The train was on time, Dave had hoped to grab a coffee at the station, but the cafe was closed, on the train there was no buffet or trolley service. At St. Pancras he headed to Costa, he had over an hour before his meeting. Sitting watching people hurrying, he looked round to see if anyone was watching him, Dave wasn’t paranoid, he was being careful. Finishing his coffee he headed for the Tube, he was outside the Ministry of Defence just before 11.30. Up the steps and in through the doors, he said who he was, his name was checked on a list and he was asked to wait. Dave sat on one of the leather sofas opposite the security desk. It was over eight months since he had been in the building, nothing was any different.
At 11.30 a side door opened, a smartly dressed clerk in his twenties, called his name, “Sergeant Stretton?” “David Stretton,” he replied, “would you come this way,” He had always used the main staff entrance, presenting his pass at the barriers, this was the first time he had entered through a side door. Inside, he passed through a metal detector arch and was taken to a lift. On the third floor, they walked along silently until they arrived at a sign, ‘Communications’, “through here please,” the clerk showed his pass to a reader on the wall and the door unlocked. Dave knew where he was, he had spent years in and out of this section. There was hardly anyone about, only a few people staring at screens, during the week the section was always a hive of activity, however at weekends there was only a skeleton staff. At a single door marked ‘S417’ the clerk pressed an intercom, “Sergeant Stretton,” the door unlocked and Dave went through on his own. There was a desk, two sofas the same as in reception and three doors which he knew led to offices. “Hello Dave,” he recognised the person behind the desk, he had been sitting there the day he left the Army. “Hi Chris, how are you?” “No time for chat, you need to go straight in, room two.”
Dave knocked on the door and walked in. Behind a desk was Major Joseph Cullen, sitting to the side was a man in a suit, he recognised him, but his name escaped him for the moment.
“Sit down David, you must be wondering why you have been recalled.” “Have I sir, I don’t remember seeing any recall papers?” The Major waived his hand dismissing the question. “A situation has arisen where we need someone with your skills and expertise,” Dave interrupted, “you have a section out there full of people with the same level of training that I have.” The Major continued, “there is a threat to the country which cannot be investigated in the usual way, we need an outsider who knows the inner workings of the section.” “You’ve got a traitor or someone gone rogue and you need him found.” “It’s a bit more complicated than that,” He remembered who the third person was. “What part does the government play in this, situations like this are are usually kept internal,” looking at the third man, “you are the Home Secretary aren’t you?” Mark James remained impassive. “You are going to have to come up with more information before I either accept or decline.” The Major looked at Mark James, there was a slight nod of the head. “A former person from this section has sent a message saying that if he isn’t paid £10m then he will set off a device in the tenth most populated city in the UK. For the ninth most populated, it is £20m. If, God forbid, we got to London, then it is £500m.” Dave had many questions, the first was to the Home Secretary, “why don’t you pay the nutter and be done with it?” “We don’t give in or pay ransoms to terrorists.” “Surely this is a job for MI5, GCHQ and the police with background supplied by the MOD?” It was the Major who replied, “the security services are not sure if the threat is real and will only allocate a few people to the case, they will add more if the threat becomes credible, the police anti-terrorist unit is working at capacity and will only take an active part with more information. So, you see David, to begin with, we are on our own.” “What authority will I have, where will I work and most importantly, how much will you be paying me? I won’t be working for sergeant’s pay.” “You will be able to investigate anyone past or present in the section, there will be no restrictions, I don’t want you working here, work from your house in Loughborough, but keep the lady out of it. I would prefer if you had your own place.” “How long have you been following me?” “Only a week,” “Have you been in the house?” Dave was prepared to walk out the door if the answer was yes. “No, only surveillance. With regard to your payment, the Home Secretary will take care of that.” Dave now spoke to Mark James, “I want £5000.00 per week paid in advance into my account every Monday, if the money isn’t there, then the investigation will stop. I want my name put on the list of people authorised to carry a hand gun. I want a telephone number that I can call to have me released from police custody if I am arrested during my enquiries. If I need anything else I will contact the Major.” The Home Secretary then spoke for the first time, “You will have the authorisation and the payment on Monday morning. If that is all, I have a meeting with the Prime Minister.” He rose and left the room.
The Major pressed a buzzer on his desk and asked for two coffees to be brought in. “Where are you going to start?” Dave already had worked out his first steps but didn’t want to say, “I’m not sure, I have a few ideas and will work out a plan on the way home.” “I will have a computer sent up to you tomorrow along with a G17 and ammunition, I want them back when this is over.”
Dave asked what the timescale was, “we have until the 1st October, the first device will be activated in Bradford. The second is a month later. He needs to be stopped before the first one. That gives us around five weeks.”
There was something bothering him. “Why me, and how do you know I am not the bomber?” “The first one is easy, there isn’t anyone out there as good as you, your combination of field work and intelligence can’t be matched. Regarding you being the bomber, I have a gut feeling you aren’t, but I might be wrong. I have to take a risk.” Dave asked how many people were aware of the meeting, “a few know you were coming today, only the Home Secretary, myself and probably within the next hour, the Prime Minister, know what the meeting was about.”
They drank their coffee in silence. Putting down his cup, the Major spoke, “you know David if this all goes wrong you may become the scapegoat, watch your back.” “Am I still being followed?” “No, I called them off when you agreed to the meeting.” “I can assume then, if someone is following me then it’s not you?” “Yes, I need you to report to me at the end of each week, I have to pass your updates on.” “What happens if I need to investigate outside the MOD, possibly into other government departments?” He knew there was a ‘superuser’ level that would get him access across all government computer systems, however access was very restricted and they wouldn’t be giving it out to an ex-sergeant. “We will have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Before leaving, he was given login details for the MOD system, he would change the password when he first logged on.
Outside, he sent a message to Sally saying he would be back in Loughborough around 16.30. The time now was 13.30, the meeting had lasted around ninety minutes, Dave was hungry, he caught the Tube back to the station and walked round searching for a place to eat. He found a burger bar and ordered food and drink, enough to keep him going until he could eat again in the evening.
The train back was faster than the one that morning, it only stopped twice before Loughborough. He had used the time to formulate a plan, if the money was in his bank account in the morning he would get started.
Sally was waiting for him when he came through the ticket barrier. “How did it go?” “Very well, they have asked me to carry out some research for them. They want an outsider who knows the system to check personnel files. It means I can leave the Uber signs in the boot for a while.” He made it sound like it was routine stuff and nothing to worry about.
Driving back, she asked if he had eaten, “only a burger at the station, nothing else.” Part of the rent he paid included food, they had agreed to share the cooking between them if they were both home. “Do you want to stop at the carvery?” “That would be good, I’m starving.” In the carpark Dave swapped tee shirts with the one he had in his backpack. The carvery was busy, they had to wait fifteen minutes before a table was ready. The food was average and they shared a bottle of wine, Dave explained that there would be a couple of deliveries for him tomorrow. “One is a computer, the others are specialist equipment to make the job easier.” The anxiety that Sally had shown yesterday seemed to have gone.
It was after 19.00 when they left, it was only a short drive back to the house. Sally made more coffee as Dave sat on the sofa, his eyes were closing, it had been a tough day mentally for him, he realised that since leaving, his brain wasn’t as active as it had been, that was going to change, tomorrow he would be back in the thick of it.
He wasn’t good company that evening, at 21.30 he thanked Sally for picking him up and making him smile in the restaurant and left her to go to bed. It was 23.00 before Sally climbed the stairs, she tapped lightly on Dave’s door, opening it, she could see he was fast asleep. She closed the door and made her way into her bedroom.
© 10210ken 2024
