I tried splitting this chapter so that it's not quite so long, but it didn't quite work, so be aware that this is a longer chapter than I normally write.
Also be aware that I find spooky plots tedious, so my plot is a bit thin in the reality department. Although, TBH, Spooks itself never let a plot get in the way of the hyper-drama and characters.
oOo
11 days after the bombing – 2.07pm:
Hearing the distinctive whoosh of the pods opening, Tariq and Calum both looked up from their monitors to see Harry step on to the Grid. Typically for Harry, before entering his office, he looked towards Ruth's desk. Seeing it empty, he turned towards the two techies.
"Have you seen Ruth?" Harry asked them. "She's not answering her phone."
Tariq moved his mouth in a `search me' gesture. Calum was still not sure about Harry. He had on occasion wanted to tease him about Ruth, but either Erin or Dimitri had intervened, giving him dark looks, accompanied by barely perceptible shaking of heads.
Calum chose the most sensible, and so the safest approach. "She had a meeting with the Home Secretary, and she hasn't been back since."
"Her meeting was at 10 o'clock," Harry replied, baffled. "Shit," he added, turning towards his office. He imagined Towers, the unctuous twat, smarming it up with Ruth, offering her a quadrillion pound salary, and then taking her to lunch at some swank inner city restaurant, where the lighting is low, the food prohibitively expensive, the wine intoxicating, and the staff eminently discreet. He dialled Towers' mobile.
"Harry, what can I do for you?"
"Ruth. Her appointment with you was at 10, and she's still not back on the Grid. Can you enlighten me?"
"Unless she's been kidnapped by terrorists, Harry, she should have been back hours ago. She left here just before 11. Perhaps she's meeting a secret lover. You can never be sure with women." Towers smiled at his barb, spoken with clear intent to rattle Harry's cage. He didn't hate Harry, but he did envy him. Why a woman like Ruth Evershed was so smitten with him was beyond his comprehension, and would no doubt continue to mystify him for years to come.
Harry, resisting the urge to say, but I'm her secret lover, and I haven't seen her since 9 o'clock this morning, slammed down the phone, and put his head in his hands. He contemplated this dark side of loving someone this much – the jealousy; the gut-churning fear when she doesn't turn up when and where she's meant to; the heartbreaking sense of loss every time he imagines her gone from him – again. He stepped back on to the Grid.
"Where's Dimitri?" he asked.
"Under cover," answered Calum. "You sent him there."
"That's right, I did too. Erin?"
"She's meeting him for an update, but she should be back soon."
"Alec?"
"Harry, you sent him home yesterday and told him to stay there. You told him that his sorry arse was no longer required."
"Did I? I didn't mean it." What was happening to his life? How was it possible that only two nights ago he had experienced such indescribable bliss, and yet the next day he had spoken to Alec in that way? Well, Alec had taken liberties with Ruth by putting his arm around her waist and speaking close to her ear, to which Ruth had responded by taking a step back from him, putting distance between them. Slimy bastard. He dialled Alec's number.
"Yeah?" Alex answered the phone with a slurred disdain.
"Can you get in here now?"
"I thought I was fired."
"Only temporarily. Oh, and there's one condition to your working out your contract."
"And that is?"
"Keep your hands off your female colleagues."
"You mean just the one colleague, I suppose."
"If you tried with Erin what you tried with Ruth yesterday, she'd have karate chopped you into a coma. How soon can you get here? Ruth seems to be missing."
Alec's tone turned from resentful to business-as-usual. "I can be there in forty minutes."
Harry sat back in his chair and tried to empty his mind of the fear which was gnawing at his gut. Less than two weeks ago, he and Ruth had been on the TV news, their relationship clear by their posture, their linked hands. There was potential danger as a result, but he had believed that with the Russian threat temporarily halted by the bombing, he and Ruth would be out of danger for the time being. He looked up hopefully as the pods hissed, but it was Erin, returning from meeting Dimitri. She knocked on his open door and stepped into his office.
"Dimitri has made contact with Johnny Grier," she reported, "but he has to take things slowly. Grier is paranoid, and Dimitri's not sure that Johnny buys his story."
"Tell him to be careful," Harry said, "and you be careful too. Grier is nasty." He sighed heavily before he continued speaking. "I think Ruth's gone missing. I confess I don't know whether to wait another hour, in case she's gone shopping or met a friend, but she's not answering her phone, and that's not like her. I'm also reluctant to begin electronic tracking until we have reason to believe something has happened."
"You look worried about her, Harry, and perhaps that's good enough reason to begin a search. Has Tariq tried tracing her phone?"
All indecision ended when Tariq called out from his bank of monitors.
"Harry, you'd better see this!"
Harry and Erin almost ran to join Calum at Tariq's desk. "I got curious about Ruth," Tariq continued, "and so I checked the CCTV footage from outside Whitehall after Ruth's meeting with the HS." He tapped a few keys, and brought up an image of Ruth walking down the street, a good two hundred yards beyond the Whitehall building, heading towards the river. Suddenly, a black car with darkened windows pulled up beside her, a back door opened, and in the next frames, Ruth is nowhere to be seen.
"If you like I'll trace the car and Ruth's phone. That should give us a starting point."
Harry nodded. "Yes, Tariq. Thank you for your prompt action. Keep me updated."
He knew he sounded in control. But inside himself he was screaming, Please Let Her Be Safe. Erin, seeing the shock on his face, stepped close to him and said quietly, "She'll be alright, Harry. We've caught this early."
"Not early enough," he growled. "The time stamp on her being kidnapped was 11:07am. Whoever they are, they've had over three hours to get away. They could be anywhere by now."
"I can get Dimitri to come in."
"No, I don't want that. Alec said he'd come in. He has experience with this sort of thing."
"Harry," Erin began, not sure if she was stepping over the mark, "perhaps I should take over this operation. You may be too close to it, too emotionally involved."
Harry turned to look at Erin, his eyes fiery. "It's because I'm emotionally involved that I need to be here. I have to get to her. Can't you see that?" He regretted snapping at Erin, but his insides were twisting, and he wanted to shout or to punch something, preferably both.
Erin wasn't sure she did see, but she wasn't about to question him further. His distress was clear. Harry was hurting, and she didn't want him to hurt any more. Perhaps he had a need to be closely involved in getting Ruth back. Her chief worry was were this to get out of hand, and something bad happen to Ruth, she didn't want Harry to be close to the action.
"I've found her phone," Tariq called out. "It's on Albany Street, and it's stationary. That doesn't look good. Sorry," he added quickly, looking up at Harry apologetically.
"Don't apologise for doing your job well, Tariq," Harry said. "I need everything you can find, even if it seems unrelated. At least we know in which direction they took her."
"Needle in a haystack, Harry," said Calum, somewhat unnecessarily. Harry walked away before he hurt someone.
.
Several miles away, but still within Greater London, Ruth Evershed sat in cold metal chair in a darkened room, her hands tied behind her back, her ankles tied together and to the chair, her eyes blindfolded. Her ankles and wrists hurt and her hands and feet were already numbing, but whether this was from the cold in the room, or her circulation being compromised by the ties, she could not determine. Her normally sharp mind was already clouding over, and she was aware of having become disoriented. She had no idea where she was, although she could feel hard concrete beneath the soles of her shoes, and a hollow echo off the walls whenever she coughed. Since she'd been bundled into the car, none of her kidnappers had spoken within her earshot. Suddenly, several men entered the room. She tried counting footsteps, but soon lost focus. She heard much shuffling and scraping in the room around her, until a voice said: Now – turn on those lights. She recognised the man's accent, and immediately felt her hopes drop. All her thoughts were of Harry, and so for the first time in many years, Ruth prayed. Silently she prayed for her safe deliverance from this place, and for Harry to be strong and to have faith in her need, her powerful desire to be back with him. She knew how hurt he'd be if he lost her. As her captors moved around her, whispering and gesturing amongst themselves, her mind filled with images of Harry from the day she left him on the dock almost five years ago. They had each believed they'd never see the other again. His face had been a picture of pain, loss and longing, mirroring for her all she herself had been feeling. She could not bear to do that to him again.
.
Harry was sitting at his desk in his office, staring out at the Grid, his stomach churning, when Calum called out from behind his bank of monitors.
"Harry! We have a feed."
Harry literally ran out of his office, and stood behind Calum, along with Erin and now Alec. The camera was trained on a white sheet, and then a man came into view and began speaking, his Belfast accent sending a cold tremor through Harry. His time in Northern Ireland had been long ago, but it had ways of re-emerging when he least expected it.
"Harry Pearce, I hope you are listening. You see, I have someone here who I'm told you'll want back. Just like I wanted me Da back, but of course, thanks to you, he never came home again. You remember Jack Mullen, don't you Harry? You cut him down like a dog, and I had to grow up without him. I'm Connor, by the way. I was ten when you killed him. Me guess is you won't remember -"
"I remember," Harry said into the microphone above the monitor. "I remember that he drew his gun and threatened to shoot my sergeant. I had little choice, Mullen. I'm sorry you grew up without him, but that was then, this is now. What do you want?"
"Call the skinny Greek guy off Johnny Grier, and you can have your lady friend back. If not, you know what we'll do. I have five men here, and all have been without a woman in their beds for at least a month. She's a nice looking one, your Ruth. I might even be tempted meself. After that, who knows?"
Erin looked across at Harry. His face told her all she needed to know. She was afraid he was going to punch the monitor. She could see his hands forming fists by his sides, and his jaw was working overtime in his attempt to swallow the string of expletives he no doubt wanted to hurl at Mullen.
"Whatever happens, we'll likely rough her up a bit. She's a bit too perfect as she is. You see, every time you look at her from now on I want you to remember that Connor Mullen was in town, and what better way to do that than to leave a few bruises, even a scar or two. You have until 6 o'clock to back off."
"Nearly there," Tariq whispered to Alec, who nodded.
"You have to tell me where you're holding her," Harry said, attempting to stall Mullen. "I have to see her, otherwise why should I believe you?"
Suddenly another camera gave a view of Ruth, bound and blindfolded, tears streaming down her face. "Don't give them what they want, Harry," she cried, before a figure emerged from off camera and punched her in the side of her head so hard that she fell, the chair tumbling with her.
Harry stepped back from the monitor, and put his hand over his mouth, more to stop himself from crying out in anger. As much as it had horrified him, he could not take his eyes from the monitor, now displaying only the blank white sheet. He could not stop the tears as they poured down his face. Erin had noticed, as had Alec, and both were watching him with concern in their eyes.
Silently he cursed his weakness, his inability to separate his private and professional lives. He felt old – past it – and he hated himself for it. He had become what he'd once despised – an old spy whose decisions were sullied by his emotions. If he was honest with himself, his emotions had been infiltrating his decision-making since Cotterdam - almost five years ago. When Lucas North – or more correctly, John Bateman – had kidnapped Ruth in exchange for Albany, his emotions had ruled all his decisions that day. His saving grace had been the ineffectiveness of Albany, but he could not deny that he had traded Albany to save the woman he loved. It had been another one of his Grand Gestures to prove to her how much he loved her. He wiped his hand across his eyes.
"Got it!" Tariq said, trying not to shout. "Here's the address, Alec. Camden. I'll get on to CO19, and perhaps Dimitri needs to be called away, just this once."
"When did you become Section Chief, Tariq?" Alec said, grabbing the piece of paper Tariq thrust at him.
"Just doin' my job, man," Tariq replied, grinning up at Alec, patently pleased with the older man's sideways compliment.
"I'm coming with you," Harry said to Alec.
"You'll have to stay in the background, Harry. You're too involved. Until we have Ruth, Mullen still holds most of the cards." Harry knew that Alec was right.
Alec then quickly left the Grid, while Erin and Harry followed.
.
Ruth's captors had roughly lifted her chair so that she was again sitting upright, but now with only Liam for company. Despite the punch in the head, she felt remarkably clear-headed. Her head ached only a little, but she was also aware of the temporary healing power of adrenalin. She heard the shots before she saw anything. She hoped her prayers had been answered over those of her captors. Liam – little more than a boy, really – stayed with her, while the others ran out of the room. She counted seven shots, then shouting – in English accents. Please let that be Harry, she pleaded silently, to whomever may be listening.
"Remove my blindfold, Liam. I want to see."
"Shutup."
"They're about to leave you here, you know. You'll be left to take the punishment -"
"Shutup, shutup." Ruth felt a pistol being placed at her temple. Feeling Liam's nervousness through the pistol barrel he held at her head, she decided to say nothing more.
Suddenly, from somewhere within the room a shot rang out, and she heard Liam's body hit the floor, and his gun clatter to the ground.
"Ruth, are you alright?"
Ruth breathed out heavily as she realised it was her prayers that had been answered.
"Dimitri, I'm so glad it's you. I'm alright. What about Harry? Is he here?"
Dimitri kneeled beside her and gently removed her blindfold and the ties around her ankles and wrists. He looked into her eyes as his hands passed over her scalp, all the time watching her for a reaction. Next, his hands rubbed the deep marks on her ankles, as he attempted to bring the circulation back to her feet and lower legs. "Harry's outside waiting, but I have to check you over first."
"I'm fine, Dimitri. Just a few sore spots, that's all."
Erin entered the room, slipping her gun back into its holster. She stood behind Dimitri while he finished his examination of Ruth. "There's someone outside who'll want to see you as soon as possible," Erin said quietly. "Di, you and I had better check the men who are down. This one," indicating Liam, "is still breathing. We'll need him alive, if possible."
.
Harry had watched from the sidelines, something he was not used to doing. He continually stamped his feet on the ground as though he was cold; in reality he was impatient, itching to be with Ruth. He didn't even want to consider the possibility of her being hurt or badly injured, or... They had both waited too long to be together.
CO19 had arrived before MI5, and had cordoned off the building, a disused paper-making factory, and taken it with only minimal gunfire. Five men were dead, leaving a very frightened twenty-one year old Liam O'Dell to be taken to hospital under guard. No-one else left the building until the officers from CO19 had checked all rooms in the building. Harry heard the call `all clear', and then he held his breath. He was practised at appearing impassive, but his whole body was shaking with tension and emotion.
The first to leave the building was Dimitri. Harry noticed the smile on his face as Dimitri caught his eye and nodded. The next seconds of his life felt like hours. Next to walk out was Erin, closely followed by Alec, his arm around Ruth. She looked weary and battered and shattered and scared, her hand shielding her eyes from the dim light of this grey day. All he wanted was to be with her and to hold her and protect her. He no longer cared who knew about he and Ruth, or if he was breaking all the rules in the aftermath of hostage taking. He broke through the cordon of police, and ran to her. On seeing Harry so close, Alec stepped away from her, and Ruth looked up into his eyes, squinting as she did so. She managed to give him a weak smile.
"I'm alright, Harry," she reassured him. "They didn't do anything to me. Just a couple of slaps."
He stepped the last couple of steps, and then, without thinking too much about it, wrapped her in his arms. Ruth's reserve, her control suddenly broke, and Harry felt her body let go of the steely constraint which had helped her endure her capture. She cried enough for both of them while he held her tight against his body, his face buried in her hair. Her hair smelled of dust and metal. Erin and Alec walked on, and waited by the car. However long it took, they would wait for Harry and Ruth. It had been a little less than five hours since Ruth had been kidnapped, but in that time, everything had changed for them.
Recognising their need for privacy, Erin arranged for Harry's driver to bring a car to pick up he and Ruth. "I don't expect either of you back at work for the next few days," she said to Harry after he'd settled Ruth in the back seat. "I rang the hospital, and they'll take a quick look at Ruth before you take her home. She'd may have head trauma, so we have to be careful. You need to stay with her at all times, Harry."
"I'm taking her back to my house," Harry answered quietly. "I'm not leaving her alone." He then slid into the back seat beside Ruth and closed the door.
Erin stood on the footpath and watch the car glide away and into the stream of traffic. Privately she had concerns about Harry and Ruth. It was now clear to them all that they were together, and that this was important to them both. She'd heard the rumours about them from the time she'd joined Section D. At first she'd thought the stories to be little more than the usual workplace gossip, but as she got to know them, she became aware of the strong magnetic force between the two of them, as like the opposite poles of a magnet, they were always drawn together. Experience with other committed couples had taught her that these two were far more than colleagues, and even more than good friends. Harry valued Ruth's input in all things, and it was clear to Erin that Ruth adored him, as much as she tried to hide it. Harry and Ruth clearly went back a long way, and shared history tended to bind people in a way that shared feelings could not. She had observed Harry closely during the afternoon, and she was worried that his personal feelings for Ruth had interfered with his ability to function effectively. The way she saw it, there was no room for personal attachments in the spy game, and when and if they interfered with the job, it was time for change.
The problem now being, should she talk to Harry about this, or go over his head and mention her concerns to Towers? She would give it some thought, and wait until Harry returned to the Grid before she sought a solution.