o0o
Chapter 4
"Gone. Just like that." The file hit Harry's desk with a crack. "How'd we lose her?" He asked Lucas, sitting down in his desk chair. "I thought we had her under tight surveillance."
"We did." Lucas replied. "But apparently she's a lot better then we thought. We'll find her, Harry. It'll just take some time."
"Time is something we don't have." Harry shot back. "She'll get whatever the hell she wants and then be gone before we know what hit us. Yes, she's that good." He replied in answer to Lucas's wordless glance. "The JIC is starting a witch hunt and we're right in the middle of it. They're pushing for something substantial; not smoke and mirrors."
"No one's that lucky." Lucas replied after a moment. "She's got to have left a trail. We'll work our agents, see what comes up."
"Do it." Harry said. "Maybe you can salvage our reputations while you're at it."
Lucas nodded and then slipped out of the office, closing the door behind him. Harry reached forward and picked up his desk phone. "Get me MI6." He told the person on the other end of the line.
o0o
"Neil has gambling debts."
The four words that Ruth uttered caused everyone to pause. The entire team sat around the conference table in various different positions. Beth was playing with the remote for the screen in the corner while Dimitri lounged in a corner chair, looking relaxed even though there was a tenseness to his body. Lucas was trying not to fiddle with the burn phone resting on the table beside his elbow. Harry were the only one who didn't look distracted.
"Who with?" Dimitri was first to ask.
"The Russians." Beth responded. "Tariq managed to find photos of our junior member entering and exiting one of the gentlemen's clubs that Six has been keeping an eye on. It's known to have ties back to Russia and the mafia."
Beth clicked the button on the remote she was holding and a CCTV surveillance photo popped up showing Neil entering the infamous club.
"Would Neil have known this?" Harry asked turning back to the group.
Beth shook her head. "Not at first. It's how they draw you in. You play some cards, get in some debt, but instead of the local boys..."
"The mafia pays you a visit." Harry finished. "And instead of telling someone and possibly losing his job, Neil agreed to get them what they want."
"We checked out everyone that came in contact with carrier," Ruth continued. "And two possibilities stood out." Again Beth touched the remote and the first photo and bio slide onto the screen. "His name is Richard Samuels. We've been keeping an eye on him as he's basically a gun for hire. We have video of him in two locations with the carrier.
"The second suspect is Aatos Pajari. Originally of Finnish descent, he entered the UK a week ago on a fake British passport under the name John Bingham. Other then the short clip of him walking down the same street as the carrier, we have nothing on him."
"Pajari is the most likely suspect." Beth continued. "He's been one of Interpol's Top Twenty for the last five years due to his assassination of a low level government official in Spain. Everyone outside the intelligence community still believes the official died of a heart attack. He's also been linked to several assassinations in Bulgaria, Ireland, and Germany, but there is no definitive proof."
"Pleasant fellow." Dimitri remarked sarcastically from his corner.
"Definitely not someone you want to meet in a dark ally." Ruth agreed.
"Where is Pajari now?" Harry asked.
Beth bit her lip. "We don't know." She admitted. "We lost track of him."
They all looked up as Tariq slide open the door to the briefing room and slipped inside. "You have to see this." He told them, plucking the remote out of Beth's hand and starting to play with the buttons. "I had our system looking up any reference to John Bingham and this is what it turned up." Tariq explained. On the LCD screen a news broadcast began to play.
The broadcasting was explaining that a body had been found in a small warehouse and police were asking the public to come forth with any information about John Bingham. Harry quickly took charge.
"Dimitri, I want you on the scene, find out what you can." Harry ordered. Dimitri nodded and left the room. Harry looked towards Ruth.
"I'll find out what I can." She told him, getting up from the table and motioning Beth to follow her.
"I'll see if I can track Pajari's movements; find out how he ended up there." Tariq said, once again slipping out of the room.
Harry turned to Lucas. "Lucas, I want you to stay with the Julia Green case. If this is just a smokescreen to keep us distracted, I don't want it to work. I want to keep Julia on a tight leash."
"You don't think she could've had anything to do with Pajari?" Lucas asked.
Harry shook his head. "Not her style, but I wouldn't put it past her if he got in her way. In any case, we won't know unless Dimitri finds something. And MI6 hasn't been exactly forthcoming with their information. Hayworth is out of the country, or so they say." He replied in answer to Lucas's look.
"Harry, I don't want to say it, but we have to consider the possibility that someone at MI6 knows who Julia is." Lucas said. "Maybe they are even in contact with her. How else could she know about our protocols?"
"You're still thinking about the coffee." Harry deduced. "Lucas, Julia Green is an assassin who specializes in close contact hits. She studies people for a living. I still don't know how she does it -and I am willing to consider a leak- but we have got to have proof. The JIC isn't going to take anything less. And with this whole situation, they'd probably just thank her for recovering the disk and let her go." He admitted grudgingly.
Lucas started to reply, but the small burn phone on the table vibrated, interrupting him. Both men looked towards the table.
Harry looked up at Lucas. "You have a phone call to answer."
Lucas snatched up the phone and answered it, placing it on speaker. "Hello."
"I don't appreciate tails." Julia snapped. She sounded truly angry with none of her usual charm. "They annoy me and make my day more difficult then it already is. You and Harry should know better. Don't do it again."
"Don't expect an apology." Lucas replied. "You are after all a wanted assassin."
Over the phone he heard Julia sigh as she tried to calm herself down. "The next words out of your mouth better be 'Julia, we agree to your terms.' or I'm walking; cash or no cash. I'm not in the mood for games."
"Neither am I." Lucas told her. "How do I know that I can trust you?"
She laughed. "You government types! Everything is about trust. Tell me how many times have you been stabbed in the back by your so called 'fellow' colleagues?"
Lucas didn't answer. Julia took that for his answer.
"Yeah, I thought so. Trust doesn't exist in our line of work; we're shadows, nothing more and nothing less. Are you ready to get your precious secrets back or should the Russians have them?"
Lucas was silent for a minute and then he spoke. "Tell me one thing: did you have anything to do with the murder of Aatos Pajari?"
And for the first time since he had met the infamous assassin, there was the barest of hesitations. "No." Julia replied.
o0o
"We go in as cleaners. It's quick and easy." Lucas said glancing around at the others gathered at the table. It had been a few hours since he had discussed the terms of their agreement with Julia. In that time, he had composed a plan. "We get into the building during cleaning hours which is during lunch. We change clothes, look like anyone else running errands. We'll walk into the office, get the disc and get out."
"Pretty standard, isn't it?" Beth asked. "Maybe a little too standard?"
"It's MI-5, not the CIA. We're not into all that cloak and dagger stuff." Dimitri replied with a quick grin, picking up his files.
"Harry had already okayed this, so we're a go." Lucas said. "Beth, you and Ruth will monitor from here, give me a hand if anything goes south. Dimitri, you'll be my lookout." He checked his watch. "It's late. Get some rest and we'll come back in the morning." He gathered his papers and walked to his desk.
o0o
He didn't like this; didn't like it one bit. Even on the drive home, it was bothering him. Harry flipped open the file resting on the care seat next to him and looked at Julia's photo. It was grainy, a few years old and taken from a CCTV camera. He shut the folder.
She was an unknown element and that bothered him. She had shown up from nowhere, her motives were all over the place, and no one else had seen her except his section. He had been in the room as Lucas and Julia had hashed out the terms of their 'agreement.' He had listened to them banter – there really wasn't any other word for it- but in the end, he knew that they couldn't afford not to agree to her terms; they had to know what she knew.
Dimitri had come up empty with the investigation. The local police were handling the case from here on out, but Harry was convinced they wouldn't find anything. If Julia had done it, she knew how to leave no trace behind.
The car stopped. "Thanks, James." Harry said before opening the door. He got out and shut the door. It was just a short walk up to his front door and then Harry stepped inside his home. It was dark and there was no need to turn on any lights. Harry hung his coat up on the rack and then took his briefcase upstairs into the office.
He set the file on the desk and then poured himself a drink. He sipped as he looked at the file. It had yet to be opened and Harry was hoping that it would have to stay that way. He needed to make some discreet calls and it was going to take a few favours. He just hoped that he would be able to resolve this fiasco before it went any further.
With a determined sigh, he picked up the phone and dialled the first number.
o0o
The lunch hour at Whitehall Park was crowded due to the good weather. A man ran along the circumference of the park and stopped by the treeline to stretch. Inside the building, two of the cleaning staff walked into the backdoor and then down the hallway. The taller of the two picked up a cleaning cart, carrying on down the hall and into the elevator.
The elevator came out on the third floor and both staff exited. Heads down, they passed several members of the staff. The hallway was littered with boxes alongside the wall. Various different members of staff were busy, folding papers into the boxes. The two cleaners passed the staff walking further down the hall and slipping into an empty office.
Lucas closed the door and then stripped off his cleaner's uniform. Beside him, Julia was doing the same.
"With all those boxes in the hall someone must be moving up in the world." She said.
"And making our job ten times harder." Lucas replied.
"You'll think of something." Julia stuffed the one piece uniform into the bin on the cart. She smiled up at him.
Lucas stuffed his uniform into the bin. "Come on. Neil's office is just down the hall." He opened the door and stepped into the hallway. He straightened his suit jacket. Julia fell into step beside him, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Eight doors on the left." He said in a low voice.
"Got it." She replied. They fell back into silence. Lucas had to admit that it was easy to work with Julia. For all her banter and flirting during their meetings, she worked in silence which was something he could respect. He continued counting the doors. Someone bumped into him, sending his papers crashing to the floor. They scattered everywhere.
"Sorry!" The woman apologized, bending down.
"No problem." Lucas replied, bending down beside the woman. He gathered her papers quickly and handed them back to her with a smile. She returned the gesture and then continued on her way. He turned and realized that Julia was no longer beside him.
"Control. I've lost her." He whispered. He walked around the corner and almost ran smack into Julia. She reacted. If he hadn't been trained well, he would have been on the floor. Quickly, he captured her hand and elbow and instead made it look like an animated discussion.
"You vanished." It was an accusation.
"Scouting, not flirting." She replied. "We're clear."
"Bravo One, can you confirm that?" He asked into his earpiece.
"They're moving Neil's office after lunch." Julia snapped. "We needed to get the disk now; before he moves it. Do you want it or not?"
"I want it." He shot back. Games. It was all games. His earpiece hissed; Dimitri confirmed that the office was empty. He nodded to Julia and released her. "Let's go."
o0o
The lock was easy to pick. Lucas stood up and pushed the door open. Julia followed him and shut the door behind them. The office was littered with half filled boxes. It was clear that the intelligence Julia had gathered had been correct. Neil was indeed moving offices.
Julia walked over to the desk and yanked opened the drawers, rifling through them. Lucas joined her. After a few minutes, they had found nothing. Lucas turned his attention to the walls. "Check for a safe."
Julia took the north wall and began running her fingers behind paintings. Lucas took the other wall. Again, nothing. Julia moved on to the bookshelf. Lucas turned back to the desk. He looked up when a quiet click broke the silence.
Julia pulled open a hidden panel on the bookcase and turned to him with a smile. She reached inside the safe and pulled out a blue CD case. She wiggled it.
Lucas stepped forward to grab it, but was stopped by Dimitri's voice in his ear. "Neil just entered the building, Alpha One. Two minutes."
"Two minutes." Lucas repeated looking at Julia. He held out his hand.
Julia hesitated. Lucas stepped towards her. He felt his heart beat faster as he realized that he might have to take it from her. Maybe this whole thing had been a scheme just to know what MI-5 was doing. Maybe she had intended to take the disc all along.
She stepped towards him, then reached up and kissed him. They didn't have time for this. Lucas didn't know what to do and then he heard the door open behind them.
A woman walked in carrying a stack of papers. She looked surprised at seeing the both of them in the office. "This is a private office."
"Oh, we know." Julia gave a girly grin. "Sorry."
"You have to leave now." The woman ordered.
Julia grabbed Lucas's arm, pulling him towards the door. Before they made it to the door, Neil came down the hall. Lucas felt Julia grip his arm tight. They would have to keep this cover up and hope Neil didn't suspect anything.
Neil opened the door. He stopped as he saw them.
"Ah, Tom. I have that file you were looking for." The woman said.
"Who are they?" Neil asked.
"Staff. They are just leaving." The woman said shooting them a glare.
"Give us a moment, Susan." Neil said.
Confused, the woman did as Neil asked. The door closed behind her. "I know who you are." Neil said. He put his briefcase down on the desk. He pulled a gun and motioned with it.
"Oh for god's sake." Lucas muttered.
"I started carrying this for protection after you lot threatened me. I'm calling security." He reached towards the phone.
Julia stepped towards him. Her entire body language had changed and the disc has disappeared. "You don't want to do that." She said in Russian. Perfect Russian. Neil froze. He looked scared.
Surprised, Lucas realized what she was doing. "Put the phone down." He ordered Neil in English, faking an Russian accent. "I don't think you want your people knowing your little secret."
Neil let go of the phone.
"Now the gun." Julia said. She also was speaking in a perfect Russian accent. She smiled. "Please."
Neil hesitated but lowered the weapon.
"We're just checking up on you. Making sure you don't break our deal."
"I haven't. I won't." Neil said.
"Good. Because if you do, our employer won't be too happy." Lucas said. "We own you, Neil. Don't forget that."
Neil nodded.
Lucas turned around and walked out of the office. Julia followed him.
"Quick thinking." Lucas muttered.
"Hopefully we didn't push too hard." Julia replied.
He grabbed her by the arm. "Keep walking. Once we get on the street, I want that disc."
"And you'll get it. As long as I get what I was promised, you have nothing to worry about."
"You'll get your money." He said.
A crowd of people pushed them close together, threatening to make Lucas lose his hold on Julia's arm. He wasn't about to let her slip away after all they had gone through. They finally had the disc and he was not about to let it slip from his grasp.
He slipped the handcuffs discreetly from his pocket and wrapped the bracelet around Julia's wrist. She tried to pull away, but he stuck the other bracelet around his wrist. She looked up at him.
"I thought you were a man who doesn't believe in commitments."
"I believe in doing my job. Come on." He pushed his way through the crowd and towards the van at the end of the street where Dimitri was waiting. The people around then were packed tight and a few of them he bumped into. He didn't have time to say sorry, which got him a few glares, but he had more important things to worry about right now.
Dimitri opened the van doors as they approached. Lucas pushed Julia towards the van. "Set your weapon on the floor. And the disc"
Julia pulled out her weapon with her free hand and set it down on the floor of the van. Next was the blue case with red lettering. Dimitri picked both items up and then the two of them climbed into the back of the van.
Once in the van, Julia held up her arm. "I did my part. Now, give me the keys."
"No. The rest of your part is where I arrest you for a long list of charges that I can't even remember right now." He gave her a smile.
Julia raised an eyebrow. She looked annoyed. "You're seriously double crossing me right now? Does Harry know about this?"
"Harry doesn't have to know about this." Lucas nodded to Dimitri. "Let's get back to Thames House."
Julia yanked on the handcuffs, pulling Lucas off balance. He fell towards her and then felt his weapon being pulled from behind his back. She jammed it up against his ribs. It was the only thing preventing their bodies from touching.
"Back off!" She ordered Dimitri who had started forward. "I will shoot him."
Lucas shifted and felt more then heard as the safety was taken off. He didn't have to look. He knew her finger was on the trigger.
"Undo your bracelet, North."
Slowly, Lucas lifted his hand from the wall and then reached into his pocket with his free hand. He brought the keys out. He reached over and unlocked the handcuffs holding him and Julia together.
She shoved him back using the gun and then stood up. She opened the van doors. Lucas jumped her. Together, they fell onto the pavement. The gun went flying somewhere behind them as Julia's head smacked against the pavement. Lucas grabbed one of her arms and then heard the snick of a knife being drawn. Her other arm caught him on the side of the head and there was a flash of pain as he fell to the side. The knife had been buried in his shoulder.
Julia kneed him into the chin as she scrambled to her feet.
"Lucas!" Dimitri scrambled to get out of the van. He grabbed for his weapon.
Julia shoved Lucas off her and stood up. Dimitri jumped to the pavement just in time to see Julia run off down the street. He raised his weapon and the civilians on the street screamed and scattered, making it difficult to get a shot. She disappeared into a crowd of people.
"Ruth!" Dimitri yelled as he turned back to Lucas, who was just sitting up. "We need an ambulance at my position. Make it fast."
