‘I said no.’
‘Then how do you know there’s danger?’
‘Because
‘He?’
‘I don’t know who
Stratton guessed that might be his answer. ‘You know where this danger is?’ he asked, pressing on.
‘No. It’s not with him. He’s looking for it, or at least he was last time I viewed him. He believes he knows where it is and how to find it, and he is determined to succeed. All I can tell you about the danger is that he’s touched it before but never experienced it.’
‘Do you know anything about him at all?’ Stratton asked, starting to treat it as a game to keep his interest up.
‘He’s foreign. I’m certain of that. I can’t hear voices or discern languages, just the emotion. Emotion has no language barriers. Yes, some races are more emotional than others, but I’m looking at an individual. He’s introvert. Lonely I think. He’s interesting. And dark, of course. Very dark. Dark and deep as an abandoned mine. And dangerous. I could get lost looking inside his head . . . There’s a lot of fear there . . . anxiety. Sadness too, and anger. He’s tormented, that’s for sure.’
‘How do you know it’s a man?’
‘He has the desires of a man.They’re different than the desires a woman has for another woman. You understand that much at least.’
Arsehole, Stratton added to Gabriel’s mental notes. However, the man was genuinely afraid of something and fear alters a person. ‘What do you think he’s afraid of?’
‘That’s the part that’s most confusing. Some of the fear is mine. I’m having trouble controlling it. It’s getting in the way.’
‘Why are you afraid?’
‘I don’t know.’
Stratton looked away, doing his best not to appear unconvinced, but Gabriel was far too sensitive to scepticism to miss it.
Gabriel smirked, more at himself or the situation than at Stratton. ‘You think I’m full of it, don’t you?’
Under different circumstances, Stratton might not have denied it, but considering the powers that sent both of them here to work together it would have been inappropriate. ‘I was told there might be a connection with the supertanker.’
‘You don’t want to be here,’ Gabriel said, ignoring the question and feeling his temper rising again. ‘I can’t see the point in you getting involved if you don’t have any faith.’
‘Maybe someone more suited to this will take my place tomorrow, but right now you’ve got me.’ Stratton hoped that was true about being replaced, and decided he was going to insist on it at the first opportunity.There was nothing about this assignment that fitted his job description.
Gabriel sat down on the bed heavily, exhausted, and held his head in his hands. ‘I need to rest,’ he said, and then immediately appeared to wrestle with himself and got to his feet again. ‘No. We must go. We have to identify the location.’
Stratton studied Gabriel as he pondered the situation. On an immediate basis, getting out on the ground and doing something appealed to him. He did not like stagnancy and preferred being on the move. Also, on a professional level, there was nothing worse than wasting time when there was an opportunity to make ground, and since this was the start, as far as Stratton was concerned at least, moving anywhere was a step forward. Besides, he needed to break the ice with this man, and it did not look as if he was going to get far stuck in this hotel room.
Stratton took his mobile phone from a pocket, scrolled through the phone list and hit the send button. A moment later the call was answered. ‘Stratton here. Two five eight. I need a car, self drive . . . Stratton, two five eight,’ he said, repeating his Military Intelligence number, but the person on the other end could not find any record of him. As soon as an operative was assigned to an operation, every department in MI was supposed to receive a notification e-mail. Not all areas were open to his discretion, such as requesting a private jet, which depended on his priority rating. A car should have been well within his allowances but the procurement department could give him nothing if he was not on the assignment roster. No doubt he was tapping into the system before Sumners had gotten to a computer. Stratton could hear voices at the other end and a moment later the person dealing with him came back on the phone. Stratton was about to ask him to get in contact with Sumners when he was told the assignment roster had just that second been updated and his request was already being processed. Stratton’s faith in the system returned. ‘Thank you,’ he said and put the phone back in his pocket. He checked his watch.
‘A car’s on its way,’ he told Gabriel who nodded and picked up his bag. ‘It’ll take a few minutes.’
Gabriel looked around the room to check he had everything.
‘Do you normally have help decoding your viewings?’ Stratton asked.
‘A vast research department usually.’
‘Back in Virginia.’
‘And Stanford, the research institute.’
‘That’s a university.’
‘The first remote-viewing protocols were synthesised at the institute. The programme was partially funded by the agency who monitor the security issues. But, of course, it’s better to have local knowledge if you’re looking for places, which is why you’re here.’
‘I understand the part about the local knowledge,’ Stratton said.
Gabriel believed him although he remained doubtful the Englishman was any closer to taking it seriously.
They stood in silence for a moment. Stratton had to admit he was mildly fascinated with the concept of being able to ‘see’ other people’s thoughts and wanted to ask Gabriel how he did it, but decided this was not a good time. ‘Let’s head down to the street,’ he said, opening the door.‘It shouldn’t be long.’
Gabriel walked out of the room and Stratton followed letting the door swing shut.
They went down the stairs to the lobby, out through the hotel entrance and on to the street, where they stood apart in silence. A few minutes later a dark blue four-door Rover turned the corner from Edgware Road, cruised along the street and pulled to a stop in front of them. A man climbed out of the driver’s side leaving the engine running, looked at Stratton and gave him a nod. Stratton walked around the car to the driver’s door.
‘This got comms?’ Stratton asked the driver.
‘Na. It’s clean.’
‘No support kit in the boot?’
‘Nuffin. I was told you needed a sterile car just for a run around.’
Stratton understood - they were in good old England on a safe op - but he always liked the support of comms, a medic pack and a weapon or two, out of habit if nothing else. Safe ops held bad memories for him. The last one he ran was in Paris and he had lost a US Navy Seal operative to the Real IRA. ‘Thanks,’ Stratton said to the man who nodded and walked away up the street.
‘This is our ride,’ Stratton said to Gabriel. Gabriel climbed into the back while Stratton got behind the wheel and shut his door. He turned to look at Gabriel pulling his bag beside him and resting his head on the back of the seat as if preparing to sleep.
‘Where’re we going?’ he asked as he turned back to familiarise himself with the instruments and check the fuel gauge.
‘That’s your job,’ Gabriel said tiredly.
Stratton suddenly felt like a chauffeur but held back any sarcastic comment, reminding himself this was a game and a temporary one at that. Gabriel had the clues and Stratton had to piece them together. It might even be fun. What else was going on?
‘An American air base near a large wood with soldiers in it?’ Stratton asked.
‘I have nothing more to add to that at the moment,’ Gabriel said.
Stratton pulled his seatbelt on, put the car into gear, drove round the corner at the end of the street and
