Honolulu

Hawaii

Steve was enjoying his leave. He got up fairly late around eight am and started his days with a five-mile run on the beach followed by a five-mile swim in the sea. He took his time to enjoy the sea breeze on his heated skin as he ran and the feel of the salty water when he swam. Then a late breakfast and just hanging around in the house or maybe having a beer or two while sitting outside in the lanai watching the waves. Free from a strict schedule or any responsibilities, his mind was at peace and his body was relaxed. He knew this inner calm and peace would only last until his next deployment, but he had learned to make maximum use of the free time to just bask in it, whenever he was on leave.

He had been reconnecting with his dad as well. Since the passing of their mother, it had only been Steve, his sister Mary and their dad. He and his sister had been teenagers when the tragedy struck and they hadn't had the easiest time since then. His dad, John, had become withdrawn and buried himself in work. Mary had left a year later, when she turned 14, to live with their aunt Deb in the mainland. And Steve had just plowed through, losing himself in his studies. The moment he turned 18, he had announced his intention to enlist in the Navy. His dad hadn't been happy; a veteran himself and an active duty police officer, he hadn't wanted to see his only son joining the military. But Steve had stood firm by his decision. In the end, his dad had given his blessing and secretly enlisted his best friend from his military days, Joe White, to keep an eye on his son. Steve had only found out about it after he'd made Lieutenant. When Steve had returned from his first deployment, his dad had been much different. He had actively been trying to spend time with his son and talk to him. They had been slowly repairing the rift that had been there between them since the death of Doris McGarrett. Even Mary had started visiting soon after.

It'd been ten years now since he had first joined the Navy and Steve found that he looked forward to his leave more and more these days, which allowed him to spend time with his family.

...

Steve was in the shop, buying the stuff he needed to go spearfishing with his dad the coming weekend when he received the call. The prefix belonging to the Pearl-Hickam Base on the screen of his phone sent a chill down his spine; a premonition of something gone wrong.

Base CO's Office

Pearl Harbor-Hickam Base

Hawaii

Thursday

Steve sat outside the office of Admiral H. Morrison. It was late evening but the base looked lively with personnel on corridors striding back and forth purposefully. Steve had had just enough time to head home after aborting his shopping and change into a uniform, before driving here to present himself for an urgent meeting with the Admiral. He had shown up fifteen minutes early and had been escorted by the Admiral's peppy PA to a waiting area. Now, sitting on the rather comfortable chair, twirling his service cap in one hand, he was beginning to wonder whether this was going to be the end of his leave.

"You may enter now, Commander McGarrett. The Admiral's ready for you." He entered the office as directed after knocking once firmly on the door.

"Lieutenant Commander, please take a seat."

Taking the offered seat as ordered, he was somewhat relieved to see, his immediate Supervisor, Commander Joe White was also there for the meeting.

"There's been an attack," Admiral Morrison began without preamble.

"Here's the initial investigation report." He handed a file to Steve, who noticed that his CO was also holding a copy of what looked the same.

"The location, that nondescript building you are looking at, used to be a CIA black site in Libya. And the photos that follow, were taken about a week ago. There was apparently an explosion and when the responders reached there, within about fifteen minutes, that was all that was left. The CIA and the NI had been investigating the attack and the aftermath together." Morrison paused.

He was letting Steve catch up on the report as he explained the situation. Joe White was staring pensively; Steve had a feeling he already knew the whole story.

"This was where the Hesse brothers and Wo Fat were being held," Steve guessed. He couldn't think of any other reason for him to be here reading about a disintegrated CIA black site.

"Yes." Replied the Admiral. "All the intel they'd been getting was being sent to CIA HQ and Naval Intelligence Command here at Hickam. So we didn't lose any of that. It was mostly details about the arms dealing and smuggling empire the brothers were part of. The other individual was proving rather difficult and very resistant to any form of persuasion,"

Morrison delicately worded the fact that the CIA and the NI had been torturing them for information. Steve couldn't bring himself to care. The terrorists were in the business of war, death, and destruction and they were in the business of stopping those terrorists.

"But we were getting reports saying that our people were confident that they were making headway with the guy when this happened. There were twenty-eight of our people there and it's already been confirmed that they were all present at the site, at the time. Not even a single bone was recovered in the aftermath."

"Jesus! Do we know what caused this Sir? What kind of a bomb was it?"

Steve was horrified at the destruction he was seeing on the images he had gotten in his report. There was absolutely nothing left but blackened and razed earth. He would never have guessed that there'd been a building there. He was wracking his mind to think of anything that could cause this scale of destruction but was coming up empty.

"Hmm... You see lieutenant, we are still trying to figure that out and that's where you come in."

The Admiral turned to Commander White, who took it as his queue to continue from where the Admiral left off.

"When they were analyzing the samples from the blast site, they came across something unusual. They found traces of an unidentified substance, which they guessed belonged to the explosives that were used. In itself, it didn't raise any flags. Sometimes the chemical reactions that happen in an explosion of this scale tend to leave traces of this sort behind. Their words, not mine. So they kept running more tests and kept on hitting walls. And that started raising flags. Finally, one of the investigators, who was involved in the investigation of the explosion of those choppers back in Afghanistan, noticed something,"

He indicated the relevant page on the report so that Steve could see where he was going with this.

"The same traces. But like, ten times more in quantity was used to blow up the black site." Steve summarized the report skipping the technical jargon and the chemical formulae.

"Oh!" The implication hit him in full force.

"So, a tiny bomb for the choppers and a larger one for the building, with some out-of-scale eradication qualities. Same unknown explosives. And since none of our known military branches or private contractors use anything even remotely similar to this stuff, it leaves only one explanation. It's the same bad guys. So, yeah. Oh." Joe White recounted succinctly.

"So far, the only other people involved in this, apart from us and the CIA, is this SGC. And since it was their chopper that was targeted in the first place, we are assuming they probably have some idea about who is behind this. This is starting to look like a case of the right hand not knowing what the hell the left hand is doing. So I have taken the liberty of contacting General Jack O'Neill and informed him of the situation. He agrees with me. They are sending a team directly to Libya to access the situation and have requested that we do the same. There is a temporary base close by to the site where all of you are going to be meeting. And all of us will be showing our hands, so to speak, and try to get to the bottom of this mess." Admiral continued.

"You are here because you will be the liaison for the NI for this meeting. You have been involved in this on our end from the beginning and you know everything up to the point of their capture. It was your op. And I was told Agents Kalakaua and Noshimuri will be joining from CIA because they'd been involved in data analysis. And our analysts, Lieutenants Catherine Rollins and William Harrington will be accompanying you to Libya as well." He added further.

Then he looked towards Commander White, who took over to convey the rest.

"SGC is also sending someone you know from their end. I expect that you will get past any misunderstandings between the two of you and be able to work together professionally?"

The last bit was clearly an order disguised as a pointed question.

"I met the Major about a week ago, Sir. We've had a chance to talk. We are good." Steve replied; his face carefully neutral.

Joe White raised an eyebrow at that but didn't comment.

"Alright then. I hope that this will lead us towards whoever these people are. These sorts of things cannot be allowed to go on. Too many of our people are dying and we don't know who or what is responsible. I find that highly unacceptable. And the SGC General feels the same. Commander White will fill you in on the details of the rest of your team and your deployment. I wish you good luck, Commanders. Go find them and give'em hell."

Admiral Morrison directed both of them and brought the meeting to an end.

"Yes Sir."

They were both dismissed with that order and both Steve and White stiffened to attention before taking their leave from their Superior Officer.

...

"Well, Steve, here's another file. You will find all that's been pouring out of the brothers and Wo Fat during their short stay with us in it. You should grab something to eat and then sit down with those two analysts to go through everything. There's a chance you might spot something they didn't. Again, their idea, not mine. But I agree. Also, you should know that Williams and Higgins are being flown in as we speak. They should be arriving together, more or less. So you will need to go through the whole thing with them and get them up to speed before we leave."

They were both walking towards the mess hall and Steve was thumbing through the file Joe White had just handed to him. He had the file from the Admiral beneath it.

"Is there anything else Sir?" Steve inquired when he noticed the Commander was giving him a look.

"Yeah. Call your old man. You won't have time to go and see him in person, what with all the briefings you have to do before leaving later tonight. Somewhere around midnight, I think. It's all there in the file. So call him," said the Commander.

"Of course. I will. It's too bad because I was looking forward to going fishing with him this weekend. But I will let him know. He understands," Steve agreed. He did wish that he could go see his father before he had to leave again. But the duty came first and his father did understand.

"That he does. I will be seeing him in a bit anyway. Since I've been here the whole day, I already know what is what. So I have time to go out, have a meal and drink with my buddy and get back."

They had both reached the entrance to the mess hall. But Joe White was still scrutinizing Steve with a raised eyebrow.

"Sir?" Steve asked in confusion.

"So when were you planning to tell me?" Asked the Commander.

"Tell you what sir?" Steve had an idea what this was about, but he decided to play safe nevertheless.

"About meeting your pilot, Steve. The one who was supposed to be half-dead a few weeks ago? Don't act dumb with me. Tell me, were you being honest when you said what you said? Are you sure you are not going to be at the guy's throat the moment you see him, or vice versa?" The Commander inquired quite seriously.

"Yes. Sir. I was honest. We really are good. We won't go at each other's throats at first sight. Or at least, not the way you'd think," Steve replied and grinned mischievously. It just dawned on him that he would be seeing Sheppard again and the thought gave him a happy, fluttery feeling in his stomach.

The goofy look that transformed his face told the Commander exactly how Steve felt about meeting the said pilot so soon after their previous meeting.

Joe white rolled his eyes heavenward as if asking for divine guidance about young love and the means to handle it patiently.

"As long as you can keep your head on the job, Steve. Can you do that? Both of you?" Joe White knew the answer, but he asked it anyway.

"Yes. Sir." Steve answered with complete conviction and no trace of humor. Duty always came first.

Satisfied with the reply, the Commander patted the young SEAL on the shoulder and strolled away to find a driver to take him out of the base. He was hungry and he was looking forward to catching up with his friend, Captain John McGarrett, Honolulu Police Department.

...

By 2330 hrs, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules - military transport - took off from Hickam, carrying the group to Libya.

...

They were all seated at the back of the plane as comfortably as they could, for the journey that took about 18 hours. The SEALs, including Commander White, all had several duffel bags each; one for their uniforms and the rest for their kit. They didn't know for sure if the temporary base was equipped with the weapons they might need if they had to deploy on the go or in case of another attack. Therefore they were all carrying their full kit; weapons, grenades, ammo, body armor, comms gear, headgear, and all other specialized equipment with them. They were all in civilian clothes as the base they were going to was not military.

The analysts had their travel bags along with several laptops and other equipment they needed to set up in the temporary CIC at the base with a secure link to their HQ, once they got there.

In the back of the Lockheed, which had the capacity to seat about 90 passengers, Steve somehow found himself sandwiched between SCPO Danny Williams and PO Shane Higgins.

Higgins had his headphones on and was fast asleep with his head banging on the headrest gently in harmony with the shaking and shuddering of the frame of the transport that cruised along at a sedate 300mph at 20,000ft.

...

Danny had been having a great time with his family when he had been rudely snatched away to report back for duty. He had been fuming throughout the entire ride and wasted no time taking it all out on Steve, the moment he met the guy back at Hickam. Steve had patiently listened to the diatribe for twenty minutes straight without uttering a word. When Danny finally wound down, Steve had taken him to the mess hall, gotten him a snack, and taken him to a meeting hall where Higgins was already waiting. Two Intelligence analysts had also joined in after introducing themselves and they had given a brief report of what they'd been doing; namely analyzing the intel from the Hesse duo and the other guy. Then Steve had briefed them all together about the attack and the aftermath, followed by the purpose of the meeting they would all be participating in Libya. Although still angry at having to cut his leave short, Danny knew the uncertainties that came with the job. The case was serious enough and at the end of the day, he accepted that it was an important mission. And was glad that he was tagging along with Steve.

All that being said, he found no reason not to entertain himself when he had the chance and time to kill. So he was surveying the crowd with intent. The silent drama he was beginning to notice was intriguing, therefore very much needed a second opinion.

"Ok, so Catherine Rollins and William call-me-Billy Harrington are not shacking up together. Nope. Definitely not. It shows you how the first impressions can be wrong sometimes." He presented his theory to McGarrett, who was staring into the distance looking bored. The guy was clearly in need of proper brain stimulation.

"What are you talking about?"

Steve had apparently been miles away, judging by the owlish look he was giving Danny.

"Those two, there; to our just after 2 o'clock. The Lieutenant analysts - you know them, yeah?" Danny was pointing with his head, trying not to be too obvious about it. They were seated far enough away from the Lieutenants, making it possible to talk without them overhearing.

"I don't know them, Danny. I just met them today. How the hell would I know if they're together? And most importantly, why should I give a damn?" Steve was murmuring a bit heatedly.

'Hmm, must have been some nice daydreaming that I interrupted,' Danny reflected.

"Well, Steve. I think you should definitely know. You see, when I first saw them in that meeting room, I noticed that Billy boy had eyes only for her. He was smiling every time she opened her mouth to talk. And a couple of times even when she yawned. I thought I saw her return the smiles and the googly-eyes, but wasn't sure. But now I am. She is definitely not reciprocating," said Danny triumphantly. Ok. Now the SEAL was looking at him like he was spouting string theory. He needed to simplify things. Obviously, the guy's mind was still far away. Danny needed to get his audience to engage properly.

"Because babe, the smiles and the googly-eyes are being sent your way. She's been eye-humping you at regular intervals while talking shop with Billy boy since we took off from Hickam," Danny clarified with a toothy grin.

Then he watched the young SEAL giving a sideways look discreetly to see for himself. Sure enough, she sensed him looking and gave him a sunny smile before turning back to continue the conversation she was having with her colleague.

Steve sighed and rubbed his face. He did not need to know this. Now he was going to have to be extra self-conscious when he had to talk to the woman. He did not need to give her any more ideas or encouragement.

"Yeah. That's what I've been trying to tell you. You're welcome." Danny was grinning happily at his successful wingmanship.

"That wasn't in any way helpful, Danny. I'm not thanking you," said Steve mulishly, as if Danny had personally advocated her to pine on Steve.

"Hmm... I point out that a beautiful girl who is clearly interested, giving you looks, and you are... irritated? Not the reaction I was looking for, babe."

Steve's response was to flash him a glare, turn towards Higgins, and drop his head on the guy's broad shoulder and pretend to go to sleep. Those big shoulders looked quite comfortable to sleep on, Danny noticed.

"Oh ok. So you are going to be like that hah? Fine, Steve. Keep your secrets. I'll find them out soon enough! You know I can be relentless when it comes to these things. So just better to save yourself the trouble and just tell me, Steve. Steve? Steve?"

No reply from the asshole. Now Danny had to wonder what was going on with him. There were a few million possibilities and the already sleeping SEAL was absolutely not giving away a single clue. And now Danny was getting irritated. He wasn't feeling sleepy yet and he had run out of things to do and people to talk to.

Speaking of.

Well, Joe White was still up. The man was a stick in the mud at best of times, but desperate times...

As if hearing Danny's thoughts, the Commander looked up from the book he was engrossed in and adjusted his reading glasses. Then gave Danny a meaningful glare that promised violence, if he even opened his mouth at Joe's direction. Danny was not stupid; he gave a smile and a nod to his CO to indicate that the message was received and understood. Joe white went back to his reading.

Tilting his head slightly, Danny suddenly noticed what his CO was avidly reading.

"Is that a fucking cookbook ?"

Temporary Command Centre

CIA

Mitiga International Airport (Wheelus Air Base)

Libya

John was tired. He yawned hugely on his way back to the comfy, stuffed sofa that he had claimed earlier. He had his fingers wrapped tightly around the (second? third?) cup of coffee he had been drinking since his arrival here. He sat down with a muted groan and stretched himself fully on the sofa, only just keeping his head up to drink the precious liquid. Bates and Cadman were no better. They had both found similar couches and were huddling with their pick-me-ups. Miko was a different story though. She had disappeared into the CIC the CIA had already set up with her PDA and hadn't been seen ever since. Marshall Sumner had equally disappeared into the office adjoining the CIC, at the invitation of AD (Assistant Director) Charles, CIA HQ, who had briefly popped out upon their arrival to nod at them in greeting. The squirrely-looking lawyer, who had come here with them, carrying a briefcase full of Non-Disclosure Agreements had followed quietly behind the Colonel. The man hadn't bothered to introduce himself and only spoken about two words to Sumner throughout the whole journey. They were probably having another meeting, or maybe there was a better sofa in there that Sumner's currently sleeping on while the lawyer's dictating the NDA to Charles, John let his thoughts wander aimlessly as he sipped his coffee.

...

They had arrived at the Wheelus Air Base, or as it was currently known, the Mitiga International Airport, only about forty-five minutes ago. Although it had been a long time since the USAF had a base here in Libya, the CIA still managed to occupy a smaller area at present under the guise of a civilian branch belonging to NATO. Their mandate thoughtfully reflected that they were here on strictly humanitarian missions; but they had little side ventures such as running undisclosed black sites on the side, apart from the actual humanitarian efforts. The establishment was cozy enough; a three-story moderate-sized building with a pleasantly temperature-controlled interior and decorated with utilitarian but comfortable furniture. The ground floor was designed as a reception area complete with staff manning the area around the clock. The offices involved with humanitarian work were also on the first floor. The next two floors housed the conference rooms, quarters for the staff and visitors, the lounge, an entertainment area, a public dining area, and few storage rooms. They were all decorated with mostly comfort in mind, rather than aesthetics. Mismatched yet stuffed couches in the lounge and the open dining area, strategically and generously placed coffee machines with surprisingly good coffee, were testaments to that.

After being dismissed by Sumner, who disappeared with Director Charles; Sergeant Dean Bates, Captain Laura Cadman, and Sheppard had found themselves being courteously escorted to the dining room for a light but hearty breakfast. Afterward, they had all gathered in the lounge area to try and stay up for the meeting, while trying not to succumb to jet lag and fall asleep. Full tummies, soft couches, and the homey atmosphere were making it harder; hence the copious amounts of coffee they were indulging in.

...

At the end of the reception yesterday, somewhere around five in the evening, John had been called to the General's office along with Cadman and Bates. Sumner had been already present. The General had briefed everybody on the call he had received from Admiral H. Morrison, about the attack and the unusual connection that had popped up during the investigation. He hadn't been heavy on the details though. Just that they were all going to Libya to the site where the attack took place, and that they would be meeting with teams from the Naval Intelligence and the Central Intelligence. O'Neill had then given some instructions to Colonel Sumner regarding the information they could divulge and told him briefly about the guy who'd be joining them to get the NDAs signed. Then the General had turned to Sheppard, pointedly asked him whether he would be able to work with Lieutenant Commander McGarrett because apparently, he had been the one who had led the successful operation that had captured the bad guys. The same bad guys who had been held at the facility that had been attacked. John had confirmed that, yes, he could work with him - in fact, he would look forward to it. John had received several incredulous looks at the declaration that he had borne with a smile without further comment. Jack O'Neill had shaken his head once and dismissed them all with a stern 'play nice.' Just a few hours later, they had all changed into civvies, packed their duffels for a few days worth of uniforms along with their primary and secondary weapons, and hit the road. Then they had reached the Peterson Air Base, bundled into a transport plane, and flown directly here.

...

John was very much looking forward to the whole thing, though. What had brought them together were decidedly horrible circumstances, true; but having the chance to work with Steve again was a nice bonus. He hoped that they'd get some viable leads on the people behind these attacks though. The agents that were taken into custody at the village in Afghanistan and at Parwan were mostly locals who knew nothing. The others were low enough in the 'Collective' hierarchy that they knew nothing of value either. So the SGC was also running out of leads to pursue, much to both Sumner's and O'Neill's disgust. But hopefully, whoever Steve and his platoon had been after had given up some clues.

...

Cadman watched with interest as the group from the Navy finally reached the lounge where they were all waiting. The Spook, aka Mr. Adrian Charles, had popped out, gone straight to the Commander of the group with an extended hand, and escorted him to the same office where he had hidden Sumner and the lawyer earlier. Captain Laura Cadman, Marine Corps, was beginning to wonder whether they were going to have to send a retrieval team for their boss. Looking at Sergeant Bates, she caught him shooting a concerned glance towards the Office Black-hole as well.

'Ah well, the boss is bad-ass. The Navy guy looked like he could kick a couple of asses without breaking a sweat too. So they should be fine. Maybe it's the lawyer who's probably bored them all to death, or something close,' she told herself convincingly. Besides, the new arrivals who were busily introducing themselves were much more interesting.

'Ok, the wonder-twins are definitely the Intelligence analysts. They even have matching suitcases - how cute,' Cadman guessed correctly. Then she cordially introduced herself to the Lieutenants Rollins and Harrington when they reached her together with matching smiles.

But the group of Special Operators held most of Cadman's attention. The three of them couldn't have looked more different even if they had tried. The gentle giant that towered over the whole gathering was carrying four duffle bags and she was sure one of them held a grenade launcher. He had kind brown eyes and a brilliant smile that looked so innocent. But the way he held himself and the corded muscles that were peeking through the halfway folded sleeves of his shirt and the thighs that filled the denim nicely, screamed military to even the most casual observer.

"Hi, Petty Officer Shane Higgins. Demolitions specialist. Navy SEALs."

Cadman thought he bestowed her the best of his smiles.

"Captain Laura Cadman, Marines. Also a demolition specialist." She matched his smile as she shook his hand and was rewarded with a nice ringing laugh. Yep. She was staying close to him and his arsenal, Cadman was determined.

The short guy was the loudest. He barely reached past Higgins' chest, most probably around 5'6"- had short blond hair and pretty blue eyes. She noticed that he had an even prettier smile, and it was currently turned to the full, to completely focus on Sheppard.

"Steve, you rascal! You didn't tell me they were sending this guy. Will you look at him? Looking all pretty for a half-dead zoomie," he exclaimed loudly the moment he saw Sheppard and didn't wait for a reply from anyone. He went straight to him and engulfed John in a bear hug. John was laughing and shaking his head; but was returning the hug with equal vigor.

"Man, you look good." He was resting his hands on John's shoulders, visually inspecting him. "Should have known you'd show up like a bad penny. But it's alright. Even a bad penny is better than no penny." He was now patting Sheppard on the back in a mock consolating manner.

"Oh fuck you, Williams." John recovered enough to return the good-natured ribbing.

Then the newly identified Williams breezed away to introduce himself to Bates, and Cadman turned her attention to the last, but not least, of the group. Obviously the platoon Commander of the SEAL team - Cadman could tell just by the way he held himself.

'Now, that is what I'd call tall, dark, and handsome,' she mentally graded the Lieutenant Commander.

"Hey, how are you?" The quietly murmured greeting carried more weight than a declaration screamed at the top of a mountain. It was followed by a handshake that turned into a half hug which somehow managed to look even more intimate.

Laura Cadman stared. In the periphery, Bates also stared.

"I'm good. How are you, Steve?" An equally husked greeting from Sheppard, who returned the hug with a soft smile that he'd never flashed at anyone before.

Cadman stared some more.

Then the SEAL let go; with a smirk and a wink at Sheppard, turning to greet Bates whom he had met before.

"Sergeant Bates, a pleasure to meet you again." He extended a hand and the usually uptight Bates even unbent enough to conjure up a small fleeting smile, as he returned the greeting.

"Yes, it is Lieutenant Commander. And I must say, the circumstances are much better," said Bates.

Cadman was surprised, but then realized Sheppard's earlier comment at the General, coupled with the greeting they had just witnessed, had something to do with it. Everybody at the SGC had all heard the crazy story around Sheppard. The Marines who were involved in that rescue mission were still somewhat protective over the Major. The gang just hadn't had the time yet to properly corner Sheppard, get him drunk, and get the whole story out of him.

'So, apparently, the man's type is lean, mean, and SEAL. I need to get Vega and arrange something soon after this mission's done to get our Major properly initiated.' Cadman mentally pushed this latest item to the top of her 'list of things to do' when they returned to SGC.

Just as she finished introducing herself to SCPO Danny Williams and Lieutenant Commander McGarrett, the people who were hiding in the CIC decided to join the meet & greet session they had going.

'A matched pair' was the first thought that popped into her head when Cadman saw the agents, Kalakaua & Noshimuri. They both moved with a certain synchronized grace that could only come from years of working together. 'Oh yeah, most definitely a deadly pair,' she confirmed to herself - the confident way they both carried themselves coupled with their Asian good-looks, gave them both an exotic and a deadly competent flair. Miko also joined in, looking blissful at having somebody to finally speak to in her language, Japanese. Noshimuri was kindly indulging the diminutive scientist.

"Hey, why don't we show you guys the dining area? They've got some nice breakfast and coffee," Sheppard suggested when the last of the meet & greet was out of the way.

"Best damn suggestion I've heard so far son - lead the way." The bosses finally appeared from the office and joined the crowd. Joe White was staring expectantly at Sheppard with a crooked smile. Sumner also looked like he could have another breakfast and Charles was nodding along amiably. The lawyer just looked shifty.

"Right this way, Sir." The Major returned the smile and turned to lead the group towards much-needed sustenance. They had a long day ahead of them and they needed to get a move on the job they were all here to do.