Chapter Two: A Business Party

Thursday Evening

Despite her declaration to get seriously drunk, Morgana knew she needed to pace herself tonight. This soiree was important to the company and, as much as her job often frustrated her, it wouldn't do her any favours to misbehave. And then, as if to add insult to injury, just a few sips of champagne had her feeling uncharacteristically woozy. Wouldn't it be just her luck to find that this new setting would prevent her from even getting a little bit tipsy.

Her Gauntlet buzzed like an angry wasp and she fiddled with it, trying to scratch at the skin underneath, annoyed by the sensation.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

"I really don't like what Gaius did to this today," she replied. "It itches."

"I'm not sure I've ever heard of it doing that, have you?"

"Not exactly, but I know the side effects tend to increase the higher the block becomes and, as you know, my reactions have always been unusual. Oh look, there's Arthur."

"And Merlin."

Gwen's expression had suddenly brightened and Morgana smirked at the reaction.

'Poor Arthur. He likes Gwen but Gwen likes Merlin and, seeing he's barely taken his eyes off me since he walked into the room, I'm fairly certain that Merlin's got a crush on me.'

The idea simply amused Morgana, used as she was to having young men fawn over her on a regular basis, and Merlin really didn't interest her in a romantic way. Anyway, she already had more than enough hassles in her life, and those sort of relationships had never been that high on her list of priorities, even before all this Gauntlet stuff had added an extra layer of complication.

She looked at the young man more closely, trying to work out what it was that so intrigued Arthur and Gwen. He was tall – perhaps slightly more so than her brother - although the fact he slouched most of the time made that fact less obvious. He wasn't conventionally handsome, but further scrutiny revealed him to be attractive nonetheless; something about his look making her think he would be one of those people who always photographed well.

"Damn!" The Gauntlet buzzed viciously again and she fiddled with it, frustrated.

"A problem?"

She glanced up to find the young man in question standing much closer than she expected whilst looking curiously at her wrist, head tipped.

"I'm testing a new setting," she replied promptly. "But I don't think it's working."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been playing up every since I first stepped foot in here."

"Probably something in the room interfering it," he replied promptly.

"Perhaps, although I've never heard of that happening before."

Merlin shrugged and turned around to look for Arthur who was now approaching their position. Morgana used the young man's distraction as an excuse to check his Gauntlet and noticed he wore a Red setting - indicating no magic - with its lights hardly flashing at all, which seemed especially unusual for this sort of environment.

She found herself momentarily envious, wishing her own Gauntlet would behave so calmly.

"You still fussing with that thing, Morgana?" Arthur said offhandedly, whilst throwing Gwen a very obvious, charming smile.

"All very well for you to scoff, Squirt. Aren't you supposed to be working the room or something?"

"Well, I have been, but I need you to come along and talk to this Japanese group about our latest Gauntlets, if you can stop fiddling with yours for more than five seconds."

Morgana shrugged and followed her brother over to the party in question, where she attempted to use her knowledge of Gaius' latest modifications to impress the buyers and convince them to purchase their versions rather than that of their rivals.

~o~0~o~

"You're very good at that, Morgana," Merlin said afterwards, as the four moved towards the bar.

"She can turn on the charm well enough when she wants to," Arthur replied, rather dismissively.

"Charm?" She scoffed. "That was all talent, I'd have you know. I've not been working in Gaius' department all this time without having learnt something."

Merlin grinned and Gwen giggled.

"If you say so," Arthur replied.

"A bit of both, perhaps?" Gwen suggested. "I know all those facts too, but it was the way you presented them. It was very good."

She gave her friend a gentle smile. "Thank you."

"Well, I'm pretty certain we have their business now," Arthur continued. "Which was Father's main aim for this evening, I think. In fact, I'd say we've earned ourselves a break. Let's take these drinks and find a quiet alcove somewhere, shall we?"

So the four sat down and started to talk and Morgana was surprised at just how quickly the time flew by. Arthur could be quite entertaining when he wasn't constantly worrying about his ego and living up to Uther's expectations, and Gwen was the same when she relaxed enough to not be concerned about what everyone else was thinking about her. In this social environment, Morgana also became more aware of the part of Merlin's personality that Gwen had hinted about. He teased Arthur almost constantly - her brother giving as good as he got – and, whilst both young men appeared offended on the surface, it was quite obvious that they were loving every minute of the banter.

Gwen looked over at her, an eyebrow raised in amusement, and she nodded her understanding. Merlin was definitely far more than he first appeared and it seemed that her brother had finally met his match. She was no longer confused as to why he had held the job for so long.

In-between teasing Arthur, Merlin continued to throw intense looks in Morgana's direction and she surprised herself by subtly encouraging him, smiling back and laughing just a little too loudly at his jokes. She doubted Arthur would even notice, although Gwen was another matter entirely. Morgana realised she'd have to talk to her friend very soon and reassure her that she really wasn't interested in Merlin that way.

"So, the rumour going around is that today wasn't a scheduled fire drill but a bomb scare instead," Gwen said.

"Bomb scare?" Arthur replied. "Where did that come from?"

"Rumours about the terrorist group, Eden, I heard." Merlin supplied.

"I'd really hoped that that gossip wouldn't be spread around," Arthur replied with a sigh.

"So?" Gwen asked. "Was it them?"

Arthur sighed. "Probably."

"And what actually happened?" she continued. "I mean, other than all the alarms going off?"

"It looks like they took... something." He exchanged a nervous look with Morgana. "I probably shouldn't say any more than that."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because apparently Camelot is full of their spies and we don't know who we can trust."

"What is it they want, exactly?" Gwen asked.

"Freedom from the Gauntlets I hear," Merlin replied.

"It makes no sense," Arthur complained. "We wear them for everyone's safety. Our own and other people's."

"Yeah, it feels a bit different when they don't work," Morgana mumbled.

"But I don't see what Uther thinks you can do about it," Merlin said. "All employees have their magic re-checked when they join the company and there are detectors everywhere which will go off if even the smallest spell is used."

"Unless of course Eden have those without magic spying for them," Gwen suggested.

"That would be no use at all," Morgana responded. "Seeing all the most secure areas of Camelot are also magically locked."

"Which is why it's close to impossible to know for sure," Arthur said. "Unless they start openly talking about snakes and apples."

"Snakes and apples?" Gwen asked.

"Eden..." Merlin said. "You know... secret code words?"

Gwen laughed. "I'd imagine they'd be rather more subtle than that."

Friday Morning

"So, how did it go last night?" Uther asked Morgana and Arthur the following morning.

"Very well," Arthur replied. "We had definite promises from the Texan and Japanese contingents, and I think at least three others seemed to be coming down on our side."

"The New South Wales group too, I'm certain," Morgana added.

"Oh?" Arthur asked, "I wasn't so sure about them."

She shrugged. "I just got the feeling they were more impressed than they let on."

She had a sense about these things sometimes, a type of intuition.

"Well, that is good news," Uther said. "Hopefully our sales won't suffer too much from my absence."

Arthur and Morgana exchanged a frustrated glance. Arthur had quite rightly called on Morgana to persuade that Japanese contingent last night and if Arthur - who had considerably more charm than his father - hadn't been able to convince those elderly men to buy from them, it was highly unlikely Uther would have faired any better.

"I believe it was success," Arthur continued. "Hopefully the formal orders will come in very soon."

"Good, good," their father replied offhandedly. "What about your Gauntlet, Morgana? Has Gaius figured it out yet?"

"This new setting appears to be working," she lied.

"Well, that is a relief. Now, Arthur, what did Gaius say about yesterday's incident?"

"I'm afraid it's a dead-end. All the power went out in and around the laboratory and there's nothing of interest on any of the cameras – nothing to indicate that anyone even came in that way. When Gaius arrived back, all the doors were securely triple locked just as he had left them."

"We must have spies here then," Uther pushed. "People who know our codes and systems."

"But not ones with magic strong enough to pull off such a feat," Morgana said. "And everyone was accounted for yesterday, remember?"

"But we have magical defences guarding those cells," Uther continued. "How could that prisoner have escaped without some alert going off?"

"Well the magical alarms did go off," Arthur added. "But they went off everywhere which means it's impossible to track any possible intruders."

"I still can't think why members of Eden would be here, in Camelot," Morgana said. "Surely they'd keep away when they know how severe the consequences are."

"They're here to free their compatriots and sabotage our research," Uther said. "And that cannot be allowed to continued. To have unregistered sorcerers walking amongst us is unthinkable. We have to ensure that our programme works and that everyone is kept safe."

There was little more that could be said really. It should have been impossible for a Purple prisoner to escape their facility and yet it had happened; the first since the new security system had been set up a year ago. Uther instructed Arthur to continue to look into it but, as the siblings left the room, the young man admitted that he had no idea where to start.

"Have this Eden lot even been in touch?" she asked her brother. "Have they given their demands?"

"None directly to us, just the usual spiel about freeing all sorcerers by banning compulsory magic testing and the wearing of Gauntlets."

"Perhaps it's time to start a dialogue with them, see if a compromise can be found."

"Seriously, Morgana? How can we even contemplate changing this system when it works so well."

"Really? You honestly believe that this..." She lifted her wrist. "... is the best solution we can come up with?"

"What's the alternative? Sorcerers running free? All that power let lose on the world with no-one to control or moderate it?"

"You think this controls it?"

"I know there are still a few issues with the Gauntlet and I know it doesn't fully detect your levels - or mine, for that matter - but it does works in most cases and that is definitely better than nothing."

"But the hypocrisy, Arthur? We have this system set up to control and restrict sorcerers and yet Uther happily employs Gaius as a Blue?"

"Because he knows we can't fight evil magicians without having one on our side. The whole point is control. If a strong magician shows that he, or she, is willing to wear the Gauntlet and is only interested in using magic for the greater good then, like Gaius, they'll be allowed the freedom to cast any spell they chose."

"Perhaps."

"But if we took those Gauntlets away, then what? Anyone with magical ability and evil intent would be free to wreak havoc on the world, and evil organisations like Eden would quickly take control. There has to be some system in place, surely you see that?"

"I suppose." She sighed. "I suppose the fact that my Gauntlet doesn't work for me has clouded my judgement. To me this band might as well be a handcuff. It causes me pain and discomfort most of the time and then, for no reason, something happens anyway, despite the fact it's supposed to block all forms of instinctive magic."

"It's unfortunate that you have had to go through that," Arthur said with a frown. "I know that you and a rare few others have not easily been assessed, but I still say that having the system work for ninety-nine percent of the population is better than having no control at all."

Morgana sighed loudly. "I suppose."

He smiled broadly. "But last night was a great success."

"It was," she agreed. "And I admit that I thoroughly enjoyed myself."

Arthur laughed. "I noticed. Merlin was flirting with you outrageously."

She feigned surprise. "What?"

"Oh, come on, I know you saw it. And you were encouraging him."

"I was not."

"Oh, you were, Sis, that much was obvious. Go easy on him though, won't you? The boy really hasn't got a clue and, as much as he annoys me, I'd hate to have his heart broken."

"You would?"

He shrugged. "Of course. How would he get any work done?"

She glared at her brother. "Actually, he is kind of cute."

"What?"

"And I was actually thinking about asking him out."

"What!"

"I mean... have you seen the size of his hands and feet?"

Arthur frowned. "What's that got to do with anything?"

She smirked. "Oh, you know? Big feet, big-"

"-Morgana!"

"Seriously. I think that, despite his unique looks, Merlin could well be worth my interest."

"You wouldn't?"

"Why not?"

"But..."

She smirked again. Honestly, it would be well worth asking Merlin out on a date just to annoy her brother.

~o~0~o~

"Ah, there you are, Morgana," Gaius said, barely looking at her as he focused on his computer screen. "How's that new setting?"

"Itchy," she replied.

"Sorry?"

"It drove me nuts last night," she continued. "Kept tingling and buzzing all through that party."

Gaius looked over at her properly and frowned. "I can't see why it would do that," he said, coming over to inspect it. "A higher colour might make you feel dizzy or even lethargic if the setting is incorrect, but it certainly shouldn't itch."

"Well, it did," she grumbled. "A constant little buzzing sound as if someone was whispering to me."

"Really?" Gaius paused and looked at her, suddenly more interested. "Where was this?"

"At Uther's promotional party last night."

"And it was like that all the time?"

Morgana frowned, as if not having considered that question before. "I noticed it soon after I arrived, but I suppose it was more annoying near the start of the evening. I think perhaps the alcohol dulled the sensation later on?"

Gaius nodded. "Perhaps. You were there with Arthur and your personal assistants?"

"Yes?"

"Well then, if you would sit down here, I'll just make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary."

She sighed. "Great! At the rate I'm going you'll be putting me up to Purple and locking me away in one of those cells."

"No need to worry about that," he replied firmly. "That is only for those who have committed a crime or who refuse to cooperate - neither of which applies to you - and I'm quite sure we'll have this sorted very soon."

~o~0~o~

Next Time - Chapter 3: Not a Date. .Deciding to go out with Merlin was probably a big mistake.