Henri had recently flown back in from a very important meeting in Surat, India. His ties were still strong in the Middle East, and it was with no surprise that he picked up the phone a few weeks prior to learn that one of his old contacts wanted to arrange a meeting. The days leading up to the meeting were dragging, as Henri hadn't a single clue as to the intentions of the meeting.

His contact, Ghamir, had refused to speak such sensitive information over the phone. Henri couldn't blame him and had complete faith that such a thing to require him flying all the way to India would be well worth the time and money. One of the perks of having old and respectable acquaintances such as Ghamir was that they were not likely to waste your time on anything petty.

As the flight landed, Henri wiped the sweat off his brow. One thing he certainly didn't miss about the Middle East was the sweltering heat. Hardly eight in the morning, and it was already ninety-five degrees out. The harsh weather could hardly dampen his spirits though, and it was with a broad grin he approached Ghamir, who had been waiting casually in the shadows behind one of the terminals.

Most people wouldn't have even noticed him standing there...but Henri was not most people. He was well trained in the art of stealth and noticing the shapes within the shadows. Walking towards the man briskly, Henri cleared his throat as he got closer. Ghamir turned slowly, meeting Henri with a sly smirk on his face.

"My friend, how good it is to see you. I hope the long flight doesn't have your brain muddled, for we have much to discuss. Please, follow me."

Ghamir proceeded to walk (surprisingly quickly for a man of his age) towards the road, where a car sat parked waiting for them. Stepping into the car, Henri made himself comfortable and unbuttoned the top couple buttons of his suit. He tried to keep track of where they were going; three miles North - turn, half a mile east, turn, ten miles south... But after a while, it became quite boring and indeed pointless.

No doubt if he knew Ghamir as well as he thought he did, they would be dropped off somewhere and have to walk a few miles to reach their true destination. No need, after all, to alert the driver as to where they were actually going. Finally, after a grueling and bumpy hour passed, the car halted to a stop. Ghamir exited first and opened the door for Henri. Getting out of the car and stretching his sore muscles, Henri surveyed the area. There weren't any buildings around, just a few tents scattered here and there.

"This way, if you will," Ghamir said gruffly, indicating the direction they were about to be headed in.

Henri smirked, just as he'd thought - they were indeed not yet at the location where the meeting was to be held. Following his friend for a short while, Henri wished he had thought to buy some water. The heat was sweltering, to say the least, and the sweat was beginning to seep through his suit.

Just as Henri was feeling thoroughly irritated with the situation, Ghamir turned abruptly into a hut. There were two sullen faced guards standing outside, both carrying very large spears. Henri raised an eyebrow, for spears weren't even close to effective - unless you were highly trained - which led him to believe that despite their haggard appearance, these guards weren't average men. Henri nodded curtly towards the pair of them before entering the structure.

It was plain enough, one large room with a low table in the middle. Simple cushions of red fabric were placed in various spots around it, allowing whoever was gathering to kneel more comfortably. Scanning the rest of the room, Henri noticed a vase sitting in the corner. Smiling, he walked over to it and wafted the scent up to his nose. Excellent, he noted, it's just water. Cupping a few handfuls into his mouth, Henri felt much better as he approached the table. He noted a small stack of folders that had appeared as if by magic, sitting atop the table they'd gathered at. Henri knelt upon the cushion directly across from Ghamir.

He assumed that Ghamir had them hidden within his robes, for Henri wouldn't have missed an obstruction like this if it had originally been on the table. Looking up from the folders to Ghamir, Henri raised his eyebrows inquisitively. With an open hand and a nod, Ghamir invited him to look through them.

"Please my friend, I think you'll find the contents of these folders very very interesting."

And indeed they were. Hardly any more words needed to be spoken between the men; they had made plenty of arrangements in the past. An enormous grin spread across the face of Henri as he stood up to shake Ghamir's hand. His old friend leaned in and spoke,

"I trust you have, or can get the proper people in place to make this happen, Henri?"

The old man asked, gripping Henri's hand tightly.

"Naturally, Ghamir, naturally. You would not have arranged this meeting had you thought me incapable."

Ghamir nodded twice and relinquished his hand.

"That is correct. The same rate we've used in the past for jobs will suffice for this, I expect to hear from you along the way."

And with that, Ghamir turned and exited the hut. Henri listened closely and heard three pairs of footsteps walking away from the premises. He hadn't expected the guards to stay until he left, but he was rather surprised that Ghamir did not offer to accompany him back to the airport. Scooping some more water from the vase into his mouth, Henri set off in the general direction of where he thought the village to be. Finding it with almost no problem, Henri bribed one of the locals with a fake diamond to bring him to the airport.

Landing in Chicago safely, Henri could hardly keep his eyes open. He hadn't slept for nearly three days, and the bags under his eyes were seemingly growing by the minute. Phoning an operator to request a taxi, Henri leaned against the outside wall of the airport and lit a cigarette. Inhaling the nicotine deeply, he nearly fell asleep standing up awaiting the taxi. Grumbling thoroughly at the driver for having taken so long, Henri gave the man the address of his office, rather than his home. As tired as he was, he had a vast amount of business to attend to.

The silence seemed to be deafening as Henri sat in his office. He stared at the papers in front of him, looking them over, once, twice, three times. He had, of course, spent the entire flight back to Chicago perusing them, but he wasn't thinking properly. Rubbing the grogginess out of his eyes, Henri yawned and buzzed his secretary. After a few moments, Henri heard a soft *tap tap tap* on his door.

"Come in," Henri said with noticeable irritation in his voice. Looking up from the stack of papers on his desk for the first time in what felt like days, a small smile pried itself onto his face as he noticed that she had brought him a very large cup of coffee. Sighing, he thanked her. He took a moment to inhale the intoxicant scents floating from the cup.

"Thanks, Margie. This is precisely what I was about to ask for when I buzzed you, but it seems you're on top of things...as usual. If I happen to get any calls, tell them I'm not in. Unless it's Nyssa. In which case, please make sure she comes to see me in person. That will be all."

Margie nodded once before heading for the door. As she was about to exit, she turned her head over her shoulder.

"Sir? If Mr. Ubu calls?"

Henri allowed a half smile to flicker across his face for a brief moment. He made a mental note to raise Margie's salary, that woman was on point.

"I believe Mr. Ubu more likely to just show up unannounced, however, if he calls, kindly inform him to stop by immediately."

(Part 2 coming "soon")