by John Morris
Dan said, “Felicity, let’s get a takeaway and spend the evening at home. One pint is enough for me, and I need to rest. You do too.”
“No Dan, here is fine. I need a drink to help unwind, and others’ company is a boon.”
However, talk of work resumed after they relaxed. Dan said, “Alison ran through all available data regards Karen, Benaris, and the Chief. I don’t know how she found the time. It’s a can of worms. Each could be kosher, or up to no good. It depends upon interpretation of the facts, not the facts themselves, which are lean to the point of being anorexic. This report is a summary of all we have.”
Alison said, “Benaris is from a working class background, his father, and father before him, worked at an international car production plant in Dagenham. He was a Trade Union member before he was out of short trousers, and all attended Prayers religiously. Pardon the pun.
“When he was sixteen, something odd happened. I discovered he had been accepted for apprenticeship at the car plant, but then he disappeared, and reappeared again at University. It does not add up.”
“Thanks Alison, it’s clear something happened, and those are defining years for adolescents. I think he ran away. Some would say, that is the act of a coward, while others would praise his spirit of self-determination. His father may have sent him away, of course. Regardless, I’ll need to update my profile. I’ll also need to call in GCHQ to take this further.”
“Given what we know, or the lack of it, I think you’d better.”
“What of the other, Alison?”
“Karen looks clean as a whistle, despite her perceived actions. I discovered something. Not only is she a Christian, but she occasionally, and less often more recently, volunteers at charity events––fund raising for the local church, that sort of thing.”
“Nowadays, that is odd, I’m sad to say. What of the Chief?”
“That’s still in the wires, I have some roadblocks to get around. That in itself is odd, more than interesting, and I am also checking out the why of it. Anything else?”
“I’ll say. Keep at it, and let me know. But tomorrow, Alison, let’s leave this for today, and enjoy our drinks and pub meal.”
Chapter 46 ~ Fighting Back
Sir Jack called first thing. “We took all of the targets, including Mildenhall. Only five of the enemy died, and we got all the big players we were after. We followed Sinjun’s tactical strategy, and it was spot-on. Today we’ll start on the easier towns, and look for similar success.”
“That’s great. I’ll get in touch with Tom and GCHQ, we’ll switch focus to the Govenorates, see what air traffic is moving in and out.”
Later that morning, the press, led with the beheading of Queen Bethany II. Many experts were dragged in to pronounce whether it was the real Queen, or a body double. GCHQ were still working on it. The general feeling was, that if the Queen was still alive, then she had forsaken her post, in times of greatest need. Nothing had been heard from any of her heirs, so to cover the power vacuum, Sir Jack initiated Military Law, until such time, civilian law could be returned.
His speech was almost Churchillian. “...But first, we must confront and dispel the malign influences of Allah, and the fear of Islam from our shores. Evict the all of this evil from this green and pleasant land.
“Fear you not. We will conquer the enemy within, and put them to the sword. We have a patriotic duty to put the ‘Great’ back into Britain. That is precisely what, together, we will do. We must stand as one to thwart the heinous threat that has already become a cancer in our midst. It must be eradicated. Completely. And in its entirety. I call on every person in this land, to join our crusade to evict the infidel.”
Sir Jack made other, changes, like replacing the National Anthem with ‘Land of Hope and Glory’. People appeared in the street wearing the red cross on white background of Saint George, as a Crusading statement. The song Jerusalem was used to introduce the TV news.
Back at base, Dan spoke to the team. “Well done everybody, we will continue to do our job. Veronica, Ben, I’d like you to remain on nights, until the dust settles. I am sure that you both… we all… need time off.
“Martin, after yesterday’s successful operations, I need you to take the jet and get our drones back. We’ll call ahead, and you’ll be able to land at the airfields themselves. They will need to be deployed elsewhere. Alison will update you. This will take you most of the day. So get to it, all except Luton, unless that is reclaimed before you return.”
The team’s role was changing, but remained central to the fight. Sinjun was tasked with forming tactics to take out the most difficult targets, like Luton. Stella resumed her role, updating events on the main screen. Overnight, Veronica had made a political map of the entire UK. England was detailed in great depth. Their job was to identify softer targets, and return them to British rule.
Sir Jack had been working with the Chiefs of Staff, and later came over all media channels to make an announcement. “In this, our hour of greatest need, the people of this country must stand resolute. Take the good fight back against all who try to oppress them … we are putting the ‘Great’ back into Britain.”
His speech was not long. But it gave the British people an insight into how the forthcoming days would play out, until all of Britain was back under British control. He announced a regular military information channel, which would feed the nation latest news several times per day. His aim was to create a unity of nationhood, encourage patriotism, and largely, it was effective.
Just before midday, news came from Buckingham Palace. TV showed the flag of ISIL being lowered, thrown to the outer courtyard, and burned. In its place rose the Union Jack, and seconds later, the Cross of Saint George. Crowds gathered to cheer, as it became clear, all ISIL militia had been killed.
Some minutes later, a young woman dressed in black, walked towards the gates, hand in hand with one of her children, Princess Charmaine. She pulled up her black mesh veil and spoke to the cameras. “My people, there is something terrible I must share with you all. I will be acting as Regent, until our remaining child is of age to become Queen Charmaine.
“Everyone else, so many good people, were executed. The palace corridors are awash with blood. Only we survived. Thank you Sir Jack, and the SAS who saved us. That was not before the leader and many of his men enforced me to endure repeated, personal violations. I am not good. I feel debased, but I will survive. I live to take up arms against those that dishonoured me, and put them to death.
“I feel humiliated and suicidal, but tell of this to give strength to other women who are unfortunate to find themselves in a similar situation. I will not be cowed. I will not forgive. But I will never think of myself as a victim, as that leads to debilitating self-pity.
“Fortunately, Queen Charmaine was hidden in a secure Monk’s Hole, otherwise, she would also be dead. As regent, of a country with no parliament, I hereby announce the restoration of the Monarchy. Parliament will be restored, given time. For the next few days, daily power will reside with Sir Jack and his advisors. They report to me.
“I herewith reintroduce the death penalty for crimes of treason, murder, and extreme sexual abuse, especially when based upon ethnic or religious grounds. I abrogate all recent EU laws. They are rescinded as of this moment. A full statement will be forthcoming, but it may take several days. It is time to put the Great back into Britain!”
She appeared to shiver slightly, before saying, “Excuse me, I have many good people to mourn, and a country to run.” She pulled her veil down, her shoulders back, turned, and walked regally back into Buckingham Palace.
The nation was silent, as the impact of Queen Regent Kathy’s words settled amongst the people. Their world had been turned upside down by Muslim extremists. A growing rage of revenge overpowered many. Volunteers flooded to recruitment stations to take up arms against the Caliphate of England, and quickly numbers of troops swelled.
The picture was not as encouraging on the contine
nt, where the first to come through Turkey’s now open borders were militia and armaments. Germany was under attack at national, city, and town level. ISIL made great inroads as the Chancellor continued to dither, before she, and all other German politicians, were publicly executed. The majority of asylum seekers proved to be ISIL operatives under cover. The Caliphate of Germany was declared from the Reichstag in Berlin.
Switzerland, not a member of the EU, was next to fall, the aim being to take over the United Nations, which apart from the figurehead building in the United States of America, was largely based in Geneva. All, but the most useful, or useable UN bureaucrats were killed, replaced by Islamic extremists, who began writing a new set of diktats for the rest of the world to obey.
France had survived better than most northern European countries, and whilst having an Islamic Head of State, the jihadists had not struck as deeply into the mechanisms of government, as they had in UK. Once secure, and with troops and munitions to spare, the British came to the assistance of the French, and war returned to the continent of Europe.
The effort was supported by Latin Europe. The Portuguese and Spanish had been overlooked, and Italy soon resumed democratic governance. For the first time in decades, the British military responded to harassment by Russian planes and submarines, by hunting them and, when found, destroying them. Putin raised a storm of rhetoric, but backed down, favouring annexation of Lithuania and Poland.
Greater Europe may have been in a state of flux, but Britain was fighting back against the terrorist within, and taking back large swathes of the country. Queen Regent Kathy, became the public’s focus and rock, a heroine, as she took to presenting a daily bulletin.
Meanwhile, Dan’s team soldiered on. By Tuesday, they had extra support staff, some on night duty. Regular staff were allowed two days off on rotation. Their work continued to change in focus, but not in nature, they were the main receivers and disseminators of information to all security services, both home and abroad.
Dan met with Sir Jack on Wednesday, surprised to find Queen Regent Kathy present. He bowed to her, and she spoke first. “Well met Sir Glover. Here, come and kneel before me.”
Dan did as instructed, and was surprised when she drew a blade. “With this sword, I dub thee a Knight of the Realm. Arise Sir Danforth Glover of Meddlington.”
Dan was abashed, but found the words to say, “Thank you, Your Highness. I do not deserve this honour, but appreciated all the same.”
“Of course you deserve it, otherwise I would not have bestowed it.”
“But why, Your Majesty?”
“Were it not for you informing Sir Jack of the imminent threat, the Queen would not have been informed. I was there when the message came in, and I immediately concealed Queen Charmaine. I tried to do the same with my son, but they came swiftly. She is only alive because of you. The British Crown only persists, because of you.
“After the repeated ... repeated rapes, I played dead, but found a place of safety. They would have discovered me, but for the SAS reclaiming the Palace. Now, let’s get down to business.”
Dan had expected his team to be abandoned, but he was overjoyed when it became clear the Queen Regent wanted him to form and head a dedicated antiterrorist agency, one that would supplement their existing intelligence community, and act as liaison between them all, and the military. They also had a brief to include Europe, and later, all matters worldwide that affected the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.
Queen Regent Kathy said, “Dan, you will report directly to me, but in practise, this will be to Sir Jack. Later we will set up new departments, run by military and civilians, and you will report directly to Defence. Both parliament and the civil service will be reformed, but later, and not as before. This time they will report to me. Your new role has primacy, and you will forge all our intelligence offshoots into one whole.”
Before the meeting concluded, Dan was given a second task, to liaise with the French antiterrorist agencies, and also the New French Underground, a term that loosely described all French people dedicated to fighting back against government by Islamic State: France.
Dan welcomed the role, and stood to leave in buoyant mood. The only dark cloud was that the team would have to relocate to London, or a main military city. He was halfway through the door, when he turned back. “Sir Jack, this new role will require me to do a lot of long distance travelling. I will need a super-quiet light jet.”
Anxious of overreaching his station, he stood firm, and breathed in, busting his chest out. Queen Regent Kathy said, “They come with the job, don’t they.”
Sir Jack replied with a quizzical smile. “Apparently. I’ll arrange delivery within the next few days.”
Dan had the devil in him, and said, “Why not bring it to me yourself. We are holding a rather special party on Friday evening, in the village pub. Real food and ale, Sir.”
“You know Dan, I may just do that. No promises mind, but I need a break, and a proper night out in a village pub hits the mark splendidly.”
Chapter 47 ~ Proposal
Dan departed to arrange for his special night, and public proposal to Felicity. He worried against worry, she would say ‘No’. Having given Brian his requirements, and a rough idea of numbers and menu options, he talked with the team, before returning home.
Felicity was already there, and he helped her cook. He told her about his Knighthood, and the new team, and her reply became a papier-mâché of incoherent words. Later, they enjoyed being together, a movie was playing on DVD, but they largely ignored it.
On Thursday afternoon, the team reviewed progress. One week had elapsed since the Islamic revolution. Wales, Scotland, plus Northern and Southern Ireland were not under any form of Islamic control.
Much of England had returned to British rule, but in some towns, entrenched Govenorates remained. These were being retaken, but the work was ongoing and would take weeks. Some only held pockets of resistance, but others, like Luton, were a hotbed of Muslim insurgency, and would need to be taken back, street by street. Eastern Birmingham was a no-go area. London had seven small Govenorates. Tower Hamlets was due to be taken on Friday morning, during main weekly prayers.
Late on Friday afternoon, Dan called Felicity and said he would be dining at the Inn. “I need a few beers and a curry, Filly.”
“I don’t know. I’m done for. All I want to do is sleep.”
“No you don’t, one Pernod will set you up. It won’t be a late night, I promise. I’ll see you at home, six-ish, because I need to change. Ciao.”
Felicity was in an almost querulous mood when she arrived home, much in need of a soak in the bath. Dan had already run it, and she was guided upstairs to luxuriate. The long soak and massage jets brought her back to normality. She was wondering what to wear, when Dan returned. “Filly, get dressed, people are arriving, in our back field.”
He was gone before she could reply, her irritated nature returning to haunt her perspicacity of the moment. Dressing quickly, she stormed out of the back door, and found Dan parking a plane near the hangar.
Sir Jack stepped out and looked around, quickly grabbing Dan’s hand in friendship, saying, “Congratulations.”
Dan whispered, “She doesn’t know yet. Shush.”
Felicity was slightly flummoxed. Sir Jack said, “Come and inspect your new plane, it’s a lot better than that one. Oh, and I’ll park a Harrier here soon, just in case we need you. Experienced pilots are hard to come by, and I may yet need you in the air for a special mission: France.”
Felicity was about to board, when the low throb of large helicopters grew louder. She was surprised when a light jet landed, and she helped it park, calling on ‘the boys’ to assist. Dan’s Director got out, along with two bubbly children, and Harry McBride, who had piloted the craft.
Dan said, “I wasn’t expecting you tonight Ma’am, but you, Harry, and the children, are most welcome.”
“Cut the crap Dan, you must bear in mind, word gets about within
the security services. Remember that. I see you have a new plane, so I’ll be flying mine back tonight.”
They all turned, as the throb of helicopters got louder, Sir Jack said, “I wasn’t sure she would come, but we have been blessed this eve.”
Felicity said, “Who?”
“Wait and see,” came the bluff reply.
Outside the main drive, Tom and Margaret were all of a mither. A large Bentley was hogging the drive, and would not let them enter. When Tom got out to complain, several special agents drew weapons on him. “I’m the father of the Fiancée-to-Be.”
“Ah.” One man talked on his radio, and moments later, Felicity ran down the drive to welcome her parents.
“I have no idea what’s going on tonight, but thank you for being here. We better get back, as helicopters are coming in.”
Before the first helicopter touched ground, an armed security detail debarked to check the vicinity, working outwards. Once given the all clear, the second helicopter landed carrying Royalty. The doors opened, and Queen Regent Kathy came down the steps, accompanied by Queen Charmaine, who said, “Is this going to be fun, Mummy?”
“A lot more fun than anything we’ve done recently. These people are our friends. Now, come and play, you will love it.”
Queen Regent Kathy was gracious, but relaxed, as she met the others. “I just had to get away. Running the country, and being constantly plagued by well-meaning advisors takes its toll. I needed a break, and this was perfect. I also need time and space to think, without a new drama unfolding, seemingly every few seconds. I’ve never been allowed to do anything like this before, well, since I was married.” She stifled a tear, and walked forward, holding her head high.
Introductions were brief, and Queen Charmaine was introduced to the Director’s grandchildren. They were of similar ages, and made friends quickly. Soon they were running off to see the air raid shelter. Bodyguards tried to keep up.