by Carl Andrew
“I’m interested in the data you’re collecting through the liquid chip programme. It would be very useful to us.”
“I’m sure you are but we’re not going to break a promise we made to voters. This data cannot be used for any other purpose than the Anti-Social Behaviour Act. I won’t go back on my word.”
“David, come on now. We’ll provide you assurances that this won’t get out.”
“Simeon, you know as well as I do that this type of thing always has a habit of getting out there.”
“Ok, understood but you’re risking the safety of the nation if you don’t give MI5 access to the data,” Simeon was trying every trick in the book. David knew it. He could sense he was running out of ideas.
“C’mon, is that the best you can come up with. That’s disappointing. Besides, I thought this was an N5 discussion?”
“I told you the danger is not imminent. But it could happen.”
“What? Imminent danger if we don’t provide you the data. I don’t think that’s a realistic threat Simeon do you? I’m sure you’ve got plenty of other means for finding out data on impending attacks,” David felt confident he was winning this exchange.
He wasn’t prepared to budge on this. He’d seen these situations before when the Government is found out to have lied to voters.
It was a classic way politicians fell from grace and he wasn’t going to have his name added to the list.
“David, I’m giving you one final chance to change your decision. I implore you to reconsider.”
David was taken aback by this bold and brash approach. He knew Simeon well but this was not like him.
“I don’t appreciate threats Simeon. You know that. I can’t see any reason why I would change my mind on this.”
“If that’s all we’ve got to discuss, I’ve got a day full of meetings to prepare for,” David said, turning away as he spoke.
“I would suggest you continue the conversation David,” Simeon challenged back.
David turned around, furious at the impertinence of Simeon’s riposte.
He stared his old university friend straight in the eye and then found his gaze wandering down to an envelope grasped firmly in his opponent’s right hand.
“What’s that supposed to be?” David asked.
“Something you’re going to want to see David,” Simeon replied.
“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I thought we might be able to come to some sort of agreement but you’ve left me with no choice…”
“No choice for what Simeon? What is that?”
“This,” Simeon said looking down at the envelope, “this is your ultimatum.”
He handed the envelope to David before turning away to take in the view of the River Thames. It was the absolute stance of a victor.
He could hear David tearing away at the envelope like a hungry child trying to get inside an Easter egg.
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6.30am 10 Downing Street, London
David had invited Vanessa to join a breakfast with Robert Johnstone, the Canadian Ambassador and his wife. It was part of his strategy to repair their relationship after the gap that had come between them.
But with everything that had transpired the evening before, he had forgotten to cancel it. As she sat there with the two guests, Vanessa found herself fumbling for a reason why David was not present.
“I’m sure David will be here any moment. I’ll just see if his assistant Janet has any news. Just hold on a second,” she said, embarrassed and a little annoyed.
She got up from the table to make her way out of the room to locate Janet.
“Perhaps it has something to do with the N5 project Miss Lim,” Robert said inquisitively.
Vanessa stopped in mid-stride and tried to hide her surprise.
“N5 project, what makes you say that Ambassador?”
“Nothing really, just a call the Prime Minister received last night when we were chatting.”
Vanessa’s interest was piqued immediately.
“A call, do you know who the call was from?” She asked.
This was starting to concern her. She was well aware of the N5 protocol and was baffled why she, as Chief Advisor to David, was not informed about this.
“Sure, I believe Janet said it was Simeon Purcell,” he responded.
Curiosity got the better of him as well. “Miss Lim, what is going on? What is the N5 project?” He asked.
Vanessa had to think quickly. She was unsure how much the Canadian Ambassador knew and didn’t want to reveal anything she shouldn’t.
“Ambassador, it’s a project David is working on with MI5. I’m afraid I can’t divulge anything more than that. I hope you understand,” she said, hoping that the Ambassador would leave the line of questioning alone.
She quickly added: “I’ll go and see when the Prime Minister is likely to join us. Do excuse me.”
Robert nodded his acceptance of her request and Vanessa inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as she left the room to find out what the hell was going on.
For someone in her position, she hated not knowing what was happening. David could be in any kind of danger. She should be there with him, by his side, as his advisor.
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A few minutes later - Kipper’s Playground, London
David couldn’t believe his eyes. The look he gave warmed Simeon. He knew from the initial twitch he saw appear on the Prime Ministers’ face that he had him cornered.
A red mist rose up inside David. “Where the hell did you get this from?” He bellowed.
He was a caged animal, he hated feeling trapped and he wanted to come out fighting.
“This is lies, all lies,” he said. The final act of defence, deny everything.
Simeon was calm, too calm. “I think you’ll find it’s accurate. We have a source. It’s really quite reliable,” he said smugly.
David was stunned. He was lost for words. A stellar display of shooting stars painted light trails in his head; the repercussions of his situation were playing out in his mind, each one rising up powering an incredible surge and then dying away as quickly as they could be dismissed or compartmentalised.
He was considering his next move but this wasn’t a game of chess. He didn’t have time to pontificate. This was quick, a rapid fire game of cat and mouse.
He looked down at the piece of paper in his hand, Simeon’s words echoed inside him.
“What do you mean a source?” David was trying to buy time.
“Oh David, come now. You didn’t really believe that I would let my old university friend take up the first office without having eyes on the inside?”
“You know me better than that. This can’t be a surprise to you,” Simeon continued.
David was trapped. He had nowhere else to turn.
“What happens if I still say no to your request?” He asked. Perhaps from Simeon’s reaction he could get some sort of tell. Some sign that he wasn’t as committed to seeing this through as first appeared.
But there was coldness there. The head of MI5 had been in this situation many times before. Perhaps not with people as familiar to him as the Prime Minister. But regardless, he was totally in control.
“David, need I spell it out to you?” It was a rhetorical question but he paused. He wanted to let the words float out there and rest heavy on David’s furrowed brow.
This was becoming fun for Simeon. It was torturous fun, but fun nonetheless.
The Prime Minister held firm, he didn’t respond. He waited for Simeon to speak further. It was his only way to tell how this battle of wills would go.
After a brief moment, Simeon played ball. “Let’s just say that the people will have their time at the ballot box again. A little earlier than expected but that shouldn’t trouble them too much.”
“This would be big David. I don’t need to tell you how much interest the media wou
ld derive from what’s in that envelope. You, your career, your future, it would be ruined,” he continued, sounding more sinister as each word danced off his brittle tongue.
“Simeon, you do know that this is tantamount to treason,” it was David’s final card. He was trying to turn the repercussions back on his opponent. It was a long shot but this was last chance saloon.
“Please, don’t sink so low David,” Simeon replied, retaining his cool exposure.
“Now, do I have access to the data or does the country have a new Prime Minister?” He said with menace. “This is the N5 moment David, think wisely.”
David had nowhere to turn. He was out of options.
“Simeon, you know I have no alternative but understand this, there will never be another opportunity to use this again,” David said shaking the envelope in Simeon’s face.
“And I will find your mole. They will be dealt with,” he continued.
“Thank you David. I’m glad we could come to this agreement. I look forward to receiving access to the database today,” Simeon was smug in his response. “You have until midday.” He grabbed the envelope back from David. He had won.
David turned to walk away. He managed about five paces before he turned back to look at his adversary.
“You changed the rules of the game Simeon. Know that. This isn’t the end.”
He walked off with whatever remained of his dignity clutched tightly to him.
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10 Downing Street, London
Vanessa came back into the room to find the Ambassador and his wife in mid-conversation.
“Sorry to interrupt Ambassador, the Prime Minister has been delayed in a meeting. He will be here momentarily,” she said.
“He’s asked that we begin breakfast and sends his utmost apologies.”
“Of course,” Robert replied.
Ten minutes later, when Vanessa was really scouring the very depths of her conversational locker, David strode in with purpose.
“Ambassador, Lady Johnstone, I am truly sorry. I was delayed dealing with an issue of national importance. I hope your understand,” he said.
He then turned to Vanessa: “Thank you Vanessa for keeping our guests entertained.”
Vanessa smiled in response but she was seething. There was a conversation to be had shortly and she fully intended to have it.
“I do hope everything is ok David. If you need to rearrange this, I’m sure we can oblige?” Robert said.
“No, that won’t be unnecessary. Everything is dealt with now. It just took a little longer than expected. Thank you.”
The rest of the breakfast was precariously balanced between pretence and curiosity but the four got through it regardless.
David and Vanessa bid their farewells to Ambassador and Lady Johnstone who were flying out to Canada that morning. David, for one, was glad to have got through that particular function. He had an important promise to keep and the potential for lots of explanation to give, starting imminently.
The moment the Ambassador and his wife were out of earshot, Vanessa turned to David. “What the hell is going on David? What was all that about and why wasn’t I informed about an N5 situation?”
“Vanessa, I’ll explain all later. I have something I have to do right now. Meet me in my office in an hour and please bring Russell.”
“Are we in danger David?”
“No, it was a false alarm. I’ll explain all. Please, give me time to do what I need to do,” David requested.
He walked off without waiting for a response. There were urgent things to attend to. The music could be faced later.
Vanessa stood there, flummoxed. She was still none the wiser and had another hour to wait before she could find out why she had just suffered the most bizarre morning since the Lawson Government came into power.
She pulled out her phone and called Russell. He listened to her comments aghast. All he could muster was: “What does all this mean?” which he repeated over and over. He agreed to meet her in David’s office.
It was obvious to Vanessa that Russell had no involvement in the morning’s events. That concerned her even more. There were just too many questions to ponder.
The next hour passed slower than any hour Vanessa had experienced in her life. She had positioned herself outside David’s office and hadn’t moved for almost 45 minutes. It was making Janet uncomfortable.
“I can call you to let you know when David is free Vanessa if you would like,” Janet said trying to help however she could.
“No, it’s okay. I’m fine here. I need to speak with him the moment he’s finished.”
“Of course.”
Russell came into the room puffing from over exertion. He’d made his way as quickly as he could from his flat in Westminster. By the look of him, he may have run the entire way.
“When are we on?” He asked….
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Vauxhall, London
Simeon enjoyed his coffee that morning. He got a taste for good coffee from his Foreign Office posting in Colombia.
When he came back to UK it took him a while to find a blend that he could appreciate. When you’ve tasted heaven, everything else fails in comparison. He had tasted heaven, it was in Bogota.
Still, that particular morning, the new bean he had secured from Fortnum & Mason’s the day before tasted especially good.
He pressed on the intercom button to connect to his assistant.
“Matthew, please make sure I’m not disturbed for the next hour. I have some important things to attend to. Please move any meetings I have in the diary,” he said.
“Of course sir,” the reply came.
He leant back in his leather chair, ergonomically perfect for his form, and looked out of the window towards the River.
He patted the envelope on his lap before disintegrating it in the shredder. Satisfaction never felt so good...
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Silicon Fen, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
The man in the casual shirt drank his lukewarm water with a slice of lemon. The bitterness of the citrus played on his lips. It soothed him.
The year so far had been everything he could have hoped. The liquid chip programme was going well and the balance sheet was looking quite ridiculous. Sometimes he had to take moments out like this to really take it all in.
Predictably, his contemplation lasted shorter than hoped. A familiar tone appeared and he got up to perform the usual ritual to unshackle the phone in the safe.
“Hello,” he said, already aware who the caller was.
“Did you get the authorisation?” A familiar voice enquired.
“Yes. Everything is in order,” he replied.
“So you’ve organised to provide the data as requested?”
“Yes, I’ve allowed access to the system. You should be fine now.”
“Good, thank you.”
“Is there anything else you need from me?” the man in the casual shirt asked.
“Maybe, there are a few loose ends to tie up following this morning’s meeting. I’ll be in touch.”
“You know where I am,” he said.
“Indeed I do,” he responded.
The caller hung up and the man in the casual shirt opened his laptop to check on the progress of his previous command.
Everything was done as expected. He allowed himself a smile.
“Now it gets interesting,” he muttered to himself before taking another sip of his lukewarm water with a slice of lemon.
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About 15 minutes later - 10 Downing Street, London
Eventually, Janet ushered Vanessa and Russell in to David’s office.
Vanessa was unsure what to expect. She took a deep breath and strode in with purpose. Russell followed behind her, still struggling to catch up wi
th what was going on.
David was sat at the edge of his desk facing towards the door. It was an awkward position, almost put on at the last minute as if he’d been contemplating the best way to greet his guests and arrived at a split decision.
In fact, the word awkward was an appropriate adjective for the meeting itself.
“Vanessa, Russell, thank you for your patience,” he said.
“I appreciate this morning’s events must appear strange but I need you to support me on the decision I’ve made.”
“David, what’s going on? What decision?” Russell enquired. He was still a couple of steps behind Vanessa on the situation and she was a mile and a half behind David.
“Last night, I received a call from Simeon Purcell,” David began.
“The head of MI5, why?” Russell couldn’t help interjecting.
“It was a false alarm use of the N5 protocol. Some chatter they picked up but it turned out to be nothing.”
“But the N5 protocol should only be used if there is a clear and imminent danger to you. It sounds as though Simeon used it when he was still uncertain,” Vanessa’s turn to jump in,
“Regardless,” said David dismissively, “I’m glad he made the call. It brought to light the importance of working together and sharing resources. It’s something we don’t do enough of.”
“So, I’ve decided, following a request from Simeon, to share the data being collected through the liquid chip programme with MI5.”
“You’ve done what?” Russell could not believe what he was hearing.
“David, we promised the voting public that information would be treated as confidential and would only be used for the purposes of the programme. It’s a complete betrayal of trust,” he continued.
Vanessa was aghast. She struggled to process what David had just announced.
“I know what we promised Russell. I’m well aware of that. However, this is a decision based on the changing nature of the threats against us as a country,” David spoke with authority. He would not be challenged on this.