11

Lucas held his ribs as the burning air swirled around him. Ros propped herself up on her elbows, the smoke making her lungs ache for oxygen. Car sirens filled the air as Adam and Zaf ran towards them.

"You ok?" Adam knelt next to Ros as Lucas gingerly got to his feet.

"Always."

"Ros."

"Adam, someone just tried to make my kids orphans. I do not take kindly to that." She gasped as she felt the muscles in her back protest at the movement. "Its got something to do with him. Our so called leader?"

"Harry?" Zaf ushered them away, back towards Thames House as Stan appeared with a fire crew.

"No." She snapped. "Farquhar and Krycheck. There's a link. I know there is."

xxxxxxx

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" Beth asked as Alec drove away from Wapping towards the outskirts of the city. He smirked as she narrowed her eyes at him. "If going to Ruth puts her in more danger, then I swear."

"I get it." Alec snapped. "I do, Ruth is integral to the Section and not just as an analyst. I like her too, ok."

"No, not okay." Beth glared at him. "He's doing this. Farquhar and we are stupid enough to let him."

"Doing what?"

"Divide and conquer. "

"Like what?" Alec turned to her. "What are you saying?"

"He's already got half the Grid sidelined. Dimitri and Zoe are desk officers, Calum is not to come into the field anymore. Apparently I need to submit to a medical before he can decide if my brain injury should have got me decommissioned. He's been put in Harry's office to split the team." She snapped.

"And you think me not telling you what my ex said is him making us distrust each other?"

"Isn't it?"

"Pull over." Beth indicated before pulling the car into a lay by. Alec shrugged before opening the door. Beth followed him. "Look, its not you I don't trust. Its the car."

"Pardon?" Beth turned to him as he walked across the road to a bus stop.

"Its a pool car. I'd bet the house it is bugged, at least with a tracker. He wants us gone, finding out that Harry isn't dead and Ruth is aware of the fact would put them in more danger and at the very least get the boot. Now, we go to them. The long way around. Or I can go on my own."

"Where are they?"

"Safe. Well, at least Ruth is." Alec held his hand out to stop a taxi as Beth pulled her jacket closer to her. He bundled them both into the taxi before Beth could ask anymore questions.

xxxxx

Ruth opened her eyes, for a moment unsure of where she was. The safehouse was cold, the chill hitting her bones as she reached for her cardigan. She felt the loneliness burn into her gut as she realised she was alone. Carefully she reached out to the other side of the bed, her hand connecting with the still warm pillow.

"Harry." She closed her eyes as her hand rested on the pillow for a moment.

"Yes?"

"Shit!" Ruth jumped, spinning around to see him stood in the doorway of the small bedroom. "I thought. You weren't here."

"Sorry." He crossed the room to her, before handing her a mug of tea. "I shouldn't be here. Not now."

Ruth blinked back a tear. "Then why?"

"I couldn't just." He sighed. "I'm going soft in my old age."

"You are not old."

"I am a relic of the Cold War. We both know that." He brushed a strand of brown hair away from her face. "And so do Krycheck and her friends."

Ruth let her eyes fall closed at his touch before tensing as they heard a key in the lock.

"Harry."

"Stay here." He stepped away from the bed as Ruth raised an eyebrow before throwing her legs off the bed.

"Really?"

"Ruth!" He hissed as she pulled her jeans on before taking her gun from the dresser draw. Harry checked his own gun before stepping into the next room. A second later he was cursing both Alec and Beth who were stood in front of him as Ruth slipped into the room behind him.

"Hi." Beth smiled as she saw Ruth hurriedly put the gun away. She knew how much her friend hated them. Even being near a gun made her feel sick, Beth realised she had never asked why. "Did we interrupt anything?"

"No." Ruth snapped, blushing furiously as Alec smirked.

"You better have a reason for being here." Harry stated firmly as he ushered them into the small living room. "No one outside a select number of people know Ruth is here. "

"Yeah and we need to keep it that way." Alec looked over at his friend. "Farquhar thinks you are on bereavement leave. Same for Catherine. With you both and Catherine out of the way."

"Is she safe?" Harry felt his stomach drop at the thought of his oldest child being in danger.

"Yes." Beth stated firmly. "Calum won't let anything happen to her. You know that."

Harry nodded before glancing at Ruth who seemed just as relieved as he felt.

"He's trying to destroy the team. Moving field officers onto the Grid, looking into decommissioning others on so called health grounds. So, I did a bit of digging. Seems he isn't the staunch patriot and upstanding MI 5 officer he wants us all to believe."

"And?"

"You knew?"

"I've known him for years. The JIC has a lot to answer for." Harry looked away for a moment, visibly tensing as he thought of the man currently occupying his office. "I had my suspicions but I didn't have any evidence."

"Yeah?" Alec leaned back in his chair. "Well, we do now."