‘Yes. And you know what? I’m going to trust you with something.’

Brushing his memory box out of Thomas’ line of sight, he drew the boy’s attention to the thin box of envelopes. He pushed them over, and lay a soft hand on Thomas’ shoulder.

‘Wherever our new home is, take these with you.’

*

McCormick watched Thomas’ face as he stood among the crowd in the cellar, at the front so he could see the Memorial Wall one last time. The boy had been uncomfortable with the reason behind McCormick’s instructions, but he had understood.

‘We’ll never be properly home unless we take the whole family with us,’ said Jack.

‘You’re welcome to carry it if you want,’ replied Mark.

McCormick adjusted his helmet for the fourth time that minute. It had been a long time since he had last needed to wear one, and it would take the whole evening before he acclimatised to the feel of it again. He stood in place in front of the Memorial Wall, and held out his hands.

‘Everyone ready for this?’

Wordless, the Underdogs linked hands, and McCormick began.

‘To honour those who gave everything they had, we will give everything we have. To honour the dead we will free the living, united by our differences.’

‘United,’ answered the group. McCormick had expected a subdued, saddened response, but instead his friends were loud. Evidently, they were taking the opportunity to make their last meeting before the Memorial Wall mean something.

One by one, the crowd started to leave. Some were carrying weapons, others were carrying food. Nobody could carry the generator, so they had left behind everything that would require electricity. Their standard of living was set to dip dramatically. Before Jack walked out with a rucksack full of batteries, McCormick noticed the thermal blocker in his hand: the miniature-football-sized object which kept their body heat off any scans Grant could perform. Ewan’s father had stolen it from his barracks on Takeover Day, and that impulsive act had kept them alive for a year. It was by far the most important piece of luggage carried by any of the crew – including all their weapons combined.

McCormick kept himself at the back of the group, and was the last person to leave Spitfire’s Rise.

‘Thank you, Polly,’ he whispered into the air, before he walked into the tunnel, took a final look at the Memorial Wall, and closed the door behind him.

Chapter 14

Kate had been close to the same house forty-eight hours earlier. She had been sitting on a patch of grass less than half a mile away, at the top of a hill next to her boyfriend and their five fellow students.

If she’d known McCormick would bring her back to Oakenfold, perhaps she wouldn’t have volunteered after all. The man lay next to her on the sofa at that moment, catching some sleep while he could. It was already gone midnight.