Knox instinctively wanted to dismiss Bennett’s worries. But he knew that he couldn’t. He knew deep down that in the wrong hands something like Pipistrelle could give someone the power to create the world that scared Bennett so much. A world where every act, thought, or statement was recorded and scrutinised. He’d almost said as much to White and Holland himself, back when they first discussed using Atlas, and it was only Holland’s reassurances that had calmed his concerns. But Holland was no longer in charge of MI5 or its technology.

Knox had spent the last fifteen years peeking through proverbial keyholes and curtains in the name of national security. But when he wasn’t, he had no interest in the private lives of others. Everyone carried secrets with them, hiding their true selves or things too personal or difficult to explain to others. Knox’s own life was full of secrets. He’d been expertly trained to hide them. But what if he couldn’t?

As the plane started to descend over what seemed like a thousand tiny islands towards Stockholm, he wondered who would want to find out every little detail about him if they had the chance.

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Knox and Bennett’s flight landed at Bromma airport shortly after two o’clock, and by three they were in Stockholm. They took a car from the airport, and Knox spent the whole journey into the city craning his neck to check the driver’s rear-view mirrors. It was highly unlikely they’d been followed from London, but he wanted to be sure.

Stockholm looked to Knox like what would have happened if one of Britain’s ancient capitals like York or Winchester had managed to hold on to their title a few hundred years longer. The narrow streets, looming spires, and stone arches felt familiar, but he was keenly aware that he was in foreign territory, and that he was being guided through it by someone he knew almost nothing about.

In his younger years, Knox had hated the Swedish. Or, more precisely, he’d hated anyone who had remained neutral during the war. As far as he was concerned, being neutral was the same as collaborating. If people like the Swedes weren’t on the Allies’ side, then they were on the Nazis’. One of the first lessons Holland taught him was to let go of such hard and fast views of the world. He’d reminded Knox that Britain had avoided its fair share of fights it probably shouldn’t have—self-preservation may not always seem noble, but it’s a feature of life. Holland also told him that Sweden had secretly provided vast amounts of intelligence to the Allies throughout the war, which, given the country was surrounded on all sides by Nazi-controlled territories, was an incredibly brave thing to do.