by Brian Cain
CHAPTER TWELVE
Greywolf returned to the lair, he was keen to see Rose but he was stopped by Hurst in the operations room. "We have analysed the information from the two agents taken on open day."
"As we expected?"
"Apart from one thing, a bicycle pump found on one of the infiltrators push bike."
Greywolf looked interested and made a comment. "Ice gun?"
"Yes."
"Toxin."
"Looks to be concentrated Curare."
"Doesn't work in an ice gun we experimented with it."
"I'm told it must be of a species of the plant not yet documented."
"Who was the intended target?"
"We can't get that out of her."
"Her. What about our agent, he knows of the others?"
"No, he knew there may be others but was not briefed regarding identity, he was instructed to cause a diversion."
"Where is she?"
"In the dark cavern."
Wolf made his way to the dark cavern followed by Hurst with a keen strut. He turned on the light and looked through the doors spy hole, a sliding arrangement at eye level big enough to use both eyes, a woman huddled in a corner, wearing a track suit with short brown hair shielded her eyes from the sudden light. Wolf slammed the chute shut and opened the door confronting the women, the cavern was musty and clammy. "I'm agent Greywolf, who was your target." She said nothing just looked drained and scared. Wolf pulled out his gun, cocked it, pointing it at the woman's head. "You came here to kill someone who was it?"
"Please don't hurt me."
"Won't hurt just go black for a hell of a long time, who did you come here for."
"The three women."
"Names, the women have names."
"Cavendish, Fonteyn and Legrande."
"You stupid bitch, you can't leave here."
"They have my son."
Wolf hesitated. "Who has your son?"
"I don't know who they are?"
"Where did you receive your instructions and where did they take your son from."
"Will I get my son back?"
"I have no idea, how old is he?"
"Ten."
"Where, tell me where you received your instructions?"
"A coffee shop near St James Park."
"You know anything about the people who briefed you?"
"They came from Pennsylvania avenue Washington, they had ID from the IMF."
"They claimed to have taken your son or you know they have him."
"I don't know I'm just scared."
"Where did you work before they found you?"
"Talbot Street tax office London."
"Doing what?"
"Passing information to Albert Hollis."
"You're an agent."
"Yes."
"Holy shit," Wolf turned to Hurst. "Check out her entire background, find out what you can about her son, extract him no matter where he is." He turned back to her. "Why didn't you tell this man?"
She said nothing, Hurst spoke. "We checked her background, she came up on facial recognition, she has several alias's, works for the IMF, she's an assassin. You didn't trust me?" Her face turned to stone and she clung to the wall looking away.
"No I didn't trust her." Wolf pulled his weapon and gunned her down. He stormed from the cavern, Hurst followed, he yelled instructions to a young man as he passed regarding cleaning up a mess.
Wolf entered the operations room and sat down at a computer station, Hurst looked over his shoulder. "That was awful close."
Wolf punched keys, a keyboard speed of over one hundred WPM. "Yes and it's my fault, she could have been successful but I have confirmation on source."
"Should they get to the girls how would we feel, your mothers right their sitting ducks."
"They won't, now where are they sitting next, board of governors, here in London, been here for two weeks."
"Discussing the stock market crash, developing new systems, we've been monitoring outcomes, a lot of resistance from a few member governors, the banking system has collapsed."
"They shouldn't have done that."
"Going for Rose is probably just a small contingent."
"I'm not concerned with whom, they need find their own rats, the international trade conference, the brewery, Chiswell street London."
"We are way outside of reason."
Wolf turned to Hurst from the information displayed on the screen, he looked calm. "Had my mother, Rose and Louise been hit, what would you think, let alone do."
Hurst shook his head and looked down. "I would have to face your father."
"Take control of the security systems for a mile circumference round this brewery place, while I study the layout of the building, take control the all nuclear arsenals, have police conveniently tied up out of the way but within reach."
"What if they strike at us, that's going to ruffle everyone's feathers."
"We wouldn't be that lucky."
"Attempts have been made to strike this place twice in the last fortnight, we took control and stopped them."
"I read the briefs Bruce, this time let it go."
"An air force tornado can wipe the manor out."
"Imagine you're a pilot Bruce, your father and grandfather were perhaps on the ground, a ship or a plane in the world wars. Regardless of instruction would you strike a blow in the middle of Buckinghamshire bearing in mind the stigma that surrounds this place?"
"I have no idea, hasn't happened."
"But it may, close the grounds and have all staff to bunkers in a drill."
"We could be finished in less than an hour."
"Or be more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
"If we crank the new satellites they may find us."
"Henry assures us the new satellite system is undetectable and out of range."
"Currently yes."
"Everybody only has currently, were wasting time Bruce."
He nodded. "I'll get on to it."
Wolf studied the brewery building in London for half an hour, Hurst rushed back into the operations room. "Ten minutes after we gained control, three Tornados airborne from Northolt, heading our way." Wolf rushed to operations control room not far down an adjoining tunnel, he stood by the radar monitors and listened to the controller.
The controller addressed Bruce Hurst with a pale look. "Three Tornados, armed two minutes away, do we take action."
Wolf interrupted. "No, everyone in bunkers for the drill."
"Yes, the grounds are clear."
"Now you know how a war ships captain feels, when a plane enters their airspace they have two minutes to find out what it is, what its doing and take action, my father says two minutes is a long time."
The room feel silent, you could hear a pin drop other than a few blips from radar and surveillance screens, the controller spoke. "Lead aircraft has locked on to the manor."
Wolf folded his arms. "Communication between the aircraft and ground control?"
"Zero."
There was an eerie silence, Henry Dowden took of his glasses and calmly cleaned them sitting not far from the controller. "He's missed it or made a mistake, to late to engage now."
The controller verified. "Henries right, the trios turned off its targeting system and banked to the north."
"What's their heading?"
"Just strengthening up now, heading for London."
"Will their path carry them across map coordinates fifty one degrees, thirty one seconds North by, zero degrees, point o five seconds West."
The controller tracked path. "Yes, or that close to it wouldn't be funny."
"Height."
"Holding three thousand feet."
Wolf turned away and muttered to Hurst. "Search the entire complex, you will find a body, a double agent."
"I'm thinking along the same lines, you want to find who found them."
"No, people must be free to act on matters of state in a positive manner without coming under scrutiny.
"
"Could have been wasted to allay attention."
"I'm aware of the risks, also of the advantages. I want a strike team on the chopper pad in five minutes, six of the best available, civilian attire."
"Where you going."
Wolf smiled at Bruce. "To get a drink."
"The Brewery."
Wolf walked away. "You need not know, I don't drink, come on lets move it."
The controller stopped them. "You were right, the formation flew over the coordinates you gave me and have immediately banked round one hundred and eighty degrees and heading back to Northolt, how did you know."
Wolf kept walking as he raised his voice. "I didn't but now I do, messages are often conveyed in less than a conventional manner." He walked on with Hurst beside him. "Bruce, the six mustering on the chopper pad and they go direct to Northolt, extract the three tornado pilots and bring them here."
"You are going alone?"
Wolf was evasive. "You know the rules as well as I do Bruce, they just disregarded orders and made a statement, the system will target them, besides, we need people like that, and we need let the masses know what we're at."
"I'm none the wiser."
"You know as well as I, things are on a need to know basis and you needed to know, read your briefs." Wolf faded down a tunnel, he turned to Hurst before fading out of sight walking backward into the darkness. "Lets get to it Bruce, I want to be home for supper, Louise is doing a roast and crepe's." He vanished.