‘Impressive?’ asks Walt, sucking his lips back over his teeth and pulling a face. ‘Yes, we are something of a disappointment, aren’t we? Not really one of them, that’s my problem. But not really anything else either. I’m damnably good at what I do, you see. And I’m an excellent judge of character. So, well … there’s paperwork and oaths and a little more back and forth to worry about, but supposing I extended my hand and welcomed you as a Friend – you’d be pleased, yes?’

‘A Friend?’

‘What we call ourselves, my dear. The Service.’ He shrugs, keenly aware of their absolute solitude. ‘I’m sure we will do our damnedest to turn you into something you’re not, but I do really rather hope you continue to be the young lady who reads Orwell in the gathering storm.’

Cordelia holds his gaze. Gives the slightest nod. He returns it, then turns away. She glances down to gather up her cigarettes and her book. When she looks up again, she’s alone on a deserted beach.

Cordelia sits for a while trying to work out how she feels. She smokes. She reads. When she gets back to the barracks she will write to Felicity. She won’t post it, but she’ll enjoy writing it. She’s joining MI6. She’s going to be a bloody spy. She’ll go mad if she doesn’t share the news with somebody.

On balance, she decides she should probably keep that particular gush of excited honesty to herself.

ONE

BRAVE SPY ‘SENT TO HIS DEATH’ BY BRITISH TROOPS

By Paolo Fergus, Aletheia.com Investigations Team

14.08.2016

BRITISH troops manning a border post in Belize betrayed one of MI6’s top informers to a ruthless death squad, according to top secret documents unearthed by Aletheia.com

Documents found in the National Archives indicate that the British government cooperated with a succession of genocidal presidents and leant support and expertise to the Guatemalan military during their decades in command of the war-torn Central American country.

Our exclusive investigation suggests repeated collusion between British politicians and the most notorious of Presidents Rios Montt, who stood trial for genocide and has died without ever facing true justice for the atrocities carried out at his command. The role of the CIA in arming, training and funding Rios Montt has already been ruthlessly exposed by United Nations investigators who suggest that President Reagan’s administration deliberately turned a blind eye to the wholesale massacre of Guatemalan peasants. It was seen as a price worth paying to halt the spread of communism on America’s doorstep.