CHAPTER TEN
Hurst was tired; his head drooped as he sat in the hallway of 10 Downing street. He had come direct from Heathrow Airport after meeting Stanton's girls and making sure they were in good hands. It was four o'clock in the morning; the office door of the Chancellor of the Exchequer opened and Chancellor Hollis asked Hurst in. Hurst stood in front of his desk standing at a sort of semi-attention. The room was full of the smell of brandy and pipe smoke, tinged with leather and fine furniture polish.
Hollis was in his later years at the age of sixty-seven. His shoulder length white hair had a perfect wave formed above his forehead. His years of experience could be read in the lines on his face. Dandruff was present on his shoulders standing out on the pure black suit. His tie bore the insignia of the crown against his pure white shirt. His gold cuff links occasionally caught the light flashing across Hurst's face. Hollis extinguished his pipe in a tray on his desk, stood up and began to pace up and down with one arm behind his back tucked in his belt and the other dangling beside him.
"Sit down Bruce," said Hollis. "Do you know why you are here?"
"Could be all manner of things sir, but definitely important at this time of the morning."
"Time has no bearing in the annals of Westminster, someone is always here."
"Of course sir."
"We make notes of nothing in the area of special services and government intelligence but I find some of our allies are not so careful. I have had several briefs on my desk with enquiries about Stanton. Can you tell me anything about this?"
"No sir," Hurst replied briskly.
"If it wasn't for Stanton you wouldn't be here, would you Bruce."
"No sir."
"Nor would I. That's why you have been called to see me and not a more direct minister. Stealth is health you know Bruce."
"Absolutely sir."
"You just came from Heathrow Bruce. Why would that be?"
"Just routine sir." Hollis smiled.
"Just routine, I would not call picking up half of Stanton's family and hiding them away just routine Bruce. I know you have done that; I need to know more." Hurst hesitated before replying.
"The Australian authorities have turned on Stanton and his family sir." Hollis immediately looked at Hurst sternly.
"What! Are you sure?"
"Positive sir." Hollis picked up a phone, a grey ageing handset direct to special services security Downing Street.
"Get me the Australian ambassador. No I don't mean call him I mean get him and bring him to me. I don't care if he’s asleep, screwing some ministerial secretary, wanking himself or at a party with the prime minister. Bring him here and if he won't come tell him I will come and find him and I really don't want to do that. Thank you." Hollis paced up and down. "Allow me to calm Bruce, it’s unforgivable; I've lost my temper."
"Yes sir. I should perhaps elaborate on what I have already told you."
"Please do."
"Stanton may have stumbled onto the arms supplier we have been looking for operating in the Pacific."
"And?"
"Someone up the line in the AFP failed to realise Stanton's ex wife went by her maiden name. Fifteen truck loads of Australian arms and ammunition disappeared in Afghanistan recently. She asked questions about it in Canberra – she’s a political reporter. Stanton received a sanction from within the AFP or I would imagine further up the line in ASIO for his own wife under the name of Simpson."
"Ah… now I see. That makes things clearer. Are we doing all we can? He's alone."
"Apparently not sir. His sons are powerful lawyers and he has connections in the State police forces. He has also forged ties in China. He's been in Australia for nearly seven years now sir. We pay him a considerable amount of money for services and so do many others. He doesn't drink or smoke, just buys real estate and minds his own business. Unfortunately his business is often prying into other people’s."
"He recently bought two satellites from the Japanese. We can't even trace his movements or calls any more."
"He may turn on us sir." Hollis stopped pacing and turned to Hurst aggressively.
"Stanton would never turn on us! We have pressured him many times! When I was Minister for Defence it was always Stanton who got the shit end of the stick. He could have brought us down any time and still can, but he hasn't and never will. When his eldest son was killed he had to wear the fact that no correspondence could be used and he was disowned, fading into oblivion like many others. It's the way things work, bloody Romans, couldn't they have come up with something better." Hurst looked puzzled.
"Stanton had another son?"
"Yes, he was just like his father. He was working under cover in Libya, his first assignment. He was captured and executed." Hurst looked drained.
"Phew…. He never even told me. I thought I was one of his closest friends. That's unbelievable."
"All these books along the wall behind me Bruce. Six of them were written by Stanton. They are the bibles of defence and security. Stanton sells them to everyone and they follow them. He doesn't. He's got his opponents to act just as he wants them to, he even goes and assesses their ability to conform to his instructions. He is a very clever man. We must try and douse this Bruce. I can see a lot of people are going to die."
"That's okay I think sir, as long as it’s the right people. I think we should leave him go sir and help as much as we can. Only yesterday I had a brief from an operative returned from Afghanistan. An entire Taliban training camp in the northern mountains was taken out, the place was rank with western arms and ammunition. Few Russian or Chinese weapons were found."
"Note nothing of this Bruce, it’s all far too delicate for anyone to find."
"We have someone on the way to assist, he requested a person fluent with Arab literature and language. There just happened to be someone in Australia that could assist." There was a knock on the door and Hollis asked them to come in. A security officer in a suit opened the door and walked in.
"We have the Australian ambassador here sir." Hollis sat down at his desk.
"Send him in," Hollis lowered his voice and leant towards Hurst. "Get to it and keep me informed Bruce"
"Yes sir." Hurst got up and left, passing the Australian ambassador on the way in. Jack Whelan put out his hand to Hollis but Hollis looked at him sternly. Whelan withdrew his hand.
"Not a social visit by the looks Hollis?" asked Whelan.
"Lord Hollis!"
"Yes, sorry, it's early." Hollis waved to the security staff standing by the door.
'"Leave us." They shuffled out quietly closing the door behind them. Hollis picked up his pipe and began to fill it with tobacco. "I couldn't give a rat's arse what time it is." He coughed. "Hmm. John Stanton, does the name ring a bell?" Whelan had been in a few portfolios and Minister for Defence was one of them.
"I know only one John Stanton, he runs what’s loosely called a security organisation in New South Wales. He’s done a lot of work for us. He was with branches of the British government prior to moving to Australia some seven years ago I think. Would that be the Stanton you refer to?"
"Yes."
"Funny you should ask. I have had a request on information regarding Stanton. Maybe you could help." Hollis hesitated, intuition told him to ride it.
"Go on."
"Stanton's ex missus is a nosey bitch, reporter. Been asking a few embarrassing questions. We’re looking for her; she’s just vanished. These are serious federal matters and we need to catch up with her."
"Really?"
"We think she's in the UK."
"I didn't summon you here in the middle of the night for small talk. I summoned you here to make sure you understand that John Stanton has the full support of the British government."
"I'm copping a lot of flack from Canberra. Stanton's time is up, I can't do anything about it. I pushed the wheelbarrow for him but someone's on the warpath. ASIO are getting as much as they can on him." Hollis thought that Whelan was genuine an
d decided to let him make his own mind up. He used some tactics he had learnt from Stanton.
"You had an entire convoy of arms and ammunition go missing only recently."
"Not much, not serious apparently."
"Not serious, fifteen truck loads are not serious?" Whelan leant back in his chair looking blank.
"I was told an assault rifle went missing, I saw the ASIO report myself."
"Somewhere in your ranks there are some rats. The most effective rat trap we ever had was Stanton. He went though here fifteen years ago and cleaned the place up. It's still not perfect but pretty good. One way or the other he’ll find them. Make sure it does not affect us. You affect him, you affect us, you affect the Americans the Chinese, shall I go on? He deals with the grass roots and rank and file. He tolerates but hates us. You can leave out the back door the way you were brought in. I shall deny to my death bed that this meeting ever took place." Hollis picked up the grey phone. "Take Mr Whelan back home please." Hollis sucked on his pipe looking sternly at Whelan as he left flanked by two security officers.
He sat and thought for a long time. He was due to brief the Prime Minister at nine am. He thought some more and at nine am found himself in front of the British Prime Minister Graham Black taking things as they came. He sat down in front of the Prime Minister’s desk and tried to make himself comfortable. Graham Black, the youngest Prime Minister ever, smiled and greeted Hollis.
"Ah… Albert my good man. Now the Minister for Defence has requested I see you on a matter of urgency regarding one John Stanton. I have his file here but hardly anything in it." The Minister for Defence, Bradley Bingham, sat to the right of Black looking straight-faced at Hollis. To Black’s left was his aid Bartholomew Torquay.
"Perhaps Bradley can fill you in on Stanton sir, it is in his role," said Hollis.
"Yes why not, let’s see how informed our Defence Minister is," replied Black. Bingham looked uncomfortable and played with his tie, squinting his eyes.
"Yes Prime Minister, John Stanton."
"Yes, I've never heard of him," commented Black.
"That's because he went to Australia nearly seven years ago and you’ve only been in politics nine years and in office for one. John Stanton has been an MI6 operative for forty-three years, no records are kept on MI6 operatives and never have been, never will. They operate under complete stealth. If Stanton had a file your desk would not support it. I think the main point of interest to you is that Stanton has amassed a massive amount of information on western governments and holds the information somewhere to use should anyone turn on him, and the Australian Federal Police have. This would be coming down from ASIO. If Stanton found an ASIO man on him he would sanction him immediately. Stanton has too much respect for the civil police, they consider it to be one of his weaknesses and act accordingly."
"I see, I think you should handle this gentlemen, I will have to trust your judgment. I have been elected on a tide of green ideals and stern immigration. I've no expertise in the area of defence at all. What has been done so far?"
Hollis spoke. “I’ve just seen the Australian ambassador and made things quite clear. Stanton has stumbled on an arms black market syndicate operating in the Pacific and we think that's why someone is after him. This arms supply is starting to outstrip the Russians and Chinese and our boys are being killed with weapons manufactured by us. If anyone can sort this out Stanton is a good bet." Black looked shocked.
"Why have I not been briefed on this earlier?” asked Black.
"Stanton never became involved until a few days ago when an attempt was made on the life of one of his family," said Hollis.
Bingham continued on from Hollis. “I’ve dispatched a guided missile frigate visiting the American port in Okinawa, part of the UN force for North Korea, the Westminster. She is a sign of support in such times hence her name. She has been granted access to Sydney Harbour and should have just entered Australian waters south of New Guinea. I'd say the shit would be hitting the fan in Canberra about now. Some bastards there are up to no good and it's affecting us," said Bingham.
Black's aid was a long time supporter of Stanton; he sat in silence but gave in and threw his hat in the ring. "I think you should ring the Australian Prime Minister Graham. Make sure they understand the Westminster is there in protest because our security is under threat."
"Get me the Australian Prime Minister on the phone," said Black.