The Gruinard Project Chapter 24

[khandy]

Lots of action on the grid

Thames House 3 pm.

It was justified Malcolm told himself, in any case he was not breaking the law merely bending it a little. He smiled; if he was Pinocchio his nose would have hit the computer screen for telling such an outrageous lie. Hacking into a pharmaceutical company’s security system was most definitely against the law, which brought him back to his original thought that it was justified; after all this company was flouting every international agreement on the manufacture and storage of biological weapons.

It had been terrifyingly easy to access the system. Malcolm was not modest, he didn’t see the point, like the others in Section D he had been selected because he could offer something that was above average, in his case his IT skills. The trick was to make sure that nobody could trace you were there, or if they did, for them to believe that you had a right to be. Welchem’s security was provided by a large national company, one that Malcolm was familiar with, which was a help as he had a fair idea of what surveillance and security measures they used. Once he had gained access Malcolm began to study the data on the security system. He quickly surmised that Welchem’s site security was excellent. Couldn’t just be a Yale lock for a change he thought as he looked at a plan of the Welchem complex. The next question was how to get Lucas in and out undetected. He was looking at staff profiles when the man in question approached his desk.

“I take it you are in?” he said as he pulled up a seat.

“What makes you think that? I only started at 2.45 pm,” Malcolm said not glancing up.

“Well I gave you 15 minutes and that was five minutes more that I’m guessing you needed. Before I was taken prisoner I used to think you were a good computer analysis expert. Since I have been back I have come to realise that you are far better than good, you are brilliant. I remember that first week I was back, the way you entered that Russian submarines submarine's main frame and crippled it. I don’t know how you access these systems without leaving a trace but I do know it’s the work of a genius. You could if you wanted start WW3; bloody frightening as well, it’s reassuring that you are one of the good guys.”

“Ok don’t gush I hate fuss. Let’s get to work.”

Lucas smiled, Malcolm was so British. He wanted no praise or reward for his work. Lucas guessed that seeing an operation through to a successful conclusion was reward enough.

“Ok Malcolm I’ll stop gushing. What have we got?”

**********

The notes seemed muddled as if they had been made in a hurry. Possibly afraid of being found out ,Dr Ross had written in some kind of made up short hand. Certainly they were not the clear, concise, analytical notes of a scientist. Kate sighed, she was studying what appeared to be timings but timings for what she had no idea. She stood and headed to the water cooler hoping that a short break would help.

As she crossed the office to where the water bottle was located, she glanced over at Malcolm and Lucas. They were both oblivious to the others on The Grid both immersed in something Malcolm had brought up on his computer. She assumed it was something to do with security at Welchem. They were both in their element. She had not been part of the team for long but she recognised there was a strong bond between the two men.

“They work well together,” Ros observed from behind her.

I was just thinking the same thing. I guess it’s a love of technical things.” Kate handed the older woman a glass of water.

“Yeah that and Malcolm is the only one of us from Lucas’ pre Russia days, the only link apart from Harry to the past. I think he trusts Malcolm more than the rest of us.”

“I didn’t realise it was a completely new team Lucas returned to, I wouldn’t have realised if you had not said; you all compliment each other so well,” Kate said.

“Ah well that’s Harry’s doing. He seems to know about the balance of a team. When we lose someone he has a knack of finding the ideal replacement.” Ros looked keenly at the younger woman but the hidden meaning in her words seemed to pass over her head. The clever scientist had no idea that Harry was thinking of recruiting her as a permanent member of section D. “How goes it with the report Kate, making anymore headway?”

Kate sighed.

“It’s all so jumbled, I have just found a whole group of timings but I have no idea what context they are written in or what they relate to. It is like a really complex jigsaw and piecing it together is a slow process,” she explained.

She threw the paper cup in the bin and headed back to her desk and was soon concentrating on Dr Ross’ notes. The only thing that the timings seemed to be connected to was the word Rhesus. What had negative or positive blood groups got to do with these times? She studied the figures unable to find any link whatsoever. She wondered if it could be something to do with blood clotting and the clotting cascade but that did not make sense, Anthrax was not a haemorrhagic disorder and the Rhesus factor had nothing to do with coagulation. She read on hoping that the answer might be further on in the notes. Dr Ross appeared to become quite agitated repeating what he had written. Disease progress was written a couple of times and the word Rhesus appeared again. Then quite chillingly he had written “100% mortality”. Kate rubbed her eyes, a 100% mortality in what she wondered. Her eyes glanced at the page again and the word Rhesus. She hadn’t noticed before but after Rhesus there was a letter M which made no sense medically. Other letters were associated with Rhesus negative patients, like Anti D, but not M. What did that M stand for? Was it related to the 100% mortality figure? What had they used to come up with that figure? Some kind of animal? It was then she realised the connection to Rhesus, it had to be monkeys. She really should have seen the connection immediately but there was no point beating herself up over it. Kate returned to the notes to try and work out what the timings meant.

It was five pm when Harry called them altogether again. Kate had her notes ready having anticipated they would be called together once more; sick to her stomach at the discovery she had made she followed the others into the conference room.

“Ok everybody, Jo has followed our two would be gas men back to London. They are holed up in a hotel over in Lambeth, she is staying there in case our friend Sands appears.” Harry started the meeting without preamble. “Ros what is the situation at Gleneagles?”

“Usual security measures for this kind of conference. They are used to international delegations arriving. I have a meeting with the head of security tomorrow, I want to see the set up for myself. As for the itinerary it is all pretty standard stuff nothing to too contentious.” She hand handed them a copy of the week's events.

Lucas scanned the document.

“It would seem the most contentious issue is the motion to consider Zimbabwe’s readmission to the Commonwealth,” he commented.

“Yes President Mugabe is due to give evidence to support his country’s readmission. His human rights record is appalling however he needs the Commonwealth to readmit his country as the economy is in a terrible state and his people are starving because of trade sanctions,” Ros explained. “Political sources believe they will be allowed back if certain conditions are met,” she continued.

“The PM is in attendance everyday, what about her Majesty?” Harry asked.

“She will be opening the conference on Monday and is hosting two dinners during the week and then she closes the conference on Friday.”

“What time are you heading up to Gleneagles?”

“I am catching the six am high speed train to Edinburgh.” Ros replied.

Harry nodded and turned to Malcolm.

“Security at Welchem, how are we doing with that?”

“The company has excellent high specification security, which is to be expected in a company with a huge annual profit. The security is provided by a firm I am familiar with. The car park has a guarded entrance but to be honest that is just for show and the parameter fence is patrolled by armed guards with dogs. The building entrances are on key pad locks. The labs themselves are accessed by fingerprint analysis and recognition. Looking at the staff security profiles there are varying degrees of security clearance which include access being restrict to certain working hours. There is wide spread CCTV throughout the building that is streamed to an onsite surveillance booth which is manned at all times by security staff.”

“Very thorough. Lucas where are you with the plan to steal the virus?” Harry asked.

“Malcolm is going to set me up as an employee and feed my security details and fingerprints on to the main frame of the security programme. We have studied the staff shift patterns and the best time to access will be Friday evening. I will return the lab on the pretext of collecting some work I have left behind. We are assuming that the night time security guards will not be familiar with staff and not recognise that I am not a regular employee. Malcolm will override the CCTV cameras to allow me to slip into the lab and remove a sample of the virus and then return here to The Grid.”

Kate had just swallowed a mouthful of coffee when Lucas finished speaking and she ended up choking on it.

“Kate are you alright?” Harry asked.

“Can I ask a question Harry?” she asked.

“Yes of course.”

“Lucas have you ever stolen a live bacteria before?”

“No but I have stolen other things.”

“So can you identify the correct sample, remove and handle it safely?”

“Kate do you have a problem with Lucas doing this?” Ros asked.

“I do,” Kate answered honestly.

“Kate this is my job…”

“I know that, but you are not the person for it. You have no idea what you are dealing with, what it looks like, how to handle, remove, or store it. Then would you bring it back here to The Grid? The Anthrax strains we know about have a 97% mortality rate. Do you have any idea what accidental contamination would do to central London? The plan to enter the lab is a good one I am sure, but you need somebody who is used to handling bio hazardous substances to take the sample. You need to transport it in a special specially designed container and it has to go directly to a level four laboratory.”

“Who do you suggest steals it?” Lucas asked, knowing what she would say.

Kate took a deep breath.

“Me.”

“No absolutely not. Harry she’s a civilian, she does not work for MI5.” Lucas’ voice was deceptively calm but his eyes were blazing, he would not allow Kate to take such a risk. “She can spend tomorrow training me. Ros back me up on this.”

“Harry you know Lucas may have a point…”

Before the section head could continue Kate spoke again.

“Sorry Ros I know I’m interrupting, but Harry that will not work. Whoever does this has to be confident and secure in the procedures for working with live bacteria, you cannot teach that in one day. I work for the Health Protection Agency I know what I am doing.”

“Lucas is right Kate, you are not an agent, I can’t ask you to do this,” Harry said.

“Harry from where I am sitting you don’t have a choice. I have discovered a lot more about what we are dealing with. This strain of this bacterium is a genetically modified variant of the Vollum strain. This is the strain used in the war on the Gruinard Island. Even before it was modified it was incredibly virulent but this modification has altered the speed at which the disease progresses. According to Dr Ross’ notes there was a hundred percent mortality rate in the Rhesus Monkeys infected with the disease within five hours.”

“Jesus Christ,” Malcolm said.

“That’s not all, according to Dr Ross they have trialled this on humans. From what I can work out ten Polish migrant workers were infected they all died within five hours. I have no idea where the bodies are but they are a time bomb if they have not been incinerated and the ashes stored securely. Harry you have nobody else qualified to do this.” Kate looked at the shocked faces around the table. “If Lucas and Malcolm can get me in there I can obtain the sample. Then you need to take the sample back to the Health Protection Agency labs at Porton Down for analysis.”

“Harry.” Lucas stood up “I would like to speak to you alone now please.”

Kate wanted to say that anything they had to discuss could be discussed in front of her, but the look Lucas gave her made her keep quiet.

Harry sighed, sometimes he hated being the boss.

“Alright Lucas let’s go to my office. Ros you come too.”

Lucas spoke the moment they entered the office.

“Harry to ask Kate to do this is madness. She has no training in work of this nature.”

“But she is the only person who is privy to the threats who also knows how to handle the virus. If we bring somebody else in with the scientific know how then we will be involving another a department, specifically the health protection agency. They will insist that we close the lab and seize any of the bacteria on the premises, thus tipping our hand.” Harry sat behind his desk.

“We are certain that we still want to play this softly, softly?” Ros asked. “I mean if we show our hand then the terrorists are unlikely to carry out the threat.”

“Yes there is that but they would still have the virus and we would be no closer to identifying them, ” Harry said.

“Harry that still doesn’t mean that you should use an untrained civilian to break into a secure lab,” Lucas repeated.

“Lucas I want you to be honest, would this be an issue if this was any other scientist?” Ros asked.

Lucas hesitated a fraction too long.

“Thought not, you are emotionally involved here. Kate is willing to take the risk and her credentials are impeccable. Harry it is your call but I suspect that you already think that Kate would make a good agent, so do I.”

“But she is not an agent,” Lucas said dully aware he was losing the battle.

Harry had some sympathy with the man in front of him.

“I know Lucas but Kate is right, we have no other choice but her. I want you and Malcolm to get her in and out undetected, leave the rest up to her. Once you have the bacteria let me know and I will arrange for a lab to be made available.”

Harry stood signalling that the conversation at an end.

“I want it on the record that I am opposed to this. I know I’m emotionally involved but that would be irrelevant if she had been through basic training.” Lucas was furious.

“Ok Lucas your objection is noted,” Harry told him.

Lucas turned and left slamming the door hard behind him.

“Should I go after him Harry?” Ros asked.

“No let him cool down in his own time,” Harry said.


Lucas North’s Flat. 9pm.

Kate wondered how much longer Lucas was going to give her the silent treatment for. They had hardly spoken since returning from The Grid. The conversation over the evening meal they had shared had been strained and tense and now he was pretending to watch the news; his eyes fixed on the screen but they were unfocused and unseeing, lost in his troubled thoughts.

“Lucas talk to me, I can tell you are unhappy about this.”

“Unhappy why should I be? The boss says you are the best person for the job,” he said grumpily.

“Is that what this is about? Harry choosing me, my being the better person for the job?” Kate asked.

“I could have done this, now I have to worry about you and the bacteria. Harry is wrong this is not a job for amateurs.” Lucas’ eyes flashed in anger.

“Are Jo, Ros, and Malcolm amateurs, do you behave like this when they are given jobs you think you should do?” Kate asked her temper as short as Lucas’ was.

“They are not amateurs they are trained agents. You are not.” Lucas didn’t shout but his voice was cold as steel.

“No I am not but I am a trained microbiologist used to handling potentially dangerous substances.”

“I wish I had never brought you here!” Lucas did shout this time.

“Regretting it all ready?” Kate said hurt by his words.

“Yes I am. I wish I had never remembered you.”

Kate felt like she had been slapped. She stood and walked towards the door.

“I will get out of your way then,” she said quietly. “When this is over you won’t see me again.”

She shut the door and ran down the stairs and was almost out on the street when Lucas caught up with her.

“Please come back I didn’t mean it,” he grabbed her arm.

“No Lucas let me go, I want to go home but I can’t so I am going back to my hotel.” She struggled to get free.

“No I won’t let you," he said pushing the front door shut and trapping her against it.

“You won’t let me!” she struggled harder. “Let me go!”

“Damn it Kate I was scared alright, still am, if anything were to happen to you I’m not sure how I would carry on. I’m so scared. Don‘t leave I need you!” He leant down and kissed her frantically.

Kate relaxed, he wasn’t the only one who was scared. If she were truthful she would say she was bloody terrified.

“I’m scared as well Lucas but I trust you to keep me safe. We’re a team.”

Murmuring how much she needed him, she returned Lucas’ kiss hungrily. Groaning in frustration Lucas carried her up the single flight of stairs barely making it back into the privacy of the flat to continue their love making. Fear made their love making fast and desperate, they never made it pass the hallway.

“I can’t believe I have made love in the hallway.” Lucas said when he could speak.

“Yeah you did, will you do it again?” Kate whispered.

Lucas stared at her stunned.

Kate laughed.

“Lucas it was wonderful and so sexy seeing you out of control. Make love to me again.”

He groaned at her words. She was an amazing woman.

“Ok but let's go to the bedroom it’s more comfy.”