‘Yes,’ replied McCormick, ‘three on comms. Two to communicate and one to guard. This house isn’t the only place those clones might remember, but we can’t move all our resources from the comms unit in time for this mission. For better or worse, the comms team will be stuck there. Now,’ he said, with his arms spread wide across the room, ‘I’m about to ask for strike team volunteers. Before I do, make no mistake – this is by far the riskiest mission we have ever undertaken. We’re going to several locations across the northern wall of New London, some of which are on Floor B. To date, we’ve never been higher than Floor F. The mathematician in me says the odds are stacked overwhelmingly against us, even though the human in me still has faith. So before volunteering, you should know there’s no shame in wanting to sit this one out. If I had a choice, I would.’

You do have a choice, you stupid old man, Ewan thought, feeling immediately guilty for the insult crossing his mind. It’s your own stubbornness that’s telling you to chargeyour sixty-four-year-old body into a war zone, just for the sake of ‘leading from the front’.

Ewan was one of five people to raise his hand. Lorraine, Thomas, Shannon, Simon and Gracie kept theirs down, to the surprise of no one. Jack, Mark and Alex had their hands up; the latter highest of all. Kate, who had avoided the whole discussion as far as Ewan could tell, raised hers too.

‘OK,’ began McCormick, ‘Ewan, the two of us are certainties. Mark, I want you to be the one guarding comms. If the clones come, I honestly believe you’d put up the best defence.’

‘Thanks, sir,’ said Mark with a very deliberate huff.

‘Alex, I’m assuming you’re volunteering in order to get revenge. That’s not a good idea.’

‘It’s strategy,’ Alex replied, ‘I’m not a complete numpty. Unless they get up close, nobody will even know I’m human. And thanks to Ewan’s bad shaving, I’m safe from you guys shooting me too.’

McCormick left a pause, his faint nods giving away his answer in advance.

‘Alright, I won’t argue. And Jack, if you’re up for it you’re in. Sorry Kate, but I think you need more time to—’

‘To get over Raj?’ Kate barked, as if McCormick had brought her suddenly and painfully to life. ‘Just to make this clear, I will never get over Raj. Just like I never got over what’s happened to James or my parents. Just like none of us have got over anything! My hand is up because Raj died to make this mission happen. We’re using the information he gave his life for, and I won’t insult him by sitting out.’