"Sorry, Harry. No, I'm afraid this is not a social call. We're going to need some of that subtly traceable phantom money I heard you were in charge off. In the next twelve hours, preferably."

(sighs)

"Oh...ok. How much and where do you need it to go?"

Ian peers at the laptop screen, holding his chin as he watches the footage. At one point, he abruptly pauses the feed...his face turning white as sheet. The agent's normally stoic nature turns a bit more human.

"BLOODY HELL!"

He immediately pulls out his phone, leaving the room for privacy. Curiosity being what it is, the group looks at what made Ian so rash. It is the man Catesby addressed as Shaemus.

"5000 British Pounds Sterling, to...er, hang on a second."

Jess reaches for a piece of paper, then reads the account number on it.


"And we'll need quite a bit more later - I'd say about 20,000 on hot standby."

(jotting down the number)

"Right. Jess, you do know this violates god knows how many international banking laws and that the holding company to which the amount is transferred will get wind of this phantom money? The five-thousand shouldn't come up on their radar screens, but I'd say anything over ten will probably trigger an automatic alert by their auditing program. Who, pray tell, are we dealing with this time?"

"An IRA splinter group. I do think they'll be sensible enough to know that we can't just transfer funds like that. Besides, they're not going to keep it for long."

Quote:

Quote: from Gatac on 11:10 am on Oct. 9, 2003
"An IRA splinter group. I do think they'll be sensible enough to know that we can't just transfer funds like that. Besides, they're not going to keep it for long."

"Ah...is that all? I was kinda hoping it was for some mastermind's history eraser button scheme...what a let-down. I should be able to free up the starting funds in a few hours, I'll let you know when they're available. Take care of your pretty self. Harry out."

Ian walks back into the room, talking on the phone while typing away at his laptop.

"So, I'll send you the feed and the techies will have a go at the background. Good. Phone me if you get anything."

(Turning to the team)

"Nice work, Agent Spiner. In one night you managed to have first-contact with the head of Guy Fawkes and reveal an imminent threat to national security."

(spinning the laptop around and retrieving the still of Shaemus)

"Catesby's friend Shaemus is none other than Daniel Galbreath...a former member of my team who was working on the Guy Fawkes operation. He was presumed dead when Thames House* received his bloated head in the morning post. Apparently rumours of his death have indeed been exaggerated."

*MI-5 Headquarters, London.

Jess raises an eyebrow.

"This piece of info produces a strange itch in my trigger finger, and I'm not sure I like that."

She goes over to a table and eyes her MP7.

"Still, what we have is not enough to pull a quick one. For the moment, our only chance is that Catesby could indeed be convinced that I'm Illingworth, and she appeared to be quite cautious around me. We'll definately need a good ambush at the warehouse. If Samantha insists on going with the strike team, our friend Catesby might want to come along too."

She sighs.

"So, I guess that's my plan."

"...Then it is a good thing your equipment arrived when it did. The Agency sent it by a few hours ago..."

The Team moves to examine their shopping list when an alarm goes off inside the safehouse. Ian gestures for everyone to remain still, while walking over to one of the non-descript climate control panels that populate the house. A blue LCD screen pops up with the words, [color=blue:fc649f36d1]Radiation Detected: Code Yellow[/color]. Ian begins frantically looking around for what could be causing the alarm, focusing his attention on Jess' knife.

"Jess, did Catesby happen to remove your knife while you were in her company?"

Clever, missie, really clever...

"Guilty as charged. What's going on ?"

Brain growls softly, muttering mostly to himself as he inspects his new baby...the nice little agency issued, tickle your braincase from 1000 yards rifle.

"Why is it that every mission I've been attached to so far involves British turncoats, hmmm?"

The little flurry of activity that surrounds Ian catches his attention, and he carefully closes the rifle case.

"Trouble?"

Ian picks up the knife and runs it by the wall-mounted detector.

[color=blue:f6e9af0a5e]
Analysis...
Iodine-98
Hazard Level: 3
Action suggested: Remove from premises, shield mass from further exposure.[/color]

A slight sigh of relief comes over Ian.

"The good news that none of us are sterile or on way to spontaneous tumour growth and hair loss. The bad news is that we can expect company any time. Dr. Catesby tried this trickly little number some of our men in Glasgow last summer. Did you know that Catesby's doctoral dissertation was on the decay rate of Iodine-98? Did you also know with just 10mg of Iodine-98 you can track someone's location from 5 miles away? Neither did my men. They all woke up dead one morning."

Ian opens a window, chucking the knife into a nearby peat-bog.

"Now, we must get ready."

Jessica's mind is already racing to an alternative plan.

"Tie me to that stool over there. And take the bugs with you. I'll tell them that my bodyguard betrayed me."

Brain frowns.

"I'm not much for that idea...if I'm spotted with you again, the entire story will collapse. Instead of having one lie that has to be true, we'll have two...double our chances of error."

Brian looks at the knife. "Any chance we can get the bug out the knife, and make life regrettable for whoever comes to ambush us?"

Jess glares.

"No time for a clever plan. I'd rather risk that lie than totally blow our cover for good."

Quote:

Quote: from CrazyIvan on 3:06 pm on Oct. 10, 2003
Brain frowns.

"I'm not much for that idea...if I'm spotted with you again, the entire story will collapse. Instead of having one lie that has to be true, we'll have two...double our chances of error."

Brian looks at the knife. "Any chance we can get the bug out the knife, and make life regrettable for whoever comes to ambush us?"

Ian shakes his head in the negative.

"No chance. That muck Catesby applied hardens on contact and I rather not have radioactive dust floating about. My recommendations are to either leave the vacinity, which would be ill-advisable considering the fortified nature of this location, or stick it out and make ready for them. The walls are hardened earth with stone reinforcement...not even one their RPGs could get all the way through."

"That settles it. Tie me up, then."

Carla jumps into her bdu, and casts around for a ski-mask or other face-concealing device.

Ayumi follows suit. Not finding a ski mask handy, she settles for a black t-shirt.

Seeing how nobody is doing what she wants, Jess reaches for her MP7 and braces for the unevitable firefight.

Well, deep cover was nice for the hour it lasted.

Ayumi pulls her USP's and sets up a flanking position by the entryway. Her wakizashi is secured on her back.