Even Lieutenant Aimer required urging from his comrades before he dared address the red and glaring Major. “We could think about it for half an hour and then decide?” He smiled, trying to make the balance of sweet and sturdy in his young face tip toward sweet.

A long breath and the Major’s fingers stopped crawling toward his weapons. “Let it be. Tonight. The black of the morning Paris time.” He raised his eyes to Bridger. “You’ll have your chance. But you will not leave this room until we’ve planned out every breath, every step, until you can recite it backwards. You understand me?”

Bridger’s grin displayed his bright teeth, like an open piano. “I won’t make a single move without discussing it with you first, and I won’t touch anything, or try anything hard, just words.”

“Words? Words will be the hardest part. Persuading the persuader. He’ll have a thousand reasons marshaled against every one of yours. You know who this is you’re arguing against?”

The child swallowed. “I know.”

The Major softened. “Well, perhaps words from you will mean more.”

“I hope so.” A brave smile.

“If things go wrong while you’re out there—”

“If things go wrong,” the boy took over, “just tell me what to do and I’ll do it in an instant, no questions, I promise. I’ll be like a new recruit on my first mission. I have to have one sometime, right?”

The veteran shook his head. “No, you don’t. You know how hard we worked to make you not be like us? Not be like a soldier? We want you to enjoy these days of peace.”

“It hasn’t seemed very much like peace lately.”

“I’m glad you think that.”

Here’s an expression a child’s face should have, wide eyes, a curiosity still willing to ask any question, never fearing answers. “Why?”

“It means you have no idea what war is.” The Major rose and hauled over a pack of gum to serve as table as he set to work. “We’ll watch Mycroft until he falls asleep. They’re unlikely to leave him unguarded. Crawler, you’ll head up a team to take out guards if necessary.”

“I should do that,” Lieutenant Aimer interrupted, smiling.

“What?”

“Head the team.” The Lieutenant rose, testing his hands, tender but nimble after the healing potion. “That’s usually my job.”

The Major’s fists slammed the pack of gum before him. “We just got you back! You’re not going to think about going near that house again or, by Hades, this time I’ll be the one who nails your feet to the gods-damned floor! Now sit down!”

The white-faced Lieutenant more fell than sat down as the Major’s words flew like blows.

“As for the rest of you,” the Major continued, “if any of you catches the Lieutenant anywhere near the teleporter, or the armory, you have standing orders to knock him out and strap him to the nearest immovable object, is that clear?”

Most of the men frowned apology at the Lieutenant as they answered. “Yes, Major.”