A/N: So it's been a while... But here is the next, long-awaited (hopefully) chapter in this fic. I hope you took my advice from before and have used the time since the last update to prepare yourselves because trust me, it is A BIG ONE.
Chapter Eleven
"What are the chances that we will be the only two people running MI5 today?" Emma asked Sasha as she carried out her morning routine.
Her boyfriend chuckled, "I'd say that we can at least be sure that we'll have Ruth and Harry to help us."
"Ah, of course, we can always count on them!"
"When was the last time either of them took a day off work anyway?" Sasha asked, intrigued.
"Ooh, it's got to be around 1983 I'd say," Emma said with a smirk.
"Interesting choice of year," Sasha threw a knowing smile her way.
Emma giggled as she brushed her hair. But then she stopped brushing abruptly. She felt the all too familiar sensation of nausea creep up on her once again. She knew what to do. Within a flash she was bent over the toilet, hairbrush still in her hand. That was until Sasha took it from her and knelt down beside her. He sat there rather awkwardly, not quite knowing what to do. He tried his best, holding her hair and patting her back.
"Maybe you shouldn't come in to work today," he suggested after Emma had finished being sick.
"I'm not sure the Security Service could survive with another absence! And besides, I've managed to power through the last two weeks," Emma let slip.
"You've been sick all that time?" Sasha asked.
"Oh yes," Emma admitted. "And I didn't really have food poisoning the other night either!"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wasn't ready to tell you."
"How long have you known?"
"Just a few days."
"You should have told me earlier," Sasha furrowed his brow, "it can't have been easy dealing with it on your own."
"Well, you know now, and besides, Ruth was there to support me," Emma reassured him.
"We need to talk about it," Sasha pressed.
Emma quickly got off of the bathroom floor and went to reach for her toothbrush for the second time that day already.
"Yes, we do," Emma agreed. "But let's just got through today first."
"Tonight then?" Sasha asked.
Emma nodded at Sasha through the mirror.
He would hold her to that.
"You're late," Harry informed the pair who had just entered the boardroom half an hour into the briefing.
"Sorry," they both mumbled sheepishly in union. For once it was not Sasha and Emma.
Dimitri and Erin quickly took their seats-next to one another-and avoided eye contact with everyone else in the room.
"Lucky for you, and the country in general, there's not much to inform you on in regard to current security threats, so it looks like it's just going to be a day of catching up on paperwork and admin," Harry explained to the latecomers.
Dimitri let out an audible sigh of relief. "So, for once, the gods are in our favour!"
"So it would seem," his boss agreed, before adding "for now at least."
The day moved sluggishly for the most part. Emma noted that it wasn't just her who was dealing with bouts of nausea on this particular occasion. Dimitri's face remained a permanent shade of green all morning and Tariq had spent a significant amount of time in the mens' bathroom.
It was just as Emma watched Erin neck her third aspirin that day that she received an alert message from an asset. That asset was Abza Khan.
"Tariq," Emma called out. "I need you to decode this."
"What is it?" he asked, head in hands.
"A message from Khan," she replied.
"I thought all of that was over and done with," added Sasha, who had overheard the exchange.
'"So did I," Emma mumbled.
Tariq went to make a joke about Khan sending a marriage proposal via an encryption but thought better of it when he found himself aligned with Sasha's glare from across the room.
It didn't take him long to decode the message as he'd worked on the particular encryption before. Once the message was fully translated on the screen in front of him, his mouth dropped open. "Shit."
"What does it say?" Emma asked. When she elicited no response from him, she rushed over to Tariq's desk to find out for herself. "Shit," she repeated.
It wasn't long before the whole team were circled round Tariq's computer, all reading over the message on the screen, all with similar stunned expressions on their faces.
9pm. The Ivy. C7. AQ.
There was a slight delay from the section in kicking into action, mostly due to a collective hangover, but once emergency procedure did begin, they were as unstoppable as usual.
"I've just got off the phone to Towers," Harry announced as he emerged from the office. "Turns out there is a delegation meeting between us and China being held at the The Ivy this evening to discuss a partnership regarding energy supplies over dinner."
"Is there ever a partnership regarding anything else these days?" Dimitri muttered.
Harry ignored his comment and continued. "The event is nothing too spectacular; all for show of course. Only 20 people have been invited to talk over the initial proceedings, including a handful of backseat MPs."
"So why is it a target?" Erin voiced everyone's thoughts out loud.
"A practice run?" Ruth suggested. "Or a warning, for something bigger that's to come."
"That's most likely," Harry agreed. "Six were meant to be in control of what was supposed to be minimal security tonight, but now our asset, Khan, has piped up, we've been given Carte Blanche to run the operation. We need to get in there, prevent the explosion, and find out what they've got in store for us next. Which means minimal casualties; I want my suspects breathing and ready to talk."
"What has Khan got to do with any of this though?' Emma asked.
"Yeah, I thought the cell he was spying on had been shut down," Sasha added.
"It has, and luckily for us, the members of said organisation are all being held in British custody at the moment. Erin and Ruth, I want you to question them all, and find out about any connections to China. I've looked at the transcripts from all their interrogations so far but there has been nothing of interest. However, that's possibly because none of the right questions have been asked, if you catch my drift," Harry said. "And as for Khan, it would seem that he has had his fingers in rather a few more pies than we'd anticipated."
"Indeed," Emma murmured. "Why would he not tell me that he was this close to al Qaeda though? The way he was talking, he made it seem as though connections were years away from being solidified."
"It doesn't matter, at least he's told us now," Harry replied.
"But can he be trusted though?' Sasha questioned, his brow furrowing.
"He's never given false intel before," Erin argued.
"But he must know he's been used by Emma just to get information, what if this is all just a plight to get to her and seek revenge?" Sasha persisted.
Harry scoffed slightly.
"I don't know, Emma was pretty convincing when she was with him. So it could be the opposite; she gained his trust completely, so much so, he's willing to blow his cover by revealing what we believe to be a possible large-scale terrorist plot," Erin responded.
"I'm not convinced, I've got a feeling that he's playing us on this one," Sasha revealed.
"Emma, get ready," Harry ordered. "You need to leave in half an hour. You are going along to the event as kitchen staff, like Khan, who we've been informed is being sent in undercover by his associates. In between serving courses you two will have a chance to chat. Dimitri will go along as back-up, playing waiter also, and Tariq, set up coms at the hotel. Sasha and I will be running things from this end."
Sasha, hurt that his father had not even addressed his concerns, followed him into the office.
"Is that it?" Sasha questioned.
"What's that?" Harry turned round to ask.
"Are you not even going to acknowledge what I said?"
"Sasha, I cannot hold back a security operation just because of your biased feelings," Harry relayed harshly.
"They are not biased feelings; they are logical," his son argued.
"Maybe, and maybe they are even right but I cannot afford to take such a risk by standing down. Surely you must know that."
"Of course. But could you at least send someone else in instead of Emma?"
"What would be the use of that, when she is the agent running our source?" Harry questioned, growing frustrated with his son.
"I'm worried she's in danger."
"Of course she's in danger. We're all in danger. We're spooks. Danger is an occupational hazard in our everyday lives."
"Harry, please," Sasha tried. "Dad..."
"Oh, don't you dare," Harry boomed. "Emma is going in, whether you like it or not. C019 will be at our disposal to keep her out of harms way. I understand that you care deeply about her, and that Khan is a sensitive subject between you two, not to mention us two, as it is, but at the end of the day, this isn't a bloody soap opera. It's MI5, not Emmerdale!"
Sasha clenched his fists as he stormed out of the office.
"Be careful won't you," he told his girlfriend.
"Of course," she reassured him.
"I love you," he told her as he watched her put her ear piece in place.
She let out a laugh. " Sasha, don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I mean it though," he reiterated.
"I know," she said.
And then she was gone. On her way out of the office through the pods, with Dimitri and Tariq in toe. Sasha felt his heart positively drop.
"Harry, you need to get her out of there," Sasha said to his father.
Harry drummed his fingers nervously on the computer desk, as he watched the scenes from The Ivy play out in front of him.
The operation had taken a turn for the worst, he was losing control of the situation. Khan had insisted that Emma removed her earpiece, and that she lose Dimitri, so that they could talk 'properly'. So now the rest of the section had no way of communicating with the one officer out in the field.
"She just needs to hang on a little longer, and we can get the names of the members of the other cells," he told his son.
"There are no other names, how can you not see that!" Sasha exclaimed, exasperated.
Tariq had managed to insert a small camera with a microphone attached through the wall of the kitchen where the pair were working undercover, giving an idea of what was taking place. But there was a lot of interference, so the sound was muffled by the bustle and the picture distorted. Emma was basically out there on her own.
"We don't know that yet," Harry replied curtly, before sending for someone to bring Ruth and Erin back up to the office.
"He hasn't even told her where the explosives are yet!" Sasha cried out.
"If we send C019 now, it'll be a blood bath. Not to mention a PR nightmare!" Harry stressed. "Plus, we need to find out the next target, as the operatives involved are probably not even assigned to this team, but in hiding somewhere else, waiting for their time in the spotlight to come."
"Harry, it is twenty minutes to nine, and she's got nothing new out of him over the past hour. He's stalling for time," Sasha said, practically tearing his hair out.
"The last minutes are always the most crucial," Harry replied, rubbing his jaw with one on hand, the other gripped firmly on the computer mouse.
"STOP MAKING BLOODY EXCUSES!" Sasha shouted, thumping his fist down on the table in front of Harry.
"STOP TELLING ME HOW TO RUN MY BLOODY OPERATION!" Harry shouted back twice as loudly.
Just at that moment, Erin and Ruth stepped back onto the grid. "Everything alright in here?" the Section Chief asked cautiously.
"Never been better," her boss replied, his tone dripping in sarcasm. "Now update me on your findings, tell me everything you've got from the men in custody."
"There's nothing to update you on," Erin replied.
"What?' Harry said through gritted teeth.
"We've got nothing, they gave us nothing. Not one of them gave even a hint that they knew anything about current Anglo-Chinese relations," Erin explained.
"So Khan has either been working for two completely unrelated terrorist cells other than their shared connection to AQ, or..." Ruth began, before Sasha boldly interrupted her.
"Or, the whole thing is a set-up by Khan to kill Emma."
"Sasha," Harry warned.
"Think about it. He knew that we'd send her. He's got her right where he wants her; on her own, with no outside contact. He's targeting such an insignificant event because she's the real target. The meeting is just a distraction. He's a well connected man, with plenty of resources to hand. He could have easily have got hold of those explosives for himself. And what's more, word is soon going to get out amongst higher powers-if it hasn't already-that he exposed his brothers in he Trafalgar Square bomb plot. He's a walking dead man," Sasha relayed his theory.
"So you think it's a suicide mission?" Ruth clarified.
Sasha nodded, before adding, "Emma may have betrayed him, but he's still in love with her, and he wants to die with her."
"How very romantic," Harry deadpanned.
The team then switched their attention back to the action streaming from The Ivy.
"Azba, I'm going to need to push you for a location of the explosives, we're running out of time," Emma nudged her asset as they loaded pots and pans into the dishwasher.
"My people are refusing to tell me yet," he explained. "They don't want me to flee too early and arise suspicion."
"I thought you said that they trusted you?" Emma probed, growing wary of her supposed asset.
"They do. This is just standard procedure," he replied confidently.
"These other people that you are working for, they don't know that you were involved in the Trafalgar Square plot then?" Emma questioned.
"No, they know that the cell was exposed but they have no clue who by," Khan told her.
"Convenient," Sasha muttered. His eyes flickered to the clock at the back of the room. Seven minutes until nine. "Harry he's going to hold off telling her where the C7 is until the last minute, he will give an incorrect location so that by the time the bomb squad realise they've been sent to the wrong place it'll be too late."
Harry shook his head. "There's still time."
Sasha looked as though he was ready to implode.
"Even if Sasha's wrong, we still may need to think about evacuation, as Khan hans't given anything away yet. The clock is ticking, and there are a number of innocent lives at stake," Ruth reasoned.
"No, then that could just cause early detonation," Harry argued.
"The bomb is on a timer, everyone at that dinner, staff included have been searched, and there were no remote detonators found," Erin reminded her boss.
"If we extract now, then that blows our chances of gaining vital intel, that could prevent the deaths of many more innocents," Harry continued fighting his cause.
"Harry, there is no intel, if there was then he would have revealed it by now, the guy hans't budged. Why can't you see through his plan?" Sasha cried.
"Sasha, you're too emotionally involved," Harry told his son. He sighed before reluctantly adding, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"No," he argued. "You can't do that."
"I'm your boss so I can, I should never have let you be involved in this op, not after last time."
"Look, you don't understand," Sasha started.
"Don't understand what?"
Before Sasha could answer, the team became distracted by the sudden blank screen appearing on the computer in front of them.
"What's happened?" Harry questioned Tariq over the phone.
"Camera's gone down along with the mike due to the heat in the kitchen, it'll take at least five minutes for me to get it going again," the techie explained.
"Shit," Harry cursed.
"There's five minutes until the bomb goes off," Erin pointed out.
"You need to make a decision Harry," Ruth urged. "I think you need to get Emma to safety. Anything could be going on in there right now."
"You have to get her out of there," Sasha pleaded.
Harry let out a hearty sigh. "I don't HAVE to do anything you tell me. I trust Emma, she is a capable agent; she's got out of worse situations than this before."
"Yes, but this time it's different," Sasha said, biting his lip.
"Why exactly is that then?" Harry snapped his neck round to turn and ask his son.
"You don't understand, it's just..." Sasha started to explain before quickly diverting away from his confession and saying: "you've just got to get her out of there, ok?"
"WHY?" Harry boomed.
"I'm asking you as your son, please, Father can you extract Emma?" Sasha begged.
Just as Harry went to answer, he received a message from his earpiece.
'This CO19, requesting orders from control. Four minutes until detonation.'
"Standby CO19, Alpha 1 is still working the field" he replied, referring to Emma under her operation codename.
Sasha kicked the chair in front of him in frustration at his Father's apparent lack of urgency.
Harry got up from his own seat to stand face to face with Sasha. "ENOUGH!" he shouted at his son. "You need to leave. It was a terrible idea me ever recruiting you here. Your emotional attachment to Emma has proved a bigger hindrance to your work performance than I could ever anticipated. Consider this your last MI5 assignment."
"It's not just about Emma," Sasha said. He was going to have to tell him; he had no choice.
"Then what the hell is it about?" Harry asked, practically spitting.
"Just extract her already," Sasha pushed one last time. He looked up at Ruth who nodded slightly.
"WHY SHOULD I?" Harry shouted, as he stormed closer to his son, his fists balled.
"BECAUSE SHE'S CARRYING YOUR GRANDCHILD," Sasha screamed back, his voice cracking in the middle as he revealed the truth. "So," he paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "I'm asking you as not only my father, but as the grandfather of the life in that building to please bring Emma to safety."
In that moment everything seemed to stop in the office. Erin stood open-mouthed, Harry gaping at his son, Ruth looking over at her husband, concern plastered over her face, and Sasha still stood squared up to his father, as a single tear dropped down his face.
The only thing that didn't stop still was time. It was the ticking of the clock that finally snapped Harry out of his shocked daze. Suddenly he sprung into action.
He spoke into his ear piece.
"This is control. C019 enter immediately. Evacuate the building. Take down Kahn and extract Alpha 1, do you hear me?" he ordered.
He received confirmation. "Understood."
A/N: Dramatic or what, huh?! Let me know your thoughts. I feel like there haven't been so many reviews lately and I hope that's not because people have forgotten about this story. But if you are still reading, let me know, and tell me how you feel about this latest chapter!