Disclaimer etc, see previous chapters. And the line in the first paragraph belongs to the very fine movie Snatch, which I also don't own.


Chapter 21 - London

As Vaughn gazed out his window, words from one of his favorite movies drifted through his mind. Yes, London. You know: fish, chips, cup 'o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fucking Poppins... He had been to London briefly during his time with the CIA, but his stay there was either a stop over in Heathrow or a short mission. The sky was a stormy grey, as if threatening to erupt at any moment. There was something mystical about the sky, how many shades of grey it could produce.

"Hey Mike, get your stuff together. We are getting off in a moment" George nudged him, bringing him back to earth.

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The cruised through the terminal, pulling their small suitcases along behind them. Dressed in a suit for the first time in months, Vaughn felt like he was truly back in familiar ground. There is something powerful about wearing a suit and tie. People turned their heads to glance and the powerful looking group and Vaughn felt as if he was beginning to understand how Sydney felt sometimes when people stared at her.

The reached the taxi berth to find a man dressed in a sharp black suit standing next to two large Mercedes.

"Logan!" the man called out upon spotted them.

Logan waved and the rest followed as Logan strolled over to the man in black.

"Henry, long time no see! May I introduce Michael, Alex, Lily, George, Carl and Simon. Guys, this is Henry McPherson from British Intelligence"

Henry beamed as he shook their hands. He had a gentle demeanor and soft eyes, more like someone's grandfather than a spy. But Vaughn had learnt over the years that appearances could be very deceiving. "Welcome to London! Come, I'll take you to head quarters"

They divided themselves between the two grand cars and were soon on their way.

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Their windows were blacked out, preventing them from seeing the route they were taking "for security reasons". The ride was quick, though, and soon they were filing back out of the cars. The exchange of data would occur at the Secret Service head quarters. However, to prevent the duplication of data which could be transferred into the wrong hands, teams would simply borrow from each other over the next two days in order to compile profiles and plans.

They were escorted into the main office, where the room was filled with the buzzing of computers and the chatter of the agents. Vaughn was introduced to several agents whose names he would never remember, except for one.

"Michael, this is Brian Flatly"

Brian was a man in his early sixties, with a balding head and piercing eyes. "Michael Vaughn? I believe I knew your father, William"

He had Vaughn's attention immediately. "My father?"

"Yes, quite a few years ago now. He was here for a week on some top secret mission. We took him out for a night on the town, had a great laugh. I heard what happened to him" he trailed off, his eyes downcast.

"He was a good man" Vaughn replied, slightly uncomfortable.

"Very much so" Brian replied, a gentle smile forming over his face. Vaughn could almost see a memory pass through his mind as the older man's smile grew.

The group were escorted to a large boardroom, where they quickly set up. Logan quickly divided work amongst the group and they set about, emerged in their tasks.

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"You know what the worst thing is?"

"What George?"

"We fly all this way and the best they can do for lunch is takeaway Indian"

"It's good Indian"

"That's not the point"

"George, they could provide a gourmet feast and you would still find something to complain about it"

"Lil? Shut up"

"Only because you know I'm right"

"Children!" Logan interrupted. "We are going to be stuck in here for at least another five hours. Can we at least be civil?"

"I am being civil!" Lily and George protested at the same time.

Vaughn sniggered, taking another mouthful of his butter chicken. Cabin fever was taking over the group and knew that a fight was imminent.

"What if I promise to take you out tonight??" Logan suggested.

Every pair of eyes in the room lit up and turned in his direction.

"Are you serious?" Vaughn asked, thinking that it was all too good to be true.

"If the US government are going to send us to the middle of Algeria and then lock us inside for a day, I'm sure they can find it in their hearts to allow us out for one night. I got clearance before we left. Plus Phil even gave me a generous allowance"

"How generous?" George asked, a cheeky look in his eye

"Generous" Logan replied with a grin.

With that news, everyone seemed quite content to continue working.


Well everyone enjoyed the party earlier in the story, I thought I would have another one! Beers all round!