There was an excited buzz among the recruits. Whether it was the prospect of weapons handling, or the idea of not having to fight through howling blizzards, Max wasn’t sure. But even he had to admit that he felt a little more energised as he filed out of the house with the others. Sami was by his side. ‘I’ve done a bit of weapons handling in CCF,’ Max whispered to his friend. ‘I’ll give you some tips, if you like.’

Sami smiled at him. ‘Maybe,’ he said.

The rain had lifted. Angel, Hector and Woody were waiting for them outside. They led the recruits round to the parade ground and along the valley for about five minutes. They reached a low concrete building, securely padlocked. Beyond it was a shooting range. At one end was a row of sandbags. Fifty metres further on there was a line of eight targets, each in the shape of a human body. Behind the targets, a solid wall of more sandbags. Max assumed this was to stop any stray bullets travelling too far.

Woody unlocked the building. He, Angel and Hector disappeared inside. The recruits waited. There was a hush. Max found himself standing next to Lukas. He was chewing gum, as usual. When he caught Max’s eye, he spat his gum out into a wrapper and threw it on the ground. He was putting a fresh piece in his mouth as the Watchers exited the building. They were carrying weapons. Each of them had a different kind. Woody had the smallest, Angel the next largest and Hector the biggest.

Hector stepped forward. He scanned the recruits standing in front of him. ‘Don’t get too excited,’ he barked at them. ‘Special Forces Cadets will seldom be sent into operational situations carrying weapons. We’re not raising a pack of gun-hungry teenagers. But the cadets who make it through selection will find themselves in scenarios where the bad guys are armed. You need to show us that you have the potential to learn about the weapons you may encounter. At the end of the day you will each be tested on what you have learned. We are also going to be firing some weapons. This will test certain characteristics that we are looking for: strength, coordination, ability to learn. Maybe you think today will be easier than previous days. Think again. Gun work is all in the head. If your head’s not up to it, you’re going home.’

He turned to Woody and nodded. Woody stepped forward and held up his firearm. ‘This is a handgun, or pistol,’ he announced. ‘A SIG Sauer P226, to be precise. It fires 9mm rounds. It’s a semi-automatic. I’m now going to explain to you what that means.’

Lukas made a huffing sound and rolled his eyes, as if he already knew everything Woody was going to tell them. Max turned his attention back to Woody.