by Geoff Wolak
They laughed.
‘But it was just a dog. The worst incident was when I was almost clear of the Serbs. It was night but I could see, and I was crossing a field of grass. I heard them and picked up the pace, and looking back I could see twenty dogs in the truck headlights. Then I could see twenty black blobs racing towards me.
‘I got to the treeline and fired a flare, and then really shat myself – thirty dogs coming at me. I started to shoot, and I hit many, but just wounded them, a few limping along. Some gave up, some came into the woods after me.
‘I clicked empty and grabbed my pistol, and I shot them as they came through the trees, and I clicked empty as a dog bit down on my pistol. I blew the back of its head off.
‘The rest ran off, and if they hadn't … I wouldn't be here, they would have torn me to pieces. Always pays to have a pistol with you in the deep dark woods, and spare magazines.
‘In that instance I threw away my pistol and reloaded my AKML, and I opened up on the dog handlers, who thought better of it and ran off.
‘Now, some of you like fishing, so you can make up a line with a few hooks on it, clasps at the ends, and keep it in your kit in a bag that will let you take it out with snagging yourself or your uniform. If the dogs are coming at you, set it at the right height and try and get the dog to snag a hook. Set it higher, and you get the handler to snag a hook.’
‘Don't teach them that,’ the MP implored, the lads laughing.
I pointed at him. ‘See how high the dog is, see how tall he is, set the line accordingly. And all of you, if you're on exercise you don't try and harm the dog or the handler.’ I wagged a warning finger.
‘In Bosnia, I was wounded, my arse was damaged, I had body fluid leaking all over. In those circumstances, trying to hide your scent is impossible, but you still try to confound the dogs.
‘You zig-zag, you spray the piss, you go up and over, you go through bad bushes, you keep in mind that the dog is on a lead and that it's easy to snag the lead. You set tripwires, grenade traps, or you get clever.
‘At one point, thinking that the dogs were behind me, I found a Serb patrol, and so I tagged along behind them before ducking off into the trees. And don't expect the dog to run at you and want to kill you. They're trained to find you, to stop and bark, sometimes to bite you.
‘I had one dog rush at me, then stop and let me stroke it.’ I shrugged. ‘It wanted a good pat.’
The MP said, ‘This one is all bark and no bite. He'll scare you, but if you run at him he's running back to me. Most dogs are a deterrent, to guard some place, but some dogs are trained as attack dogs, and they'll go for your throat and rip it out. It depends on who you come up against.’
I told them, ‘In Bosnia I had a mix. They sent twenty dogs, and five wanted to kill me, some wanted some love, and some just sat down and looked bored. They sent Echo Dog Detachment.’
The hangar reverberated with laughter.
‘OK, in the weeks ahead we'll get some practise of deep dark woods, a few set exercises. Snipers, you lot are fucking useless in the deep dark woods, till you get out the woods and find something worth shooting at. Carrying an Elephant Gun will be a disadvantage for you, so think about the mission and the terrain. You could carry an M4, rifle strapped to your back.
‘Where you lot have an advantage now, is that I designed the sniper gear with Northern Ireland in mind, but it is ideal for Kosovo; the gloves and the facemask saved my life many times. Serb soldiers walked past me and looked right at me, and walked on, so I shot them in the back. And at night, the gear keeps you warm, otherwise I would have frozen to death.
‘Now, with the planned exercises coming up, we'll use two extra things. One, your GPS position finders, and two, radio detecting kit. You'll all have sat phones, and your positions will be known and monitored, so you may get a call which says – go west a mile, look for enemy patrol.
‘If you detect a signal, you call it in, the bearing. Someone else does that, and we triangulate, then he have a fix on the enemy and we can move in and attack them.’
I raised a finger. ‘But! And it's an important but, always remember that the static position wins. If you're moving and they're hiding, you die and they live. If you think the enemy is in a certain place, don't get close, set-up an ambush nearby and let them come to you.
‘If you're moving, you're making a noise and will be seen. Static is always best. And if you see someone and duck down, wait. How long? 24hrs if you have to. You wait, and you let them make the mistake.
‘Now, you Wolves will have less experience of deep dark woods, so pay attention to all of this. First off, the human blind spot. At night, or dusk, you stare at the image of a man ... and it disappears. You look left and right and you can see him, but looking straight at him he seems to vanish.
‘You always use your peripheral vision, you keep turning your head, you listen, and you always sniff the air. I'm alive because I sniff the air, and so are most of Echo. Enemy soldiers are crap, and they smoke. Use it to fix their position. And Murphy, don't eat the squirrels there.’
They laughed loudly at him.
‘OK, Swifty, get the paintball guns dusted off, sniper gear on, and after dark it's pair against pair in the north woods, and we'll have the MPs further out in case someone sneaks in and tries to fish without a license.
‘And Swifty, find a deep dark wood in Brecon and sort an overnight paintball exercise, then hand the detail to Robby for 14 Intel to repeat. Slider, Rizzo, rotate some men on the wire after dark, look for unwelcome visitors. And we're still getting shit for hitting the last lot with Elephant Guns.’
At 5pm we received a fax, several, from the local police. First a photograph style image of the deceased swimmer in our canal, then artists impressions of the guy smiling, his eyes open. And a note that the blood was animal blood. They would try and identify which animal it was.
Harris asked me, ‘Which animals both climb trees well, and shoot well?’
‘Guerillas,’ I told him, the team laughing. I studied the image, and I had seen the deceased before somewhere. ‘Have the police send this image to SIS and Mi5, and Credenhill, someone might know him. Did they run his prints?’
‘No match,’ Harris told me. ‘Trying Interpol now.’
‘Did the police find a rifle?’
‘No rifle, no nothing.’
‘So he was just out for a walk. Anyone local missing?’
‘They're checking.’
Tomsk called. ‘I got some information from the forensics of those bombs in Medellin, and the middle man works for the Bolivians.’
‘The Bolivians lost out on the coffee boat, but just twelve million dollars of cocaine.’
‘Maybe they were upset at being played.’
‘Why send a warning, why not kill a few people?’
‘The boss sending the team, he's dead now, someone else will take over.’
‘You send a warning when you wish to carry on working with someone, so find a link between Medellin and the Bolivians.’
‘Never heard of one, they compete.’
‘Keep looking.’
‘How's Tiny?’
‘She's having training in London, spy training.’
‘Ah, good, even better next time.’
‘That's the hope. How's Gay Dave?’
‘His Russian is getting better, he studies every day, and he frightens people. He has a fake grenade, and he stares at them and pulls the pin, not a word spoken.’
‘Doesn't sound like something I would do.’
‘Ha, you wire the building to blow.’
‘Why do people need threatening?’
‘Just drunks and idiots.’
‘Ah, OK.
I sent a fax of our dead body's face to Bob Staines, to Tomsk, even to Miller at Deep State.
The next morning David called as I walked up to the hangar. ‘They analysed the blood you found on the tree. It's Gorilla blood, Congo Highlands species, confirmed by London Zoo.’
‘So
meone's idea of a joke.’
‘Either that, or he wants you to look at the Congo.’
‘Do these people not have email or faxes? Why shoot someone and dump them in my canal?’
‘What if that man was on his way to warn you about something?’
‘Then where'd he leave his car, none found, and how did he get about with no ID or cash?’
‘Yes, a puzzle. We have people looking at the face.’
I checked with Tinker, and they had no phone hits around my base. The assassin was a ghost.
I called Libintov.
‘Ah, Petrov, how are things?’
‘Fine, but I was busy in Panama, some trouble to sort.’
‘I saw the news, yes.’
‘Listen, what's happening in the Congo?’
‘The Rwandans and the Ugandans are planning to invade, and grab the eastern part, where the best mines are, but at the moment the two internal groups are fighting a civil war, and distracted.’
‘Ah. Great, thanks.’
I called David. ‘Go see the PM, get an opinion. Rwanda and Uganda are set to invade eastern Congo and grab it whilst the internal parties fight each other.’
‘Ah, that's naughty. I'll go see the PM and get an opinion, yes.’
Up on the barracks roof I spoke to the CT police and MPs, and finally stared out. I called Bob Staines. ‘Find out all you can about the Congo conflict, because it looks like Rwanda and Uganda will invade and slice off the east. Talk to the mercenaries.’
‘The east has all the mines. And the blood diamonds.’
‘Blood diamonds were involved in paying the North Koreans.’
I walked back to the hangar and found Tinker. ‘I want your lot looking at phone links between the Congo warring parties and … anyone else. Especially Ivory Coast or Liberia. Rwanda and Uganda will invade.’
‘Will you go in, it's a vast area?’
‘We won't stop the civil war, or an invasion. We'd need a thousand men, and some tanks.’
Miller called as I sat watching TV, brew in hand.
‘Mister Miller, still in a job?’
‘Yes, my team were separate, and … things are altering. We now have oversight.’
‘Odd, to have oversight of an illegal spy operation.’
‘Oversight within, we won't be answering questions to Congress.’
‘And Gomez?’
‘Suffered a heart attack.’
‘A lesson for you; your paymasters don't have a retirement plan for you.’
‘I'm not a policy maker nor rule breaker,’ rolled off his tongue.
‘So, what you after me for?’
‘You sent a fax, a face. Let's just say I've seen him around the water cooler.’
‘Ah, that's not good.’
‘What has he done?’
‘He was found face down in my base's fishing pond. Shot in the back.’
‘That's … going to lose me some sleep.’
‘Someone your end still pissing around, eh.’
‘I would have hoped not, not now. Damn.’
‘What have you heard about the Congo?’
‘There … are a few American companies that would like to get in there, problem is the warring factions.’
‘Rwanda and Uganda are planning to invade. Any clues?’
‘No, and … I should pass that up the line. But if they are going to invade then I think a few French companies will support them.’
‘A proxy war. Again.’
‘Have you been tasked with anything?’
‘Not yet, apart from Kosovo. My government thinks that NATO will support a move for independence, and we'll go shoot some Serbs. We're training for it now.’
Call ended, I rang David Finch. ‘Our dead man in the canal is Deep State.’
‘Oh hell. Have you spoken to your contact?’
‘Yes, and he doesn't know what the man was up to.’
‘On his way to warn you without being seen?’ David suggested.
‘Could just drive in and say hello.’
‘He was sneaking in the back way for a reason.’
‘Do me a favour, and have them triple check the tox reports, and do them over, look for exotic drugs, and fast.’
‘You think he was unconscious before he hit the water?’
‘We need to find out.’
‘I'll talk to Mister Kitson. But if he was unconscious, why a man up a tree?’
‘The obvious place I would look, and find the blood.’
‘A message, about the Congo.’ He sighed. ‘These Deep State chaps read too many airport novels.’
‘Maybe he needed to be subtle, not to alert his boss, his life on the line.’
‘He could post a letter anonymously.’
‘Then his bosses would know we were tipped off somehow. Ask Mister Kitson to keep a lid on it.’
I called Mike Papa next. ‘Mister President.’
‘Ah, Petrov, I am back in my home, and they say that the missile was faulty. I am glad.’
‘We have dealt with the people involved.’
‘I saw you on the TV news, and you are in deed centre stage.’
‘Listen, what have you heard about blood diamonds funding the fighting in the Congo?’
‘They have always funded some fighting, in many places. But the volume of good and large diamonds has gone up these past six months. They go through a broker in Ivory Coast. I heard a rumour that a warlord, Mgolo in the Congo, has been getting the best quality weapons, so it begs the question as to how he funds them.
‘I have sold him some of the stock we have here as well, and he pays well, in cash up front. But he does not take sides in the civil war as far as I can see, he sits on the sides for now.’
‘Uganda and Rwanda plan to invade. Who will he side with?’
‘I heave heard of links to Uganda, yes.’
‘Sell him more weapons, at a good price, get close to him, have a phone chat.’
‘I will do so, yes, to see what he is about.’
‘Which town is he in?’
‘Chanjenge.’
I called Bob Staines. ‘Bob, that guy Malon Ubel, is he still active?’
‘Yes, a few deals a month.’
‘Have him step things up, sophisticated weapons sent down to Liberia, and do some research on a warlord, Mgolo in the Congo. He's gearing up for something but not taking sides at the moment. He might fancy himself as the new leader in the Congo, or at least the eastern part.’
‘I'll do some research, yes.’
I called Tinker. ‘I want GCHQ all out on the town of Chanjenge in the Congo.’ I spelt it. ‘Warlord called Mgolo is about to do something, a takeover maybe. I need to know who he's chatting to.’
‘I'll call them now.’
Bob called me back in the morning. ‘Mgolo is not his real name, it means warrior with a big cock, or similar. His real name is Samuel Davidson, adopted and raised in the States, with family in Liberia.’
‘Deep State.’
‘Looks that way. He served three years in the US military, then disappeared.’
‘And is now selling blood diamonds to raise money to buy guns so that he can take over the Congo.’
‘Not necessarily. I found a Belgian mercenary, a friend of the man who detailed Mgolo's American accent, and he lays claim to Liberia.’
‘Ah.’ My shoulders dropped. ‘He would have taken over after the president in Monrovia was rudely hit with a cruise missile. Keep digging, Bob, we got the game on.’
I called David Finch. ‘Someone in Deep State has handed us a lead, as did Terotski. A warlord in the Congo is an American-raised Deep State front, but he's not taking sides yet, and he has links to Uganda. But, and this is the kicker, he lays claim to Liberia – his ancestral home.’
‘And the oil no doubt.’
‘I need a political opinion - do we kill him?’
‘I'll chat to the Director then the PM, and the Foreign Office.’
I called back Mike Pa
pa. ‘Some bad news, I'm afraid.’
‘What is that?’ came concerned voice.
‘Our friend in the Congo is a front for a faction in America, he was raised in America, but lays claim to his ancestral home – of Liberia.’
‘He … claims to be from here?’
‘He wants your head chopped off and used for a foot stool. So you can deceive him. Sell him weapons, ask around, and I will deal with him at the right time. First we gather information.’
‘Yes, I will ... make plans.’
Tiny called at 9pm. ‘It's me.’
‘Hey me.’
‘I'm in a nice hotel, and I spotted a pickpocket and reported him. Police nabbed him.’
‘Well done. You're learning the game.’
‘Who was the dead body?’
‘American Deep State, but his death delivered a message to me about trouble in the Congo.’
‘Don't they have phones where they live?’
I smiled. ‘You'd not think so. How was the cat and mouse?’
‘They keep catching me!’
‘They're professionals, it takes time.’
‘I have an old guy teaching me. He was in Moscow a few times.’
‘Keep at it, it takes a while to get the hang of it.’
‘I have a giant bed, I can't touch the sides, and a jacuzzi.’
‘I have uncomfortable old married quarters.’
‘You could come visit...’
‘I may need to be up in London tomorrow, I'll let you know.’
In the morning, I got a call from David Finch at 10am. ‘There's a hostage siege in London, bank job gone wrong. They want you as an advisor, SAS teams are on standby, CT police around it.’
‘Can you get me an RAF Puma?’
‘Let me check.’
I ran down through the hangar and found Rocko outside. ‘Rocko! I want my snipers, kitted for war and ready to go, we have trouble in London, helo on the way.’
‘They're on stag up on the barracks.’
‘Go get them!’ I ran to my house and got my radio, MP Graveson worried and rushing in.
‘Problems, Boss?’
‘Stay close, we're off to London, helo maybe.’
He drove me around to the hangar, my snipers already kitted for war.
‘You got radios?’
