by Brian Cain
CHAPTER FOUR
John Stanton and Bruce Hurst had worked together many times. Product of the same military school they were the best of friends. Hurst had been put in place before Stanton only because Stanton was unavailable due to duties overseas at the time of decisive action by MI6. The computer era was upon them and an elusive branch of Windsor power was required to place the empire one-step ahead of the western technology rush. The experience of the Second World War and development of nuclear weapons required a radically new approach to defence of the forty-mile stretch of water known as The English Channel. A vertical take off aircraft called The Harrier Jump Jet was in service and under constant development, its targeting system developed in collaboration with allies, satellite technology was taking over in the worlds military might, no area of operation was excluded from this onslaught.
The British navy developed a fleet of nuclear-armed submarines as part of the global Polaris Missile project in conjunction with the United States. Russia raced to gain one-upmanship, madness prevailed.
Spies had become a constant threat as the misguided attempted to become the rich. Stanton was heavily involved in the security systems automation via computer programming across the globe, he revelled in the opportunity to place a small group of people in a position to dictate democratic outcomes and quell evil sentiment rising in unstable areas if the globe. He had a plan in the centre of his mind known only to him, an insurance policy that would assure perseverance in an automated world. John Stanton was at the head of the MI6 management team put together to protect pacifists developing these systems, objecting to the use of their intellect for reasons of war or aggression they eagerly took the money paid for their work.
John Stanton identified this as a threat to western democracy, a bigger threat to a peace loving public than war itself. A constant plan of a never-ending circle of public enslavement dressed up as humane democracy, he watched the rich run off and the poor left impoverished in many places around the globe he operated. He got into the minds of the people around him; he became one of them as the luxury of intellectual association began to train his mind in the power of information and technology.
John Stanton touched every western nation, parts of the eastern block and Middle East constantly chasing the misguided that had become the evil. Once operating within his creed to step out of line or attempt to dictate the landscape in a way that would threaten democratic autocracy was met with ruthless retribution usually accumulating in a sanction of death. Among the quiet offices of the British government were those currently discussing John Stanton's organisation to be a threat to British monarchy as his conduct rocketed up the public bar grapevine. A move to augment the role of women among the ranks of upper MI6 by an iron lady was about to put him out of reach, anyone's reach.
John Stanton's arm of MI6 operated from the Weapons Research Establishment, Foulness Island in the county of Essex. The small island situated on the black mud plains just east of Southend-On-Sea forty miles from London is girt by two tidal rivers where they enter the sea, the entrance to River Crouch to the north and the entrance to the Thames Estuary to the south. The tip of the island to the east faces the English Channel, a strategic military base and airfield in the Second World War the island was littered with underground bunkers, offices and amenities.
Post war it became the centre of weapons research with open firing ranges to the east over the sea surrounding waters off limits to shipping. The cream of western science and technology operated beneath the green and golden fields of farm land as did some of the most dangerous protectors of western democratic social equality, they struggled to co exist.
Foulness Island chosen for its existing infrastructure, near impossible access by any means other than a small estuarine bridge approaching from the west town of Great Wakering over Havengore Creek, the western estuary that cuts the island from the mainland. The tidal mudflats impossible to traverse on foot even when the tide is up offers a secure base line with a flat land mass lacking any heavy woods or thickets, clear observation can be made by hidden security staff dotted amongst the farming community.
Beneath the ground, two subsonic lethal Harrier Jump Jet's, the sophisticated computer targeting system under constant development, one always operational could be airborne in less than five minutes.
The area is deep in history when it comes to the defence of British soil, directly to the west a few miles is the Ashingdon Church built on a hill in 1020 above the inland estuary of the River Crouch commanding a view of the river and mud flats below still stands and operates as a parish to this day.
King Canute of Danish ancestry won a commanding battle there in 1016 wiping out most of the existing opposing hierarchy as they attempted an inland invasion from the waters of the River Crouch making him king of all England. King Canute was accustomed to building a church, chapel or holy site after winning a battle to commemorate the soldiers who died in battle. A few years later saw the completion of construction in 1020 of the memorial church known as Ashingdon Minster, located on the hill next to the presumed site of the Battle in Ashingdon. King Canute attended the dedication of Ashingdon Minster with his bishops and he appointed his personal priest Stigand to be the priest there. The church is now dedicated to Saint Andrew, but it is believed that it was dedicated earlier to Saint Michael who was considered a military saint and churches dedicated to him are frequently located on a hill.
Beneath the ground of Foulness Island, the organizations involved in protecting the land from invasion be it military or business went about their duty over a thousand years beyond the battle of Ashingdon planning the next thousand years of attack and defence.
Stanton, Hurst and their cohorts were transient members of the underground community, people with no name nor record of existence, they wrote nothing down relaying plans and outcomes only by word of mouth and kept the civilian technological cohorts far from the information loop. Although global methods of communication were available Stanton viewed them as penetrable and worked on developing his own channels of communication that were unique, impenetrable and would be available to only a chosen few but currently kept to himself as he trusted no one. The loss of his wife constantly bit at the back of his mind.
Bella Fonteyn and John Stanton became inseparable often away on missions together, Stanton watched over her like an eagle poised above a field of rats ready to strike should one stray. Bella Fonteyn learnt the art of survival from her counterpart; they entered into a torrid affair to some degree filling the hole left by Jodi in Stanton's life. Bella was beautiful, manipulative, demanding and could keep secrets; she found Stanton's weaknesses and played on them brilliantly. She finally had everything she wanted; this began to affect Stanton's decision-making.
Westminster recognized the change; a plan was hatched to separate the pair for good. This was riddled with risk and Hurst was summoned to Westminster while Stanton and Fonteyn were absent on a mission overseas one day prior to their return.
Albert Hollis handled the meeting with Hurst, as he alone knew upper members of the elite unit; Hurst entered his room via the hidden panel door in the bookshelf. Hollis hesitated keeping Hurst waiting as he loaded his pipe nonchalantly reading paperwork on his desk bearing no relation to the issue at hand. He suddenly looked up. "Bruce, we have a problem in Moscow that needs attention. I suggest we use Bella Fonteyn to eliminate the difficulty."
"If we having difficulty in Moscow, why would you be reading paperwork on the effects on business profits by Grimsby dock workers?"
Hollis sniffed, coughed rose to his feet, paced back and forth then stood with his back to the wall facing Hurst. "It's a suicide mission, Fonteyn will not return. Stanton must be returned to official solidarity Fonteyn is pulling Stanton in a direction we fear will do harm."
Hurst looked flabbergasted, he shook his head. "Are you mad, Stanton will kill you?"
"And you appear unmoved by our concern; of course he would kill us that's the problem. He must never know
what happened to Bella, ever."
"Rubbish, you were the one who insisted she become part of operations at Foulness, this is lunacy."
"I initiated her posting I have never said I approved of it, was just my considered suggestion at the time it be stopped, my peers and colleagues take orders they need not take up suggestions, however overtly they are purveyed. Regardless of the past facts you must agree this is a burning issue needing attention."
"Bella is our best covert we have to extract information from male targets, loosing her will leave a big hole to say nothing of what it may do the Stanton."
"It is my considered opinion that Bella is more interested in extracting seminal fluid from her male targets than information."
"That's an opinion that could sink a thousand ships. You never see this information because it's intercepted and kept by Stanton."
"If Stanton chooses to do that he must have a good reason."
"Proceed with this and you may find out sooner than later."
"So you think Bella should be left to trash Stanton's standing and career."
"There are other ways this can be achieved surely, John showed me something must be for a reason, he made it overtly clear the information was for everyone's ears. He tapped into a Russian satellite, ordered a squadron of Migs back to base and the Russian nuclear sub namely the Rostov back the port. The source of the hack still remains a mystery to the Russians and our facilities."
Hollis sat down with a stern cold look of stone. "That's not possible."
"Check unconfirmed movements of Russian military hardware with our air and sea tactical operations; make sure you're sitting down when you do. Twelve western countries put their armed forces on alert one was Russia, they had no idea what was going on and like us can't trace the source."
Hollis was silent for a few seconds. "If this is true Bruce then surely you see how important it is to separate Stanton and Fonteyn."
"Not as you suggest."
Hollis became angered professing a state of urgency, he stood up. "You think I would call you here to separate two members of staff that a bucket of cold water would suffice. This is a matter of international concern, one of our own government ministers has the plans to Polaris nuclear arsenal, he is negotiating on price with the Russians, and we are talking about the only person in our midst that has a hope of stopping it. This man melts in the presence of Bella Fonteyn he must be sanctioned immediately; it will not be easy he's a government minister now under the protection of the KGB. This Grimsby dock intelligence you so astutely noticed has some kind of association with the plot and I can't work it out."
Hurst shook his head. "Why an earth didn't you just say that in the first place?"
"Over the last week information from an unknown source, to be a bit clearer fell out of the sky, has seen two of our top political military ministers put under investigation by MI5. Russia, China and the US have all reported the same with members of their top staff now under investigation. A warning came with the information stating this was just the start, should the source be recognized by any military or government body and be put under attack, every twenty four hours further information would be distributed heading up the scale to presidential and monarchy level identifying the evil and corrupt. I had to find out if your allegiance to Stanton is steadfast he may be the source of all this, if so he must be protected beyond the call of normal duty. What would you prefer, world war three once the Russians have our defence plans, or Vigilante John Stanton."
Hurst lay back in his chair and starred at the ceiling for a while, he looked back at Hollis. "We have become too autonomous; we have to close ranks with the rest of our organization. John has eliminated half the evil threats, they were at mid management level among our own ranks, the KGB, CIA, French Secret Service. He mentioned getting those higher up was proving to be a challenge, he's using their own judicial systems to eliminate them using the power of factual information as ammunition. I still think wasting Bella Fonteyn is a poor choice."
"Our man in Moscow is tipped to have sealed this deal within the next week, Stanton and Fonteyn are back from South Africa tomorrow." Hollis lent forwards on his desk toward Hurst. "As I said before, what do you prefer, world war three that should last about ten minutes or Vigilante John Stanton the latter we can deal with."
Hurst lent on the desk with his left elbow holding his chin with his left hand, his index finger running up the side of his cheek. He dropped back away sitting upright in his chair. "Give me the file I'll attend to it personally."