Disclaimer not mine.
Sorry for delay in updating. Things have been hectic here lately.
Bang!
Zaf stepped back from the small bomb as Adam slapped him on the back. Commuters and tourists wandered past them as if nothing happened. He looked around wondering if any of them had any idea how close they had all come to getting killed.
"You ok?" Adam met his friend's eye as he spoke. Zaf nodded once.
"Yeah, but."
"But you can't help but think this isn't the end."
"Yeah." He looked around. "It just seems a bit too easy."
"And for us, things are never that easy. Malcolm? You there?"
"Of course." Malcolm stated through Adam's earpiece as Zaf smirked.
"Any news?"
"The FTSE is holding."
"Malcolm." Zaf glanced at Adam as they walked back to the car, leaving the bomb squad to deal with any clear up needed.
"Ros and Ruth are alive and well. Ruth is going to hospital for a check up and Harry is with her."
"Thank God." Zaf sighed.
"Ros?" Adam asked.
"Claims to be fine. Tessa is in the cells."
"Tessa? Tessa Philips?" Zaf shook his head as he dug out the car keys and threw them at Adam. Adam raised his eyebrows, knowing Zaf must have been feeling out of sorts to allow him to drive his precious car.
"Yes." Zoe's clipped tones could be heard down the line. "Dimitri and Erin arrested her thirty five minutes ago. At the moment she is claiming her right to remain silent. Which, you have to admit is not like her."
"Yeah, she does normally like to gloat. How does she fit into all this?"
"That's what Lucas and Ros are going to find out. Beth is going to talk to Hayley again." She sighed. "I think I'll go with her."
"Right." Adam sighed. "We're on the way back. We have to get Tessa talking, right now she'd the only lead we have."
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Ruth closed her eyes as the midwife stuck the needle in her arm. The small vials of blood filling easily as she rested her head back against the bed. Something just didn't feel right. It was like Tessa was the ghost that kept haunting them. Ever since Adam and the others had run into Yasmin in Damascus almost a year ago she had been like the spectre they just couldn't shake off.
"Mrs Pearce?"
"Um?" Ruth opened her eyes.
"It's ok, you can look now." The midwife smiled. "Alot of my mums hate having blood taken. We'll be needing a urine sample after your scan. Until then drink as much water as you can manage."
"Ok." Ruth pulled a face as the far too chirpy midwife left the room, clearly under the impression Ruth was not on the same planet.
"Hi."
"Mike." Ruth smiled before realising her face stung when she did. "Hi, how are you?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He smiled broadly. "I am supposed to be on duty at Thames House but I'm running late. What happened?"
"I was beaten up when I was abducted from my own home." Ruth answered honestly. "The A&E doctor said I've got a hairline fracture in my right cheek and am going to have a lovely shiner tomorrow. The baby has been moving well, so he wasn't really worried."
"No? I am." Mike narrowed his eyes. "No doubt Harry is too."
"I am fine."
"Ruth." He sat next to her and held her gaze as he paused. "Have you told Harry? What we talked about?"
"No."
"Ruth."
"Mike, I just need to have my scan. As long as the baby is ok then that is all that matters."
"Ruth."
"Please Mike. I can't think about it." Ruth sighed. "I just have to deal with what is happening as it happens. You said yourself the headaches are more than likely to do with the high blood pressure."
"That's as may be."
"And there is no point in doing a brain scan when I'm pregnant. I know the white cells in my blood are low but that doesn't mean anything on it's own does it? I feel ok. The baby is ok."
"Ruth." Mike shook his head. "Just talk to him. At least tell him that the chances of you having a caesarian section early is very high. Don't shut him out."
"He has enough to worry about." Ruth closed her eyes.
"Do I?" Harry asked as he walked in the room. "Mike."
"Harry." Mike got to his feet. "I have to get back to Thames House. No doubt there'll be a few waiting for me. Take care, Ruth."
"I will." Ruth smiled slightly as Mike left the room.
"What don't I know?" Harry sat next to her as the sonographer walked into the room. Ruth bit her lip as he took her hand, the look in his eyes almost begging her to tell him what was wrong.
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"Tessa Philips is a legend in MI 5." Erin stated as Tariq handed her a can of pop from the fridge.
"That is one way of describing her."
"What happened? I heard some stuff about ghost agents but that was years ago. Something about Tom Quinn and Danny Hunter."
"Yeah." Tariq sighed. "I wasn't here in those days."
"You were twelve in those days." Erin smiled as he tried not to look offended.
"Tom Quinn was the section chief in those days. Danny was in Zaf's job. I dunno if he had anything to do with it. Tessa terrified Zoe. I know that much from the last time she was around."
"So?"
"So, Jools was her weak spot." Tariq sighed. "And I wouldn't be surprised if she was the money behind all this. I mean Hayley's dad was a rich man. A really rich man but not that rich. She would have access to the sort of funds that don't really come from the local bank."
"Right Tar, do what you do best." Erin smiled.
"Follow the money." He returned the smile before jogging back onto the Grid.
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Ros ran a hand through her short blonde hair as she waited for the Pods to open. Lucas had been watching her quietly since she had left the garage. It was starting to get as annoying as the headache that had been blasting through her skull since she had woken up next to Ruth on the concrete floor of the garage. Everything ached but there was no way she was going to tell anyone that.
"Boss." Calum jogged through the Pods behind her.
"What?"
"Tessa is in the cells. The post mortem results on Damion Scott will be in tomorrow morning but the preliminary cause of death is as we thought."
"I thought you were babysitting?"
"Harry called. Ruth's being seen in maternity and Nick is staying with Graham and Terri for the night. It's as sorted as it can be for now."
"Ok then, help Tariq." Ros marched across to the kitchenette aware that both Malcolm and Lucas were watching her.
############################
"Baby looks ok." The sonographer smiled as Ruth let out a sigh of relief. Harry smiled slightly as he watched his daughter on the screen. "Bit small for dates but busy enough in there."
"Small?" Harry narrowed his eyes as Ruth stared at the screen.
"Not too small. Just a bit little considering you are what 22 weeks?"
"Approximately." Ruth whispered. Harry squeezed her hand, knowing that she had lost Chloe only a few weeks further into her first pregnancy. He just couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong now too. He knew when Ruth wasn't telling him something.
"Well, she still has time to catch up." The sonographer smiled. "Good strong heartbeat, everything in the right place. That's the main thing."
"Yeah." Ruth avoided Harry's eyes as she nodded.
####################
"I want to talk to Tessa." Adam announced as Ros raised her eyes.
"Ok."
"What?"
"You and me are taking her. I want an address for the Demon Headmaster and his wife. I don't take kindly to being poisoned by terrorists. Damion Scott had something going on at that school. A dummy bomb near London Bridge isn't the be all and end all. There is more planned I can feel it." She got to her feet as Adam stared at her.
"Ros."
"What?"
"You sure about this?" He watched as she nodded.
"Zaf, take Zoe and talk to Hayley. See if there is anything she isn't telling us. She seems to have a raport with you. Alec, take Beth and Dimitri and get back to the school. They break up for the Easter holidays today. We don't have much time." She gripped the side of the desk as she spoke. For a moment she wished Harry was there to issue the orders. "Tariq, Malcolm any joy with the CCTV?"
"I am currently going through the CCTV from the airports in and around London. If he has left the UK then I hope to see where he went." Malcolm looked back at the computer monitor as Zoe got to her feet.
"I'm checking ports." Calum sighed. "One of them may have tried to get out of the UK that way."
"No." Ros frowned. "I don't think they will be running. From what I gathered I don't think they are the type to run from what they have done. I don't think they see recruiting terrorists at a school and planting bombs in central London are wrong."
"What about Tessa?" Lucas spoke for the first time since they had arrived back on the Grid.
"Good question. Let her stew for a bit then I want to know how a scheming bitch like her gets involved with a racist teacher and his fancy piece." She got to her feet as the rest of the team began to leave and go about the tasks she had set them. Lucas turned back to his computer and booted up the information from Sayeed's memory stick."
#######################################
Ros poured water into the kettle as she thought about what to ask Tessa when she faced her with Adam later that afternoon. Part of her wanted to ring the hospital to ask about Ruth but she knew Harry would tell her she was to get on with the work while they waited for results. Sighing heavily she gripped the edge of the sink trying to focus. The nausea was almost overwhelming as she hung her head. The coffee had seemed like a good idea but it was abandoned at the side of the kettle as she fought to stop shaking, the effects of the poison rushing through her system as she tried to concentrate on staying upright.
"Bloody hell." She mumbled as she closed her eyes in concentration.
######################
"Lucas." He jumped as he heard his name. He knew he was alone on the Grid. "Lucas, kitchen now."
He frowned as he tapped his ear, checking that he hadn't left an earpiece in by mistake. Shaking his head he glanced towards the kitchenette, aware that the door was closed and Ros hadn't emerged since she had sent Adam down to the interview rooms to get ready to interview Tessa. He shook his head knowing Ros probably wouldn't appreciate him acting the concerned husband, however much he wanted to.
"LUCAS!" He snapped his head up as he heard rather than saw Jo. "She needs you. NOW"
He got to his feet just as Jo finished her sentance, certain that he was going insane. Jo had died almost three years earlier and even though she was missed every day on the Grid she was rarely spoken about by anyone other than him, Ros, Adam, Zaf and Ruth. He had a feeling he wasn't going to stop hearing her voice in his head unless he did as he was told.
"Officially loosing the plot." He muttered to himself as he opened the kitchenette door as Ros collapsed in front of him.
"Ros!" He caught her just as her eyes fluttered closed. "Ros!"
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A/N More soon. What is Tessa up to? Where is the headmaster and his wife? Who killed Damion Scott and are Ros and Ruth really ok? Please review.