He looked at his wordless girlfriend, who had lost her wailing anger and replaced it with stunned silence. Raj closed his eyes, and confessed.

‘I know the name of our village, guys. I always have done.’

Ewan turned his back and swore at the top of his voice, looking for the nearest large object to kick repeatedly.

‘So if you’re taken alive,’ muttered Mark as he approached, ‘we’re all dead.’

‘Yeah,’ Raj replied with unashamed fear. ‘Remember Daniel, who gave away our names? He was a tough lad. I’m not. If they interrogate me they’ll… they’ll find what they’re after. If I stay behind this shield, Spitfire’s Rise gets found, we lose the war and Grant kills me anyway. Either I run through and live, or I run through and die. Both are better options than staying here.’

His six friends did not make a sound between them. But Kate was shaking her head in baseless denial.

‘Jack, you’re the logical one,’ Raj said. ‘Tell me I’m wrong.’

All eyes fell on Jack, who seemed aghast at the thought of being responsible for good ideas at a moment like this.

‘I’m serious, Jack,’ Raj continued. ‘Please give me a reason why it’s a bad idea. Because I’m bloody terrified here.’

Jack kept up his silence, and Raj looked at his remaining friends: Mark, who rarely let humanitarian issues get in the way of solving a problem. Ewan, who was no stranger to making dreadful decisions in no-win situations. Gracie and Simon, who were all too willing to admit defeat. The only one who needed convincing was Kate.

‘Y-you’re religious,’ she gasped approximately. ‘Isn’t there… isn’t there a no-suicide rule or, or something?’

‘This isn’t suicide, it’s sacrifice,’ said Raj, removing his helmet and taking his first of many steps back. ‘Giving my life for yours. There are religious figures who saw the value in that, trust me.’

He kept walking back, and nobody but Kate objected. They were horrified, but compliant. Some stepped out of the blast radius his body was about to create.

God , please let me be right about you. Please see this as saving my friends.

I spent almost a year shooting clones for these friends , and for millions of innocents . Please forgive me if that counted as killing. Forgive me if I was wrong in anything I did. Every shot I fired this year was to save human lives…

‘Ewan, Jack, get Kate to the bottom of the hill. Simon, Gracie, follow them. Mark, stay here. If the explosion only half-kills me, shoot me in the head.’