Ewan followed his teammate to the furthest edge of the room and sat himself at the neighbouring computer. It gave him access to every delicious scrap of information an Underdog could want to get their hands on. He just needed to locate them.

‘Fair enough,’ he answered. ‘Looking for the research files now.’

‘You do that. I’ve got something personal to search for.’

Ewan shot Alex a surprised glance.

‘Personal? Like, your dad or something?’

‘Yeah,’ said Alex with blatant sarcasm, ‘my taekwondo coach stuck down in New Brighton prison, who they’re definitely keeping an eye on because he’s such a fascinating guy. No, you numpty. I’ve got missing memories to find.’

Ewan felt a little pool of rage bubbling up inside him at Alex’s insult, but he took a deep breath and composed himself. The insult must have been based on hurt, and he knew better than to take things personally when they were said by a teammate going through a rough time.

For a moment, Ewan wondered whether those thoughts were truly his own, or planted there by his experiences among other Oakenfold students. Or even by McCormick, during his year of positive influence.

Then, without his permission, his fingers twitched and he slammed a hand on the table.

‘You OK there?’ asked Alex.

‘Not exactly.’

‘Worried about the old man?’

‘…Yeah.’

Ewan opened the first of many folders he was set to search through, and found himself lost like a child in a busy shopping centre. He would not be finished in a hurry.

‘It’s not like the other missions,’ he continued to Alex, if only for the sake of expressing his thoughts out loud. ‘Every mission for the last year, all I’ve needed to do to see him again is avoid dying and get back to Spitfire’s Rise. But when I said goodbye to him tonight, it hit me. He’s in danger here. I could do everything right tonight, complete this mission and head home unscathed, and still never see him again.’

Alex took a break from his own search and looked towards Ewan, although the camera prevented him from turning far enough to make his lips visible.

‘Kate will look after him,’ he said in a rare, compassionate voice. ‘And if he goes off on his own, he won’t do anything stupid.’

‘You’re sure about that? He knows what’s at stake.’

‘Well let’s be frank. If he were to do something to put himself in danger, it wouldn’t be out of stupidity. It’d be for something worth putting himself in danger for. He’s an adult – a real adult, I mean – and a mathematician too. He doesn’t have the reckless impulsive side that the rest of us have. He’s too calculating for it.’