CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
May 24th
"Are you all secure?" asked White.
"Yes," replied 45, 37, 22 and 61 in turn.
"We are now in a situation so serious there isn't a bright enough colour to represent it on the visible spectrum. This is by far the biggest thing we've ever faced."
He told them of the likelihood of fifty CIA agents being on their soil and the MI6 report due the following day.
"We can't waste any time. We must secure all four establishments immediately. I need each of you to head up a team at the respective locations. 45 I want you to stay where you are and supervise the refit tomorrow, the rest of you will shortly be picked up by helicopter and taken to the other locations. 37, pack some jumpers, you're going to Aberdeen. 61 you're off to Cardiff and 22 to Sheffield. You will each have six agents, and 45 will have twelve as that's the most likely target.
"We have no reason to suspect that the CIA have any intention of destroying the establishments but you never know what those crafty fuckers are up to. Why did they have a grenade launcher and all that ammo for a simple surveillance op.?
"Now, in order to put them at their ease, I'm going to tell Agent 4 that we believe there are five of their agents here. That should make them overconfident and hopefully underestimate our operational plans."
"Any news on 4," asked Hannah, "I mean how he's passing information?"
"I'm fairly satisfied he's not doing it deliberately, if that's any comfort, it certainly is to me. I've also ruled out any bugs in his office so I think it must be something to do with his implant. I don't know if it's possible for them to be literally reading his mind. 22?"
"No, they could only read the data which is sent digitally to and from the sticks."
"Hmm. Well, I've got the tech team working twenty four hours a day on this so fingers crossed."
"If there really are fifty heavily armed agents over here," said Jennifer, "and all of them launch an attack on this place, me and twelve agents won't be able to stop them."
"I think the chances of them doing something so ridiculously public are infinitesimally small," said White, "but they may have a plan to mask it as a terrorist attack from the middle east, who knows what they're planning? Just in case, I've arranged for some back up to be on standby. It's dependent on the various locations. 61, you will have a squad of SAS soldiers."
"Oh brilliant," said Hannah, "tiny men with moustaches who stink of roll-ups."
"What do I get?" asked Jennifer. "If all of them go for this place hell bent on just destruction, I'll need a lot of firepower and manpower."
"I'm working on that as we speak, 45, but we can't make a public show of this. I've done a rush job on the order for all the reinforced doors and external work you requested. It will be arriving in three lorries at 1am. Those will park along the front perimeter and completely obscure the building from view, allowing your extra personnel to disembark unobserved. You will have twenty soldiers from a paratroop regiment, all trained in riot containment and hostage situations. I know you'd like more but I believe that's the maximum presence we can maintain in those buildings without it being the headline on the morning news.
"That portacabin building that's used for general storage and visiting workmen etc. will be the para's base. You will clear that building out as far as possible today and cover the windows. Food and general supplies will be arriving in about half an hour, enough for two weeks. Store them in the portacabin.
"The exterior work on the building will be stretched out for this two week period. It's hoped that by then they will either have sprung our trap or we'll have firm information on their intentions."
"Trap?" inquired 45.
"Yes, I'm going to tell 4 that the location will be rendered impenetrable within a week. That may draw them out. But we still have to accept that their plans may be far more subtle. They may go for one of the softer, less likely targets and merely try to steal information."
"When will you plant this trap, if you see what I mean?"
"I'll give you two days to reinforce the innermost doors and secure the labs. No, tomorrow's Friday, that gives you three days. I'll tell Arthur first thing Monday morning."
"Okay," said Jennifer, "anything else I need to know, or can I get on with clearing the portacabin?"
"No, go ahead," said White, "I'll brief the others."
"Okay," said Jennifer, "see you around guys."
The Memory Man: T14 Book 1 Page 24