by Mark A Biggs
Stephen inhaled deeply before speaking, ‘The plan has merit, I will give you that much. However, your choice of “celebrity” borders on the ridiculous and will not be approved by the Minister. Sorry, let me choose my words more carefully; ridiculous no, but ambitious, definitely. Your person of celebrity has to be believable for your plan to work. Even if you were to hack the social media accounts of your fellow cruise guests, it my view that it still won’t succeed. I can tell you the answer now: it will be, No! Another thing, how will you get the Bible out of Europe?’
Despite the feeling of disappointment at Stephen’s criticism, Olivia answered as if Stephen had been contributing advice. ‘If we take the cruise in November, when we arrive in Amsterdam, the Queen Mary 2 will be docking in Barcelona two days later, as part of its world cruise. We take the high-speed rail from Amsterdam and carry the Bible on board in our hand luggage. I doubt that the ship’s security will notice. As a precaution, we buy a copy of a Gutenberg and then use the certificate of authenticity, one that states the copy is a “genuine replica”, to validate the authentic Bible. The Queen’s ultimate destination is New Zealand, where we think Penny is.’
‘You can buy a copy?’ questioned Stephen.
‘Oh yes. Almost exact replicas, although you may not like the £75,000 price tag. It is beautiful!’
‘I will ignore that. You, like the Professor, have one week to come up with an alternative celebrity.’
‘But, Stephen,’ said Olivia, ‘she was your idea!’
Stephen hadn’t wanted to be part of the mission. The Minister had told Stephen to “Make it work”, but Stephen was sure that there had to be better ways of finding Monya than entrusting it to Max and Olivia, let alone stealing a fictitious Bible. He wanted to say to the Minister, when he met him the following morning, ‘I told you so.’ Artful counsel he’d learned over many years suggested that it’s not always wise to say what’s on your mind.
* * *
Max and Olivia were surprised when, at 4.00pm Monday afternoon, the day before they were due to meet again, a call from MI6 summoned them to an urgent meeting with Stephen at Vauxhall Cross headquarters. The meeting was in one hours’ time. When they arrived, except for Jana, the others were all present. Inspector Axel gave them eye contact as they entered the room, the meaning clear. Do you know what’s going on? They both shook their heads – no.
‘Thank you for coming at such short notice,’ said Stephen, as he entered the room, almost directly after Max and Olivia. ‘Please, everyone, take a seat.’ He waited briefly as the team members made themselves comfortable. ‘I will go straight to the point. There has been an assassination attempt on Jana’s life. He’s alive, but in a critical condition.’ Disbelief swept around the remaining team members and Stephen waited to let the news penetrate before proceeding, ‘I have an apology to make as the murder bid happened a couple of days ago; we told you he had been temporally reassigned. This was a wrong call on my part. I wanted to have the facts before speaking with you.’
Olivia felt disappointed in Stephen’s lack of trust in them but it wasn’t the time for disharmony, so she asked, ‘Can we visit him?’
‘Not at this stage, he’s still in quarantine. He has been poisoned by a nerve agent, a deliberate act of aggression by Russia. The media is being briefed at 5.45pm tonight and the Prime Minister will make a speech in Parliament tomorrow. She will call this not just an attack on Jana but an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom.’
‘With respect, what leads you to the conclusion that it was the Russians?’ asked the Professor.
‘The nerve agent has been identified by our experts at Porton Down as the Novichok toxin. The name means “newcomer” in Russian. It’s one of a group of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s a powerful substance, reported to be eight times more lethal than VX nerve agent and extremely difficult to manufacture. It’s what we call a fourth-generation chemical weapon and was developed under a Soviet programme code-named Foliant. It can be dispersed as an ultra-fine powder; the main ways of exposure are inhalation, but it can also be absorbed via skin contact. We believe the assassins smeared the nerve agent on the door handle at his home. A high purity dose was used to poison Jana.
‘The US, Germany and France have confirmed our assessment that Russian involvement is the only plausible explanation, though the Russian’s will deny involvement when the Prime minister names them in Parliament. It’s hard to see how anyone other than the Kremlin, or a group very close to it, being able to carry out an assassination of this complexity. Your friend, Monya, is likely to be involved, which would help Moscow fabricate its outrage. Using Monya for his mercenary and computer hacking is one thing but giving him access to chemical weapons is another matter entirely.
‘As you know, our relations with Russia are already at a low, following their involvement in the NotPetya and WannaCry virus cyberattacks and the downing of MH17 by Moscow-backed Ukrainian separatists. Then there’s the Russian aggression in Ukraine and the violation of international law in Crimea. You can add to this its interference in the US elections. Russia is threatening democracies right around the world with their blatant disregard for international rules. We expect Russia to feign outrage at our condemnation and to feed the conspiracy theory mill. This is a deliberate attack on British soil and it will not be tolerated.’
Despite now working for the British, the Professor felt himself compromised at the mention of NotPetya and WannaCry viruses and the interference in the US elections, three of his many projects when working for Monya.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Olivia. ‘What kind of retaliation are you suggesting?’
‘We are working on multiple fronts, Olivia, which will develop over the coming days. Diplomatically, we hope to secure a coalition of countries willing to expel Russian diplomats. The largest since the cold war is our aim. So far, twenty-six countries have signalled their willingness to participate, including the US, Germany, France and Australia. We hope NATO will take a more aggressive stance towards Russian provocations, cyberattacks, incursions into our airspace and its meddling in our democracies. Then there are economic sanctions we can consider. Perhaps, a freeze on the finances of the London-based Russian oligarchs, the Kremlin cronies. We also want to step up our monitoring of Keiser, one of Monya’s companies, and, of course, Monya himself.’ Stephen paused and glanced at the other team members, signalling an opportunity for them to ask questions but they each remained silent.
‘Professor’, he continued, ‘I am informed that you have uncovered what you believe to be the secret entrance at Melk Abbey?’
‘It’s untested Stephen,’ answered the Professor. ‘It’s in one of the lower libraries. That’s where we discovered a sculpture of Pope Alexander VII – Fabio Chigi, dated 1662. We found nothing else with that date on it. The sculpture is not as grand as the papal monument of Alexander VII in St Peter’s, Rome. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that that sculpture has a door under it, an exit to the basilica. We found nothing as obvious as a doorway at Melk but it’s a good sign and I’m confident it will be near the sculpture.’ The Professor’s mind drifted to Jana for it had been Jana, calling himself Andras, who had saved his life in Astakos. Pain returned as he remembered the loss of Jayde, his wife, who hadn’t escaped from Astakos. Tears welled in his eyes but he wiped them away before anyone saw.
‘That’s excellent.’ Stephen said as he looked towards Max and Olivia. ‘I’ve just come from a National Security Council Meeting. I can’t believe that I’m saying this, but your plan, the one you put to me last week, has been approved. All the necessary arrangements will be put in place here in London to give your hare-brained scheme the best chance of success. Are there any questions?’
‘When will we be able to see Jana?’ asked the Professor.
‘Tomorrow. Now we know the nerve agent, he can come out of quarantine. Prepare yourselves, he is seriously ill, on life support.’
Stephen thought for a moment before answering, ‘Another connection to Monya. We suspect it’s because of you, Professor.’
The Inspector nodded slowly before saying, ‘Is it wise then for the Professor to go to Melk? Or Lucia?’
‘We’ve known all along that this could be a trap,’ said Lucia, ‘If I had second thoughts, it would not be now.’
‘I’m with Lucia,’ said the Professor.
‘Good, that’s settled. The meeting with Bronwyn tomorrow is off but the CIA will fully support your efforts. The National Security Council has authorised all necessary resources to be put at your disposal. For God’s sake, go find that Bible!’
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Melk
The fallout from the assassination attempt continued to reverberate around the world in the time leading up to the mission. Max and Olivia had sought guarantees, that, regardless of the outcome of their search, Penny would be rescued. Concern grew when Stephen told them that she was yet to be located, despite the best efforts of the combined security forces in the UK and USA; New Zealand was their best guess. ‘Well, I could have told you that,’ Max replied angrily, causing Stephen to reply, ‘I understand your frustration, but, I promise you that we have done all we can. There is nothing more we can do until we know where the exchange will take place. The ball is in your court.’
Time passed quickly and before long, they were all gathered for their final briefing before enacting their plan. The following day, they were booked on a river cruise departing Budapest for Amsterdam. Olivia was to have a private suite, with her bodyguards the cruise company were told, Inspector Axel and Lucia in an adjoining room. The Professor and Max were to share a room a couple of doors down, posing as the dutiful son-in-law, escorting his elderly father on what was probably his last trip.
‘You will be pleased to know that Jana is continuing his slow recovery,’ said Stephen, pacing while addressing them.
He looks nervous, thought Max.
‘In a couple of days, we will issue an “Osman Warning”. That will allow Jana to go into a protection program while we seek to resettle him. Security implications dictate that his location will be in one of the Five-eye nations.’ Stephen looked around the room to see if his comments had generated any questions.
‘Five-eye?’ enquired Lucia.
‘An intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other questions?’ When they all remained silent, he continued.
‘We have alerted the governments of the various countries you’ll pass through that over the next 14 days that we have a high-value British asset holidaying in Europe. We’ve told them, that their identity is top secret but they know that the guards accompanying her are armed. We’ve said that we are uncomfortable with this person’s decision to join a tour group, where it’s difficult for us to ensure her safety. The day you enter Austria, we will notify the government, but we won’t be giving them your itinerary. Tomorrow, as you leave the country, the British press will be told that all Royal engagements have been cancelled for the next two weeks. Professor and Lucia, we don’t think you are at risk from Monya until you have the Bible but we can’t be sure, so be on your guard. I wish you all the best of luck.’
* * *
Inspector Axel arrived at the river cruise ship, armed with a metal detector, an hour before the other passengers were due to board. The captain was expecting him and, after showing his Interpol Badge, introduced the Inspector to the crew. Although the ship had been alerted to a VIP accompanying them, their identity hadn’t been disclosed. The Inspector ensured that he was still sweeping the ship when the first of the guests began boarding. ‘Nothing to be concerned about,’ he reassured a retired American couple who saw him checking their state room. ‘We have a VIP travelling with us, that’s all. So, we are making some additional security checks. My apologies for still being in your room.’ Letting go of the metal detector with his right hand, he extended it to greet the couple, ‘Inspector Axel, Interpol.’
‘Nicole, and this is my husband, Chuck.’
‘I’m pleased to meet you, Nicole and Chuck. I am in a room a couple of doors down.’
The Inspector left their cabin and the couple followed him out into the corridor to watch him leave. ‘I hope you both have a wonderful trip and perhaps, we will see each other again at dinner.’
‘Excuse me,’ said the Inspector to the Professor and Max who were walking down the corridor. Pretending not to know them, he moved the metal detector out of their way to avoid hitting them as they passed.
Max watched the Inspector leave, and seeing the opportunity to feed the fake news, spoke with the American couple who were still standing in the corridor in front of their stateroom. ‘What’s happening?’ he asked.
‘It’s all very exciting,’ answered the lady. ‘We have someone important travelling with us.’
‘A Hollywood star?’ Max inquired.
‘Oh, I don’t know exactly, but wouldn’t that be exciting? I did see something on my Facebook page. A news feed said a British Royal was taking a European river cruise this November. All very hush hush! Maybe this is the trip?’ Looking at her husband, she said, ‘I’ve had a habit of sitting next to celebrities, haven’t I, Chuck? One time it was Rowan Atkinson, then Sting, and another, Clint Eastwood. Can you imagine, me and Clint Eastwood?’ She gave a little giggle.
‘Excuse my poor manners,’ said Max while extending his hand towards the couple. My name is Max and this is my Son-in-law, the Professor.’
‘Pleased to meet you both. I’m Nicole and this is my husband, Chuck. We are from America.’ Chuck smiled, shook hands but didn’t speak.
While suppressing a smile, Professor Akihiko said, ‘Facebook? I’m afraid I don’t participate.’ They weren’t to know that, for the last two months, having hacked into the passenger list, he’d analysed the personal data harvested to manipulate and target their fellow travellers’ social media news feeds. Using the software they had developed, he was predicting and then influencing their behaviours. He recalled that Nicole loved gossip; a perfect candidate to help spread the misinformation he’d planted. ‘Royals,’ he said, while shrugging his shoulders. ‘Is that likely?’
‘We will soon know,’ answered Nicole excitedly. Then, almost whispering, she said, ‘There’s a rumour that a special train ride, on the Majestic Imperator between Linz and Salzburg, would be added to the trip the Royal was taking. I looked it up and it’s the famous imperial train of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.’
‘Well then, if they announce tonight the option of a royal train ride, it can only be the Queen,’ said Max, while giving Chuck a respectful but unbelieving look, who responded by raising his eyebrows.
* * *
Olivia, virtually unseen, slipped on board and was escorted straight to her room. Still the quiet whispers resonated. Did you see her. Gossip filled the decks like a gentle breeze drifting into every corner of the ship. To build upon the mystery, Olivia stayed hidden, failing to appear at the Captain’s welcome, where the cruise director, without mention of a VIP, talked at length of a special treat. They were to be transported back in time with a train ride in Royal carriages. It added intrigue to a cruise ship bubbling with excitement. The Professor also stayed in his cabin. His job was to manipulate and feed the rumours he was creating, then circulate them on the passengers’ social media networks. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is travelling incognito, somewhere in Europe, the BBC reported the following morning. ‘Look, Chuck,’ said Nicole, pointing to her Facebook feed. ‘The Queen!’ Nicole was one of many on the cruise to see that post.
On day four, Olivia had yet to make an appearance but, when her fellow travellers returned from their various day trips in Vienna, she joined them for dinner, accompanied by Lucia and the Inspector, her bodyguards. Olivia looked the
part, thought Max, as she entered the dining room, one that, moments before, had buzzed with conversation. It fell silent, not a sound to be heard, except for the footsteps of Olivia’s entourage. They slowly made their way through the guests, seeking a place to sit. At a vacant chair at one of the tables, Olivia, in a cultured voice said, ‘Hello, my name is Olivia. Do you mind if I join you?’
‘You are most welcome,’ answered the lady who would be seated opposite. Olivia lowered herself onto the chair leaving Lucia and the Inspector standing, one on either side of her, consciously glancing from left to right, as if to say, “There is no place for us!” Olivia, turning her head to look over her shoulder at them, said, ‘I’m sure you can find a table elsewhere.’
Inspector Axel and Lucia looked apprehensively to each other before saying, ‘Yes, Ma’am’ and moved away. Olivia’s assertion that she was Lady Olivia from Great Britain was left unchallenged as the boat rumour machine whirred, skilfully maintained by the Professor.
* * *
By the time the boat docked on the afternoon of the fifth day at Melk, the seeds that had been planted were sprouting. MI6 had contacted the Bundesministerium für Inneres (BMI), the Austrian Federal Ministry of Interior, warning them that a member of the Royal family would be visiting Melk Abbey sometime that day. They cautioned that the trip couldn’t be confirmed but the BMI did their duty, warning the monastery and local police.
Along with most of the other guests, Max caught the bus, provided by the cruise company, from the river port up to the Abbey, which was built on the hill. Olivia, Lucia and Inspector Axel drove by private car, arranged earlier, while the Professor stayed on board to monitor and coordinate the operation. At the entrance to the Abbey, Olivia joined the tour group from their boat; her identity causing ripples of interest, rumours spreading like wildfire. When a robed Monk, the “Abbot Principal”, appeared to lead their group, they knew that their deception was complete.