We ran the tapes repeatedly, identifying the main protagonists, trying to bring order out of our chaotic recordings. We didn’t have time for leisurely interpretations. We needed to be perfectly clear what had happened that day so as to ensure we were in the right place for the next day’s events. I got about an hour’s sleep and then was awoken by Kal, yammering in my ear. That really shouldn’t happen to anyone first thing in the morning. ‘Max! Wake up. They’ve gone. Get your people to the walls. They’ve gone. The Greeks have gone.’ I’m really not that good in the morning. I rolled off my mat, struggled to my feet, staggered a little as my limbs sorted themselves out, and blinked while my brain got itself into gear. Others were stirring around me, banging their shoes together to dislodge scorpions and reaching for their equipment. ‘Right,’ I said, before they all scattered.
