‘And the inspector…’ Mickey checked all three magazines, already loaded, their transparent windows all showing twenty-five rounds on board ‘…was absolutely right.’

He grinned at the departing armourer’s back. Then turned to Wade, handing him the weapon.

‘Right, you can mind this until it’s time to leave. No dribbling on it. I’ll go and find out what the hell’s going on.’

James Cavendish looked up as Mickey tapped on the frame of his office door.

‘Michael Bale. Lord, but I’m pleased to see you.’

‘Unlike a certain other person, I expect.’

James snorted derisively.

‘He’ll do as he’s told. This is hardly the time for prima donna behaviour.’

‘So what is it the time for?’ Cavendish frowned at the question. ‘What’s this all about? A Sunday evening trip into London is one thing, but the American Embassy?’

‘Ah. I see your point.’ The major leaned back in his chair. ‘Come in and close the door. This is most definitely for you and you alone.’

He waited until the door was firmly closed before continuing. ‘HMG has bowed to the Americans’ power of persuasion. Or to put it more accurately, their muscle. There being nothing quite so dangerous as a superpower on the brink of collapse. One of the items on the agenda when POTUS came to tea last week was their demand for Sir Patrick to testify to the CIA. Spilling everything he knows about the Chinese plan for world domination. Hard facts, all the things he learned in the twenty years he was courting the most senior members of the regime. Their plan to use currency devaluation to destroy Western manufacturing. And to supply the chemicals needed to make the opioids that are destroying our workforces. Nothing we didn’t know already, of course, but the man who heard them boasting about it in pissed-up banquets will make a powerful witness.’

He stared at Mickey levelly.

‘There’s a war coming, Michael. And not just the usual financial sanctions and aggravated espionage. A full-scale shooting war in the Pacific. Like the last one, except it’ll be hypersonic missiles and kinetic orbital bombardment taking the place of carriers and marines this time round. With the same sort of casualty count as eighty years ago. Or worse. Which means the Americans want to have right on their side. Sir Patrick’s testimony being a small but important part of their case at the UN. We demanded justice for our victims of American crime and stupidity in the UK as a quid pro quo, of course. And we got absolutely nothing. In return for which we caved. All part of being caught on the fence between a pair of superpowers, it seems.’

‘They both take turns pulling us off the fence and giving us a good hiding to show us who’s boss?’