Inverleith Bridge, 23:01 hours

Jess and Brian hail seperate cabs and are at the bridge less than ten minutes later.

Fortunate for Jess, Brian's SAS training comes in handy in situations like this. Making sure not be associated with Jess' presence, he makes a cursory survey of the surrounding area leaving not much to be desired, then radios in to Jess.

Multiple entry and exit points. Accessible via road and waterway. Observation points abound...not exactly the best place I'd like to meet terrorists. I'm going to take up a position nearby if/when things get dicey. Just give the signal.

(Edited by Dieter at 4:26 pm on Oct. 3, 2003)

Meanwhile, back at the seedy dive, our heroes have their respective marks well in hand.

"You might tell me then? I'm intrigued. I might just have to take you up on that."

Jess impatiently waits for her contacts to arrive. She checks her watch,

23:14

Off in the distance, the churning sound of a boat propeller gets closer...a few moments later a small watercraft comes into view with three people aboard. It stops just short of the bridge, the engine coming to an idle.

Jess maintains her placid attitude as the boat and its occupants stand idle in the waterway. One of the figures motions to the pilot as the boat heads for a nearby dock.

The pilot remains at the controls as the other two step onto shore and up the dock ramp. As they close within view, the bridge's lamplight illuminates their faces. One is a man and the other is a woman, whom Jess immediately recognizes as Diana Catesby.

"You know, it's not polite to keep a lady waiting. State your business."

Jess keeps looking indifferent, putting up her light russian accent again.

"You DO know who I am looking for, yes ? Unless you are, by some bizarre circumstance, Mr. McLaren."

The woman speaks with thick Scottish accent.

"Miss Illin'worth, I presume. Yer might wanna tell yer friend hidin' in the woodwork that he's nay the only one watchin' us. Yer may 'ave done yer homework on me, but yer past is also quite interestin'. And if weren't for the fact that they'd shoot me on sight, it'd be almost worth turnin' yer over to Interpol. So, like me fella just told yer...state yer business...it's a wee bit cold and I'd hate to catch a sniffle."

Jess raises an eyebrow.

Brian is discovered. My ruse works, or seems to. Definately watch out with these people, that was too easy.

"Not bad, Miss Catesby. Not bad at all."

She gives Brian the hand signal for "Cancel surveillance, reporting later", then walks towards the boat and boards.

"Call yer man down here if yer like. I'll let him come wit yer...as a sign of good faith, respect, and all that. He will of course have to relinquish his weapon until we have dispensed with our business."

"I'll leave him here. He's a good man, and I may need him later."

"Suit yerself."

Catesby looks over to her apparent bodyguard.

"Sean, let's be off 'fore this area's compromised."

They get aboard the boat, with her bodyguard casting off and opening a channel on his ear-mike.

"Foxtrot, this is Zeta-Two. One package found and loaded, going to deliver."

Radio chatter is heard from the man's ear as the boat does a 180 and heads back the direction it came. Catesby seems relatively calm with the situation, taking a seat and eyeing her new acquaintance. As the boat goes about a series of manuevers, Catesby finally speaks to Jess.

"I believe we've met before...Black Sea arms bazaar, Sevastopol...1999, I think?"

Jess can smell the suspicion in the cold night air. Catesby's testing her credentials, even though her identity is flawless.

(Edited by Dieter at 1:15 pm on Oct. 6, 2003)

Jess doesn't flinch.

"I suspect I'd remember."

Catesby just as cool and collected, looking over her shoulder as the boat pulls beside a larger vessel.

"Perhaps you're right, Ms. Illingworth. There were alot of people at that marketplace. No matter, we'll be takin' a diff'rent boat to my place of business. I'm sure you'll understand why Sean'll now have ta blind-fold yer until we get there."

Quote:

Quote: from Threadbare on 6:19 am on Oct. 5, 2003
Meanwhile, back at the seedy dive, our heroes have their respective marks well in hand.

"You might tell me then? I'm intrigued. I might just have to take you up on that."

Back in town...

The boys escort Carla and Ayumi back to their flat...about five or so blocks away from The Red Rooster. It's a second-floor loft with a back alley entrance up a flight of rusty iron spiral stairs. A flick of the light switch reveals not only the scattering of roaches, but also various anti-establishment posters and banners plastered all over the flat's walls.

Jess nods.

Hm, no frisking yet. I guess this is another test of trust.

She reaches under her coat, then pulls out the knife - and hands it to Catesby.

"If I may make a personal recommendation, the Marco Polo knives should be kept away from water. Their steel isn't quite as stainless as it says. Good hardness, though."

Catesby takes the knife and does a palm-twirl with it.

"Aye, it's a nice blade, but I prefer the Applegate-Fairbairn Covert. It's great for small hands and the thumb-flip is quite convenient for tricky situations. You should try it."

She hands the knife to Sean, giving him the nod to blind-fold Jess.

"I'm supposin' that yer wouldn't have been cocky enough to bring anything else dangerous wit yer? No matter, wouldn't do yer much good anyhoo."

The ambient light goes pitch black as Jess is blindfolded. A bit later, she hears Catesby's voice in the background.

"Shaemus. Aye, it's Diana...who do yer t'ink it is? Ms. Illin'worth is aboard and we should be arrivin' in aboot an hour."

The boat ride out to the new rendevous point is uneventful. Catesby does a few pop-quizzes on the lesser-known elements of terrorism, exchanging quips back and forth like they were sisters.

A throttling down of the engines signals their arrival at the meeting point. The boat lists from side-to-side indicating that they are probably well offshore, most likely somewhere in the Firth of Forth. Jess is aboard a seemingly even-larger vessel and into a warm interior where her blindfold is finally removed.

Her surroundings are luxurious, yet functional. Catesby asks her to sit, leaving her in the company of her bodyguard. He stands over Jess like a hawk waiting for its prey to react.

Jess eyes the man.

"Will Ms. Catesby be long ? If so, I'd like a drink."

"Ms. Catesby will be back shortly...I'll get yer a drink then."

A cold read of her bodyguard, Sean, reveals him to be capable of some social graces but his stance and slightly jittery behavior peg him definitely as a soldier- turned-heavy.

Jess checks her watch.

01:23

As she glances up, taking account of the time differential, Catesby enters the room accompanied by two other men. Following her in is a slightly groggy fellow in his late fifties, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers. Behind the sleepy man is what appears to be his bodyguard. Catesby takes a seat next to Jess while Sean sets them both up with drinks.

"Ms. Illin'worth. This is Shaemus McGowan. He'll be sitting in on our business talk. Now, what brings you to our fair part of the world? You're a bit far away from (in fluent Russian) Mother Russia... dontcha think?"

(Edited by Dieter at 3:57 pm on Oct. 6, 2003)

Jess smiles.

"With good reason. The rodina has become less than safe, Gospascha Catesby."

She reaches under her mantle, slowly pulling out a photo - of Artis.

"And this man here had no small part in that. He's going by some aliases, but his real name is apparently Rufus Alexander, a man who has made quite the money on shady deals with antiques and is now on the hunt for his former business partners. Since I'm among them, he's been after me and my people for quite some time. That's what I get for trusting an Amerikanski, I suppose. You DO remember the great firefights in Las Vegas half a year ago ? That was a team of hired killers - hired by him, as we found out from one we captured -, and they managed to not only get both my leading negotiator for the Western Hemisphere, but also my business associate. So, as you can see, I'm here because it's really the only place where it's relatively safe, because he's currently in the country. He may be a shakmastui, but he never expects my boldest moves - that's why I still have something I can safe."

Jess frowns.

"I want that man dead. Tui panimajesch ?"

(OOC: rodina: Country, Land, often used as short form for "homeland"; Gospascha: Miss; shakmastui: "Chessmaster"; Tui panimaesch ?: Do you understand ?)

"Aye, I do. I saw that drama in Vegas on the tele...quite remarkable that yer even survived. Allow me to confer with my business associate."

Catesby stands up and walks over to Shaemus. They whisper back and forth, conceiling their talk with hands. The two look glance at eachother then at Jess. After a prolonged chat, Catesby comes back over and sits by her.

"I believe your proposal can be arranged, but what's in it for us? Yer can't exactly kill someone these days without some retribution...which is something we can't afford right now, as I'm sure you're probably aware that MI-5 has been out for myself for some time. And out of curiousity , I'm wondering why you sought us out among the hundred or so other organizations that are capable of such an endeavor?"