The Gruinard Project Chapter 21

[khandy]

Lots of spying in this one

Chapter 21

10.15 pm Thames House London.

Ros discreetly scanned the area at the front of Thames House as she made her way towards the main entrance. She knew that she would only see Lucas if he wanted to be seen. For a big man he blended into the background and disappeared with ease. The whole area seemed to be deserted, certainly there was nobody down by the bridge. Satisfied that the area was clear she headed inside and up to The Grid. She didn’t hang around once she was through the security check, she needed to get up there to Kate. Ros had no idea how the young woman had reacted and she needed to establish if Lucas had in any way been compromised.

Kate sat at the computer. After she had contacted Ros she had begun to pace moving from one side of The Grid to the other imagining all sorts of terrible things happening to Lucas. She had wanted to follow and had got as far as the lift before common sense had intervened; she realised he would be in more danger if she were seen. Needing something to do with her hands she rinsed the coffee pot and set the machine up for a fresh brew. Somehow she sensed it was going to be a long night. Unfortunately making coffee only took a few minutes. At a loss as to what to do next she had returned to her desk and sank into the chair. She had to do something constructive she realised or she would go mad.

“Think you fool, what will Ros do when she gets here?” Kate asked herself. Talking out loud seemed to calm her down. “Question me and I had better be ready,” she answered herself.

She turned to the keyboard and began rapidly typing; writing down everything she remembered Lucas doing and saying to the man Fred Davies. She tried to put the events in chronological order and soon became pleased that she was using a computer because she wasn’t recalling things in a chronological order and she had to keep moving her place on the page. She was printing the typed sheet off when the swish of the electronic doors announced Ros’ arrival.

“Ok Kate I need to know exactly what happened and what the hell you were still doing here,” Ros said without preamble.

Kate glanced at the type written sheet in her hands suddenly glad that she had written down what she remembered.

“Do you want me to just talk Ros or are you going to interrogate me?”

Ros took a deep breath.

“Sorry just talk if there’s anything I want clarifying I’ll ask.”

Kate sank back down on her chair. Glancing occasionally at the sheet in front of her she started going through the evening’s events.

“Hold on a minute.” Ros interrupted her almost immediately. “The envelope the man left, where is it?”

“It’s on Harry’s desk exactly where he left it. I thought it best not to disturb it.”

“Ok carry on.”

Kate had explained how Lucas had restrained the man and then questioned him before Ros interrupted her again.

“This man, Fred Davies, told Lucas that he was given the internal security code by the man who gave him the envelope?”

“Yes.”

“Bollocks!” Ros reached in her jeans for her mobile. “Harry we have a major alert level five security breach.” Ros listened to his reply. “Ok Harry, see you in 15 minutes then. I’ll contact Malcolm and Jo.” She broke off the call and immediately contacted the other two officers.

“Sorry Kate, please carry on with what you were telling me,” Ros said.

“There’s not a lot else. Lucas changed into all black gear and took his gun. I don’t think he intends to shoot the man, just follow him. He told Fred Davies not to do anything that would mean he would have to kill the guy.”

“And what were you and Lucas still doing here?”

“We had been working on the data we got from Dr Ross’ memory stick.”

“What were you doing in the conference room?” Ros asked.

“We had just finished supper. Lucas insisted I took a break,” Kate answered as levelly as she could.

“This was not something Lucas planned, he hadn’t received some tip off?”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said.

“Why didn’t you eat at the desk? Was it so Lucas could hide?” Ros asked.

“I told you we were eating, he said I needed a break.”

“Did Lucas leave The Grid at all during the evening?”

“Yes to get the food. He was gone five or ten minutes,” Kate answered.

“Long enough for Lucas to set this up.” Ros walked into the conference room.

“Set what up?” Kate demanded.

“We have a level five security breach. Lucas is missing. It is possible he cooked this up. He would normally eat at his desk, there has to be a reason he didn‘t. I am guessing he either did not want to be seen or the whole thing was a charade. You wouldn‘t know if you were being conned,” Ros said looking round her.

Kate was inches shorter than Ros Meyers but she didn’t let that stop her venting her anger. She moved with inches of the woman.

“You still don’t trust him. How you ever became section head is beyond me. You can’t read your own team? Lucas would never betray MI5. You and Harry think you know him, but you don’t and you never will because you don’t trust him. You are right though Ros he didn’t want to be seen. He brought me in here and we had sex, mind blowing sex on that mahogany table!”

“Well I hope you wiped it cleaned afterwards it’s antique you know‘” Jo said as she walked in through the door.

“I just hope they didn’t scratch it. Can you imagine explaining the bill for French Polishing it?” Malcolm followed her in.

Kate flushed scarlet and turned away in embarrassment.

“I won’t apologise. I don’t trust anybody it’s what keeps me alive,” Ros said.

“I pity you then Ros because one day you may have to trust Lucas and if you can’t it might cost you your life. So I suggest you start trusting him now.” Kate walked out of the conference room. She poured a coffee and sat back down at her computer wishing desperately she had some ibuprofen for the headache she had developed.

Ros appeared at her side and dropped two tablets on the desk.

“Anybody I trust either betrays me or dies but if you believe in Lucas that much… I’ll try. You need come into the conference room.”

Ros walked away before Kate could reply.

Harry appeared and went straight into the conference room not even acknowledging her; Kate followed and closed the door behind her. She listened as Ros explained the evening’s events.

“Did Lucas take any communication with him?”

“From what Kate observed no. He obviously realised that there had been a major communication breach and would not risk being traced. Lucas is off the map, all we can do is wait for him to get in touch with us.” Ros said.


*********************

Lucas had watched the man give Davies his money. He’d been stood in the shadow of the bridge so Lucas had been unable to get a good look at his face. Fred Davies must have been terrified but he was working hard not to show it. Lucas had his gun drawn ready to fire if the man tried to kill Davies; he didn’t want to as the man could be a source of information and they had so little to go on, but he wouldn’t hesitate in shooting if Davies’ life was in danger. Davies had said he always had a cigarette when he went out and should he stop for one this time? Lucas thought he’d better because the chances were that the man knew his normal movements. The exchange done, the man remained where he was as Davies disappeared back towards Thames House. He watched as Davies smoked his cigarette before he went back to work; satisfied that everything was as it should be the man headed across Lambeth Bridge.

Lucas lowered his weapon, secured the safety and returned it to the small of his back. He cursed, at this time of the night pedestrians on the bridge were few; if the man looked back he would spot Lucas easily and if he recognised him the game would be up before it began. He had been hoping he would go along the embankment. Lucas waited; the man was halfway across when he looked around to check if he was being followed. He stood against the bridge wall looking at Thames House. Lucas moved back into the shadows and waited. Certain he wasn’t being followed the man moved on. Lucas moved quickly heading over the bridge after the man; he never got closer than fifty yards. The man didn’t look around anymore he just moved quickly, clearly anxious to get somewhere.

They had been walking for about ten minutes when the man crossed a road and disappeared into a small pub. Lucas waited two minutes before following him in, entering with another customer. This was a risk he knew but one he had to take. It was possible that on a Tuesday night the place would be quiet and that he would be spotted immediately but luck was with him there was some sort of darts match nearing its conclusion and so the place was reasonably full. The man he had been following was at the bar being served. Once he paid for his drink he joined another man at a table by the far wall. Lucas walked to the far side of the bar, keeping the men in his eye line. He had ordered a pint of Speckled Hen. He opted to stay at the bar, his position was unobtrusive, as it was up in the corner on the opposite side of the pub to the main door and not in the direction of the toilet. The view of the pub from here was good. It was also the most convenient from his point of view. If he sat at a table it limited his options if there was trouble; especially if he needed to reach for his weapon. It also gave him a decent view of the two men. He frowned as he watch despite speaking in English at the bar the greeting the man exchanged was not English.

Lucas North loved languages; a natural linguist he didn’t just speak a language he absorbed it. He loved the history and culture in every individual language he spoke; how they had been created and developed. He was fascinated by the rhythm in differing languages, the varying speeds and tempos with which they were spoken. He realised the importance of the slang and colloquialisms used in different parts of the world. He studied the way in which people spoke, their accents and pronunciations. He knew the importance of culture and customs in language and his total understanding of all this enabled him to blend in as a native when it was necessary.

MI5 had recruited him because of his linguistic skills. When he left university he was fluent in several European languages and Japanese, since then he had learned several more. One of the few things he remembered doing during his isolation in Russia was making himself think in a different language everyday, for like any skill without constant practice you became rusty.

It was strange that despite working for MI5 for seventeen years he had one language skill they were unaware of and tonight he was glad he did. He had developed it as an off shoot of being a people watcher. It involved a different skill to speaking a foreign language. He had lost track of the amount of times it had been invaluable. The last time had been when the safe house where they held Connie James had been targeted by a Russian hit squad. They were leaving the building because Connie had told them she had disclosed the location of every safe house in London. Lucas had led them out of the building. The scene on the street had seemed normal; people walking or hanging about and there had been a young woman with a pram. Lucas had been scanning the area watching people carefully when he had seen one young man talking, but not in English, in Russian. His warning to Harry had allowed them extra seconds to escape and Lucas to kill the agent. Lucas was a highly gifted speech reader. He preferred this term to lip reading as it involved much more than merely reading a person’s lips. A gifted speech reader interpreted speech not just by the words that were being spoken but by facial movement, body language and the way words were grouped together. To rely entirely on lip movement was not enough as many phonetic sounds look the same on the lips. It was difficult and required great concentration few people outside the deaf community became really proficient. The skills and concentration required appealed to Lucas and he taught himself to speech read all the languages he was fluent in.

Lucas watched as the man he had followed took a long pull on his larger. Some seed of recognition stirred in Lucas’ subconscious mind he had seen this man before; the question was where? Lucas watched as the man started to speak. It took Lucas a couple of seconds to work out what language it was; again luck was with Lucas the man was speaking in Arabic, a language Lucas was fluent in. The man was certainly not Middle Eastern his bone structure and build were altogether wrong he was almost certainly European.

The two men exchanged pleasantries.

“Any problems?”

“No I showed him my ID, He saw MI and didn’t check further for the number 5. I told him to deliver the envelope, said it was a birthday card.”

“Good he will be pleased.”

“Is he back in the country?”

“Yes, he has another job for us. Seems Mrs Ross has left home he wants us to head up to Leeds find out where she went.”

“Great just what I need, a visit to the industrial waste land of the north. The next note, we still to deliver that on Friday?”

“Yeah,”

“Do we have a go date for this op yet?”

“No M.S. is playing it all close to his chest. The orders to speak in Arabic in public, the cat and mouse game with the letters, not knowing who we are working for or who the hit is yet, make me think this thing is big and my guess is we will move within the next couple of weeks.”

“You ready for another?” The man Lucas had followed asked as he tapped the glass on the table. “And a game of pool?”

Lucas smiled as the men started their game; they had made a big mistake, the light above the table was illuminating them brightly. He waited until they were absorbed in the game guessing that each would be too competitive to be paying attention to others in the pub and casually took a couple of photos with his mobile.

He remained where he was, drinking a second pint and talking to another customer about England’s chances in the Ashes and how Capello had revived the football team’s fortunes. He watched the two men until he was certain that they were not going to discuss their instructions further. He finished the last of his beer said goodbye to the man who he had been chatting with, left the pub and then headed back to Thames House.

[BravoNine]

Ohhh so exciting!!! Please continue!!!

*Maybe Lucas-whump soon?*

[khandy]

(30-11-2010 11:06 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  Ohhh so exciting!!! Please continue!!!

*Maybe Lucas-whump soon?*

More tomorrow

[HellsBells]

Love the fact Ros doesn't trust Lucas yet. And great humour in this chapter.