Most of that planning has gone out of the window for this mission, as we haven’t got the resources or the time, so Dan and I concentrate on compiling a more basic plan, but still as detailed as possible. We need to know as soon as possible any equipment we need that isn’t here already so we can get it here in the tight time frame, and that’s going to include at least two helicopters. We also need to brief the team sooner rather than later so that they can process the plan and understand their tasks.
As Dan and I work, Josh and Alice look on but at a distance, not wanting to distract us or break our concentration. They are there if we need them and occasionally, we do ask them for help, to get us some information or equipment like the large map of central London that is now spread out on the table.
We are so engrossed in our task that we don’t see Sergeant Dixon approach us.
“Reporting as ordered, Sir,” he says, standing to attention.
“Thank you, Sergeant, at ease. Our mission’s objective is to retrieve a safe from a building in the Paddington area of London.”
“From Orion Securities, Sir?” he asks, taking me a bit by surprise, which he sees. “Excuse me Sir, but I Googled you when I heard we were being assigned to you.”
“Fair enough Sergeant. Anyway, the safe we are retrieving is secured to the floor of the building by thick welded brackets. Its size is about 750mm wide by 500mm high,” I tell him, holding my hands apart to show him the approximate size, “and it’s probably 400 deep. As a demolition’s expert, what do you suggest, to break it free from the floor?”
“That’s quite a big safe, Sir, it’s going to be very heavy. I would suggest leave the safe and take the contents. I assume it’s an electronic one, Sir.”
“Yes, it needs a thumbprint and code, it’s not going to be easy to open,” I tell him.
“Do you know the make and model, Sir?”
“No, I don’t,” I confess.
“It had a logo on that said ‘SecLock’,” Dan interjects.
“That’s the make and it’s manufactured in the UK,” the Sergeant tells us. “With the right equipment, I should be able to crack it but it could take time. The easiest way could be if somebody with some clout got in touch with SecLock and got them to tell us how to open it; the least they can tell us is the model, they will have a record of the sale to Orion, no doubt.”
“Very good Sergeant, Lieutenant Winters will be able to help with that.”
“I have the feed up,” Lieutenant Winters announces, interrupting Sergeant Dixon’s and my discussion about the safe.
“Get what you need to get that safe open,” I tell the Sergeant as I turn towards the Lieutenant.
“Yes, Sir,” he says as I move towards the end of the table showing the feed. Dixon follows me, and he, in turn, is followed by Dan, Josh and Alice.
In moments, the whole team is gathered around the table, the Lieutenant remains seated and I stand next to him, not taking the spare chair on the other side of him but wanting to be on my feet to see this.
The view on the monitor is very clear and it shows a view from high above a road with two lines of vehicles moving along. The images must be being transmitted from a drone flying overhead, because from the left of the screen we see Apaches moving slowly towards the lines of vehicles.
“Where is this?” I ask the Lieutenant.
“This is the North Circular Road, between Ealing and Acton,” he tells me.
The vehicles look like a mix of military transport trucks and normal civilian coaches to the right of the road, and on the left, moving in the same direction is a line of Assault vehicles. At least some of them are Challenger Tanks, although it is hard to be sure from the height we are looking down from. I suppose it makes sense that coaches are being used when you consider how many troops are being moved into position, all at once.
Then it starts to happen; the vehicle, which is a truck, stops at the back of the line and troops that look like ants from this distance start spreading out from the back of the truck. After a short pause, the truck starts moving again before stopping to let more troops disembark. As the line of vehicles stretches out, more of them come to a stop and more troops hit the ground, and I am sure this is being repeated all along the North Circular Road. Each time troops disembark, one of the Assault vehicles also stops until the troop carrier is out of the way. It then turns East into the nearest main road that leads deeper into the city and the troops move East too, following it. The Apaches then fly forward, taking up a position in front of the tank that’s leading the troops; they will be relaying reconnaissance intel to their unit on the ground and will be able to respond first if any targets present themselves.
Chapter 10
Only a very short time ago, Private Jason Robbins had made the mistake of thinking that he had landed a cushy number in Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport. He had been posted, virtually straight off the train from Scotland, to a conference area in the terminal where he had mainly been tasked with escorting VIP’s and top brass around the terminal and making sure they arrived at their desired destination without getting lost in the large terminal. He had done a good job, he thought, he had very quickly memorised the layout of the terminal and hadn’t led any of the dignitaries astray. He had been polite, courteous, efficient and hadn’t spent that much time in the food hall,
