The Modern Cocktail

Flowing Water

The 27th of June, 2015

"Great. Thank you, Meredith," Nicolette said before ending her phone call.

Nicolette was stood outside the observation area for Harry's room with Moonshine. She had been getting in touch with her contact to try and get ticket and VIP passes for Eggsy and Whiskey.

"Everythin' squared away?" Moonshine asked.

"Yes. Galahad and Whiskey will need to meet Meredith at the Hartford Marriott Downtown in the hotel's bar. They are to call this number when they arrive in Hartford," Nicolette said before presenting a phone number on her phone screen to Moonshine, "Have whichever agent that calls Meredith mention the tickets. She will be wearing a blue plaid button down shirt and will be sitting at the bar. When they meet her at the bar, they need to mention Stacy. Galahad will know who that is."

"Alright. I'll go pass along the information. If I need anythin' repeated, I'll call Ginger and have her ask you," Moonshine said before turning to leave, "I'll be back in a bit."

After seeing Moonshine leave, Nicolette turned to walk into the room where Merlin and Ginger Ale were currently inside of.

"So, how are we getting Harry's memories back?" Nicolette asked after she closed the door.

"We've dealt with this kind of amnesia before," Ginger Ale started to explain, "Harry's like a computer that needs to be rebooted."

"Right. But, what's the 'reboot switch' supposed to be?"

"We need to recreate a shock or trauma from his past to trigger his memory."

Both present Kingsman agents were quiet for a few moments as they thought.

"It could be something from training. For the point in time that it's done, it's bound to be a shock or trauma for Harry. Especially given how docile he seems to have been beforehand," Nicolette commented, mostly to herself, as she thought.

"Can you flood the room?" Merlin asked.

"That should be possible, yes. Why?" Ginger Ale asked.

"One of the tests our trainees undergo involves filling a sealed room with them inside; they must then escape. The aim is to show the importance teamwork has to Kingsman."

"A possible brush with death," Ginger Ale muttered, "That should be sufficient to jog his memories."

"I hope you're right," Merlin said, crossing his arms in uncertainty.

Ginger Ale gave a small nod before she pressed a few buttons on her tablet-clipboard.

The room Harry was in then started to fill with water.

Harry, who had been sat on the bed in the center of the room reading, didn't take long to notice the water that was flooding his room. He quickly set his book down and checked the underside of the sink for any leaks. When he didn't see anything, he started to wade towards the door in the now knee-deep water.

"Um, excuse me," Harry said, approaching the door, "There seems to be some sort of a problem here."

The water was then reaching Harry's waist.

"Help! Somebody!" Harry started to yell as he climbed on top of the bed, "What the hell is going on? Help me!"

While on top of the bed, Harry started to brace against the ceiling to keep himself upright.

Nicolette, who's arms had been crossed, brought her left hand up to cover her mouth. Watching what was happening in front of her was difficult, that much was for sure.

"Help! Oh, God! Stop! Fuck!" Harry yelled before taking a large swallow of air.

The man was then completely under the water. Harry bobbed against the slanted ceiling for a moment before he started to move in the water under his own power. His gaze seemed to lock with the mirror that was in front of him, and his body was centered along the pane of glass. However, a lot of air was escaping from his lungs, as evident by the bubbles leaving his mouth.

"Get him out, now," Merlin said in a soft but stern voice.

"No, no, wait. His instincts are gonna kick in," Ginger Ale said, holding her hand up towards Merlin.

It seemed almost so for a moment, but rather than staying calm, Harry began to violently freak out.

"No, I'm sorry," Nicolette said in an almost shaky voice before she took the clipboard from Ginger Ale and pressed for the water to be evacuated from the room.

Nicolette then quickly handed the clipboard back to Ginger Ale and ran out of the room to the door that lead to Harry's room, Merlin closely behind her.

Nicolette pulled against the door, waiting for it to release the water tight seal. Once she could get inside, she ran over to Harry and knelt down in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Nicolette asked.

"What happened?" Harry asked, his breathing heavy.

"Harry, you've forgotten who you are," Merlin said as he sat down next to Harry on the wet bed, "We thought this might jog your memory."

"We're really sorry," Nicolette said, her voice still a bit uneven.

"Look, when you were young, you had a choice. To either be a lepidopterist or to join the army. You chose the army. That lead to Kingsman."

"You became a Kingsman agent," Nicolette finished.

"I doubt whether I'd work for anyone who drowns their employees," Harry said in an almost matter-of-fact tone, "I want to go home. I want my butterfly collection. I want to see Mother."

Hearing these comments, Nicolette nearly bit her lip as she stood up and left the room.

"There's nothing more we can do," Nicolette heard Ginger Ale say over the intercom system in Harry's room as she left, "It's time to let him go."

Nicolette stood in the corridor, her left hand place firmly across her mouth. Her eyes were shut tight, but tears were still starting to brim across her lashes. Though she couldn't see who, she felt the presence of someone standing behind and then beside her.

A warm hand was placed on Nicolette's right shoulder before she drew a quick breath through her nose.

"I just want to help him," Nicolette said as she moved her hand from across her mouth to her forehead, her voice thick with unshed tears, "But now, I can't even give him his butterflies."

"I know, Nikki," Merlin said before curling his arm, bringing Nicolette into a hug, "I know."