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“ ‘s not gonna be one of them honeypot missions, is it?” Eggsy stretched out his legs, taking full advantage of the vast legroom the car offered. “Like, you’re not gonna dump me there and disappear for a couple of hours to do whatever?”
“Of course not.” Harry had taken a more refined position; long legs crossed and hands loosely folded in his lap. “We never take candidates on honeypot missions on their first outing in the field. That is reserved for their second time.”
Eggsy stared at Harry, trying to figure out whether he was joking or not. From what he had seen of Kingsman so far, it wasn’t outlandish to assume that that was something they would do. Not to mention Harry’s deadpan, sometimes almost detached manner of speaking making it exceedingly difficult to tell when he was joking and when dead serious.
“Well, you’ll have to learn at some point”, Harry said pointedly but the corners of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly. When Eggsy looked visibly relieved, his smile deepend momentarily.
“Tonight should be fairly simple”, Harry continued in his usual lecture tone after a moment’s silence. “We only have to plant a tracking device on our mark. If nothing goes wrong, it shouldn’t take more than half an hour in total.”
“ You only have to plant a tracking device”, Merlin corrected over the intercom. “ He is only there to observe.”
It was Eggsy’s first real Kingsman mission he was allowed to go on. After Roxy and he had passed the loyalty test that sent Charlie packing, they were given the opportunity to observe real, albeit low-level, fieldwork. Each with the agent who proposed them, they were to accompany them on a small task in the field. Nothing major; a charity event with the mayor and local luminaries and benefactors for Eggsy and the opening of a new exhibition at the art gallery for Roxy. The missions themselves were equally simple, just to be on the safe side should things go south. Neither Roxy nor Eggsy were tasked with anything except to observe their sponsors in the field - and to blend in. Which, Eggsy thought, was a nice way of telling them to stay clear and not fuck things up.
—
The mayor of Islington delivered the opening address. It was long winded and spiked with far too many terrible jokes that drew polite and often forced laughter from the crowd. Harry abandoned any attempts of paying attention early on and looked around the foyer, making out all possible exits should they need to make a quick getaway. Not that he thought they would be needing to on such a simple mission, but he had been burned one time too many in this game. The mayor made another joke, the appeal of leaving swiftly and suddenly becoming bigger with every passing moment. Next to him, a man checked his watch with a barely concealed sigh and Harry could only sympathise. If the mayor had a talent for public speaking it was well hidden.
After the mayor finished his speech with a particularly bad pun that made Eggsy wince, the crowd dispersed and settled around the foyer in smaller groups. Waiters brought out flutes of what Harry assumed to be cheap sparkling wine, providing much needed sustenance. Harry scanned the crowd with practiced ease, trying to find his mark in the sea of formal evening wear. It didn’t take him long to locate the lady, her dark green dress a welcome change from the various shades of mostly grey and black around her. She was engaged in conversation with another guest, and Harry didn’t approach her yet but opted to wait until he had a moment alone with her. The less potential witnesses there were, the better, even with an assignment as small as this.
As if he had been feeling Harry’s gaze on them, the man talking to his mark looked up, eyes briefly gliding over Harry and the guests around him before he turned his attention back to his conversation. The man was in his forties, auburn hair slightly thinning, and impeccably dressed in a three-piece pinstripe suit.
“Looks like the government is here, too”, Harry remarked, surprised.
“That’s not your concern at the moment, Galahad”, Merlin reminded him over the intercom.
“Bloody well will be soon enough”, Harry muttered.
“Galahad”, Merlin warned him, impatience beginning to tinge his voice, “focus. Your task is not to find out why he is here. Plant the tracker and get out of there before your protégé has a chance to embarrass himself in front of the mayor.”
Harry didn’t dignify Merlin’s remark with a response but did as he was told. Once the lady was alone for a moment, he made his move and engaged her in light conversation, planting the small tracker on the wristband of her watch as they shook hands. He made easy chit-chat until enough time had passed for him to be able to politely excuse himself. To his relief, Eggsy had not yet managed to embarrass himself in front of the mayor and he discreetly came up behind him to let him know it was safe to leave. Eggsy, who actually had been talking to the mayor up until then, looked quite relieved, made his excuses and left with Harry.
--
The debrief with Arthur back at the Kingsman manor was mercifully short. On the way to the bullet train, Harry’s phone pinged and he fished it out of his pocket, reading over the message without breaking his stride. He frowned slightly, then returned the phone to his pocket.
“Something wrong?”, Eggsy asked and Merlin shot him a questioning look, too.
“Something triggered my home security system”, Harry replied, sounding quite unperturbed at the prospect of having an intruder in his house. “I’d better go and check.”
“I’ll go with you, yeah?”, Eggsy said but Harry shook his head.
“No, Eggsy, it’s better if you don’t”. Harry didn’t offer an explanation but Merlin seemed to understand because he nodded once.
“Thought I was supposed to observe ‘n’ all?”, Eggsy tried again, clearly disappointed that Harry didn’t want him to go with.
Harry sighed but didn’t give in. “Trust me, it’s better if you observe this one from afar.”
“Harry’s right”, Merlin agreed, reaching for Eggsy’s elbow to steer him in the direction of his office. “With me, lad.” He briefly locked eyes with Harry who was turning to leave. “Be careful. You don’t know who’s out there.”
Harry’s only response was a pointed look before he went off in the direction of the bullet train.
“What’s going on?”, Eggsy asked when Merlin took a seat behind his desk, switching his monitors on.
“Harry’s got a visitor”, Merlin replied without taking his eyes off the screen, gesturing for Eggsy to take a seat. Still not understanding what was going on, Eggsy pulled up a chair and sat down next to Merlin.
–-
The taxi pulled up quietly in front of his house and Harry said a word of thanks to the driver as he got out. The intruder obviously hadn’t bothered to be inconspicuous about their being there; Harry could see light in the rooms inside - lights he hadn’t left on when leaving.
Even though he was fairly certain he knew who the intruder was, Harry still drew his gun when he approached the door. Tapping the side of his glasses, he activated the transmission, then pulled out his key to unlock the door.
The first thing he noticed was the black umbrella leaning against the sideboard in the hall. It looked similar to his own except for the bamboo handle, which was enough for Harry to tell that it wasn’t Kingsman-issued - and to whom it belonged.
Light was pooling into the hallway from the kitchen doorway and even though there was no sound coming from within the room, Harry knew his visitor would be in there. He put his gun back in the shoulder holster and leaned his own umbrella against the sideboard before proceeding further into the house.
The man seated at his kitchen table looked perfectly at ease, as if he had lived in this space for decades and Harry was merely a visitor. His hands were leisurely folded on the table in front of him and he smiled a thin-lipped, superior smile when Harry appeared in the door frame. Unfolding his hands, he made a show of checking his watch. “Late again, Harry.”
“Mycroft”, Harry said, his voice betraying no emotion. “What an unexpected pleasure.”
“Hardly”, Mycroft replied, his unpleasant smile deepening. “Your security system undoubtedly alerted you to my presence and I left enough clues to my identity in your hallway to keep even you and your trigger-happy friends from shooting me upon arrival.” He paused, then made a gesture towards the table. “Have a seat.”
Pure professionalism kept Harry from showing any kind of reaction to being told what to do in his own home. He walked further into the kitchen but past Mycroft and over to the worktop. “Cup of tea?”, he asked over his shoulder, already busying himself with the kettle.
“No, thank you, I intend to make this brief.”
Mycroft didn’t speak again until Harry sat down to his right, a steaming cup of tea in his hand. Harry, in turn, had been in no rush to prepare his cuppa. He looked expectantly at his visitor, waiting for him to continue.
“Your current investigation”, Mycroft stated without prelude, “call it off. It’s a governmental issue. We will take care of it.”
“You’re talking to the wrong man”, Harry said, unfazed.
In turn, Mycroft gave a short, humourless laugh. “I hardly think so.” When Harry only raised a questioning eyebrow in response, he went on. “Chester King’s leadership is failing. The most prominent indicator being your organisation’s, shall we say, slipping standards?”
“Snobby bastard”, Harry heard Merlin mutter over the intercom and something Eggsy said that he couldn’t quite make out but sounded suspiciously like ‘wanker’.
“Clearly we hold ourselves to different standards”, Harry replied coolly.
“Clearly”, Mycroft agreed, unbothered. “But since you make no effort to conform to your superior’s views, your insubordination in the field is only a logical conclusion. So, why should I waste my time talking to King if I can address the problem at its root by talking to you directly?”
“I’m not your errand boy, Mycroft. Do your own legwork. Any matter relating to which missions Kingsman operates is King’s department, not mine. I strongly suggest you go and waste your time talking to him, as you put it.”
Mycroft only gave a thin-lipped smile in response.
“Speaking of legwork”, Harry said after a moment’s silence, “I was surprised to see you tonight. Surely you could have found someone to blackmail into attending the event for you?”
Mycroft laughed, and for the first time that evening, it actually sounded like a sincere laugh.
“Not exactly a good calling card for your agency, admitting you were surprised to see the competition at your investigation.
We
anticipated your being there.”
“Easy to say in retrospect. And I would hardly call us competitors.”
“What would you call us then? All names under the sun, no doubt. You made that very clear last time what you thought about us.”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “The feeling is mutual, I’m sure.”
“It is.” Mycroft was silent for a moment. “Corrupt as the government may be, your organisation is no different. You just have a different reason. Which makes me wonder what the point of an independent intelligence agency is. The problem you claim to overcome by not binding yourself to an institution is just replaced with another.”
“Your hypocrisy is astounding, Mycroft”, Harry replied, now with a hint of amusement in his voice. “It’s hardly a state secret that your younger brother runs a private detective agency. Nor that you supply him with cases from your own work when times are slow.”
“Hardly the same thing”, Mycroft said dismissively but Harry could tell he struck a nerve. It was good to know where Mycroft’s weak point lay.
“Besides”, Mycroft continued, “you’re in no position to lecture me on unorthodox behaviour. It doesn’t pay to have a rebellious streak in an organisation as small as yours. Especially when it is directed at your superior.”
“My loyalty is to Kingsman, not the man who temporarily leads it.”
“Careful, Harry. A lesser man might mistake your words for mutiny.”
“I’ve said it to King’s face, I dare say I can say it behind his back, too.”
“King never was a match for you”, Mycroft said with something bordering admiration in his voice.
“But you would be?”
Mycroft smiled wryly but didn’t reply.
At the manor, Merlin and Eggsy exchanged a glance.
“If you plan on staying any longer, I’ll have to offer you tea again. Or something stronger”, Harry said, masterfully changing the subject - and telling Mycroft he had outstayed his welcome.
“That won’t be necessary”, Mycroft replied, his unpleasant smile back again. He pushed back his chair to get up, clearly enjoying Harry wincing slightly when the legs of the chair scraped over the hardwood floor. Usually, Mycroft was more careful around furniture, especially when it was as pricey as this but he couldn’t resist a bit of power play. His coming here had been most unsatisfactory and he needed at least one little win before leaving.
Harry got up too, with considerably more care for his floor, and walked Mycroft to the door.
“Do make sure to take the right umbrella”, he said neutrally. “I’d hate to see mine blow up in your face when you try to open it.”
Harry could swear he heard Merlin snort over the intercom.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Harry. We both know you’d love to see that.” Mycroft sounded unbothered but Harry could tell he looked closely at the two umbrellas as he selected his own. Harry handed him his coat.
“Goodnight, Mycroft. Give my regards to Arthur.”
“Has anyone ever told you you have a sadistic streak?”, Mycroft replied in-lieu of a goodbye. Without waiting for an answer, he walked through the door and into the night.
Harry closed the door behind him and turned off the feed of his glasses by tapping the sides. How he loathed the man.