‘Prime Minister, you state that you have imposed a travel ban for the next forty eight hours. Does this mean you are expecting more attacks?’
‘The forty eight hour travel ban is there to give UK security forces a window of opportunity to catch the culprits behind these attacks. The temporary closure of our borders will prevent any terror suspect from leaving the country. Our security services are on high alert to prevent any more attacks in cities across the UK. I understand the disruption this will caused to many travellers. However this is a necessary step to ensuring that no terror suspect escapes. Because of these attacks the threat level has been raised to its highest level, which is critical.’
‘Prime Minister is it true that your government is considering deploying British troops to protect our cities?’
‘Our security services are capable of dealing with any threat. We have teams all across London as well as key cities across England, Wales and Scotland.’
‘Prime Minister, will you still be leaving tomorrow to attend the latest round of Brexit talks with European leaders?’
‘The incidents that have occurred in the UK will not deter this government from pushing forward a Brexit deal. I would also point out that the people of this country stood shoulder to shoulder with me at last year’s election when they cast their vote. I plan to keep my promise and steer this country through the difficult times ahead.’
‘Prime minister what is your view on the issues with social media and their unwillingness to remove the video of last night’s attack at the Sound Box.’
‘Our security services are working with social media to ensure that this video is removed.’
‘Sources say the reason that social media sites like Facebook and YouTube have been hacked.’
‘I would like to point out at this moment that any rumours of a hack are untrue as far as I am aware. I would like to thank you all for attending this press briefing.’ Mayflower turned her back on the screaming group of journalists.
London Evening Examiner – Fleet Street – 6:13pm
Alan pressed the power button on the remote control and the screen went blank. ‘Looks like she’s as much in the dark as the rest of us. Did you catch that crap about her being the only Prime Minister who can steer us through stormy waters.’
‘Well the usual rabble are starting to respond to the article we published in this afternoon’s edition.’ Mirren said staring at his e-mail box. ‘The Sun want to know if we’re making it up like they do.’ Mirren looked at Alan. ‘Sooner or later you’re going to have to divulge who your source is.’
‘For now I want to keep him a secret.’ Alan said.
A ringtone cut through the brief silence.
Alan looked at the screen on his smartphone. ‘I may have that breakthrough everyone has been wishing for.’
‘Is that your contact from University central?’
Alan nodded and put his finger up to his lips. ‘Hey Stuart.’
‘We need to meet.’
‘Ok where.’
‘Have you still got that ID badge?’
‘Yes why.’
‘Because you have two hours to use it before they ship the bodies out. I’ve found something, and you’re not going to believe it.’
‘I’ll be there as soon as possible.’
Chapter 16
The Sound Box – Central London – 6:36pm
Sam descended the staircase that led to the interior of the nightclub. As she entered the large space she glanced at the dancefloor which was now empty. Forensic officers were collecting samples of blood from the scene.
‘Can I help you?’ A forensic officer asked.
Sam held up her ID badge. ‘I’m Detective Sergeant Sam Drake. I am here to look over CCTV footage from last night’s attack.’
The forensic nodded. ‘Follow me, make sure you don’t touch anything on the way up to the security office.’
A few minutes later Sam sat at a desk lined with security monitors.
‘I don’t see any point to this Detective. Your colleagues have gone over this footage several times already today. What exactly are you looking for?’
‘Someone uploaded that video to social media just after the attack took place. There has to be something in this video pointing towards whoever filmed it.’
The forensic clicked on the mouse and the video began to play. ‘Most of the idiots who filmed the attack have been rounded up by the police. We had several calls from news media outlets. They have given us the details of people trying to sell any footage. No other footage has been leaked.’
‘Except for the footage uploaded to social media. Which means someone with a connection to whoever was behind the attacks filmed the incident.’ Sam scrutinised the video. ‘There are several people filming the attack on their phones.’ She said pointing at the screen. ‘But they don’t seem to match the angle of the video uploaded to social media. How many cameras on that dancefloor?’
‘Six if I remember.’ The forensic replied.
For several minutes Sam watched video footage of the attack from several different angles. Frustration started to mount as hope began to fade.
‘This is the last camera angle.’ The forensic said.
Sam yawned as the video began to play once again. Then she noticed something at the corner of her eye. ‘There!’ She pointed to a woman who stood motionless on the side of the dancefloor. ‘All hell is kicking off and that woman is just stood still, why?’
The forensic shook his head. ‘Beats me, perhaps she’s too scared to move.’
‘No, this is something else.’ Sam said. ‘Can you get a closer shot of this woman?’
The forensic wheeled the mouse. The picture zoomed in on the woman.
‘Look at her eyes.’ Sam said. ‘They match the same profile of the attackers, completely white.’
‘You’re right, she’s just stood there motionless.’ The forensic added.
‘Can you call up the video of the attack which was uploaded to social media?’
The forensic picked up a tablet and handed it to Sam. ‘I have had this handy all day. I can’t believe I didn’t spot this.’
‘That’s because you weren’t meant to.’ Sam replied as she played the video on the tablet. She then looked back at the screen. ‘This is definitely taken from the position she is stood in. However, she’s not holding up a phone or any other device that matches a camera. She’s just stood there watching the scene unfold.’
‘At least it’s something to go on.’ The forensic replied.
‘I want you to e-mail me a screenshot of this woman and check other CCTV footage of the entrance to the club. I’ll run her face through our police database. Perhaps we can find a match.’ Sam stood and headed out of the security office.
Chapter 17
7:00pm
Your country stands on the brink. You are an island alone. You will listen to what we have to say. We have hacked your social media and will bend it to our will. We will spread our message to influence those without hope or courage to stand up to the puppet leaders of this so-called free world. For decades, society has been in freefall. Debt, poverty and the want for a decadent lifestyle are now the dominate force in this world. Your leaders are controlled by men of power who remain behind the fake leadership that claims to govern this world. Your Prime Minister has chosen to isolate you from the rest of the world. Your young will fear the unknown and the weak will cower, too afraid to act. Our motivation is not religion or power. It is the weak we wish to empower. The vulnerable who rely on prescription drugs to keep them sane. The jobless who have been robbed of hope for the future. The social media class who are addicted to their screens. Blinded by a fake world drowning in celebrity filth, political corruption. A world where criminals are more powerful than governments. A world where the poor are constantly being reminded how poor they are. The rich parading their wealth before those who have nothing. The so-called champion of the people, the news media claiming that they stand for
truth and stand behind the oppressed people. While all the time feeding the weak minded a constant stream of fake news. Your children are brainwashed from birth. Made to watch a constant stream of soul-destroying images that claim to be educational. Your security services will not find us. Your Prime Minister vowed to track us down, but she will fail. We are the shadow behind the shadow. The attacks today are just a demonstration of the power we possess. Those who have been sacrificed today will become martyrs. Those who carried out the attacks did not act with conscience, we controlled them. The security forces that claim to keep the people safe are powerless to stop us. Even as we send out our message your security forces are working hard to discover our location. They will find nothing, we are invisible to your best minds. We will ravage your world of finance and wealth. We will target the super rich. Those who have obscene amounts of money. While we have been broadcasting this message every premier league football club bank account has just been emptied. All bank accounts belonging to club managers and club players have also been emptied. Their wealth will be distributed amongst the poorest. The money the football industry generates is obscene and corrupt. At midnight everyone in the United Kingdom who is solely reliant on the benefits system will have the sum of forty thousand pounds paid into their bank accounts. In addition to this all charities in the UK will receive a large donation courtesy of the Premier league. Our next target will be Payday loan companies who have left people drowning in debt. Anyone owing money to these Victorian style moneylenders will have their records wiped clean. Every Payday loan company in the UK will have their websites taken offline. In addition to this, we will shut down the bank accounts and financial holdings of all major criminals in the UK. No one will be safe. Those who have made money through drugs and people trafficking as well as other illegal activities will be targeted. Your money now belongs to us. We will use it as we see fit. For years you have ignored the law and prayed on the vulnerable. We will now pray on you. Offshore accounts linked to known criminals will be targeted. There is nothing you can do to prevent this. Your corrupt banking institutions are powerless to stop us. Our goal is a simple one. We wish to send a message to the people of the world. You are free people. You have all been deceived by religious and political leaders who want nothing more than to crush you under their boot. To keep you from speaking out, to stop you from being truly free. George Orwell warned us the time would come when the people would be oppressed to such a level they will be too blind to notice. Big Brother dominates our society. We now live in a world where technology no longer serves mankind, but mankind serves technology. A world where your TV, laptop, tablet, mobile phone, games console is gathering information on your habits. Facial recognition cameras are on our street corners constantly gathering data so that the few individuals who control this world can maintain their dominance over the weak minded. For all you who are without hope we say this. Stop to think about how you are living your lives. Stop to think about those who are in control of your finances. Stop to think about those who rule over you. We are not your enemy, we are not your jailers, we are your salvation. We will sweep across your world like a plague. Those who have wealth will suffer the maddening death of all they have accumulated. We are relentless in our goal, we are the salvation of this world. Your best security services will not find us. Your drones will never locate our base of operations because we have none. We are everywhere, in your homes, in your offices in your industrial complex. We will show you that the so-called utopia you have created is a lie. We will create a new world. Where fear and doubt will no longer plague humanity. We are Dystopia.
Chapter 18
10 Downing Street – Whitehall – 7:09pm
The Prime Minister stared at the screen on the wall of her private office. ‘Is this real?’
‘It was uploaded to social media at precisely seven o’clock.’ Edwin Fuller revealed checking his watch. ‘I have just spoken with one of the men we spoke to today at Chequers. Facebook will release a statement later on tonight regarding the video of the attack and this latest video.’
‘So, at least we now have a name for these bastards, Dystopia.’ Mayflower paused for thought. ‘They said their next target will be the criminally rich.’
‘I suppose if they do, then it’s good news.’ Fuller said.
‘Good news.’ Mayflower remarked.
‘The police have been trying to shut down bank accounts for years of well-known drug dealers. Some of them live in central London apartments because of the money they have made from what they do. Most of the money they have is in foreign bank accounts. Untouchable by British Authorities.’
Mayflower massaged her forehead. ‘This is a disaster, there must be something we can do to stop this Dystopia. I refuse to believe that they have this kind of power.’
‘They mention George Orwell.’ Fuller pointed out.
‘What about him?’
‘He wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty Four.’
Mayflower glared at Fuller. ‘Don’t test me, I know who George Orwell was, I have read Nineteen Eighty Four. It’s obvious that Dystopia is some kind of radical group, hell bent on causing chaos. I can only imagine what the mood of the people is like at this moment.’
‘It could be a bluff Prime Minister.’
‘Then again they could be telling the truth. If they can make people just randomly carry out attacks then we can only assume that they can carry out other threats.’
There was a knock on the door before Robert Parsons walked into the room. ‘I’ve just got off the phone with the head of GCHQ ma’am. He has informed me that Dystopia have carried out one of their threats. Every British premier league bank account has been emptied. Some club owners have already made phone calls to the police.’
Mayflower looked at Fuller. ‘As I just stated they have the means to do just about anything they want.’
‘Why the hell would they target our sporting institutes.’ Fuller asked.
‘There’s a lot of money in football, billions of pounds every year in deals with Sky, BBC and other networks.’ Parsons said.
‘The stock markets will drop sharply tomorrow. Share prices relating to sporting institutions will be wiped out.’ Fuller said.
Mayflower looked at Parsons. ‘There must be something MI6 can do. Don’t you have some sort of contingency plan for this kind of thing?’
Parsons looked doubtful. ‘We have always predicted a hack that could wipe out our financial institutions. But we never expected anyone to go after something like a football team.’
Mayflower gathered her thoughts. ‘So it’s the rich they plan to target. What kind of damage are we looking at?’
‘Most people with wealth have security measures in place to ensure they are not the victims of fraud or theft. All banks have high level security protocols to make sure nothing is tampered with.’
‘But you said it yourself they just emptied the bank accounts of all the premier football league teams which would have had these high level security measures in place.’
‘Yes ma’am.’ Parsons said.
‘They also said that they will pay forty thousand into the accounts of people solely reliant on benefits.’
‘The banks will never allow anyone who has money illegally transferred into their account to keep it.’
‘Forgive me Mr Parsons, but Dystopia has just emptied bank accounts worth billions. I think we can assume that they have the power to just drop money into people’s bank accounts.’ Mayflower thought for a moment. ‘I need to speak with James Prosser.’ She walked over to a telephone and picked up the receiver. ‘Jenny, please contact the Chancellor and tell him to report to me immediately.’
‘Dystopia also plan to wipe clean the records of every payday loan company.’ Fuller said.
‘Which means a lot of people are going to find themselves free of debt tomorrow.’ Parsons replied.
‘This whole thing could turn into financial armageddon, companies will collapse if Dystopia carry out their t
hreats.’
‘I think we can assume that they will.’ Mayflower said. ‘I want to meet with the top city financial analysts as soon as possible.’ She looked at the clock on the wall. ‘We have just under five hours to stop this happening. I will not go down as the Prime Minister who let this country fall into a financial abyss.’
Parsons nodded. ‘I’ll get back to MI6 and get things moving.’
‘We need to maintain a calm posture. We cannot let Dystopia rattle our cage. Issue a brief statement to the press. Tell them that this government is pulling out all the stops to bring Dystopia to justice.’
Both Fuller and Parsons turned and headed for the door leaving Mayflower alone. A picture of Winston Churchill hung on the wall opposite Mayflower. The Wartime leader stared out from his portrait. Mayflower stared back at Churchill’s face for several seconds. ‘What would you do?’ She asked.
Chapter 19
BBC News – BREAKING NEWS – 7:24pm
‘You’re watching the BBC news Channel. In the last twenty minutes a group calling themselves Dystopia have released a video which has been uploaded across the main social networking platforms. Dystopia made a number of claims, stating they were responsible for the devastating attacks that took place across the United Kingdom today. We cross to our Scotland Yard correspondent Hayden Powell. Hayden, have Scotland Yard revealed anything about this Dystopia group?’
‘Not as yet Tom. It has only been roughly twenty minutes since Dystopia uploaded that video. I’m sure the police will be analysing the video to see if they can get any clues as to who this group is. Dystopia have made a number of claims. One which sticks out is their threat to empty bank accounts belonging to premier league football teams. They called the money the football industry generates obscene and corrupt. If anything this feels almost unreal if you compare it with the events of today. This appears to be a totally new style of terrorism. It has thrown myself and other journalists off a little. We are used to terror attacks being linked with Islamic extremists. Dystopia seem to be the opposite. From what little time myself and other colleagues have had to analyse the video. Dystopia give the impression that they represent the poor. They have promised to pay huge amounts of money into the bank accounts of those solely reliant on the benefits system. Dystopia have also stated they will shut down the websites of all payday loan companies operating within the UK. Dystopia also said they would target the criminally rich. They mentioned drug dealers and people traffickers. I’m sure this will sway public opinion on Dystopia and their actions.’
Dystopia Page 8