Underground Murmurs (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 2)

by Tim Jopling

  Lorna Reed stood outside the entrance door to Down Street station and continued to read the headlines of the paper she had bought from the Newsagent. The woman physically jumped as several gunshots could be heard coming up from the station below. She could barely believe what was happening. Only an hour ago, her boss had woken her and told her to help her Government and report to Down Street station to offer assistance. Assistance? What can I do to help? She thought to herself. She thought of calling the police but decided against it. Despite only knowing the two men for less than an hour, she trusted them. Reed opened the entrance door and peered inside. A large part of her wanted to go in and look at every aspect of the station. As yet, Down Street and one or two others had been the few she hadn’t seen. The young woman thought about it some more and placed her left foot on the narrow staircase. Before her right could comply, the rumbling noise of a train made her jump right out and back to the safety of the newsstand.

  Olsen could hear footsteps and heavy breathing some distance ahead. Even with Carter’s torch, they had still yet to identify the attacker. Both men had been running for almost ten minutes, through the pitch black tunnel that led from the closed off platform at Down Street station. No lighting was present, but the air was becoming clearer as they made further progress. Olsen glanced across to his friend on the other side as he wondered where it would lead them. There was occasional gunfire but the attacker appeared to have lost his or her advantage. He fired numerous warning shots as movement could be seen ahead. ‘There! To the right, get some light over there!’ Beams of light flashed over to that side of the tunnel, revealing several rats.

  Further on, faint signs of light were beginning to break through the shadows. Olsen gave an order to pick up the pace and they soon found themselves at the edge of the tunnel with another Underground station in front of them. It appeared to be in use with more modern advertisement posters on the tunnel walls. Olsen heard several screams and caught sight of two women who looked right at him and his colleague and then screamed uncontrollably as they saw the weapons in their hands. A sign could be seen on a nearby wall; ‘GREEN PARK STATION’. Olsen made his move and jumped up from track to platform level hiding behind a chocolate dispenser. The remaining passengers on the platform were now taking cover as well, leaving the attacker exposed. Olsen pushed the two women behind him and fired several shots at the man who appeared to be dressed all in black. One of the bullets ricocheted off the wall, just missing its target. The target started to run and then disappeared. ‘Now! Move!’ he screamed.

  The attacker ran up the stairs two at a time, hearing the men behind in close pursuit. A door ahead of him was marked ‘STAFF ONLY’ but he sprinted past, leaped up a shorter flight of stairs and saw his exit up ahead as he ran hard to make it. Sparks flicked off the wall nearby and he looked back whilst still running, spraying the wall at the far end with bullets, in a desperate attempt to slow them down. A steel gate blocked the way but only for a few seconds as he blew the lock clean off. Dragging the gate towards him, he squeezed through a small gap to the sound of screaming passengers who had caught sight of his black outfit and weapon. Initially, there was little room to move but men and women soon threw themselves out of his way as havoc broke out on the crowded platform. He could hear the two men behind him as he pulled the gate shut. He turned round and fired his weapon in the air as men and women continued to make way for him. Some wouldn’t budge so he shoved through any way he could to get to the platform exit. An alarm began to bellow out through the confined space as he elbowed a uniformed station attendant out of his way. He turned around again and blasted bullets out of the chamber of his machine gun, not caring where they went.

  Olsen reached the gate, with Carter not far behind. They filed out onto a platform full of panic and frenzy.

  Men and women were standing around, some injured, others clearly affected by the stress of a masked man with a gun running through the station. One woman, who was kneeling down on the floor receiving assistance from a member of staff visibly jumped with fear at the sight of two more men with weapons.

  Olsen looked over to the far end and started to run but collided with a smartly dressed man who was on the floor. Olsen tumbled over and struggled to get up amidst the chaos. ‘Go after him!’

  Carter sprinted up a set of stairs and shouted over the alarm. He entered the ticket area where several staff members were sprawled out on the concrete floor. One of them looked straight at him. ‘Where’d he go? Which way?’ screamed Carter. The dazed staff member pointed to the nearest exit as the S.U.C.O. agent jumped over the barrier and ran up the stairs to street level, looking up and down the busy London road. There was no sign of the target and the heavy rain made it hard to spot anyone as people brushed by with umbrellas. He placed his gun back in its holster and turned back to the staircase that led into the depths of Green Park station.

  At platform level, Olsen helped someone to their feet and walked over to the nearest staff member. ‘Can you turn that damn noise off?’

  The station manager rushed out of a nearby office and looked as white as a sheet. ‘What the hell is going on here? Who was that guy?’ He asked, wide eyed.

  ‘Trust me, you don’t want to know.’ Said Carter flatly, as he stepped off the staircase and back onto the platform.

  ‘Anything?’

  Carter looked embarrassed. ‘Sorry, Sam. That guy moves like the wind. He could be anywhere by now.’

  Olsen sighed heavily. ‘Contact the police and set up a five mile perimeter, I want him in custody.’

  Carter moved off to comply.

  ‘Just who the hell are you?’ Asked the station manager, squinting at Olsen who was covered in dirt, grime and water.

  ‘It’s a long story but I’m working with the police on the security preparations for the Olympics. I’m sorry for all the havoc, it’s safe to say you can resume normal service.’

  The station manager wiped beads of sweat away from his brow and eyed the man closely, wondering where he had come from. ‘Mind telling me what it was all about? I mean, is it going to happen again or what?’

  ‘Sorry, I can’t really tell you anymore. You could help me though.’ Olsen smiled as he caught sight of the manager’s change in expression. ‘Just one question and then I’ll be off.’ He walked over to the steel gate that the attacker had blown through. ‘Has there been increased usage of this gate and the corridors behind it?’

  The station manager frowned and shook his head. ‘No, that only leads to the closed part of this station. A couple of months ago we had some engineers working on some prototype lighting systems along the platform but since then it’s been locked, until today’s events.’

  Olsen thanked the manager and walked up the flight of stairs to the station exit. He pulled out his mobile phone and called HQ to inform them of the morning’s events and to have a car sent for Lorna Reed, who would still be waiting outside Down Street station.

  Jozef sat alone in his car. The news of his second team’s demise at Baldon House had filtered through. His plan to ambush S.U.C.O. before they had been reactivated had also failed; Olsen and his agents were beginning to get too close. The loss of his second team and other men in the ambush had depleted his loyal group. There is still time to tip the balance! thought Jozef. He continued walking up the staircase that led to a first floor flat, above a line of shops not far from the tube station they had been concentrating on.

  Inside, several other members were busy working on electrical equipment. Another was continuing his research on the London Underground. The flat was run down with damp on the walls and very little furnishing. It had come cheap, the landlord none too bothered on who would be using it and for what purpose.

  As the leader studied the room, he caught sight of the one who was supposed to have returned from Down Street with the vital supplies they had stored there months before. Jozef approached him. ‘Did you bring those supplies back with you?’

  The young man didn’t meet hi
s leader’s eyes and stumbled with his words. ‘No Jozef. I – I – I must apologise but when I got there, two men were looking around. I could have sworn I killed one of them but eventually they got away. If you had let me take some more men, then maybe I could have-’

  Jozef cut him off in mid sentence. ‘You were perfectly capable. You did not obtain the supplies and you didn’t kill these two men?’ He looked away as his trusted second in command, Zoltan Ferec, handed him a paper. It was the first edition of The Evening Standard, which had several publications per day. The headline read; ‘SECURITY THREAT AT GREEN PARK STATION!’ Jozef scanned the first few paragraphs and then dropped the paper. He spoke in a calm and soft tone. ‘This is you?’

  The loyal follower looked at the paper on the floor, knowing all too well he could not deny it. The potential consequences for failure made him look up sharply. ‘Yes Jozef. I had no alternative but to escape through that station, my options were-’

  Jozef interrupted him again. ‘You have now drawn attention to the London Underground and ourselves. Both of which we could well do without.’ A lengthy pause came. ‘You are no longer needed here. Go.’ Jozef turned away and asked another of his team to go to King William Street Underground station and pick up another set of vital supplies. Jozef caught Ferec’s eye and watched him leave to follow the man who had failed him, knowing the loose end would soon be resolved. The psychopath deliberately caught the eye of every other member in the flat. All of them knew what would happen to their former associate. Jozef hoped they would all think twice about failing him in the future.

  Chapter 10

  Friday, July 27th 03:30,

  MI6 Headquarters, London.

  Olsen swiped his ID card through the reader on the large double doors to Operations Command, saw the green light flash and walked through. Ahead, Jordan was studying a monitor that appeared to display the encrypted data of the damaged hard drive. Olsen rubbed his eyes and reminded himself to make sure everyone took a break at some point soon. ‘Alex, any progress?’

  Jordan checked the cables that were plugged into the back of the encoders and looked up from the screen with a positive glint in his eyes. ‘Just need a few moments more Sam and we may just get something.’ Jordan had worked harder than he had for ages but he felt motivated and valued, two things he had not felt in a long time. He was thoroughly enjoying being back in team S.U.C.O.

  Olsen took off his grime-ridden jacket. ‘Well done.’ He turned to face another one of the S.U.C.O. agents. ‘I want you to get in touch with London Underground and the police. Following today’s events at Green Park, I want them to place all stations on security alert. Have all their staff informed. Anything out of the ordinary and they call the police straight away, with us being informed at all times.’ He turned round at the sound of a familiar voice.

  ‘What happened at Down Street station, Mr. Olsen?’ Lorna Reed asked, her flame coloured hair looking tousled. She was standing beside an empty desk and looked troubled. ‘I was outside listening to a Rambo movie going on below.’ She looked around at the other agents and felt concern for the one called Carter. ‘Where’s your friend, is he ok?’

  Olsen saw the woman blush a little and couldn’t help but smile. ‘Dan’s fine. Take it easy Lorna and please, call me Sam. Here, take a seat.’ They both sat down at the empty desk. ‘What I’m about to tell you is highly classified, you can’t tell anyone about this, you hear me? I mean no one.’ Olsen made a gut decision and took a gamble on trusting the likeable woman from the London Underground. ‘The Olympics opening ceremony could well be a target. We have intelligence reports and evidence to corroborate that claim. Increasing security is what we are doing initially but in order to prevent it we need to find out exactly what they are planning to do. Today in Down Street station, Agent Carter and I were attacked by one masked man. We chased him and wound up in the next station.’

  ‘You mean Green Park?’ Reed asked, looking interested.

  ‘That’s right, passengers everywhere. He got away, unfortunately. What I need you to do is come up with as much information on the abandoned tube stations you can.’

  Reed look puzzled. ‘Have you got proof that abandoned stations are the ones these terrorists are using?’

  Olsen smiled slightly. ‘So far no but we will, you don’t have to worry about that. It makes sense. Those stations are closed off and once you’re in you can gain access to the nearest main line. Going through active stations would only draw attention. Look, use this desk and phone and get together as much information as you can on the subject. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll assemble my team.’

  ‘Ok, I’ll do my best. I just hope I can be of some use. I feel a little out of place here, you know?’ Reed pushed back her flame coloured hair and blew out her cheeks. Her dazzling hazel eyes showed a level of fear, as the intimidating atmosphere of Operations Command continued to affect her.

  ‘You’re doing a great job already, Lorna. All I ask is that you keep it up.’ Olsen walked away and pulled his ringing mobile phone from his trouser pocket. ‘Olsen’

  ‘I’m not coping well with this Sam, please tell me this is going to be over soon.’

  Moving away from all the activity, his voice turned a touch softer. ‘Are Sampson and Miller there? Is there something they’re not doing?’

  ‘They’re not you Sam! I need you here with me.’

  ‘I know, I know, we’re making good progress though and I firmly believe we will stop them.’

  Rachel put a hand over her face for a moment, at a loss at what to do. ‘What do I have to do to have you come back to me? Do you have any clue how worried I am? This feels like you’ve only just started this job, I’m really struggling.’

  Olsen pushed away the guilt and tried to think of what to say or do. ‘Rachel…I wish you could understand why I’m doing this. Obviously your natural reaction is to assume I’ve taken this opportunity to come back and damn the consequences but you’re wrong and I don’t know what else to say.’

  ‘I just find that hard to believe.’

  ‘It’s the truth, sweetie, you have to believe me. I will not be staying here full time after this crisis. That’s a fact.’

  Rachel stared out the living room window and wanted to believe her husband but it was a very difficult thing to do, considering what had gone before.

  ‘Talk to me Rachel, I need to-’ Olsen turned around sharply at the sound of Jordan’s voice.

  ‘Sam, I’m in! I’ve found the code-breaker!’

  Rachel was far from convinced but wanted her husband focussed on the job and decided to set the record straight. ‘Sam, I want to believe you, I really do-’

  Olsen was behind Jordan now and was taking in everything that was displayed on the screen ahead of him. Adrenaline was pumping through his body now and he was more obsessed than ever with stopping the impending attacks. ‘Rach, I’m really sorry but I’ll have to call you back. I’m sorry, I just have to deal with-’

  ‘Fine!’ Rachel had heard everything and terminated the call. She blew out her cheeks and stared at the ceiling in utter frustration. Her husband, the Government Agent, the most dedicated man to the job! It wasn’t just her annoyance at his dedication that hurt, the worst part was her internal frustration. Despite everything, the past few days, the last decade of worry and sheer terror that he might not return alive, Rachel loved him more than ever and at that moment she was desperate to change those feelings.

  Jozef walked carefully along the dark tunnel towards the remains of St. Mary’s tube station, passing several Military signs and warnings along the way. He flashed his torch at a huge projection screen hanging on the wall and wondered what it was doing there.

  St. Mary’s station was located between near Whitechapel before it was bombed in 1940. It was never rebuilt and the remains of the station were owned and controlled by The Ministry of Defence.

  Jozef was dressed in the all blue uniform of London Underground staff and carried an identificatio
n card around his neck. Upon turning a corner, he boldly walked down the total darkness of the tunnel and flashed some light on the walls. The original station name could be seen, spelled out by green tiles on a grime ridden white surface. He felt something beneath his boots and flashed his torch on the surface. The dust had now become so thick, Jozef thought he was walking on sand. He coughed a few times and then climbed up the remains of a staircase. Upon turning a corner, he entered a room that had a large lamp in one corner, illuminating the area. His pistol was removed from his jacket and armed as he moved to inspect a large metal gate.

  Several signs were dotted around, all of them from the Military and spoke of breaking laws and staying away from the private area.

  Jozef looked at the padlock and saw that it had been picked open. He kicked open the gate and slowly walked inside. Over the past year, the attack had been planned out to the last detail. He was meticulous in his ability to be so thorough. Jozef had been wary during his journey, even more so after the publicity in the newspaper regarding Green Park station. So far, however, there had been no signs of increased security throughout the main tube network, a fact that surprised him.

  A noise from behind made him spin around and check each part of the area with his torch. Confident there wasn’t a problem, he continued walking and approached the main platform area that was relatively intact. A feeling of relief came over him, as it would be the last time he would be coming to the station. Jozef walked down a flight of stairs and stepped onto Platform A. He saw the wiry frame of a trusted ally on the track, surrounded by a temporary lighting system that had been set up. Jozef stepped down onto the rails to meet him. ‘Progress?’