Disclaimer - see previous
Always the sun
Adam stared at Zaf as his friend moved gingerly around the smashed up living room. He had known the REdbacks were keen on torturing the former agents they captured but he hadn't expected to see it to such an extent. He frowned as Zaf turned towards him.
"Adam."
"You look like crap."
"Thanks mate." Zaf smirked. "I feel like it. How did you find us? What is going on at home?"
"I haven't been there for almost a year. Faked my own death to find you."
"You did what?"
"You heard. Anyway, we stopped a bomb blowing the cenotaph up on November 11 and I used the explosion to cover my tracks. Wes knows I'm alive. Malcolm is in contact sporadically. Harry is still alive, Lucas North is back."
"Bloody hell, who swung that?" Zoe stated as she appeared in the doorway. Adam shrugged.
"I think there was finally a chance to get him home. I didn't get much time to talk to him."
"He was in Section B with me and Danny. Helen had such a crush on him but I don't think anything happened. He was married."
"Helen?"
"Before your time." Zoe sighed. "She died on an active op. Broke Tom's heart. Danny was in bits. It was not a good time." Zoe frowned. "No one deserves to die the way she did."
"We should get out of here." Adam began to take charge. "Where's Emma?"
"Here I am." The little girl smiled at him, now more confident that Adam was not going to shout at her. A small rag doll was clutched in one hand and the other gripped the material of Zoe's skirt.
"Adam's right. If Will gets back here." She bit her bottom lip. "He's been strange lately, almost as if he was hiding something."
"Like what?"
"Nightingale." Adam closed his eyes. "He mentioned something called Nightingale in his sleep once."
"Means nothing to me"
"No, but it may be enough to give your location away Zaf. We leave. Now."
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Dolby glared at Ros as she sat at her desk. The bandages on her burned wrists and hands barely visible under her leather jacket but she knew he had seen them.
"Ros." Malcolm rested against Tariq's abandoned desk. "Are you well? Really?"
"Malcolm." She smiled slightly as she met her old friend's eye. "Yes, I am fine. I have painkillers and antibiotics."
"Please take them."
"I will." She sighed. "Do you think Lucas has a chance at this? Bringing Adam and Zaf home?"
"Honestly." Malcolm glanced towards the office where Harry and Dolby were having a rather heated debate and sighed. "Yes. I think so. Adam is an impeccable officer and I believe he has found Zaf and Zoe."
"I heard about her when I was at 6. Disgraced over some scandal, currently in Wandsworth?"
"Ah."
"Yeah, I thought there would be an 'ah'." She smiled. "I'm the last one to talk about disgrace after my own history."
"If Adam should return."
"If Adam really wanted a relationship with me he would have found a way to tell me what was going on. Instead he let me believe that I slowed him down and that led to his death. We're over, there is no going back."
"He did it for the greater good."
"I appreciate that." Ros nodded. "Both Jo and I would have given anything to have Zaf back but there are enough lies in my life without those who are supposed to be truthful holding out on me." She turned away as Malcolm nodded. He knew Adam had been right to end things with Ros, to him she was a replacement for Fiona but Ros deserved so much more. He just hoped she found it.
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Tariq threw his rucksack over his shoulder while Lucas retrieved his own bag. The heat beat down on him as he sheilded his eyes from the sun.
"Welcome to Chile. Hotter than Hell itself." A rotund American announced. Lucas smirked, for the first time missing the ice of the Russian summer.
"Yeah." Lucas smiled. "You on holiday?"
"Vacation? No, business trip. You?"
"Looking up old friends." Lucas fell into easy conversation. "Actually my sister."
"Yeah, his sister has been missing a while. She has a small child with her." Tariq lied just as fluently.
"Oh Lord. You must be so worried."
"My parents are making themselves ill. I just want to know they're ok. You know?"
"What's her name? You have picture?"
Lucas dug in his bag and pulled out an old photo of Zoe with Danny and Tom at a Section B function. He remembered taking the photo on Tom's battered old camera and smiled.
"Pretty girl."
"Zoe." He sighed "Zoe North."
"English?"
"Yeah."
"There's a few ex pats in town. Can't say I ever saw her but you may want to check out Las Vistas."
"We will, thanks."
"Oh what do I say if I run into her?"
"Our parents are worried." Lucas lied freely. "Tell her Harry and Ruth want her home."
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Ruth narrowed her eyes as Dolby marched past her desk. The tall, thin man grated on her nerves. Malcolm shook his head.
"Don't let him get to you."
"I know." Ruth bit her lip as Harry approached. "What happened?"
"He is an arrogant, self aborbed, idiotic." Harry pinced the bridge of his nose. "We had a frank and open exchange of views."
"Anything in the office left unbroken?" Ros asked innocently as Harry shot her a look.
"You are not yet cleared for duty."
"Bite me."
"Ros!" Ruth smirked as Harry turned a shade of red she hadn't seen on him before.
"Is Dolby shutting us down?" Ruth asked.
"No. He has no evidence and there is no one to replace us. The so called War on Terror needs antiterrorist personell. And thats what we are."
Ruth sighed with relief as she glanced at the Pods. "I still don't like him."
"One thing we agree on." Ros smiled slightly before shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Ah." Malcolm tapped a few keys. "Oh dear."
"What is it?" Harry turned to face his old friend. "Please tell me something uplifting."
"Well." Malcolm sighed. "I think Lucas has found them."
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A/N More soon.
