Chapters (45)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Prologue
- 2046
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- About the Author
‘Now that’s old Berlin,’ Alpha remarks casually, having glanced down the back road to the grey, brick-built buildings.
‘Hmmm?’ Bravo says, absent-minded as he reads the menu. ‘What was that? Oh, I see, yes, yes, it is rather. Maybe pre-Second World War. Shall we have a look?’
‘Would you mind?’ Alpha asks.
‘Not at all. It is rare to see existing industrial buildings still intact after that period.’
‘Gosh, look at that one. Nice Gothic drainage systems.’
‘The cornice is very good if slightly eroded.’
‘Good brickwork I might add.’
‘Indeed. I do like the transition from city centre to quiet back road and the way the buildings seem to morph from office to dwelling and light industrial usage. I say, is that a storage warehouse?’
‘Certainly looks like it.’
‘Is it in use?’
‘I couldn’t say. It certainly looks very secure.’
‘Well, we are in a central location and I should imagine crime rates are significant.’
‘Oh, indeed. Stout doors and, oh yes, those two men are operating an alarm system as they enter.’
‘Yes, so they are. That is worrying, isn’t it? I do hope this isn’t a high-crime area.’
‘Oh, bother. My mother is emailing me again. What shall I tell her this time?’
‘Tell her we may have found a suitable location to rest and recuperate.’
‘I will tell her exactly that. Shall we go back and look at that menu again?’
‘Gladly.’
Thirty-One
Thirty-One
The door opens without a knock. Ben looks up to see Harry staring at him. ‘You ready?’ he asks bluntly. His face impassive as ever.
Ben nods. There isn’t much else to say. It’s done. He is going back. He is empty inside and ready. He has nothing left.
‘Follow me,’ Harry says and walks off. Ben gets up and follows him dumbly through the room with the blue chairs and out into the corridor full of doors to rooms ready to be used. He will never see this place again. He will never be here again. He doesn’t feel anything. Nothing. He is devoid of feeling. He does not belong here.
They reach the end of the corridor. Harry pushes the door open and nods for Ben to go first into the empty main room. Ben doesn’t ask where everyone else is or how they are going to do this. He does not care. He cannot bring forth any sense of caring about anything other than the fact he died at Holborn and everything since then has been wrong, like he is a ghost left behind in a world that no longer needs or wants him.