Carries directly on from the last phase :D

'Fucking twat,' McDonald mumbled around his cigarette and into his palms as he struggled to light it. 'Fucking sodding scumbag twat.'

He wasn't sure who he was cursing – Vidic, or himself for believing in him and following him around like some devoted puppy. He didn't like the thought of cursing himself, so he stuck to cursing Vidic instead.

It was cold out today – he was buttoned up in his black coat to his neck as he sat on a bench in the local high street and watched the very few people who were there bustle by, hunched up on themselves to keep the cold out. He took the cigarette out of his mouth to sip on his Subway coffee and take a bite out of a ham and cheese footlong on hearty Italian. He wasn't sure why he bought it – if he was meant to make these funds magically appear, then he better get himself a god dammed piggy bank; there was no way in hell HQ would ever hand over those funds.

And when Vidic realised this, he wouldn't be a happy man at all.

'Fucking twat,' McDonald mumbled again – the words were like a teddy bear a child clutches to when it's afraid of something.

High heels clicked on the path somewhere close by. He ignored them, and took another long drag on his cigarette.

'Hey.'

McDonald glared up at the source of the voice, and was surprised to see it was the secretary back at work. He couldn't remember her name, but he remembered that she was a great shag.

'What do you want.' He didn't phrase it as a question – he wanted it to sound like go away as much as humanly possible.

'Just wondering what the deal is. The whole place near bloody exploded the other day.' She started rummaging in a bag at her side, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. 'Got a light?'

Giving her his lighter would invite her to conversation – the mere prospect of which stirred a deep loathing in McDonald, but he still shrugged and passed her his lighter all the same.

'Thanks,' She said, and, with a fag held between her lips, cupped her hands around it as she lit up. When she was done, she handed the lighter back to him and sat down on the bench beside him. McDonald shifted away in the hope that she might get the message to piss off but she didn't seem deterred. Crossing one leg over the other, she blew smoke into the cold and studied McDonald. 'You've had a day 'n an half, I can tell.'

'You wouldn't believe it.'

The pair filled their lungs with smoke as silence slipped by.

'Heard Vidic kicked you out of your office,' she said conversationally. McDonald shifted a little so the urge to shout in her face was weakened slightly.

'Wouldn't say kicked out. More relocated.'

'Oh. Right.' She didn't sound too convinced.

'Look, what the hell do you want from me? 'Coz if you're here just to get a cheap laugh then you can jog the fuck on and leave me alone,' McDonald stressed.

'I just want to help you out, that's all.'

'Well, you can forget about it.' McDonald threw his fag down on the floor, trod it out, snatched up his coffee and sandwich and got up. 'See you,' he spat, and made to walk away.

'You'll never get that funding without my help.'

McDonald turned slowly. She was looking at him with her dyed blonde hair with brunette roots, dodgy eye makeup and one heck of a smug look.

How does she…

'There's a lot of things I know about. I know that your dad took off when you were three, your brother's in prison for doing drugs, and your dear old mum topped herself when she saw what a failure her family had become.' she said. 'I know all about the Animus, the BADWOLF project, Vidic, and who you're working for. Templars,' she grinned. 'Impressive for a secretary, eh?'

There was no way in hell she was a secretary.

How did she know?

McDonald's coffee was suddenly cold in his hand.

'What are you?' he found himself asking, slightly stunned and slightly breathless.

He watched as she transferred her fag to one hand, and used spare fingers to pull off one of the leather gloves she was wearing.

It was her right hand.

There was a finger missing there.

McDonald's coffee dropped to the ground from his slack hand.

'A friend,' was all she said.

Onwards to the last for tonight!