The Gruinard Project Chapter 22

[khandy]

Enjoy

Chapter 22

11pm London.

The streets were quiet, only a few people passed him by and none paid him any attention, to them he was just another person heading home after an evening out. As he walked Lucas went over what he had learned in the past hour; no clear details but a lot of information. He was keen to get back to The Grid so that they could begin to piece together what they had learned. He assumed the others had opened the note and he wondered what it had said, were the notes clues or red herrings? What of the man who was organising their delivery and who did he work for? The thought that he recognised one of the men still lingered but he knew better than to push himself to remember; that was not how his memory worked. The recall, if it came at all, would be like a newsflash; sudden, sharp and unexpected.

His thoughts turned briefly to Kate. He smiled as he remembered the look that had appeared in her eyes when he had told her to kill Fred Davies; a look that said ‘and just how the hell would I do that’ but she had stood there in front of the terrified man looking for all the world like she would do exactly that. She would have contacted Ros by now and he could only hope she had used her mobile. Security had been breached and Lucas had no idea how deep the breach went. Her own mobile would be less of a risk than any of the telephones on The Grid but would she realise that? Lucas cursed, he really should have told her to use her own phone. She was quick and resourceful so it was possible she would have realised the implications of somebody having those codes. If she had used her own phone it would mean that whoever was behind all this would still be thinking MI5 knew nothing, it was important it remained that way. The security codes for everything would have to be reprogrammed. Obviously Lucas realised the importance of this happening, however it had to happen in a way that did not imply there had been a security breach. Lucas began to think and plan. He could not remember it happening before but he knew if any power was lost at Thames House meant that they switched to the emergency generators and then all the security codes would have to be automatically reconfigured, it was standard practice. He changed direction and picked up his pace, time was of the essence.

The electricity sub station was a small inconsequential brick building, one of thousands that were found all over the country. People walked past them everyday paying no attention to them or what they were for; reading the warning signs and for the most steering clear. Lucas was in the building within seconds. He glanced around, a huge part of the Millbank area was about to find out what happened when a substation was knocked out.

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

11 pm Thames House

The envelope was in the centre of Harry’s desk, exactly as the others had been, the plain white envelope stark against the cherry coloured wood of Harry’s desk. Jo did not know why she was so nervous about picking it up; it was no different to the others. There is no danger, she told herself they are just playing with us. Taking a deep breath she picked it up by the corner and carried it back to the conference room.

Harry took the envelope from her and withdrew the single sheet of paper from it. Just like the other notes typed in the middle were two typed words.


ARNOLD SMITH

Harry passed the note around.

“Mean anything to anybody?” he asked.

Nobody answered. Smith was such a common name, this Arnold Smith could be anybody.

“Ok we will leave that for the moment. The security breach is more important,” Harry continued.

“Malcolm how long before the security codes can be reconfigured?”

“It will probably take about twenty four hours at least.” Malcolm’s mind went over the logistical nightmare of rebooting all the systems.

“When we have finished here get Head of Security out of bed and here to see me. Ros we need see if we can locate the leak. I want you and Jo to go over the CCTV tapes with a microscope and see if anything crops up. Kate where…” The building was suddenly plunged into darkness.

Kate remained rigid in her seat, willing herself not to scream out in fright. She could hear the others moving around. Somebody, she couldn’t make out who went to the curtained windows and looked out.

“There are lights on in the distance over the river but not in this immediate vicinity, it looks like a power cut. The emergency lighting will come on in a minute” Ros informed them. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the lights flickered on, not brightly but dim casting dark shadows round the room.

The quiet in the conference room was disturbed by a mobile ringing. The next thing Kate heard was Harry answering so it must have been his.

“Lucas, where are you?”

Kate waited, relief washing over her as Lucas obviously said something to Harry.

“Ok we are in the conference room. The place is in darkness seems to be a power cut Ah you know about it do you? I see.” Harry disconnected the call.

“Lucas is on his way back he seems to know about the power cut says the police think it must have been vandals, a small unmanned electricity substation is on fire,” Harry explained smiling.

Jo smiled at spoke to the group at large, a broad smile on her face.

“It’s funny that Lucas should be by the sub station isn’t it?” she said.

“Yeah amazing that it just happened to be the one that if taken out would cause a blackout at Thames House,” Malcolm said dryly.

“Is this another Lucas conspiracy theory?” Kate asked tiredly.

“Between you and me I doubt its coincidence,” said Malcolm in a stage whisper.

“Are you implying Malcolm that I am the vandal? That I would deliberately destroy an electricity sub station?” Lucas asked stepping into the darkened room. “You will never prove it. Kate will tell you I took nothing with me other than my gun.”

“Shit can you at least make a noise or something?” said Jo almost falling of her chair.

“Sorry Jo,” Lucas apologised.

“So Lucas, why knock out the substation?” Harry asked.

“I assumed you were going to inform security of the breach. This way things will have to be reconfigured without us having to show our hand. Security will be called in and it will not be traced to section D. Codes will be changed without alerting our man that we’re on to him.”

“And are we on to him?” Harry asked.

“We know more than we did two hours ago.” Lucas smiled.

He sat down next to Kate, she felt his hand entwine in hers as he began to explain what he had learned.

The table remained silent for a few moments when he had finished speaking as they were all taking a minute to digest what they had been told and slot it in with what they already knew.

Ros spoke first.

“Jo get on to Leeds CID and make sure that they move Mrs Ross to her mother’s with adequate protection. When these two men get to Yorkshire I want them to find her at her mother’s. Then get yourself up there and observe them.” Jo stood and quietly left them to it.

“Malcolm as soon as things are back online tomorrow, run those photos through the database. Lucas said he has a feeling he knows one of the men.” She paused for a moment.

“I will see if I can figure out who Arnold Smith is. Lucas I want a detailed run down of every event the PM is attending in the next month. If this attack is going to kick off in the next month I want to try and second guess where. Kate you get back to work on those files, we need to know what virus we are dealing with.” She glanced at her watch. “Obviously until everything is back up and running we can do nothing so I suggest we all go home and get some sleep.”

They all stood to go but were stopped by Harry’s voice.

“Lucas I will deal with the PM’s office. I want you to go through the files of the cases you have worked on since returning. See if you can shed any light on who the MS those men were referring to is? I still think you are a potential target.”

“Fine if that’s what you want Harry,” Lucas said.

Holding the door open he let Kate leave the room first. She shivered; glad in a way that Lucas was not holding her hand. She didn’t want him to know how Harry’s words scared her. She’d forgotten that Lucas might be the target and she had not liked being reminded of that fact.


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


Lucas North’s flat

Pain sliced through him; greater pain than Dean must have felt when the bullet hit his forehead. His death must have been instantaneous with no time to feel anything. Lucas had moved to catch the boy before he fell, head turning wildly to pinpoint where the shot had been fired from.

From the moment he had met Dean Mitchell, Lucas had liked the lad. He might have been bristling with teenage attitude but behind the cocky, gobby front was a decent kid who not only adored his mum but was protective of her as well. He’d been smart in a streetwise way that Lucas had realised the education system hadn’t channelled. No matter, Lucas had sensed that Dean was savvy enough to make his way in the world, which made his final actions so senseless.

Lucas had looked down at the boy whose sharp keen gaze was now blind and unseeing. Why did you run? he asked silently. We would have kept you safe. Lucas had lowered him to the floor as the elevator had moved down the image of his mother trapped behind the barrier of the door unable to reach her son was destined to haunt his dreams.

Lucas sat bolt upright, his body chilled and drenched with sweat. He glanced to his side but his bed was empty. As the question of where Kate was formed in his mind, the answer appeared in the doorway. She was wearing his shirt, as if she had grabbed the first thing she could lay her hands on, and was carrying a towel.

She handed it to him as she sat down on the side of the bed.

“Russia again?” she asked.

“No not this time, Saint Pancras . I’m sorry I’m ruining your sleep.” He took the towel and rubbed his body dry.

“I am assuming your dream was not about a train being late, do you want to talk about it?” Kate took the towel and lobbed it into the linen basket in the corner of the room.

“Do you remember asking me if it was easy to kill somebody?” Lucas said reaching for her hand.

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember my answer?” His thumb was tracing a lazy circle on the palm of her hand.

“Yeah you said the mechanics of killing were easy because of your training; that it was later in the middle of the night it was hard.” Kate replied.

“Yeah and that goes for any death you witness. At the time you don the protection of professionalism, hiding behind it almost and do what is expected of you, but later during the night when you are alone with your thoughts you can’t hide.”

“I know that’s why I don’t practice medicine,” she told him.

“I have seen death; faced it down the barrel of gun, killed with my bare hands and watched hopelessly as others die in front of me unable to do anything to stop it. What does it take to be indifferent to it? Why in God’s name am I not?”

“I can only speak from my experience as a doctor. I don’t think anybody who has any basic values or morals becomes indifferent, surely that is what sets you aside from the scum that you seek to imprison? To a degree you can control your emotions but your sense of what is right and wrong means that you can never be indifferent. Tell me do you really wish to be indifferent?”

“No not really, but the burden of my memory is that the images do not fade with time, they are there constantly. I live with their ghosts and the energy I use to control them is at times exhausting. Sometimes I long for a normal memory,” Lucas sighed. “I am sorry, I am being pathetic, plenty of people have painful memories.”

“Yeah they do but not like yours. I have seen how you react, they are not just painful memories and that’s a medical opinion, I am not just being nice. Who died again tonight?” Kate asked.

“His name was Dean, he was just a kid 15 or 16 years old that’s all. He was cocky, brash, had an attitude and chip on his shoulder but I really liked him. It was all bravado, it was just him and his mum and he really cared about her, you know.” Lucas blue eyes were filled with regret.

Kate moved so she could curl up against him sensing that it might help if he had somebody to hold. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her so her head rested on his shoulder, her arm draped across his chest.

“What happened?” Kate whispered.

“He witnessed a murder and stole something from the scene of the crime. Christ that sounds terrible doesn’t it? It wasn’t, he just wanted to make some money and stumbled into something way bigger than he could imagine. He didn’t really realise what he had or what he had seen but he was smart, he was working it out. His mother was kidnapped but we got her back safely. Stupidly we thought we had covered our tracks but we were not taking any chances. We arranged a new life for them in Spain. He flipped when we told him, accused me of lying. I didn’t realise how much he had looked up to me. He ran, I think he was scared, it was a huge change. I tried to stop him. He was shot, these people second guessed us on everything. It was a professional hit and he died in my arms. I promised his mother Sarah I would keep him safe and I didn’t. Her screams were what woke me tonight. We didn’t even catch his killer. He was just a kid never even had a chance to enjoy life.”

“Oh Lucas I’m so sorry. Did you even know who was responsible?”

“Yeah I saw him, the smug bastard smiled and just put the gun he used in a bag and disappeared…” Kate felt Lucas go tense she glanced up and realised he was gripped by another vision. He seemed to be holding his breath. A minute passed but it seemed longer. She was thinking he would need CPR if this continued when he exhaled slowly.

“Michael Sands,” he whispered.

“Who is Michael Sands?” Kate asked.

“The man who killed Dean and unless I am much mistaken he is the MS the man I followed was talking about. You know I said I thought I knew him. Well I do, not his name or anything but I have seen him before. Dean tried to sell what he stole online. Malcolm saw it advertised and I went to buy it from the kid except I wasn’t the only one who wanted it. Some other men also turned up at the house carrying guns, it was obvious they were not going to pay for anything. I got Dean and Sarah out as we were leaving and one of the men smashed the glass in the front door. It was the same man that I followed tonight. Michael Sands and the men working for him are all rogue MI6 agents.”

“That must be why you remembered Dean your subconscious leading you to the image of that man. Does this man Sands know you can identify him? Is that why you are the target?” Kate asked frightened.

“He must do but it doesn’t make sense that I am the target. He could just take me out, he is a skilled marksman. No need for this ruse,” Lucas said.

Kate shuddered. He was being so matter a fact about it all.

“It’s Ok to be scared Kate, I’ve told you that before.” He kissed the top of her head. “Honestly though I am sure that I am not the target, it is just not logical.”

“I wish I could believe you, but this man shot a teenager dead. I waited 9 years for you I don’t want to lose you now.”

“If I have any say in the matter you won’t. Come on we have work today.”

“Lucas it’s five o’clock in the morning, what work do we have to do?”

“Well you have to make the tea and I have to contact Harry.” He gave her a pat on the bum as he got up. “Milk no sugar remember.”

[HellsBells]

Another great chapter, Kate is definitely the type of girl Lucas needs, shame it never happen in Spooks.

[Annie]

You really write Lucas very well! When I read this story, I completely forget that he is "really" JB. This is Lucas like he should always have been!

[BravoNine]

(01-12-2010 02:54 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  Another great chapter, Kate is definitely the type of girl Lucas needs, shame it never happen in Spooks.

God knows if anyone ever had a normal relationship...no....Lucas just gets crazy or dumb people.....kinda wish Elizabeta stayed with Lucas, she was the only normal one....

[khandy]

(01-12-2010 05:20 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  

(01-12-2010 02:54 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  Another great chapter, Kate is definitely the type of girl Lucas needs, shame it never happen in Spooks.

God knows if anyone ever had a normal relationship...no....Lucas just gets crazy or dumb people.....kinda wish Elizabeta stayed with Lucas, she was the only normal one....

I wrote this pre series eight and a lotof peopletold methat they wanted Kate not Sarah in the show

[BravoNine]

(01-12-2010 06:02 PM)khandy Wrote:  

(01-12-2010 05:20 PM)BravoNine Wrote:  

(01-12-2010 02:54 PM)HellsBells Wrote:  Another great chapter, Kate is definitely the type of girl Lucas needs, shame it never happen in Spooks.

God knows if anyone ever had a normal relationship...no....Lucas just gets crazy or dumb people.....kinda wish Elizabeta stayed with Lucas, she was the only normal one....

I wrote this pre series eight and a lotof peopletold methat they wanted Kate not Sarah in the show

Certainly would be have been more nice! At least Lucas wouldn't have run around like a love-sick puppy and going loco!