by Tom Marcus
As the rest of the team scattered around the park to find spots to hide and the vehicle call signs started moving their positions around to make it seem like the area wasn’t flooded with people, I sprinted along the perimeter wall, using the shadows for cover, quickly covering the twenty metres to the brick structure. The building was definitely used for storage. As I peeked inside, looking for a route to get up into the roof, I saw piles of rubbish, bins, the odd yard tool, brushes and a ladder. All within an open space stretching up to the eaves.
I’d already told Graeme I was ready to cover this corner. I needed to be in position in the next thirty seconds or I’d have to get on the net again and tell him I couldn’t help out, which always makes you feel like you’re letting the team down.
It was noticeably dark inside, which was great when it came to hiding within the shadows but it was a struggle to see exactly where I was walking. Using the ladder in the corner I extended it as quietly and swiftly as I could, leaning it right up against the main roof support directly next to a jagged hole in the tiles, a gap about twelve inches in diameter. On the other side of the small building there was a slightly smaller gap in the broken tiles but a bit higher, so I would be able to stand up on the supporting beam on that side.
Making it to the top of the ladder, I shuffled myself onto a damp, filthy wooden beam where I crouched uncomfortably.
Sliding my left arm out of the bag’s shoulder straps, I swung the bag around and got my video camera out. Don’t drop the fucker, Tom!
‘Stations from Team Leader, Blue Team have them parking their car on the pavement on the north side of Shooter’s Hill. Foot crews, for information this is towards the southern end of Maze Hill.’
That was south of me – I might be able to see the car. As I switched the camera on and listened to the dull whine of the gears in the zooming mechanism I heard Karen whisper into her radio.
‘Eight Six has control of MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN, exiting the vehicle now. Both have satchel-style bags on. Now walking west towards the junction with Maze Hill.’
It was a good lock on; now I knew I was looking for two figures towards the very bottom end of this road. I adjusted my position carefully to make sure the camera wasn’t anywhere near the hole in the roof, in case it gave me away. I was determined to get the right angle so I could help Karen out. It’s quite open once you get onto Maze Hill Road at the bottom end, and there were very few people about, so if the Russians were trying to identify potential surveillance it would be quite easy.
‘Team Leader, roger that, Eight Six. Base, any further update you can add?’
‘Negative from Base. Nothing.’
‘Roger that, stations from Team Leader, we have control over both targets now, Blue Team are iron curtain at a distance.’
As Karen gave us the commentary and Graeme confirmed Blue Team’s outer position, moving out of the area ready to give us support, I held my camera steady, slowly zooming in to make sure it was the two targets I’d spotted.
It took a second for the lens to refocus but it was definitely them walking directly towards me, a couple of hundred metres away.
‘Eight Six, Zero Six can if you want?’
I wasn’t sure of Karen’s positioning but she had to whisper her transmissions, meaning she could be close enough to the targets for help to be useful. ‘Eight Six, thanks Zero Six, all yours. I’m backing.’
‘Roger, Zero Six has control of MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN walking north on Maze Hill with the open grass to their left towards the junction of Charlton Way. Base, confirm imagery?’
‘Base, confirmed good picture.’
Holding the camera tight on the targets, conscious of the need to keep my position secure, I used the shielding around the viewfinder to prevent my face being lit up. Although at this distance they’d be hard pushed to see anything.
‘Zero Six, permission from Team Leader?’
‘Go ahead, no change, still northbound, walking on Maze Hill.’
‘Thanks, stations from Team Leader, with the last job in mind can we keep an eye open for TURQUOISE FLAMINGO. Red Team haven’t seen him yet. Just be aware he could be here providing counter-surveillance again.’
As everyone acknowledged Graeme’s concern, I watched the two targets walk towards me. ‘Base from Zero Six, LAST DAWN has his hand in his bag.’ Zooming in, I was desperate to capture this on camera.
‘From Zero Six, that’s LAST DAWN taking something from his bag and passing it to MAGENTA STOAT. Base confirm?’
‘Base, roger, reviewing it now.’ As the staff in the operations room were rewinding the footage from a second ago, I kept tight on them both. A flash of light burst across the pavement where they were walking, too brief for me to assess properly. What the fuck?
‘Base from Zero Six, can you check what that flash was just now please. I’m not sure if it was a glitch in the camera or a genuine light flare?’
‘Base, roger. Reviewing.’
‘From Zero Six, MAGENTA STOAT has placed the object given to him in his right jacket pocket. For information, both wearing dark jackets on dark trousers, both with woollen hats on.’
I could feel the cold London air whistle through the gaps in the tiles as I watched them walk casually towards me in the camera’s viewfinder. Because I wasn’t moving I was starting to get cold. Resisting my body’s need to start shivering, I held the camera lens firmly on both targets. MAGENTA STOAT had an air of arrogance about him, holding his head high and walking with a slight swagger that screamed, I don’t give a fuck!
The next transmission was from one of the tech teams monitoring the video feed I was sending back to Thames House.
‘Zero Six from Tech Teams, that flash you saw is likely an IR laser.’
Right. Fuck. Using a normal laser would draw attention to their midnight stroll through the park and look highly suspicious, but an infra red laser – invisible to the naked eye – meant they were taking extra precautions to hide what they were doing.
‘Roger that, thank you. That’s MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN continuing to walk north on Maze Hill now at the junction of Charlton Way. Eight Six, if they continue north alongside the brick wall can you briefly while I change position?’
If they continued to walk towards me I’d have to move onto the other side of the roof, where there was a smaller gap in the tiles, to be able to film them heading north.
‘Eight Six, yes yes.’ Karen was still whispering.
‘Roger, thank you, and that’s both targets now crossing north and continuing on Maze Hill.’
The infra-red laser LAST DAWN had given to MAGENTA STOAT was starting to get me worried. No one had control of TURQUOISE FLAMINGO and it was clear they were doing operational work. If they got concerned they were under surveillance they would just walk away clean, as per Russian operating procedure. If we got seen by these targets it would blow the entire operation.
Over the years, the Russians have become stronger, bolder and their will to extend their reach in Britain has increased. But we are winning this war against them, and it is a war.
As Karen continued to give commentary on the targets I had to make my move and quietly shift the ten metres or so across the supporting beams to the other side of the roof. If I dropped the camera it would be a disaster, so I placed it back in my drawstring bag and slowly slid my foot along the wooden beam. I knew the chances of slipping were massive but with the targets virtually parallel to the building I was hiding in, I couldn’t use the ladder without the risk of making some noise. Holding onto a small wooden truss, I pulled myself up into a half crouch, which was all I had room for.
‘Stations from Team Leader, Red Team are ready to assist alongside Blue Team.’
You can never assume a target is going to do anything – people are fucking weird at times – but this definitely felt like they were going to try something. It was our job to make sure we saw it.
Moving over the central eaves of the roof, I was thankful it was s
o dark, making it difficult to see anything but the cracked tiles and the beams I was balancing on. It meant I couldn’t see how fucking dangerous this was. In reality though, given the dangers we face daily and potentially were facing right now with the Russians, falling to the concrete below ranked fairly low on the list of threats.
‘From Eight Six, stations, they’ve jumped the wall into the park, I can’t go with. Zero Six can you? South-east corner.’
Karen’s whispered voice had a harshness to it. Taking the last couple of steps towards the hole in the roof, I was thankful there was space to stand up there but the gap was much smaller, no bigger than a cereal bowl in diameter. My face was still in darkness as I looked for movement to my right. Nothing.
‘From Zero Six, negative.’
As quickly as I could I took the camera back out of my bag and, still keeping it far enough away from the gap so I couldn’t be seen from the outside, I angled the lens down and to my right, scanning. Bingo. ‘From Zero Six, I’ve got them walking north-west on the path in the park on the south-east corner. This is near the flower garden.’
‘Team Leader, roger. Any other stations able to assist?’
I could hear five other call signs all giving their positions inside the park, scattered around. ‘From Zero Six, I have control. Confirmed MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN stood still on the south-east corner looking in their bags. Base confirm?’
‘Base, roger, good picture this end.’
Game time. MAGENTA STOAT was the first to move. ‘From Zero Six, MAGENTA STOAT has the laser in his hand, LAST DAWN is holding a scope up to his eye, looking north.’
‘All foot stations acknowledge please, from Team Leader.’ Graeme was absolutely on it. If LAST DAWN had a night-vision device they could potentially spot our team.
‘From Zero Six, MAGENTA STOAT now has a scope up to his eye while pointing the laser with his right hand.’
‘Zero Six from Base, can you tell what they are potentially looking at?’
‘Negative, not yet. Give me a second to work it out.’
Base was seeing the same picture I was in my viewfinder, but I had a better appreciation of the ground, and sometimes a feeling is all you have to go on. It was eerie, watching the infra-red laser pen dart around the park finding its way past the trees till it located its target.
Fuck. The laser was still, as if it had found something they were both searching for. LAST DAWN pulled a walkie-talkie out of his bag and said something into it.
‘From Zero Six, any station on foot towards the north of the park? LAST DAWN is talking into a walkie-talkie and MAGENTA STOAT is pointing the IR laser directly north through the centre of the park towards the top.’
‘Six Eight is north.’
Mark’s hushed tones also meant he was very likely in a hidden position. Moving my camera through the park, I found Mark’s body outline near a tree. He looked like a homeless man, bedded down for the night. ‘Roger mate, that laser is directly on you.’ Just as I sent the transmission the laser swung sharply left to the west of the park and held its position. ‘Stations, anyone west of the park, bottom corner towards the south?’
‘All stations from Base, pull off now. Everyone pull out of the area, Team Leader acknowledge.’
Fuck me, not again! The Russians couldn’t track our communications, they were trying to identify anyone who could be watching them. We needed to front this out.
Graeme beat me to it on the net. ‘Team Leader, roger. Stations acknowledge please, foot crews first.’
‘Guys, from Zero Six, wait. I can identify where they are looking, I haven’t been spotted. We can control this.’
A basic requirement of surveillance officers was that we listened to commands. I knew I shouldn’t question or even override the team leader or Base, but we had a golden opportunity here to take the upper hand. There was silence, no one sending any transmissions on the net, probably waiting for Base to remind me of the pecking order. I moved the camera back onto the Russians.
‘From Zero Six, LAST DAWN is on his walkie-talkie again still looking west. Laser is pointing at someone near a large rectangular building.’
‘Seven Four is west,’ Vicky said, sounding cool and confident.
‘Roger that, by the rectangular building?’
‘Yes yes.’
As dark as it was, I knew her well enough to recognize the profile as being hers. The laser held steady on her. ‘Roger that, laser is pointing directly at you. If it moves away I’ll give you time to vault the wall to the south, directly behind the building?’
‘Roger, thank you.’
The strong female voice of Director G came back on our comms as Base. ‘Green Team stay on these two. Zero Six, can you start guiding the team out of the park if they become identified please?’
Fuck yeah. I love it when we are on the front foot. ‘Zero Six, YES YES!’
Moving the lens back towards the Russians, I saw them swing the laser north again towards Mark. ‘Seven Four, laser is off you now, you’re good to go. There is a wall directly to your south about ten metres behind the building. Six Eight, laser is back on you again. LAST DAWN and MAGENTA STOAT are walking slowly north in your general direction.’
As Vicky responded the team could hear from her transmission that she was running. ‘Seven Four, roger. Thanks mate, moving now.’
Mark needed a plan. ‘Six Eight, roger, there is someone approaching from the north solo.’
‘Roger that mate, MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN are now static, watching your position with the scopes and talking on the walkie-talkie.’
Bollocks, this could be about to go very wrong. I found Mark’s position under the tree. Zooming out slightly, I saw the person approaching him.
‘Six Eight, mate, you have one male coming directly towards you from the north, behind you. Do you want any help?’
‘Base from Team Leader, put extraction strike teams on stand by please.’
‘Base, roger. Zero Six, keep camera on Six Eight just in case please.’ Director G was backing us up, but making sure we knew we could send in the emergency extraction teams to rescue Mark if the Russians decided to step this up another level.
‘Charlie Two is complete with Seven Four.’ Vicky had been picked up by one of the vehicle crews as she made it over the wall just as Mark jumped on the net.
‘From Six Eight, negative. I’ll front this out. Don’t blow the operation,’ Mark whispered confidently.
I was going to witness one of two things: Mark saving the operation or Mark about to get hurt.
Holding the camera still, I quickly looked down, seeing a clear patch of floor beneath me. I could probably drop down without hurting myself too much, jump the wall and get to Mark in about twenty seconds or so if I saw things going wrong. Mark needs you. Focus!
‘Mate, this male is about five metres from you now. Hands are empty. He’s solo.’
Mark passed the covert signal to acknowledge what I’d said as he couldn’t talk openly now. I watched and tried to keep breathing. The radio was silent and I could almost see everyone back at Thames House watching this on the big screen in the operations room.
Director G broke radio silence again, ‘Six Eight, that’s TURQUOISE FLAMINGO approaching you.’
Zooming in to tighten up on Mark and TURQUOISE FLAMINGO, I waited. I made the decision that if I saw Mark struggling or the other two targets start to rush in I would run to help him.
TURQUOISE FLAMINGO tapped Mark’s foot, which was sticking out from the old blanket he’d covered himself with. Pretending to be asleep underneath the huge tree, Mark didn’t react until he received a harder kick, this time to his lower leg. Swinging his arm out, he sat up aggressively, revealing that he was wearing an old ripped jacket with an equally old woollen hat on his head. I wasn’t transmitting any of this; Base were watching it live on their screens and I needed to keep the net free in case Mark decided he needed help.
TURQUOISE FLAMINGO pulled a wallet from his pocket. I
could see he was saying something to Mark; it looked as if he was presenting himself as a police officer. Mark scrambled to his feet, throwing his arms about, ready for a fight. He pointed at TURQUOISE FLAMINGO and his wallet. I could hear shouting but was too far away to make out what was being said. I held the camera still. Come on Mark, front it out.
As Mark’s body language got even more aggressive, he launched himself at TURQUOISE FLAMINGO, pushing him hard, making him stumble backwards. The target was scared, holding his hands up. Mark saw his opportunity and took his jacket off, throwing it to the floor, then held his arms out, goading TURQUOISE FLAMINGO into a fight. As he walked towards the other man, Mark threw a wild punch designed to look like he was off his face – so out of it that, given the chance, he was going to kill TURQUOISE FLAMINGO.
I knew the Russians would be watching this but I couldn’t zoom the lens out just yet to see if they were going to do anything. I needed Mark to be safe. Mark kicked out at TURQUOISE FLAMINGO, who turned tail and ran away. Mark shouted and jeered at him before picking up his coat. I could see on the camera he was talking to himself angrily, still living his cover.
Zooming the lens out, I caught LAST DAWN and MAGENTA STOAT looking at Mark through their scopes.
‘Six Eight, from Zero Six, TURQUOISE FLAMINGO is away from you now back to the north of the park. MAGENTA STOAT and LAST DAWN are still watching you. I’ll let you know when they’ve moved on.’
A partial transmission from Mark, as he was still living his cover, ‘Yeah . . . CUN . . .’
It took a huge amount of courage for Mark to decide to fight TURQUOISE FLAMINGO instead of lying his way out of it. Not only had it kept his cover intact, it saved the operation. For now at least.
‘Still watching you, mate.’
After putting his jacket on, Mark started fighting the tree, kicking and punching it. He wasn’t holding back either, his knuckles would be fucked. I heard the odd scream of ‘Wooden twat!’ It seemed he had finally convinced the Russians. They didn’t suspect this nutter of being a part of MI5. Why would you? The night brings out all sorts of crazies, and Mark was the poster child for that right now.
