Disclaimer not mine.

Face/Off?

Calum frowned as he stared at the computer screen. He knew that Beth had been in a state since she had got back from talking to her friend at the American Embassy. Her and Dimitri had been pouring over a microfile with Malcolm for the best part of an hour while Zoe seemed to be making endless and seemingly pointless phone calls. That, along with the mood Ros and Erin seemed to be in was not helping his concentration. He tapped a few more keys as Tariq opened yet another can of Red Bull.

"Anything?"

"Yes." Calum sighed.

"Yeah?"

"A major headache and a severly bad mood." Calum frowned. "Did Malcolm find those idiots that gave you that?" He nodded towards the black eye and bruised cheek on Tariq's face. The younger man touched his face as he nodded.

"Yeah, just kids."

"It was just kids that lead to Jo loosing a contact. Never underestimate teenagers." Lucas sighed as he watched Tariq fall silent. He knew the younger man missed Jo as much as the rest of them did. She had died just a few weeks after he had joined. It had been his first major loss. Lucas sighed, it had just been one of many to him. The effect Jo's death still had on Ros was palpable.

"Jo?"

"One of the best." Lucas sighed. "She died before you came here. An op went wrong."

"Shit."

"Exactly. Let's just make sure nothing else goes wrong on this one." Lucas raised an eyebrow as Harry emerged from his office just as Ruth walked in with Zaf.

"Ok." Calum pushed his chair back. "Mama and Pappa Bear do not look happy."

"BRIEFING ROOM FIVE MINUTES!" Harry barked as Zoe and Erin exchanged glances. They had no idea what had gone on at the hospital but each had a feeling that they were no closer to reaching the end of the case than they had been the day Andre Boscard and the Confederation had been mentioned. Ruth sighed as she looked up to see Harry staring at her. Zaf shook his head as he saw his friend blush as Harry's eyes fell on her.

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"Jim Coaver is dead." Harry stated at the assembled spooks.

"We know." Adam answered.

"No doubt there are people who are going to want to ask me a few questions regarding that." Harry stared straight ahead.

"You had nothing to do with his death." Ruth answered. "I think we have a watertight alibi for your whereabouts at the time Jim Coaver died."

"Such as?" Calum asked as Adam fixed him with a death glare Ros would have been proud of.

"He was collecting me from the hospital." Ruth answered innocently as she felt Harry stare at her. "I think hospital CCTV will confirm that." Ros raised an eyebrow before pushing herself from her usual position, leaning against the wall and headed towards the Smart board Malcolm had set up for the Briefing.

"We thought the Confederation were our major concern prior to the Ball."

"Yeah." Dimitri answered.

"Now we have an attack on four members of the team." Ros stared. "A man in the cells that has been determined to hide his identity from us. Beth? Any progress with that?"

"A little. Brad was very helpful. There's a dossier on him." Beth began handing out an A4 paper on him. "Leon James Folmer is a dangerous man."

"We have a name then." Harry nodded as he glanced at his younger officer. Beth nodded. She knew that after her brain surgery no one had really expected her to return to the team. The fact that she had unearthed some vital knowledge had boosted her confidence.

"And the mention of the Consortium." Dimitri sighed. "I thought the group called themselves the Confederation. That they were essentially an American problem."

"They were." Ruth began. "Strolm was killed in the US. He seems to have made a few contacts in Europe and Russia before planning the attack on the Ball. We have to assume the attack was genuine. Even if the link to the Redbacks wasn't as strong as we first thought."

"Somehow they ended up with the Gavrik's?" Tariq asked.

"Yeah." Ros nodded. "That's still a line of enquiry I want to persue."

"Ilya Gavrik is booked to be on a plane to Russia tomorrow night. With his son." Malcolm announced as Ruth looked up.

"He's leaving his wife to rot." Erin narrowed her eyes.

"Sounds typical of him." Harry's eyes darkened as Ruth's met the paper in front of her.

"I've been able to acquire Coaver's laptop." Dimitri stated as Harry's eyes snapped to him.

"You mention this now?" He barked as Dimitri nodded. The atmosphere in the Briefing Room more tense than the ex naval officer had ever remembered.

"Can you get into it?" Adam asked Ruth as she pulled a face.

"Of course."

"There may be a bug on one of the Secret Service officers too." Erin watched as Harry turned a dangerous shade of red.

"Miss Watts?"

"Well, it's one of Tariq's prototypes."

"The firewall 6000?"

"Yeah." Erin smiled as Tariq beamed.

"And?"

"And it seems that they were just as concerned about the loyalty of the CIA liaison to London as we were." Erin watched as Ros smirked. Zoe, Zaf and Calum remained silent.

"So?" Ros turned from the computer. "The Gavriks."

"Sasha is an asset of mine." Ruth sighed. "He came to me with information that will incriminate her. He believes she intends to kill one of us. That a major attack on UK soil is imminant and that we would be considerably weakend by the death of one of our team." She knew Harry was watching her but couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.

"The Consortium?" Zaf spoke up. "That's a new one on me."

"From what I've found it is basically the term given to the higher up, the ringleaders of the Confederation. Andre Boscard, Leon Folmer and Elena Gavrik." Ruth replied. "Only Elena is left."

"So what now?" Tariq watched as Calum raised an eyebrow.

"Ruth, get into Coaver's laptop. Anything on the Gavrik and her friends may be useful."

"Zaf." Ros turned to face him. "You and I are going to find out what Folmer is playing at. Adam, get Ilya Gavrik here. His son seems to be pretty keen on helping us, lets see if his father is so willing to play."

"Right." Harry pushed his chair back, effectively ending the meeting as Ros continued issuing tasks to the team. His eyes fell on Ruth as she touched her stomach. He couldn't quiet believe he had spent the afternoon with her in the antenatal department. He was terrified but determined that no one would see just how nervous the idea of a new baby made him. It was the icing on the cake as far as he was concerned.

"What about Towers?" Zoe asked as the team began getting ready to leave the room.

Harry dragged his eyes away from his wife. "Zoe, trust me."

"Harry." Alec raised an eyebrow. He knew his old friend was more concerned about facing the senior politician than he let his team know. If this went wrong then it would not only be the end of Harry's career but also Section D as a whole. He knew Harry would never risk his team if there was any other way. Harry turned to face the heavily pregnant woman oblivious to the thoughts going through his friend's mind.

"Leave the Home Secretary to me."

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A/N Just a filler chapter. More soon.