Hi thanks to those who are still reading and my loyal reviewers and those who are following. Despite working from home during the lockdown time still seems limited but thought I'd post this latest. Hope everyone is well in these strange times.

Although it sliced through all the usual undercover protocols the contents of the Jed delivered bombshell, combined with the equally urgent need to advise of the complications in securing All's marriage to Aaisha, meant that Harry had decided that the simplest way to convey these messages with absolute clarity was to hold a briefing in the central sitting room that formed the buffer zone between his bedroom and Ruth's. A generously spaced distance of some twenty metres that, from the point of view of his own personal desires, could just as easily have meant him walking five hundred miles and then five hundred more.

Assembling the team surreptitiously had not been easy. Malcolm was no problem. Suited and booted he could wander the corridors at will, presenting the appearance of an executive of some indeterminate description, and anyway one of Malcolm's advantages as a spook was that no one ever really noticed him. The others, who radiated more presence had been trickier. Ros had been summoned on the pretext of outlining future arrangements, while Danny, in his role as bar tender, had been ordered to deliver a pot of fresh coffee to the occupants of the suite. Zoe had been required to attend Ruth to discuss the various leisure options available to the female guests, while Adam always had the excuse of some piece of urgent repair needing attention. The latter who ambled in some ten minutes late clanging a bag of tools on the floor, "Sorry Harry but I thought I'd best make this look like a genuine call out', had ensured that the only thing in the room actually requiring immediate maintenance was Harry's temper.

Given the risk of having all his team assembled in one room, Harry had no time to waste in issuing a reprimand, so a glare in Adam's direction had to suffice, an action accepted by Adam with his usual aplomb as he rested on the sill with his back against the window. Clearing his throat Harry commenced,

"This is an important update. We have two major issues and plans to negotiate. Firstly due to the need to avoid uncle forcing his daughter into marriage with either Ali or a groom unacceptable to both Zahra and the British state we have a plan which Ruth will explain briefly."

As this was the third time within two hours that Ruth had been charged with describing this scheme she was beginning to wish she'd approached Malcolm with a view to organising a podcast. The potential peril to national security, should it be leaked, offsetting the potential risk of laryngitis. Since it was a little too late to amend this lack of forethought, in an action copying Harry she also cleared her throat, 'This is the situation and ….'

Malcolm and Harry, already aware of the details, were viewing with interest the reactions of the other four to Ruth's exposition, delivered crisply and clearly. Ros, expressionless, Danny a combination of puzzled and grinning, Zoe admiring but questioning, and Adam wearing whatever facial arrangement could be attributed to laid back. Notably no one seemed inclined to question why it was thought so important to extract Zahra.

Just in case that was anyone was housing that private thought, once Ruth ceased to speak Harry retrieved the verbal baton, "To remind everyone, the requirements of the state are to promote by all realistic means a more tolerant attitude in the province."

Alone among the group it was Danny who dared to ask, "But surely it is realistic to assume Zahra is just as likely to promote that as Aaisha."

Harry preparing to fry Danny for defiance was superseded by a sharp intervention from Ros, "That is no doubt correct. The problem is that her father would retain a dominant position as father in law whereas with Aaisha…." Normally contradicting one of the resident members of a hostile Section D would not have won her any friends, but in this instance Zoe was nodding her agreement with Ros, while Adam and Malcolm were not inclined to become involved.

"Thank you Ros. This brings me to the other reason I've risked a group Briefing… ' This reason, whatever it was, remained hidden due the carrying sound of a firm rap on Ruth's bedroom door,. As the hinges were silent it was only when Aaisha's voice echoed through enquiring, "Hey Ruth are you in here?", that they received confirmation that their privacy was about to be breached.

Everyone froze as Harry nodded to Ruth to head into her bedroom, indicating with a pointed finger that the others should seek refuge in his bedroom, the slight sound of their movement being masked as Ruth called out, "Just coming." Ros however ignoring instructions followed Ruth, earning a scowl from Harry, impotent to detain her.

Once in Ruth's room Aaisha taking note of the extra personality present exclaimed, "Ah Ms Marsden I hope you didn't mind, but as you were absent from the desk I took the liberty of checking Ruth's room number." The question implying that some explanation was required. While Ros was still preparing her response she was astounded when Ruth with an artless smile advised her friend, "I asked to consult with Ms Marsden as to whether the leisure services officer could lay on an exclusive exercise or swimming session for ourselves and Zahra." Helpfully Ros, picking up on this waded in helpfully. "I think we can meet the requirements although I will need to check. Tell me would you also like an exclusive session in the sauna as well?" Ruth making a pretence of considering asked Aaisha, "What do you think?"

"Well I'd be okay with it but not sure if Zahra…" Pausing, before remembering that Ms Marsden had also witnessed the events surrounding Zahra's arrival. As if to reassure her doubts Ros with the sketch of a smile commented, "I quite understand, and you can assure Zahra's protectors that the area will be private and women only." With that said she made her excuses, "I'll await your advice about times and any more exact requirements." Departing with a firm snap of the door to trek the physically taxing few feet down the corridor into Harry's bedroom where the rest of the team were hunkering down in spook silence. In the absence of conversation Ros was using the time to consider. When the Section D representatives had claimed that the analyst was good in the field Ros had suspected that this was merely a ganging up to defend one of their own against the newcomers. She had been even more surprised, not withstanding her recently acquired opinion of Harry's experience and expertise, at his judgement in giving Ruth Evershed such a prominent role, seemingly on the sole basis of her previous friendship with Aaisha. Now Ros was wondering no more. Indeed if Harry didn't watch out Six would be poaching her: field skills, languages, analyst, the woman had it all – although the mystery as to what the hell was going on between her and Harry remained.

This, in conjunction with any other speculations, was terminated by a knock on Harry's door, forcing him to jerk his head as they all melted back into the central room thus leaving them sandwiched between two set of intruders. All that was other than Adam, whom Harry indicated was to remain. Rather than invite the unknown party outside to enter, the instant the last of his operatives had whisked out of the room – he must ask Malcolm to fit up a small camera outside the entrance to his quarters and those of Ruth – Harry opened the door to greet a very nervous looking Ali, who immediately began with an apology. "I'm sorry but this is a little awkward."

Reflecting that with a group of spooks trapped behind the opposite wall Ali didn't know the half of it, Harry ushered him in with the reassuring advice that, "Dealing with awkward is in my job description. "

Adam standing at the other side of the room apparently examining a faulty window catch applauded Harry for that rare statement from a spy, the exact truth, although in this instance the real truth was that awkward meant dealing with melding the agents from Five and Six together in a very delicate operation, alongside with the addition of whatever was relationship existed between himself and Ruth.

Ali in entering cast a glance at Adam leading Harry to enquire, 'Is that window fixed?' to be greeted with the response, "I think I've dealt with it for now but will need to come back later to check." Vanishing out of the door, Adam hurried around the exterior of the building to locate the window he'd secretly opened on his earlier visit to create an emergency access point to the middle area between the two bedrooms. Scrambling across the sill, aided by a friendly hauling from Danny and Malcolm, once they'd identified that the potential intruder, he noted that two women were headphone clad and listening in. Just to add to the overcrowding as Adam was straightening up, after a cursory examination of his trouser knees and wincing from the bruising likely to result from Danny's firm grip on his wrists, Ruth also entered, having obviously persuaded Aasiha to depart. Within a few seconds they were all joining Zoe and Ros, as the entire group sat around a couple of laptops, looking like nodding dogs in a car.

Harry having ushered Ali to a seat an offered him coffee, which was refused just as politely, sat back and waited. Ali, if not embarrassed seemed a little stressed for which Harry could not exactly blame him, given the problems events of the last few hours had presented. Events it transpired that Ali needed to discuss.

"Mr Pearce I appreciate the plan to remove Zahra and I'm very willing to agree to it but …. " A pause while he tried to consider the next step, helped out by Harry saying "Obviously something is troubling you so please no need to be delicate." Permission given Ali explained, "As Ruth has probably told you with my father being terminal Aaisha and I will have to return to my home earlier than planned. However we but won't be able to do so immediately as we do have matters to wind up and, well frankly, I need to be sure that Aaisha can have a meaningful role, she's very independent and…."

Harry nodded, "I do understand. I work with many women who would not be happy with the type of confinement say your uncle supports."

Back in the spook room a chorus consisting of Ros, Ruth and Zoe was muttering, 'You don't say', grateful that despite his temper Harry did at least eschew some of the patronising attitudes exhibited elsewhere in the service. If you were employed in Section D it was because you were good, not because you were a token female. Adam meanwhile was considering his wife, who had been extracted from a not dissimilar suffocating environment, while Malcolm simply dealt with everyone alike. Consequently the sympathy emanating under the door was all with Ali, as it would seem was Harry's.

Harry waited - he thought he knew what Ai was going to say but second guessing was not perhaps advisable – one never knew.

"Exactly and so when my uncle finds he's been tricked he'll return in fury before Aaisha and I can arrive. With my father so ill I'm concerned about what my uncle may persuade his followers to undertake."

Harry was correct in his earlier surmise as he hurried to reassure the young man in front him, "That factor has been considered. Let me just say that I'm sure we can find grounds to both delay your uncle and also a word in a few quarters should help you and Aaisha expedite your new arrangements, if that is agreeable."

Ali looking relieved was privately reckoning that Fazian had been correct re the actual status of Harry, smiled, "Very well, I'll accept your word but I suspect it might be as well if I remain in ignorance." Standing up to leave he added, "Just let me know about anything I need to be aware of."

Harry ever the emollient when it suited him replied, "Of course."

Once Ali had departed Harry shot straight back into the room to greet his staff, "I assume you all heard that."

It was Ros who answered, "Yes but how exactly are you going to detain uncle?"

"That comes back to the second point I was going to raise before the various disturbances, Malcolm?"

Malcom the understated, surveying his audience advised them. "The reason for this Briefing is due to what Jed overheard in the woods and recorded."

Danny irresistibly asking, "You mean Jed actually managed to do his job correctly."

Harry responded to this snide assertion with an icy voice. "For the benefit of all here, Jed despite his previous questionable conduct remains one of us, and is proving to work better in his new department. In this instance he ran a personal risk for reasons that will become apparent to record the conversation that Malcolm has translated. So again with no interruptions Malcolm."

Danny reproved and alerted, as they all were by the very serious tone of Harry, turned to Malcolm. Having been given the nod by Harry and wanting to avoid further delay Malcolm followed the order.

"We now have an added complication in that while we, with the connivance of Ali, Aaisha, Faizan and Zahra, are trying to fool uncle, he in turn with the connivance of his henchmen has decided to take his own steps to prevent Ail and Aaisha marrying."

With total silence in the room he continued, "He is intending to solve the problem by killing Aaisha."

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