by Tim Jopling
According to the two MI6 agents in the front seats of the car, detached duty had been cancelled and they were both being taken back to MI6 headquarters in the Vauxhall Cross area. That attack must have really shaken up everyone. With Drake out of the way maybe S.U.C.O. has a second chance! Olsen came to his thoughts and he wondered how his friend would react to the news. Over the past year, he had missed him immensely and secretly hoped that whatever the threat was, it might tempt him to return. Carter had kept in regular contact with Olsen and knew that he was finishing up his move to Hampshire with his wife. Would Sam’s patriotic side come to the fore?
One of Jozef’s loyal followers slowly pulled a black balaclava over his dark blonde hair and chubby face. His eyes continued to glance at the Government car as he positioned his Vauxhall Astra directly behind the beige vehicle that carried the S.U.C.O. targets. Three other men sat in the car with him. Hours had passed since he had last heard from Bognor, so he naturally assumed that the task had already been finished.
It had been raining hard all day and he knew it would give them the advantage in the assault. They were moving along a quiet dual carriageway with traffic all around them. He gave a quick look in the side mirror as the car was moved into the adjacent lane, so the passenger side was aligned with the target vehicle. A quick look was made to double check the cars position as he spoke to his companions. ‘Get ready.’
Carter leaned forward to hear the radio report from HQ. He spoke with alarm. ‘Olsen? Did I hear right? Is he ok?’
The agent in the front passenger seat turned around as the radio report continued. ‘Olsen was attacked at his home. Ok by the sounds of it. HQ is sending a backup unit just in case we’re-’
A huge explosion rocked the vehicle!
Carter was flung back into his seat as the car lost control and flames engulfed the vehicle. On coming to, coughing was inevitable with thick smoke all around him. He held his head and tried to focus on what the other agent had been saying. Something about backup being sent, in case we’re a target, he remembered. We’re under attack! A car appeared alongside with four men inside, before passing them by to pull over just ahead. A small sarcastic smile came to his features, knowing they had become the second target. Next to him, Gibbs looked shaken but otherwise ok.
The two agents in the front had not been so lucky; a huge chunk of the front area of the car had been totally blown away. The dashboard had practically gone, together with the communications radio. The fire was spreading.
One of the front agents’ Browning 9mm MK3S pistol had fallen onto the floor during the attack. Carter took it and cocked the weapon, just in time to see the barrier of the dual carriageway heading straight for them. He pushed himself back in his seat, preparing for the collision. ‘Brace yourself Nige, we’re going to impact!’
The lead attacker watched as the car, heavily alight with flames, crashed straight into the side barrier. No signs of life could be seen through the thick smoke that billowed from the shattered vehicle. The rest of his team joined him as they all moved closer.
Carter tried his door again but it was jammed solid. Next to him, Gibbs was still rubbing his head. ‘Wake up, we need to get out of here!’ Before saying another word, the smell of petrol caught his attention. Carter, who was now sweating profusely, smashed the back window with the butt of the gun and they stumbled out of the vehicle together. Carter gave a look behind, to see if the agents in the front showed any signs of life. ‘Good job I didn’t insist on a front seat then.’ He said sarcastically.
They made their way from the car onto the side of the dual carriageway, taking shelter behind the roadside barrier. Bullets hailed in from up ahead.
Carter ducked down behind the barrier. ‘Get down. I’ll try to hold them off until backup gets here! Down!’
Gibbs looked around their position and immediately saw how exposed they were. ‘We need to move away from here! Further down the barrier will give us more cover!’
Carter fired off another shot from the pistol. ‘In a second!’
The lead terrorist had seen everything and was now ducked down behind the barrier. ‘Two of them! Move in closer, we can’t have any survivors!’ The sight of a pistol in one of the survivor’s hands made him wait. ‘Get down!’
Carter mentally checked how many rounds were left in the cartridge of his pistol and gave a look around his position; the pouring rain forcing him to squint.
Gibbs was a specialist in reconnaissance for MI6 and was the wise old head. ‘Dan, I count four attackers. All of them armed to the teeth. We’ve got limited options!’
Carter glanced back and shouted his reply, trying to be heard amongst the constant traffic. ‘Which are?’
‘There’s a rifle in the boot of our car and it looks in one piece. We could try to get to it or continue moving down the barrier and flag down a car!
Carter interrupted. No time for heroics! ‘No chance. I’m not risking anyone for a rifle!’
Gibbs grabbed the arm of Carter. ‘Then we should get moving!’
Carter put a hand on his colleague’s shoulder. ‘Just hold on! Let me think for a minute.’ He watched the remaining attackers approach the burning vehicle ahead to check the wreckage. An idea came to him at lightning speed. ‘Get down, I’ll shoot the petrol tank!’
The Browning pistol was aimed and fired. Two bullets shot out of the chamber and penetrated the tank of the car ahead. Within moments, an almighty explosion threw the S.U.C.O. agents back several feet as the force of the blast hit them both. Both lay dazed on their backs as more bullets poured in. Without waiting around, they leapt over the roadside barrier and began to run further down the dual carriageway, knowing some space had to be created between them and the remaining two attackers. Both men crouched down and watched. Carter checked the cartridge of his pistol and swallowed hard, only one bullet remained. He put the cartridge back in the weapon and gritted his teeth.
‘Sir! We’ve lost contact with the tracking device on Mobile Unit 2! I’ve tried to raise them on all frequencies as well but still no response!’
Ramsey leaned forward from the back seat. It was beginning to look like his hunch was correct. ‘Keep trying. Get to it!’ He looked at the driver who was struggling to weave in and out of the late lunchtime traffic. ‘How far?’ He shouted.
The driver looked tense. The traffic was building up and they were still a few minutes away. ‘About a minute or so, sir. Hold on!’
The passengers rolled back into their seats as the driver executed a high-speed turn. Cars ahead were swerving out of the way. Some were sounding their horns as they sped by.
Ramsey tried to remain positive but it seemed like they had left HQ hours ago. The look on the face of the agent operating the communications radio said it all.
Carter watched the passing cars as the rain continued to fall. He knew it was probably for the best that none of them stopped to help; he had enough on his plate to protect himself and Gibbs, let alone any good willed members of the public. Wiping the rain from his face and peering over the barrier, he saw one of the attackers search the area near the burning remains of their Government vehicle. Watching closely, Carter considered firing his last bullet but held back, knowing it could save them if things got worse. A short run took them further down the barrier. Carter looked back sharply as he heard more sounds of gunfire. To his amazement, the two attackers were firing at another approaching car. Hope took hold that it could be the backup car. Carter saw one attacker running for the grass embankment, whilst the other stayed to fight.
Ramsey stayed by his vehicle and watched with pride as his agents took down the last remaining attackers. His days in the field were long gone but that didn’t mean there weren’t moments where he wanted to be active again. As much as that feeling started to build, he resisted and waited until it was safe to move. His eyes surveyed the carnage of the attack and he desperately tried to make out any survivors in the burning vehicle ahead
‘I can’t get close en
ough sir, there’s so much heat coming from that car!’ said the lead agent whilst holding a hand up to protect himself from the heat.
The experienced MI6 legend put his hands on his hips and sighed heavily. ‘We’re too late. These people always seem to be one step ahead of us.’ Ramsey had a resigned look on his face but could see two individuals approaching on foot.
‘Carter, Gibbs; you’re ok! What happened here?’ Ramsey studied the traumatised faces.
‘Only just ok, sir. I thought our number was up until you guys came to the rescue. They ambushed us real quick. The two agents in the front didn’t stand a chance, we couldn’t do anything for them.’
Ramsey closed his eyes in dismay. ‘You can give me all the details later, Carter. We need to get back to HQ and begin planning our response – if we have one! We’re holding one of them captive. Hopefully we can gain the upper hand over this.’
The other agent returned looking disappointed. ‘Sorry sir. I lost him. I’d like to stick around and continue the search though.’
Ramsey shook his head. ‘Not today. We’ve lost enough agents already. Let’s go.’ As everyone got into the car, Ramsey took another look at the burning remains of Mobile Unit 2. He turned to the agent in the front seat. ‘Call the fire brigade and have a recovery team get here on the double.’ With that, he took his place as they started the journey back to MI6.
Chapter 4
Wednesday, July 25th 14:30,
MI6 Headquarters, London.
Jordan sat in the back seat of the Government car, as the scenery of the London Vauxhall Cross area passed by the window. Ever since he had received the call that MI6 now wanted him back, he had been in a state of shock.
Since the inquiry finished six months before the 43-year-old’s career had been in freefall. His career and reputation were in tatters and he had been forced to decide whether to stay at MI6 in a demeaning role in ‘Records’ or take a transfer to Scotland Yard and work on several unfinished cases, all of which proved to be no challenge whatsoever. Regardless of his dire situation and where he was in his life, Jordan always tried his best to be as professional as he possibly could.
As he removed his tie from his dark blue shirt, he reminded himself he had heard the stories of change that were taking place at the Security Service headquarters since the death of Drake and now wondered whether he was to be part of the new dawn. Whatever the chance, whatever the opportunity, I’m going to take it and prove to them I’m still the best of the best! He told himself confidently. His green eyes looked out of the darkened window and saw the far older building of MI5 pass by as the car crossed over Lambeth Bridge. He leaned forward in his seat and looked at the two drab looking men in the front. ‘And you’ve no idea what this is about?’
The front seat passenger looked around disinterestedly. ‘Like I said, all I know is that we’re to take you back to MI6 straight away.’ He looked back and smiled. ‘Just sit back and enjoy the ride, ok?’
Jordan sat back and felt like a child before Christmas Eve, awash with excitement. He couldn’t wait to return to MI6 and resume his career as a S.U.C.O. agent. This is my chance, my only chance to get my life and career back on track and I’m going to take it!
Olsen was taken to briefing room two of Operations Command and left alone. The former MI6 employee winced as his side caused a surge of pain. He had spent the last hour in the ‘Infirmary’ having his injuries attended to. Physically he felt slightly battered but the day’s events had shaken him mentally more than anything else. Throughout it all, he had felt sick to his stomach over how things had been left with Rachel. Why couldn’t she understand that he hadn’t come back here to get his career back on track but to find out exactly what was going on? To protect her! Olsen found his phone from his back pocket and tried to call her again. As it rang, his mind visualised her in the car, deliberately not answering, probably because she was thinking over the future of their marriage. Don’t even think that he told himself. He left another message, pleading with her to call him and tried to focus on the situation at hand.
Why had they been targeted at their home? Who was it that wanted to make it personal? Olsen scanned through the names and faces of those he had faced in the past but found his attention drifting back to Rachel once again. As hard as he tried he couldn’t shake his concern that she was in danger and he was going to do whatever it took to protect her. He rubbed the cut on his forehead and felt some mild pain in his rib cage as he thought of how he could make Rachel see what he was doing.
Ramsey confidently entered Operations Command and saw Olsen sitting in the Briefing Room on the other side of the vast complex. Getting Olsen to stay will be no easy task.
Olsen turned around as a huge shadow appeared at the doorway.
‘It’s good to see you, Olsen.’ Ramsey gave a genuine smile.
The former S.U.C.O. agent didn’t respond straight away. The slight darkness of the room portrayed an air of resentment around him. ‘What’s going on, Kevin?’ He asked in a bitter tone.
Ramsey smiled to himself and felt Olsen’s eyes bore into his. ‘I’m glad you and your wife are ok.’
‘We’ll live.’ Olsen’s dark eyes watched Ramsey linger at the doorway and then sit down.
‘I take it you’ve come back to find out what’s going on?’
‘I’m not going to be here for any other reason.’
Ramsey leaned in closer and wanted to get down to business. ‘You know why you’re here Sam, let’s not mess around. I don’t think we even have the time.’
Olsen raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of disgust, knowing exactly what was going on. ‘Don’t tell me…you want me back at MI6?’
‘Absolutely.’ Ramsey saw his former colleague shake his head and get up to leave. ‘Just hear me out, that’s all I ask.’
‘Give me one good reason! I’m only here to find out what this is about.’
‘No you’re not, you’re here to come back to us and you know it.’
‘I put my life on the line fifty times over, if not more and then after ten years, I’m crucified along with the rest of my team. And now, you want me to just walk back in and carry on? Are you serious?’ Olsen grabbed the door and pulled it open.
Ramsey panicked, got up, and bellowed after him. ‘The people that attacked you today! I can’t guarantee they will go away unless this whole thing is put to bed.’
The shadows covered Olsen’s substantial frame as he stood in the doorway. ‘Then I’ll have to rely on my former friends to do it for me this time.’
‘If it were any other time I’d agree with you. Listen Sam, this place is a mess and we don’t have the resources. Drake’s era saw too many changes, none of which were good.’ He outstretched his right hand and spoke with real feeling in his deep baritone of a voice. ‘I need you.’
Olsen refused to believe it and stepped back into the room. ‘Don’t try this on me…you have the resources, I don’t doubt that for a-’
Ramsey overpowered him. ‘All gone. I’m serious. Drake ripped through the heart of this place, he was hell bent on change.’ Silence lingered between the two men. ‘Look, this was my call, all I’m asking is that you attend the briefing and then if you’re not interested, fine, we’ll stop right there.’ He held out his arms, desperate to have his most promising agent, who had always been patriotic, at the briefing.
Olsen stood motionless at the doorway.
Ramsey pressed home his point even further. ‘For Christ’s sake Sam, Drake and all his team were murdered just hours ago, now S.U.C.O. has come under attack. None of this is a coincidence.’
Olsen thought of Rachel again, who had not got back in touch with him. He released a heavy sigh and nodded slowly.
Ramsey led Olsen into briefing room one. The rest of the S.U.C.O. team, except for Jordan, were already waiting.
It had been months since Olsen had last seen some of his former team. Greetings, some restrained, were exchanged by all; Jarvis, Wilson, Ballard, Gibbs, Sampson,
Miller and his close friend Carter. The briefing room went quiet. Olsen looked at Carter. ‘Where’s Jordan?’
Ramsey cut in. ‘On his way in now.’
Olsen exchanged words with Carter over the attacks they had both survived and then looked at Ramsey. ‘Who are we dealing with here?’
Ramsey walked past and activated the view screen. Before he could start, the final S.U.C.O. member appeared at the doorway.
Jordan stopped for a moment and saw the faces of the men he had once trusted and admired. He took a seat next to his former deputy, Gibbs.
Ramsey could feel the tension but continued anyway. The screen slowly came to life, displaying the image of Jozef Kiprich. Noises of recognition came from those around the table. Ramsey slowly nodded his head. ‘Exactly. This is the problem. As some of you already found out today, Jozef Kiprich is in the country, together with his followers, no doubt. No sign of his brother Gyorgy as yet, rumours are rife that he is dead. Are they here to attack the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games? I’m certain of it. We are holding a man who was one of the attackers on Olsen’s home today. Our hope is that we will be able to extract something. Our security is already in place for every aspect of the Olympics. However, with this well-known terrorist in our midst, the stakes have been raised. I’m sure you’ll all agree we cannot afford to take any chances.’ The next slide showed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic stadium in Stratford, the venue of the opening ceremony for London’s first Olympics since 1948. ‘The opening ceremony is an obvious target. The Prime Minister, the cabinet and members of the Royal family will all attend. We simply have to get through this unscathed.’