But it didn’t. It’s OK. We dodged the bullet. We survived. Life goes on.
A thought keeps bobbing up in my head, though. I can’t seem to stop it. Twenty per cent of all species on Earth extinct by 2050. That’s what Filippo said. Twenty fucking per cent. By 2050. And floods and storms and droughts and famines like we’ve never seen before. If we don’t get our act together. Which, as I stand here and seriously ask myself the question, I don’t see us doing. Who’s really insane, then? Jack Harkness? Jane Glasson? Or the rest of us?
I stand here and breathe the clean Swiss air and look at the beauty of this corner of the world. But in this country of clocks and watches I can easily imagine I hear the tick-tock tick-tock of time running out. There’s a countdown going on. Harkness knew that and tried, in his own ruthless, logical, inhuman way, to do something about it. He failed. And I’m relieved he failed. At least, I think I am.
But the countdown’s still going on. And the fear I can’t quite get out of my head is that it’ll end where countdowns always end – if they’re not stopped.
ZERO
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Goddard was born in Hampshire and read History at Cambridge. His first novel, Past Caring, was an instant bestseller. Since then his books have captivated readers worldwide with their edge-of-the-seat pace and their labyrinthine plotting. The first Harry Barnett novel, Into the Blue, was winner of the first WHSmith Thumping Good Read Award and was dramatized for TV, starring John Thaw. His thriller, Long Time Coming, won an Edgar in the Mystery Writers of America awards. Robert’s most recent books feature hero James ‘Max’ Maxted.
For more information on Robert Goddard and his books, see his website at www.robertgoddardbooks.co.uk
Also by Robert Goddard
Past Caring
In Pale Battalions
Painting the Darkness
Into the Blue
Take No Farewell
Hand in Glove
Closed Circle
Borrowed Time
Out of the Sun
Beyond Recall
Set in Stone
Sea Change
Dying to Tell
Days without Number
Play to the End
Sight Unseen
Never Go Back
Name to a Face
Found Wanting
Long Time Coming
Blood Count
Fault Line
The Wide World trilogy
The Ways of the World
The Corners of the Globe
The Ends of the Earth
TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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First published in Great Britain in 2018 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers
Copyright © Robert and Vaunda Goddard 2018
Cover photographs: house © Shutterstock; landscape © Alamy.
Design by Stephen Mulcahey/TW.
Robert Goddard has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologize for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781473527041
ISBN ISBNs 9780593076361 (cased)
9780593076378 (tpb)
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Table of Contents
About the Book
Contents
Ten
Nine
Eight
Seven
Six
Five
Four
Three
Two
One
Zero
About the Author
Also by Robert Goddard
Copyright