He took some pride in the fact his face showed nothing as George Cowley loudly dressed him down with half the A Squad for an audience. Any hope he had of his partner coming to his defense was dashed. The man wasn't even going to look at him. Fine, see if he bothered to save his arse next time.

Five days suspension - wonderful. That would do wonders for his bank account. His left hand brushed the pocket of his trousers, and he relaxed as his fingers traced the car keys. If he were suspended, he sure as hell wasn't going to hang around and help with cleanup. And his partner would just have to write their report on his own.

He moved quickly away; hating himself for the small kernel of hope that kept one ear tuned for his partner's yell. Slamming the car door gave him a certain amount of satisfaction as it was currently the only safe outlet for his anger and frustration.

Sod Doyle and bloody CI5. What exactly had the Cow expected him to do anyway? Surely not sit back and watch the curly head of his partner of six years be blown away by the bloke with the .357. So he'd moved, tackling 4-5 with all the style of one of those American footballers.

Besides it wasn't as though his actions had alerted the opposition to their presence. Clearly they'd already known as evidenced by the gun pointed at Doyle.

And anyone who wouldn't have done just as he did didn't belong on the squad in the first place. They were a small, elite group and watching each other’s back was part of their job - just as much a part of their job, in fact, as catching the bad guys. What else would explain the fact that the Controller's favorite rant was about just how expensive replacements were?

Looking around he realized he was in CI5's car park. He shook his head in disgust and moved quickly into the building to deposit his warrant card along with the car keys. He grabbed a cab back to his flat, picked up the mail and packed a small kit bag before heading out.

He took the tube, changing trains twice to reach his destination on the outskirts of London. He walked three blocks to a small hotel he'd discovered the week he came to the city before beginning his training for CI5. It was small, quiet, served a lovely breakfast, and faced a large park. Perfect for a few days of peace and quiet away from everything and more importantly, everyone, he wasn't in the mood to deal with. Besides, knowing Cowley he'd call him in suspension or not if he needed extra bodies. The Controller could go...punching the pillow one more time; he shook his head to clear it of the thought and closed his eyes.