3

Ruth looked up as the POD doors whoshed open to allow Harry and Henry to enter. The elder of the pair still using his mobility scooter, headed for the ramp as Ruth watched them both approach.

"Ruth, my dear girl." Henry smiled as she raised an eyebrow. "It is good to see you."

"This isn't a social call." Ruth smiled back as he took his flat cap off.

"Always said this Lass of yours was quick off the mark." He addressed Harry as she shook her head. Henry was old school, it wasn't worth challenging all his sexist ways. That was a job she left for Ros and Beth. Henry sighed. "Your Boss in?"

"Ros? Headed back from Whitehall now."

"Good. Good." Henry sighed. "I am too old to be telling this three times. Yer man 'ere, Harry says if Nightingale are involved then Thomas really isn't going to be able to walk away from all this."

"All what?" They turned as Ros marched back onto the Grid, looking as if she had lost a £50 note and found 5p. Henry sighed.

"I need a chat."

"Do you." Ros stated rather than asked as Harry ushered the small group towards the office he now shared with Ros.

"Adam, Malcolm" Harry yelled as both men pretended they hadn't been trying to listen in to what was being said. Harry beckoned them with a wave of his hand as both realised they had no option but to follow.

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Dimitri sat in the driver's seat of the pool car he had signed out earlier waiting for Alec to finally finish talking to an asset. Part of him wondered if he should get out and look for the former IA man but the other part of him knew what Alec was like. The asset in question happened to be an ex-girlfriend who Dimitri did not want to meet. He had heard enough about his friend's younger days to not want an trip down that particular memory lane.

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Alec shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked along the backstreet, knowing that Elaine was not going to be pleased to see him. She may have initiated the meet, it didn't mean she was going to be happy about it.

"Hiya." She tilted her head to look at him, her brown eyes locking him in her sights.

"Laine."

"You came alone?"

"I work for MI 5, not James Bond."

"Same thing, innit?"

"No." He knew they were in danger of falling back into old arguments. "Anyway, you said you had something for me."

She nodded before sighing heavily. She kissed him on his cheek before sliding a memory stick into his pocket. "Don't lose it. Last thing anyone needs is for this to turn up in the papers."

"I'm sober now."

"Good." Elaine smiled genuinely for the first time since he had arrived. "I hope you stay that way. This time." She turned, walking away as he stared after her wondering what might have been.

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"A hunch?" Ros folded her arms. "You came here, expecting us to drop everything for a hunch your loser grandson is part of Nightingale?"

"IT IS NIGHTINGALE!" Henry snapped. Ros glared at him

"I'm not likely to forget about them, am I?" Ros rolled her sleeve up showing her scarred and mutilated skin. Even years later the delicate skin of her wrists were pink and puckered from fallen masionary in a bomb blast none of them talked about. Adam swore under his breath as Henry pailed.

"I know that Lass." Henry sighed.

"IF." Ros looked at Harry before looking at the former spook. "If we do this, we need hard evidence. You've seen what happens when Security Services go off on a whim."

"Never good."

"Especially if it gives the Home Sec a way of getting rid of us."

Harry nodded, knowing that even thought Pauline Crowther had been a good friend to them in the past, she was still a politician. Winning votes mattered to her, and certainly mattered to the new PM.

"I did some digging." Ruth spoke calmly.

"And?" Adam was suddenly more invested.

"Thomas Parks current girlfriend is not your average blonde bombshell."

"Don't tell me she's actually a ginger." Ros rolled her eyes.

"No," Ruth huffed. "But she is former FSB."