‘Not a word,’ Harry says.
‘Staging area,’ Miri says flatly. ‘The SA was attacked by what was either a private company or a government agency intent on securing the home base . . .’ She takes in the blank looks. ‘The warehouse in Berlin was the staging area.’
‘Ah, got it,’ Ben says quickly, clicking his fingers. ‘With you now. Yep. Staging area was Berlin . . . Er, what was the other stuff you said?’
‘Private company . . .’ Miri says.
‘What, like a shop?’
‘No,’ Miri says.
‘I’m not a soldier,’ Ben says, holding his hands up. ‘Insurance investigator.’
‘I know. Ben Ryder. You saved a woman and child when you were seventeen, and were taken into the British equivalent of the Witness Protection Programme under the name of Ben Calshott. You were engaged to Stephanie Myers, who denounced you as a wife-beater after your death, which was caused by an explosion at Holborn train station in London following an attack by environmental activists. Safa Patel’s parents are from Egypt and India. She joined the police following what you did when you were a kid, and then later moved into your equivalent of the Secret Service to protect the Prime Minister, having been influenced by your actions at Holborn. She died protecting him when the same environmental activists attacked Downing Street. Harry Madden, known as Mad Harry Madden. Commando deployed to a Norwegian fjord during the last world war. Information and knowledge. This is what I do.’
Ben listens intently, mesmerised by the way Miri speaks. Her tone somehow flat, but with that American drawl, and the words come out hard and fast. The last thing she said was so American too. The overt expressionism so unique to Americans. This is what I do. In those few words, he surmises Roland has told her who they are.
‘I think she means a private military company,’ Doctor Watson says with relish. ‘Mercenaries. Guns for hire . . . rogues . . . The types of ne’er-do-wells likely to give their arms for the highest bidder in a world of shady deals in smoky back rooms,’ he adds with a big grin as everyone else in the room looks at him for a few seconds.
‘So,’ Ben says slowly, looking back at Miri. ‘The private military people attacked the warehouse in Berlin and killed Malc and Kon.’ He realises he doesn’t feel quite as bad as he should right now. Death isn’t what it was. They have a time machine. They can go back and get them. That translates to not being dead in Ben’s head.
‘Crossfire, was it?’ the doctor asks with a knowing nod. ‘Got to watch the angles in the old firefight, you know.’
‘So the home base is here, is it?’ Ben asks. Along with not feeling as bad as he should about Malc and Kon not being dead, he also doesn’t feel afraid or worried about the thought of armed people attacking a warehouse a hundred million years in the future. They are safe here. The one thing cemented in his mind is the complete impossibility of anyone ever finding them.
‘We have immediate work to do,’ Miri cuts in, placing the apple core on the table. She looks at the clothes Harry and Safa are wearing. ‘Your physical state. Report.’
‘Fit and ready to go, ma’am,’ Harry booms, coming to attention.
‘You’re not bloody ready to go,’ the doctor says. ‘Harry and Safa have been out of it for two days. They need rest.’
‘Belay the last from the good doctor,’ Harry says officially, still standing to attention. ‘Ready for duty.’
‘Belay that belay,’ Doctor Watson blusters. ‘They need rest . . .’
‘Had a good kip, ma’am. Ready to go,’ Harry counters.
‘What is it you require?’ Ben enquires politely.
‘Roland and his son. Extraction,’ Miri replies.
‘Oh, I can do that,’ Ben says lightly. ‘Doc’s right. Safa and Harry need rest.’
‘No way you’re going alone,’ Safa tells him.
‘Why not? It’s only Roland,’ Ben says.
‘Question,’ the doctor says. ‘Why do we need to extract Roland and his son? I mean, can’t they just come here?’
‘Bodies are evidence. Malcolm and Konrad will lead investigators to Roland. Roland’s son is the inventor. Not good. Need extracting.’
‘Right,’ Ben says. ‘Like I said, I can do that . . . Where are they?’
‘No,’ Safa says. ‘We’ll deploy as a team.’
‘No,’ the doctor says.
‘No,’ Miri says.
‘Too many no’s,’ Ben mumbles, his forehead wrinkling. ‘So where they are?’ he asks Miri.
‘Cavendish Manor. Hampshire. England.’
‘Got it. So I just pop back and ask them to come and stay here, easy. Er, did you say manor? The cheeky twat lives in a manor house and he keeps us in a nasty bunker . . .’
‘Roland and his son cannot stay here,’ Miri cuts across him.
‘I see,’ Ben says, nodding at her. ‘Sorry, not got a clue what you mean.’
‘They require extraction, but they will not be staying here. Mr Ryder will come with me.’
‘Mr Ryder will not go anywhere on his own,’ Safa says.
‘S’just Ben,’ Ben says.
‘I can do it, ma’am,’ Harry says, taking a step forward. ‘Ready to deploy. Feeling fine.’
Miri looks at him, at his drawn expression and the tremble in his legs that he can’t disguise.
‘Miri,’ Ben says carefully, politely. ‘Listen, the whole time thing is confusing, but we’ve got a time machine. We can go in ten years and it won’t make a difference.’
‘Negative. Need extraction now. Will happen. Has to happen.’
‘Forgive me being rude,’ Ben says, ‘but you are wrong – it doesn’t have to happen now. Safa and Harry have been out of it for a couple of days. Let them get better, and we’ll all go in a few days. We’ve got a time machine . . .’
‘Understand me,’ Miri counters the second he stops talking. ‘In the timeline I just left, the people who attacked the SA are examining the bodies of Malcolm and Konrad. They will link those bodies to Roland. They will connect that Bertram is the device inventor. They will immediately deploy to Cavendish Manor. If they gain Bertram, they gain a time machine. If they gain a time machine, the whole integrity of the timeline is ruptured.’
‘That’s over a hundred million years in the future. We can go to Roland’s house whenever we want, and we can arrive at any time we choose. Those people are right now going to his house, but to us it doesn’t matter. We’ve got the device.’
‘Negative,’ Miri says, her voice hardening. ‘Once they gain a time machine, we lose.’
‘Right, and what I am saying is that we’ll always be able to go and get Bertram away from them because we have a time machine now.’
‘Negative. Deploy now.’
‘No. We can deploy when we want.’