25

Catherine threw her headphones on her desk, pushing the chair forcibly away from it as she fought the urge to vomit. Zoe swore as she heard the shot run out, the pictures from the Ops van cutting out.

"Status report." She spoke, waiting for someone to answer her. "STATUS REPORT."

"I will let you know what's going on when I do." Malcolm answered, his voice slightly shaky. She heard Adam ask the same question as Tariq began talking.

"Adam are you done?" Zoe asked as her eyes fixed on Catherine who looked like she was about to faint.

"Heading over to the others now." Adam stated firmly as Will pushed his foot to the accelerator. "Tariq and Calum are coming to you." He ended the communication as Zoe thanked him and headed across the room to the young analyst.

"Hey."

"Sorry." Catherine shook slightly. "Either my Dad or my step mum were just murdered. I."

"We don't know that." Zoe hugged her. "We don't know. Not yet. You heard Malcolm. We wont know anymore until we hear from him so we carry on. Yes? We do what needs to be done." She wiped a tear from the younger woman's eye the same way she would when Emma got upset. "Come on."

"Ok." Catherine steeled herself. "Ok."

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Harry was in shock. He stood just inches from his wife who was almost catatonic. Beth had run to her the moment Igor's skull had exploded with the force of the bullet. Harry stepped forwards.

"Don't move!" Beth spoke firmly. "Especially you, Ruth. You need to stay still. I mean really still. So, don't even blink." Ruth seemed to ignore her friend. Her eyes were locked with Harry's as Beth carefully cut her jacket from her to reveal the suicide vest she had been forced to wear. "Shit."

"What is it?" Lucas asked.

"Who fired?" Ros snapped as she appeared on the screen. "WHO."

"Not me." Erin answered, looking at Lucas. "Zaf?"

"No." Zaf answered. "I. Not me. On my way down there."

"So?" Dimitri looked at the scene in front of him. "There's a forth gunman."

"Find them." Ros snapped, leaving no room for argument. "Harry?"

Ruth remained motionless as Beth realised she had started shaking. Closing her eyes for a moment she looked at the vest Ruth was wearing. "It's not real. Its only a detonator. No explosives. Ruth, its not real. You have to keep still so I can get it off you without either of us being burned. OK? Just keep still." Beth knew she was lying but it was the only way to reassure her friend. Ruth seemed to settle immediately as Ros' voice came through the comms. Beth blocked it all out, her focus on the bomb wrapped around her friend. She was hyper-focused, aware than one wrong move, one slight slip and they would all be killed. She sent a silent prayer up to the guardian angel of bomb disposal experts before cutting the wire she thought would disarm the explosives. A few moments later she had cut the wires and was frantically pulling the garment off Ruth before throwing it into the water. Dimitri rugby tackled Harry to the floor as Beth did the same to Ruth. The bomb blew as it hit the water, causing waves of dockland water to fly over the docks.

"Ruth." Harry was on his feet much faster than his younger officers as Dimitri swore. Beth smiled slightly as Ruth seemed to be almost catatonic with shock. "You can move now."

Ruth frowned slightly. "It was."

"I lied, a little bit." Beth shrugged. "Sorry."

Ruth looked at her, blood still running down her neck as she felt Harry reach her. "You're bleeding." He breathed as Beth got to her feet to look for Dimitri and Ros. She knew her boss would need a little time while they worked out what had happened. "He had a garrotte around your neck. Ruth."

She looked him in the eye. "I told you to go."

"I wasn't going to leave you." He held his handkerchief over the linear wound. Ruth closed her eyes.

"You were going to leave the kids without a Dad." She knew she shouldn't accuse him as such but she didn't seem to have control of her brain. "I."

Harry nodded. "I know, I'm sorry. Ruth. God." He swallowed hard as she seemed to waver slightly before fainting in his arms. He yelled as Ros ordered for her to be taken to hospital.

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"She's alive." Zoe smiled as Catherine nodded. "They are all alive."

"Yeah." Catherine let the information sink in as Calum pulled her into his arms. She buried her head in his chest as he tightened his hold on her. "Too stubborn to not survive." She mumbled into his shirt. "Thank God." She closed her eyes as Calum kissed her temple.

"Well, bad guys do keep trying to kill us." He mumbled his usual catchphrase. "But we keep catching them."

Tariq glanced at Zoe, unable to stop the smile creeping over his face. Zoe folded her arms.

"Right, well now we just have to find out who really shot Antonov and what Nightingale are going to do once they realise we have not only stopped their money transfer but also have Morgan safe." She turned to see Morgan leave the Briefing Room with a handgun held out in front of her. "Lydia?"

"Sorry, but you weren't supposed to get this far." She held the gun on Zoe as she stepped towards the Pods. "Tariq, be a darling and get me through the Pods. Zoe, with me."

"I don't think so." Zoe stated firmly. Lydia narrowed her eyes as the gun held firm in her hand. Tariq looked at Zoe for guidance before realising Catherine and Calum both had their guns drawn.

"You aren't going anywhere." Catherine's voice was still emotional as she held the gun on the former Prime Minister. "You traitorous bitch." The Pods opened with a woosh as Lydia smirked. She took a step backwards, hitting Alec firmly in the chest. He reached around, took the gun from her before throwing it on the desk.

"Its not loaded." He rolled his eyes. "You really thought you'd knocked me out? C'mon. I've been drinking for years, you have to drug me a bit better than that." He huffed, almost indignant as he nodded for Zoe to formally arrest her.

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Ruth stared into space, her mind seemingly on shut down as she gripped the edge of the hospital trolley. Harry spoke to her calmly, sighing when he had no reaction. He slipped out of the cubicle into the corridor where Adam and Ros were waiting.

"I called the Grid." Ros stated.

Harry nodded.

"Harry?" Adam looked past him to where Ruth seemed to be oblivious to them all. He remembered the last time he had seen her the ways she was in that moment. Danny had been murdered, Fiona shaking in his arms at the time.

"Ros, you are to act up into my role. The DG and the Home Sec will support it. Adam, you take Ros' role for now. Tie up loose ends on this case."

"What?" Ros frowned.

"She needs me." He looked back to his wife. "Catherine can cover her work."

"How long for?" Adam asked as Ros seemed to have difficulty taking the news in.

"As long as she needs." Harry sighed. "I can trust you, yes?"

"Of course." Ros stated firmly. Harry nodded once, effectively dismissing them. "Harry? You are coming back?"

Harry smiled slightly. "Find out who took the kill shot. Find out what the Hell Morgan was playing at and if Crowther knew anything. Keep me informed."

Ros nodded, "I'll take that as a yes." She turned, walking away as Adam watched his friend. He really wasn't sure she was right to be so confident.

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