Popping out
"Merlin, what can you report about the incident?" Arthur asked from his seat on the table, his glasses turned on to view the other agents. Everyone was present except for the two empty seats, Bors and Tristan. Arthur and Merlin have been debating whether or not to hold another recruitment for Tristan, or to choose a new Tristan from the already existing batch of candidates from Bors. The verdict has not been made yet and they've planned to discuss it again once the new Bors has been chosen.
"There is a large chance that the assailant is a humanoid creature of some sort, able to change shape, cause damage, affect temperature and is also invisible to the naked eye." Merlin reported, swiftly giving the agents a look. He could see the appalled faces on some of the agents before he continued. "Arthur and Galahad has had personal encounters with these beings and the only way they managed to see it, was through thermal imaging. We have concluded that it rapidly absorbs heat and as a side effect, has a higher core temperature and creates a freezing effect on its surrounding area."
Merlin turned towards the large screen mascarading as a painting. "If you can please focus your attention on the screen, we have one of the victims. A Micheal J. Williams, he was a businessman. Now not anymore as he has gone into a coma, the same state hundreds of people have fallen into since the last year. None of which have woken up yet and are still in the care of hospitals."
Arthur looks towards the agents and says. "This has been an ongoing Kingsman investigation for months, and now we know the cause of the bizarre incidents. Continue."
"The situation that happened between Arthur and Galahad was the first large-scale attack from these 'creatures', as the previous incidents tend to happen in the country, with less populated areas."
"That means they're growing bold innit?" Eggsy interrupts and Merlin responds with a nod. "Yes they are Eggsy."
"Now onto the report of the survivor. A James L. Cohan, in his statements he said that, when he was grabbed he felt hands gripping his throat tightly, almost choking him. He'd described what he felt next as 'his very soul was being sucked right out of his mouth'. Although he wasn't so sure what was actually happening as he mentions being assaulted with memories of the death of his first-born son, Jason. My agents have found that his son died of a car crash ten years ago."
"Once he had been saved by Eggsy from the 'monster', he ran home as fast as he could to see his wife and teenage daughter. This part of the report is still important as he says he was suffering from chills, tremors, and an 'awful feeling' he can't quite explain. His family had started prying, but he was too shocked to form a sentence. They then tried to help by placing him under blankets but it was no good." Merlin paused here and looked at his clipboard.
"When my agents came to collect him a few hours later he was still paralyzed from fear and cold, it took a couple more days before he was back to normal and fit for questioning. At present there is no more side-effect from the attack other than an increase in nightmares."
Arthur nodded, his one eye glinting in anger at the creature. "Good, now Galahad, your report." Eggsy stood and nodded at his fellow agents.
"Well, Arthur and I were having a romantic date when we noticed the temperature drop. Then, for some mysterious reason, like the victim I started having flashbacks of my time with my god-awful step-father. It took a scream from the first victim to pull me out of my flashbacks..." he explained the rest of what happened in the restaurant. Mostly staring at Roxy and Harry for moral support as the incident was rather personal. "Arthur shot the thing full on and the bullets were suspended in mid-air. It seemed to have done no damage at all and the thing merely picked it off and left..."
After a few more sentences he was done with his report and he sat back down. He felt a warm comforting hand on his knee and Eggsy it loosened some of the tension in him as he looked towards Harry.
Arthur look at everyone and said in a strict voice that booked no arguments. "We have yet to determine if the creature or thing is living, natural, or man-made. Ordinary weapons have proven to do no damage but it could prove as a distraction. My warning to you agents is to look out for these incidents and try to stop them as much as possible. Do not get caught and always be cautious." He turned to Merlin and ordered. "Merlin, have the research and science department find a weapon or way to damage this new enemy and find out where they came from. This is a very serious threat, never have I encountered anything like this before in all my years as a Kingsman agent. Dismissed."
The agents one by one turned off their glasses leaving only Arthur, Merlin, Eggsy and Roxy in the room.
The air was somber until Merlin decided to break it. "Well, onto a more lighter topic I would like to congratulate the both of you. Your candidates have reached the final three."
"Really? I knew he had the potential!" Eggsy exclaimed while Roxy beamed proudly.
"When will the next test take place?" Harry asked.
"In a couple of days." Merlin answered, a thought crossed his mind and he continued "Arthur, I would like you to act as the stand-in mentor for Titus, I can't be the one to do the confrontation."
"Of course, just schedule it in."
"I'm not yer secretary." Merlin groused, but did it anyway.
Harry was feeling restless and decided to go to the shooting range, he asked David if he wanted to tag along but the man wanted to catch up on sleep instead.
'Suit yourself.' He thought and wandered down to the range. Grabbing a Kingsman issued pistol from the rack he decided to go for one of the 'faster' targets. Training for years with a wand gave him an advantage when he first tried a gun, having never done it before til Kingsman, it took some breaks spent practicing alone in the range for a few weeks before he managed to get onto the Kingsman level of accuracy.
Harry tried not to think how he was aiming for Merlin's signature look of approval. And how when he finally got the look, he felt his insides turn to mush and had to control himself before he could embarrass himself any further.
After a few rounds, (all hitting the bullseye of course) Harry felt a presence in the room. He turned and found the subject of his thoughts. Merlin stood behind him, casually watching his progress from the door.
"You've improved," Merlin nodded "Good."
Harry tried not to flush and instead answered. "Thank you sir." He set the gun aside as Merlin slowly walked inside. His magic slowly leaked and approached the tall Scotsman, encircling Merlin like a dog greeting it's owner, excited and eager to please. He felt a pleasant tingling in his body as his magic touched the man's arm.
The crackling between them is back and stronger than ever as the man stood a foot away. Harry took a deep breath and almost moaned at the Merlin's musky scent. He smelled of gunpowder, coffee and something distinctively Merlin. Harry's eyes trailed along the man's form, taking in the long legs and broad shoulders. He paused and almost gasped as he caught the heated look in Merlin's gaze, he could almost fool himself into believing Merlin wanted him. He bit his bottom lip at the thought and saw Merlin's gaze drop down to look at the movement.
The air between them was thick with tension and Harry doesn't know how to break it, nor does he know if he wants to and Harry's magic was purring in delight at the closeness between them. Merlin slowly raised his hand and as it approaches his cheek Harry felt his heart thud a hundred times per second, his breath caught in his throat as the electricity between them rises up along with the action. Merlin's fingertips were millimeters away from his jaw when they heard a buzzing sound.
The sound broke the thick tension and they sprang apart, Harry coughed and ran a hand through his hair as Merlin checked his clipboard. 'Goddammit! So close.' Harry thought bitterly.
"Harry," Merlin said his name in a low and gruff voice and he had to suppress a shiver, the voice was sending delicious licks up his spine. "The next mission is about to start, let's go." He nodded slightly and followed as the man left the room.
Merlin enters the room first with Harry following closely behind. The other two were watching the telly when they entered and both candidates quickly stood to attention.
"At ease." Merlin commanded and the two sat back down. Harry followed and sat on the remaining seat. As he passed by Merlin he gets a whiff of that delicious scent once again.
Merlin hands them each an envelope. Harry opens his and finds one photo and a piece of paper detailing a party at some high-class club in London.
"A party?" Titus asks.
"Tonight, in London." Merlin answers.
"Who's this?" David asks, raising the photo.
"Your target. Your mission is to use your NLP training, to win over the individual on the photograph in your envelope."
Harry takes a look at the person. It's a man. Albeit a handsome man, but a man all the same.
"A bloke?" Titus asks, taken aback.
"Ye don't always get to choose your target and for the most part Kingsman agents have managed to do so successfully for decades."
"Win over as in...?" David trails off.
"When I say win over, I do mean in the biblical sense." Merlin turns to look at Harry and he responds with a smirk. "Easy." He says, turning to his companions. They both roll their eyes at him and Titus grins, showing off his straight white teeth. "This'll be fun."
The club was filled with posh blokes and gals. Harry himself stands out like a sore thumb in the low light of the place. He chose not to wear a suit like the others and instead wore skin-tight jeans, a white shirt and leather jacket. He styled his hair into a 'just shagged' look and put on a sexy smile.
He walks slowly and purposefully towards the target with champagne on hand. The target is already surrounded by David and Titus, no doubt trying to impress him with words. He flares his magic outward and makes it known, drawing in gazes left and right as his magic attracts them like moths to a flame. He's knows it's technically cheating but it is his magic, he's not ashamed to use it and if he can be better in honeypot missions by using it, then so be it.
The three stopped talking as they 'sensed' him approached. Harry smirks and guides his magic to caress the target, no doubt sending pleasant sensations along his body. He takes a sip of his champagne and steps forward, slipping his leg in-between the targets, he pressed against the straining erection against his thigh. Rubbing a hand along the target's neck down to his chest he leans forward and whispers. "Dance with me." While his magic pools down to the man's erection, sending it delicious shocks and the target gasps quietly against his ear.
"Sir Derik Montague, phone-call for you at reception." A voice interrupts from behind them and the target relaxes. Harry huffs internally and pulls away, but not before sending one last sinful shock. The target tenses again before whispering, in a breathy voice against his ear. "Sorry, be right back."
The target slowly walked away, his erection probably hurts right now, Harry thought with amusement.
"What was that?" Titus asks once the target was out of earshot. Harry just shrugs in response.
"Whatever it was, it was hot." David says to his right. Harry just tilts his head towards a couch and they all sat down.
"I'm feeling a bit rough." Titus says while shaking his head, his glass of champagne long been emptied. David just grunts, also clutching his forehead.
"Sorry to eavesdrop but there's an easier way to get someone home, through hypno..." Titus slips off and falls unconscious. Harry looks on in alarm before turning to the speaker, it was the waiter from before. To Harry's horror the waiter was holding a bottle of champagne, and he remembers being handed a glass. "...Or maybe something stronger." Davids falls unconscious on the couch and Harry springs up in a stance.
"What did you put in their drinks?" He asks threateningly, palming his wand.
"Oh?" The man looked at him in surprise. Whatever was in the champagne, it obviously had no effect on him. It must have been his magic that flushed it out.
Harry charged towards the man, aiming a kick to his head and the man dodged to the side and uncovers a gun from somewhere. The man kicked a few chairs over at Eggsy while trying to aim his gun at him. The people saw the commotion and immediately panicked, they ran out in droves as Harry and the assailant continue to fight.
Harry ducked down as the shot went out and he kicks the man's leg making him fall down. He tackles the man and holds him in a headlock.
"Who are you working for?!" He shouts as the man struggles against him.
Suddenly he felt an electric shock go through him, it travels throughout his body in just milliseconds and leaves him unconscious. The waiter pants, his disguised Kingsman ring pressed against the young man's temple.
"We've got a fighter in this one." He says through his comms, Merlin chuckles proudly through the comms.
When Harry's mind slowly woke up from unconsciousness he immediately noticed his arms and legs were tied. He heard footsteps to his right and he blearily opened his eyes. Shaking his head to clear any lingering cobwebs he focused on the approaching figure.
It was the waiter from the club.
"Where am I?" He asks with a slurred voice, looking around he noticed he was in a tunnel and tied spread-eagle to some train tracks. "What did you do to my friends?" He asks again, this time more clearer.
The man ignored him and instead dangles a knife in front of him. "This knife, Harry, can safe your life."
Harry looks on for a moment before the tunnel suddenly flares with light. His eyes widen as he turns to stare at an approaching train. The distant echo of a horn reverberates through the tunnel as more light spills through.
"Fuck!" He curses and his mind races as he starts to panic.
"I only have two questions Harry. What the hell is Kingsman and who's Eggsy Unwin?" The fuck he talking about, who's Eggsy?
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Harry shouts.
"Oh Harry, I just killed two of your friends who told me the same bullshit answer!"
"Just cut the rope!" Harry looks at the approaching train, it was still some meters away. He tries to think up a plan he could cut up the ropes with a 'reducto' but it might not be fast enough to get away.
"Hey Harry, is Kingsman really worth dying for?" The man asks while giving a manic grin and Harry takes another last look at the train, now only a few meters away.
"Fuck off!" Harry's made his decision, the train was almost upon him when he disapparated.
POP
Morgan, the Kingsman 'villain', stood gaping on the spot. What the hell just happened? He felt Eggsy approach from behind him.
"Ain't yous supposed to tap out now?" Eggsy asks and Morgan turns towards him, his mouth still hanging in disbelief.
Eggsy noticed and furrowed his brows, "What's wrong?"
"Fuck! Morgan, what the fuck just happened?!" Merlin shouts over the comms.
The train finally passed and he slowly turned from Eggsy to the tracks, Morgan almost didn't want to, was too afraid of what he'll be seeing. Or, what he won't be seeing.
"Where the fuck is he?!" Eggsy exclaims.
"Morgan, report what just happened to Arthur in the control room. Now." Merlin orders and he complies. Harry was his last candidate to threaten and no longer had any reason to stick around.
"Answer me! Where is my candidate?" Eggsy grabs Morgan by his lapel and shakes him. He manages to push the young man off just as Merlin intervenes. "Eggsy, go back to the control room, we will discuss the incident there."
"But--"
"Now, Eggsy." Arthur commands and Eggsy suddenly remembers Arthur was Titus's substitute mentor. Eggsy huffs, runs a shaky hand through his hair and trudged back to the control room.
Once there he takes in the tensed air in the room, everyone involved was there, including Morgan, and they were all crowding behind Merlin. He looks and sees Merlin tapping on the controls, zooming and rendering the incident.
Eggsy's mouth drops open as he views the video, it was on repeat and slowed down to show the exact time his candidate suddenly popped out of existence.
He looked at Harry, his Harry, and noticed he had his fingers up and massaging his temples. Eggsy is not exactly surprised that what happened just now would give Harry migraines.
Harry lets out a heavy sigh before turning to look at the remaining candidates. "Congratulations Titus, David, you are the last two remaining candidates. David, you've made Lancelot proud. Titus, Merlin and I are proud as well." He gave them a look and added, "Don't mention this incident to anyone, we will know if you have. Kingsman will sort this out. Now, fall out." The two hesitated but one stern look from Harry had them instantly heading for the door.
"How are we going to sort this?" Roxy asks, still looking at the large screen.
"I don't know lass, I don't know." Merlin replies as the video does another loop and watches as the Harry on the screen closed his eyes and disappears.