Title: Keeping Safe
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 483
Summary: Ros Myers is intent on keeping her team safe

Lucas North knocked on the door of the terraced house in Fulham.  Instantly, Adam Carter opened it, and Lucas half-walked, half-fell inside.

Adam swore.  “What happened to you?”

“They knew I was coming,” he replied.  “I think I lost them on the tube, but I can’t be absolutely sure.”

“I’ll warn Ros.”

“Tell her they knew.” 

Lucas started to fall forward, but Adam caught him.

“Let’s get you onto the sofa.  I’ll contact Ros and then I’ll see what needs doing for you.”

“I’ll be okay in a couple of minutes.”

Adam gave a hum of disbelief and practically dragged Lucas into the back room and onto the sofa.  “Lie still,” he ordered.  “You’re safe now.”

Leaving Lucas on the sofa, Adam went into the front room and contacted Ros.  “The mission may be compromised,” he said.  “Lucas was attacked and may have led one of his attackers to the safe house.  He doesn’t think so, but we’ll need to take care.  But of more immediate concern is that someone knew Lucas was going to the meeting.”

“How is he?” Ros asked.

“Injured, but he managed to stagger here from the tube station, so I don’t think it’s too serious.  He used all his strength to get here, so we won’t be able to use him later.”

“Damn!  And he’ll be vulnerable if we leave him there.  I could send Jo over, but that would take us down to three operatives, and I don’t like those odds.”

“We should be able to manage with just three of us.  Or Lucas could be left.”

“I know you hate it when I say, ‘Better safe than sorry’, but on this occasion I’m going with that – we really don’t know how much of our plan is known and so we’ll need a fourth person.  Also, I am not leaving Lucas in danger.  Hang on a minute, Adam.”

Adam waited while Ros had a quiet conference with someone else, before she came back and said, “Problem solved.  Malcolm will run the surveillance from the front room and, if anything happens, he can get Lucas out.  The equipment’s all portable; he and Tariq will be with you in twenty minutes to set up and then you and Tariq leave together.”

“Right,” Adam said.  “I’ll be ready.”

He returned to the back room and, while he patched Lucas up, he explained the revised plan.  He wasn’t surprised that Lucas insisted he could come with them, and then said he would be fine without Malcolm coming to babysit.

“It’s not Ros’ role to keep everyone safe,” Lucas complained.  “We all know what the risks are.”

“Agreed.  But it is Ros’ role to run a successful mission and she’s much more likely to do that if her team stays safe.”

Lucas grumbled but accepted the inevitable.  By the time Adam and Tariq were ready to leave, he’d fallen asleep on the sofa.