A/N: My apologies for the delay. I had the chapter written, and r4ven3 had given it the once over and as I read through it one last time, I decided that I'd glossed over some scenes and information that should be included, thus the delay. We are getting close to the end, but I expect there are still a couple more chapters. Thank you for reading and your kind words of review.
Chapter 15
Late Friday afternoon
Harry was concerned that Malcolm was going to land himself back in hospital so after Adam and Ros were given new orders he gave Malcolm one of his own, to bunk down for a rest in one of the med rooms. Malcolm's protest was half-hearted but Harry could clearly see that his friend was exhausted. Jo volunteered to watch over the computers still running searches for Ruth and Zaf while Malcolm rested as Steven had been recalled to Section A.
Harry retreated to his office to tackle a stack of paperwork and was making good progress when Jo knocked on his door. He waved her in but kept reading the report in front of him.
Jo waited for Harry to look up at her before she spoke; experience had taught her that to do otherwise wasn't a wise course of action.
'Yes?'
'One of the searches was a facial recognition search that returned a hit on Zaf,' she explained.
Harry pushed himself back from his desk. 'Show me,' he stated and then followed Jo to the Tech Suite.
She sat in the chair next to Malcolm's. 'Colin's,' Harry thought to himself as Jo logged in to the terminal. After a few clicks, a photo of Zaf appeared on screen. His cheekbones were more pronounced than the last time either of them saw him.
'It's a recent photo,' Jo remarked. 'He's lost weight,' she added unnecessarily.
Harry concurred with Jo's assessment. 'What is this picture from?'
Another click and Jo started reading from the screen.
'This is a passport photo for one Peter Granger. An alert was recently issued by Polizia di Stato for his arrest on forgery charges. He's traveling on a British passport and a warrant was also issued for his wife, Pippa.' Jo clicked a link and Ruth's photo replaced Zaf's on the screen.
'Start a search for the new names. I'm going to wake Malcolm,' Harry said as he left the room.
Jo set up the search for the new names but as she didn't speak Italian she hoped she'd selected the correct databases to search. She minimized the new search and opened the photos of Zaf and Ruth again. Jo had been witness to a number of unbelievable events since she'd started with Section D, but Adam telling her that Zaf and Ruth were traveling together was certainly something she never expected. She'd already mourned the loss of Ruth from her life, but Jo had managed to hold on to the hope that Ruth had found a new life that could bring her the happiness she'd been denied in London. As for Zaf, Jo truly feared that he was dead, the next in an ever-growing list of coworkers. She'd mourned them all – Fiona, Colin, even Sally – but Zaf was different. He was more than just a fellow officer. He was her roommate and sounding board and they'd been on the cusp of something more when he left for Iran. He'd joked about how she would miss him and she said the only thing she'd miss was the peace and quiet when he returned home. They both laughed, each knowing there was truth in their statements.
These past weeks, Jo had come to hate the peace and quiet. The radio or the telly was always on to fill the silence of Zaf's absence. Malcolm regularly asked her how she was feeling and while she appreciated the thought behind the gesture, Jo knew they all felt the loss of Zaf. The flicker of hope that flared earlier this week was getting stronger.
Jo heard Malcolm and Harry's approach before they entered the tech suite so she minimized the photos and pulled up the current search for Peter and Pippa Granger.
As Malcolm took his seat, Jo summarized the search while Harry watched from behind. Malcolm made some tweaks but complimented Jo on the set up. Speculation ensued about why Zaf and Ruth, or more accurately, Peter and Pippa, were wanted in connection with forgery but the primary concern was that the Redbacks were using the Italian State Police to find the couple.
'What time is Ros and Adam's flight to Lisbon?'
Jo pulled up their travel details. 'Thirty minutes ago.'
Saturday morning
Ruth was convinced that she was hallucinating at the sight of Adam standing in Zaf's room. In three quick steps Adam was standing in front of her, wrapping her in a hug.
'Ruth, it's okay. You and Zaf are safe,' he said as held her. 'Come in the room. We can talk there,' he added as he released her from his embrace. With a hand on her back he guided her forward. It was then that Ruth saw that Ros was also in Zaf's room.
'Hello, Ros.' Ruth tried to greet her coolly but she failed given that just a minute ago she thought the Redbacks had found Zaf.
'Ruth, you and Zaf make a formidable team. Glad we finally found you,' she added.
'But the Redbacks…' Ruth started.
'You don't need to worry about them,' Adam assured her.
Ruth turned to look at Zaf before moving to his bedside. The two friends embraced tightly, both of them in disbelief that their days on the run were over.
Adam stepped out of the room and moved to the end of the corridor. As he waited for the ringing phone to be picked up, he looked through the window out over the nearby Roman neighborhood.
'We have them,' he said with a smile. 'They're safe.'
Back in the room, Ros was telling Zaf and Ruth how she and Adam came to be in Rome.
'We were in Catania and on a plane to Portugal but were delayed due to a mechanical issue,' she explained.
'Why were you going to Portugal?' Zaf asked.
Ruth spoke up. 'Oh that was me trying to be clever. I booked tickets in our names from Lisbon to London to throw off the Redbacks. Giovanni's ship sailed there after Sicily so it was possible we were there.'
'Yes, Malcolm determined you were likely on the Speranza, which is why Adam and I were in Sicily to begin with.' She went on to explain about finding Zaf's photo and that Peter and Pippa Granger were wanted for forgery. Ros held off Ruth and Zaf's questions about that issue to finish her story and it was then that Adam came back into the room.
Ros explained that the mechanical issue with plane couldn't be fixed so the passengers had to deplane and that's when Harry rang Adam's mobile.
'Harry updated us on the situation and as we discussed options, the search for the Grangers turned up Zaf's admission to hospital, so Adam and I cancelled our tickets and hired a car to drive here.'
'Do you know why we are wanted for forgery?' Ruth asked.
Adam fielded the question. 'Malcolm's looking into it now and Harry has notified the embassy of the situation, so they are also trying to find out more. How did you get the passports anyway?'
Zaf explained that one of his assets in Catania had helped them acquire the passports through a friend, but that he knew little of the man they'd visited.
A knock on the door stopped the discussion but it was only a nurse coming to check Zaf's vital signs. After he departed, conversation switched to future plans.
Saturday evening
Zaf remained hospitalized to complete his course of antibiotics. Harry had pulled strings to provide them with protection while in Rome, so early afternoon, Adam and Ruth went back to her hotel room to gather her things and move them to the hotel used by the Embassy for official visitors. Ros stayed behind with Zaf, for which Ruth was grateful as it gave her and Adam a chance to talk. Adam made an effort to stay away from the heavier topic of Ruth's life in Cyprus, instead talking about Malcolm and Jo.
'I'd like to start your debrief tonight, Ruth, just about the Redbacks and anything you can tell me. We are working with other agencies and any information you can provide will be helpful,' Adam said as they sat in the back of the car transporting them back to the hospital from the new hotel.
Ruth nodded. 'Of course. I'll share what I can.'
'The rest of your debrief can wait until we return to London in a few days,' he added.
Ruth didn't respond and Adam looked over to see her staring out the window.
'Are you all right?' he asked quietly.
'I can't go back to London. I told Zaf I would see him safe and he is, with you and Ros here.' She turned to Adam. 'Start my debrief on everything tonight and when we're done in a day or two I'll take my leave.'
The confusion showed on Adam's face. 'But surely you want to go back to London?'
Just then the car pulled up at the hospital and the conversation was put on hold.
That evening, Adam, Ros, and Ruth said their goodnights to Zaf while a security officer from the British Embassy was stationed outside the room as a precaution. The ride back to the hotel was quiet and Ruth pleaded exhaustion in requesting an early night. There had already been a conversation at the hospital between the four of them about the Redbacks so Adam consented to the request. Ros retired to her room to file the summary report on the day's events and to pass along the Redbacks info for distribution.
Adam stayed up for a while, thinking of Harry and a Ruth and how he could get them into the same room once again.
It was another few days before Zaf was well enough to travel, though he was released from hospital the day after Adam and Ros had turned up. In the meantime, Adam and Ros began Ruth and Zaf's debrief, starting with the information they might know about the Redbacks organization, so that it could be passed on to the various intelligence agencies. Ros requested that she be allowed to conduct Zaf's debrief, and Ruth was pleased that she wouldn't have all that one on one time with Ros. The rooms provided by the embassy were at an upscale hotel, which allowed Zaf and Ruth to finally feel safe and the freedom to speak privately.
Despite it having been more than 24 hours since they were reunited, it still felt odd to Ruth to be seated across from Adam. While a part of her had always hoped that Harry would find her in Polis, she fully never expected to see the rest of the team again. Adam focused on the time from when she and Zaf met and Ruth was thankful to not have to revisit the painful days after Cotterdam just yet.
'I want you to come home to finish your debrief. Once that's complete, you'll be free to go wherever you want,' Adam explained.
Ruth shook her head. 'I'm dead in London. I can't go back.'
'Harry has been working to clear your name for months. Mace didn't make it easy but it's never been an option for Harry to not clear your name,' he responded gently. He tried to put himself in her situation and to understand her frustration.
Adam's use of past tense caught Ruth's attention. 'Has something happened to Mace? You said he didn't make it easy.'
Adam smiled, not the least bit surprised that Ruth caught that detail. 'About a month ago, one of Mace's guys approached me through an old friend from Six. He wasn't directly involved in the events surrounding the Cotterdam fire but he didn't agree with what Mace had done. He quietly started gathering information; names, dates, conversations, etc and then handed it all to me on a flash drive. He continued to gather data for another few weeks and then he quit Six altogether. By then we had enough to go to the Home Secretary and the JIC with the information and Mace was out.'
'What do you mean by out? Just out of his position or out of the country?' Ruth knew she wouldn't feel safe in London or even Britain for that matter if Mace was
'When I spoke to Harry last night, he wanted me to tell you that it's over. Mace and several of his conspirators will be in prison and the Home Secretary is fully aware of what really happened. After you're fully debriefed, you'll be free to go anywhere as Ruth Evershed.'
