.

Tall doors opened and yet more men in the same dark suits entered. One of them stepped towards Mayer.

‘I need a situation report,’ he said, before glancing towards us and frowning. ‘What are they doing here? Are they cleared?’

Mayer shook his head. ‘No, but there wasn’t any choice. I had to bring them with me.’

‘They shouldn’t be here,’ the other man insisted. ‘There are strict quarantine laws, you know that.’

‘I need to show you something first,’ said Mayer, pressing the pages into his hands.

‘Kip . . .’

‘I’m serious,’ Mayer insisted. He glanced towards us again. ‘They can wait while we talk, okay? Then, if you’re still not happy about it, we can send them back over. But only if you insist.’

Mayer’s companion regarded us for what felt like a long time.

‘All right,’ the man said with a sigh. ‘But make this quick.’

‘That, sir,’ said Mayer, ‘is not something I can guarantee,’

Mayer disappeared in the company of this other man, and the rest of us were led away down a corridor beyond the tall doors. A wheeled stretcher appeared, along with a nurse, and Yuichi was hoisted up and onto it by Randall and Selwyn, who had been helping him along thus far. I watched as they trundled him away, trying to ignore my misgivings at being separated in this way in this cold and bleak place.

They led the rest of us along a corridor and past a dust-specked window, through which I caught sight of a city’s streets.

‘We’re in Washington,’ Winifred said from behind my shoulder as we walked on, almost whispering the words. ‘I’d know the place anywhere.’

We came to a small room, devoid of either windows or any furniture apart from some rickety wooden chairs. They locked the door when they exited, and I sat there, tense, hoping it didn’t mean we were prisoners.

Randall tried to make small talk, but gave up after a couple of minutes. No one was in the mood for anything more than waiting for whatever came next.