I do not own mi5/spooks in any way.

"Try again, fail again.

Fail better."

-Samuel Beckett

A Captive Once More.

Harry Pearce walked into the office, checking his phone for what seemed to be the hundredth time that afternoon. Why hadn't Lucas called yet? Surely he'd seen Agafya leave the Russian embassy by now. "Has anyone seen or heard from Lucas yet?"

"Why? He's probably running a bit late. After all, he pulled an all nighter, watching the embassy. He's probably resting at his place." Replied Ben, not looking up from the files that he was pouring over.

"Yes, but he's not answering his home phone or his cell. I'm starting to get worried. Agafya is a dangerous man. Why I sent Lucas on this mission without backup…"

"Stop your worrying Harry!" cried Ros Myers, shaking her head. "Lucas knows how to take care of himself! He's just tired that's all and giving you attitude!"

"Yes. I suppose your right." Laughed Harry, trying to think that his worrying was funny. "I'm just nervous. That's all. We've been trying to catch Agafya meeting with the Russian mob and my imagination is running on it's own steam again."

Lucas's location

Groaning, Lucas tried to sit up but his forehead smacked hard against the trunk's roof. The rag that was tied tightly about his mouth muffled his swearing. Lucas soon found that his hands and feet were tied together by duct tape that was quickly cutting off the circulation in his fingers and toes. What the hell was he doing here? A throbbing pain in his left leg brought his memory up to speed. He'd been shot.

It had been around two in the morning and he'd been sitting in his car, across the street from the Russian embassy. He was looking out for Agafya Blotski, a suspected dealer with the Russian mob, trying to assign a hit on one of the members of the team. Lucas automatically thought of Harry. He's pissed off the Russians a lot. But then again, so have I. I didn't give in to their torture sessions at that prison.

Lucas highly doubted that the Russians would want to kill him now. They had their chance for eight years and then they let him go. Stupid. Sighing, he threw the binoculars into the passenger seat and got out of his car. I need coffee if I'm going to spend the next few nights like this. Waiting for someone who isn't going to show. Even if Agafya were to leave the embassy, the team back at the office had a trace on his cell phone and his car and the video camera on the dashboard would record where the Russian was going.

Lucas locked the car behind him and as he was crossing the street, turned and waved at the camera that was barely visible on the dashboard. Now, he had seen a coffee stand a couple hours ago when he'd parked the car, hadn't he?

He wandered the streets for a few minutes before deciding that he had just imagined it and started heading back to the car. That was when he felt a sharp pain in his leg and he fell to the ground letting out a loud cry of alarm and pain. What the Hell? From the glow of the street lamp, a bloody hole had appeared in Lucas's pant leg. He'd been shot. By someone who seemed to be very close.

Just as the agent looked around, peering into the darkness, trying to locate his attacker, someone from the shadows of an alley darted forward and shoved the upper part of his body back onto the sidewalk. Lucas's head smacked against the pavement, causing his vision to blur. It was impossible to see his attackers face because of the darkness of the night and his fading vision.

The man who was pinning him down shoved a smelly cloth over his mouth and nose, making it impossible for Lucas to breath. The funny smell reached his nose and the first thing that came to mind was chloroform. That last thing he saw before blacking out was the light from the distant street lamp reflecting off of his attackers glasses.

The car that Lucas North was riding in came to a sudden stop, making the agent in the trunk slam against the wall, causing a jarring pain to run up from his leg to his already aching brain. As he was trying to regain his bearings, the trunk door opened, sending shafts of afternoon sunshine into Lucas's eyes.