Last time, in Santa's New Toy...
Nick eyed the machine with a weary sigh. It had to be done but he was not looking forward to it. He checked the time and came to the conclusion that by now another whisky would be of little consequence. Pouring a large measure into his glass, he slowly pulled out a DVD case bearing the words ?Robin Hood ? Season 2'.
He flicked through the scene selections until he came upon one that had came up several times in the intelligence that Malcolm had gathered on the agency. He thanked his lucky stars there wasn?t a sword involved and hit the ?create? button on the keyboard.
Nick strode purposefully to the telephone and dialled. ?Malcolm, I need you up here in the next 5 minutes max. Best bring some help with you, I think this one could be a bit?challenging.?
?OK, boss,? replied Malcolm, breathing a large but silent sigh of relief.
?And Malcolm,? continued Nick, ?Have you managed to track Lee down yet? I need to know what?s going on there when you come up.?
Malcolm?s sense of relief rapidly evaporated. He had indeed tracked Lee down, the CCTV systen had told him everything he needed to know, and quite a bit that he didn?t. Explaining it to Nick, however, was something he was looking forward to even less than dealing with the new recruit.
Meanwhile, Nick was on the phone to the transport department. ?I need to MPS ready to go in twenty minutes. Make sure the turbo mode is working ? I?m going to need to make some time up if I?m going to get back again to do the kids presents later.?
He turned and looked at the chamber, which now contained a hefty pair of black boots and a pair of long muscular legs all clad in black leather. A belt had almost formed and from it hung a menacing looking broadsword which Nick hadn?t noticed in the still he had chosen.
?Bugger,? he thought, in a most unfestive manner. He headed across to a photo of him and his team that hung in strategic position on the wall opposite his desk. He carefully removed it to reveal a safe, entered a code into the keypad and extracted from it a small metal case. He took a syringe from a sealed packet within the case and filled it with clear liquid from a small glass bottle, before carefully wrapping the rubbish in newspaper and dropping it into the bin. He then carefully replaced everything just as Malcolm knocked on the door.
?Come in,? Nick shouted. His creation was now almost shoulder height and he was relieved to have some back up. ?Right, before we get stuck in with this one, what?s happening with Lee? Have you tracked him down??
Due to the nature of his work, Malcolm was accomplished at spinning a yarn, but he?d never had to do so for his boss?s benefit. Luckily Nick was too preoccupied with the contents of the chamber to notice the slight flush on Malcolm?s face or the hard swallow before he began to speak.
?Yes, Nick, we?ve found him. He was a bit disorientated?and cold, and you know how busy we are tonight, so Mary?s seeing to him. Hopefully he?ll be fit to travel by the time we set off...?
At that moment, both Nick and Malcolm were distracted by muted shouting and the sound of metal on glass. Guy of Gisborne was complete in the chamber and seriously unimpressed with his surroundings.
Nick pressed a button on the control panel that allowed him to speak to the inhabitant of the chamber. ?It?s all right Gisbourne, we?re not here to harm you. In fact, you might say we have a little treat in store for you.?
?What?s with the welcoming committee then,? he snarled, eyeing the half a dozen burly elves that hid been drafted in to assist if necessary. Then he spotted Malcolm, who was watching him with a slight sneer on his face, unimpressed by his display of brawn over brains. ?And who?s that petulant little fuckwit??