Part 1 - AWOL

Ray Doyle heaved a sigh as he stepped off the plane into Terminal 1. It had been two weeks of bliss. No guns, no radios, no demands on his time. A well earned rest on a Caribbean Island, with little communications, heaps of sunshine, and the most gorgeous (not to mention accommodating) women he had ever seen in his life.

"They are paying you too much!"

Bodie's words still rang in his ears as he swept through passport control and immigration. Daft berk. That's what savings were for. Anyway, he had needed this time off. He had been getting scarily close to burnout, and had found himself snapping at all his colleagues. Even Bodie.

Alright especially Bodie. He had been spoiling for a fight and had taken pleasure in goading his partner, trying to get him angry, just so he could shout back. But mostly Bodie had just sniggered at him, taking it on the chin, or said nothing when the words had really stung. Except for that last time when Bodie had bitten and he realised that he had gone too far. Yeah, Bodie might be denigrated by most of the CI5 crowd, but deep down Doyle knew who the insufferable one was out of the two of them. Bodie had probably needed the break from him as much as he had needed the time away.

He recalled their last conversation when he had called him just before the taxi had turned up for the airport.

"About what I said.."

"Forget it!"

Just like that! It was said a little too abruptly, but then maybe it needed to be forgotten.

"See you in a fortnight – yeah?"

"They are paying you too much!"

And he had laughed knowing then that he could look forward to his break and forget about CI5 for a while. Forget about everything and be normal. Just for a bit.

"Doyle!"

He stopped himself from hanging up.

"Yeah?"

There was a moment's hesitation.

"Have a good time. You earned it."

Bodie hung up before he could reply, and he remembered staring at the phone for a second or two wondering if he should call back. Then the taxi's horn sounded and he grabbed his case and left.

But now the holiday was over and reality was about to hit him at full speed. No time to go home to unpack and shower. Delayed flights meant that he was late for checking in with HQ. Although he had managed to make a call to inform them, he knew that to prolong the delay would be to incur the wrath of George Cowley. And Doyle was feeling too relaxed to consider doing that now.

He half expected there to be someone waiting for him. Someone slightly taller than him, bit heavier with ironed on clothes and hair to match, wearing a permanent smirk on his features. Someone was there alright, but not who he expected. And that was when he first felt the ache in the pit of his stomach, that instinct that told him that something was wrong.

"Murph!" he called to the tall figure that was standing facing the opposite direction.

Murphy turned suddenly and acknowledged him with a look that turned the feeling in his stomach from an ache to a throb.

"What is it?" he demanded, dropping his bag on the ground. Murphy would not come and pick him up on his own behest. He was under orders.

"Cowley wants you to report pronto. Sent me to pick you up."

"What's going on?" he wondered who Murphy was looking for as he kept looking around him.

"Look, I'm just going to come right out and ask you." The tall good looking agent finally looked him in the eye.

"Ask me what. For pete's sake I just got here and I am jet lagged. What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Where's Bodie?"

The pain in his gut was now excruciating but he ignored it.

"What do you mean where's Bodie? How the hell should I know?"

"Bodie's AWOL. Cowley is doing his nut!"

Doyle closed his eyes for a second as he absorbed this news. Memories of his holiday were swept aside by the feeling of panic that washed over him and he struggled to take control of it.

"Since when?"

Murphy just looked at him as if he was trying to decide what to tell him.

"Murphy – out with it. What do you know?" he was almost yelling and he forced himself to stop as passers -by gave them strange looks.

"No-one has seen him since you left two weeks ago." Came the quiet response.

"Right. Let's go" he said as calmly as he could and he grabbed his case and charged out of the terminal and into the London sunshine, Murphy hot on his heels. And with every step, his stomach gnawed at him with greater intensity.

God Bodie! Where are you?