Disclaimer not mine

The Female of the Species

Ruth was exhausted. The team that had remained behind in London had barely taken a break since Beth, Adam and Lucas had left for Syria. She leant against her desk as she watched Tariq press a few keys on the computer trying to get a better trace on the tracker Ros had managed to plant on Ashgrove in the supermarket car park. Tariq was as exhausted and fed up as she was.

"Either William Ashgrove is the world's most boring man or he knows he being watched" Tariq yawned as Ruth nodded. He tapped a few more keys as the computer showed a small red dot was moving around on the screen outside a Covent Garden address.

"Tariq" Ruth was suddenly more interested as she left her position at the desk to join him. "Can you find the exact address for where he is now?"

"Yeah course" Tariq raised an eyebrow.

"I need to know who he is meeting there. It could be something or nothing. It's important Tariq" She folded her arms as Tariq nodded. A few seconds later a grid reference appeared on the computerised map along with an address.

"Oh my God" Ruth muttered to herself as Tariq raised his eyebrows in question. He had no idea why Ruth was so concerned. So far they had watched Ashgrove behave as innocuously as any other normal human being. There was nothing to suggest any terrorist activity. Ruth turned slightly before telling Tariq to wait.

"Harry!" She yelled across the Grid as he returned through the Pods. "I need to speak to you" He frowned. It was rare for Ruth to raise her voice. She walked on ahead in to his office. Harry followed her as Tariq remained at his computer completely dumbfounded. He had known Ruth a couple of years and had only ever seen her in such a state when Harry was in danger. He couldn't imagine why the woman's name on the screen could have caused such a response. She waited for Harry to close the office door.

"Ruth" He waited as she stood in his office facing him. "Ruth what has happened? What is it?" He didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous, Ruth was behaving strangely and he didn't like it.

"Tariq found something"

"Go on"

"The tracker Ros managed to plant on Ashgrove. Well it's working perfectly" She glanced out at the main Grid. Harry couldn't see how an effective surveillance device was a bad thing.

"And?" He prompted

"And we saw who he is meeting at the moment. It may be something or nothing, but with her it was never really nothing. I know I wasn't here when everything kicked off but I know about her running phantom agents. I know she almost turned Sam and had Zoe terrified. I know how dangerous she is" Ruth began pacing and Harry saw just how annoying pacing in a bad way could be for someone watching. He made a mental note to try to do it less.

"Ruth" He stepped in front of her and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Breathe" She glanced at his face and caught his eye. He squeezed her shoulders.

"He is meeting with Tessa Phillips. Now. At her offices in Covent Garden" Harry closed his eyes as Ruth spoke.

"That bloody woman"

"Precisely." Ruth rested her hands on Harry's forearms before he released her. "I know I wasn't here at the time. But I was here for the fall out. Her leaving the service and the way she left was office gossip as far as Cheltenham. Even Kathy at 6 knew about it." She sighed. Her friend Kathy Yelland was MI 6 liaison to Red Troop in the SAS. The woman was known for not gossiping. If she had heard about it then the news at the time had been a very big deal.

"What would she want with Ashgrove?" Harry muttered.

"You know her I don't." Ruth sighed. Tessa was another woman from Harry's past. Although there had been rumours of an affair with Juliet, which Harry had later confirmed to Ruth, his relationship with Tessa was still somewhat ambiguous. Ruth wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"It has to be money. Tessa Phillips never does anything unless there is personal benefit for her. She isn't known for her philanthropic streak Ruth. If she is involved there is financial gain for her. There has to be" Harry watched as Ruth nodded. He didn't know why but she suddenly seemed a little insecure.

"What do we do?"

"Watch her. I want surveillance put on her around the clock. If she is meeting Ashgrove then there is likelihood she is involved in all this. I don't want her knowing we have people in Syria. It was her that had Yasmin Hussein stationed over in Syria with her husband, Mohammed. At the time everyone knew it was to get Yasmin out of Section K. Looking back it was probably Yas that knew she was on the take" Harry explained.

"So, she had her stationed abroad to save her own neck?" Ruth was already angry on Yasmin's behalf and she had never met the woman.

"Sounds like Tessa" He stepped a little closer. "She is a nasty piece of work. In all my dealings with that woman I never once saw her do something where she wasn't her first priority."

"Zoe was scared of her. I know that much." Ruth sighed.

"I'll talk to Zoe. We'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry Ruth. Zoe and the others will be fine" He glanced out on to the Grid to see Tariq staring at the computer screen. Ruth nodded as he took her hand in his and kissed her cheek slowly, knowing that Tariq was not interested in anything they were doing. Ruth sighed as he kissed her cheek, before smiling at him and leaving the office. Harry crossed to his desk before picking up his phone.

"Get me the number for Tessa Phillips office" He spoke to the switchboard. He knew Ruth wouldn't want him to meet her but Harry was determined to find out exactly what Tessa was playing at.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Adam glared at the phone. He sat on his bed in the hotel room It was five to eight in the evening and there was no word from Yasmin. He had to admit he was worried about her. Beth had gone for a shower and was in her room while Lucas still hadn't been seen since heading off to watch Mohammed. Adam lay on his bed glaring at the phone. At exactly 19:58 it rang.

"Adam" Yasmin spoke quietly.

"Yes"

"Meet me and your friend at 8 am. The small café in the market place behind the meat stall. Bring your lady friend, it will look appropriate"

"Thank you" Adam almost whispered.

"Just get me home Adam. I want it all finished. I can't live out here any more" Yasmin closed her eyes as she heard the door to her apartment open. "I will see you in the morning" The phone line was dead before Adam could answer. Now he was worried. He got off his bed, deciding to let Beth and Lucas know the plan. Lucas answered on the third ring.

"Where are you?" Adam started.

"In a part of Damascus I think the tourist board would like to keep off their maps" Lucas watched as a car sped past before crossing the road. "Any luck with you?"

"Yup" Adam smiled. "Meeting at 8 am. Could do with you in the café too. I think Yas' husband could be about to cause us a few problems" He dug in his bag as he spoke. When he was in 6 he had known about Yasmin being deployed to Syria. She had been unhappy at the posting, blaming the head of Section K at the time. Adam had never met the woman but he had a feeling Tessa was as vile as Yasmin had said she was. He also knew that she had married Mohammed when she was in her early 20s and had regretted it ever since. Mohammed had left the service the moment they had got to Syria where Yasmin had stayed loyal. It had been a difficult few years.

"I'll be there" Lucas answered "I think you are right about Mohammed Hussein. He isn't exactly the faithful husband." Lucas immediately felt guilty. He hadn't cheated on Ros but suddenly he felt like a hypocrite. "He also seems to enjoy doing business in some very upmarket strip clubs" Lucas wrinkled his nose as he thought about it.

"Really mate?" Adam laughed "Don't tell Zaf, he'll be jealous"

"Nah, not that kind of club mate" Lucas hung up the mobile while Adam pulled a face. Next job was to tell Beth exactly what was going on.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ros had left the Grid later than she intended. Amy was bathed and just about to be put to bed when the doorbell rang. Ros sighed as Amy pulled a face. She was tired and wanted to be the centre of her Mums attention. "It's ok Shorty" Ros picked her up before answering the door.

"Hello" The dark haired woman smiled.

"Can I help you?" Ros was immediately on the alert. She recognised the woman from the folder she had read when Lucas had finally told her the truth. It was all she could do not to walk out the door and take Amy with her, but then she knew Lucas hadn't deliberately set out to hurt her. It didn't make her feel any better.

"Is John there?" The woman asked.

"No" Ros went to close the door as Amy began to fall asleep in her arms.

"Oh, sorry. Are you Ros?" the woman asked.

"Maya" Ros rolled her eyes. She could almost imagine Lucas staring silently at them if he was there now. "You better come in" Ros held the door open slightly.

"Thanks" Maya stepped in as Ros pointed to the living room. Maya nodded before walking in. Ros kissed the top of Amy's head.

"What do you want? You know Lucas changed his name. That much I know, but you knew him when? 15, 20 years ago" Ros watched as Maya nodded.

"I don't want any trouble" Maya looked nervous. She glanced at Ros and immediately noticed not only the baby in her arms but the wedding ring on her left hand. She was also definitely showing a baby bump. Maya didn't think Ros was the kind of woman to have let herself go after having a baby, there was definitely another on the way. John really had moved on, a new name, a new life.

"What is it you do want?" Ros placed Amy on the sofa, surrounded by cushions so she couldn't fall.

"The truth"

"That's classified" Ros wanted to throw the woman out of her flat. She didn't really know why she had let her in.

"I thought he was dead." She shrugged "Like you say, we were not much more than kids. He was 20 and I was 18" She rolled her eyes. "What were you doing at that age?"

"Serving my country" Ros had no intention of making this easy for the doctor.

"I was a first year med student. John was working in the city. He had to go to Africa for work. He never came home" She shrugged "Except he did. Didn't he? As Lucas"

"A lot more has happened to him that a simple name change" Ros narrowed her eyes. Both women kept their voices low, aware Amy was asleep.

"Yeah" Maya looked at the baby on the sofa and at Ros. "You for a start" Ros smiled sarcastically.

"Look Maya. I have more to worry about on a daily basis that some twisted version of Romeo and Juliet you have turned a teenage relationship from two decades ago in to. I'm not the big bad wolf here. If he wants to be with you, he will be. I may have married him but I'm not going to keep him here against his will. If he wants you, I won't stop him" Ros glared at her.

"No. But you have him trapped. John would never ever be tied down by all this. Marriage and kids. He was a wanderer. Not like this. He could never live like this" Maya scoffed. Amy stirred slightly. The baby seemed to sense when her mother was loosing her temper.

"I think you should leave now." Ros stepped forward slightly. It took all her strength not to grab the woman by the throat and throw her out.

"He knows where to find me" Maya stated as she walked past Ros.

"I'm sure he does" Ros muttered as she heard the front door slam. "Well Amy, looks like it's going to be just you, me and this little one from now on" She brushed dark hair from the baby's face as Amy settled back to sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Adam knocked on Beth's hotel room door. He heard the shower in the background and her feet as she stomped to the door.

"What?" She asked as she pulled her robe tightly around her. Adam smirked.

"Hello to you too" Beth rolled her eyes. "We're on for tomorrow. 8 am. All of us"

"Ok" Beth smiled. "I got the documents. Yas can be on the next plane home with us" Adam smiled. "I told you Carter, I know people here" She smiled before closing the door on him. It was then the world shook around them as the hotel exploded.

authors note. More soon. Are Adam, Beth and Lucas ok? What is Tessa up to and will Harry find out in time?