‘You do not need to know,’ said Harith. He gave a sheet of paper to Chaudhry. It was a map.
‘This shows you where you are to go,’ he said. ‘Wait there and you will receive further instructions.’
‘Are we to become shahid?’ asked Malik. He was sweating and his Adam’s apple was bobbing up and down. He pushed down the hood of his parka and shook his hair from his eyes.
‘If it is the will of Allah, who are you to argue?’ said Harith.
‘Why won’t you tell us what’s happening?’ asked Malik.
Chaudhry put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘Hush, brother,’ he said. ‘This is what we trained for.’
Harith nodded enthusiastically. ‘You must put your trust in Allah.’
Malik opened his mouth to say something but Chaudhry squeezed his shoulder and shook his head.
The van came to a stop. ‘Allah be with you, brothers,’ said Harith.
‘And with you, brother,’ said Chaudhry. ‘Allahu Akbar.’
‘Allahu Akbar,’ repeated Harith.
Malik opened the door and stepped out on to the pavement. Chaudhry followed him and slammed the door shut. A cold wind blew against their backs and they both pulled up the hoods of their coats as they watched the van drive away.
‘Raj, what the hell are we going to do?’ asked Malik.
Chaudhry hefted the backpack on to his shoulders and turned to face the building they were standing next to. St Pancras Station.
Button watched the van drive away from the station on the screen showing the feed from the police helicopter. ‘Tell the chopper to keep with the van,’ she said. ‘They’re not to be stopped. Just keep an eye on them.’ She tapped her fingers on her lips as she stared at the map, which was now centred on the station. ‘Can we get a CCTV feed on the two of them?’ shouted Button. ‘We need to see if they’re being coerced.’
‘I’m on it,’ said a young man in a grey suit.
‘And can we get video feeds from inside the station?’ asked Button.
‘I’ll talk to the BTP’s Major Incident Communication Centre,’ said the man, tapping on his computer.
Button looked over at Shepherd. ‘It has to be the Eurostar.’
‘I don’t think they’re after the Eurostar. Raj wasn’t told to take his passport with him,’ said Shepherd.
‘I have a feed now,’ said the man in the grey suit. ‘Screen five.’
They all looked at the screen. Chaudhry and Malik were standing on the pavement, deep in conversation. They both had backpacks on.
‘Shit,’ said Shepherd.
‘Shit is right,’ agreed Button. ‘The question is, what are they up to? They might have fake passports ready to go abroad. But the security to get on the cross-Channel trains is as tough as at the airports so I don’t see them getting bombs or guns on board. But they could do a lot of damage in the station. I just wish I knew what was in those backpacks.’ She called over to one of the men in front of the terminals. ‘Peter?’ A middle-aged man in a sports jacket swivelled his chair to face her. ‘Is there any way we can get an explosives dog to the station, now?’ asked Button.
‘I’ll try,’ he said.
‘If we can run a dog through and get a reaction that will tell us something,’ said Button. ‘But on the QT, no confrontation.’
‘Got it,’ said the man, turning back to his computer keyboard.
‘Can the dog tell the difference between explosives and ammunition?’ asked Shepherd.
‘I hope so,’ said Button.
‘I have an ARV close to the station,’ said Commander Needham. ‘Do you want us to intervene?’
‘Give me a moment, Commander,’ said Button.
‘Understood, but be aware that our only chance of getting any sort of clear shot will be gone once they go inside.’
‘Duly noted,’ said Button tersely. She stared at the screen that showed Chaudhry and Malik standing at the Midland Road entrance. ‘What’s your take on what’s happening, Spider?’
‘The backpacks are big enough for carbines, assuming they’ve got folding stocks,’ said Shepherd. ‘And bombs can be any size. The Seven-Seven bombers had backpacks and rucksacks.’ He shrugged. ‘I just don’t know. There’s no way of telling.’
‘The backpacks look bulky, don’t they? Would carbines look like that? They look as if they’re packed with something.’
‘Then that would mean explosives. And that would mean a suicide mission. That doesn’t make sense. Raj and Harvey weren’t being groomed to be martyrs.’
‘Unless they’re being lied to. It wouldn’t be the first time that men have been duped into becoming martyrs.’
‘Hell, Charlie. I don’t know. I don’t know what their mindset is. Certainly Raj and Harvey never believed that they’d be sent on a suicide mission.’
‘We have a clear shot,’ said the commander. ‘Do I have a green light?’
‘Wait!’ said Shepherd.
The commander looked at Button. ‘We can take them out now with zero collateral damage,’ he said. ‘We might not get another chance.’
Button opened her mouth to speak but Shepherd held up his hand. ‘Just give me a minute,’ he said. ‘Let me think.’
‘The clock is ticking, Spider,’ said Button.
‘Amen to that,’ said the commander. ‘If there are bombs in those backpacks we need to neutralise the threat now, before they go into the station,’ he said.
‘Neutralise the threat?’ repeated Shepherd. ‘Why don’t you say what you mean? Shoot them. That’s what you’re suggesting, isn’t it?’
‘Easy, Spider,’ said Button. ‘We’re just following protocol here. If they’re carrying bombs and there’s a chance that they are going to be detonated then we have to minimise civilian casualties. And the best way of doing that is to take them down sooner rather than later.’
‘I don’t see triggers, do you? They’ve just got backpacks. There could be anything in them.’
‘Including bombs with timers.’
‘Let’s just wait a little longer.’
‘We’re running out of time,’ said Button.
Lesporis stood up. ‘Charlotte, we have another van approaching St Pancras. Two Muslim males in the front.’
‘What?’ said Button, turning to look at the screen showing the map of London. A flashing light was moving east towards the station. ‘Do we have video?’
‘Screen eight,’ said Lesporis. They looked at the screen. A white van was sitting at a set of traffic lights. ‘We have a bike behind them. That’s where we’re getting the video feed from.’
‘They’re on Euston Road,’ said Button. ‘If they’re going to St Pancras they’ll be there in the next five minutes. How many are in the van?’
‘We think three in the back but there are no windows so we can’t be sure,’ said Lesporis.
‘So there are more of them on the way?’ said the commander.
‘It seems so,’ said Button.
On the screen, Chaudhry was talking to Malik.
‘I wish we had audio,’ said Button. She went over to stand behind Lesporis and put a hand on his shoulder. ‘Make sure our watchers stick with that van and find out where it goes.’
‘I’m on it,’ said Lesporis.
Chaudhry stopped and stared up at the sign above the station. A CCTV camera was looking down at them. Malik stood next to him.
‘What are we going to do, Raj?’ asked Malik.
‘Let me think,’ said Chaudhry.
‘Think? What the hell are you thinking about? What if we’re carrying bombs? Those bastards could be preparing to blow us up right now.’
