"You're too young for her."
"And you're too pretty!"
"Maybe, if you'd bothered to look further than her profile picture, you'd know exactly what her sexual preferences are."
"Alright, alright," Zaf finally conceded.
"So…" exhaled Adam slowly, "… that leaves Malcolm … "
"Or Harry."
They looked at each other. Neither seemed to want to move.
"It's your operation," said Zaf making a sudden move for the pods, "You can tell him."
He grinned as he turned back, seeing a ball of paper flying towards him. The pod door slid shut, the makeshift missile bouncing off it.
Adam glanced towards Harry's office and unwillingly rose from his chair.
"A honey trap?"
Adam nodded.
"Is this not a little more suited to you or Mr Younis?" Harry asked eyebrows raised.
"Not on this occasion."
Harry's hand strayed to the buff file before him. He opened it, reading the biog page which lay before him.
"Twenty three!?" he exclaimed, glancing up to Adam.
"She has a thing for older men."
Harry looked sceptical as he leafed through further pages.
"My daughter's older than that," he muttered.
"If there was another way, Harry, I wouldn't ask. But we need Zofira's intel. She spent two years living with Kazal, if anyone can give us what we need, she's it. We introduce her to the right man, put her in an intimate situation, in an exciting, romantic new city and she'll feel comfortable enough to talk."
"There has to be someone else."
"No one who fits as well as you."
For a long moment Harry said nothing.
"Oh, come on Harry, you must have done this hundreds of times."
"Not in recent years."
"Scared, you've lost your touch?" Adam smiled.
Harry glanced up at him, thought about all the reasons he needed to say no, but in the end said nothing. It was difficult to justify not doing it on the basis of a relationship he wasn't even in.
"She lands here tomorrow afternoon."
Still looking far from happy, Harry turned to the photos at the back of the file, his face twitching slightly before he lifted a picture of Kazal, the fifty four year old Armenian who had been on Five's watch list for the last six years, and a girl, a girl who was more than a little on the large side and who was certainly no model. He silently turned the photo towards Adam.
Adam shrugged apologetically.
"I'd offer but …."
"But?" asked Harry, icily.
"As I said," smiled Adam, "I'm just not her type."
There were more than a few smiles being suppressed in the meeting room the following afternoon.
Adam led the briefing.
On the wall before them was projected a large image of the ample young woman in question.
Of the six people in the room, smiling was not a problem for three of them. Malcolm's face was filled with relief that as the closest to Harry's age he had not been chosen as the prime candidate. Harry's face was filled with an icy, yet far from happy acceptance. Ruth's face betrayed nothing but yet somehow of the three seemed furthest away from a smile.
"And then it'll be down to Harry to weave his magic," concluded Adam.
"That's it?" asked Ruth quietly, "That's the most sophisticated plan that Her Majesty's security forces can come up with?"
"Afraid so," said Zaf, enjoying the moment a little too much.
Harry's gaze slid to Ruth but her eyes remained well clear of him.
"Sex is usually the easiest way," Ros stated simply.
"Are we done?" Harry snapped. It wasn't really a question.
As he rose from the table the door opened and Jo entered.
"Zofira has arrived at the hotel, checked in at 15.00."
Harry sat back down wearily.
"She still there?" Adam asked.
Jo nodded, "In the spa having a beauty treatment."
"She needs a damn sight more than that," muttered Zaf under his breath, looking at the less than flattering photo that was still on the screen.
Jo reached for the remote and the picture of Zofira disappeared. In its place flashed up a security image.
"Who's that?" Zaf asked, looking up with sudden interest.
A stunning, raven haired, lithe and beautiful young woman was caught perfectly on camera.
"That's Zofira," announced Jo.
"What?!" exclaimed Zaf.
Adam looked at her in disbelief, "Are you sure?"
She nodded.
"That's some beauty treatment," said a straightfaced Ros.
"Seems our previous photos were a little out of date," added Jo.
Harry was staring. As was Malcolm. And Zaf. And Adam.
"If you'd rather I took the job –" offered Zaf.
"You're not her type," Adam reiterated, not taking his eyes from the screen.
"But Harry is," said a quiet voice.