Mini ficlet to ease the stresses of the conclusion of S9. No doubt Kudos will have a myriad of twists and turns, nothing will be resolved and we'll all tune in next series and go through the same traumas all over again. Their version will, most splendidly, be better than mine.
"I'll give you Ruth, you give me Albany, It's easy Harry."
A pause
"You know how crucial Albany is, , John." He says the name bitterly.
"I do. I also know how crucial Ruth is to you, I know how much you love her , you'd have to be a blind fool not to see that and I know all to well what that makes a man capable of."
"He's not going to give it to you, Lucas, you must know that." Ruth spoke for the first time.
"Do I? Lucas smiles, "What do you say, Harry?"
"I can make you a deal, I can give you a new life, with Maya, in safety. Take the offer, it's the only real choice you have left." Harry's jaw is clenched.
"No, Harry, there is only one choice and it belongs to you. Albany, or Ruth?"
Silence.
""I can kill her right now."
"Take the deal."
"I will kill her right now."
"Live your life, Lucas."
"No time left, Harry. The clock's counting….Five. Four."
"You don't want this."
"Three. Two. One."
"Stop!"
The air is still.
"Harry, you can't do this!" Says Ruth.
He looks at her. "I have to."
"No, you don't. You can't, you know you can't."
"I can't lose you again, Ruth."
"If it was anyone else, you wouldn't do this. Albany"s too valuable."
"But, you're not anyone else, Ruth and I can't do this. I know you don't care anymore, about me and I understand that but the world is not as cold and heartless as you believe"
"It's all about the maths, Harry, you know that"
"Well, for once the one outweighs the rest."
"This is all very touching", says Lucas, at last "but if you've finished I think you really need to give me the disc now."
Harry reaches into his pocket, slowly, taking out the disc and sliding it across the floor to Lucas.
Ruth feels relief, yet disappointment that Harry could concede to the pressure, it it something she has rarely seen before, and yet in this hard hearted world which she inhabits he has put her first. He has put personal feelings above duty.
Lucas takes up the disc and smiles. "Thank you , Harry. I expected nothing less of you." He reaches for his phone and as he does so he hears the sound of the helicopter, he turns away.
Harry takes his chance. He throws himself forward catching Lucas off balance and the two of them disappear from Ruth's view, over the edge of the building.
It is with bitter irony that at this precise moment Ruth realises that she is not dead inside, that she can feel, that she can hurt and that life beyond the Grid matters.
The helicopter lands, Dimitri sprints out and unties her. She begins to cry tears that have been waiting for many months for release. Why can she never recognise the most important thing until it is too late?
Dimitri tries to calm her but she is not hearing him.
He moves her to the edge of the building, "Ruth, look."
She looks down.
Lucas lies broken and bloodied. Beside him is a large, inflatable jump cushion and climbing from it is Harry.
"He's fine, Ruth, please stop crying."
Harry leans over Lucas's body and takes back the Albany file.
He feels tired and he feels betrayed.
Tariq, get rid of this." He hands him the disc. Tariq nods.
"Harry," it is Ruth's voice. He turns and looks at her.
It is the first time she had allowed herself to feel anything for a long time. She walks to him and wraps her arms around him and wonders why it had taken so long.