7

Beth looked around the small staff room knowing that she had to be believable as a waitress. She knew since her brain injury at the hands of Andrew Lawrence she had struggled with her undercover work and that most other Section Heads and Section Chiefs would have had her decommisioned. She knew Erin would had she been in charge, the brunette had told her as much. Sighing, she checked her appearance in the mirror hoping she wouldn't let Harry and Ros down. A lot was riding on them getting the information they needed. She checked the clock, sighing as she realised it was going to be a very long day.

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"Everything in postion?" Malcolm asked as he stepped into the communications room he and Tariq had set up overnight. He knew the junior technical officer would be insulted if anyone else had asked him the same question. He nodded, looking up to see Calum yawn.

"Keeping you awake, Mr Reed?"

"No, my three year old did last night."

"Is Lily ok?" Tariq asked, genuinely concerned. Calum nodded.

"Yeah, she's going through a phase. Thinks something is going to happen to either me, Catherine or Charlie. I don't know where she got the idea from."

"The daughter of two spooks, the grandaughter of a spook. You think its in her DNA?" Tariq asked. Malcolm rolled his eyes.

"More like she overheard the adults talking. Poor little thing. They are like sponges at that age." Malcolm interjected as Tariq frowned. Calum poured more coffee into his mug hoping that the conversation would be dropped there. If he was honest, it wasn't just his daughter having nightmares about something awful happening to someone she loved. It was a recurring theme with his subconscious too. Like father, like daughter. He turned on the CCTV footage, going through each camera methodically until he was certain he had the views they would need once all the delegates started to arrive. Malcolm sighed heavily, knowing that he would have to keep an eye on his younger friends if the operation was going to go as smoothly as he hoped it would.

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Ros walked through the corridors of Havensworth hotel glancing up at the internal security camera. She winked, knowing that Malcolm would roll his eyes if he saw her. Tariq would blush and well, Calum would just ignore her. She knew they had every public area of the hotel and grounds covered by cameral. Zoe and Catherine were dressed as chambermaids and had successfully bugged the rooms they knew belonged to the suspected illegal arms dealer and the delegations they were concerned about. Joseph Lincoln's room had been the first on her list of people of interest. He knew who she was, so her bugging him would be difficult. She just hoped the new gadgt Tariq had come up with woud make it a lot easier to find out what they needed to know.

"Rangefinder."

"Do not call me that." She shot a look to the camera.

"The rest of the team are in place." Malcolm stated. "I can see Alpha 3 in the courtyard."

"Lucas." Ros nodded, knowing he had been the obvious choice to act as 'bodyguard' to the British Government's Trade Envoy. The odius little man who Lucas and Zaf had to guard wasn't exactly her favourite politician. He reminded her more and more of Penfold from Dangermouse everytime she saw him. The only thing that was at all palatable about the man was that he was willing to work with them. She still didn't trust him and knew Harry felt the same. To her it seemed the current government were better liars than most Spooks she had worked with.

"Yes. Codenames are used for a reason."

"And recycled too often. Drop it, it removes ambiguity." She snapped as she headed out of the main corridor to a fire escape.

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Harry pulled his jacket a little straighter as he thought about the op. The last time he and Ruth had been undercover at such an event all Hell had broken loose. He still had nightmares about Elena and her family trying to destroy him; that Sasha had stabbed Ruth and not Lucas. He closed his eyes, pushing the thoughts aside as he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. Yet again thoughts of the place they were attending made his stomach churn. He and Ruth had been so close back when they had first visited the place. Gossip and Ruth's need to protect him had kept them apart. He sighed, knowing that couldn't happen now but he couldn't help but think that the place was a bad omen for them.

"Penny for them."

He turned, smiling slightly as Ruth appeared in the doorway behind him. She smiled back.

"Overthinking things."

"That's my job."

"And you do it very well." Harry smiled at her as she raised an eyebrow.

"Everyone is in place. Penfold and Lucas."

"You calling him that too now?" HArry smirked. Ruth shrugged.

"Ros called in, it seems Joseph Lincoln has no idea we are there for him. I know he is in this arms deal but there is more to it. I know there is. I can't help thinking."

"Something will go wrong?" Harry nodded.

"I'm going in the field. Since when has that worked out well?" Harry laughed.

"I don't know. I think Adam for one was pleased you were there all those years ago." He stepped towards her. Ruth rolled her eyes.

"I don't think there are many tree branches inside a hotel."

"And it would have to be that place." He looked away. Ruth rested her hand on his arm.

"Its just a hotel. Same as any other."

"Only its not." Harry paused, his eyes locking onto hers. "Is it? That place."

"Is where you saw me have a panic attack. Where I lost the plot. It won't happen again." She straightened her back slightly. "I'm not the same as I was."

"Ruth."

"I mean it, Harry. If you looked at me that way today, I woud not leave you in that corridor with the awful music playing." She watched his eyebrows shoot up, a slight smirk on his face.

"No? What would you do? If that was now?"

Ruth smiled slightly, touching his newly shaved face. "Come on, we're going to be late." She turned leaving the office as Harry swallowed hard before following her.

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