Chapter One

SAM AND ALEC

“Yeh knaa what, Alec. If that jumped up bugger doesn’t stop pushing it with us aahm ganna stick one on him, he’s nee right to deeh that to yeh. Wonder if he knaa’s what a Byker Kiss is?”Sam was angrily referring to Sergeant Harry Dobley, a Military Policeman who had been assigned astheir own personal escort and minder. For his part he couldn’t understand why he had been giving the job of watching over two nondescript squaddies who as far as he could see were no different to the others whopassed through this base.

It didn’t help that one of them was possibly the bolshiestcharacter he had ever had the misfortune to meet. The other was the least co-ordinated marcher he had ever seen, the term two left feet didn’t even begin to describe how clumsy and ungainly he was when attempting tomarch in quick time to and from different parts of the base. These two factors were enough to make him do his utmost to make life as difficult as he could for Sam and Alec.

For them it was hard to come to terms with being treated as miscreants. They hadn’t expected a grand parade or a medal from the King, but they had saved the world and here they were being pushed around by some jumped up idiot for their efforts.Not that they hadactually come out and said that. They had in the de-briefings told the interrogators what had happened to them on the mission, omitting as agreed the bits where Petyr was involved. It appeared however that their story was a little too incredulous and that they were not convincing the people interrogating them.

Another thing that baffled them was why their de-briefing was being carried out at what was obviously a top secrethigh security research facility. Once they arrived back on the British mainland they were kept in quarantine conditions and transported in unmarked yellowvehicles designed just for that very purpose. Their escorts were always wearing protective clothing a factor that both angered and amused the squad in equal measure. Once they had arrived at the facility, their transportation being completed in one non-stop journey which didn’t improve their mood, they were immediately ensconced in an isolation wing of the base with separate quarters in the same blockfor each of them. This consisted ofa room with a bed, wash basin and a toilet.