Sir Harry, at 10 Downing Street, With a Photo

[Silktie]

My exploration of a plot-line I hope to see on Spooks one day. Mostly Harry, with a liberal sprinkling of Ruth and Malcolm.


Present day

“Harry. We’ve got it.”
Ruth laid the photo on his desk almost reverently, and he stared at it, not touching it. As if he would be tainted by it. Not by the explicit image it portrayed, but by the unthinkable act of treachery it was evidence of.

The final piece of the puzzle.

He looked up at the two people standing in front of him, whom he trusted more than anyone else. The only people he had trusted enough to allow them to join him on this quest. This dangerous, crazy, possibly career-ending quest he had embarked upon.
And now, with this photo, they – he – had been proven right. What seemed inconceivable six months ago, they now knew to be true beyond any reasonable doubt.
It was staggering.

“What do we do now?”
Malcolm, as ever the practical one, brought them out of their silent contemplation. Harry had a sudden urge to laugh, had to breathe deeply to squash it down. His eyes moved from the photo to Malcolm’s face, and finally to Ruth’s, and stayed there.
“I set up a meeting with the PM and the Home Secretary.”
Her reply was immediate, determined.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Me too.” Malcolm, just as determined.
Harry closed his eyes a moment. Such loyalty. How had he ever earned such loyalty, such devotion? But he could not, would not, take them down with him.
“No.”
“Harry…”
“No! That’s an order! This will probably end the careers of everyone associated with it. You know that! I will not take you down with me. No-one need ever know that the two of you had anything to do with it.”
He was on his feet, staring them down, his demeanour brooking no opposition.
They didn’t budge.
“I understand the implications, Harry. And I respectfully decline to follow your order. I’m coming with you.”
Ruth’s meaning was clear. If you go down, I go down.
A quick glance at Malcolm, seeking permission, getting it.
“We’re coming with you.”
Harry couldn’t speak, had no words. He gave a small nod.
Malcolm moved towards the door.
“I’ll get everything we need.”

* * *

Six months previously

It started with the arrest of a junior Chinese Intelligence officer for some low-grade industrial spying. Harry didn’t think much of it, and didn’t get too involved at first. He left the interrogation in the capable hands of his new Section Chief, and Lucas handled it with aplomb. Harry only gave the interrogation reports a cursory once-over at the end of each day, and didn’t see anything there that needed his full attention.
Or so he thought.

Snippets of information from the reports stuck in his mind, and he found himself mulling them over during idle moments. He couldn’t put his finger on anything specific, but something had triggered an alarm in the recesses of his brain, and he kept worrying at it. He started to look more closely into anything related to China; and found that the picture that was slowly emerging was pointing in a very specific direction. But Harry couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge the unthinkable.

Until one lazy Sunday afternoon, when he lay on his couch with Ruth snuggled against him, idly running his fingers through her hair.
“What’s wrong?”
Her grey eyes were watching him intently.
“You’ve been distracted for weeks.”
Harry sighed, smiled, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I know. Sorry.”
Her hand smoothed down his chest.
“It’s all right. Do you want to talk about it?”

So he told her about the things puzzling him; the seemingly innocuous statements made by the Chinese officer - that he’d only been following orders from Head Office that had told him where exactly to look for the intelligence they wanted.
“Why would Chinese intelligence in Beijing know better where to get the wanted intelligence than the local officers? It’s odd.”
Ruth thought about that.
“Hmm. Plus we’ve had those undeclared high-level visits to the local station recently.”
“Exactly. And another thing. Do you know how many large tenders British companies have lost out on to Chinese competitors in the last year?”
She shook her head.
“Fifteen.”
Ruth was shocked. She knew what Harry was implying. She ran through everything else related to China she had found interesting in recent months. Sat up suddenly, horrified.
“They also seemed to know how to put pressure on us regarding the Zimbabwe vote at the UN Security Council…”
Harry met her eyes.
“Yes. And all of it in the last year.”
They both knew what it meant. Britain had held elections just over a year ago, voting in a new government.
And China, it seemed, had an asset in the highest circles of that government. It was the only explanation.
“My God, Harry…”
It was almost impossible to conceive.

“What are we going to do?”
The ‘we’ earned her a small smile.
“Prove it. Very carefully, very quietly.”
She nodded.
“We’ll need help. Lucas can…”
“No.”
Ruth stared at him.
“You’re questioning Lucas’ loyalty? Still, after everything?!”
She was angry.
“No, Ruth. I don’t question his loyalty. Absolutely not. But I do question his willingness to follow my orders. He has shown a spectacular ability to go off radar and do things his way. And with this operation, there can be no indiscipline. No reckless moves. If even a whiff of it is picked up before we have the evidence we need, we’ll be finished.”
He smiled gently.
“Besides, I need to know that someone I trust will remain on the Grid if things go wrong. That’s Lucas.”
As always, Ruth was able to read the subtext of what Harry was saying perfectly; that he feared this operation would end the careers of those involved, and that he did not want Lucas to suffer any more than he had already done. Harry would sacrifice his own career, but he would not ask anyone else to do so. Well. She would not let him do it alone.

The next day she visited Malcolm.

* * *

Over the next months the three of them quietly investigated, probed, and looked into every nook and cranny of the lives of those on their suspect list. On Harry’s strict instruction, they made very sure that they left no trail, combining their inquiries with ongoing operations wherever possible to cover their tracks.

Malcolm had come back to work, complaining about the boredom of retirement, saying that there were only so many classic novels to read before one was forced to move onto the appalling drivel that passed as literature nowadays. He had settled back quickly into the rhythm of life on the Grid, and struck up an immediate rapport with Tariq.

The three of them would meet every few days to pool what information they had gained, checking who had motive and opportunity, and systematically removing suspects from the list who were proven innocent. It was during one of the first such meetings that Harry had remarked, rather inappropriately and in his usual caustic manner, that it was “rather like playing Cluedo”. This moment of levity had caused them to unofficially christen their endeavour Operation Cluedo.

After four months of painstaking work they had whittled down their list of suspects to two names.
The Home Secretary.
The Prime Minister.

Harry stared at the two remaining names.
“Bloody hell.”
It was, Ruth thought, probably the understatement of the century.

It took them another two months to narrow the list down to one.

* * *

Present day

Malcolm was tinkering with a laptop balanced on his knees. Ruth sat quietly on a chair facing the PM’s closed study door. It was her first time inside No. 10 Downing Street, and she found the whole experience a little intimidating. Her eyes tracked Harry as he paced to and fro, frowning ever so slightly.
The door opened.

James Fowler was the latest in a long line of Home Secretaries that Harry had worked with. He eyed the three spooks with mild distaste. He was one of those politicians that had a healthy distrust of the Intelligence Services and suspected that they were working towards their own agenda, which did not necessarily coincide with the government’s agenda. And he particularly disliked Harry Pearce, who he found to be arrogant, condescending and bloody-minded. Not to mention erudite, intelligent and impossible to read. It was intimidating.
“Sir Harry.”
He managed to emphasise the title just enough to make it sound sneering rather than respectful.
Harry raised an eyebrow. Fowler, as always, had made no attempt to hide his intense dislike. The feeling was entirely mutual.
“Home Secretary.”
Malcolm stifled a smirk as Harry managed to imbue his response with exactly the same note of disrespect.
The two men stared at each other, hostility crackling in the air.
Ruth sighed. They were not even through the door and the battle lines had already been drawn.
They followed him inside.

The Prime Minister greeted them warmly enough. Paul Carpenter was, in the manner of most politicians, a charming man, and much better at hiding his discomfort in dealing with the Intelligence Services than his Home Secretary.
“So, Sir Harry, what can we do for you?”
Harry squared his shoulders. Game on.
“We have reason to believe that there is a traitor in the highest circles of government.”
In the deafening silence that followed, the three spooks keenly observed every flicker of emotion that crossed the faces of the two men in front of them.
Fowler recovered first.
“That’s preposterous! How dare you come here and make these outrageous accusations! I know you’re not a fan of our new government, Harry, but if this is a ploy to undermine us, you’ll be out on your arse faster than you can say MI5…”
Harry cut across his tirade with quiet menace.
“Don’t pretend to be naïve, James. It doesn’t suit you.”
His eyes never left the Prime Minister.
“We have evidence.”
And there it was; the first flicker of fear.

Carpenter stared at Harry for a long time, before smiling slightly.
“All right, let’s hear it then.”
Fowler looked between the two men, aware that he had suddenly become a bit player in a drama that he had no script for.
Harry returned the smile, but his eyes were hard and cold.
“Perhaps you should sit down, Paul. This will take a while.”
The deliberate use of the Prime Minister’s name rather than his title was not lost on anyone, and no-one was fooled by Harry’s pleasant tone of voice.
Carpenter sat.
So did Fowler.

Harry laid out the evidence, concisely and precisely. Not once did he raise his voice. Ruth and Malcolm silently handed him documentation or played recordings as required, all the time observing the reactions of the two politicians.
The evidence was overwhelming. There was no denying it.
The Prime Minister of Britain was a Chinese asset.

Ruth handed Harry the final piece of evidence. The photo.
Carpenter’s eyes followed it. He had not said a word, had become very pale. Harry leaned on the table between them.
“The thing I couldn’t understand was why. Why would you sell out your country like that? As long as I didn’t have the answer, there was always the possibility that you were being blackmailed into it. But then we found this.”
He waved the photo slightly. All eyes in the room were fixed on it. He walked round the table slowly, a predator stalking his prey, preparing for the final kill. Drew to a stop behind Carpenter, and softly laid the photo in front of him.
Carpenter took one look at it, before closing his eyes.
Fowler was straining forward to see it. Harry turned it around for him.
“It shows two young men in the… erm… throes of ecstasy. One of them is our esteemed Prime Minister. The other is the man that now heads China’s external intelligence collection arm.”
He leaned forward, talking directly into Carpenter’s ear. For the first time, the tremendous anger he had been suppressing came through.
“You sold us out for a shag, you traitorous bastard!”

* * *

Two weeks later

Harry, Malcolm and Ruth were ensconced in a quiet pub. Over Harry’s shoulder, Prime Minister James Fowler could be seen talking on the muted TV set against the wall.
Ruth nodded towards it.
“Your new best friend is on telly.”
Harry smirked, then shrugged.
“Well, no use wasting the fickle goodwill of the powers that be. I’ve asked for additional equipment… and a raise for my team.”
Malcolm laughed.
“I’ll drink to that.”
They clinked glasses, and Harry became serious for a moment.
“Thank you both, for everything. I couldn’t have done it without you. Your country owes you a huge debt.”
There was the slightest waver of emotion in his voice at the end of it. Ruth smiled, reached out to take his hand.
Malcolm watched his two friends share a wordless moment. It warmed him to see them together like that. Happy.
He cleared his throat.
“I’ll say one thing though. I never, ever want to play Cluedo with you two again.”
[/size]Their laughter rang out into the night.

Fin[size=large]

[lwhite53]

Great story. Love Harry going after the bad guys wherever they may be, his reputation and job be damned. And the covert team comprised of the grid's three longest residents is a great touch, as is Malcolm getting the last word!

[Tea Lady]

Good grief Silktie, your brain must have been doing overtime with all the rumours and speculation there has been, to come up with this story. A really really good read. Loved Malcolm being there and seeing the loyalty that exists between them.

Long may the world cup continue if we keep getting more fanfic from you.

[A Cousin]

That was fun! Never underestimate the power of a good shag!

My favorite line:

Fowler looked between the two men, aware that he had suddenly become a bit player in a drama that he had no script for.

You had me thinking that Fowler was the asset for a minute there. Good bait and switch!

[Beatriz]

Very good story!! It would be a a great storyline for sure!!

Love that you end your stories with "Fin"

[Aria]

Lovely story, Silktie. Very enjoyable. Loved the political intrigue and Harry on his rightous quest to bring the perpetrator down. The triumvirate of Ruth, Malcolm and Harry was brilliant and I loved the cluedo reference.

[picard1109]

Fabulous, Silktie!

[And it wouldn't surprise me at all if the PM was a Chinese asset who'd sold us out for a shag! ]

[JHyde]

I really enjoyed this Silktie. I like how Harry and Ruth being together in just added in there casually, but solidly real. The plot is quite a decent one, and I'd love to see more of how Harry, Ruth and Malcolm went about this mission.

I really enjoy the dialogue you write. Should you decide to write something else, I'd really like more of that - I think it would really enhance your writing.

Very timely too!

[Ceridwyn2]

Very nice to see Harry, Ruth and Malcolm working as a team. Great job.