Dimitri walked into the briefing room with the tingle of intrigue he always got when a new operation began. He knew there was something happening with the Chinese, that Ruth had gotten called back to the Grid after having left early with Harry yesterday. Dimitri had been working on cultivating a Chinese asset himself, but it was still early days for that. But maybe he'd be able to help, depending on what needed to be done. He and Beth had just been talking about the progress they'd each been making on that front.
"We've had a code red Border Agency report," Harry said, sitting down at the head of the table in the meeting room.
"The UKBA database has flagged up three high-level CSS operatives entering the country yesterday on fake British passports," Lucas added.
Ruth took over. "These three are a Chinese State Security undercover cell. They're an aggressive unit that specialize in assassinations and high-level industrial espionage."
"There's no precedent for this, so we have to assume it's something important," Lucas then explained.
"And their cover identities are due to leave the country in three days."
Harry nodded. "So whatever they want, they want it fast. That's why we need good intel now.
"Sorry, my asset's a slow-burner. She needs more time," Dimitri said regretfully.
"That's not good enough," Harry snapped. "Beth?"
"Kai is very promising. Ideologically, he's committed. And personally. His brother protested at Tiananmen and disappeared," she told them.
Ruth frowned. "Chinese assets are notoriously hard to turn," she said dubiously.
"If there's the slightest chance that we can flip a CSS officer inside the embassy, then we have to take it," Lucas countered, undeterred. "If he needs to be pushed, then you push him. But gently," he cautioned.
"I think I can do it," Beth replied.
"Think?" Harry asked in a low, challenging tone. "Or know?"
The barest hint of a confident smirk appeared on Beth's face. "I can turn him."
Dimitri watched the exchange with a small feeling of pride over Beth. They'd both started at Five right around the same time, having met by chance on that boat from Morocco. And despite a few false starts there, it was incredible to see how she developed as an officer.
And so it was that Dimitri went to the park with Beth to flip Kai while Lucas, Harry, Ruth, and Tariq were on the Grid and in their ears. Dimitri stayed back and watched out for any potential danger while listening in to how Beth was doing. He wanted her to succeed, of course, but he could sense that it wasn't going well. Beth had been so certain and was doing everything perfectly. There was only so much she could do, and sure enough, Kai bolted.
By the time Dimitri and Beth got back to the Grid, Lucas had already started Tariq on planning an operation to break into the Chinese Embassy. Dimitri's first thought was that it was madness. But he liked a bit of madness. They were going to crack the data server and figure out what the Chinese were into.
Dimitri and Lucas got up on the roof and repelled down. Tariq cut the power to the building so they could sneak in through the window. Beth was sitting in a parked car across the way as lookout. Everything was going perfectly well.
And then Kai called. He told Beth that they'd tripped a silent alarm and the Chinese officers were on their way. He guided Dimitri up to the roof to exit without being caught, but Lucas thought ahead. If they both escaped, the Chinese would know someone helped them. So Lucas stayed behind and allowed himself to get caught. Ruth called the police anonymously and reported someone breaking in, adding to the cover. Lucas was arrested, and everyone else went home for the night.
Bright and early—once everything had been sorted by Five to get Lucas out of holding—they were all back in the briefing room.
"Chinese buy the burglar act?" Dimitri asked, sitting down at the table in the meeting room.
"Probably not," Lucas replied. "But I've spent enough of my life in cells, so tell me last night wasn't for nothing."
Ruth answered, "Well, we found something. Took me a while to translate the files." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, as though she had let herself down.
"You speak Chinese?" Dimitri asked, amazed at yet another of Ruth Evershed's talents.
"Mandarin and Wu," she replied. "My Cantonese is horrible," she added with a slightly embarrassed shake of her head.
That made Dimitri chuckle a bit to himself. And he saw a little look on Harry's face as well in response to her words.
Ruth went on, "Once I'd finished, one key word kept cropping up: Amphitrite."
Everyone stared at Ruth, blank. Harry in particular seemed waiting for her explanation, as though he knew she were about to be very clever. Though Dimitri wouldn't have been surprised. Ruth was always clever. Harry knew her longest, of course, and he knew her best. And Dimitri found a strange delight in seeing the way he marveled at her.
"Poseidon's wife," Ruth clarified, as though that helped the situation at all. "Goddess of the seas."
"Ruth read Classics at Oxford," Harry explained.
Again, Dimitri had to try his best not to be so obvious about his amusement. Quite the pair, those two.
"Amphitrite is the code name for a new desalination technology," Ruth continued. "It's super-efficient and ultra-low cost."
Harry was dubious. "Water filtration tech? Would the Chinese really send a top assassination team just for that?"
Ruth picked up the remote and put up a map on the screen. "This is the global drought map. Kenya hasn't had a wet season for four years. And it isn't just a Third World problem. Australia is dry, California…" She pushed another button. "This is what it could look like in thirty years." The image was horrific.
"So whoever can make seawater drinkable gets very rich," Lucas surmised.
"We traced a connection to QMK Technologies," Ruth said, flipping pages in her file to get the information she needed. "They're a biotech company." She pushed another button, changing the screen in front of them. "They're world leaders in desalination technology, and they're based in southwest London."
"This is about more than money. It's about the power to control a basic human need. Empires have been built on less," Harry said gravely. "I'll brief the Home Sec and talk to this QMK." He stood up and left he room, off on his own mission.
The rest of them got up and left as well.
Dimitri went one way and Ruth went another. Lucas checked in with Beth about Kai. Dimitri eavesdropped as he supported and guided her, the way a Section Chief should with new officers. Well, Dimitri himself was a new officer, technically, but he had years of experience with Special Branch. He had his own mentors who had done for him exactly what Lucas was doing for Beth now. It was nice to see. It was nice to be part of a place full of people who were so dedicated to the work they did and who would go out of their way to ensure that everyone around them was just as dedicated and just as able to do the job. And really, it was thanks to Harry that Section D had that kind of feeling to it. Harry set the tone for all of them. Harry was a desk spook now, talking to the politicians and smoothing things over, but he wasn't afraid of rolling up his sleeves and doing things himself when necessary. It was a difficult line to walk, and even after only a few months here, Dimitri could see that Harry walked that line very well. And they were all lucky for it.
Harry left the Grid to see the Home Secretary while Lucas and Dimitri went back to the park with Beth to meet up with Kai. This time it went much better, and Kai joined them at a field station where Tariq met up with them to administer the lie detector test. Kai passed perfectly. And now, finally, they were off.
A little while later, when everyone had returned to the Grid, Harry walked over to Ruth's station with his mobile still in his hand. She and Dimitri paused what they were doing as Harry explained, "Well, QMK stopped just short of patting me on the head and telling me to run along, thankfully. I warned them about the threat to their Amphitrite project, but apparently they're very confident in their security arrangements. Anything from our asset?"
"Beth's got him looking into them," Ruth answered.
"Surely they'd want our help if someone's planning to steal their crown jewels," Dimitri posited aloud.
"Tariq, we need to get into their system and find out more about Amphitrite," Lucas said.
"Their core files are well protected. Couple of days to crack them remotely," Tariq replied. "If we could use a terminal inside their offices, I could upload an instant hack. Bypass the firewall completely."
"So we go in," Harry decided.
Lucas shook his head. "Security's tight. Have you got a list of QMK contractors? 'Cause we'll need to borrow an identity."
"Got it," Tariq said. "There's cleaners, temps…"
"No, someone with higher access," Lucas instructed.
"Translator, starts tomorrow," Tariq offered.
"Perfect," Lucas said, satisfied.
Tariq read off his data sheet. "Name's Kendra Scott. Speaks French, German, Arabic, and Mandarin."
Everyone turned their heads to Ruth.