by Mark A Biggs
As Max and Olivia zig-zagged through the back streets, slowly, the number of pursuers diminished until, eventually, they were alone. Weary from the excitement, they eased their machines to a stop near a boat lock on the Danube. Being on an island, this was their only way off unless they crossed one of the bridges. Between them and the lock was an open concreted area. No man’s land, thought Max, as he surveyed their options. On the other side of the Danube, he could see buildings, then a little further on, a motorway over which was an industrial estate. He asked Olivia, ‘Do you think Vladimir will be watching the lock or one of the bridges?’
‘Does it matter? If we accept that we are trapped, we can either give up or attack.’
‘Attack?’ questioned Max.
‘I mean, make a break for the lock and then once on the other side, as soon as we get the chance, we ditch the scooters and ring for a taxi. If Vladimir is here and we make it past, it will take him a little time to double back and cross the bridge. By then we are gone.’ Max agreed and they nudged the scooters carefully forward and out of their hiding place. ‘This has taken a nasty turn,’ called Olivia, when to the left of her, she saw a line of orange flags and to the right, a black Mercedes. ‘Go, go, go.’
At full throttle, they made a dash for the crossing, a narrow path that ran across the top of the lock gate. It would be impossible for Vladimir to follow. Olivia felt her scooter leave the ground momentarily, as she smashed over a bump leading up to the dock. If she hadn’t been holding on tight, the impact would have thrown her off the seat. The scooter lurched violently left, then right, as its wheels found the ground again. Max, seeing Olivia’s flight, tried in vain to miss the bump but he too smashed over it. The crossing was only just wide enough for a single scooter, so the ten remaining chasers followed on, one orange flag after another. Halfway across, Max’s machine was hit from behind, sending his body rocking forward. Looking back, the concentration on the faces of their pursuers made it clear they weren’t going to shake them easily. Wham… he was hit again.
The motorway, he thought, they wouldn’t dare follow. Once clear of the lock, he overtook Olivia and led her towards the speeding cars. As they approached, he saw that it wasn’t a motorway but a divided arterial road. A traffic-controlled intersection for crossing it awaited them but its lights were red. Olivia moved her scooter up on the right, so she was riding alongside him. One-wheel length behind her came the first of the hunters and another was moving up on his inside. They were about to be caught in a pincer movement. Fast approaching and directly in front, they could see the traffic lights with cars speeding across the intersection. Olivia called across to him, panicked he was going to run the light. ‘You’re not?’
‘Left,’ he called back. Olivia slowed and positioned her scooter directly behind his rear wheels. Rather than braking for the intersection, he turned tight left into what looked to him like a narrow bike lane. He almost rolled his speedster when the two outside wheels left the ground before smashing down again. They were heading into the oncoming traffic. In the mirror, Max saw some of the chasing seniors run wide and into the path of oncoming cars. The screeching of brakes was immediate forcing one car after another to take evasive action. The chaos rippled past Max and Olivia, although the traffic wasn’t quite at a standstill when Max held his breath and turned across the lanes, wanting to shake the others by crossing the road. The mess that was already building now exploded into madness as drivers had to swing their vehicles left and right to avoid the procession of orange flags that were zig-zagging in their path.
By the time Max and Olivia crossed the grassy median strip, which separated the road, and launched themselves into the next lane of traffic, screeching brakes had been replaced by the crunching of metal as cars smashed into each other.
Max turned left again, temporarily sending him in the same direction as the cars. Five seconds later, he veered across the remaining lanes, which sent him bumping over some curbing, off the road and into an industrial estate. Checking his mirror, he saw that Olivia was still with him, and, other than her, they were now alone. He slowed and scanned the area before riding into a factory car park. Stopping, Olivia pulled in beside him. In unison, they breathed a triumphant sigh of relief. However, the respite was short-lived as a black Mercedes glided to a halt alongside them.
Vladimir kept his pistol trained on them as he climbed out of the car. He thought about saying something intimidating but he knew that it would encourage a sarcastic comeback. Instead, he said, ‘Your backpacks please.’ Max and Olivia both hesitated. Slowly, they did as he had directed. ‘Now open them,’ he commanded. Unzipping her bag, Olivia’s was filled with odds and sods. ‘You too,’ he said, looking at Max. From the moment he moved the zipper, it was obvious that he was carrying a large book and the Gutenberg slowly revealed itself. Having learnt from their previous encounters, Vladimir directed Max to place the Bible on the seat of the mobility scooter. ‘Now move away,’ he said. Without taking his eyes off them, he cautiously picked it up and placed it inside the car.
‘What now?’ Max asked.
‘Monya sends his warm regards and suggests you enjoy the remainder of your trip.’
‘What about Penny?’ Olivia demanded.
Vladimir put his index finger to his ear and his thumb finger to his mouth. ‘Monya said, “Ring me”.’ Then laughing, ‘Not so smart now, are you?’
Ignoring his provocation, Max inquired matter-of-factly, ‘How did you know I had the Bible?’
‘You’re an arrogant old man. We didn’t.’ Before Max could continue, in the background, they could hear the growing sounds of emergency service vehicle’s sirens. Vladimir, still pointing his pistol towards them, jumped into the Mercedes and drove off. Max and Olivia intended to dump the scooters before calling a taxi to take them back to the boat. The sound of crashing cars had brought people out from their workplaces, many watching the exchange between Vladimir, Max and Olivia. When they went to leave, they were stopped until the police arrived.
First, they were taken to the Regensburg police station before being transferred 500km to Berlin. It was night when they arrived, and to their surprise, rather than being locked in the cells, they were held overnight in a city hotel. After all that had happened, Max was surprised at how well he slept, feeling rested and refreshed the next morning when he awoke. From the hotel, they were taken to Berlin police headquarters and put in an interview room.
‘Who will it be, the police or German intelligence who come through the door?’ Max asked Olivia.
‘Don’t you dare antagonise them. Remember Penny.’
It was half an hour later when a Chief Inspector, holding a hand full of files, entered, taking the seat opposite them. After placing the documents on the desk, he opened them and started reading. Occasionally he would stop, look at them, then put his head back into the paperwork again. Each time he did this, to Olivia’s annoyance, Max would grin broadly back, a grin that was not reciprocated. Before the Chief Inspector had asked any questions, there was a knock on the interview door. When the door opened, Max saw Bronwyn, Stephen and another person he didn’t recognise, in the corridor. The Chief Inspector left, closing the door behind him. Through the walls, it was difficult to tell what was taking place, but as best as Max and Olivia could make out, a heated argument was in progress. Ten minutes later, the door opened again and Stephen, with the Police Chief Inspector standing beside him, beckoned them outside. No words were exchanged as they were released from the Police Station into a waiting car. Olivia broke the silence by asking, ‘Where are we going?’
‘The American Embassy,’ was Stephen’s curt reply.
Max felt his heart sink. Upsetting the British was something he didn’t take too seriously, but the Americans were another matter entirely. They played for keeps.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Novichok
Bronwyn was waiting for them at the Embassy. When they were led into her impressively large office, she was seated behind an impo
sing desk, in front of which awaited three chairs. For the naughty children, thought Olivia, being brought before the school principal, Stephen, having been relegated to one of those children.
‘Sit.’ Bronwyn said, pointing. She then leaned back in her chair and started shaking her head from side to side, in utter disbelief. ‘Why on earth I let Stephen talk me into letting you two out, I’ll never know. In a little over a year, you’ve caused diplomatic incidents in France, Italy, Greece, Austria and now Germany. Don’t ever think of coming to the United States because you’ll be refused entry.’ She paused, breathing deeply, before continuing. ‘After your Hollywood style stunt in Regensburg, the Germans wanted to throw the book at you. With your antics, it’s a miracle nobody was killed. Then you lost the Bible.’ Bronwyn moved her glare to Stephen. ‘Wasn’t it obvious, even to MI6, that Monya was likely to come after it?’
‘Of course,’ Max answered casually.
Bronwyn’s head almost snapped off as she swung her stare towards him and barked. ‘Don’t play games with me.’
Max, ignoring her intimidation, asked, ‘How are our friends, Lucia, Inspector Axel and the Professor?’
Bronwyn breathed slowly, remembering Stephen’s counsel a year ago that Max and Olivia were exasperating, before saying, ‘The Professor has gone into a protection program, Lucia is coming to the USA to work for us, and it is for Stephen to decide about Inspector Axel. They are all well and safe. Now, tell me about the Bible. Am I to believe that you are not as stupid as you seem?’
As far as Stephen, Olivia and the others knew, Vladimir had the Bible and by now, possibly Monya. ‘I apologise, but we’ve been keeping the truth from you. Stephen guessed Monya would make a play, so the fewer the people who knew of our double-cross, the better.’ This was a lie as neither Stephen nor Olivia had any idea what Max was going to reveal. Bronwyn looked to each, in turn, watching as they nodded their heads in agreement, hoping that he knew what he was doing.
Max continued, ‘Before leaving England, we purchased what they call an “Original Replica” of the Bible. The day after Melk, I put the genuine Gutenberg along with the certificate of the “Original Replica”, which came with the copy, into a postal pack. I then asked a lovely American couple if they would post it for me, which they did. Monya has an impressive copy, and he’ll know it’s fake the moment he sees it.’
Bronwyn considered what Max had told her, replying ‘Very impressive. I suppose you’re going to tell me that the trail of destruction you left in Regensburg was part of the deception?’ When nobody answered, she said, ‘Ok, where did you send it?’
Living on a cruise ship for twelve months, Max had learned how to receive mail when afloat. The letter or package is addressed to the Cruise line, Cruise ship name, the passenger’s name and stateroom number and finally the Port address. It’s important that the mail is sent to the port address with enough time for the delivery to meet the ship and they were meeting the Queen Mary 2 in Barcelona.
‘I will tell you but it’s time you came clean and told us what this is all really about,’ said Max, ‘What do you want from us because we know that you don’t really care about Penny?’
With the Bible still in the game, the CIA’s plan was still recoverable. Max and Olivia may yet prove useful, Bronwyn thought. She paused, contemplating before she said, ‘Right. You’ve guessed, and you are correct, this is much bigger than your Penny. The West, the United States, Britain and most of Europe are in the midst of an undeclared war with Russia. To avoid triggering open military confrontation, Russia has used state-sponsored third parties to perpetrate cyberattacks, provide mercenaries and engage in information warfare, spreading fake news and disinformation to undermine our democracies. They took this war to an entirely new level when they used a biological weapon against Britain. Jana, your friend, was a victim. We believe Monya, through his web of companies, is the Kremlin’s go-to person, and that he was behind the chemical attack.
‘With Russia’s increasingly brazen behaviour, there has been an erosion of international relations, peace and security. The US Department of Homeland Security, FBI and UK’s National Cyber Security Centre have released an unprecedented joint analysis that the Internet Research Agency (IRA), run by Monya, is about to launch a major cyberattack against the West. Intelligence suggests they will try and cripple our banking, electricity and healthcare systems. The US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the CIA have been monitoring an upsurge in separatist movements in Ukraine and this coincided with an increase in internet chatter, plus the flow of money into Keiser, another of Monya’s organisations.
‘We don’t believe that China intends open conflict with the West but its current behaviour risks a military confrontation. It is using its “One Belt, One Road” initiative to indebt countries through concessional loans, which it will then seek to influence. Beijing’s aid money is being used to corrupt and control small nations. In particular, places where it wishes to build military bases are its targets. It is seeking to fracture the ring of US allies in the Pacific. Despite being in breach of international law, it has already built on the islands constructed around rocks and reefs in the South China Sea. They have deployed anti-ship missiles, surface to air missiles and other military equipment on Spratly and Woody Islands, giving it air-sea denial capabilities. In recent times, it has used its military force to influence the outcome of political decisions in other countries. You’re from Australia, so how would you feel about a Chinese navy or air base on Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands or even Papua New Guinea? All of these countries are receiving Chinese aid and concessional loans. We are at a fork in the road; the international order we have known since World War II and the freedoms we have known under our liberal democracies are at risk.
‘If Moscow, with people like Monya assisting them, launches a massive cyberattack against our infrastructure and Russia makes further incursions into Ukraine, despite the predictable patterns of denial that will come from the Kremlin, we will retaliate militarily. As you know, previous World Wars have been triggered for less. In World War II, the war in Europe emboldened Japan to attack the US. We don’t expect China to attack the West any time soon but, the risk is, it’s confidence could be raised to the point where its actions cause a miscalculation. We have become increasingly frustrated with China stealing our industrial secrets, and its aggressive cyber activities. It’s not unrealistic to say that we are on the verge of World War III. The threat of nuclear war could become horrifyingly real.’ Bronwyn waited so the implications of what she was saying could sink in. Everything she had been saying was building up to her next utterance. ‘It is our, the British and US Government’s, assessment that the only way to prevent a direct military conflict with Russia and possibly China is to eliminate Monya.’
Max and Olivia could feel a tingle of anger and fear growing as they anticipated what Bronwyn would say next. They remained motionless, waiting for her to finish.
‘Even if we could get close enough to assassinate him, it could trigger the very conflict we are trying to avoid. It has to be carried out in such a way that the Kremlin couldn’t blame the US or Britain.’ Bronwyn stopped speaking and looked directly at Max and then Olivia. She waited on purpose to let the weight of her silence control the room. After thirty seconds that felt like minutes, Olivia spoke.
‘You want us to kill him for you? When we exchange the Bible?’
‘Yes.’
Olivia probed Bronwyn with her old and wise eyes before saying, ‘There’s no guarantee that it would prevent the conflict.’
‘One of the reasons Moscow believes it can act with impunity and breach the international norms is because of its plausible deniability. In many instances, the Kremlin is not directly perpetrating the attacks against the West, but the provocateur, through its state-sanctioned actors, like Monya. You know this to be true because of the Professor. If Monya can be carefully eliminated, it reduces the Kremlin’s ability to distance itself from these acts of war, making it mor
e accountable to the rule of law. It doesn’t take much to tip the balance one way or the other.’
Max could hold his tongue no longer. ‘This is ridiculous. Even if we wanted to, the security around him would make it impossible and, secondly, an assassination is too obvious. It would still trigger your war, the one you say you wish to avoid.’
Bronwyn looked at Stephen, indicating that it was his turn to speak. ‘Not if we use Novichok,’ he said. ‘The same nerve agent Russia used against Jana. Novichok consists of two separate non-toxic components, which, when mixed, become an active nerve agent. This means it can be transported quite safely.’