Title: Not A Joke
Fandom: Spooks (MI5)
Rating: G
Length: 589 words
Summary: Ros is horrified when Adam says they've been called off an investigation, but Lucas has other ideas.

There was very little sound on the Grid as everyone worked feverishly at the current problem, scrolling through all the information they had, trying to spot the anomalies that would break the case open.  Malcolm was wearing headphones, listening to snatches of conversation which had been recorded, transcribing anything which might prove relevant.  Lucas, too, had headphones on, although he was using music to help him concentrate on the reports he was reading through, occasionally highlighting words or sentences which he thought might help.  Ros and Jo were similarly staring at their screens, hoping that somewhere in the images before them they would see what they were after.

Suddenly the peace of the Grid was shattered by the telephone. 

“What now?” Ros groaned.  She listened to the message and then threw her phone down, attracting the attention of the others.  “That was Adam.  It’s got to be some kind of joke.  He says Wetherby has just admitted to the whole thing.  We’re being called off.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Jo protested. 

“Maybe it does,” Lucas replied.

“What?  How?  Explain it to me, because nothing we’ve found pointed to him as being anything other than a bit player, with limited knowledge,” Ros snapped.

“I think it’s given us the clue we’ve been looking for,” Lucas said.  “They’ve either got a bigger hold on Wetherby than we thought, or they’ve offered him something, and it’s probably a bit of both.  He takes the wrap, we stop investigating, and the main players get away scot-free.”

“But what can we do?” Jo asked.  “We’re being called off.”

“Did Adam say Harry has told us to stop?”  When Ros shook her head, Lucas continued, “Then until that happens, we keep going.”

“Lucas is right,” Ros said.  “But we change tack slightly.  Jo, find out all you can about Wetherby, especially any pressure points and where they may lead.  Malcolm, I would expect a sudden exodus of some of our major suspects, can you see if you can track them down and, if possible, delay their departure.  Lucas, you and I will continue with what we were doing but concentrate on those areas which relate closest to what we now believe.”

It was a good couple of hours later when Harry and Adam returned to the Grid.

“You seem busy,” Harry said.  “I was expecting you to all be out at lunch following the news about Wetherby.”

“As Lucas said, we hadn’t officially had the command from you to desist with our investigation, so we carried on,” Ros explained.

Harry smiled.  “Excellent!  And have you discovered anything useful?”

“Several things.  Plus Anton Novotny and his partner about to catch the ferry to France.”

“Damn!  I bet they’ve got the files we’re after and now we’ve lost them.”

“It’s all right.  They’ve been told they need to complete a form 2.B.O.R. before they can export their boxes, so they’re waiting on the dockside for the official to bring one over.”

“I’ve never heard of a form 2.B.O.R. before.  What’s it for?”

“2.B Or, as in the current case, not to be,” Lucas said with a grin.

Harry frowned at Lucas, before saying, “In which case, Ros, have them pulled in at once.  And I want a full list of all those who were advocating ceasing our investigation once Wetherby confessed.  I suspect this goes even deeper than I suspected.  Oh, and Lucas, that is a dreadful joke, quite up to your usual standard.”

Lucas returned to his desk, with a satisfied smirk on his face.