Chapter 5: Hide and Seek

The distant crash of waves against rock echoed dully in the clear night air, a mere dull roar amidst the vast silence of the ocean and the farmland which surrounded O'Shay farm. A chill breeze blew in over the headland, causing the long grass to ripple, ghostly pale in the clear moonlight. A few stars glittered in the sky overhead, almost fully visible given they were so far away from the bright lights of any city.

But Pooh-Bear wasn't outside for the view. As he stepped down off the wooden veranda which rimmed the farm, out onto the soft earth, he took a final glance back at the warmly lit windows. The celebrations of their victory were still on going. Through the glass he could see the figures of his team mates, Zoe, Fuzzy and Wizard, mingling with the other guests, retelling in detail the events of the last ten years. Lily was centre of attention of course, with every one still wanting to question the little girl on the vital role she had played in saving the world. Really he should have been in there with them, standing by his fathers side, chiming in with information here and there if needed. But he had a purpose out here as well.

Stretch sat a little way out from the house, perched on the dry stone wall which rimmed the property. He was staring at something held in his hands, but he looked up when he heard Pooh-Bear approaching.

'What are you doing out here?' Pooh-Bear asked as he stepped up alongside the wall, 'your delegation left an hour ago. Why didn't you go with them?'

For a second Stretch didn't reply, his hands simply tightened slightly around a sheet of paper. Eventually he spoke in a bitter tone, 'I can't.'

'Why?' Pooh frowned.

'They took my passport.'

'I'm sorry, I'm a little confused, why would they do that?'

While he was expecting a glare, or some withering death threat, all he received in response was a tired sigh, 'So am I.'

After a second of silence, during which Stretch seemed to be thinking long and hard, Pooh saw him hold something out. It was the piece of paper, crumpled and a little torn along the folds, as if Stretch had been gripping it hard. Cautiously Pooh took it and opened it. In the dim light he could barely make out the words, but he could clearly see the symbol of Mossad embossed in the corner.

'What is it?' he asked, squinting at the words, trying to make them out.

Stretch's voice was icy cold and dripping with venom, 'a polite notification from my superiors, informing me that because of my treasonous actions on this mission, I am now persona non grata.'

'A what?'

'Unwelcome person,' Stretch muttered through gritted teeth.'

Pooh looked down at the letter again, and sure enough, he could just make out those words. His brow furrowed, 'what does that mean?'

That question, despite its relative simplicity, seemed to trigger an outburst of anger as Stretch stood and snatched the paper back, 'it means I can't go home. I've been banned from entering my own country ever again, because I decided that my loyalty to you and Jack was more important than my Masters, I can never set foot in Israel again.'

Before Pooh-Bear could say anything else, Stretch turned and stalked away, scrunching the letter up as he walked, before tossing it as hard as he could into the long grass. For a long moment Pooh just stood there, confused and shocked, before he hurried out into the field, brushing aside the grass to pick up the ball of paper.

Stepping up into the light of the house, he carefully opened it up again so he could read it properly. A few words jumped out at him, treason, criminal, category five enemy, bounty. Most of the terms he didn't understand, but he was quick to grasp the gist of the letter. Folding it up, he tucked it into the pocket of his shirt and headed inside, considering whether it would be a good idea to talk to Zoe and Fuzzy about this. They were a team after all, and Fuzzy had proven to be very adept in situations like this. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that Stretch would not appreciate him talking to them when he didn't fully understand the problem.

He shook his head to himself, 'oh I can't believe I'm about to do this,' he muttered.

It took him almost another hour to find Stretch again, searching through every room individually, every potential hiding place. In the end, it was a complete fluke. He had been staring at the ceiling in exasperation when he had caught sight of a foot dangling from one of the beams. Shifting where he was standing, he saw Stretch curled in the rafters, mostly hidden by shadows. For a second, Pooh completely forgot why he was there, his surprise at the odd hiding place taking over.

'How did you get up there?'

'How did you find me?' Stretch replied grouchily.

'Patience,' Pooh shrugged, 'can you come down so we can talk?'

'Fuck off.'

'My friend, please. I want to help.'

'I said, fuck off,' Stretch growled, 'just leave me the hell alone.'

Pooh didn't budge. He pulled out the letter and held it up, 'what does category five enemy mean?'

'You just can't help yourself, can you?' Stretch spat, 'you have to know everything, always pretending to care-'

'I do care,' Pooh-Bear cut him off, 'and I want to help, if you would just tell me what this means.'

In one fluid movement Stretch leapt down off the rafters, his glare so toxic Pooh almost regretted coming to find him, 'fine, if you're so fucking desperate. It means that I have to spend the rest of my life running and hiding as I'm hunted by every Mossad agent and bounty hunter under the sun. It means that one day when I'm caught, and I will be eventually, I'll be dragged off to some living hell where maybe I'll be killed, but more likely I'll be tortured every day until I die as a result. This is the worst possible punishment Arab, the one label that you really don't want next to your name. In the next few days a bounty will be put up on my head, and who knows how much it will be. When that happens, I'm screwed. So tell me, Zahir, how exactly do you propose to help me?'

Silence filled the room as Pooh stood still, stunned, struggling to figure out exactly what to say to that. For the first time in a long time no words of comfort came springing to mind, he was left totally blank. The letter hung limply in his hand, seeming impossibly heavy for a piece of paper now that he knew exactly what was written on it.

At last he did speak, the only words he could think of, even though he was sure it would just make things worse, 'I don't understand why they would do this.'

Across the room, Stretch sat down heavily, the anger dissipating quickly, being replaced by what Pooh could only describe as defeat, resignation and pure misery. Stretch's shoulders slumped and he hung his head, 'neither do I.'

His voice cracked a little as he spoke, and he quickly took a shuddering breath as if to calm himself, resting his head in his hand. Slowly, Pooh came to sit beside him, and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. Stretch flinched and looked up at him sharply, surprised by the contact, but didn't protest, simply closing his eyes and turning away.

'I don't know what to do,' he whispered.

'I do,' Pooh said gently, 'you stick with us. We'll help you as much as we can.'

'But Mossad-'

'Do you honestly think Zoe cares? Or Fuzzy? Besides, Lily would take down any assassin with ease if they tried to get to you,' Pooh tried to smile reassuringly, but all he received for his efforts was a despondent glance, 'listen, we're a team. And team members look out for each other.'

Stretch still said nothing, having seemingly lost the energy after his outburst, but a small nod told Pooh that what he was saying had been understood. Clapping him on the shoulder lightly, Pooh stood, coming to a decision about what the Israeli needed, namely being time alone to process what was happening. He placed the letter beside Stretch; it was his business, he could deal with it how he pleased.

'You won't try anything stupid will you, if I leave?' Pooh asked as he stood upright.

There was a head shake and Pooh turned to go. Just before he reached the door though, he was hit by a sudden thought, 'my friend, have you ever been to Dubai before?'

The oddness of the question made Stretch raise his head, 'no.'

'Then I think it is time we changed that.'