He didn’t need security to tell him he was being followed, he saw them when he walked out the building. A man and woman were across the road, he saw another leaning against the wall near the entrance, he thought there would be a fourth somewhere. Setting off towards Whitehall, the fourth one was spotted in front, Dave saw him look back every so often. At the bottom of Parliament Street, he ran down the stairs into the tube station. Mingling in with the crowds, he went out the exit towards the pier. Walking back to where he entered, he stood across the road waiting to see if they came out. He saw two of them come up the steps and stand near to the entrance. They spent thirty minutes looking for him, all the time he was watching them. Dave weighed up his options, he wanted to find out where they went, the problem was, if they were picked up in a vehicle then there was no way he could follow them.
He called Jane Goodley, saying where he was, he asked for two cars, one with blue lights, the other didn’t matter, it was to be kept in reserve. Within five minutes there was a Range Rover parked near him, the blue lights were flashing, traffic had to drive round it. Dave opened the back door and climbed in. “I’m David Stretton, there are two people standing by the tube entrance, if they are picked up in a car, follow them. Swap with the other car, I want to know where they end up, do you understand?” Without turning round, the driver nodded, Dave slipped back out the car, it was fifteen minutes before they were picked up, Dave saw the other two already in the car, it looked tight in the car with a driver as well. The blue lights were switched off, the Range Rover was a couple of cars behind. There was nothing more he could do, he was cold, the walk back to MI5 was brisk. He sat in his office with a coffee, his eyes were closed, he was thinking of the next move.
A report was on his desk, only when he had a plan did he open his eyes and pick up the file, it had the address where the receiving phone was located. His phone rang, it was Sally, she asked how his day was going, he gave her a brief rundown, she said she was staying at home. “I have loads to do, and I would have to travel back on my own, I’ll see you on Wednesday night.” Dave said how much he loved her and would phone later.
His door opened, Jane Goodley asked if he was free, she had a sheet of paper in her hand. Sitting down she passed it to Dave, he compared it to the one on his desk. “The address is the same as the phone, where is the building?”
“It’s in Barking, there is huge distribution centre owned by an American company, the car went into a car park for office workers.”
“Can you put a surveillance team on the ground, send a van as well, I want images, send the team up to me before they leave, I want to brief them. Sally isn’t coming down, I need my own researcher, one who can think, without being prompted.” Ten minutes later five people were in his office, he gave them the address. “It’s a distribution depot, I want clear images of everyone who comes and goes through the office entrance, whoever is on foot. I want pictures of the outside, look for ways in, the best point to go through the fence, location of CCTV cameras, guard patrols and anything else which would interest me, send the images through every hour.” He gave them his email address and wished them luck. “Don’t forget to swap round, singles, couples, keep rotating.”
Jane brought in a man, roughly the same age as Dave, “this is Giles, he’s good.”
“In a couple of hours, images will start coming in, I want them checked against the list of US Embassy personnel registered in the country, failing that, check immigration, if we have no luck, then we will check the USA passport department. While we are waiting, I want you to find plans of the building, they should be registered with the local council from the planning application and maybe the Fire Brigade, if you find a site you cannot access, let me know.”
He left to see Jane. “How many people can we call on to carry out a raid?”
“Around ten who are firearms trained, you have been the go to person for any operations, maybe another twenty who mainly carry out surveillance.”
“Can I bring in George Evans on this to have a look, help me plan a way in if we have to?”
“Yes, there won’t be a problem.”
Back in his office he called Taff. “Are you and Colin free, I need you in London now?” Taff said he was, but he didn’t know about Colin. “Check with him, I have a building I may want to go into, I’ll send you the address. There are MI5 people on site taking pictures of those coming and going, and looking round the perimeter, I’m only interested in the office entrance. We will probably meet at the hotel afterwards, call me.”
At 18:00, Jane said she was going, Dave said he would be staying for some time and would call her if anything important came in. He rang down to the staff restaurant for food to be sent up for him and Giles. He had found the plans and sent them down to the print section to have them done without cutting them. While they were eating, the plans were delivered. Dave was only interested in the offices, they were on two floors above the staff facilities. A staircase led up to both floors, there was also a lift, from each floor there were two fire exits, one into the warehouse, the other to outside. Windows ran round two sides, he compared it to Streetview, access was going to be difficult. Images began to come in, Dave cropped them before passing them on to Giles, “if you ID anyone, put them in a separate file. More came in of the outside of the building, he printed those out. Giles was kept busy, he was identifying roughly 10% of the images, Dave said there would be British office workers coming out of the building. At 23:00, he called a halt to the operation, and thanked everyone who had been out in Barking.
Giles was going through the last of the images. “Some of these people don’t look like office workers.”
He brought up several images of men. “Put them on a stick and give it to me, I will look in another database.” Dave found his way into the US Defense Department, he found matches for some of people on the stick, they were Marines. “That’s it for tonight, thank you for your help tonight, can you be here at 09:30 tomorrow, I will have more for you?”
Taff phoned to say the MI5 people had gone. “Meet me at the hotel, it will only take half an hour, we can eat and talk.” A car was waiting for him, he spoke to the porters as he entered the hotel, he told them he was expecting a visitor and asked if they could sit in the dining room for half an hour.” He drank coffee as he waited for Taff, it was 01:00 when he arrived, Dave ordered food and more coffee.
“It’s a nightmare, there is no easy way in, the first floor offices are in constant use, the second floor has all the blinds shut, but there are lights on, occasionally you can see people moving about. It should be easy to get on the flat roof, but I’m not sure it would help. It’s like they have made it difficult to attack.”
“An added complication I discovered, there are Marines based there. We won’t just be able to walk in, I don’t want there to be any shooting if possible. What about the fire exits, is that a possibility?”
“Too narrow, you wouldn’t get enough people in quickly enough.”
“Dave, put men on the roof, use shaped charges, blow holes and drop down, there will be a huge element of surprise.”
“How many men do you think?”
“From the size of the building, I would say two troops, thirty two men, there would need to be a lot of recon to find ways in, hit them at 04:00, most people are dozy then.”
“Thanks for that, send me a bill for your work.”
“I’m going back, I found a way in through the fence. I’ll have a look round, I’ve got my overalls in the car.” Dave said for him to take care and send in a report in the morning.”
It was too late to call Sally, he sent her a message instead, he was woken by her call in the morning. “I stayed up as long as I could, but had to go to bed, are you OK?”
“Yes, it’s hectic down here, I can’t say over the phone.” Sally said she would be out most of the day with Olivia, they were going shopping, Dave said he would call her later. He dressed and went down for an early breakfast, Taff was waiting in reception for him. “I thought you would be at home in bed.”
“Can we talk over breakfast?” Dave said for him to follow, Taff ordered a huge plate of hot food, he didn’t talk until it was finished. “I found a way in. On the roof there are loads of aircon units, there is a locked door used by engineers to access the units, it only has a three lever lock, very easy to pick. You can get on to the roof from the fire escape, I opened the door, then hid to see if anyone came. There is no alarm, at the bottom of a flight of stairs is an unlocked door, it leads out into service corridor, the lights were off. The door at the end was also locked, it took a few minutes to unlock it. We need to look at a plan to see where it brings you out inside.”
Dave said he had a copy of the plans. “Come with me, we can look in my office, form a plan and I will see if I can get it approved.”
An hour later Taff was looking at the plans. “This is the corridor, there is another door at the opposite end, I would put two teams of four on the roof, one for each end of the corridor. Cut the fence, have some of the men waiting to come in the front door and up the stairs. More waiting on the fire escape, you might get away with using only one team for the initial assault, but have another one ready just in case.” Jane Goodley looked through the corridor window into his office, Dave beckoned her in. He gave her a briefing of the discoveries made last night. “We have worked out a plan to take control of the building. I think the PM needs to give this the go-ahead.”
“It’s all over the papers this morning about the CIA bugging government departments, I think you should go to Downing Street with your findings.” Dave phoned, an aide having checked, said there was a fifteen minute slot at 10:30. Dave thanked Taff and asked if he needed a car to take him anywhere, he said his car was parked near a tube station.
“One thing I didn’t tell you, there is a huge standby generator, near the fire exit, you will have to take that out if you are going to cut the power.” Dave shook his hand and said to make sure he sent an invoice in for the work.
Giles had come in. “Can you create a presentation of the images from last night and print it out, I’m seeing the PM in a little over an hour, I have a plan to write out.” He called for a car at 10:00, he had the report and proposed action plan. He arrived ten minutes early, the aide came for him fifteen minutes later.
“David, I’m listening as you talk, there is a press conference with a question and answer afterwards, I have to prepare.”
“Sir, we have found another listening station, much larger than the previous one, it’s on the top floor of an American company’s distribution centre, we have identified some of the people working inside, CIA personnel and Marines. I have plans prepared for a raid on the building. Have you heard anything from them?”
“Only a denial and they want more information so they can investigate. They’re stalling, hoping it might fade away. How certain are you?”
“A bug was found in my phone, it was traced to the distribution centre.”
Looking at an aide, he said to get the Defence Secretary here.
“What will you need?”
“A team from the SAS should do it, we could go in tonight, the earlier I get approval, the more time there will be available for preparation.”
“Wait here, once I have finished we will talk more, brief the Defence Secretary when he arrives. Your time is up.”
Dave sat in the staff restaurant, he phoned Jane. “Can you speak to internal security, my phone must have been bugged before it came up, either they were delivered like that or someone is doing it once they are here. Check some of the others, and then start an investigation, but not until tomorrow. I don’t want the Americans alerted. Once you have done that, can you come over here, I’m taking the initiative on this, I hope I’m doing the right thing.” Dave quickly brought the Defence Secretary up with what he had found as soon as he arrived. He in turn phoned for the Home Secretary and to put the Head of the Met Police on standby.
“Sir, Jane Goodley is also coming across, do we need the foreign secretary as well?” Another call was made, by the time the press conference was over, everyone was present. The Prime Minister said for everyone to meet in a basement room in fifteen minutes. In the room, no one said much as they waited, a trolley with coffee and biscuits was brought in. When the PM came in, the meeting started immediately.
“You all know Mr. Stretton, some of you may not be aware, he is now Miss Goodley deputy at MI5, he is in charge of operations. David, please give the room a brief summary of why we are all here.” Instead of standing, he remained sitting, there was silence when he had finished, the PM carried on. “I understand there is the beginnings of a plan to take control of the listening station. However, before we decide what to do, we have to discuss the implications.”
There followed a discussion during which neither Dave or Jane took part, it went on for ages, the same points being gone over again and again. Jane had put her hand on his arm, she saw how frustrated he was becoming. He moved his arm to shake it off, her head went down, she knew he was about to interrupt the meeting. He spoke loudly. “For fuck’s sake, will you make a decision, grow some balls and tell the Americans they have gone too far this time, the building either needs to be raided and closed down or phone up the Embassy and ask for them to send round people to sit in every office making notes. They’re laughing at us, we close down one place and then find a bigger one, how many more are there? We have to let them know they have been caught red handed.”
The Home Secretary told him to apologise for his outburst. “I will not apologise, why should telling the truth require an apology, if you don’t like what I said, sack me, I don’t want to work for people who are shit scared about making a decision.” The Prime Minister asked him to leave the meeting but to remain in the building. He sat alone drinking coffee, he watched other staff coming and going in the canteen, he wondered if he had gone too far, he wasn’t bothered. If they wanted him working for them, then they were going to have to get used to him talking the way he did.
Half an hour later, he saw Jane Goodley come in, she stood in the doorway looking for him. She came and sat opposite him, she wasn’t happy. “David, you can’t talk to politicians the way you did.”
“Do you want my pass, I’m not bothered one way or another?”
“Yes you are, it’s why you said what you did, you are bothered, but outbursts like that are not acceptable.”
“You knew what I was like then you offered me the job, I’m trying to be civil, but they are being utter arseholes.”
“Oh David, one of these times you will go too far, the operation has been approved, written authority will be with me by the time I am back in the office, you are going to Chelsea Barracks.”
Plans of the building were already on a board when he arrived, “Two men are on their way to the site, what can you tell us?”
“My operative has been on site, he used the fire exit to climb onto the roof, he found a service door which is used for the aircon units installed on the flat roof. The door leads down to the second floor, there is a long corridor with a door at each end, he saw US Marines in uniform. There is also a generator near to the fire exit, I want it disabled, and the power cut off. There may be a switch inside that wipes everything recorded. The operation has to be swift and decisive, with no shooting unless they start it, reasonable force can be used. When the building is secured, a team from MI5 and the Home Office will move in, Met Police will be there as well. On no account are the people in the floor below or the warehouse to be involved. I will leave it up to you to decide how to carry out the operation.”
“You’re Sergeant Stretton, you and your girlfriend were in Hereford last year, she’s a good shot.”
“Yes, but ex-sergeant now.”
Some time was spent on how the operation would be carried out and at what time. Dave said he would be there, but would only come in once the floor had been secured. He left them with his phone number then returned to his office. Giles said he was to go to Miss Goodley’s as soon as he returned. Dave knocked on the door, a coffee in his hand, he sat down facing his boss. She asked about the plans. “The SAS have it in hand, we need a recovery team from here and the Home Office to clear the room, police on standby to take over when the SAS go, but they are not to be told where they will be going, probably no more than ten coppers. There needs to be a secure warehouse where all the recovered equipment can be taken.”
“David, there is a lot resting on this.”
“If it goes wrong, say it was a drugs raid.”
“You have it all worked out, don’t you?”
“No, not everything.” The meeting was over, Dave looked at the time, he phoned Sally using a burner phone from the staff restaurant. “I’m not sure I will be home tomorrow night, there will be a raid tonight, I’m just waiting for the time.” She said for him to take care and that she loved and missed him.
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