Story Saturday: Not- A- Spy Writes

We are showcasing Stories every Saturday for your reading pleasure. Over the next four weeks, we'll cover Not- A- Spy- Writes story called Don't Tell Me.

Don’t Tell Me - part three

It’s all or nothing now. Saturday is rapidly approaching and the team is still scrambling to track down the person behind it all, as well as come up with a plan to stop half of Berlin’s high society from going up in smoke. Will they hold firm or will the team crumble at the first taste of pressure? Warnings: mentions of terrorism, depictions of violence, mentions of bombs, explosions, guns, smoking, swearing and descriptions of panic and anxiety attacks. Word count for part three: 5,263 Author’s note: Welcome back to Team Black! My sincere apologies for the very late update, life always seems to get in the way but we’re getting right down to the wire now! I hope you enjoy this week’s update, another short one but the fourth and final part coming next week! As ever, thank you for reading! - not-a-spy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Okay team!” Nils said cheerfully, walking into the tiny basement conference room with yet another massive iced coffee in his hand. “How are we feeling about tomorrow?” Maurice groaned. “Not great.” “You are such a downer, Maurice!” Cipriana laughed, taking a sip of her own iced coffee. “I think we’re about as prepared as we can be.” “Which isn’t exactly very prepared.” Maurice shot back. “We’re still down Vicky, and have only had a few days to try and get this, frankly, massive operation off of the ground. Besides, we’re basically down two agents because Chalice, no offense, doesn’t really count.” Chalice cracked a wry smile. “None taken.” “You forget that we have the BND guys helping us out.” Nils said, taking a seat at the small table. “It won’t be so bad.” Adalie frowned. “Maurice does have a point. I’ve taken a look at the plans for the hotel and that building is massive. We won’t have nearly enough people to cover all of the areas.” “That’s why the plan isn’t to cover all of the areas.” Nils said. “We’ll have agents on the main floor of the ball, as well as some behind the scenes so we can get to wherever they may plant the bomb. Or bombs, I suppose. And I’m going to get one of the BND boys to trail Seidel.” “Where will you be?” Chalice asked. “In the van, outside.” Nils said. “I’ll keep in touch throughout the whole thing and I’m going to also have control of their security system, so I’ll be able to keep track of where everyone is and who is coming and going.” “What about us?” Harmon asked, pushing open the door to the conference room and letting Gatsby step through first. ”Ah, Harmon, nice of you to join us.” Nils said. “I was just running through some rough plans for tomorrow night. As for the pair of you, I want you, Harmon, on the ground in the ball with us and Gatsby out tailing Seidel.” Gatsby nodded. “You don’t think Seidel will be there?” Adalie asked. “After all, it will be quite the social occasion.” Nils shook his head. “Nope. He’ll be staying as far away as he can, even if it does raise a few eyebrows.” “But we don’t think Seidel is in charge, do we?” Owens spoke up, his voice quiet. “No.” Chalice said. “He distinctly mentioned a boss, though I have no idea who that could be. Do we have any ideas on that yet, Nils?” Nils took another sip of his iced coffee. “Not as of right now, but I’ve been doing plenty of digging. And obviously, the first suspect would be Seidel’s father, since I would assume that he’s the one who covered Seidel’s previous.” “You’re pointing the finger at the Chief Constable?” Harmon stared at him in disbelief. Nils held his hands up. “No, no, hear me out. I said he would be the first suspect. I’ve done a lot of digging into his past and there’s nothing there that rings any alarm bells for me. In fact, he’s got a pretty decent record.” “Okay.” Harmon grinned. “You had me worried for a second.” “So, its not the Chief Constable.” Nils continued. “In fact, I am of the opinion that it isn’t anyone from within the police force.” “What makes you think that?” Adalie asked. “Well, I’ve been through just about everyone and no one else has the same kind of background as Seidel.” Nils said. “But the biggest thing is Seidel’s phone records. There’s one number that he’s been in almost constant contact with and, from what I can find, it isn’t registered to anyone within the police force or with any kind of connection to the force.” “Do we know who the number belongs to?” Cipriana asked. Nils shook his head. “Not yet. I’ve run into some issues, but I’m working on it. I have it narrowed down.” “When will you know?” Owens asked softly. Nils shrugged. “I honestly have no idea, Owens. But I’m working on it.” “So, what are we doing for today?” Maurice asked. “Is there anything we can do to help track down the leader, or are we working on something else?” “As soon as I find out who the number belongs to, you’ll be helping me. Until then, I want you to take a look at the floor plans of the hotel, see where they might plant the bomb, or bombs.” Nils said, picking up his iced coffee and moving towards the door to his makeshift office. “What about us?” Harmon asked. “Are we doing the same thing?” “Actually,” Nils paused, “I want the pair of you to take a look through some of your files and see if there’s anyone who might stand out as Seidel’s boss.” Harmon nodded. “Right.” “Is there anything in particular we should be on the lookout for?” Gatsby asked quietly. “Any indicators?” “Anyone with clear connections to terrorist organizations would be a good place to start.” Nils said. “If they have a criminal record with any terrorism related charges then that’s someone I would dig into further. Other than that, I would be on the lookout for people who are very vocal about radical causes or views.” Gatsby nodded. “Okay.” “Adalie can help you out.” Nils said, gesturing towards her with his iced coffee. She nodded curtly. “Of course.” “Do you want us to formulate a plan for where us agents should be positioned as well?” Maurice asked. Nils nodded. “Yeah, that’s absolutely a good idea. Just get an idea of where the best places to be positioned would be.” Maurice nodded. “Okay.” Nils glanced around at the team, his hand on the door handle. For the most part, everyone looked tired but ready to go, except perhaps Cipriana, who had consumed almost as much coffee as him. His eyes landed on Owens. Owens’ eyes were glazed over, fixed on something only he could see. Nils didn’t think he had heard a single word of the briefing. After talking to Vicky, he was incredibly worried about putting Owens out in the field. Chalice could handle himself, he was sure of that, but he wasn’t nearly as sure about Owens. Nils pushed the door open but hesitated before stepping out of the conference room. “And, Chalice?” Chalice glanced up at him. “Hmm?” “If your hair is still gray tomorrow, there’ll be hell to pay.” There was a mischievous twinkle in Nils’ eyes. Chalice groaned. “Yes, sir.” Nils laughed. “Good. I’m sorry, for the record.” Chalice rolled his eyes. “You are not.” Nils took another sip of his iced coffee, still grinning mischievously. “I’ll see you all later.” ***** Maurice knocked on the door to Nils’ makeshift office, balancing a tray of coffees in one hand. Nils had his headphones on and didn’t glance up so Maurice stepped inside, tapping Nils gently on his shoulder. Nils jumped violently, knocking off his headphones and almost upending the coffees in the process. “Jesus!” Nils laughed. “Don’t sneak up on people like that, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Maurice set the coffees down on Nils’ desk. “To be fair, I did knock.” “Did you?” Nils laughed. “Oh. Nevermind then.” “Mm.” Maurice frowned at him, handing him a large iced coffee. “Made any progress yet?” Nils shrugged. “Not really. I’m a little bit stuck at the moment but I’m digging myself out of that hole.” “Anything I can do to help?” Maurice asked. Nils shook his head. “Nope. Carry on with the floor plans and I’ll let you know when I have something.” Maurice sighed. “How are you feeling about tomorrow? I get the feeling you’re a little, cautious, if not worried.” Nils paused for a moment before taking a sip of his iced coffee. “I am worried, to be honest. I don’t think Owens is up to it.” “Owens is our best agent.” Maurice said. “He’s our best agent on paper.” Nils corrected him. “He was damn good in the field at Checkpoint Charlie.” Maurice said. “I don’t think you should doubt him so much.” Nils frowned. “He may be good at hiding it but Checkpoint Charlie took a lot out of him. I don’t know if he can handle it anymore.” “What does Vicky think?” Maurice asked. “Vicky thinks I should pull him.” Nils said quietly. Maurice started. “Seriously?” “Yes. She thinks that putting him in the field could be dangerous.” “But we need him in the field!” Maurice said emphatically. “We won’t be able to cover everything with just the four of us plus the BND agents. Especially since Chalice isn’t trained.” “Agreed.” Nils said. “Which is why I’m keeping him in the field for tomorrow. We can’t lose agents right now.” “Do you think it could be dangerous?” Maurice asked, fiddling with the sleeve of his coffee cup. Nils shrugged. “I don’t know, Maurice, I really don’t. I like to think that Owens would be able to keep his head enough to not endanger himself or the rest of the team, but I can’t know for sure.” “Of course not.” Maurice said. “To be honest, I would be more worried about Chalice.” “Chalice has a good head on his shoulders.” Nils said. “He’ll be fine.” “You seriously think Chalice will keep a level head where Owens is concerned?” Maurice asked incredulously. “He’ll lose it if anything goes wrong.” Nils shook his head dismissively. “Chalice will be fine.” Maurice opened his mouth to protest but Nils stopped him with a quick hand signal. “Hang on, I’ve got something.” Nils said, turning his full attention back to his computer, his fingers flying over the keys. Maurice leant over his shoulder, trying to make sense of what was on Nils’ screen. “You have a name?” “I might.” Nils said. He leant back in his chair suddenly, raising his arms in triumph. “There he is! That’s our guy.” The mugshot of a middle aged man with long blond hair had just popped onto the screen. He had a slight smirk on his face as he looked directly into the camera. Maurice shuddered. There was an air of malice about the man. Nils continued. “His name is Ryker Haas and he was part of the same group that Seidel was associated with in his youth. When Seidel left to join the police force, Haas took the helm. He’s got quite the extensive record but he’s never been in prison which, if I had to guess, is probably Seidel’s doing.” “And this is our guy?” Maurice asked. “Almost certainly.” Nils said. “Almost?” “Almost.” Nils repeated. “The phone is a throwaway, so I can’t be 100% certain that it belongs to Haas, but I’m about 99% sure.” “Do you have enough to bring him in?” Maurice asked. Nils shook his head. “No. What I have is almost all circumstantial. We would need to put him at the scene of one of the shootings, Checkpoint Charlie or at the ball tomorrow and I would hazard that he’s too smart for that.” Maurice scrunched up his face in concentration. “Are you sure about that? You don’t think he would want to see the aftermath of his handiwork?” Nils shrugged. “I don’t think so but I’m a technical analyst, not a mind reader. I have no idea what this guy could be thinking. I just know that if I were him, I’d be well on my way out of the country by now.” Maurice opened his mouth to speak but Nils cut him off. “And before you say anything, I’ve already put an alert out. If he tries to leave, I’ll be the first person to know.” “I thought you said we couldn’t arrest him?” “We can’t.” Nils said. “No one is going to arrest him, they’re just going to tell me if he makes a move. If anyone tries to stop him from leaving, he’ll probably alert Seidel and the rest of them and then we’ll lose the whole lot, which we don’t want.” Maurice nodded. “Right. So what do we do now?” “We wait.” Nils said. “We gather as much information as we can about Haas, Seidel and whoever else we think is working with them, but we can’t do anything until tomorrow night.” “We’d better get back to work then.” ***** Chalice frowned at himself in the mirror, toying unhappily with his newly dyed brown hair. He missed the grey already. He’d never looked good with brown hair and the fancy suit certainly wasn’t helping. He rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, adjusting the collar. He wasn’t used to wearing his shirts done up all the way and he felt rather as if he was being strangled, especially with the ugly lilac tie. The piercings were missing too, which made him feel oddly naked. He screwed his face up, glaring at his reflection. Momentarily, he debated leaving, going back to the hotel, changing into a pair of jeans and going to sit in the van with Nils. But the team needed him. Giving his hair one last disapproving tug, he walked out of the bathroom. The team was meeting in the conference room in the basement of the BND building, anxiously waiting out the last few hours before the mission really started. Actually, he should have been here almost an hour ago but he had spent too much time trying to figure out a way to wear a suit and still look even vaguely attractive. He had given up. He pulled open the door to the conference room and stepped through, letting it slam shut behind him. The team, plus the two BND agents he had met already and a few others that he didn’t recognize, were scattered around the small room. “Can we help you?” Nils barely glanced at him as he spoke, turning immediately back to the glass board. Chalice didn’t answer. Owens was sitting at the table partially facing him, leaning back in his chair with one heel on the edge of his chair and the other leg dangling in front of him. His auburn hair was slicked back from his forehead, sweeping backwards away from his face so that Chalice could see his freckles for once. He wore a tailored white tuxedo set, a distinct contrast to his usual ill-fitting suits, and Chalice found himself unable to speak for a moment. Owens turned to look at him and Chalice caught a rare glimpse of his emerald eyes. “You changed your hair.” Owens sounded almost disappointed as he spoke and it took Chalice a second to pull himself back to reality. Nils looked away from his board. “Oh shit! I honestly did not recognize you. You look good!” Chalice frowned at him, tearing his eyes away from Owens. “That’s a lie and you know it.” “It’s not entirely a lie.” Nils turned to Owens. “I’m the one who forced him to dye his hair.” Owens glanced back at Chalice and scrunched his face up. “I don’t like it.” His eyes flicked away from Chalice’s hair for a second, appraising him. “I like the outfit though. Looks good.” Owens turned away. Chalice’s heart thundered in his chest. The words had been delivered so casually that he wasn’t entirely sure what the intention was. Chalice stood for a second, frozen in place. Nils caught his eyes, and raised his eyebrows suggestively. Chalice glared at him and took a seat at the table next to Owens. “Are we all here?” Gatsby asked. “Uh…” Nils looked away from the glass board, taking in the room, “no, not yet. We’re still missing Adalie.” Cipriana snorted with laughter. “Nils, I’ll bet you 5 pounds that she shows up in a pair of pants instead of that stupid short skirt.” Nils grinned. “You’re on!” Cipriana held out her hand and Nils shook it. Chalice looked over at Owens and rolled his eyes, earning a smile in return. “So!” Harmon clapped his hands together. “Other than your missing agent, is everything ready for this evening?” Nils nodded. Chalice noticed that he looked drawn and pale, with prominent dark circles under his eyes. He wondered how much he had slept. “Yeah, everything is set. I’ll be in the van outside, coordinating everything, Owens and Adalie will be behind the scenes and the rest of you will be mingling with the guests.” Nils said, looking around the room. “Harmon, where’s your suit?” Harmon sighed. “It’s in my locker.” Nils laughed. “Listen, if Chalice here has to wear a suit, then you do too. Go get changed.” “You aren’t wearing a suit.” Harmon complained. “No, I am not. But I will not be inside the ball.” Harmon sighed and reluctantly left the room, holding the door open for Adalie as she entered. She was scowling and wearing a neat white blouse with a short black skirt and a white apron. Nils grinned at Cipriana, who was sitting at the table, her mouth agape. “You owe me five pounds.” He said triumphantly. “How…how on earth did you manage that?” Cipriana stuttered, handing a five pound note over to Nils as she spoke. “The art of persuasion.” He grinned, handing the note directly to Adalie. “Art of bribery more like.” She mumbled angrily, smoothing down the skirt. “This get-up is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t see why I have to play the waitress while she gets to dress up in that fancy ball gown.” Adalie gestured at Cipriana’s long green gown. Cipriana grinned at her, smoothing down her ball gown. “Because we need you behind the scenes with Owens. You’ll have the harder task because I know that you can handle it.” Adalie glared at him. “Flattery will get you nowhere.” Nils nodded at her attire. “It got you into that skirt. Now, we really must move on from this. Once Harmon gets back, we’ll be ready to move.” Harmon stepped back into the room, still tying his tie. “I’m here. Where’s Gatsby? Is he not coming with us?” “He’s already out, he’s following Seidel.” Nils said. “As of right now, Haas hasn’t moved as far as we know, but we’ll keep an eye on him.” “We?” Maurice asked. “Yes, I’m borrowing the BND’s junior tech analyst for the evening.” Nils said, nodding towards a young man standing in the corner of the conference room. “We also have agents Altergott, Woertz and Thyen joining us. They’ll be on the floor at the ball along with Cipriana, Chalice, Maurice and Harmon. Adalie and Owens, you two are going to be behind the scenes. Myself and Gerber will be outside in the van and we’ll be in constant radio contact with all of you.” “Do we think they’re going to plant and run or will they stick around?” Cipriana asked. Adalie glanced over at Nils before responding. “I would assume they’ll stick around, to make sure things go according to plan. Especially after Checkpoint Charlie.” Nils nodded. “Definitely. But I would be surprised if Seidel shows up at all.” Adalie frowned. “But this is a major political fundraiser and he’s the son of the Chief Commissioner. Surely it would look weird if he didn’t show?” “He’ll have come up with an excuse of some kind, I’m sure.” Nils said. “But Gatsby is on his tail, so if you turn out to be right, Adalie, we’ll have advanced warning.” Adalie gave a satisfied nod. “Okay, good.” Nils glanced down at his watch. “Owens and Adalie, you two need to get a move on. I’ve put your names down as Karl Higgins and Felicia Malay. You’re to go in by the staff entrance and sniff around until you think you can slip away. Get into the basement if possible, that’s probably where they’ll plant the bomb. And keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.” Adalie nodded again, getting up from her seat. “Right.” Owens got up elegantly from his chair and gently smoothed down his white suit jacket. He left the room behind Adalie, flashing a smile at Chalice as he did so. “What about the rest of us?” Maurice asked. “The rest of you don’t need to leave for another half an hour.” Nils said, picking another iced coffee off of the table. “Harmon, you’ll be there under the name of Leon Becker, a journalist, meaning you have a right to be nosy and irritating. Maurice, you’ll be there under the name of Fynn Muller, a rich aristocrat recently moved back to Germany from France.” Harmon grinned. “Wonderful.” “And you two,” Nils smirked at Chalice and Cipriana, “Are Mr and Mrs Hahn, another wealthy couple.You’ve put a lot of money into the police and Emil is very interested in politics, so you’ll be asking a lot of questions about the people there and what they do.” Chalice glared at him. Cipriana tried desperately to suppress her laughter. Maurice coughed loudly, choking on his laughter and coughing more. “Are we just glossing over the fact he said ‘Mr and Mrs?’” Chalice asked, gesturing at Nils. Cipriana giggled. “Why? Don’t fancy getting married?” “No offence Cipriana, but not to you.” Cipriana laughed. Chalice turned and frowned playfully at Nils. “First you get me to change my hair, and now you’re asking me to pretend to be straight, too? There’s only so much a man can sacrifice for his job.” Maurice burst out laughing. Nils grinned. “Sorry Chalice, if you want to be an agent, you’ll have to get used to pretending to be someone you aren’t.” Chalice rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. Just this once.” “Thank you.” Nils said. Cipriana giggled. “Okay!” Nils clapped his hands together, downing the last of his iced coffee and grabbing his jacket off the back of a chair. “I need to get going and get myself set up in the van. Gerber’s going to be coming with me to help coordinate everything. You guys still have about 20 minutes or so before the doors open so you can, uh, just chill out here until the limos arrive. Oh, and please make sure that all of your mics and earpieces are working before you leave. I don’t want anyone getting cut off, not tonight.” Maurice frowned at him. “Wait, did you say limos?” “What, you thought you were just going to roll up in police cars? Come on Maurice, I don’t want to have to send you back to the hospital for brain damage.” Maurice glared. “We should get going, sir.” A small voice piped up from the corner. The BND’s junior tech analyst had pushed himself away from the wall and stood in the corner of the room, wringing his hands. “Of course!” Nils said, flinging on his jacket and tossing his empty coffee cup into the garbage. “And please don’t call me ‘sir,’ Gerber, I don’t deserve it.” “Uh yes, okay, um, okay.” Gerber said, quickly leaving the room. Nils followed. “I’ll see you guys later. Don’t do anything stupid!” Nils said, waving at them as he left. ***** “So, what exactly is it that you do, Mr. Haider?” Chalice asked casually, taking a sip from his glass of wine. Cipriana stood next to him, her hand resting gently on his elbow, her eyes focused on nothing in particular. In short, she perfectly filled the role of the bored wife. Haider gave a dangerous smile. “Oh, you know. I’m a politician, I work closely with the German police most of the time. It’s quite boring, really.” “You work with the police?” Chalice pressed. “Then surely you must know Seidel.” Haider tilted his head to one side, suspiciously. “Naturally. I know both of them quite well. How do you-” Chalice cut him off. “Oh, my wife and I work quite closely with the police. I know the younger Seidel very well.” “Ah, right.” Haider relaxed visibly. “Yes, Seidel the younger is very interesting. He’s got some brilliant ideas, I’m sure you’ve heard them.” Cipriana and Chalice shared a quick glance. “Some of them, certainly.” Chalice smiled. “I’m sure you’ve heard more than I have. My wife and I don’t quite run in the same circles, you know.” Haider gave a mirthless chuckle. “Of course. Well, if you have a moment, I’d be very happy to discuss them with you.” Chalice smiled. “Oh, that would be excellent, if you don’t mind.” Cipriana coughed delicately. “I’m going to get a glass of wine, dear, I’ll be right back.” Slipping her arm out of Chalice’s, she quickly made her way out of the main ballroom away towards the bar. On her way, she slid out of the backdoor of the hotel. “Nils?” She whispered into her earpiece. “How’s it going?” Nils asked. “How’s Chalice working out as the perfect husband?” She giggled. “I wouldn’t marry him. But I’d say it’s going pretty well. I’ve just left Chalice alone with some young politician that I think might be one of Seidel’s men, hopefully Chalice will be able to get some more out of him. His name is Haider, if you’re interested.” “Right.” Nils fell silent for a moment and Cipriana could just barely hear the sounds of keys clacking through the earpiece. “Ah, okay I have him. You could be right about him, Cipriana. Good work!” “Thank you!” Cipriana said. “How’s the van going? You sound tense.” “Both Haas and Seidel are on the move.” Nils said. “Gatsby has eyes on Seidel but I don’t have anyone trailing Haas and I’m worried we’ll lose him.” “Where’s he headed?” Cipriana asked. “The airport. I have no idea what his plan is beyond that.” “Right.” Cipriana glanced down at her watch. “The speeches are due to start in about fifteen minutes or so, if I were our guys, then I’d probably strike then, I mean, everyone will be in one spot.” “Okay. I’ll let Owens and Adalie know. And Cipriana, can you do me a favour?” “Uh huh. What d’you need?” “Keep an eye on Chalice please.” “Uh, yeah, of course. Why?” Nils sighed. “He’s a little too eager to impress. I’m worried that he’ll go too far and do something stupid. He’s not a trained agent, Cipriana and if he does something that puts this mission in jeopardy, then I’m fucked.” “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on him then.” “Thanks.” Nils said. The line went silent and Cipriana quickly made her way back to the ballroom, grabbing a glass of wine from Adalie on her way in. She winked at Adalie, who only glared at her in response. When she got back into the ballroom, Chalice was nowhere to be seen. She swore under her breath and made a beeline for the young politician that they had been talking to earlier. “Hi!” she said cheerfully. He turned around. “Hi. Are you also interested in Seidel’s ideas?” He smiled charmingly at her. She put on her best condescending smile. “Oh no. That’s my husband’s thing. Have you seen him, by the way? I’m not sure where he’s gotten to.” He shook his head. “I think he went to look for you. You were gone for rather a long time. We finished our discussion and then he wandered off in that direction.” He waved his hand vaguely behind his shoulders, the opposite direction that she had gone when she left. She resisted the urge to swear out loud. “Oh. Well, thank you very much.” She grinned. “I’m sure I’ll see you later.” She slipped away, moving hurriedly in the direction that the man had indicated. She should have listened to Adalie, Chalice was much too reckless to be on an important mission like this. He was eager to impress and, knowing him, he’d do whatever it took to prove himself as an agent. She just hoped that he wouldn’t get himself into any real danger. She reached a set of rear stairs and ran up them as fast as the heels and the excessively long skirt would allow. Chalice had to have come this way, there was no other way he could have gone. She hiked the dress up to her knees, only letting it drop back to the floor once she reached the second floor. The hallway was dark, the lights off, and it was lined with wooden doors, all of which were closed. She swore, out loud this time, but in Greek, in case anyone was listening who shouldn’t be. This was going to be impossible. Chalice would have to figure out his own mess. She turned around and sideled back into the ballroom, scanning the room for any sign of Chalice. She couldn’t see him anywhere, but she did catch sight of Maurice, standing alone on the far side of the room. She made her way towards him, quickly. “Look for the man with the blue suit and silver tie. He’s with Seidel.” She whispered into his ear as she slid past him. He nodded nonchalantly, taking a dainty sip of his champagne. She checked her watch. 5 minutes until the speeches started. “Adalie, Owens, you guys have 5 minutes to the speeches.” Nils’ voice echoed down her earpiece. She watched as the man in the silver tie peered into the ballroom before sneaking away into the hotel. She frowned at him and met eyes with Maurice, inclining her head in the direction the man had just gone. He nodded and moved to follow him “Yeah, we’re downstairs.” Adalie said, her voice clipped. “Good. How’s it going?” Nils asked. “We’ve found the bomb.” Adalie barked. “They’ve planted and run, Nils.” “Shit.” Nils mumbled, and Cipriana could hear his keyboard clacking on the other side of the line. “Where’s the bomb squad?” Adalie asked. “They’ve been held up somehow.” Nils’ voice was shaking. “Fuck, Adalie, they aren’t going to get here in time. Are you two going to be able to handle this?” As if they really had a choice, Cipriana thought. They would have to handle it, somehow. “We’re gonna have to.” Adalie said. “Owens has bomb training.” “Okay, alright.” Cipriana could tell that Nils was trying desperately to stay calm. “Cipriana, how are you and Chalice getting on?” She swore under her breath. “Chalice has run off somewhere. I’m so sorry Nils, I was following some guy I thought could be working with Seidel.” “Okay. Okay, whatever, we can’t worry about him right now. Maurice, Harmon, what about you guys?” There was a faint buzz as someone’s earpiece turned on, followed immediately by a loud thud and a rapid string of french expletives. Cipriana stifled a snort of laughter. “Merde. We’ve got your man, Cipriana.” Maurice panted. “We’re good Nils, we’ve taken down one of Seidel’s operatives. We’ll get him to the BND van then get back inside.” Nils paused. “No, don’t go back, there’s nothing else you can do.” “You’re sure?” Maurice asked. “We don’t know how many people Seidel has inside, I doubt we’ve gotten all of them.” “I’m sure.” Nils said firmly. “Stay outside and see if anyone comes out early. If they do, follow them in one of the cars. “Okay, sure.” Maurice said. “You think the building’s going up?” Harmon asked. “Not if we can help it.” Adalie cut in. “I have confidence in Adalie and Owens, I’m just being cautious.” Nils said, but there was an edge of uncertainty in his voice. “Cipriana, are you still inside?” “Yeah.” Cipriana said. “You want me to leave?” Nils hesitated. “Yeah, yeah, make your way out now, just to be safe. And keep your eyes open for anyone else who’s leaving early.”