Unparalleled

by D. S. Smith

  “That would be me. I trust we can do this in a civilised manner?” Bruce span round in his seat to see a large set man entering the bar with David Milton and presumably another agent following. He immediately recognised the large man from the Director’s photos but the other man accompanying Milton was not familiar to him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way boss. I am here to help you and judging by the subtlety you’ve shown here, I think you could certainly use it!” Terry did not seem fazed by this criticism and continued to enter the room. He instructed Dave and Agent Mann to sit with the others while he joined Mitchell at the bar.

  He held out his hand and introduced himself as Terry. Bruce reciprocated giving him his full name and title. “Well you might as well make yourself useful behind there John,” Terry said to the agent masquerading as the barman. “Pour me a pint of beer and get Bruce here another one of whatever he’s drinking. When you’re done with us see if any of the others want drinks, soft drinks of course. Except David, he can have whatever he likes.” He turned his attention back to Bruce. “I take it you don’t really want to talk to Mr. Milton here then?” he asked pointing toward David. “Not really no, other than to say keep a low profile, mate, because Lin is really gunning for you.”

  The comment sent a chill down David’s spine but Terry immediately tried to allay his fears promising him nothing would happen to him under his care. This went someway to reassuring him, but it did not change the fact she was out there and as long as that was the case, he would not be able to relax.

  “So, what do you have for me Captain and what do you expect in return?” Terry asked getting straight to the point. It took about twenty minutes for Bruce to convey all the information to Terry. Much of what he told him they already knew, such as the identity of the Chairman and the Director, the original purpose for building their own Harmoniser and their current plan to destroy the machine here in Oxford. He mentioned how Lin Lee was lured into entrapment aboard his ship and how the whole thing was staged to take her off the international radar. This was also something the security service already knew having received intelligence from their sources in China. Terry began to feel Mitchell was deliberately avoiding telling him anything of use and was trying to understand why. He noticed him writing something down on a beermat on the bar close to his body so no one else in the room could see it apart from him and the agent behind the bar. He moved his hand away from the mat revealing writing which read, “I’m going to need the toilet. Make sure you’re the one that takes me.” Terry looked at him knowingly and then at the agent behind the bar. No words were needed to convey what should follow. Bruce stood up from his seat, picked up his glass and drank the last drop of whiskey from it. He raised it above his head and announced, “These drinks are going straight through me, which one of you lucky blighters get to take me to the pisser?” He looked toward the only female in the room and winked before placing his glass on top of the beermat with the writing on it. “I guess that will be my pleasure,” Terry offered. He stood up and escorted Bruce out of the room instructing the others not to let anyone else enter. As they left, the agent behind the bar picked up the captain’s glass and the beer mat and placed them out of sight under the bar.

  Inside the toilets, Terry did a quick check to ensure no one else was in there with them. Happy they were clear he asked Bruce what it was he wanted to say but did not want the others to hear. Bruce revealed information stating a member of Terry’s own team was feeding information to the Chairman and his syndicate. Terry had suspected the information was being leaked but had assumed the source was one of the scientific team. When Bruce told him the name of the source, he understood why he had arranged to leave the bar before revealing this. Bruce explained it was when Terry had instructed David to sit down with the agent named Robert that he had realised he needed to tread carefully. The name he had for the source was Robert Mann. Terry confirmed this was indeed the agent currently sat next to David Milton. The problem they faced now was how to prevent the information of this meeting being sent back to the Chairman without alerting them to the fact their source had been compromised? Terry advised this was something he would deal with and Bruce should concentrate on extracting more information from Lin Lee. They agreed the latter would be a discussion they could have back at the bar so as not to draw attention to the fact they knew of Agent Mann’s agenda.

  As they exited the toilets they heard shouting coming from the bar. Terry immediately ran to the entrance to find a standoff between the agent behind the bar and Agent Mann. The rogue agent was stood behind David Milton with his arm crooked around his neck and his revolver pointing to his head. Terry refrained from drawing his own weapon but instead raised his hands in submission and addressed Mann.

  “Ok Robert, take it easy there. Let David go, put your weapon down and tell me what all this is about.” Mann swung around, tightening his grip on his hostage has he did so, who in turn coughed and spluttered as his breathing became restricted.

  “You know what all this is about. Now get to the back of the room where I can see you. You too Mitchell.” The two men did as he asked and went to the back of the room to stand with the others. The other agent was still behind the bar with his revolver pointed at Mann. Mann loosened his grip around David’s neck and dragged him toward the door, using him as a shield. “Any of you follow me and I will put a bullet in this man’s head,” he shouted as he backed into the reception area. “If you so much as—”

  Before he could finish his words, there was heavy thud and a grunt before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor dragging David down with him. Dominik stood behind them holding a heavy brass table lamp and looking down at the two men on the floor. “I hope he was bad guy?” Terry immediately ran forward to disarm Mann and help David to his feet.

  The female agent joined him checking Mann’s pulse before rolling him onto his front and handcuffing his arms behind his back. Bruce walked over to Dominik and patted him on the back.

  “You did good mate. I knew you were worth that tip.”

  Ten minutes later the reception was awash with uniformed and plain clothed officers in addition to the security service agents. Bruce suggested to Terry he should distance himself from the commotion and get back to Lin Lee before she got wind of it. Terry agreed and gave him a contact number he could use to feedback intelligence as he got it. By now Agent Mann had regained consciousness and was being closely escorted into the back of a waiting ambulance. David was also being attended to in the back of an ambulance and was joined by Terry. His physical injuries were minor but he was considerably shaken by the events in the hotel. Terry apologised for putting him in such a position of danger and assured him he would remain under close guard until he personally deemed it safe for him to resume his normal life.

  “Normal! What is normal Terry? I don’t think I will experience normal again for as long as I live. However long that may be. What I have learned over the past few days is mind-blowing. I don’t see how you are going to be able to contain this information. And when it does get out to the public there’ll be chaos.” David’s response was erratic and Terry became worried he was becoming unstable. He was aware of the paramedics listening to what was being said. He looked to them and shrugged before turning his attention back to David. “It’s ok, David, we have everything under control now. You are shaken and confused. Let’s discuss this when you’ve had some rest.” David looked at the ambulance crew then back to Terry. “Oh, yes sorry. You’re right, I’m overreacting a bit. I’m just shook up like you say.” “No problem, if these good people are finished with you how about we go and see your brother?”

  The paramedics informed him they needed to carry out a few more checks on David before deciding if he needed hospital treatment. Terry agreed to this, taking the opportunity to go and wrap things up inside the hotel before leaving the scene to the local police. By the time he returned the paramedics had finished their examination. They informed Terry that David did not need hospita
lisation but he should be supervised for a period of at least twenty-four hours. Terry stated he would see to it personally.

  Later that night it was reported on the local news that a bar brawl had broken out at an Oxford city hotel during which one of the customers had pulled out a gun. Fortunately, further escalation of the incident was avoided when resident barman, Dominik Halicki, disarmed the perpetrator and alerted the police while the other patrons of the bar restrained the man. Mr Halicki, a Polish national, is being hailed a hero by the hotel staff.

  Chapter 44

  Sat in the back of a cab on the way back from his meeting with the security service, Bruce wondered how the incident at the hotel was going to be reported. It was certain to attract the attention of the local media. This being the case there was a strong possibility that Lin Lee would be aware of it. He took out his phone and called the number the agent had given him. A familiar voice answered after just a few rings. As the agent outlined the report they had given to the media, Bruce smiled at the way they had manipulated it. He particularly liked how they had shown Dominik the barman as the hero saving the day.

  When he arrived back at the safe house Lin Lee was nowhere to be seen. He checked the other rooms and shouted her name but there was no response. Assuming she was out, he went to his room and stripped, discarding the worn clothes in a heap on the floor before heading into the bathroom. He reached for the shower control turning it fully, anticlockwise to allow the water time to warm up before stepping under it. While he waited he turned to the mirror and stared at his tired reflection for the second time that day. His face was pale apart from two semi-circular dark patches under his eyes. The stress of the assignment was taking its toll on him and he just wanted to get it over with. He was no stranger to action, having spent fifteen years in the Australian Navy, three of which he served in the Special Boat Service. Back then he had been part of a team carrying out missions of national importance. Now he was just a skivvy, pandering to a psychotic bitch on a mission set by a fat cat Chinese businessman who had spat out his dummy because he had not gotten his own way. He had no idea of the purpose of the machine they were here to destroy, but he did not feel it was worth dying for. He wondered how he had ended up getting so deeply involved with these people. His initial arrangement to transport Lin Lee out of China on his ship had been organised by a third party. It seemed like easy money requiring very little involvement from him. Then, within hours of agreeing to transport her he was approached by the Chinese Police who advised him Lin Lee was a wanted criminal. They outlined a plan that would allow them to capture her once she was onboard. He agreed to go along with this to avoid being arrested. But, before the plan was executed there was another twist. One of the police officers took him to one side and advised that his services were required beyond the arrest of Lin Lee. If he agreed to assist further he would be generously rewarded. When Bruce asked how generous, the figure he was told was too much to turn down. Now he would not be seeing any of that money and the best he could hope for would be a new identity and safe passage to a location of his choice courtesy of Her Majesty.

  His gaze returned to the mirror, it had started to steam up indicating the water in the shower was running hot. He climbed into the cubicle and leaned forward under the shower nozzle letting the jets of hot water sting the back of his neck and roll down his body, pooling around his feet before draining away. He stayed in the same position for about five minutes with his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation until the skin on the back of his neck felt numb. He reached for the soap, rubbing it between his hands to produce enough lather to wash with. Eyes still closed he rubbed the lather into his face and neck before turning his head toward the water stream to jet away the suds. He opened his eyes to reach for the soap again but his attention was drawn to a vague movement reflected in the mirror. He rubbed away the steam and water droplets from the side of the cubicle, revealing a reflection in the mirror of Lin Lee sat on his toilet. He jumped and let out an audible gasp before he had time to register what he was seeing. There she sat on his toilet, jeans and panties around her ankles, leaning forward with one arm resting on her knees and the other pointing a handgun straight at his crotch. “What the fuck Lin, didn’t you think to knock?” Without replying, she reached for the toilet tissue with her empty hand and tore off a length before screwing it up and using it to wipe between her legs. Discarding the tissue into the toilet she stood up and pulled up her panties and jeans using the same hand. Tucking the handgun down the back of her jeans she used both hands to fasten them before washing in the sink. Having dried her hands, she reached around and took hold of the gun again. She pointed the gun through the glass screen of the shower cubicle straight at Bruce’s head. Before he had chance to react she pulled the trigger. The loud click made by the hammer clanking against the empty chamber made Bruce jump out of his skin. She looked down from his head to his crotch.

  “Oh dear, you seem to have shrunk a little there Bruce. Now get your ass out here and tell me where the fuck you have been all day.” Lin Lee walked out of the bathroom leaving Bruce staring at his own genitals. He looked up to the door in disbelief. “That is one crazy bitch,” he said to himself through a smile.

  He finished showering, grabbed a towel and headed to his bedroom, drying himself as he walked. Lin Lee was sat on his bed, legs crossed. She had a blueprint spread out before her and the handgun was to her side. The clothes he had left strewn across the floor were now folded neatly and stacked on a chair at the side of the bed. She looked up from the blueprint and eyed his naked body up and down. “Don’t bother getting dressed until you have explained to me where the fuck you have been all day.”

  “You know where I’ve been Lin. I’ve been running your errands for you. Now why can’t I get dressed?” She pick up the handgun and pointed it at him again. “Because if I don’t believe what you’re telling me I’m going to shoot your dick off!”

  “And if you do believe me?” Bruce asked as he casually dried the back of his head with the towel.

  “Then you can get dressed and we’ll discuss how we’re going to complete this mission so we can get the hell out of here.” Bruce removed the clothes stacked on the chair by the bed and placed them carefully on the floor. He sat on the edge of the chair making no effort to hide his manhood. She was clearly trying to use his nakedness to intimidate him and he was having none of it.

  He got straight to the point regarding the reason he had taken so long. He explained how he had been sat having a drink in the hotel bar, waiting for the opportunity to find the room David Milton was staying in. A group of people consisting of three men and a woman had walked into the bar. They’d ordered drinks and found a table where they sat and talked. After about 20 minutes two of the men started arguing. One of them pulled a gun and threatened the other. He grabbed the women and tried to drag her out of the door with the gun pointed at her head. Fortunately for the women, before the man could get out of the door the barman bludgeoned him on the back of the head with a heavy lamp knocking him out cold. “The next thing I know the place is crawling with police and everyone in the bar, including me, had to give statements. So that, my dear, is why it took me so long.”

  “Did you get Milton’s room number?”

  “No, I didn’t get Milton’s room number,” he said sounding indignant, “but that’s irrelevant now. I doubt he is still at the hotel and even if he is you’ll get nowhere near him.”

  “So what did you tell the police?” she snapped, sounding annoyed.

  “I told them I was a tourist visiting Oxford. They asked me for ID, took a statement regarding the incident and then let me go.” Lin Lee uncrossed her legs and swung them over the side of the bed so that she was sat directly opposite him and just a few feet away. The handgun was still on the bed. She leaned forward as she spoke in a calm, deliberate manner. “Congratulations for an epic failure Bruce. All I wanted was a room number. Not only did you fail to get that, we now have no idea where Milton is and you
are known by the police!” Her tone changed from calm to scorn. “Now get fucking dressed. Not even you would be stupid enough to make that shit up.”

  While Bruce was getting dressed Lin Lee assessed the situation in her head. Not knowing the whereabouts of Milton was more an inconvenience than a problem. She could avoid him by keeping a low profile until the mission was complete. The fact Bruce was now known by the police was not really an issue either. All they really knew was what he looked like. The ID and details he would have given them were all false anyway. It had entered her mind to just shoot him but that would be messy and she still required some assistance. So, when he was finished dressing she advised him of his role at the college and gave him a very basic outline of how she would complete the mission. Outwardly Bruce protested at the lack of involvement on his part but inwardly the plan worked perfectly for him. All he had to do was set off explosives in the college forecourt to draw attention away from the boiler room where she would gain entry to the Harmoniser location. Following the explosion he would head back to the safe house and wait for her to return. Of course, he thought, all being well she would not make it out of the college and he would be rid of the crazy bitch. “So, when is all this going to happen?” he asked.

  “As soon as we get a time from our inside source. It seems they are experiencing some issues delaying their research. The best time to strike is when they are using the machine. That way we can destroy it and the expertise at the same time.” Getting information from the inside source may be a bit of a problem, Bruce thought. He needed to get the details of her plan to the security service as soon as possible.