"Which one should we head for first?"
While the morning seemed early, the first birds only beginning to come out for the day, already the pastel colored sitting room was abuzz with activity, with papers scattered and computers running whilst the four heads sat crouched together on a coffee table shifted to the middle of the rom.
The blinds had been drawn when the sun first began rising, the dawn casting its golden fingers on their work. Having been at it since daybreak, Eggsy had never realized how slow it took for the sun to rise, until he sat through this one. Not a morning person in general, he's always had the misconception that sunrise was amazingly quick, yet now he could go through three profiles, as well as the call and message records of one Kingsman over the past week or so, and he could look up to see the sun still in the same position.
"Feels as if this paperwork is never ending." Roxy groaned. Being a person who was amazingly active, paperwork was her biggest nightmare to date.
Merlin looked up from his computer, and laughed as he hit print for the hundredth time, picking up a set of papers from the printer to place on the ever building stack the younger ones were trying to comb through.
"Well, we're going to need to go through them before we can decide which Kingsman needs the most urgent attention." He reasoned, at which even Ginny ran a frustrated hand through her unkempt hair. Generally a person who dressed for comfort, even she looked haphazardly placed together. "This is going to take too long Merlin. By the time we're done, we could already be facing the next world threat."
"Isn't there an easier way? Your computer can do wonders, surely."
"But using the tracking system there would alert them easily."
"Isn't there a way we can override the system?"
"The only person capable of overriding a Kingsman system is Chester King, and with his death, we haven't been able to recalibrate the system for a new Arthur. I'm working on it, but it's going to take a while." Replied the elder agent, settling in his spot behind his desk again.
"We have a new Arthur already?" came Eggsy's curious question, a query that had all three's ears sharp and alert for an answer.
"It'll be decided soon. Hold off it till we manage to comb through all of the remaining Kingsman with a fine tooth comb first." His answer brought groans all around, before they resignedly went back to rifling through paper after paper of information.
Breakfast was brought by the one maid that lived in with Ginny, but it wasn't till teatime sat going cold on the table, did a cry come from Roxy, as she quickly shuffled the papers together and called the others in. "Take a look here. He had a private number message him just an hour before V-Day was designated to happen. And look here, his credit cards showed him checking in to a hotel just a couple hours outside of London. Why would he need to meet outside of London?"
"One minute." Ginny scrunched up her brow, and ran back to her pile, just as Eggsy too gave a loud "Oh!" and dived for his own pile, all leading to Merlin's consternation as he watched the two youngsters frantically swipe away file after file, before the two came back to Roxy with two open files. "Look here!" they exclaimed at the same time, and shoved the files at Merlin and Roxy, fingers pointing at a transaction that happened at the exact same hotel, together with another private message at the same time.
All on different Kingsman.
Immediately, Merlin could see the connection. "Well, looks like we have our target." He murmured, picking up to study the three files, much to the other three's relief.
"The one Roxy had her eye on is Urien, a senior agent who was Galahad's own trainer. He's just a couple of years younger than Arthur, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's in on it. Lucan is a new recruit, just a year ago who was recommended by Urien himself. They are both in Islington, a small district in London. Urien was next in line to be Arthur, at the very least he was when Chester King still held that position. Do be careful with him. Lucan is new, but very intelligent, so keep your wits around."
Whilst Merlin spoke, he was pulling up the information for the two agents, motioning at Eggsy, Roxy and Ginny to come over to his laptop for them to peruse the information as he moved to the last file.
"Now this one is Mordred. He works with Tristan usually, and they stay together too in Grosvenor Square in Mayfair. Kingsman rarely work in partnership, but they work well together because their twins. Fraternal, but they apparently have innate sense about each other."
"Oh, I have Tristan's file here." Roxy leaned over for another folder, yet a frown appeared on her face as she flipped through the information. "Tristan does not have his brother's same transactions though. In fact, the day his brother was checked in to the hotel, his credit card showed transactions happening in Westfield."
"That doesn't match up." Merlin hummed to himself, scrolling through the information again. Finally he just shrugged and turned to face the three with an easy smile. "Either ways, it would be good to check them out. Four out of eight, and then we can get through the other four quickly. I would suggest you head to the suburbs and deal with Urien and Lucan first, as Urien has a pretty large arsenal of influence at his hands."
"Ginny, you know how Urien is, so you know what to do. Roxy, Eggsy, watch out for her. Urien may be old, but he still has an arsenal of Kingsman utilities at his disposal. The car is ready for you, and be careful youngsters."
Ginny grinned, her heart racing at the idea of her first mission as they nodded and turned on their heels to exit the room. Noticing her smile, Roxy laughed and nudged her. "Excited?"
"Can't decide if it's excitement of fear, really. Papa has never let me on a mission of his before." Ginny replied, as they entered the room where Merlin had stashed as many of their utilities as they could. The other two headed to suit up in their bullet proof outfits, whilst Ginny quickly shimmied in to a pair of skinnies and a serviceable shirt, before strapping on a utility belt and pulling on a pair of the Kingsman shoes.
"You're going that way?" Eggsy couldn't help but ask as he stepped out, looking entirely different from his street smart, rugged style earlier. Now his hair was sleeked back, the suit paired off with his shoes and umbrella, and the special spectacles that all Kingsman used for communication. Right behind him, Roxy too wore the same, except hers looked more like a peplum top than the suit and coat.
Unlike them, Ginny looked ten times more casual, but the girl just gave herself a look, and shrugged. "I've never had a fitting for a suit before, as much as the shop was Papa's. I only have this." She murmured, picking up the pair of spectacles on the mahogany table, which was also filled with two computer screens and a pair of speakers. It was these technological devices that had Eggsy curious. Which girl had two screens, a bunch of wires connected to the desktop and more complicated devices he didn't know what they were for?
"Does Merlin work here?" he couldn't help but ask in curiosity, to which Ginny shook her head. Instead of giving an explanation though, she just moved over to switch on the two screens. Much to Eggsy's surprise, they flickered to life to show surveillance camera's all over where he recognized to be Harry Hart's residence. From the coverpage of papers plastered on walls, to the balcony where he had arrived at, all were familiar to the newly appointed Galahad.
Both his and Roxy's jaws dropped as they recognized the screens, and wordlessly turned to Ginny for an explanation. "I've always been afraid to lose him. And I was always afraid to be alone. I was fifteen when Papa deposited me here alone to stay, but because of how I bawled each time I left, he installed these for me, just to reassure me that he was still around, even if he wasn't near me all the time."
"You were watching him all the time?" Roxy asked in aghast, a little horrified. Ginny quickly shook her head with an abashed smile. "At first I was. As a child, my governess could do nothing to pry me away from the screen; I missed his presence that much. He gave me a sense of security I never had. As I grew older, I only switch it on to make sure he's come every night, and that some mission hadn't taken his life."
At that, her features grew somber, and she flicked the screen off without meeting the sad gazes of the other two. Turning to pick up her rucksack, her rough voice gave a fleeting "Let's go." Before leaving the room without another word. Left not knowing what to say, for they too were deeply saddened by Harry's death, they followed after Ginny's footsteps.
It was late in the afternoon by the time the car had pulled to a stop in an inn situated nearby Islington, where the girls shared a room and Eggsy got in to an adjoining, smaller room. "Do we head straight there?"
"Look, Merlin just sent us two invites. Apparently Urien is hosting a dinner party tomorrow night, is that why you sent us here today itself, Merlin?" Roxy asked with a grin. Merlin laughed over the intercom. "Sharp as always, Lancelot. Galahad, attend the dinner with Guinevere. Lancelot, do surveillance from the inn. Get as much information as possible about his residence. I have a feeling we're going to have to get in his study to get the details we need to prove whether or not he was involved with Valentine."
"Ditto, Merlin. You have appropriate dresses, Guinevere?"
"Covered, Lancelot. I've always had to attend parties in Papa's name when he was away for missions."
"For tonight though, let's head for dinner in the nearest pub. It's the best place to get information, don't you think?" Eggsy suggested with a playful grin, and Roxy rolled her eyes at his cheeky suggestion. "You just want to have some fun." She paused, and then exaggerated a sigh.
"But I guess you're right, no one gossips better than a couple of half foxed men. Let's go then."
