Holt talked about how, as an advanced force operator back in the day, over the course of several tours to Afghanistan he had formed a close friendship with an Afghan interpreter called Maalik, who had still been working with US forces until the pull-out. As the Taliban forces swept into the city, Holt was all too aware that Maalik, and many others like him, would be a target for a horrible death. ‘I knew that if they caught him,’ Holt said, ‘they wouldn’t content themselves with putting a bullet in his head. They’d make him watch while they gang-raped his wife Fatemah in front of him and then got to work on their daughters Gita and Iman, before they gutted all three of them like fish. Then they’d burn him alive.’

‘Did you get them out?’ Ben asked.

Holt shook his head. ‘We never found a trace of Maalik or his family. God help them. If they’re alive and in hiding along with all the others who’re still stuck in this place, then their best chance is to hide and pray that someone will come.’

‘There’s the problem,’ said Schulz. ‘They’ve got no outside help any more. It’s all down to little old us.’

‘How long were you planning on keeping this up?’ Ben asked.

Holt smiled. ‘You mean living like outlaws, just a handful of bucks between us, surviving on MREs that are five years out of date, using whatever weapons and vehicles we can steal from the enemy, trapped inside a hostile country that’s virtually impossible to get out of?’ He shrugged. ‘As long as we can hold out, I guess. None of us is looking that far ahead.’

‘Someone’s got to do it,’ Wolf said. ‘Nobody else is lining up for the job. Might as well be us.’

‘What we were born for, dude,’ said Gino Baldacci, the ex-Delta guy, and he and Mike Nielsen exchanged high-fives.

‘Besides,’ said Nobby Scraggs, ‘it’s not like we’ve anything more useful to do back home, is it? Sat on the sofa watching the football on telly, or getting shot to bits out here trying to help folk in need? I know which I’d choose, any day of the week.’

‘We’re committed now,’ Holt said. ‘Whatever happens. This is way too important to back down from. And we’ve come this far, and survived. I’m going to stick it out.’

‘Right to the bitter end. Last man standing,’ said Nielsen.

‘Got that right,’ said Doug Liebowitz.

‘Me too,’ Wolf chimed in. ‘All the way.’

‘We sure could use a little more help, though,’ Holt said, looking earnestly at Ben. ‘A guy with your credentials, if you’re half as good as Wolf says you are, would come in handy around here.’

‘I’ll second that,’ said Scraggs. ‘He saved my bacon more than once.’