by David Costa
‘You’re awake.’ She had come out of the bathroom a large white towel wrapped around her body.
‘You’re up early. I thought you would take the chance to sleep in.’
‘Plenty of time for sleeping Joseph. My flight leaves at 11.30 and I want a decent breakfast before I set off. Anyway, you have a busy day ahead of you and a good breakfast will do you no harm.’
‘You’re right but before breakfast we have a little time.’ He pulled back the bed sheet.
She smiled, then dropping the towel climbed in beside him.
Reece waved goodbye to Mary as her taxi pulled away from the hotel and headed to the airport just after 8 a.m. He had booked the room for another two nights, more for the convenience than anything else.
Twenty minutes later he was sitting with Jim Broad in the MI6 Operations Room. Broad looked like he had not slept well, and his clothes needed a good dry cleaner.
‘We need to get something today David or the PM and Bryant will close down this whole city and cause a full-blown panic.’
Reece had been thinking along the same lines.
‘You need to keep telling them that. You know how some of these politicians think. They will be shitting themselves. But if we catch these bastards, they’ll be in front of the cameras claiming all the glory.’
Broad nodded in agreement.
‘Have we received anything overnight?’ asked Reece.
‘We may have something. Have a look at the monitor.’
Reece crossed the room and watched the screen in front of one of the operators as Broad told him to bring up the CCTV from last night.
The black and white picture showed a man with a parka, red pointer arrows indicated the names of the location as he walked at a fast pace. The man had walked out of lower Duke Street before crossing Oxford Street and entering the upper part of Duke Street.
‘Unfortunately, there aren’t enough cameras in Duke Street to see where he went but he disappeared in that area.’
‘He seemed to know where he was going so we could make a good assumption that he might be staying somewhere close to Duke Street. It’s not far from The George and Edgware Road so we must concentrate most of our resources around there. Any spare resources should cover a roaming brief of the important high value targets in the rest of the city.’
Just then Anna and Harrison arrived, and Reece asked the operator to run the screen once more for their benefit.
‘We still don’t know where any of them are staying then?’ asked Anna.
‘No but I think we’ve them tied down to a smaller area and that’s where we concentrate most of our resources,’ said Reece.
‘Alright David. I’ll update everyone you get out there and see what they can do. We need a bit of luck,’ said Broad.
‘You know what we always say; ‘They always make a mistake and when they do, we kill them.’ I think last night was their first real mistake. Anna and Steve, we will stay together in one car. Steve, you drive. Then if Anna and I need to, we can follow on foot with you in the car as back-up. Happy with that?’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ replied Harrison.
Before they could move, Matthew Simons came into the room.
‘Before you leave, GCHQ have just sent this.’
He went over to the console and typed a few words on the keyboard. The screen showed the ragged lines of an audio feed. They listened to the phone conversation between two men. The first voice was that of the Arab telling his friend of his close call with Joe Cousins and then the call finishing with a one word reply from the other man, ‘Yes.’
‘So, by the sound of things their plan is being set for Friday morning. We need to get the area where we believe they’re hiding, screwed down as tight as we can.’ said Reece.
‘What makes GCHQ think these are our targets and do they have any idea where they are?’ asked Broad.
‘Believe it or not they’ve been keeping everything open for chatter and apparently Mossad were able to pass on a small voice clip from when our friend the Arab met with the Iranian General in the café in Tehran. That voice clip was very distorted, so it didn’t tell them anything of significance, but GCHQ were able to keep it on their system and get a voice match when the call was picked up on their searches last night. They worked on it all night that’s why it’s taken until now for them to confirm it is the Arab. They were able to tie the calls down to a radius of two miles which would take in the same area where we believe they are,’ said Simons.
‘As I said. They would make mistakes, and this is one more. From the conversation, and the time of the call, the two men are holed up in different locations close to each other. Today we get everyone to walk it, drive it, and get to know every nook and cranny so that when they do move, we don’t lose them this time,’ said Reece.
‘Leave that with us David. We will get everyone into that area. You’ll be tripping over each other, but we will keep you updated,’ said Broad.
Reece was feeling a little better about the future as Harrison drove them across the city. Reece sat in front, with Anna in the back seat, first stop where they left off the night before.
Chapter 25
As the SG9 team drove across the city, the Arab was eating breakfast in his hotel room, the Prime Minister was holding a meeting in his private office in Number 10. There were four others around the table. The Chiefs of MI6 and MI5, Sir Martin Bryant and Kurt Shimon had all been summoned by the Prime Minister’s office for a specific reason. He wanted to look them all in the eye and watch their responses to his questions rather than over the phone.
‘I’ve been updated about last night’s fiasco and the near death of one of our people, while these people make fools of us and get away again. What the hell is going on Sir Ian, your people have overall control?’
All eyes were on Sir Ian Fraser, and he noticed that Bryant had a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, he was enjoying this; if Fraser did not know better, this first question from the PM had been set-up by Bryant.
‘The first thing we should remember is that these people we are dealing with are not amateurs. They are all highly trained. The Arab himself has experience of real time operations. Some of those operations have been against the best intelligence agencies in the world and I’m sure Kurt here would agree.’ Shimon nodded and Fraser continued.
‘We were lucky not to lose one of our operators last night, but the Arab was lucky too. We know they’re prepared to kill but so are we if we have too. Taking in the whole of Europe and this country, starting from scratch, with hardly any information to begin with, we have them narrowed down to a two-mile radius in the city. We have now concentrated most of our resources in that area, if they raise their heads, we have a good chance of spotting them.’
‘What has MI5 to say about this and has anybody got anything new to indicate what the target is?’ asked Bryant.
Caroline Aspinall finished sipping her coffee before answering, ignoring Bryant she spoke directly to Brookfield.
‘As you know Prime Minister, we are using all our people and working closely with all the other agencies to ensure a positive outcome. The information you’re getting is as up to date as the information I’m getting.’
Answered like a true politician, thought Fraser. Something he knew he wasn’t good at. Caroline Aspinall had been taught how to deal with questions at a girls’ private school and then at university in Oxford. Fraser had come up through the army ranks; the school of hard knocks, where the answers could sometimes be harsh but necessary to save lives. He still respected Aspinall. She was a strong personality in her own right, and would stand up for her people, just as he would.
‘I believe everyone is doing their best. But I do not think it’s enough. I’ve spoken to the Home Secretary, and she agrees that we should raise the threat level to Critical,’ said Brookfield.
This time it was Fraser who spoke.
‘Prime Minister, the current level is at Substantial, which, as you know means an at
tack is likely. The difference is that Critical is an attack that is highly likely soon. To everyone here and to the media that is a significant jump and would hopefully raise people’s awareness. My own feeling is that the general population out there will not see much difference in the wording as they believe an attack is always likely. My only worry is that the press will start sticking their nose in and get in the way. It could even see our enemy changing their mind and bring forward their plan which now mentions tomorrow, Friday. It may also make them think we know more than we do, and they could drop everything disappear and come back on another day when we lack information.’
‘I know what you’re saying, Sir Ian, but I’m the elected leader of those people out there, and it’s not only my job to protect them as it is yours, but it’s also my responsibility to keep them honestly appraised of the danger they may face. We may only have twenty-four hours before this thing goes down and making the announcement now will not give the press enough time to interfere too much. The Home Secretary can handle the press for that period, and if anyone comes to any of you with questions, direct them to her.’
Fraser knew it was better not to argue as the decision had been made between the PM and Bryant before he had come into the room. It was the usual political decision. The one where they protect their arses and make sure that if things hit the fan, they can point the finger elsewhere. Then again, he thought, if he were in the same shoes as the Prime Minister, he would probably make the same decision. After all the experts had brought him nothing and the terrorists were still out there.
‘I’m sorry Kurt, do you think it’s the right thing to do?’ Bryant asked.
The Mossad officer knew better than to get sucked into another country’s political war.
‘You must do what you think is right for your country. In my own country we would be kicking down doors and that would include the Finsbury Mosque. I would like to know what the Imam knows. But then you must do what you think is right for you.’
‘I think you understand Mister Shimon. The British people cherish not only their own civil rights but the civil rights of others. Between ourselves I only wish I had the same power your Prime Minister has when it comes to dealing with these people.’
‘Maybe that is why they think they can get away with what they intend to do, because they know you’re vulnerable, and they believe because of that you’re weak. In Israel we strike hard and that is the only way we can survive. We are surrounded by enemies who want to destroy us. I believe in the old saying, we call it the eleventh commandment, hit them before they hit you. I think from what I’ve seen, you have the resources to hit them, you just need the courage to do so.’
Fraser was impressed by the words of the Mossad officer which he totally agreed with. The difference was that the Director of MI5 and the Mossad were unaware of the true remit of SG9 that had been agreed at the highest level. To track down the terrorist threats to the UK and eliminate them wherever they were found.
‘Don’t worry Kurt we have the courage. If Margaret Thatcher could send the SAS into the Iranian Embassy, then an invasion fleet halfway around the world to the Falklands to kick out the Argentinians, then this country has the courage,’ said Bryant.
‘No offence intended we are with you in this, all the way,’ replied Shimon.
The Director of MI5 had listened to this conversation and had to speak.
‘You do realise Sir Martin that when we had the bomb attacks in July 2005, the Security Service came in for a lot of criticism and that’s why we more than doubled the lawyers we had. The number of ambulance-chasing legal firms out there also increased because they could see big money through their distorted use of the human rights legislation. On one occasion we acted on poor intelligence that there was a biological weapon in a Muslim family house at Forest Gate. We raided it and found nothing. The intelligence was wrong, and the subsequent claims cost the British taxpayer £210,000 to refurbish the house and a further £60,000 to compensate the family. That one costly mistake almost cost the job of one of my predecessors, never mind the money. But since then, we tend to worry too much about getting it wrong, instead of doing our job despite the mistakes.’
She had made her point. Fear can freeze politicians into making mistakes. They think according to the amount of votes it could cost them, never mind the money or damage to the country. The Prime Minister stood before replying.
‘Thank you for that Caroline. Can we get back to Operation Search? From my calculations we have about 24 hours, and we still need to find these people and the target. Keep me updated all the way. I’ll give the Home Secretary the heads up to issue the increase to the threat level. All our forces will be put on full alert. Get me results and get them fast.’ With that Brookfield and Bryant left the three intelligence officers to themselves.
‘What now?’ asked Aspinall.
‘We find these people fast. The Prime Minister has given us more power without knowing it.’
‘What do you mean ‘C’? The press will be banging on our door as soon as that notice goes out.’
‘Pass them on to the Home Secretary’s office. In the meantime, we concentrate on the Finsbury Mosque and the two-mile area where we think our friends are holed up and knock down doors as Kurt suggests.’
‘That will ruffle a few feathers,’ said Shimon.
Fraser smiled.
‘As I said, the PM has by his actions given us the go ahead to use all resources to find these people. If that means kicking down a few doors and ruffling a few feathers, then so be it. Better that, than hundreds dead because we did nothing. We start by putting pressure on their people. If things go wrong, we all might be dead anyway or at the very least looking for a new job. If it’s war these people want, then it’s war they will get.’
Reece and Anna had spent the last hour walking the busy streets between Oxford Street and Edgware Road. The winter day was cold, and both had made sure to wear warm clothes which also helped cover the fact they were wearing bulletproof vests. When Reece wore his Barbour jacket, he liked to keep his gun in the right-hand pocket rather than the holster giving easier access to it if needed. Anna was wearing a short parka coat and from the way she kept her hand in her right pocket Reece suspected she would be holding the grip of her .22 pistol.
Some of the streets being close together were not wide and they’d found on more than one occasion they’d crossed over the same road more than once. They had kept up a running conversation with Harrison in the car and Reece felt he was getting to know each street and alleyway the only way he knew best, by walking them.
‘Do you fancy finding a café for something warm and wet?’ asked Reece.
‘Yes please, I need something to warm me up.’
‘Let’s walk back to Edgware Road and find one.’ Reece radioed Harrison to let him know the plan. He would let him know where, and to meet them there.
They found a Starbucks, the kind of café he liked where they could get a seat by the window and observe the street outside. The café was quiet with only two other people sitting near the counter at the other end of the room. Harrison came in five minutes later and sat down with them after getting a coffee for himself.
‘Do you know this area?’ Reece asked Harrison.
‘Yes, very well. I was part of a team a few years ago when we followed a suspected IRA sympathiser for days. He was over from Ireland working as a labourer on a building site. In those days there were hundreds of them over here working the sites throughout the city, some of them using it as cover for their other activities. Most, like him, were living in digs in Kilburn. The largest Irish area in those days. He never spotted us and went back to Ireland. But we identified his contacts and we arrested two of them later, they were planning to bomb Euston Station, not far from here. We had spotted him meeting them at a bar across from the station.’
Reece was looking out the window at the rain and the people, some of them with umbrellas for protection.
‘I’ve stay
ed in Sussex Gardens a few times. I’ve always liked this area, its cosmopolitan shops, and restaurants. It always seemed to me to have a community atmosphere. I don’t like driving in the city, it’s too busy for me, and I think knowing the short cuts lets me get to where I want to be much quicker and at the same time, I can admire much of what the city has to offer. If I need to travel further out like the MI6 building or the airports, I use a taxi or the Tube.’
‘I’m like you, David. When I’m in a major city like Tel Aviv, I like to walk. You can see much more, and I feel more aware of what’s going on around me.’ said Anna.
‘Talking about being more aware of what’s going on around you. I see someone we should invite to join us.’ Said Reece as he looked out the window.
‘Tango One from Alpha One.’ Reece spoke quietly and discreetly into the body mic on his collar.
On the other side of the street from where they looked out of the café window, they could see Captain Geoff Middleton SAS stop and reply into his own body mic.
‘Tango One, go ahead.’
‘Roger Tango One would you like to join us in the café across the road from you?’ replied Reece smiling.
Middleton looked across the road and seeing Reece at the window did not reply but acknowledged by giving a thumbs up before crossing and entering the café.
Pulling a chair over to join them at the table, Middleton sat down beside Anna with his back to the window.
‘Good timing, David I was just thinking about getting something to drink, but I suppose seeing we’re working it will have to be coffee.’ Middleton said with a smile.
‘I’ll get us some refills. What’s your poison Geoff?’ asked Harrison.
‘A double espresso please.’
‘David. I saw this man at our briefing, but I wasn’t introduced,’ said Anna.