Nine Swords

Thanasi pocketed the wrinkled and damp letter in his shirt pocket once again. In the heavy Romanian rain, his heavy trench coat had been as effective at protecting his clothes as a pair of swim trunks. In hindsight, he should probably have invested in a sandwich bag to keep the letter dry.

Kicking aside the corpses of the most recent batch of slain wolves, he shouldered his rifle and shook his head. They always seemed to attack the moment he pulled Katja's note out of his pocket. "Καταραμένοι λύκοι."

He stepped back under a tree and watched the Greenkind Warden warily, hoping the magical creature would give him some warning if a new batch came in as he fished his mobile out of his pocket. It was a good thing the Templars had learned to issue water-resistant mobiles. Two missed calls: Edwards HQ--damn the woman--and Katja."

Deciding to put pleasure ahead of business for a minute, he dialed Katja.

Katja felt her phone start buzzing in her pocket. She smiled apologetic to Wes and picked up her phone. Thanasi. She answered and went away from the "civilians".

"Thanasi? It's Katja. I'm so glad you called back! It's been a break in. At Edwards. I'm outside with Jenn, Wes and Tom."

His smile went flat at her message and he looked at the Greenkind Warden again. "Είσαι μόνος σου," he said uselessly to the creature before responding to Katja. "I am on my way."

Pocketing the mobile again, he stepped forward from the tree, spread his arms and began the incantation for Agartha.

Katja looked at the phone with a small relief printed on her face. She put down the phone in her pocket before she went back to Wes.

Wes nodded in satisfaction toward the medics as rhey loaded the ambulance with the two bodies. He turned to address Kat, Jenn and Tom.

"I am going to get started on seeing if we can figure out who these guys were and who they worked for. Though, if they were disposed of like this, it might be they weren't working for who they thought they were. Still, it's a good place to start." Wes said somewhat grimly. " I will let you know what I find."

With that, Wes jumped into the ambulance and waved to the group.

Katja looked after the ambulance as it drive off. Her hand clung on to the bag, once more. She glanced Jenn and Tom, who stood close with arms around each other. In a desperate attempt to do -something- useful she took up her phone, once more.

"There has been an break in at Edwards. I'm outside with Jen and Tom, Thanasi on his way and Wes just left to investigate two bodies."

The text to Izumi took way to fast to type and after she had put down her phone in the pocket, once again she clung to her bag and glanced Jenn and Tom.

As he stepped into Ealdwic Station, Thanasi fished out his mobile once more. Might as well, check the message from Edwards. Flouting London law, he walked along listening to the message on his mobile.

At the mention of Jenn's death, he briefly thought first of a solution to their recent troubles, then to the paperwork that would be involved in the permanent death of an agent, and finally--guiltily--to the thought that he would miss her if that happened. For all that she had been a pain in his butt for the past few weeks, she was certainly entertaining and even warm with her loving hatred of him.

Pocketing the mobile again, he began to double-time toward Edwards. At some point we should put an actual train in the Ealdwic Underground....

"Oh, hells, Pat..." Jenn rested her head on Tom's chest a minute longer, then nodded and stood back. "You're right. He...doesn't know about the bees, obviously. This... any suggestions?" She glanced at him and realized he was barely able to keep from ripping the fenders off the car randomly. Probably not his best thinking moment.

Just then, she noticed Wes climbing up into the ambulance. She detached herself from Tom a moment and ran over, calling, "Wes!"

She leaned up as he stuck his head back out the ambulance doors to see who was calling. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nearly pulled him out of the vehicle with a tight, squeezing hug. She whispered to him, "You're here. It worked, didn't it? Thank you..."

She let him loose before she dragged him entirely onto the curb and cleared her throat, saying more loudly, "Doctor. Good to see you're on the job." She smiled fiercely, to cover her own nerves, and then stepped back out of the way.

"Oh, hells, Pat..." She muttered it to herself again, thinking frantically.

Wes blinked and held up a hand so the driver wouldn't keep the vehicle in motion. He nodded to Jenn once she had stepped back enough so that he could see her.

"Yes, apparently it worked well...just not quickly enough to avoid this...mess. Still, I think we will be able to get something out of all of this. Don't worry. And yes, I recognize the irony of me of all people saying that. I'll call as soon as I know something. Tell Pat...tell him it was a sting operation that didn't work out. Tell him you had a vest on or something. Remember, people don't want to believe in all this and will happily cling to whatever shred of reasonable lie you offer them." Wes grinned as he replied quietly making sure the susurrus of activity would keep his words unheard by any but Jenn.

As he rounded the corner, Thanasi watched the ambulance pull away from Edwards with no sirens on. Real death. He could see Jenn, Tom, and Katja out front of the facility. Slowing to a walk--no need to seem panicked--he put on his 'normal' glasses and continued his final approach to the facility.