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Deacon, your team scientist; Rich Walker, your portal technician; and you’ve met David. Gentlemen,” Derek added, “This is your next team member and surveillance specialist, Charlotte Birch.”
                  She nodded to each with a smile before glowing red and turning back to Derek.
                  “Sorry, Sir,” she added, quietly, “Have you got a toilet? I’m bursting!”
                  Derek chuckled with her and led her back out to the hall, closing the door behind him. John continued to talk to David in an attempt to get to know him before the door opened once more with an explosion of noise.
                  “Wow, have you seen that horse-riding bird? She’s gorgeous!” exclaimed a tall, slim man in his late twenties as he stepped down into the room. “Hi fellas, I’m Jake,” he said confidently, pushing his left hand through his dark hair and extending his right to John and then to the others.
                  “I’m John, nice to meet you,” John replied, smiling at the confidence in the young agent.
                  “Ah, nice to meet you, Boss. And let me guess, David and Rich I’ve met, so you must be Chris.”
                  They all nodded and Chris shook his hand, smiling with awe at his new team mate. John smiled to himself. He thought he was going to like Jake; providing he could keep him under control.
                  The door opened once again.
                  “Wahey!” Jake exclaimed. “Another riding instructor, I’m looking forward to this!”
                  John shut his eyes for a moment and smiled as Charlotte stepped into the room and her faced turned a deep crimson.
    “You must be Jake,” she said, raising her chin defiantly. “I’m your teammate, Charlotte.”
                  “Ah, shit. Sorry mate,” he said sheepishly, turning red himself. “I didn’t mean to, you know, you look so, and out there she was, you know what I mean. Don’t you?”
                  “No worries,” she said, smiling and looking away from him shyly with a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
                  “So we’re all here? Excellent,” said John, breaking the embarrassment and making a mental note to use the three week course wisely in planning his team management.
                  “Well, seeing as you’re all here,” said Rich, “Follow me and we’ll go through for the induction.” He led them through a door on the far side of the room into another. This time, the room was made up of two cream-coloured walls opposite two sides of large floor to ceiling windows. The spacious room was scattered with coffee tables, a large TV unit and a number of cosy looking sofas seating a group of people who stood as they entered.
                  “Ok,” Rich said. “This is your team of instructors and you already know Derek. If you would introduce yourselves, please, everyone?”
                  John looked at Jane, whom he’d met in the entrance hall, and watched her until her eyes flicked onto his and remained there with a smile as though questioning him for his stare. The instructors introduced themselves one at a time.
                  “Derek Pritchard, Guvnor,” Derek said, smiling.
                  “Jane Chrisp; riding,” said Jane, still looking straight at John who smiled back as he struggled to pull his eyes away from the intense blue stare.
                  “Peter Firth; sword, archery and combat training,” said a tall, stocky man with ginger hair and a strong Newcastle accent. “Call me Geordie-Pete if you like,” he added smiling.
                  “Paul Martin; fifteenth century lifestyle and history trainer,” said a short man with dark, receding hair in a black, gold-buttoned blazer.
                  “And