“Now in most major cities you are captured on camera at least twice every twenty minutes. In Swanage there is no need for such measures as it is so safe so there are only a few cameras and if you know what you are doing, they are easily avoided.”
By this time they were approaching the main street. Surge stopped, “One hundred yards on the left above the bank is one. Note it does not sweep but is fixed. This gives us blind spots to use. Put your cap on square and look down as you walk, under no circumstances look up. The brim of the cap will shade your face and stop a clear image being captured.”
“Once past this one we will cross over the road and you will see the other camera across from the supermarket. Keep close to the shops and again don’t look up. Walk to the end and stop. Everytime you come into town ensure you follow this procedure. Remember never take your cap off or look into a camera.”
“There are two supermarkets in town that I noticed when we drove in, one big one by the station and one small one in the High Street. Which one should we use?” asked Surge.
“No idea.”
“The big one is no good to us,” said Surge. “It has a big car park and is by the station. Both will have sweeping CCTV. Also the big one is much newer and will have internal cameras. The smaller, older one suits us better. You see how this all works?”
“I think so,” said Jonathan.
“It is all about awareness of where you are and basic common sense,” said Surge. “If in doubt stop and backtrack, never take any chances and you will be fine. Now time for a cup of tea I think.”
Surge chose a small tea and cake shop opposite the amusement arcade. He ordered a tea for Jonathan and a mineral water for himself. Jonathan went to sit in a window seat but Surge motioned to him to one slightly back and to the left.
“Why here?” smiled Jonathan.
“Easy,” said Surge. “Clear view of the front door and the street plus a clear view of the back access through the kitchen. If you look at where the overhead light is placed it throws a shadow on this table which should obscure us from anyone walking past unless they push their face against the glass.”
Jonathan was starting to enjoy himself. “Tell me more.”
“Okay. Was anyone following us and are we being observed now?”
“No idea.”
“The answers are ‘no’ and ‘no’,” said Surge. “I have repeatedly stopped, back tracked and looked round and no one is interested in us plus no one has come in since we got here and a professional would not wait for us in the street without being able to observe the door and if you look carefully no one is doing that. The only issue I had was with the red Hyundai which went past us twice but I am confident he was just lost.”
“What do I look for?” said Jonathan.
“Surveillance is very complicated and you need to spend time with The Grey Man who wrote the book on it. But for now you need to get the feel of the street, look for anomalies, anything out of the ordinary. Professionals will work in teams of up to twenty, constantly ringing the changes. Amateurs will work alone or in pairs. First discard any that don’t fit. The young, the old, the groups, the ones that stand out by their clothes, their look or the amount of noise they are making. The watchers need to blend into the back ground. Then try to absorb as much information as you look. Professional watchers will not want to follow you for more than thirty seconds before swapping, it is like a relay race with watchers on and off point constantly, which means they have to try to change their appearance many times in a day.”
“Things that are hard to change quickly are lace up shoes and trousers but skirts, jackets, shirts, glasses, hats, coats and bags can be removed instantly with the next change of clothes underneath. Wigs can be obvious even on a woman and they take time to get right so are not often changed but can be removed quickly. Look for the small things, watches, rings, earrings. Many are personal and are not changed. In fact the watchers can forget they have them on. Also look for cars and motorbikes with certain marks on their bodywork but whose number plates have changed or their riders have.”
“The Grey Man calls it the ultimate “Kims” game and he is quite phenomenal at it. Develop a healthy level of paranoia. That really helps. If you even feel something is not quite right, walk away. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Jonathan felt he had walked into James Bond’s world. If it was not for the two heavies who came into his shop this morning and the fear he had felt standing in the hidden room, he would think this all a game.
They visited the supermarket and bought a few days supplies. Then they went to a small electronics shop where Jonathan bought a secondhand but powerful laptop using the specifications The Grey Man gave him paying cash for everything.
Then they went to an old fashioned and curiously expensive clothes shop where they bought The Grey Man a dark suit and a selection of clothes and underwear. Finally they went in a sports shop where Surge bought trainers, shorts, T-shirts and sweat pants for both Jonathan and him. Fully laden, they staggered up the hill home.
Chapter 17
Repercussions
Sir Thomas Robertson sat behind his large 18th Century desk complete with polished wood and a green leather writing section. The room was in his office in London and decorated to his taste and standards. Normally it gave him pleasure to be in such refined opulence and he often glanced out of the window into the back garden of Buckingham Palace, but today he was a worried man. He knew there was not enough distance between him and John Sea and The Grey Man would definitely put two and two together if he every regained his sight. As C, he had the full resource of the Secret Service and The Firm at his disposal but such was the legend of The Grey Man he knew he could not set them against him. The Grey Man was above reproach. He also knew too many people and too many secrets.
But Sir Thomas had to protect himself as best he could. He finally took a chance and sent out a memo to the other heads of the Secret Services in the European Union and the main controllers of The Firm. Marked ‘Most Secret’ it read:
I have reason to believe The Grey Man has been kidnapped and may possibly be under the control of a hostile force. Until this has been verified I request that any communication purporting to be from The Grey Man be referred directly to me.
The Grey Man’s well being is my first priority and I would further request any action to recover The Grey Man is put under my direct control.
He then set a meeting for his Chiefs of Staff. He wanted the ports and airports buttoned down, the whole country locked tight. He also wanted all details on The Assassin, The Grey Man and the Surgeon researched, every false name, passport and address gone through with a fine tooth comb. The story he had fabricated would not stand up to scrutiny but he was C and his people knew when not to argue.
He knew also that this could hit the fan in a big way. If The Grey Man and his friends were picked up in the UK there was no issue as C could have them disposed of with few problems, just a lot of explaining. However if The Grey Man was picked up overseas it was a different issue. He would be interrogated and the truth would come out. Then there was nowhere in the world where Sir Thomas would be safe. He prayed they were still in the UK.
He called up John Sea. Without any introduction he snapped out “Progress?”
“Everything is under control,” said John Sea. “I estimate I have at least a thousand operatives throughout the UK all focused on eye hospitals and specialists. There is nowhere in the country they can go to without me knowing.”
“Okay,” said Sir Thomas. “What they will probably do is go to ground for at least a few days, stay indoors and keep their heads down before having to act. Keep your men alert and let them know that they will come to them. No question they will be in disguise but three old men, one of them blind and a boy should stick out no matter what they are wearing.”
“May I ask what you have been doing?” said John Sea.
“I have locked down the country tight, every port and airport. One of the
m might get through but not all four. They will know this and not even try. I cannot alert the police as it would not be secure and the last thing we need is the press getting involved. I suggest they will need to act within the week. Make sure your guys are vigilant.”
“No problem,” said John Sea. “Anyone spotting these guys becomes rich and they are all greedy bastards.”
Sir Thomas rang off feeling marginally better. In their day these old boys had been good, he thought. They had The Firm behind them and great intel from The Grey Man but now they were now blind in more ways than one and the whole world was looking for them. It was just a matter of time.”
Sir Thomas decided to put in place the workings of his original plan. Over the last few years he had quietly added many computer experts to his large staff and started to introduce them to The Firm. He knew The Grey Man was watching so he’d been extremely careful about how deep he would let them investigate the vast network and test the series of security measures, all of which were designed to keep each company in The Firm separate and isolated, preserving their security and anonymity.
This was of course the secret of The Grey Man’s power. He was the only one who knew exactly who was in and who was out of The Firm, what they could offer and how they could be contacted. Sir Thomas wanted all of it.
Sir Thomas pushed a small button on his desk to call in Hugh McDonald, head of the new computer team. Hugh was a slight man in his mid-forties dressed in a pinstripe suit and round rimless glasses. Despite his name he spoke with an Oxbridge accent. He was a genius in the computing world. He stood quietly in front of Sir Thomas his head cocked to one side.
“You are a go,” Sir Thomas said. “Let loose your computer experts, find it all. I want to know every secret, every password and I want to know who is in and what they can offer and exactly what The Firm is capable of.”
Hugh said nothing, but a small smile appeared on his lips. He had hated The Grey Man since he had shown him up in a security seminar. Hugh had made a presentation about a delicate piece of software he was designing which The Grey Man had derided and caused the funding to be stopped. They had been enemies ever since. He hurried away full of ideas, itching to break The Firm.
Chapter 18
A Council of War
Once Surge and Jonathan had returned from the shops, Collins made sandwiches and tea and they returned to the front room where The Grey Man had hardly moved all day.
“A council of war,” Collins declared. “Let’s see what we know.”
“Right,” said The Grey Man picking up his cue. “Sir Thomas, head of UK security, meets with John Sea without registering the meeting so it is unofficial and highly irregular. He passes him a briefcase and a few days later we are all under some kind of surveillance from John Sea. Weeks then go passed and on the day I lose my eyesight we all get attacked by John Sea’s men. Conclusion: Sir Thomas must have known I was about to go blind and set this up.”
“Why?” said Jonathan.
“I can only think,” said The Grey Man. “That it has to do with The Firm. If I am quietly put out of the way Sir Thomas can move in and run The Firm without any of the other nations knowing. He could set up all kinds of background controls, before word got out of my demise.”
“Knowledge is power and he will have all the knowledge. He could become the most powerful security director in history able to manipulate and spy on anyone he wants with complete impunity and a reach that potentially would allow him to do almost anything.”
“This could go on for years with the balance of power shifting in the UK’s favour but were the other nations to subsequently find out, it could be highly dangerous for the stability of Europe. They would, quite rightly, not accept Sir Thomas having this power as it could be used against them and so The Firm would undoubtedly be disbanded. The UK would be shunned and our enemies would have free reign.”
“I am afraid the rest of you being attacked was just collateral damage to prevent anyone finding out what was happening to me.”
“What do we do?” said Surge. “We are not designed to be hunted, we are trained to be hunters. If we wait around we will be found and then all hell will break loose.”
“As always,” said Collins looking at the Grey Man. “We need intel to fight back and we need to find out if your blindness is permanent or not.”
The Grey Man said “They will know that. By now every hospital and eye specialist will be watched”.
“What if we just hunt down and kill both John Sea and Sir Thomas?” asked Surge.
“They are very difficult targets and they will have realized that is a possibility. John Sea is no fool and will have highly sophisticated security. Sir Thomas is surrounded by the very best security specialists. Without The Grey Man’s intel to bypass this, to investigate their security systems and let us know exactly where they will be and when, we would not even get close.” said Collins.
“How about just going to the police?” said Jonathan.
The Grey Man smiled. “I am afraid you do not understand Sir Thomas’s power. By now there will be a D Notice going to every superintendent in the land. If we find ourselves in police custody, we will be locked in a secure cell, no paperwork will be filled in and within three hours from when we entered the police station we would be picked up taken away and Sir Thomas can then have us disposed of, no questions asked.”
“All we can do is follow the most obvious route. We need to get The Grey Man’s eyes sorted out. Only then do we become a team and only then can we fight back,” said Collins. “But let’s be clear. If he remains blind we cannot go up against these men, it would be suicide. To have any kind of life then I would suggest we would have to split up. I would take The Grey Man, Surge you would take Jonathan and disappear overseas, joining back up in some God forsaken part of the world. We all have money and can make some kind of life for ourselves. It may mean running for a long time but we have no choice. We will decide after we have seen a specialist.”
Jonathan sat there shocked. His dad’s words echoing in his ears. To go on the run for the rest of his life opened up horrific possibilities. He wanted to stop this, get up and go back to university but he knew he couldn’t. He had to do the best he could to help and hope it all came out okay.
The Grey Man turned to Jonathan, “Are you ready for some work?”
“Sure.”
“Let’s fire up that laptop then.”
Surge and Collins left them to it. Surge went upstairs and changed into his sports stuff and went to the garage for a workout. Collins picked up one of the bags full of weapons, went up onto the top landing and opened the lock to the hatch which went through to the loft. He pulled down a ladder, climbed up and switched on the light. It was like all lofts, dusty and hot. He walked to the far end and felt around the wall until he found a catch. The wall opened to reveal a small workplace with a bare bulb over a desk with a soft green baize surface.
More guns were hanging on the wall and ammunition was stored in a corner. He sat down, picked one of the guns at random from the bag and started to strip and clean it. He worked slowly and quietly, his mind seemingly miles away.
He thought back over the long, interesting lives he, Surge and The Grey Man had had and he knew they would not run, probably taking the “Swans Path” but he despaired for Jonathan. He was so young but what to do? Over the next few hours he sat and tried to quieten his mind with his work.
“Right,” said The Grey Man. “Now we will see how well you know computers.”
“I think I am okay,” said Jonathan. “As I said I have built my own system at uni and have done some basic programming in the sixth form at school.”
“Good,” said The Grey Man smiling. “What I am going to teach you will undermine all of that quite literally. Listen carefully and imagine this. When computers were first being designed, governments realized the power they would have in the future, how they would control our lives and could hold all our secrets. This was unacceptable to them.
As I said earlier, knowledge is power and the government needs the power. So they designed into the fabric of the software a way to circumnavigate the system. Imagine it this way. You are building a house and the foundation is already laid down so you build on top of the foundation, makes sense, right, no point digging up a perfectly good foundation?”
“But what if under the foundation there is a garage and unbeknown to you there are ways from the garage through the foundation into the house. It means the security of the house is compromised. Well, that is what happened.”
“The government built the first computers and designed the software which everything has stemmed from. In effect they set up and controlled the foundation, everything else has been built on top of this. There has never been a reason to relook at the building blocks of basic programming.”
“Now, I am going to show you where it all came from and the way into the garage and from the garage we can break into almost any privately or business owned computer in the world.”
“It gets a little more complicated for government computers because they are aware of our metaphorical garage but they cannot close all the entrances and I have found ways around them.”
To Kill a Grey Man Page 10