3rd September 1991, 8 am
140 Gower Street, London
"Sir, I think I've figured it out," Mark declares as he walks into Coolidge's office.
"Tell me," he invites, putting down his pen.
"I think there's a leak."
"Who?" Coolidge growls, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"I'm not sure," Mark admits, "but I was going through the information we collected from Harry and it seems to me that we don't have anything. Considering he's been in there almost two weeks we should have more details, vital information about the members, their families, what type of attack they're planning. When we lost the group, it was only because Malcolm found the aunt that we could track them again. Nothing Harry had given us worked."
Coolidge nods and repeats, "Who?"
"I don't know, but I think it's someone from outside the team," Mark offers. "They don't appear to have a lot of information on our operation. Just Harry as a mole, but no personal info on him. If they'd had that, they wouldn't have let one man deal with him."
Coolidge nods again and picks up the phone.
"Jones, get in here," he barks into it, and a few moments later, they're joined by Malcolm. Mark briefs him on what he's found and they both leave the office, Malcolm looking rather grim. He takes these kinds of failures very personally and he's determined to set the record straight.
10 am
"Good morning, Miss Evershed," Coolidge greets. "I hope you slept well."
"I did, thank you," Ruth replies, slightly taken aback by his politeness.
They're in a meeting room this time, not an interrogation room. Ruth has a cup of tea in front of her and a comfortable chair to sit in.
"Miss Evershed," Coolidge says seriously, "I'll get straight to the point. I can see that you'll be starting work at GCHQ shortly as you have passed all the vetting and have been offered a job there. Your CV is very impressive for someone so young and your recent actions have saved the life of one of my best operatives. We could use someone with your talents here in Section D. Would you consider working for me as an analyst instead?"
Ruth's momentarily stunned – whatever she'd been expecting to hear, this wasn't it. However, once she recovers from the shock, her brain goes into overdrive and she realises that this is an opportunity of a lifetime that she cannot pass up.
"Yes, please, Sir," she responds eagerly.
"Excellent," he smiles. "I'll have Adams sort out your passes today and you'll be able to start immediately."
"Immediately, Sir?" Ruth asks with a frown.
"The operation we're working on right now is of utmost significance and we cannot delay," Coolidge states. "You may stay at the safe-house you were given yesterday. We have already retrieved your belongings from the bungalow in Shropshire and they have been taken there."
"Right," Ruth murmurs, slightly dazed by the speed of these developments, though not for a moment does she reconsider her decision to accept the position.
"Once this operation's finished," he adds, "there will be a brief training course and you will have time to sort out your accommodation and anything else you need." Ruth nods and he gets up, saying, "Please follow me, Miss Evershed, and I'll introduce you to the team. Then you can get started."
11 am
Half an hour later, Ruth finds herself sitting at her new desk, sifting through the documents in front of her. Malcolm has brought her up to speed on the current investigation. When she'd entered the Grid, only Malcolm Wynn-Jones, the chief technical specialist and analyst, and Mark Adams, the tall, blonde field agent that she'd met yesterday, were present from the senior team. At first she'd been a little dazed by the busy atmosphere on the Grid, but with Malcolm's initial help and direction she's managed to find her feet and is confidently following his instructions.
"Meeting room, now!" Coolidge barks, making her jump.
Looking up, she sees him striding off to a large room, and for a moment, she remains frozen in her seat. Should she follow? Is she invited? It's decided for her when Malcolm rounds the corner, catches her eye, and motions for her to follow, which she does, hastily gathering some information she's put together in case it's needed. As they approach the corridor to the meeting room, someone steps forward on crutches and she immediately recognises 'Richard'.
"Finally got yourself sorted with some clothes then?" Malcolm pauses to ask with a lopsided grin, before making his way into the meeting room.
"Very funny, Malcolm," Harry calls after him and mutters, "You're just jealous," under his breath so that Ruth doesn't hear him. Then turning to her, he holds out his hand and says, "Harry Pearce. Pleased to formally meet you."
She smiles and replies, "Ruth Evershed," and takes his hand in hers. Her fingers tingle at the contact, and a warmth runs through her and settles in her abdomen, taking her rather by surprise. She drops his hand and looks away quickly, sure that her eyes betray her reaction to his touch.
"I wanted to thank you," he continues in a low voice, "for saving my life."
She looks back at his eyes and notes that they're darker than they were a moment ago, and she's convinced that their attraction is mutual, even if his desire for her is most likely due to her own response to him. After all, what man wouldn't find a woman who lusts after him attractive? He's a charmer, a man confident in himself and his ability to attract women and please them, and she knows without looking that, if she examines his personnel file, she'll find a long list of liaisons in it. She, on the other hand, has had less than a handful of boyfriends and only a couple of them have been serious enough relationships to progress to the bedroom. To be fair, however, she's never felt such a powerful sexual attraction to any man before, and she finds herself unsure of how to deal with it. Realizing that he's watching her carefully, she shakes herself free of these thoughts and murmurs, "It was nothing."
She feels her cheeks heat up, and as he leans towards her, her breath catches in her throat, her stomach tying itself in knots from a mixture of apprehension and desire. Slowly, he moves his mouth near her ear and whispers, "I would hardly call that nothing, Ruth. It's not everyday one gets to meet one's guardian angel."
He pulls away and winks before he turns and limps towards the meeting room on his crutches. She exhales suddenly and watches him walk away for a moment before she follows him into the room, annoyed with herself for allowing him to rattle her so easily. If she's going to be any good as a spy, she's going to have to develop a thicker skin and train herself to hide her thoughts and feelings much better than she's managed so far.
