Kenny and his colleague Brendon looked the part as they waded through the throngs of commuter traffic. There was more police standing around now, all of them heavily armed and wearing futuristic uniforms and body armour. They would occasionally cock their head to one side to speak furtively into a microphone attached to the black helmet they wore. Stapo vehicles frequently patrolled the streets, which exaggerated the already threatening atmosphere. People kept their heads down and went about their business secretly hoping they would not be stopped and questioned. The two young men followed the herd and blended in very well. They joined a long queue for a bus, which was now an accepted part of London life; everyone allowed at least an extra hour, or for some two, for their journey to work.
Kenny and Brendon left the bus at the corner of Ladbroke Grove and discreetly scanned the area for signs of Stapo activity, there was none. ‘You go on ahead and park yourself on a bench close to the apartment; I’ll follow on in about 5 minutes.’ Kenny instructed. Brendon marched briskly along the Grove and then turned into the gardens adjacent to Kensington Park. After finding a park bench with a good view of the target’s apartment he sat himself down and gave the impression of a local office worker having a morning break.
Meanwhile, Kenny had now entered the apartment block and rang the bell belonging to Gregory Harper. There was no reply so he rang it again. This time a small gap opened and voice asked ‘who are you, what do you want?’
Kenny decided he needed to get straight to the point. ‘My Commander told me that you have small porcelain figure of a tiger on your mantelpiece. I need to talk to you urgently Mr Harper.’
The door swung open ‘come in, come in,’ Gregory said looking furtively over Kenny’s shoulder as he ushered him into the apartment. ‘That was quite a show you guys put on last night young man, I am impressed.’
‘Mr Harper I am here to escort you to our base and we have to move as quickly as possible Sir. Unfortunately, the contact with the police last night was not intended and my Commander is absolutely certain that the authorities will deduce that our presence in this area was not just for a stroll in the park. They will assume that we were in fact here to speak to you. Therefore, it is imperative that you come with me right away sir. When we get you back to base, you will be safe but as long as stay here you are in grave danger.’
‘I understand what you’re saying young man, but I would need to do some packing and collect important papers.’
‘I’m sorry sir, but my instructions are that we leave immediately. You can be assured that everything you need will be provided at the base. We will collect your personal effects when we are sure the authorities are not here and it is safe to do so.’
‘Come on then young fella; let’s get this show on the road. I have no idea what road but I’ll leave that to you.’ Harper reached out, grabbed the small porcelain tiger figure from the mantelpiece, and put it in his pocket. He winked at Kenny and locked the apartment door behind them as they left.
Brendan saw the two figures leave the apartment front entrance and immediately made his way to Holland Park station as instructed. Harper and his escort started out towards Notting Hill Gate Station. Harper didn’t know where he was going but wanted to walk quickly. ‘Slow down sir, we don’t want to attract any undue attention.’
Within five minutes, the station came into view. Kenny carefully examined the area before he gave away his directional intention and when he was satisfied that it was safe, he marched briskly across the road to the entrance. Harper was now having trouble keeping up with him. Just as Kenny was about to remove the concealed panel, it moved and Paul Cobb with several masked armed men emerged. ‘Well done soldier.’ He tapped Kenny on the shoulder. ‘Welcome Mr Harper, please follow me.’ Greg Harper was given a flask of cool water, ‘you will need it because it can get very dry and dusty down here.’
Kenny was glad he didn’t have to find his way back to Goodge Street on his own.
Greg Harper followed the section of men through the underground network and was excited. The long since disused tunnels had lighting and ventilation, which amazed him. He marvelled at the ease at which they navigated the route and at strategic points along the way he would pass a small section of men who guarded entrance points against any unwanted visitors. The group eventually arrived at Goodge Street station and proceeded down into the deep shelter. ‘Mr Harper, if you care to use this as your quarters the Commander will be here shortly. In the meantime, please make a list of the things you need and we will do our best to get them. One of the men will bring you some coffee and you will find toilet facilities at the end of the shelter.’
Greg Harper saw men resting on bunks and remembered that these deep shelters were built to house up to 8000 people during the World War II so elaborate facilities were needed. He wondered why Garside and his military or police supporters had not already rammed tons of explosives down here or even dropped Sarin gas. He thought deeply about why Garside had not taken extreme action against this highly organised opposition.
John entered the alcove where Harper sat quietly drinking his coffee. ‘Hello Greg, sorry we had to drag you away sooner than planned but I guess you have been told why.’ Harper stood up and extended his hand ‘I’m glad that you did, I agree that it would not have been long before they were knocking on my door. So you are the masked man that visited me last night and the leader of this group of very brave people. May I know your name now?’ He was still shaking John’s hand while he was speaking.
John extracted his hand and said ‘My name is John and for the moment I have no intention make myself known to our enemy. I’m sure that it will be inevitable that I will become known in the not too distant future. That applies to everyone that you will meet from now on. I must tell you that if you decide to change your mind about being with us on this journey then the knowledge you will have gained about us could do us and our cause irreparable harm. The trust we have for each other has to be total and I hope you understand that Greg now that you’re here. That trust together with loyalty and caring for each other has to be at the core of what we are doing. It must be the bedrock of our future government, one I hope you and your colleagues will build.’
‘I understand completely and agree with all that you have said, John. I promise you that I will dedicate every ounce of my energy to helping you to achieve your... no, our goals. Nothing will detract me from helping you and your men deliver a fair democracy again, I promise.’
Thank you, that is all we can ask of you, Greg. I will introduce you to my command team shortly; in the meantime do you have a list of your immediate requirements?’
‘Yes thank you, I’ve given it to the officer that brought me here. I have to say that the young man you sent on your behalf this morning has a great future ahead of him. I trusted him immediately and needed little convincing that he was genuine. He’ll make a great diplomat.’
‘Let us pray that he survives long enough to reach his potential.’ John’s face gave away his thoughts that many of his young men would not make it. ‘Now, let’s get down to business. Tell me about your colleagues especially Carrington and Harcourt. I need to know if my visit to them will be worth my time. Are they likely to join us?’
Greg Harper was greatly impressed with John; he was incisive and had a commanding presence; a natural leader which gave Greg confidence. ‘Those two I’m fairly certain of, they’re good men. If we could get in touch with Edward Grainger, who’s somewhere abroad, God knows where, he would also join us. He was particularly affected by what happened when Garside’s man, Mason, came up with some pretty dirty tricks to have us removed. I would be reluctant to approach William Boyce, he’s back in Garside’s pocket. As to others, I’m unsure and I would want Tim Harcourt and Edward on board before we took the step of approaching others.’
Within two days, Greg Harper was joined by his two colleagues. They were quick to understand the implications of what John was doing, knew that they were
vulnerable, and eagerly accepted the invitation to be involved in a nascent government.
John watched and smiled as the three men wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. He saw a change in their demeanour from when he first approached them; they were dejected, defeated and beaten now he could see hope and excitement in their faces. There would be time later to discuss the finer details of future action; for now, he would let them enjoy their renewed friendship.