Arthur spent some more time talking to the doctors then his sister before making his excuses and leaving. He made sure to put on the back of his rather generous cheque a note to say to be used for front line services and not admin. He wished he had been in a position to ask Merlin more about himself and maybe have a couple of dates with him. His gaydar was fairly sure that that would have at least been acceptable in principle to the raven haired doctor. Arthur himself enjoyed the pleasures of both sexes, another useful thing in his line of work. Long gone the days when being gay was seen as a security risk thank goodness. Arthur went home to bed he had to report to headquarters in the morning to see M then out on yet another mission, he was ready he had been stuck in England for several months and was getting bored. He hoped they had something worthwhile for him this time. Something he could get his teeth into, rather than paperwork and minor operations in the UK and Europe. He had been passed as fully fit three days ago after his last incident when he got run over thanks to the clumsiness of another agent.

As he walked into the MI6 building he thought as he always did why a secret organisation had to have such an eye-catching building, to his mind a normal plain and fade into the background would have been just as good. Yet this new building was known the world over due to its unique design. Arthur made his way up to the controller's office, Morgause was a real hard nut that would drop you straight in it if that's what got the result she wanted. Luckily for him he was one of the best and therefore worth more to her dead than alive. He walked in as the secretary just gestured to the door as she continued working on the computer. Vivian had stopped trying to catch him some time ago when she finally realised she was getting nowhere and had found a more willing subject to try to catch. Arthur knew that she wanted to be Lady someone or another so he introduced her to several Lords with safer jobs.

As he walked into the inner office Morgause looked up at him. She was a woman in her early forties, young for the post but ruthless. A slender blonde who would have been good looking if she hadn't received bad facial scaring down on side of her face when younger. If you saw her from her good side you would have called her beautiful. Until you got to know her. Morgause was the hardest woman Arthur had ever met or wanted to. As she looked up at him and smiled it was like being smiled at by a cold hearted snake.

"Good morning Pendragon sit down" she threw a manila folder across the desk with the normal TOP SECRET written on the front. Arthur picked it up and looked inside.

"At least I'll be warm" he commented as he saw he would be going to the Middle East. He looked at a couple of photos of men one had a couple of Middle Eastern men the other one of the same men but with a white man and it seemed to have been taken in London. "So Valliant's up to the normal is he?"

"This time he seems to have got hold of some very sensitive documents, the other two are members of a Terrorist organisation, a small cell of terror experts that sell themselves and their skills to the highest bidders. Those photos were taken before he got the documents we believe he has arranged a meeting with them in Iraq in Tabriz. You will fly out and intercept and retrieve the documents, use your own name and the normal routine of a rich playboy who loves to travel. After all you do it so well" Morgause said sarcastically. "Try to keep the expenses to a minimum"

"Sorry Morgause, I can't be a rich playboy and stay in a dive now can I, but I'll do my best." Arthur tucked the file under his arm "I'll study these and return them to Vivian later. I'm just going down to the boffins down stairs"

"Oh and don't smash up to many cars, and if you do aim for the cheap models, all government departments are having to make cutbacks, even ours" Morgause told him as he walked out.

Arthur made his way along to the boffins and found Gaius in one of the back rooms "Hello Arthur, I hear you're off to hot climates. I've been told to not give you too much this time, costs and all that" Gaius grinned. Gaius was the head of department and by rights should have retired years ago but he was too good at what he did.

"I know Government departmental cutbacks, I've been told only to crash old bangers!" Arthur said with a grin on his face.

"I can't see you driving one of those myself" Gaius told him. "I've got a couple of things for you." He handed Arthur a small box. Arthur opened it and found two very small items inside. One was less than a centimetre across and almost paper thin but tough. The other was the size of a one pence piece and looked like one as well. The penny just leave in your pocket. Just don't spend it! If you need tracking press with your fingernail twice a second apart over her majesties crown and it will activate, the signal will be tracked by a satellite. The smaller one needs to go in the collar of whatever shirt you're wearing, it's an electronic keypad decoder of extreme sensitivity. Place this card on any lock that is operated by a swipe card or ocular identifying scan and it will open it. It can be remotely activated by just touching your collar." Gaius handed Arthur a card that to all intense and purposes looked like a RAC international car club recovery card "I know you always wear cuff links. So here is one more thing for you." Gaius gave him a pair of cufflinks with the Pendragon Crest on them "Just twist clockwise they are only a small blades but may be useful they will cut most things. Old fashioned I know but still useful."

"Thank you Gaius" Arthur smiled at the old man "no fancy cars this time?"

"You've been given the cut back talk don't be silly, anyway you always wrecked them" Gaius patted Arthurs shoulder "Take care my boy"

"I will Gaius, I will"

The other side of London Merlin had just got back from some last minute shopping. His bags were packed and he was almost ready to go to the airport. Gwen and Lance were hovering. They had all been staying in Lances flat while they were in the capital, in fact Gwen and Lance would continue to live there now they were office based. Gwen gave Merlin a hug.

"Take care Merlin, if you need more sunblock sending out just let us know, you know how fair your skin is."

"Stop fussing Gwen I have plenty but the hats I've got will do most of it and half the time I'll either be in a building or tents. I have everything I need" Merlin smiled at his friend indulgently. "I know you're finding it hard sending me off alone but I'm fine and Gwaine will be out there somewhere and I know several of the others. At least I speak a couple of Arabic languages now!"

Gwen looked at Merlin very seriously "Go careful and make sure Gwaine knows that if they find out you're gay it could go bad for you. I don't think he's work in the Middle East before a Syria if they find out you could go to prison for three years!"

"Gwen don't worry Gwaine will have had the talk and I'm not about to go round with my Gay rights t shirt on. You know I will be to knackered to find a boyfriend anyway!" he turned to Lance "Lance please tell her not to worry I can cope with out your two"

"We know you can mate, but Gwen will worry anyway, you know she will. Come on let's get you to the airport. And see you in a year. Make sure you keep in touch" Lance also hugged his friend.