Okay, those voodoo doll pins are hurting! Sorry folks. By totally inadequate way of apology for what I'm inflicting on you all, here's a quick, albeit brief, update.

January

'Yep. Yep. Alright gorgeous, see you later.'

As Alec hung up, Ruth walked in, laden with folders, and he couldn't resist giving a luxurious stretch as he beamed at her.

'Ruthie!'

'Don't call me Ruthie.' She dumped the folders on his desk. 'The files you wanted.'

'Great, thanks. Listen, that was Towers' office. He wants to see me this afternoon.'

Ruth stared at him. 'That was Towers' office?'

'Yeah, I think...'

'...gorgeous?'

'What?'

'You called Towers' PA gorgeous?'

'Yeah, why not? Oiling the wheels, and all that. Ruth, she's about 350. It makes her day.'

'I'm sure it does.'

He ignored the sarcasm. 'Anyway, as I was trying to tell you, Towers wants to see me this afternoon, and I think he's going to give me the heads up that on Thursday the JIC will approve the appointment of a new Section Head.'

'Surely he'd just tell you that over the phone.'

Alec shrugged. 'Mebbes aye, mebbes naw. Could be he wants to sound me out about filling Harry's shoes permanently.' He watched her face carefully for any reaction. There was none.

'So does this mean the section is safe?'

'I'd say so.'

She pursed her lips. 'So will you tell everyone that the character assassination you did on Harry was a pack of lies?'

He stared at her. 'What?'

'Oh, come off it. Look, I know only too well that Harry's ruthlessness extends well beyond political machinations but even he has his limits. He wouldn't plant smack on the daughter of a politician whom he blamed for the death of an operative in the field, far less ensure she went down for intent to supply. He wouldn't cover up for a colleague who'd raped someone. And there is no way on this earth that he'd gun down a busload of school kids no matter whom it enabled him to frame. Need I go on?'

'Look, I know how...fond you are of Harry and I can appreciate that this...'

'Alec,' her tone was weary, 'don't start. Apart from the fact that I know Harry - and I can't believe he's changed as fundamentally in the last thirty years as you imply - digging out intel on those groups in Algeria led me to a file on Operation Moonstone, notes on which state that Harry was in Egypt at a time you claimed he was in Colombia.'

'False trails, Ruth. Black ops. And there are such things as aeroplanes.'

Ruth took a deep breath. 'You're good, I'll give you that; you did a good workup on it all but you didn't cover all the bases and that's one you missed. Admit it, Alec, it was all a total fabrication.'

Alec stared at her, a smile slowly forming on his lips. 'Harry did say you were the best desk spook he'd ever worked with. Shit. How long have you known?'

'I didn't believe it in the first place! What I didn't understand to begin with was why, but I guessed it might be to do with influencing our testimony at the inquiry. If we gave less than glowing endorsements of Harry that would limit the potential for guilt by association and give the powers that be less ammunition for disbanding the section. Is that what it was all about?'

He nodded. 'Pretty much.'

The ghost of a smile flitted across her face. 'Well, let's just hope the end justifies the means. As it is, you should have trusted us; told us your plan. We're spooks, after all; we're capable of playing whatever part you want us to.'

Alec pulled the files towards him and flipped open the first folder. 'You forget who you were up against. And Beth, Tariq, Dimitri, they're young and inexperienced. If there was so much as a hint that their testimony was anything other than 100% genuine the inquiry would've ripped them to shreds. Harry was adamant: it had to come from the heart.'

'Harry?'

'Mm.'

'He...?'

Alec scanned the front sheet of the file, frowning as he did so. 'It was his idea. He knew they were going to throw him to the wolves but he wanted to protect you guys. Believe me, I didn't like it any more than you do, but...' he shrugged.

He didn't look up, and so didn't see the tears spring to Ruth's eyes. She looked up at the ceiling, blinking furiously. 'Well, fingers crossed for this afternoon, then.'

'Mm.' Alec was engrossed in the files. The conversation was over.