Hugh was one of the greatest computer brains in the UK but he could not even get onto the system. He looked around his department, everyone else was having the same problem. The worst thing was Hugh did not have a clue how The Grey Man had done this or how to get round it. He was finished and he knew it. Three hours later he put on his coat and left the building, a broken man never to return.
. . . . . .
At 5.00 pm The Grey Man came up from the cellar and wandered into the kitchen where Surge was about to start making dinner. “Would you mind if I cooked tonight?” he said. “Knock yourself out,” said Surge.
The Grey Man arranged all the pots and pans he would need. Then went through all the provisions they had. He decided to cook a simple Indian meal of chicken in a mild curry sauce with basmati rice and Bombay potato. Once he had everything laid out he went back to the cellar. As with all his safe houses, he always had a few bottles of wine laid down. He picked two of his best, Carmin de Peumo 2007, a Chilean wine made in very small quantities of late harvested grapes. He decanted it into a couple of flasks over a strong light so he could see where the sediment was and ensure it did not transfer and then left it in the cellar to breathe for a couple of hours. He also found a bottle of a 1981 Glen Spey single malt whisky which he knew Collins would like. At 7.30 pm he started to cook and then calling everyone to the kitchen, he dispatched Jonathan to get the wine and whisky.
They sat down in the front room on the big leather sofas with the plates on their laps.
“I have a request,” said The Grey Man filling their glasses with wine. “The last few days have been difficult and the future no less so. Let us have an evening with no shop talk and talk of happier things.”
So as they ate Jonathan spoke of his life at university and Collins told them all about his trip to Israel. Surge spoke about his new life at the pub and how he came to realize how much he enjoyed it. Finally The Grey Man, to the utter surprise of Collins and Surge, spoke a little of his life and how he had become The Grey Man. In all the years they had known him he had never spoken about anything so personal.
At the end of the evening, Jonathan made coffee and Collins passed around the whisky. He stood and quietly said a toast, the only toast they ever spoke and then only when they were operational.
“Who’s like us? There are none like us, so here’s to us.”
As the evening broke up The Grey Man said to Jonathan, “Are you free tomorrow? I have a lot to go through and could do with some help.”
“Sure. I would be glad to,” replied Jonathan.
Collins looked at Surge and raised an eyebrow. In all these years he had never heard The Grey Man ask anyone for help. What a strange evening this had turned out to be.
The Grey Man went back to the cellar and lay on his bed. He realized this evening was one of the highlights of his long life, to listen and share with friends was so new and alien to him but so wonderful, he drifted off into a peaceful sleep, the first for a very long time.
Chapter 24
Final Planning
The next morning after breakfast Jonathan went down into the cellar with The Grey Man and sat at a separate terminal.
The Grey Man said, “We need to understand who we are up against. To plan properly I need to work out how many men, who they are and where they are. The easiest way to do this is to monitor their mobile phones. In this day and age everyone carries a mobile phone full of data, all of which are linked up to a satellite and can be tracked by GPS.”
“But we do not know their numbers,” said Jonathan.
“No problem,” said The Grey Man. “They are all based at the country club and golf course. As it is closed to the public, anyone still left in that area we treat as a hostile. Make sense?
“Sure,” said Jonathan.
The Grey Man quickly showed Jonathan how to scan the area, pick up the telephone numbers then trace them back to the individuals. From the telephone numbers he could trace who paid the bills, even though many were pay-as-you-go phones and should be untraceable, all of these thugs paid by credit card thinking that was secure. Jonathan learnt how to access the credit card numbers and from them came names and addresses and bank account details.
All of these he sent to The Grey Man who put them into some custom software that built a detailed dossier on each man compiled from the major databases on the internet, criminal, health and governmental. By the time he was finished they had everything they needed on every man.
From here they cross referenced the most dangerous, those with criminal records for violent crimes, and those with military experience. These were marked in red as dangerous and the rest marked in blue.
Next these were all plotted on a map overlaying the plans for the main house at the golf club. In real time Jonathan could see where each man was, portrayed by a coloured number and see the numbers move around as the men went from room to room. In all there were thirty seven bad guys.
Lastly The Grey Man uploaded all numbers to the listening computer at GCHQ. He went through some words that when spoken would highlight those conversations, amongst these were their names so anything with regard to them would be flagged, then guns or weapons, or any specific times to try to capture changes of shift.
“May I ask you a question?” said Jonathan when they finally stopped for lunch.
“Sure,” said The Grey Man.
“How are the four of us going to go after thirty seven killers armed to the teeth and waiting for us and hope to come out alive?”
“Four of us are not. You and I will be in the car monitoring the operation and passing intel. Your father and Surge will be the only ones going in.”
“So now it’s two against thirty seven,” said Jonathan. “That is suicide!”
“No,” explained The Grey Man. “These are not top class operatives, they are second and third rate thugs and more of a danger to themselves than to us. First of all let’s look at the mobile phone situation. Only very stupid men or amateurs keep ordinary mobile phones on them which can be traced back when they are operational. Everyone knows that all mobiles these days are linked to satellite GPS and any law enforcement person can get access to that data, they might as well carry a flashing neon sign with them and blow horns every five minutes advertising their presence. Professionals use specialized phones like the ones we carry or coded radios which can be listened in on but only if you know exactly the right frequency, even then they do not show where the person is.”
“Secondly, in this country there are very few who have killed despite what you may see on television. Most of the men we are up against are not professionals as we know them, they are small time thugs and enforcers used to breaking a man’s legs and arms, not actually killing people. Those who have actually killed have probably been involved in a gangland type execution where the mark is tied up and then shot. Very few would have any kind of fire fighting experience when someone is firing back at them, in fact many would only have fired a gun on a rifle range.”
“Now if we were up against special forces or military personnel it would be a different story. They would be cool, calm and controlled, having and sticking to a detailed plan. They would know how to defend territory and how to control and cover areas of danger. We would need a different plan and possibly some more help. But we are up against untrained, ill-disciplined louts who hardly know one end of a gun from the other. All are probably scared stiff and will break with the least provocation. Remember, you cannot buy experience, courage or loyalty. When your dad opens fire, all hell will break loose in that house. Some will run towards the danger, some will run away and many will start firing indiscriminately. Fear will rule.”
“Now whoever is in charge has done well to limit the amount of people they have got. Anymore and they would start to get in each other’s way and kill each other as they go. As it is, it will still be very dangerous for them and you and I will help make the situation even more chaotic.”
“Let’s discuss our plus points.
You have your father and Surge who are consummate specialists. This is meat and drink to them. Not only have they trained countless times on how to do this over many years, they have also cleared houses in the field on more than one occasion, faced with bigger odds than these against us now and against better trained enemies.”
“They have a way of working which is unique. Not only do they appear to know by instinct where each of them are at any time, killing anyone else that comes in range, they are also able to back each other up perfectly when trouble looms. Plus we will have eyes on them and be in constant communication with them feeding them information and helping sow chaos.”
“How?” asked Jonathan.
“Surge will go in first quietly taking out guards as we identify them for him. Your father will follow from the opposite direction. As soon as they are both in position he will open up and draw trouble to him. Surge will then work the periphery. John Sea’s men will expect the trouble to be where the gunfire is coming from, not attacking from behind. Between the two of them becomes a killing ground.”
“So no danger then,” said Jonathan sarcastically.
“No,” I did not say that,” said The Grey Man. “But let’s just say if I was a betting man, I know where my money would be. Now we have a long way to go to be prepared so I suggest we get back to work.”
For the next few hours they labored away bringing all the edges into a pattern. Then at 6.00 pm, over a light supper, The Grey Man gave a small presentation.
The three of them sat on the sofas in the front room and The Grey Man stood in front of a large monitor and keyboard that Jonathan had carried up from the cellar. He switched on the screen and up came a picture of the manor house at the golf club.
“This is the target,” said The Grey Man. He then pushed a key and a schematic 3D image of the house appeared and inside numbers moving around with different colours. “These are the marks. We can see by their cell phones exactly where each one is. Now there may be a few not carrying cell phones, you will need to look out for these. The numbers in red are the most dangerous with police or forces records for violence. As you come across them I will let you know. Please terminate with extreme prejudice or in other words do not play with these guys.” He looked at Surge at Collins who nodded.
“As it is a hotel, they have a sophisticated control system, CCTV in the grounds and on each floor. All lighting can be controlled centrally as can elevators and some emergency doors, plus the main burglar alarm which will be off as the grounds and floors are patrolled by guards. Thankfully there are no dogs.”
“Can you get to the system?” asked Collins.
“No problem,” said The Grey Man. “It is updated through an internet link to the manufacturer. I have overwritten the system and it is now mine. Currently I am looping the image fed to the CCTV cameras so we can play back when we need to control the system. The image the cameras show are pretty constant and my software can compensate for lighting, in other words even though I am filming in daylight if I ran it at night the system will show a darkened image. As you approach, I will run my tape and you will pass unnoticed.”
The Grey Man then displayed each of the cameras in the hotel, flashing from one to the other, each corridor was shown with armed men walking up and down. The main meeting room were full of men laughing, eating and playing cards. “About half are on duty at any one time, the rest are sleeping or congregating in the meeting room.”
They also saw men sitting near the windows scanning the grounds. For Jonathan it was unreal to see inside the hotel without them knowing. He found it incredible. For the others it was a normal briefing courtesy of The Grey Man.
“Please note,” continued The Grey Man. “This hotel was built for leisure not security and there are many blind spots. If in doubt hug the hotel walls. The lighting has been set not to shine into the bedrooms and upset the paying guests. The guards patrol the corridors but do not appear to check the doors that are centrally locked such as the fire exits. They rely on the system to show whether it is locked or unlocked. Of course I can override this and open these doors without anyone being aware if we need to.”
“To just enter and kill John Sea would I think be very difficult. These guards are waiting for you and I would suggest the merest noise would bring them down and trap you. You are going to have to neutralize as many as possible before going after Sea.”
“Do you agree?” he said, looking at Collins.
“Yes,” said The Assassin. “I do not want to get trapped downstairs with an army waiting for me. Let’s do it your way.”
“I suggest that Jonathan and I park up in the grounds far enough away not to be caught by the patrols. You two get miked up and wear the night vision goggles. I will loop this camera for thirty seconds which will allow Surge to go in first. I can open this door which is also in a blind spot.” He flashed up a side emergency exit door. “And Collins, if you can enter two minutes later through this door on the other side as it is also difficult to see from the windows.”
Displaying the schematic on the screen again The Grey Man said, “Make your way up to the top floor via the stairs shown here and then work your way through this route until you meet up.”
“No problem,” said Surge.
“Stealth will be everything,” continued The Grey Man. “But as soon as you are compromised Collins, please open up with everything you have. Jonathan and I will have planted some flash bangs which are a cross between a grenade and a flare designed to make as much noise and light as possible. I want it to sound like a full blown attack. In the confusion I will let you know John Sea’s position. I have isolated his phone and he cannot hide. Once you have taken him out, return to the car and we are away.”
“Sounds simple,” said Collins.
“In effect it is. Get in, sow disruption and death, kill the mark and escape. Okay?” said The Grey Man.
Collins and Surge nodded. “Then we leave Saturday night.”
Chapter 25
The Raid
John Sea and his enforcer, Keith Poole sat by the window drinking brandy in two large adjacent sofas in the glass room that had become John Sea’s office. The light was beginning to go down and through the shafts of the evening sun they could see the eighteenth hole off to the right and the beautifully manicured fairway sweeping off into the trees. The golf course was empty and the hotel felt quiet without the clamour of the golfers. Every ten minutes or so two guards would pass each other as they circled the manor house clumsily holding AK 47s, obviously not used to this kind of work.
“I have not heard anything in the past few days. How are we doing?” said John Sea.
“Fine,” said Keith. “We have some great guys here, all trustworthy. I have set up a firing range in the basement so they have all had some basic firearms training at least and they are ready for anything.”
“How are we set up?” asked John Sea.
“I have all CCTV being monitored twenty four seven, plus I have set up some infrared beams in the grounds. We have guards at every window and patrolling the corridors. Lighting in the grounds is on non-stop so even a rabbit could not get through. As soon as we see anyone, we will blow them away. I have offered a ten grand bonus to any man who drops one of these bastards. No way can they get in here without us knowing,” said Keith.
“Great,” said John Sea. “Just remember these guys are assassins. They are going to want to sneak in here with the minimum of fuss and kill me then escape before anyone notices. They have no idea how many men we have so keep as many out of sight as possible and create a net wrapped around me so no one can get through. I do not think they will keep us waiting long. Make sure you are armed at all times as I will be. I think it will be tonight or tomorrow.”
“Let them come,” said Keith. “It will be the last place they ever visit.”
Surge and Collins went to pack their specialized equipment, filling a holdall each. They both changed into their working gear. Collins wore a black, three piece su
it complete with waistcoat, black soft shoes and a black shirt and Surge wore black jeans, a black hoodie and black soft shoes.
The Grey Man also packed from his stores, two laptop computers and back-up batteries and a number of explosives with timers.
All this went into the boot of the seven series BMW and with Jonathan driving, they set off up the motorway to Manchester.
Three hours later they had reached the golf course and Jonathan slowly drove round the perimeter until The Grey Man told him to pull into a lay-by. There was a small track leading off this which he had spotted from overhead surveillance pictures. Jonathan drove slowly up the track until they could not be seen from the main road. They were now in a thick woodland area backing onto one of the fairways. They checked their watches, it was 11.30 pm. The night was cold but dry with a mild wind and there was a half moon which was obscured most of the time by clouds which scurried across the sky.
Collins opened the boot and took off his jacket. He folded it carefully and put it in the boot. He unzipped his holdall. First he took out a waist holster for the 9 mm Glock which he strapped on with the Glock sitting high on his left hip. Then he selected a large belt for the Uzi submachine gun. This crossed over the first belt with the oversized holster sitting on his right hip. Next to the holster were loops for the spare magazines. He fitted four of these in and then settled both guns so they rode smoothly. He then took out the old black leather shoulder holster which he fitted over his waistcoat until it sat under his left armpit. From the bag he took out the huge elephant pistol which he fitted into the holster and filled his pockets with the large caliber ammunition.
To Kill a Grey Man Page 15