Berlin Reload: A Cold War Espionage Thriller

by James Quinn

  “My daughter recommended it to me. She says it's a classic. She thought I would like it,” he said, turning another page.

  “And is it?” chanced the young spy. C'mon, keep the conversation going, don't clam up, you're meant to be a hot-shot CIA agent runner and field operative, don't go all shy schoolgirl now…

  “Is it what?”

  “A classic?”

  The old guy shrugged. “It's been around for a while, but just because it's old, it doesn't necessarily make it a classic.”

  The American laughed. The hidden meaning was not lost on him in this situation.

  “Bad business, that,” said the old guy, nodding at the TV. “I hope your fellow countrymen are okay.”

  The young spy nodded. “Thank you. I'm Brad. I'm in IT, trying to get back to LA. What about you?”

  The old guy smiled at the clumsy attempt to gain information.

  Dammit! Stop acting like a goddamned novice. What's gotten into you! You're all virgin fumbling at the bra clasp, thought the American.

  “I'm just sitting here, having a drink, reading my book and watching the world go by. Doing no harm to anyone,” said the old guy.

  Screw it, he thought. He was going to risk 'honesty', which was a scary thing in this profession. “I'm not really in IT,” said the American.

  The oId guy indulged him. “I know. I guessed. The way that you look and the way you move gave you away. Plus those hands! They look… ready, if you catch my drift. Plus you don't look like a Brad. I'd say more of a David or a Thomas. So I'd say you were from… Virginia? Am I right?”

  The young spy raised an eyebrow at the observation. “Before we start, I just want to say I only want to talk. No other motivation. I'm between jobs. Think of this as Switzerland or Portugal during the Second World War. For the moment, this little bar is neutral ground. Agreed?”

  The old guy nodded and turned a page of his book. “Fair enough.”

  “It is you, isn't it?”

  “Of course it's me. You're sat here talking to me! I'm not a figment of your imagination!”

  The young spy smiled. “If I was to say the word 'Gorilla', would that resonate with you?”

  The old guy frowned at first and then his face lit up; a welcome memory. “That's a name I haven't heard for a very long time.”

  Of the few old-timers that were left in their line of work, the legendary Gorilla Grant was up there with the ones that the young Covert Activities Division field agent would want to meet and talk with over a drink. It was like meeting a movie star hero, or a famous sports player – it was one of those dream moments. Except, of course, movie stars and sports personalities didn't have the ability to put a bullet between your eyes from thirty feet.

  “It is you! I knew it!” said the American. Then a pause. “Are you working again? Are you operational?”

  This time, it was Jack Grant's turn to laugh out loud. “Son, I'm over seventy years of age and I retired from that nonsense more than a decade ago! Jeez, calm down and let me get you a drink! Bar-keep, another for me and my friend.”

  The drinks came and the American moved over to the next stool.

  “How do you know about me? I'm an old-timer, an ancient relic,” asked Jack Grant.

  So the young spy told him; the orientation files, how the CIA would encourage their agents to learn about what had happened in the past, older players, exceptional operatives. It was partly to learn their secret history and partly to make them aware in case they came up against them on a mission. Jack Grant closed his book, put it down, sipped his drink and smiled at distant memories.

  “They say that you Redacted some heavy hitters in your time?” said the American.

  “Oh, I don't like to crow over old victories, but…”

  But the younger man was on a roll and wasn't about to be stopped in his tracks. “I heard some serious terrorists, enemy agents, how you saved a whole intelligence network from some freelance contractors; how you hunted the hit team down and took them out. Not to mention the Japanese terrorist responsible for the '68 virus attack and…”

  “And Caravaggio,” teased Jack Grant, knowing that it would send the young spy crazy.

  “Wait? What? Caravaggio! The Caravaggio? The Master? You Redacted him? How the hell did you do that? The files don't say anything about that!”

  Grant shrugged as if it was no importance. “It was a long time ago and, like the best of secrets, it's best to keep them that way.”

  The American took the rebuke in good grace. When you spoke to a legend, it was only polite to keep pace with them, not the other way around. “Do you miss it?”

  Jack Grant thought for a moment and finished his drink. He turned to the younger man and said, “You want me to say yes. But the truth is that the pros of that life, that job, were far outweighed by the negatives. You start doing it for the right reasons – patriotism, duty – and then one day you wake up and you can't remember which way is up anymore. It erodes your compass until you can't tell who is on your side and who the bad guys are. I was luckier than most. I got to have a life afterwards. I traded my gun for a family and I'll settle for that any day of the week.”

  “I understand,” said the young spy, more because it seemed like the right thing to say to a legend rather than because he truly believed it.

  “No, you don't. Not yet. You're too young and you haven't been scarred by it all. But hopefully, in time and if you are smart, you'll realise that the game never ends and if you let it, it will eat you up. There will always be one more target, one more bullet and there will always be people who like to use people like us to get what they want. The trick is to know when to get out of the game and leave it for good.”

  “Thank you. Thank you for that. I'll remember that,” said the young spy, and meaning it.

  Grant shrugged. It was of no consequence to him if this young stranger did or not. They heard a call over the loud speaker system for several flights getting ready to board and Jack Grant's ears pricked up.

  “Is that your flight?”

  The old assassin nodded.

  “Anywhere nice? I'm not fishing for information, just… it's a genuine question.”

  Grant laughed. “It's okay. I'm actually off to… Europe, to spend some time with my daughter, my son and their partners, catch up with the grandkids. It's something I need to do more of.”

  He hopped off the stool and left two ten pound notes for the drinks. He picked up his carry-on bag and got ready to leave.

  “Can I leave you my number?” asked the young spy, daring to hope that he could talk with this old man again. “If you're ever in town, meet up for a drink? Talk about old times?”

  Grant shook his head. “No, I'm sorry, son. I won't lie to you. We won't ever meet again. I'm not a part of your world anymore. But it was really nice to meet you. You take care of yourself.”

  The young spy reached out to the old assassin and they shook hands, a bond of the old and the new; a secret passing of the torch.

  “Where are you going next? Really, I mean?” asked Jack Grant.

  The American thought for a moment and then nodded up at the Twin Towers burning on the TV.

  “I'm going to war, Mr Grant, I'm going to war.”

  THE END

  Dear reader,

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  James Quinn and the Next Chapter Team

  About the Author

  James Quinn is the author of the Gorilla Grant series of spy novels. A professional security consultant and corporate intelligence operative, he currently resides in the UK but likes to travel ex
tensively around the globe.

  His next projects are Clandestine – a short story anthology, based around espionage, deception and intrigue – and The Fisherman, which introduces a new character to the world of covert intelligence.

  Visit the official James Quinn author website for more information about upcoming projects and events:

  https://gorillagrant101.wixsite.com/jamesquinn

  A Message From James Quinn

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoyed Berlin Reload, the very last Gorilla Grant book. His story is now told and I have said everything that I wanted to say about his life and his adventures. So let's let him enjoy his retirement, shall we? I think he has deserved it.

  Berlin Reload is, if it is anything, a book about how far a parent will go for the love of his children and what he will sacrifice to keep them safe. That is what I set out to do and I hope I have achieved that.

  When I originally envisioned the Gorilla Grant stories back in 2014, my first attempt was to have it as one long story in one very long book. It soon became apparent that writing it that way was not going to be viable and I felt that I couldn't do justice to Gorilla Grant's background, or to his love affair with the tragic figure of Lisbeth. So A Game for Assassins became one book and the prequel would have to wait for another five years (with the sequels Sentinel Five, Rogue Wolves and Gorilla Warfare in between), but it was always meant to be one complete story that I had envisioned from the get-go. I truly hope that it was worth the wait.

  Of all of the emails that I receive from readers, by far the most prevalent is 'How much of your stories are based on real events and are the characters based on real people?' I always answer in the same way; some things have happened, some are purely fiction and help the narrative move along. The fun for the reader should be in trying to figure out which is which! So, my readers… enjoy the fun!

  And now to the thank-you list…

  To the readers and supporters who have taken Gorilla Grant and his adventures to their hearts over the past few years – thank you so much for the kind words and kind reviews. Without you, we wouldn't be here.

  To Miika and the team at Next Chapter Publishing for all your hard work and dedication – a big thank-you for having the vision and for getting the books out there! I would also like to thank my fellow NC authors for their continued support and friendship – cheers, guys!

  Thank you to the brilliant Lorna Read for all her hard work on the editing and proof reading for Berlin Reload.

  To the veterans of BRIXMIS; many thanks for sparing the time and for sharing experiences of the valuable intelligence gathering operations that you conducted.

  To Miss Jackson for her invaluable help in understanding Berlin and the German psyche. Danke.

  I would also like to mention the chaps at the Spybrary group for educating me on the hidden treasures of some of the more obscure spy novels from the '60s, '70s and '80s. For the true Spybrarians, I hope you have fun finding my espionage Easter Eggs and secret references throughout Berlin Reload. For those wishing to know more, please visit the Spybrary Group at www.spybrary.com

  I have taken liberties with some of the locations and historical references in this book, especially with Cold War Berlin, so please forgive me. I had planned to visit Berlin to meet some people, conduct some research and get a feel for the city, but as this book was written in late 2020 (which for anyone that lived through it will know that it was a 'difficult year' for everyone), I was unable to complete my trip. I hope to rectify this in 2021.

  For people wanting to know more about the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, I can heartily recommend Checkpoint Charlie, by Iain MacGregor. This wonderful book became my bible while I was researching the background material for this book and any inaccuracies found in Berlin Reload are down to me and not down to the source material.

  As part of that 'difficult year' we also lost a great many people – friends, family, people that we know and love. One person that we did lose was David Cornwell, who was perhaps better known as the espionage author John Le Carre. Mr Cornwell very sadly passed away in December of 2020 after a short battle against pneumonia. The literary world was rocked by his passing. For me personally, it was a devastating blow as his works had been instrumental in my early years for stoking the fire of my wanting to be a writer, especially a writer that dealt with espionage or as he would have put it – “the secret world.” So, from one Lamplighter to another, Berlin Reload is dedicated to his memory.

  And finally to my own children (the real Katy and Peter) who give me so much love, fun and happiness – I love you both!!

  James Quinn

  2021