‘I’m so glad we’ve all learned so much about West London nurseries, but can we finally get back to the bloody mission?’ drawled Jake.

‘Amen to that,’ said Cameron. There was another crack as she popped her gum. Hattie winced a little. It was comforting to know even the unflappable Hattie found her grating.

Hattie nodded at Dugdale and Frederick as they sat down. ‘Take us through everything.’

Frederick started. ‘After four different operations blew apart and agents and informants were killed, my boss Thatcher knew there had to be a Snake within Six. We’d all heard rumours of some sort of dark web recruitment site and he was sure this was what the Snake was linked to. Thatcher came to me with his concerns and we devised a plan to draw them out. We emptied my bank account, killed my credit rating, drafted letters from the bank saying they were going to foreclose on our house. I started asking around Six if anyone knew of any private work going, implied I was going to make a break for it. Within two months I was contacted by Tenebris.’ He shook his head. ‘It was far worse than we could possibly have imagined.’

‘How did they make contact?’ asked Geraint.

‘They took control of my laptop. Opened a new email and started writing. Said they knew I was in financial trouble and they had a way out. Gave me a weblink and a login and password. There was an introduction video that explained the Tenebris Network and how it worked, and then I was invited to create a profile, listing what security clearances I had as well as what other access. I was assured only potential Employers would see it.’

‘Were you able to see the other Employees?’ That was the key data we needed.

‘I couldn’t navigate the site in full. Under my login I was only ever able to flick through the Employers who’d posted ads. Thatcher and I approached a top-level hacker off the books and with his help we were able to get into a few of the Employee profiles – that’s how we found out about King666 and got to see his bidding history. Clearly, though, we didn’t take enough precautions. Within twenty-four hours my login was frozen, the hacker was missing and Thatcher was dead.’

‘I’m sorry about Thatcher,’ said Hattie softly. ‘He was one of the good ones.’

‘What happened?’ asked Jake.

‘Shot in the head on his way home from work.’ Frederick’s jaw clenched. ‘The day before he died I was sent abroad on an assignment. Last contact I had from him was a text before I left saying he was testing a theory and would be in touch once he had something concrete.’