‘Sounds like a joke,’ Safa snorts to a suddenly interested, almost hopeful look from Roland. ‘Where the fuck are we? Who the fuck are these two?’ She thumbs towards Ben and Harry. ‘And why the fuck have you got dinosaurs in your garden?’

‘Time travel,’ Ben says with a sideways glance at Safa.

‘Piss off,’ she mutters, returning his sideways glance as Roland watches on with that hopeful look still adorning his face.

‘Thanks.’ Ben smiles. ‘Now,’ he says, looking back to Roland. ‘What the actual fuck? I mean . . . what the actual fucking fuck?’

‘I’m with him,’ Safa says, pointing at Ben. ‘What the actual fuck?’

‘Indeed,’ Roland says with the faintest hint of a smile twitching the corners of his mouth. ‘Humour in the face of adversity . . . yes . . . indeed.’

‘Do I need to ask again?’ Safa asks, cocking her head with a hard glare.

‘Gosh no,’ Roland says, removing the smile from his face. ‘But I need your assurances that you will not react and that you will listen to my full explanation. Do I have that from each of you?’

‘Sir,’ Harry says smartly when Roland looks at him.

‘Thank you, Mr Madden. Miss Patel?’

‘Just spit it out.’

‘Mr Ryder?’

‘Fair enough.’

Roland takes a deep breath and steeples his fingers. The nerves once more showing as he clears his throat. ‘You each died at the point we extracted you. Mr Madden, you died in Norway, Mr Ryder on the tracks in Holborn and Miss Patel died when they blew the charges on Downing Street . . .’

‘Charges?’ Safa asks abruptly.

‘I will answer what I can later. Please, allow me to continue. I need you to first understand what I mean when I refer to a timeline. My timeline, for instance, is from the second of my conception to my death and then beyond my death.’

‘Beyond?’ Ben asks. Feeling that fug starting to come down again.

‘The timeline of humanity is made up of every single living thing and every single thing done by every single living thing.’

‘Eh?’ Safa says, shaking her head.

‘Your timelines ended when you were each killed. However, the effects of your lives on humanity’s timelines continued after your deaths. Harry became famous as Mad Harry Madden. Ben became known as the man who saved Gita and Meera Choudhry then later went on to save hundreds of lives on the London Underground. Safa, you were also present that day on the London Underground and led hundreds of people to safety, plus, if not for your actions, the Prime Minister would undoubtedly have been killed. You became incredibly famous after your death and inspired many women to join the police and armed services. You understand the concept of timelines? Good, it’s important you know that and always remember it because you can never go back.’

Ben flinches from the bluntly spoken words. Safa blinks at Roland while Harry just stares on as impassive as ever.