LONDON CALLING

Ruby felt the port stop and they were in auilding in paris. a young nam walked over and she nodded " good to meet you, good we need this sort of thing, magic amd muggles don't mix well" she said to him but not once did she let go of Angus's hand letting him speak. When Angus spoke to her again she looked at him. " Angus, I trust you with my life, now can we please find your grandfather and I all ready know your all the good guys." she said smiling at him.

He kept tight hold of her hand, and he ported them straight into the kitchen of the farmhouse. Gabe and Michael were in the kitchen. Michael was tucking things into a backpack.

"Hiss! Where the devil are you? Get in here!" Michael shouted. A minute later, Michael's climbing rope slithered into the kitchen, up the table leg and coiled up obediently in the backpack.

"Do you have any leads?" Angus asked.

"Not yet, my boy, but we're ready to roll when we do," Michael said. "We'll find him. Robert said we were to send you straight downstairs for outfitting."

"Thank you," Angus said.

"Can I take your duffels for you?" Gabe asked.

"Yes, thanks," Angus said, handing them to him. He looked at Ruby. "Come on. Just so you know, we're a lot bigger than you know about. You're about to see Robert's England nerve center." He took her from the kitchen into the house's tower--the library. "Look up," he told her, pointing out the spiral stairs going up and down, and the stained glass domed ceiling. "The library goes into the basement and then goes up another three floors into the tower. Four floors of solid books. But that's not the half of it. There are two floors below the basement--a sub basement and a sub sub basement. Hope you like stairs because we're going down."

He led her down through the basement library and down to the next floor--Robert's largest potions lab, finding the enchantments lifted and the door wide open.

"If Robert ever mentions his lab, this is it," Angus said. "It's very protected. The fact that this door is open tells me he's already got things in motion. The little lab Brian's place is nothing more than a workroom. This is Robert's real work center. But we're not done yet. We have to go down one more." He led her down the spiral stairs one more time to the sub sub basement. In the main open room, there was a large antique library table with chairs around it, and on the far wall, there were detailed and enlarged maps. Kate and Mira were there with markers and rolls of red string. There were a couple of women from the Paris office that were taking some sort of messages to Robert, and Robert was reading them and giving map coordinates to Kate and Mira who were marking them on the maps. Brian was studying the locations being marked. It was fast and chaotic. Everyone was already in black mission wear. Robert glanced up and saw Angus and Ruby.

"We've sent for Jess and Jack and Jessie already," Robert told Angus and Ruby. "Angus, take Ruby into the locker and get her outfitted. I brought your hat and your duster. Once you two get outfitted, take her over to the armory and get her armed."

Angus motioned to Ruby, and he took her over to the large room stacked with floor to ceiling bins and racks of clothing in all styles, for men and women both, mostly all in black. He showed her over to the womens styles and oriented her to the leggings,jeans, boots, socks, tops, jackets, hats, gloves, all of it

"You don't know what sort of environment we'll be into, so pick whatever is going to give you the most freedom of movement. When you pick your boots, I'll break them in quickly for you," he told her. He picked out his own mission wear and changed clothes while she looked at the many different sizes and styles.

Ruby stayed with Angus as they ported to the farm. she was relived to see Michael and of course Hiss, " thank you" she said to him as he relived them of their bags.

Walking with Angus she stayed in step all the way to the basment. When he told her to look up she whistled at hoe big the palce was " I could get lost in here for years" she said with a chuckle as they moved onwards. Entering the Lab she smiled seeing Kate and mira allready there. It was now several food steps came from behind her and Jessie, Jack and Jess all entered heading to a set of lockers and changing their clothes.

She moved with Angus listening to him tell her about the place and she took every word in. Now she looked at the bins of clothes and nodded " of course, practical movable yet warm, right." she told him now going over in her own mind how to dress. Walking over she picked a pair of black jeans, a jumper for warmth and a black wind beater. Now the only thing she had left was her boots she chose a pair of slightly heeled leather thigh length boots with a side zip so not to have them catch on anything at her thigh sat her wand holster along with several small daggers.

With one last push she readied herself and walked over to Angus. " will I do " The daggers are for effect of stunning, not damage they probably not do much anyway, I'd use my wand for that" she said hoping she'd chosen wisely.

"Don't look too good," he teased. "I don't want them going after you instead. Seriously, the outfit is fine, but let's get you some real artillery. Wands are sometimes broken, dropped, lost...or you might end up in some blooming muggle neighborhood. You need to be prepared to not be relying too much on your wand. Let's go over to the armory."

He took her out of the clothing room and over to the armory. The armory door was open and the lights were on. Angus still thought it was impressive, the hundreds upon hundreds of weapons of every kind, muggle and wizard alike, racks and racks of ammunition, and cabinets of daggers, stilettos, and knives of every size and type. He opened a drawer and got out two black neck gaiters.

"Robert has made a commitment to the entire organization that we will never be short of the supplies we need for any mission, and he's held to that," Angus said. "The building you were in briefly in Paris has some weapons, but the real storage is here, where Robert knows precisely what goes in and comes out."

"Face mask," he handed it to her. "Know how to wear this style? Keep it ready to pull up over your face in a hurry." He put his own on and then he looked at her. "Let's see what other of Robert's toys look interesting."

He picked up two pistols, loaded them with clips, and put another two clips in his pocket, and he got out two holsters.

"Waistband holster," he told her, fitting it to her waistband. He doublechecked one of the pistols and put it in her holster "It is very loaded. And the safety is on. It won't fire unless you take the safety off. I realize a muggle pistol is probably out of most people's wheelhouse, but I want you to have it with you."

He got a shoulder holster for his own pistol and slipped the pistol into it, and then equipped himself with his wand and some very large knives, including two switchblades.

"Oh, and you might like these. They'll fit in your jacket." He reached into a basket and got out some small bubbles about an inch in diameter. "These are hand little distractions. Watch." He tossed one across the room and when it hit the floor, it exploded, causing a big display of sparks and smoke. He handed a handful to her and put a handful in his own pocket.

"Angus! Quit playing in the bubbles," Robert shouted.

"I might have used some of these on Guy Fawkes day and on Michael's birthday, and...well, you get the idea," he said, unable to hide a bit of a boyish grin.

"Oh, and this," he said, getting out a swiss army knife. "For survival. These can be indispensable. There's a pocket in your boot for it. Look on the side that's against the inside of your ankle. "Less conspicuous there." He handed her handcuffs, and a pocket first aid kit and grabbed handcuffs and a first aid kit for himself.

"That should do you for tonight, but stay close to one of us at all times. Don't let yourself get separated," he told her.

Ruby watched him as she followed him into another room " wow, impresive" she said smiling it was now she stood quiet while he havded and fixed her with muggle equipment. Taking the gun she checked the barrel was clear and then hostered it on her hip. She saw Angus take out small bubbles and then walk to another room to show her how it worked " right." she said slipping the ones he gave her into her pocket she chuckled at Robert.

"hum please don't give me ideas" she said loudly back to him." but soon focused as Angus gave her a swiss army knife. " the staple of an assassin right." she said slipping it into its small hidden pocket on her boot then hooked the handcuffs to her belt and put the first aid kit into her inside posket.

"Okay, stay close and don't become seperated" she said checking everything hung right against her body . She looked at Angus and nodded but quickly lent forward to kiss his cheek. "we'll bring him home safe." she spoke softly caressing his cheek gently as she spoke.

"We'd better bring him home," Angus said, "because I'm not ready to be without him."

He motioned her back out into the main room that Robert had pressed into service as a control room.

"What have we got?" Angus asked Robert.

"Well, James has been seen in a number of places over the last few days but nothing consistent. No sign of Gelding since we raided the lodge property," Robert said.

"Then I need to go see Fenrir and see what he knows," Angus said.

"Do not go and stir him up," Robert said. "If you go, take Jack with you, and take a donation. I've made up a generous package of medicines and bandages that he should find useful. We took him plenty of food last time. Medicines are a lot harder to come by. It's there." He pointed to an old green military backpack. "The green is better camouflage for him.

"Jack," Robert called, "Take Angus and Ruby and go see Fenrir. See if he actually sent the message at all, and see if he can give us any additional information that could put us on the track to finding Edward. Jessie, I need you here in case James makes a move. I can't have both of you buggering off together. Jack, the three of you are to go straight there and straight back. Even if you do get a lead, don't go follow it unless you check in here first. And keep a firm eye on this one here." He gestured towards Angus. "He's not objective right now, and he's liable to let his emotions get in the way. Do NOT let him go rogue. Got that?"

Ruby walked with Angus back into the room with Robert she nodded when he spoke as Jak walked over also wearing a black outfit of black jeans, combat boots and a tee-shirt. He stood listening to Robert " awe but yes sir" he said " get in, get out" he said then looked to Angus and nodded " eyes on Angus, no going Awol, got it" he said smirking a little. Ruby was taken a back by how diferent he was now to when she left.

"Hes scary like this." she said and saw Jess look over at them both. "I for one am not going rouge again." she said hoping Angus would not do something foolish like go after Andrew by himself.

Jessie looked up from the map he was studying and nodded to Robert " understood," he said then went back to looking at the map. Jack took out an old port key and held onto Angus as Ruby held him too. With a nod he ported them both to a cearing holding the dark green camo duffel bag.

"Hey fenrir you here?" he said not too loudly but loud enough to make Ruby jump a little.

"Prat," a deep, baritone voice replied. "Anyone within a country mile can hear you. Don't you know a bloody thing about stealth? What'chu want?"

"Did you send a message to Edward Donohue yesterday?" Angus asked.

"The slayer? What would I do that for?"

"I have the note if want to see it," Angus said, holding it out. Fenrir came out of the shadows. "Stay still," he told Ruby very softly. "Don't move, and he won't see ou as any sort of threat." Fenrir came over and took the note.

"Not me. Handwriting is close, but I didn't write it," Fenrir said. "Someone's gone to trouble to try to copy my writing. So where's Donohue?"

"I don't know," Angus said. "That's what we're trying to find out."

"You realize what's probably going on here, right?"

"Tell me," Angus said.

"Someone wants Donohue out of the way. And I"m betting its Blood or Gelding."

"Where's Blood's pack now?"

"Heard he's gone off north someplace up near Nottingham," Fenrir shrugged. "Not sure what he thinks is going to help him up there."

"We brought you some supplies," Angus said, pointing to the pack Jack was carrying.

Ruby heard the booming voice of some one and as he entered the cearing she wanted to move but at Angus's words she stood still watching their interaction. Jack huffed at Fenrir and placed the bag at his feet waiting for him to get to the point. Ruby stood her ground as she watched fenrir check the note and sighed hearing Geldings name.

Jack moved with the bag and placed it close to Ferir then walked back away from him. " here all yours" he said standing with his arms crossed looking at the large man.

Fenrir picked up the backpack and opened it and saw the medical supplies. It almost looked like Fenrir was a bit impressed, but he wasn't sure what Fenrir would actually have looked like if he truly were impressed.

"Look, I don't like Donohue, and that's a fact. He's killed too many of my kind, but I checked his story since you were here last, and he was on the level. Gelding and Blood are cooking up some right foul business, and it puts my pack in danger of having the London nitwits hunting for us again. So--I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll try to see if I can find out who took the old duffer and where he might have been taken. Might take me a few hours, but I'll see what I can shake loose. If you hear those idjits from the ministry are coming, you let me know. Can't be a lick of help if my pack and I have to run and hide again."

"Fair enough," Angus said.

"I have heard that Blood's birthday is coming up, and he wants the Lupin woman as a birthday present. Making preparations for a mating ceremony, he is."

Angus had to take a second to gather himself. A werewolf wedding. Crap. That was not what Angus wanted to hear.

"Any chance Donohue was taken for the wedding?" Angus asked.

"Not unless Blood wants to use him in some entertainment," Fenrir said grimly. "And if that's the case you'd better get to him before the mating ceremony happens."