Standing his ground in front of a man that was far younger and considerably fitter than he was, Harry wondered not for the first time, if there was anyone amongst his colleagues, who would be prepared to stand up in a witness box and declare him sane? The only consolation being, that for the moment at least, his head was still intact there was no sign of a gun. Not that it made any difference, far from it, as a supremely confident Lucas handed him the keys to his black Lexus and told him to drive. Whether Dimitri could still see him, or whether Tariq would still able to track him he had no idea, but he had no option other than to do as he was told. Hoping against hope, that at least one of them would be able to get a message to Ros.

With no idea where they were heading and with Lucas seemingly disinclined to tell him, he took the opportunity to absorb the warmth that the car's heater was offering him. Not by any means as cold and as wet as he'd been on the evening when Ros and Dimitri had dragged him across to the rectory, he relaxed for a distance, that he estimated after a quick glance at the dashboard, to be about three miles. At which point Lucas told him to take a sharp right, into what turned out to be a narrow brick - built tunnel, barely wide enough for a car to pass through, terminating on the beach. Difficult enough to spot in daylight, it would surely be impossible now. He might just have well have driven off the planet.

Parking up and knowing that he had no option, other than to continue to do as he was being told, he took in the view such as it was. The vast expanse of water, that despite the darkness looked eerily beautiful, was lapping in gentle waves onto the sand. In any other situation he'd have stayed in the car, closed his eyes and gone to sleep, but with Lucas's demand that he 'keep moving', he handed over the car keys and walked ahead of him. Not an easy thing to do on sand that had tufts of grass and was undulating, as he slipped and slid for what he estimated to be a few hundred yards, until his eyes adjusted to the light and a jumble of concrete walls that had once been a building of some substance appeared in front of him. From the time when this stretch of the coastline had been under threat of invasion was his best guess and somewhere that Lucas knew well. All tied into a time when Lucas had come here as a child presumably, confirmed when he pushed him inside, at which point it became obvious that Lucas had been living here. A camp bed, a makeshift stove and a few supplies, that didn't even up add to basic camping, were the sum total of what Lucas had been reduced to. As opposed to the single envelope that he had in his pocket, which offered Lucas a completely new life. Out of his hands for the moment, although he hoped that this squalor meant that he wasn't misreading the situation and that maybe Lucas would be open to listening to what he had to say, as he was pushed down onto what felt like a wooden packing case.

'Do you ever think back to a time when everything made sense?' Lucas asked him, putting the kettle onto the stove as though this was normal behaviour, and in a tone that implied that Lucas had always known that he'd come back. A meeting that he'd imagined would be taking place in the cottage where they'd had their last conversation, or if not, somewhere far more comfortable. But then of course it was the season and all the cottages would be occupied. Frequently he wanted to tell him but didn't, as Lucas continued to potter around, but never once giving him the chance to take charge of the situation. A role reversal if ever there was one, although it did enhance his belief that Lucas was a victim of circumstance and made him more determined than ever to try and get him to accept his offer.

'My mother used to bring me here when my father was out at one of his so- called business meetings,' Lucas continued, handing him a mug of coffee and the chance to warm his freezing fingers. 'But it took me several years to realised what he was really like. A controlling bully that made her life a misery and probably still does. We had picnics on this beach. I played with other kids. I was happy Harry,' confirmed what he already knew, having seen what a gentle person Lucas's mother was and the fortress of a place that she was trapped in.

'And Vaughan?' He asked him, as the cold and the damp, despite the coffee and the warmth from stove, started to seep up into his body. That and an uncomfortable feeling that if he was going to get out of this, he needed to move things along more quickly.

'Was the first man that I'd ever met that made me feel as though I was worth something, or so I believed at the time. It was only much later, once things started to spiral out of control, that I realised he'd sized me up as an easy target. Someone to do his dirty work. But by then it was too late, I was implicated and not only by association. He also knew too much about me. Not that I ever imagined that he'd turn up on my doorstep and try to blackmail me,' he said. Followed by what felt like a deliberate pause, as Lucas continued to tap his fingers as though he was counting. 'You know the rest Harry, well most of it. I turned myself into Lucas North. I came home and I did everything in my power to do what Lucas would have done. I know that if I tell you I'm sorry that it won't change anything, but I really wish that I'd met you first.'

'Me too,' he told him.

'Then why are you here Harry? Because if you've come to take me in, then forget it. I have no intention of going back to prison,' was a question that he couldn't answer, because for some reason he wasn't able to formulate words anymore. Grasping at straws, anything that would help him, he understood why Ros, detached in a way that he'd never been from his officers, had been so adamant that she should be the one to sort this out. His thoughts turning to Ruth who was waiting for him at home. Ruth who needed him far more than any punishment that the state might throw at him because of his actions, or what Lucas had done to him. Did Lucas know how much she meant to him, and was this the reason that he'd taken her in addition to Catherine? So many questions without answers.

The reality now, being that there was little or no chance that the others would know where he was, never mind burst in to save him. He was on his own. That no one else would be implicated was a good thing wasn't it? Except that as good as their training programme was when it came to hostage situations, he'd rarely been on the receiving end and that putting his hand in his pocket to retrieve the all-important envelope, even if he'd been able too, would have required a very sound explanation. That or end up, with at best a broken nose. If only he could ask Lucas why he hadn't just cut and run when he'd had the chance? What was the missing element? Was it something or was it someone that was holding him back? All became inconsequential, as he tried and failed to remain upright.

.

This turn of events wasn't anybody's fault. Well apart from the wretched weatherman who had forecast clear skies at least until the morning and was the reason why Ros was pacing the length of meeting room, in a manner that suggested she was about to combust, and that Jo and Tariq who were watching her, should zip it. The result of her phone ringing and Dimitri telling her in a brief conversation, that not only had he lost sight of Harry, but that the rain was now hammering down. Glad in the sense that he was far enough away that she couldn't get her hands on him, as he waited for instructions, but not before telling her that he had the keys to Harry's Range Rover and was ready for action. Action that she was trying to put into practice from a distance, whilst weighing up if her previous threat to summon a helicopter, was justified? Because this was an unsanctioned operation and always had been, and now the entire section was implicated.

'I'm on my way, but until I get there,' she told Dimitri, in a voice that made it quite clear that she wasn't expecting any heroics. That he should stick to the route that Tariq would be sending him and in no event should he drive onto the marsh itself. That if he spotted Lucas's car or Harry with Lucas, then he was to ring in for instructions. On no account was he to deal with this situation without back up. That as it was almost dawn, hopefully it wouldn't be long before Tariq would be able to see something, and she was gone. Leaving Jo wondering if she should ring Malcolm, but deciding against it and Tariq heading back to his monitor to send the instructions to Dimitri. Only to find himself on an almost empty grid, with all but a few of the night shift staff having gone home. Relieving the pressure? Not on your life.

Dimitri who had climbed into Harry's car and fired up the engine to get some warmth, was in two minds as to whether he should disobey Ros and just go for it. Deciding on balance, that with a marsh that amounted to more than a hundred square miles in total, that he wouldn't know where to start, he flexed his fingers and waited. With the windscreen wipers on full, he was just able to make out the outline of the pub where they'd all stayed, which meant that the sea was somewhere in front of him. More importantly, the Channel Ports and the Tunnel. The gateways to Europe if Lucas had taken Harry's offer seriously. Unlikely, as Harry hadn't rung in and his phone was still turned off.

.

At the safehouse and marginally calmer than the rest of his colleagues, but only because he didn't know what had happened, Malcolm had made himself another cup of tea and wandered out into the garden to get some fresh air in his lungs. Desperately tired but still not able to sleep, although he had finally persuaded Ruth to lie down on the sofa and close her eyes, he wanted to think. Despite there being no word from the grid and with the sunrise fast approaching, a plan had been formulating in his mind. Not about what was happening at the moment, but a deflection that had taken him towards the future. Not only for Ruth and Harry, but for him as well. He'd done his bit, more than. His years in the service had certainly taken their toll. The relentless demands that had restricted what he'd been able to do. Whereas if he retired now, he'd be able to do all the things that he'd been promising himself that he'd do one day. Like walking by the sea, reading books or just watching the world go by. Getting his priorities right and spending more time with his mum. In a house that was smaller and much easier to manage, for as long as she was around. As opposed to her spending so much time on her own, whilst at he same time, releasing him from this constant emotion of deep sadness. One that he couldn't shake off, because some of their colleagues had chosen a different path. Like Connie and now Lucas.

What was it that Ruth had said? That Harry was prepared to sell his house to get her to move in with him. For them to make a new start, by living somewhere that was theirs not his. Away from the centre of London, surrounded by trees and with a garden. Rented or if they bought it, wouldn't make any difference to him. The perfect answer for all of them at his fingertips. All of which depended on a positive outcome, that would see Harry walking back in with a smile on his face. Something that made him look up to the heavens and close his eyes.

'Come on Harry you can do this?' he told his friend.