Discovered In The Fairylights - 16th December - Fic Post no. 2
Previous chapters of Leaving Home on discoveredinalj:
Prologue
The Capri ate up the miles easily, speeding along the motorway and hurrying through anonymous towns that became greyer the further north they travelled. Bodie drove in steely silence, Doyle tight-lipped beside him, each man stung with a bitter betrayal that reached far deeper than any deception they'd encountered before.
Operation Susie, the Old Man had said. You're on your own, lads.
And now they were. Their charges were dead, their covers blown and CI5 were on record as saying that agents 4.5 and 3.7 had tendered their joint resignations a week previously, citing personal reasons.
"He didn't have to say we were sharing a flat," Doyle said, bleakly, biting his thumb nail. It was the first thing he'd said since leaving London. "Makes us sound like a couple of nancy boys."
"Doesn't matter," Bodie replied, not taking his eyes off the road.
"You're not bothered?"
Bodie shrugged and swore as a road sign flashed past. "Shit! What did that say?" he demanded.
Doyle shifted in his seat. "Dunno. Wasn't looking."
A lay-by loomed up and Bodie swung into it effortlessly, bringing the car to a standstill. He switched off the lights and engine and they sat in the dark, rocked by the movement of traffic going past.
"What're we doing?" Doyle asked, eventually.
"That's the sixty four thousand dollar question, isn't it?" Bodie replied. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white and his demeanour grim. "Right... well, we could split up, you go your way and I'll go mine; it'll make it harder for anyone to find us. I need to ditch the motor soon - it belongs to CI5 and you can bet Cowley will have plod looking for it."
Doyle mulled it over. "Any other ideas?"
"Yeah." The hands on the wheel relaxed, infinitesimally. "We ditch the car and go on together. I've got a mate with a garage about twenty miles from here and he knows how to keep his mouth shut."
Through a side window the first rays of dawn could be seen peeking through the darkness, heralding the start of a brand new day.
Doyle stretched out his long legs and settled back into the seat. "I hope your mate's got a car with plenty of leg room," he said. "We've still got a way to go."
Bodie smiled and switched on the ignition. The Capri leapt into life, ready for its final journey.
Next chapter.
