Lauren hoped Alfie would end up having to run back and was disappointed when she arrived and found Ning close behind, with Alfie riding pillion. Everyone headed into the gym, expecting Capstick and McEwen to be waiting, for some kind of gruelling combat workout. Instead, chef had laid out tables with lasagne, and two ancient rear-projection TV sets had been wheeled in. One was rigged up to a PS4 ready to play FIFA16, but Lauren was seriously excited to see the second one, linked to an ancient Sega Megadrive.

‘Oh my god, it’s Ecco the Dolphin!’ Lauren blurted. ‘I bloody loved this game when I was little.’

‘The graphics are terrible,’ Alfie noted. ‘I didn’t even realise they had computer games back in your day.’

Lauren turned sharply, hooked Alfie’s ankle and dumped his ass on the padded floor. ‘Too slow, young man,’ she teased.

James clapped to seize attention before Alfie got his shot at revenge. ‘Shut the hell up, all of yous,’ he yelled. ‘I’ve just had a conference call and I can confirm that the drone strike is set for tonight.’

A few cheers went up, but Bruce and Kyle looked more circumspect.

‘Since you’ve all worked hard for the last four weeks, we’re gonna spend the afternoon chilling out with food and video games. Enjoy, people!’

The mood was jovial as Lauren took the controls for Ecco the Dolphin, while most of the others went for the buffet table. James was surprised to find himself confronted by a very serious-looking Ryan.

‘You OK, pal?’ James asked, as he bit into a sausage-stuffed pepper that he’d just picked off the table.

‘I was thinking about your mission,’ Ryan said. ‘I know you’ve got an empty seat now that Kerry’s hurt.’

‘Shit happens,’ James said, blowing on the hot sausage. ‘It’s the nature of any mission.’

Ryan nodded. ‘I was thinking.’

‘Should that be cause for concern?’

Ryan smiled, but was irritated by James’ interruption. ‘I was ranked second on the flight training, behind Lauren. I’m sixty-two kilos, so only slightly heavier than Kerry.’

James shook his head. ‘I appreciate your enthusiasm, Ryan. But Ewart authorised you to come here and form a training team to help us five old farts get back into shape. The actual mission is off the books. Nobody with links to the British military or adult intelligence. No British-made equipment or identity documents. If we’re caught, we’ll say we’re mercenaries hired by Sachs and Yuen’s kidnap insurance. Not that it matters, because IS will scythe our heads off, whatever we say.’

‘Kerry was your best Arabic speaker,’ Ryan said. ‘I’m almost fluent.’

‘Tovah’s fluent.’

‘And if she gets hurt?’ Ryan asked. ‘And isn’t she supposed to stay back and prep the aircraft?’