A/N: As always, beta-read by the wonderful ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade)!
There's quite a bit of German in this chapter, but no worries, I've written the translation behind every paragraph ;D
Two missions, one purpose
"We didn't see it at first, but a number kept appearing in the files labelled 'Versuchsdurchführungen'," Eggsy explained, motioning towards several documents spread out on the table in the library. They all had paragraphs marked with a red circle.
"It's German for 'trail runs'," Merlin declared and leaned forward to study the files.
Roxy nodded. "That makes sense. First we thought the number might be a code, but the computer couldn't decipher it. So we split it into coordinates instead and got a deserted spot in Scotland."
"Here." Eggsy shoved a few loose sheets aside and pointed at a spot on the world map beneath. The place was about 50 km south of Edinburgh, rather high up in the Southern Uplands. Sparse traffic, no tourists, and only a handful of people every now and then. The perfect location if one wanted to conceal their whereabouts to pursue illegal experiments.
"If that's where they have been testing the neurotoxin it's definitely worth checking out, especially since Morgana's attempts to retrieve a sample have been fruitless so far. But we should handle this mission with great caution. There's no telling what might await us…"
At Eggsy questioning glance, Merlin quickly reported what Morgana had told him. It wasn't a surprise that Valentine's part in this caused an incredulous stare from the young Galahad. Lancelot, on the contrary, looked only mildly surprised.
"He was bound to have a back-up plan."
"But he fried people's brains by using their SIM cards!" Eggsy protested, exasperated. "Some toxic chemical stuff is nothing compared to that, right? Why bother with it then?"
"It's a highly effective neurotoxin, Eggsy, and not to be underestimated," Merlin lectured him. "The fact that we have neither the slightest clue what it does, nor how it can be made ineffective, should perturb you greatly."
"I ain't saying I'm not worried, but this seems child's play compared to the stunt Valentine pulled with the SIM cards."
"How shall we proceed?" Roxy asked, pointedly ignoring her friend's immature comment.
Merlin had already considered that question on his way to the library, coming to the only logical conclusion. That didn't mean he had to like it. "You two will look into it. As much as I regret to stay behind and let you go alone, I can't leave HQ as long as the new Arthur hasn't been selected. However, my position won't keep me from being your handler, so be assured I'll be with you the entire time."
A strange thrill coursed through Eggsy at the prospect of a solo mission. Well, a mission without a senior agent, just him and Roxy.
On the contrary, the young Lancelot was reluctant to go—yet just as excited. It was only natural that they set off to investigate the firm and destroy the organisation, but she'd be out of reach if Percy's situation worsened. But Lamorak is on his way, she told herself, he'll find him and everything will turn out fine.
So instead of objecting, Roxy stood a little taller. "When do we leave?"
"Once you're both dressed." Turning to Roxy, Merlin added, "There's a suit for you on the plane since you do not have one yet."
Roxy nodded and followed Eggsy out of Central.
Merlin watched them go with an uneasy feeling in his gut. But there was no other way; he had a funeral to plan and a Secret Service to run, no matter how desperately he wished to be able to delay the first and avoid the latter, if just for a little while longer.
~oOo~
Her head held high and back straight, Morgana walked up to the intimidating building, going over her cover story again in her mind. She wasn't an agent and nowhere near as trained for this kind of mission as the knights (or spies), but she would be damned if she didn't give her best. Lives were depending on her success, and Morgana was nothing if not determined and self-confident – whether holding a scalpel or carrying a fake ID.
Considering what the company was developing behind an unblemished façade, the high security the tall building was under didn't come as a surprise and Morgana was prepared for the security officer's suspicious stare.
"Ausweis?" [ID?]
Taking out her ID in one swift motion, making it look as if she'd done this thousands of times before, Morgana held it out to him. "Dr. Margarete Hoffmann, Neurobiologin." [Dr. Margarete Hoffmann, neurobiologist.]
He accepted it and used a scanner to test its validity. The movement caused his jacket to move up, giving Morgana a glimpse of two guns and an electric stick fastened to his belt.
The man studied the scanner screen for a moment, frowning.
"Stimmt etwas nicht?" [Something wrong?] Morgana asked coldly, letting annoyance lace her tone.
"Darf ich fragen, warum Sie nicht in der Datenbank registriert sind?" [May I ask why you are not on the employee list?]
Thank God, that was a question they had prepared for. Flashing him what she hoped was an arrogant smile, Morgana slipped into her cover identity's story. "Ich bin hier als externer Begutachter, um den versprochenen Erfolg eines Projektes zu evaluieren." [I'm here as an external expert to survey the promised progress of a project.]
The guard considered her for a few more seconds, but finally stepped aside. It wasn't unusual for investors and third parties to hire a renowned scientist to evaluate whether the money invested in a project of a firm was worth it. Lucky for Morgana, people tended to treat those surveyors with great respect since their research – and job – depended on their evaluation. Hopefully, that would make her task a bit easier.
She tried to ignore the five security cameras following her every move as she retrieved her ID before entering the building, doing her best to uphold a bored demeanour that she hoped would be interpreted as arrogance. She was, after all, supposed to be a highly specialised neurobiologist hired by influential people for her opinion, and if what Morgana had learnt in medical school was anything to go by, those people were always extremely haughty. Although everything but arrogant, playing the scientist in high demand would grant her access to the building for at least a limited time.
In the entrance hall, two more guards searched her for weapons and cameras. Morgana deliberately made a scene as they rummaged through her handbag, almost enjoying the frightened look on the man's face as she threatened him to stab him with her nail scissors if he dared tip over her purse. Thankfully, the detectors didn't pick up on the tech in her glasses and Morgana was soon free to step into the lift.
Her ID only granted her access to the fourth and fifth floor, ultimately making it more challenging to find the laboratory used to develop the neurotoxin. She observed herself in the mirror walls of the lift, idly combing back a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail. Her lab coat, although not much different from the one she wore in the infirmary daily, felt strange and uncomfortable over her suit.
Relieved to hear the elevator halt, Morgana turned around. The doors opened only to reveal a blond man also wearing a white overcoat, his nose askew and looking suspiciously like it had seen its fair share of bar fights.
Sighing quietly in relief, Morgana had to stop herself from grinning at him and instead greeted him with a polite nod. "Herr Dr. Teichberg, es ist schön, Sie endlich persönlich kennen zu lernen." [Dr. Teichberg, it's an honour to finally meet you in person.]
"Die Ehre ist ganz auf meiner Seite, Frau Dr. Hoffmann." Kay replied calmly, maintaining a polite demeanour throughout the exchange. "Ich sehe unsere Zusammenarbeit mit großer Zuversicht entgegen und hoffe, dass Sie uns in unserer Forschung in unserem Manhofer Institut gut heißen können." [The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Hoffmann. I'm looking forward to our collaboration and hope that you will find our research at our Manhofer Institute to your liking.]
His German was flawless and without the faint accent that could still be heard when Morgana spoke. But the probability that they were overheard was too high and Kay had now been undercover for so long that risking his cover would be foolish. He'd just gained enough trust and respect to be able to manipulate the selection process for an outside counsellor, and he'd taken advantage of that to smuggle Morgana in. Although the knight was able to pass as a scientist, he lacked the level of expertise Morgana possessed to find and identify the chemical substances they were looking for.
Kay led her through the corridors with ease, passing laboratories and offices, until they came to a halt in front of a high double-door. Holding it open, he motioned for her to enter what looked like a conference room. Two men and three women sitting in chairs around the table looked up at their entrance.
They regarded Kay with a nod; it was obvious they'd worked with him before. Then, with curiosity written on their faces, they turned to Morgana.
"Meine Damen und Herren," Kay said. "Bitte begrüßen Sie Frau Dr. Hoffmann. Wie Sie bereits wissen, wird sie als Gutachterin ihre Forschung einsehen und ihre Ergebnisse überprüfen. Bei Fragen bitte ich darum mich sofort zu informieren." [Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Dr. Hoffmann. As you already know, she will look into your research and results. If you have questions please contact me immediately.]
Turning to Morgana he added, "Wenn Sie erlauben treffe ich mich mit Ihnen am späten Nachmittag in der Cafeteria, um Ihnen bei der Gelegenheit einen Einblick in unser Institut zu geben." [If you'll permit I'd like to meet with you in the late evening in the cafeteria, to give you a more detailed picture of our institute.]
"Natürlich." [Yes, of course.] Morgana replied with a smile, silently assuring him she understood his meaning. It would be the perfect excuse for her to leave for an hour without anyone questioning where she'd gone to.
She looked after him as he left the room, before turning back and preparing herself for the introduction round that would undoubtedly follow.
~oOo~
When Percy woke up for the second time, it wasn't inside a van, but a small room. The tiny window under the ceiling out of his reach and the plank bed he was lying on resembled the interior of a cell. From what he could make out without his glasses, some unfortunate soul had etched marks on the wall with a stone to keep count of the days. Or maybe years, who knew?
Fighting the urge to throw up, Percy raised his head to take a look at the wound in his abdomen. Under the bloody fabric of his torn shirt, a white bandage was visible. Slightly reassured he wouldn't bleed to death in the next few hours, he let himself fall back onto the plank, but not before hissing in pain at the tug at his wound. Although his captors may have stopped the bleeding, Percy doubted they'd put much effort into it. Since he was barely a source of information, his survival probably wasn't high up on the list of his captors and he could already feel the beginning of a fever clouding his mind. If he didn't die of blood loss, blood poisoning would certainly finish him off soon.
Too exhausted to move, Percy continued to lie on the plank, focusing on trying to breathe through the pain. There wasn't a point in getting up anyway. They would, without a doubt, come for him soon enough. He closed his eyes and focused on the hard wood digging into his back, his feverish thoughts drifting off to a rainy country and a house he called home. In this delirium at least, his mind failed to acknowledge that he was both lost and – what was even worse – lonely in more than one way.
Reviews make me happy :D