LETHAL - E.UNWIN

1

Nathalia climbs into the cab that had pulled up outside of the dingy apartment complex that she had been stationed in.

"You still haven't told me why you stationed me in that grotty bar," The young woman complains. "The men are perverts and the whole place smells foul"

"It will become clear soon," Harry replies. "I trust you found the son?"

"He drinks there regularly," Nathalia says. "As does his mother's boyfriend"

"I assume you gained his trust?"

"A bartender is everyone's friend in a pub," Nathalia says and Harry nods.

"To the shop please," Harry says to the taxi driver. "How is he? The son?"

"A petty criminal," Nathalia says. "Gets in trouble a lot, but he's a sweetheart really"

The taxi pulls to a halt and Nathalia steps out of the taxi, Harry not far behind her as they walk up to the familiar brown door and into the shop.

"Arthur is in the dining room, sir, Miss,"

Nathalia nods before walking up the stairs and throwing open the two oak doors.

"Guinevere as polite as ever," Arthur says and Nathalia shrugs, taking her seat. "The others were beginning to wonder if we were going to have a triple toast"

Nathalia pulls her glasses out of her pocket and shoves them onto her face, the holograms of other Kingsmen appearing.

"Gentlemen and lady," Arthur says, his face scrunching at the fact there was a woman at the table with them. "I'm pleased to say it's been seventeen years since we last had an occasion to use this decanter. Lancelot was an outstanding agent and a true Kingsman. He will be sorely missed. To Lancelot"

"To Lancelot," The other members in the room say.

Nathalia picks up her glass and pours the drink down her throat, before placing the glass back on the table.

"I intend to start the selection process for Lancelot's replacement tomorrow," Arthur says. "I want each of you gentlemen to propose a candidate and have them report to UK HQ no later than nine pm GMT"

"What about me?" Nathalia asks.

"You will be pairing with Harry on this one," Arthur says. "Seeing as you are already in placement for his potential candidate"

Nathalia pulls the glasses off of her face as she rolls her eyes.

"Merlin," Arthur says. "Come in"

Merlin walks in, clutching his iPad before Arthur turns to Nathalia and Harry.

"Lancelot was investigating a group of mercenaries who were experimenting with biological weaponry," Arthur says.

"Glasses please,"

Nathalia slides the glasses on again and her eyes move to the mirror which was reflecting Merlin's screen.

"Uganda 2012," Merlin says. "Synthetic cathinones. They put in in the water supply of a guerrilla army base. Rage, cannibalism, multiple fatalities. Chechnya, 2013. Insurgents turned on one another. Indisputably the work of our mercenaries but no trace of any chemicals of any kind"

"So, what happened to Lancelot?" Harry asks.

"He tracked them to this property in Argentina," Merlin says. "While he had them under surveillance, he became aware they'd effected a kidnapping. So, he executed a solo rescue mission which failed. This is his last transmission"

"Professor James Arnold?" Nathalia asks. "What would they want with a physics professor?"

"You know this man?" Merlin asks.

"He taught when I attended the college," Nathalia says. "I rarely interacted with him because he didn't teach my course. He had a theory called the Gaia theory, something to do with the world healing itself"

"But what's curious," Merlin says. "He's not actually missing. This is Professor Arnold at Imperial College this morning"

"He was released?" Nathalia asks.

"It appears so,"

Nathalia moves to stand next to Merlin, the pair of them discussing theories quietly as Arthur speaks to Harry.

"So, there was no extortion demand made," Nathalia mutters. "Which means they wanted information from him-"

"Or his loyalty," Merlin finishes.

"What could they want with him?"

"Well, what is the Gaia theory?" Merlin asks.

"Something to do with the earth self-regulating to enable life to survive on the planet," Nathalia says. "But it's just that, a theory. The hypothesis has never really been proven"

"Nor has it been disproven," Merlin says.

"It's a bull hypothesis," Nathalia says. "The theory is good in theory but in practice I don't know, it seems too good to be true"

"I'm going to put a file together," Merlin was already typing away on his tablet.

"We've got our work cut out for us with this one," Nathalia sighs. "Well, you have, I've got to go and pour pints in a bar"