Two days later
We were refreshed and ready for action.
I had spent a peaceful couple of days sifting through Harry's house and packing up his clothes and personal effects. Roxy had come over to give me hand and I enjoyed her company.
I had never been in the garage at Harry's house, but when I went in there the first evening, I had found a somewhat cracking automobile.
It was an Aston Martin Vantage S in Viridian Green with exotic five-spoke graphite wheels. The inside was completed in obsidian black and blue haze leather with spectral blue stitching. To the naked eye, the vehicle looked very ordinary, but I noticed that the Kingsman insignia appeared on several items of switchgear. I decided that it might be best if I did not touch anything quite yet, just in case Stingers shot out of the headlights, or lasers from the wheel hubs, not to mention something else equally just as lethal!
'K' Headquarters
I had been running late that morning. It was a dozen minutes past nine, when I entered the shop. There, I found Merlin waiting and looking rather annoyed with me.
"It looks like you inherited Harry's time keeping ability, too, Galahad!"
We headed upstairs to find the other Kingsman present and I received a somewhat disapproving look from Roxy as I sat down beside her in the only spare seat, on the end and to the right.
"Good afternoon, Galahad!" Arthur said dryly.
I looked around the table. "Apologies to all!" I said in a genuine manner.
"Thank you – let's move on, Merlin!" Arthur began and Merlin stepped forwards and indicated the mirror above the fireplace.
"Glasses please, gentlemen – and lady," he announced, with a brief nod to Lancelot who nodded back with a grin.
After a short pause, Merlin began the briefing.
"There has been an escalation of problems with the Russians. Some of which is public knowledge, most of which is not. Five and Six have been very busy. We will be ensuring that they don't miss something important – as usual!"
By 'Five' and 'Six', Merlin was referring to the agencies that were overtly responsible for the domestic security of the United Kingdom.
Five was responsible for protecting the United Kingdom, its citizens and interests, at home and overseas, against threats to national security.
Six was responsible for gathering intelligence outside the United Kingdom in support of the government's security, defence, foreign and economic policies.
Periodically, 'people and things' slipped through the cracks and Kingsman tried to pick up these 'people and things' to ensure the security of the United Kingdom. 'People' tended to rang from spies to terrorists, while 'things' usually ranged from fake cash to bombs.
"Five and Six have raised their threat levels concerning Russia and so will we. You each have your taskings in front of you. Galahad and Lancelot will be concentrating on the home front; Bedivere, Percivale and Tristram will be heading for Russia itself on independent taskings. Geraint will be heading to another more distant region of the world that, for now, is remaining classified."
Arthur stood up.
"As you are all aware, we are short-handed at present until Agravaine and Lamorak are replaced. But this will be quite a while," Arthur explained, before adding with a smile. "As you are all well aware from your own initiations."
Arthur ran through a few other details before we all rose and headed downstairs. Merlin, Roxy and me headed for Dressing Room 1 and descended to the Tube.
'K' Manor
"So, Merlin – is there a manual for that car? Wouldn't want to press a button and find a Stinger missile shooting out from behind the headlights!" I laughed.
"Don't be stupid, man – Stingers behind the headlights, I ask you!" Merlin responded looking at Lancelot with a chuckle before going on. "They're in the door sills."
Roxy raised an eyebrow at this and then frowned.
"Merlin, where is my company car?" She asked, with some annoyance.
Merlin studied Roxy for a minute, before responding smoothly.
"For you, little lady – take your pick," Merlin announced and pointed into the hangar.
Roxy vanished like a shot.
"Keen, isn't she!" I commented and received a grin from Merlin.
..._...
Roxy had chosen her car and it was typically feminine – she would probably give it a name next!
Lancelot had selected a Jaguar F-Type R Coupe in Dark Sapphire. I found her in the library reading a manual that was about eight inches thick!
"Eggsy! Merlin sent this along for you," Roxy advised, nudging an equally thick book towards me.
"Well I did ask, I suppose!" I chuckled.
Early that afternoon
London
We had returned to London, via the Tube and we headed to a small pub near St James Palace. It was lunchtime, so it would not be out of the ordinary for two young people to be heading there for a quick bite to eat. It was busy which would aid in keeping our activities private.
"So what have you to tell us?" I asked after we had sat down in the pub, across from a tall, thin well-presented man.
"This..."
The man passed over a transparent plastic bag that contained a small, shiny metal disc, which was not much wide than a couple of inches.
"Shiny!" I commented. "What is it?"
"Whatever it is, it was being smuggled into the country – why?" The man answered, shortly, as he stood up and left. "That's your job!"
"Thank you," Roxy said and picked up the thin metal disc. She then looked quizzically at me.
"Nice guy!" I commented dryly.
We ordered a sandwich each and chatted while we ate. Roxy was itching to take her new set of wheels out, onto the road and I had to admit, so was I – the Aston would be one hell of a drive.
Later that afternoon
'K' Manor
"Your little find is an interesting element called Polonium –" Merlin began.
"– number eighty-four on the periodic table. Discovered in 1898 by the Curies. Radioactive and poisonous." Roxy interrupted, almost unable to contain herself.
Merlin smiled approvingly at Roxy. "Well done Lancelot – you studied chemistry and physics, if I recall."
"I did," Roxy said, smiling happily at the complement.
"Now this element has been used in poisonings. The Palestinian leader, Yassar Arafat, for example, was poisoned by Polonium in 2004."
"Was it safe to handle," I asked with some concern.
Merlin laughed. "It is lethal only if you ingest it – so I would recommend not biting into the disc!"
"I've just had a thought and not a nice thought, either – Polonium also has another key use, among others. When combined with Lithium they both form an initiator..."
"Very true, Lancelot," Merlin commented gravely.
"An initiator for what?" I asked, having lost them both and I was rather surprised to see a very grave look on Roxy's face, too.
"A bomb," Roxy said quietly.
"So what?" I responded. What could be bad about a bomb?
"A nuclear bomb, Eggsy!" Merlin added.
"Oh fuck!" I commented.
"My sentiments exactly," Merlin said.
We had to assume the worst possible scenario – which was exactly why the Kingsman were formed.
"We don't exactly have much to go on!" Roxy commented.
"Tell me about it – it's like walking into the bathroom and finding someone's nicked the damn toilet!" I added.
"The man has a point, crude as usual, but valid," Merlin said, with a grin. "And so do you, Lancelot. We need to go and see Arthur.
That evening
'K' Headquarters
"You are absolutely sure about this, Merlin?" Arthur asked after he had been briefed.
"Unfortunately, in the disc form, there is little doubt as to its purpose, at this point," Merlin replied.
Arthur sat back in his chair, a very worried expression on his seasoned face. A minute passed before Arthur spoke again. He looked directly at Eggsy and me as he spoke.
"Well, Lancelot, Galahad – are you both up the task?" Arthur asked, with all seriousness.
"Yes, Arthur, we are!" I replied for both of us.
..._...
At least I hoped that we were!
We were in pole position for preventing a possible nuclear attack on the United Kingdom. We had not even been Kingsman for three months! Nevertheless, that was what Kingsman was all about – we had spent many months training for this.
I looked at Eggsy, who had a 'now look what you've gotten us into' look on his face. I smiled an apology.
"It'll be a walk in the park – don't see a HALO in it for you," he teased with a smirk.
"This girl is keeping her feet firmly on the ground this time around!" I said with resolute conviction.
"That's what we need – enthusiasm. Now, where the hell do we start?"
Three days later
North of Oxford
We had had a small break.
Percivale had uncovered something during his first few days in Russia. A source had advised him about a confirmed rumour that some Russian hardliners from the earlier Cold War era were looking for options to increase their standing in Western Europe. It appeared that the United Kingdom was a target. If the United Kingdom's status could be reduced on the world's stage and if the United Kingdom's interests could be turned inwards to look after itself, then a powerful potential adversary would have been neutralised.
I thought this sounded completely nuts, but nobody had ever said that these old Communists were one hundred percent sane! The important thing was that it had been confirmed that something was happening and the United Kingdom was the target.
..._...
The dead man in Glasgow had been taken apart, and not just during the autopsy, either – his life seemed genuine, from what we had been able to ascertain. He had entered the country, legally, at Stranraer, after boarding a ferry from Larne in Northern Ireland. Then things went a little strange. Before then he had flown to Belfast from Gatwick and before that he had flown from Chicago to Dublin and then to Gatwick. The man got around and it was a classic example of muddying the waters behind him as he travelled.
Merlin had directed us to drive north to Scotland. The man had been in Glasgow for a reason – with the Polonium. Why?
..._...
We were both racing up the M40, heading for the M6 motorway.
I was in my dreamy Jaguar, while Eggsy was half a mile in front of me, in his green Aston. I had never driven such a gorgeous car, as this F-Type R, before and it sent a thrill through me as I pressed the accelerator to the floor and heard the roar of the supercharged five-litre V8 engine as I was propelled to awesome speeds.
"Remember Lancelot, Kingsman do not belong on 'Police, Camera, Action'!" Merlin cautioned in the heads up display.
"I'll remember, Merlin – have no fear!" I replied.
"That applies to you, too, Galahad!" Merlin added. "Harry liked to put his foot down – he saw the accelerator as having only two settings – open and closed!"
"I will be the perfect driver," I said with a chuckle.
"Now why don't I believe you?" Merlin replied, as he cut the transmission.
"It's just us now, Rox!"
"Bye!" Roxy replied and waved with a cheeky smile, as she came up on my right, before accelerating away into the distance.
I laughed as I pressed my own accelerator to the floor and unleased just under six hundred horsepower from the V12 engine as I pursued my colleague.