As Arthur knocked on the door he wondered what he would do if Dr Emrys was out, after all she could have gone to stay with relatives. But the door soon opened and he was greeted by a kindly woman in her fifties with long grey hair tired back in a ponytail. Immediately Arthur could see the likeness to her son.
"Hell can I help you?" she asked, Arthur could see she had been crying.
"Hello Dr Emrys my name is Arthur Pendragon and I wanted to come and make sure there was nothing I could do for you, your son saved my life just before he went missing"
"Oh, Lord Pendragon, please come in Sir, take a seat." Hunith flustered.
Arthur walked in to the cosy home and sat in one of the armchairs. "Call me Arthur please, I'm sorry for the news I have made enquiries at the Foreign Office before I came today I understand they have found nothing as yet"
"Yes they ring me each morning, thank you for your interest, would you like a tea?" Arthur could see Merlin's mother wanted something to do. "Oh and please call me Hunith."
"Thank you Hunith, a tea would be much appreciated."
"I only have plan PG tips I'm afraid" Arthur could hear Hunith putting on the kettle. He looked round the small sitting room, it was clean and homely with photos of Hunith and Merlin everywhere, on pride of place was one of Merlin receiving his Surgical qualification.
"Whatever you have Hunith milk no sugar please"
Hunith came in with a tray in her hand and placed in the table "Now Hunith is there anything I can do, I own your son my life"
"I'm sure one of the other surgeons would have done just the same" Hunith smiled
"They may have by the nurse, Gwaine told me that your son was the one who saved my arm, repaired two major nerves" Arthur looked at Hunith "I'm right handed so I would have been lost otherwise. I met him briefly in London at a fund raising do before hand, it was Merlin who recognised me so my family could be informed"
"He's a good man and a good surgeon, I have asked him to settle down in the UK but he loves what he does"
"I understood from him you did a similar thing before you had him. So he get his wish to help in these places from you" Arthur told her
"He did. I never wanted him to, it's far more dangerous than when I did it. Not only that I worked in famine areas, he will insist on going to the war zones" she looked at Arthur "He's alive I know it"
"I hope so and when he's found I will do everything I can to make sure we get him back to you"
They talked for an hour before Arthur left leaving his contact details and promising to keep in touch. Arthur headed back to M16 he had been going through reports from the area in the hope of finding something, any clue that might help them locate Merlin.
Arthur's next call was to a flat in Lambeth. It was five thirty by the time they pulled up outside. His driver came in with him, up the stairs until they found the flat they wanted. Arthur knocked on the door and it was opened by a startled Edwin Muirden. "Lord Pendragon, please come in"
Arthur stepped into the flat leaving the driver outside. "I have come to thank you for your help in Syria" Arthur said keeping his tone and expression neutral. "I hear it was through you that I was rescued"
Edwin's brain was working overtime, did this mean he was going to get a reward? It was always good to get people like Arthur on your side, especially now he was working for Agravaine. "It was the least I could do Sir" Edwin was practically grovelling. "It's so good to see you looking so well"
"I read your report, it made interesting reading, it varied so much from what I remembered, the morphine I expect"
Edwin still had no idea this visit was anything but a social call. "Morphine can have that effect" he simpered. "Please sit down, would you like a drink?"
Arthur sat down in one of the armchairs "No drink thank you, I hear the surgeon that operated on me is missing"
"He is, he was a good surgeon but I'm afraid had some issues, I believe he may have run away from, it happens, it's a way of disappearing, people assume that anyone who disappears has been kidnapped. It's a hard life in hospitals in a war zone" Edwin was following the line of his report, he needed to be consistent.
"Yet he had worked in such situations several times. It's a pity I would have liked to have thanked him" Arthur waited until Edwin went to get himself a drink then when the man's back was turned Arthur stood up and walked silently until he was behind the other man.
Edwin was startled when he turned back around and found Arthur right behind him. "It's strange don't you think, what happened, I've read your report and I've also read statements by the people Mr Emrys worked for." Arthur's face changed from polite to hard in seconds, as he moved even closer to Edwin. Pushing his face into the other man's Arthur demanded "Why are you setting him up Muirden, who were you selling the medical supplies to? And more importantly what happened to Emrys"
Edwin blanched as he realised what Arthur was saying. "You are wrong! It wasn't me, I am a trusted member of the staff, your uncle has promoted me he would have done that if there had been any suggestion of impropriety"
"Leave Agravaine out of this for a moment, you forgot in your haste to blame someone else that you had been thieving for over nine months, you started to get careless when you had someone else to blame. I checked your last placements, it wasn't a new thing was it? Who were you selling to? The rebels?" Arthur's eyes were hard and unreadable. His left hand went to his inner jacket and to Muirden's terror he pulled out a gun.
Arthur lowered the gun until it was pointing towards the terrified man's privates. "Now what happened to Merlin? You see he went missing moments before you left and I think you know how and why." Arthur paused for a moment letting his actions sink in to the man now trapped between him and the wall. "I owe Merlin my life you see, and I repay my debts, so talk or I pull the trigger"
"You're mad! You can't do this, I see you in prison" Edwin said shakily "You wouldn't fire"
"You're more of a fool than I thought, why do you think I was in Syria in the first place? For the casinos? The high life?" Arthur smirked "Try thinking you fool and then talk"
Edwin's legs started to give way and he was shaking, as the gun sunk into the soft flesh he forced himself to remain upright. Thinking Edwin realised he had no choice but to answer the mad man in front of him, and then get away as soon as he could. "What do you want to know?" he asked his voice breaking.
Arthur gave a chilling smile "That's better, you see I don't think the doctor has time for polite talking, it would take too long. So where is he, who has him and why?"
"I don't know…I really don't not where anyway. I was asked to provide a doctor for one of the rebel leaders who had been shot. I didn't ask more" Edwin looked at Arthur and continued now he'd started to talk he couldn't stop. "They knew I was leaving, I had to or they would have killed me, I had been making money on the side, they don't pay us enough for the risks we take. It was only a few things to start with by they demanded more and more. I tried to make it look like Emrys to throw suspicion off me"
"Why Emrys?"
"He was doing everything I'd wanted to do, everyone liked him it was easy he was so trusting. Then when they wanted a doctor I thought if I gave them him it would prove his guilt. All I had to do was tell him he had to do a retrieval. They had an ambulance waiting, it was easy."
"Names!" Arthur demanded "Anything"
"The man I was dealing with called himself Sami Adjmi he mentioned a Mago" but that's all I know" Edwin protested.
Arthur looked at the man in front of him as if he was dirt under his shoe "you greedy snivelling bastard, you'd better hope we find Merlin" he brought the gun up to head level.
"You can't kill me!" this is England I don't care who you are" Edwin said finding courage from somewhere.
"Garry" Arthur called the driver in "Take this scum down to the car"
As soon as the other man walked in Edwin felt safer "I'll deny anything you say" as Garry put cuffs on him and started to take him out "You forced me, threatened me."
Arthur put his gun away and took out a small recorder from his pocket "All on here, you will be arrested under anti-terrorist laws, different powers have fun with your defence" Arthur turned to his driver "Come on back to MI6"
As soon as the car got back to MI6 headquarters Edwin Muirden was taken away for further questioning and Arthur went up to see Morgause. She was still in the building and Arthur gave her the run down. "I will get hold of our man and we will see if those names mean anything"
Arthur looked frustrated "I doubt it they're common names in Syria. If he finds anything I want to go back to help"
"Don't be stupid, you're right arm is out of action, you'll be worse than useless Pendragon" Morgause retorted.
"I don't care I owe him my life, I know the area"
"So does our man, far better than you"
"I could go as part of the negotiation team, I can identify Emrys" Arthur protested
"We have photos from the Charity and his mother. You are not going and that's final. You would only put others at risk. Now go home" Morgause looked at Arthur her face softening "This doctor, it's more than just gratitude isn't it? Christ Arthur you've only seen him a couple of times"
Arthur looked at his boss "There something about him, I felt it when I saw him in London, I would have looked him up when he got back" he admitted. "Look let me go" he pleaded
"I'll talk to our man, now go home" Morgause promised Arthur "You know I knew this would happen one day, you've sent years never forming attachments, I knew it would happen quickly when it did. I hope he feels the same way if we get him out. If we do I want you to work here at headquarters"
Arthur looked at his boss in amazement, he had never seen this side of her.
"You won't be back in the field, even if your arm recovers fully, not if you feel that way about anyone. Agents can't have attachments like that"
Arthur turned and walked out, not willing to argue, not now he had too much on his mind. He didn't see the fond look Morgause gave him as he left and wouldn't have believed it if he had.