‘Ma’am, I must protest. They don’t have a clue what they’re getting into. They’ll be completely exposed.’
‘What would you have me do, Major? They’re Time Police officers. As am I. As are you. And we get the job done.’
Ellis was angry. ‘Whatever it takes.’
‘Yes, Major. Whatever it takes.’
He turned on his heel and strode from the room.
Captain Farenden followed him out and closed the door firmly behind him. ‘Well, thanks for that, Matthew,’ he said, seating himself at his desk.
On his way out, Ellis paused. ‘What did I do?’
‘I was planning to present next year’s budget figures to her this afternoon and now I’ll have to put that off for at least a week. I’ve got an entire in-tray of things I was going to quietly slip past her this week. Half an hour ago she was perfectly calm – ten minutes with you and your team and she’s threatening to fling people off the battlements.’
‘Parrish had a point. Basically, she was saying, “You’re a waste of space, Parrish, but we need you to go out and die for us.”’
‘I don’t think that was quite the message she intended.’
‘Intended or not, that was my understanding. I’m pretty sure it’s his as well.’
‘Well, you can’t deny they’re all a bit weird.’
‘I don’t deny it at all. I also know they get beaten up in the corridors more often than any team we’ve ever had. I know they’re regularly scorned, laughed at, despised and underrated. And now, suddenly, the very virtues that the Time Police have been trying to eradicate – and not gently – are the very virtues the Time Police suddenly need. You can’t blame my team for being a touch on the stroppy side.’
He turned to go.
‘Where are you going?’
‘To find my team and calm them down. You might want to do the same with your boss.’
North was waiting for him in the corridor.
He looked around. ‘Where have they gone?’
She indicated with her head. ‘To the park, I think. I thought it best to let them have some time to themselves.’
‘Good call.’
‘So – my particular role?’
He shook his head. ‘To stand back and let them get on with it. And before you give me that whole mess with me and I’ll drag your bollocks out through your left ear thing, it’s my role, too.’
‘Sir, at the very least I assumed you and I would be the tail they didn’t know they had.’
‘No.’
‘No? But . . .’
‘No. To quote Commander Hay – they’re completely on their own.’
‘But . . . reporting back to us . . . safe extraction . . .’
‘No contact of any kind.’
‘So . . . what is our role in all this?’
‘The most difficult. Yours will be to keep an eye on young Farrell and mine . . . mine, I suspect, will be to bite my fingernails until all this is over.’
18
Major Ellis eventually found Team 236 in Battersea Park Zoo, just a little further along the river, standing in front of a large paddock full of rabbits, miniature donkeys, guinea pigs and some dismayingly ferocious South American chickens.
‘There she is,’ said Jane, pointing to a truly vast white rabbit. ‘She’s had her litter, then.’
‘Are you sure? She’s still looking enormous,’ said Matthew, peering through the fence.
There was a lot of counting on fingers.
‘Yes,’ said Jane. ‘She must surely have had it by now.’
‘I tell you she hasn’t,’ said Luke. ‘Look at the size of her.’
‘There you are,’ said Ellis, behind them. He flourished a take-out tray. ‘Fancy a coffee? My treat.’
Luke turned, his eyes hard and a new determination around his mouth. Jane and Matthew lined up at his shoulders.
Ellis sighed. Now they decided to become a proper team. And with a proper leader, too. He led them to a quiet area and they sat under a tree.
‘Before you start,’ he said, pulling the heating tab on his coffee, ‘Commander Hay has just lost two good officers. And you can’t just wander around shouting, “Look at us – we do things differently,” and then be surprised when she recruits you because you do things differently.’
‘Is she very angry?’ asked Jane, apprehensively.
‘Well, she didn’t pick up her paper knife. That’s always a bad sign. Charlie Farenden would have had you out of the door like a shot. Yes, she’s angry, but she was angry before and not all of it was directed at you. Parrish, promise me you’ll never volunteer for diplomatic work.’
‘I doubt I’m going to live long enough for that to become an option.’
‘You’ll do it then?’
He looked at Jane and Matthew. ‘Yes – we’ll all do it.’
‘Right. Finish your coffees, then let’s go back and get started.’
Back at TPHQ they ensconced themselves in a briefing room.
‘So how does this work?’ asked Luke. ‘What’s the plan? Do we come up with something or do we have something imposed upon us? Because I have to say, I don’t think traditional Time Police tactics have worked so well up to now, have they?’
Ellis looked at him. ‘I rather suspect Commander Hay will want to have an input but I see no reason why you shouldn’t come up with your own game plan. It’ll be good experience for you, even if it’s not used.’
‘Who usually devises this sort of thing?’
‘Well, Hunters usually sort themselves out. Other teams have their officers draw up a plan of action, which they then implement. If you’d paid attention during your training, you’d know there are set procedures for set situations. However, you’ve been selected because you’re unconventional officers, so you may as well come up with an unconventional way forwards as well.’
Luke looked at the other two, who nodded their consent.
‘Something I should mention,’ said Ellis quietly, ‘you’ll be on your own. No back-up and no lines of communication. Nuñez and Klein were reporting in and we suspect something might have been intercepted.’
Matthew frowned. ‘Either that or they gave themselves away somehow.’