"Are you okay?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, I think so. My ears are ringing. You?"

"I'm fine." Tommy surveyed the carnage. A cloud of grey dust was still choking the air, obscuring the scene which Tommy knew would be catastrophic. "You might be the officer of rank. Set up a cordon and ring Hillier. Tell him what's happened. He can contact Thames Valley's Chief Constable. And get him to send SOCO and officers. They're going to need them. I love you."

Before she could protest, he had turned and run towards the station. In the distance he could her hear call, "I love you too!"

"Laura!" The doctor was at the entrance frantically clawing at rubble to get inside. Beside her a lifeless female hand protruded from the debris. To his left he saw a severed leg, still in blue suit pants but without its shoe. He felt guilty for being pleased that the leg was not in the black of James' jeans or the grey of Robbie's trousers. Part of the front wall was standing. Adhering to it were glutenous lumps of pink flesh oozing blood through the patina of grey dust.

"He's under there. Robbie's under that pillar."

Lynley doubted that anyone survived. The floors above had concertinaed on top of each other. The building's awning hung down but was covered by a stanchion from the floor above. Laura's despair spurred him on. Robbie had only just gone in. There was a chance the awning had saved him. "I'll lift the edge. You put some of the bricks under it to help keep it up."

It seemed like an hour, but Tommy knew it was less than five minutes before their technique created a space large enough for him to crawl through. It was dark and damp but the awning provided a small shelter. The fire sytem pipes had burst and escaping water was flooding the scene. "Tell someone to cut that water off!" he yelled, unsure anyone was listening. In the distance he could hear the whoop-whoop of the fire engines and the high pitched mewling of police cars and ambulances. "Robbie! James!"

"Over here."

Tommy jerked in shock and bumped his head, but was relieved to hear Robbie's voice. He crawled towards the sound. "Can you move? Are you hurt?"

"Is Laura okay?"

"Physically. She's distressed about you. Are you hurt?"

"Something's sticking out of my leg. I think it might be the bone. And my arm is bleeding. Otherwise I'm okay."

In the dark, Tommy could not see Robbie's injuries. "Is there anyone else here?" he called. There was no answer.

"Everyone else was inside the foyer. I was in the doorway. I think the steel frame saved me."

"I'm not confident this building will hold. I'm going to have to drag you out. It's going to hurt."

"Aye lad. Just do it. Laura would rather hear my screams than think I'm dead."

There was very little space to manoeuvre. Tommy had to grip Robbie under his armpits and pull him a foot at a time before wriggling backwards and pulling Robbie towards him again. The surface was uneven and dust caught in both their lungs, making them cough. Robbie only cried out once, but his muted grunts told Tommy he was clenching his teeth and trying not to make a fuss.

When someone grabbed Tommy's foot he jumped and hit his head. "You alright lad?" Robbie asked with genuine concern.

"Yes, sorry, nearly there."

Tommy wriggled faster and felt someone tugging his legs trying to help. A second pair of hands grabbed his other leg. He let them help pull him clear. Laura cried out when she saw Robbie. Both men had closed their eyes against the dust and dark and he blinked in the light. "It's alright love, I didn't die on you."

Lynley rolled away and let the young man with Laura pull Robbie clear of the debris. Two paramedics quickly arrived to treat the injured policeman. Tommy watched as they gave him oxygen and put an airsplint around his leg. The paramedic checked Tommy over quickly and gave him a large squeeze bottle of saline to rinse the grit from his eyes.

"We're taking him to hospital. We've got four more wounded but I don't hold out much hope for the rest," one of the ambulance drivers told him.

"Rescue teams will be on their way." Tommy looked around. "I think it'll be recovery rather than rescue."

The man nodded solemnly. "Well, one man's very lucky you got him out. He'll owe you a beer."

Tommy smiled politely. He looked for Barbara. She was further up the street shouting into her phone and directing three uniformed officers who were walking like zombies. He thought they had probably been walking the beat and missed the blast. They were the lucky ones, but he imagined they faced years of self-torture and survivors' guilt..

"Tommy! Oh my God! Where's DI Hathaway and DI Lewis?"

"Lizzie! I thought you were in there."

"James sent me home. I came when I heard the blast. I didn't know it was here. And Laura, where's Laura?"

He caught her flailing arms. "Laura's fine. Robbie was injured but they've taken him to hospital. Laura's gone with him. I'm afraid James is missing. Any word on your husband?"

Lizzie collapsed against him briefly before straightening herself. "He's okay. The Germans sent in their GSG-9 special ops police so the terrorists released the gas. It wasn't Sarin but everyone panicked. People were crushed to death in the stampede. Tony stayed in his seat. He figured he couldn't outrun the gas. He should be home tomorrow but he sounds terrible."

"He'll need looking after. Do you feel well enough to help here?"

Lizzie nodded. "Of course."

"Until someone more senior arrives, Barbara's in charge. She's just up there. She needs all the police she can get."

"Are you alright? You look like you were in there."

"No, I just helped pull Robbie out. I'm going to help the firemen see if anyone else is alive."

Lizzie touched his arm. "Stay safe."

"You too."

Tommy turned back to the pile of twisted metal and shattered masonry that had until recently been the centre of a lot of lives. Poor James. He had reminded Tommy of himself in many ways. His eyes were haunted by something that clearly ate away at him. Lynley understood that only too well. It slowly removed the air from your life until you choked on your own misery.

"Over here," one of the firemen yelled. "I've got a hand that's moving."

Two ambulance men and Tommy picked their way carefully across debris. "Where's the hand?" Lynley asked.

"It was here. The guy pulled it back when I grabbed it."

The three men knelt and carefully lifted away a glassless window frame and some bricks. Tommy had a torch thrust into his hand. He turned it on and peered through a small opening. "Hello."

"Oh thank God!"

Wriggling his wrist Tommy searched for the voice. All he could see was an arm. "Are you hurt?"

"No, we're trapped in a small space under two vending machines."

"We? How many of you are there?"

"Me and another man."

"What's your name?"

"Probationary Constable David Fitzsimons."

"Okay David. We have help coming. Who's the man with you?"

"I don't know. He's Catholic."

Tommy was bemused. It was an odd thing to say in the circumstances. "How do you know that?"

"He was muttering what sounded like prayers in Latin before he passed out."

James? "Did he say anything else? Is he still breathing?"

"No, nothing else. Yes Sir, he keeps moaning."

"Okay. Give me a minute, I'll be right back." Tommy told the fireman about the two trapped men. "Get that crane over here quickly."

The fireman nodded. "It'll be another ten minutes then it has to set up. Can you keep him talking? Might stop shock setting in and we need comms once we start digging."

"Right, just do it as quickly as you can. They're trapped under vending machines, but goodness knows how long they will support the weight of this building." Tommy turned back to the hole. "We're organising the crane to get you out. Do you know who the other man is?"

"No Sir. He's a detective I think. I only started this week. I graduated from Hendon two weeks ago."

"Congratulations. So what are the things you would be doing if you were out here instead of in there."

"Sir?"

"Humour me David. What would you do?"

"Clear the area of unnecessary people. See if anyone required first aid."

"Good. How would you check?"

"Doctors ABC."

"Good. Run me through that David."

"D, danger - check for danger to me or others. R, response - check for a response by calling out to the victim. S, send, get help. If someone was unconscious the A for airways. Check to see the airway is clear. I think that's when you roll them into the recovery position or is that after B for breathing?"

"No, its part of A. Keep going?"

"Why?"

"I'm testing your knowledge. Tell me."

"Breathing - look, listen and feel for breathing. If they are breathing then monitor them and treat any other injuries. If not, then start CPR."

"Very good, David. Let's assume the ambulance has now arrived what else do you do?"

"Brief them on the circumstances and my actions. Then look to see how else I can help. Follow any directions given by senior officers."

"And if no one senior was there?"

"Call for back up if no one came after my first call during the Send phase."

"Excellent. So what do you think of Oxford?"

Tommy continued to talk to David for almost twenty minutes before the crane was ready. They chatted about the town and its history and the reason David joined the police. He wanted to be a detective, so Tommy chatted to him about some of his cases.

Lynley was called away to be briefed. "Tell him we're about to start. We have to move that big block first. He might get covered in dust. Tell him to yell if things move and look like squashing them. Then you better wait over there behind the crane."

Tommy stared at the man who shifted from one foot to the other. "And how will anyone hear him? No, I'll stay with him until you start lifting the beams trapping them. Understood?"

"It's not safe."

"I'm not letting him die alone. I'm not letting him die!"

"Okay. Wear this hardhat."

Tommy defiantly pulled the piece of yellow moulded plastic on his head, aware that it would protect him from very little. He turned and walked back to where the men were trapped. "David, they are about to start move things to get to you. They have to start a bit further away and clear a space. You have to tell me if anything moves and crowds your little cubbyhole down there. You might get dust falling on you. Don't be alarmed."

"Yes, Sir. Just tell them to hurry."

Tommy made a thumbs up gesture at the crane. It's engine roared to life and reverberated through the loose debris. "How's everything down there?"

"I can't hear you!" A hand came up through the rubble. Tommy grabbed it and held it firmly, giving a reassuring squeeze.

For the next ten minutes Tommy communicated with David only by touch. He could feel the young man's fear, his doubts, his strength. Lynley was determined not to let David feel anything negative from him. All his emotions were channeled into his left hand which balled into a fist with his fingernails threatening to break the skin. Tommy saw at least four bodies uncovered by the crane. With people alive there was no time to photograph their positions for the investigation. The remains were hastily removed before the crane continued to lift shattered concrete.

The crane stopped and its engine settled into a low hum. Tommy looked up. The men were signalling to him to move back. "David?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I have to move now. They are going to lift the last bits off you." Tommy let go of David's hand and wedged the hardhat into the hole. "Cover your head and tuck your face into your jacket. It'll get very dusty. I'll see you soon, son."

"Thank you Sir. And Sir, if something happens will you tell my parents that I love them?"

Tommy swallowed hard. "Yes, of course and I'll also tell them how courageous you were. You'll make a fine policeman, David. I'll see you in a few minutes. And try to keep the other man safe." Tommy moved back to the area behind the crane.

"That was brave, but foolhardy."

Tommy turned to see Barbara. He pulled her into his arms. "He doesn't sound like he's more than twenty. He asked me to tell his parents he loves them."

After giving him a bear hug, and whispering that she loved him, Barbara pulled out of his embrace. He understood. She was on duty and probably the most senior officer.

"I rang Hillier. He's despatching SOCO and sending up Winston and some of the squad. Stuart is on his way with some colleagues. The Chief Constable from Thames Valley will be here any minute with more officers. I've done what I could to preserve evidence but with all the emergency services trampling everywhere, this is going to take a while."

"We know enough. One bloody great bomb planted in the station and calls made to lure as many officers as possible. Someone has a grudge."

They turned to watch the dogman signal for the crane to lift a section of wall that Tommy had been lying on. Slowly it rose. As the crane turned a brick dislodged from the edge and fell right into the hole. Tommy did not realise he was holding his breath until he let out a stifled cry. When the crane put down the section, he and the fireman ran over to the opening.

David looked up at him. The hardhat was cracked. "Glad you gave me this!"

It took them two minutes to pull David clear. His legs had gone numb and he had to be helped to the ambulance. Tommy kept his arm around him until he was on the gurney. "You did well David."

"Sir, when I've served my time in uniform, I'm going to apply to work in your squad."

He was whisked away before Tommy could tell him he no longer had a squad. Shouting attracted his attention. Tommy turned to see the other man being pulled free of the building. He was limp and completely covered in grey dust. It was was hard to tell who he was, or if he was alive.