I thought I’d write a bit more about me, first, to explain how I got into all this mess.

I’m 23 (I was born in 1985, so I know that may seem wrong to anyone reading this, but remember that the test took place in 08 in my world). I’m not your typical army grunt – for a start I’ve got my Cambridge degree (mind you, who wouldn’t go to uni if you got the chance – miss conscription for three years, guaranteed, and a good chance of officer selection when you do have to join the forces). Oh yes, that’s another thing I’ve found out in the last couple of days – there's no conscription here. It seems not having the First Afghan War has made a real difference.

I was rather hoping to join the RAF, but my eyesight let me down, so it was infantry for me – I tried for the Intelligence Corps, but I got shoved into the Norfolk Regiment, which wasn’t my cup of tea at all – marching around on cold, windy parade-grounds just ain’t much fun – and so when I was detailed for liaison work with a bunch of scientists, I thought I’d got a cushy number.

I joined the team at Mercury House in Norwich in 07 – that’s either in two years time, or a year ago, depending how you look at it. Whatever. I’ve been involved with Project Hermes since then.