The security feed was black and white but the images clear and John leaned closer to peer at the group that had gathered in the bar.
"Well?" Henry urged, perching on the chair beside him.
"Pass." John sighed sat back from the bank of screens. He looked up at the man beside him and raised his eyebrows hopefully.
Ustin nodded and frowned as he watched the feed. "(They've arrived early.)" He confirmed with a shrug, "(Some have travelled far. I guess they booked in for the night so they could be on time in the morning.)" He moved closer and pointed to the screen, naming the scientific colleagues that he recognised.
"(Maybe you should join them.)" Henry mused aloud.
John and Ustin turned to him.
Henry shrugged, "(You're still wired. All you have to do is have a drink with your buddies.)"
Ustin frowned in concern and glanced back at the images.
"(They already know you're here.)" John added, watching the unease on Ustin's face growing. "(What's wrong?)"
"(I …)" Ustin sighed and closed his eyes. "(It seems like taking one chance to many.)" He looked down at John. "(I am afraid.)"
John smiled and reached out to place his hand on Ustin's arm. "(We'll be here.)"
Ustin seemed uncertain as to the reassurance this offered.
"(If you get scared, go to the bathroom and make a run for it.)" Henry suggested.
Ustin glanced at him and seemed to be weighing up his options. "(And what happens when The Hood arrives and reads my thoughts?)"
John had no answer.
Henry frowned in concern.
Ustin mumbled a few choice expletives under his breath and turned to wander from the office. Stepping over the unconscious guards that had tried to defend the security room, he reached the door and paused for a moment. "(I hope this is worth it.)"
John nodded in reassurance and watched Ustin leave.
"He has a point." Henry mused.
John sighed and nodded slowly.
"If Trangh reads him - "
"I know."
Henry watched John in concern and shook his head. "But … then again … maybe we'll get a lucky break …"
John chuckled softly. "Yeah. There's always that."
Henry switched on the wire receiver and they heard Ustin ordering a glass of vodka. Turning to the security feed they saw him at the bar and watched as he wandered across the room to his group of friends.
Easy conversation came over the link and John glanced at Henry as they listened together. Ustin had the spy game sorted. He used names where perhaps old friends would not and made sure he was looking at those he was addressing.
John scribbled the names down and cross-checked them on the laptop, confirming the identity of six of the scientists who had been drawn from across Europe. Genius professors in various fields who were now discussing the rising price of alcohol and the assorted array of complimentary toiletries in their bathrooms. John smiled and glanced at Henry.
"Fascinating." Henry chuckled, "We should have made this thing two-way so we could prompt him. Can you ring him, or something? I don't much fancy sitting here listening to the soap debate all night."
John laughed.
"Muppets …" Henry sighed.
"Reassuringly normal." John countered.
"Not at all like your bloke, then."
John frowned.
"Hackenbacker." Henry grinned, "Mad as a March hare." He turned to John and saw the confusion and unease in his eyes. "Oh, I looked up some of your Prof's recorded seminars once." His smile returned, "Eccentric doesn't quite cover it."
John smiled fondly and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm surprised he's not part of all this." Henry nodded towards the live video footage. "Mind like his…"
John considered this for a moment. "He was busy with other things, I guess."
"And no doubt kept out of the loop deliberately." Henry surmised, "If they've stolen his designs and stuff."
John nodded. They both then turned their attention back to the security feed and listened in concern as Ustin excused himself from the group. They watched him cross the bar and head for the bathroom.
John changed camera angles and tried to see what might have spooked Ustin. There was no one new in the bar and he frowned in concern.
"(Apparently Trangh's on his way down.)" Ustin suddenly whispered over the link. "(I hope you know what you are doing, John.)"
There was no security camera in the cloakroom and John closed his eyes, well able to imagine the scientist taking a moment to gather his thoughts. He took a chance and grabbed Henry's phone, scrambling the signal and entering the number.
"(Hello?)"
"(Ustin. It's me. We're here, okay? We're right with you,)" John stated softly, "(But it's your call. If you want out then we'll understand.)"
"(Okay.)" Ustin agreed, taking a deep breath. "(Thank you.)"
John signed off and watched the feed as Ustin wandered back into the bar. And then something caught Ustin's attention and he turned towards the entrance to the bar.
John's heart was racing as he changed angles and saw the three men that were wandering in from the lobby. He frowned and watched the three of them in interest. And then he suddenly recognised the shorter man in the centre of the trio.
Henry leaned in closer and frowned in intrigue.
The men were smartly dressed and business-like. They spotted Ustin and nodded a polite greeting. Ustin welcomed them merrily and headed towards the bar, offering to buy the group a drink.
"Steady, Ustin …" John groaned, "Don't over do it …"
Henry moved even closer to the screen. "That is him. Isn't it?"
John nodded, his heart pounding in his ears as he stared at the balding man. He did seem a little different in his smart suit but his face was unmistakable.
"Professor Andropov. It's good to see you again."
John felt his stomach turn as Ustin turned to Trangh and shook his outstretched hand.
"And you, Mr. Mudhar."
John frowned in confusion.
"Mr who?" Henry sniggered.
"You remember my business partner, Mr Singh?" Trangh continued, introducing the Indian man on his left and pausing as Ustin greeted the man warmly. "And this is my accountant, Mr Barclay."
Henry entered the names into the laptop and watched the computer begin its search.
"It's good to work with you again." Trangh offered lightly, "It's been … what … almost ten years?"
Ustin nodded. "I am excited about tomorrow, Mr Mudhar." He agreed.
"Indeed. Indeed."
John stared in confusion at the screen.
"Here!" Henry announced suddenly, reading through the file that had been called up. "Raja Mudhar, multi-billionaire from Malaysia." He turned the laptop to show John the file.
John stared at the photograph of the Hood smiling smugly and his head was spinning. "What's he done? Assumed his identity or something?"
"Seems like it." Henry shrugged, "All the files are linking up to these. There's nothing on a 'Trangh Belagant' any more." He entered in more commands and shook his head in disbelief. "He's gone. Completely."
"How the hell …" John turned back to the video feed and watched Ustin chatting easily to the business-like alias of the very man he had been terrified to bump into. "Shit."
"What?" Henry looked up from the laptop.
"He's controlling him. He must be."
"Hey?"
"The Hood!" John urged in a sudden panic, "Ustin hasn't recognised Trangh but instead this image he's projecting."
Henry turned to the security footage and gasped in horror.
"Shit!" John closed his eyes and thumped the arm of his chair. "How could I have been so stupid! He's probably reading him right now and getting our position and - "
"Crap!" Henry closed the laptop and stood quickly. "Then let's get the hell out of here!"
John got to his feet and then suddenly paused. He turned back to the screens and watched in fascination.
"John!" Henry urged, stepping closer and grabbing his arm.
"No." John shook his head slowly. "This might be our only chance."
"To what? Get caught? No, John. We have to go. Now!"
John shrugged from his grip and shook his head more firmly. "No. We have to do something."
"Yeah." Henry laughed nervously, "Scram!"
"No. He's here. It's taken so long and - "
"John, snap out of it! This place is probably heaving with his thugs." Henry moved closer to him and grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face him. "We need to call in the feds and Interpol and my guys. Every damned organisation in the world! We'll get him."
"But - "
"Move!" Henry grabbed John's arm and dragged him across the office.
The security room sat behind the reception desk and Henry paused at the door. He peered out into the empty lobby, his heart in his throat.
"He'll know." John urged in a whisper, "Henry, he'll see us!"
Henry turned back to him and considered this for a second.
John pulled his gun from the waist of his trousers and flicked off the safety.
Henry groaned in dismay and closed his eyes. "Fine." He drew his weapon, "But only as a last resort. Our priority is getting the hell out of here."
John nodded and followed Henry out past the reception desk. They made their careful way into the lobby and decided to make their way through to the kitchens and exit from the back of the hotel.
Henry reached the door on the far side and spun back, gasping as he saw that John had paused in the centre of the lobby.
John stared into the bar. Hidden from view by the leaves of a huge, ornate palm that sat on the lobby's central podium, he watched Trangh wandering further into the bar and greeting the scientists. They welcomed him eagerly and their reaction seemed to give an answer to one question; that of the apparent identity of their project's secret benefactor.
"John!" Henry hissed urgently.
John glanced back at him and sighed in dismay. This was too good a chance to miss.
Henry watched John raise his gun and take aim. He gasped and launched across the lobby, grabbing John and tackling him to the floor.
The noise of their struggle drew the attention of the bar staff and hotel guests within asJohn tumbled across the marble floor, fighting against Henry's tight grip.
"Henry! I have to!" John grunted with the effort of trying to free himself from Henry's determined grasp.
"No!" Henry argued, his face flushed with exertion and anger.
"Get off me!" John managed to get a hand free and balled it into a fist. The punch found it's mark and Henry was stunned and winded. John felt Henry's grip lessen and took the chance. He clambered to his feet and collected his gun from where Henry had made him drop it.
"NO!"
John was startled by the sudden shout and turned to see the man that hurried from the elevator. He stared in horror at the face of the 'ghost' that he had been seeking all this time.
"(You should not be here!)" The man declared worriedly, his lined face full of panic. "(I warned you!)" He urged, "(Why did you not listen?)"
"What?" John husked, aware of the people gathering at the entrance to the bar and watching the scene in interest.
"John!" Henry rolled onto his knees and caught John's gaze. He pointed urgently to the man and then tapped at his neck.
John frowned in confusion and turned back, seeing now the gauze dressing partially hidden under the man's collar. Realisation hit and, as the man rushed at him, he lifted his gun.
The man slid to a halt and quickly raised his hands. "(You were supposed to be gone.)" The man said again, closing his eyes and hanging his head. "(I am so sorry.)"
John's frown grew as he saw the man's shoulders droop. He stepped forward, intrigued.
And the lobby was then engulfed in an explosion.
Tbc …