Mission Report Curiosity

Shortly after the multi-faceted adventure that was the street festival in her neighbourhood, Emily read a mission report from another team and something seemed off about it to her. The report included a reference to an Iron Curtain bad guy who appeared elsewhere in intelligence material she had read. He was not dealt with in any significant way by that mission report.

Emily telephoned Harriet and invited her to her office so they might compare intelligence information. In short compass Harriet was in the office of Emily reading the subject mission report and perusing the accompanying photographs.

At least one of the photographs stood out for Harriet. She recognised the man to whom Emily was referring as a companion to the Iron Curtain bad guy they took down at the street festival.

Harriet suggested they adjourn to her office, where there was more material she thought was relevant.

Emily agreed and once they were in Harriet’s office, Harriet produced some photographs from her intelligence resources, which identified the bad guy they were discussing.

Their new Iron Curtain Bad Guy target was not an obvious problem on the day of the street festival, but the new information from Emily brought him to their attention now.

Emily and Harriet agreed this new Iron Curtain Bad Guy may be a current problem they need to look at and perhaps subject to some surveillance. So they put together an Intelligence Briefing that Harriet would deliver to the MI6 agents in the next day or so.

Intelligence Briefing

The following afternoon Harriet told the gathered MI6 agents this was one of her unusual Intelligence Briefings. A new target had appeared on her radar and she was providing information about him. She requested any information the agents may have on him to also be provided to her.

Harriet told her intelligence briefing the new Iron Curtain Bad Guy was a Disaffected Intellect.

• He presented as an individual holding himself out to be an intellectual.

• His real danger lay in his calculated efforts to identify, cultivate, and recruit disaffected individuals within Western society.

• Those might include disillusioned academics, disgruntled civil servants, or ex-military personnel – people with access, knowledge, or influence who feel alienated.

• His ultimate objective was to erode Western institutions from within, creating long-term, homegrown threats that are insidious and deeply damaging, rather than obvious external aggressions.

• He was a quiet infiltrator, using persuasion and ideology to turn internal vulnerabilities into potent weapons for the Iron Curtain Communists.

It was necessary to observe him initially, so his organisation could be infiltrated and then dismantled, preventing the problem from appearing elsewhere.

After the Intelligence Briefing Agent Harriet was approached, in company with Agent Emily, by a member of the team who submitted the subject mission report. He said he had more photographs that did not make the mission report, as well as other bits and pieces. Agent Harriet asked him to bring all that material to her office and she and Agent Emily would go through it, to see if any of it was helpful.

Within 10 minutes the three agents were in the office of Agent Harriet going through the new material. Emily noticed a flyer advertising a private film showing in a local Community Hall in Hard Bop Circle, taking place in less than two weeks. That flyer quickly became the focus of their discussion. It seemed MI6 might have a concrete, time-sensitive operational target.

Harriet: Those film events often are used as recruitment ploys.

Emily: I might make some enquiries to see who owns or manages the Community Hall.

Harriet to her male agent colleague: “It is very early in the investigation, but this looks like it might become a raid on the night of the film event. My guess is it would involve your team and the Nicky Parsons team, which includes Emily and me. If you or your team have any other material about our new target, I would be grateful if you provide it to me. I will let you go back to your office and Emily and I will keep looking into this.”

Their male colleague then returned to his office.

Emily: Harriet, While you were chatting to our colleague, I telephoned the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall. It is run by the Hard Bop Circle Charitable Trust, not the local council. If I want to hire the hall for an event, their procedure dictates that the key to the hall is only picked up on the day of the event.

Harriet: Perhaps you and I could pay them a visit and see what their booking records reveal. As far as I know, those types of venues maintain records of bookings for financial and organizational purposes. I suspect if our target wanted to rent their hall, he would be required to make a proper booking with a formal application. Therefore there is likely to be a paper trail.

Emily: Good idea. Tomorrow morning we can take a trip to Hard Bop Circle.

It turned out the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration were very happy to help two lovely young ladies from the government, who were just checking to see if the correct booking records were being kept.

To the surprise of Emily and Harriet, their new target, Mr Disaffected Intellectual, had used his real name and address to book the Community Hall. The agents were grateful he decided to be so helpful.

MI6 Surveillance and Raid Planning

Upon their return to the office, Emily and Harriet rang Nicky Parsons and invited her to Harriet’s office for chat about their new target. She accepted the invitation and promptly attended.

Agent Parsons liked their idea of surveilling Mr Disaffected Intellectual at his home, as well as at the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall on the day of the proposed film event. She also liked their idea of watching the collection of the key to the premises from the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration centre.

Discussion then moved on to whether raiding the film event was a viable option. A two team raid was proposed: the team who submitted the mission report that started the enquiry and The Famous Five, led by Nicky Parsons.

Assuming all went to plan with the discussed proposal, once Mr Disaffected Intellectual was secured at his recruitment event disguised as a film night, his residence could be raided and see what material he kept there.

Harriet then invited the members of both teams to a meeting room, where the proposed surveillance of Mr Disaffected Intellectual and the raid of the film event and his residence, led by Agent Parsons was discussed. There was no objection offered to either the surveillance or the raids.

Emily proposed that another MI6 team be recruited specifically to surveill the residence of Mr Disaffected Intellectual. That would leave the current two teams to concentrate on the film event raid. The new team could liaise with Agent Harriet, as necessary, regarding their progress.

The room agreed with the Emily proposal.

Agreement having been reached, Emily proposed that residential surveillance commence immediately (or as soon as the new team could get organised).

Agent Harriet was already on the telephone inviting the leader of the proposed new team to their meeting. And in less than 10 minutes Agent Harriet was briefing him on the proposed surveillance mission. He assured Harriet his team was ready to go immediately.

Harriet told the room:

• She would adjourn to her office with the team leader to arrange the surveillance mission of the Mr Disaffected Intellectual residence; and

• Agent Emily would take over the further discussion of the film night raid.

Emily: “Can the Mission Report team shortly attend the film event venue, the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall, and familiarise yourselves with it and its surrounds? It would be helpful to know the entry points and exit points. And if any of the surrounding buildings present complications.

We have only a short period of time before this film event. Let us use that time wisely.”

Team Leader: Sure. We can go tomorrow morning and commence our assessment of the venue and the neighbourhood. Unless there are objections?

His Team: No objections.

Emily: “This is a summary of our proposed mission:

• Surveillance of the Mr Disaffected Intellectual residence.

• Watching the collection of the key to the Community Hall premises from the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration centre on the day of the film event.

• Raiding the film event at the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall.

• Raiding the residence of Mr Disaffected Intellectual and see what material he kept there.

If there are any new developments, can you please promptly inform Agent Harriet and / or me. OK. I think we are done for the moment. Thank you, everyone.”

The meeting ended and the agents returned to their offices.

Agent Harriet Updates

After the first day of surveillance on the Mr Disaffected Intellectual residence, the team leader had a conversation with Agent Harriet.

Relevantly, he reported: Mr Disaffected Intellectual lived alone in a semi-detached house in Hard Bop Circle. He had no visitors. There was good street access to the front of the premises via a driveway.

Harriet: That is very helpful information. The plan is to raid that residence after the raid on the film event is complete. There is every reason to believe that your team will also be the raid team for those premises and Mr Disaffected Intellectual is unlikely to be present for your raid.

Team Leader: Thank you. I will keep that information in mind as we continue our surveillance.

He then returned to his office.

Later that day the Mission Report Team leader gave Agent Harriet an overview of their observations of the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall:

• "The surrounding buildings presented no apparent complications.

• Rectangle shaped building.

• A back entrance to the hall and a laneway access to the rear of the premises.

• A front entrance to the hall and a street that provided access to the front of the premises.

• A side door on each side of the hall, but no complicating side laneways.

I will put this information in a short memorandum to you, so you can include the information in your Mission Folder."

Agent Harriet: Obviously all those entry / exit points will need to be covered during the film event raid.

The Mission Report Team Leader agreed.

Agent Harriet: I like your team for providing the personnel to watch the collection of the key to the Community Hall premises from the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration centre on the day of the film event. Do you have any thoughts to the contrary?

Mission Report Team Leader: No.

Harriet: I think it would be helpful if we took photographs of that key collection, as best we can. We can use them when we chat to Mr Disaffected Intellectual after the raids.

Mission Report Team Leader: I will have my photographer as one of that small surveillance team.

Harriet: Thank you for your update. The planning of this mission seems to be moving along productively.

The Mission Report Team Leader then returned to his office.

Film Event Day

First thing on the day of the scheduled film event Agent Harriet gathered all the teams in an MI6 meeting room and went over the plan for the raids.

Harriet: "I have prepared a Mission Folder for each of you. Today is the day for Mr Disaffected Intellectual. Let it be the day we put an end to his Iron Curtain recruitment program.

• The Mr Disaffected Intellectual Residence Surveillance Team will also be the team that raids his residence.

• The Mission Report Team will watch the collection of the key to the Community Hall premises from the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration centre and then proceed to the film event to join the raid.

• That key will only be available for collection after 4:00 pm today.

• The raid on the film event at the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall will involve The Famous Five and the Mission Report Team. It will be led by Agent Nicky Parsons.

• I have recruited a dedicated MI6 Telephone Mission Coordinator for this mission. Once the Community Hall access key is collected, have a team member telephone the Coordinator, so we know how the mission is progressing.

• Likewise, once the film event raid has been effected, have a team member telephone the Coordinator, so the Residence Raid Team will know they can commence their raid.

• I expect the photographer from the Mission Report Team will have a busy afternoon and evening.

Are there any questions?"

No questions were forthcoming.

Harriet: "OK. I will let you return to your offices. Your team leaders will let you know when your time has arrived. Thank you, agents, and good luck."

The agents then returned to their offices.

The Residence Surveillance and Raid Team then met to go over the Mission Folder contents and confirm their raid plan. Their meeting was not very long and they then resumed their residence surveillance.

Shortly prior to 4:00 pm the Mission Report Team was in place to watch the collection of the key to the Community Hall premises from the Hard Bop Circle Community Hall administration centre. By 4:25 pm their photographer was busy photographing Mr Disaffected Intellectual as he attended to collect the key. The collection was also observed by a team member, who was inside the premises at the time. 

Once their target exited the administration centre, a team member telephoned the MI6 Telephone Mission Coordinator to confirm that the key had been collected.

The Film Event Raid

The Mission Report Team then proceed to the film event to join the raid.

Once they arrived at the venue there was a logistics conversation with Nicky Parsons and The Famous Five:

• M1 would cover the Rear Entrance with a Mission Report Team member.

• Emily and Harriet would each cover a side entrance, partnered with a Mission Report Team member.

• Nicky Parsons, M2 and the remaining Mission Report Team would cover the front entrance.

The 6:00 pm event start was approaching. The MI6 agents moved in to position.

By 6:00 pm five (5) people had arrived at the film event, other than Mr Disaffected Intellectual. By 6:10 pm the lights in the Community Hall were turned off and the film commenced.

The MI6 agents waited ten (10) more minutes before they launched their raid. Their breach of the premises was silent and swift. Mr Disaffected Intellectual was an easy grab for the armed MI6 agents. He was at the rear of proceedings operating the film projector.

With all the armed MI6 agents by that stage in the Community Hall, the lights were turned on and the five (5) apparent film fans were subdued and handcuffed, without resistance.

A Mission Report Team member then went to the public telephone booth on the footpath outside the Community Hall and telephoned the MI6 Telephone Mission Coordinator to confirm that the film event raid occurred without a hitch.

The five (5) prospective recruits in attendance at the film event were promptly taken to MI6 headquarters.

As was Mr Disaffected Intellectual, who was about to commence his enjoyment of the MI6 hospitality program for Iron Curtain sympathisers and agents.

Raid On The Residence of Mr Disaffected Intellectual

Around 6:40 pm a member of the Residence Raid Team telephoned the Mission Coordinator at MI6. He was told the film event raid went down without a hitch. The planned residence raid could now go ahead.

The raid then took place. Mr Disaffected Intellectual had an unsecured office at his residence, where he seemed to do his recruitment work. The raid team found lots of interesting bits and pieces in that office and they were taken for more intense consideration back at MI6 headquarters.

Of greatest interest to the MI6 agents from the raid was a book Mr Disaffected Intellectual seemed to use to write down the names and addresses of all the people he contacted with a view to recruiting them.

MI6 Headquarters

When they returned to MI6 headquarters Agent Harriet told the Mission Report Team leader any future work that derived from what became known as The Recruiting Ledger, would be the responsibility of the Mission Report Team.

Agent Harriet told The Famous Five the entire mission had gone down without a hitch and the six (6) new friends of MI6 were currently enjoying MI6 custodial hospitality.

Agent Harriet: Well done, team.

Agent Parsons: Well done, team. Well done, Agent Harriet. That means it is time for food.

Agent Harriet: A meal, not just a snack.

Agent Emily: And several cups of tea.

M1: A meal.

M2: A meal.

Agent Parsons: The venue choice is yours, Agent Harriet.

Street Festival

Crosstown Shuffle

During her lunch break on Thursday, Agent Harriet attended a record store and purchased three (3) copies of the 1960 Lou Donaldson album The Time Is Right. When she returned to work, she telephoned both Agent Nicky Parsons and Agent Emily Abernathy. She told them she required them in her office immediately for a very important meeting.

There was no argument from her agent colleagues and they promptly attended her office.

Harriet: “Take a seat ladies, while I close the door.”

When she returned to her desk, Harriet located two (2) copies of The Time Is Right Lou Donaldson Album.

As Harriet presented the first copy to Agent Parsons she said: “Crosstown”.

As she presented the second copy to Agent Abernathy, she said: “Shuffle”.

The agents quietly took the record gifts, as Agent Harriet continued:

“Ladies, There is a street festival in the Emily neighbourhood on Saturday that requires our attendance.”

As Agent Harriet was speaking, Agent Parsons was also perusing her gift record. In reply she said: Track 6, Crosstown Shuffle. Nice work, Agent Harriet. I am in for Saturday.

Emily: Stuffy Shirts at my neighbourhood street festival. Count me in. And thank you for the record, Harriet.

Emily: Is meeting at my apartment at 11:00 am Saturday convenient, Ladies?

Nicky: Yes.

Harriet: I will do the Crosstown Shuffle.

Nicky: Excellent. And thank you for the record, Harriet.

Harriet: You are welcome, ladies. I bought a copy of the album for myself as well.

Emily: By the way, Agent Harriet. You were correct. This is a very important meeting.

Laughter then filled the room.

Emily Neighbourhood Street Festival

The Stuffy Shirts were having a very pleasant lunch at an outdoor café during the street festival in the Emily neighbourhood.

Harriet looked at the passing crowd and said: “I do not believe it.”

She then reached into her handbag and produced a photograph of a dangerous Iron Curtain assassin and placed it on the table, secured by her hand.

Nicky Parsons: (Somewhat exasperated) Really?

Harriet: Yes. Small work handbags, ladies.

Emily said: “Always come prepared” as she produced her firearm.

All three Stuffy Shirts then fixed their aim on the Iron Curtain Assassin.

Nicky Parsons: For Queen

Emily and Harriet: And Country. 

Six (6) rounds were then put into the Iron Curtain Assassin: Two (2)in his forehead and four (4)  in his chest. His street festival was over.

Harriet then went inside to the cafeteria staff and asked to use their telephone. She called the incident in to MI6 and requested an immediate clean up team. She then returned to the Stuffy Shirts.

Emily: You would think they could show some respect for our working hours.

Nicky: This guy was showing consideration, of sorts, for our taste for tea and muffins and the like.

Harriet: Still, a nice ambience at the street festival while we wait for our clean up colleagues to arrive.

Emily: It seems we need a fresh pot of tea.

The MI6 clean up crew arrived before the fresh pot of tea and the Stuffy Shirts filled them in on how the situation developed. The conversation was brief. The work of the clean up crew was swift and the Stuffy Shirts returned to their table just before the fresh pot of tea arrived.

Young Thief

Roughly 40 minutes later, a young thief was foolish enough to try to steal the handbag of one of the Stuffy Shirts. A man at a nearby table grabbed the thief and had a conversation with him.

“Put that back and get out of here. Do not mess with these ladies. They will kill you.”

The thief was not immediately persuaded.

Nicky Parsons then noticed the conversation and said: “A thief.”

Upon seeing and hearing Nicky Parsons, the man at the nearby table said “This will not end well for you, Mr Thief.”

Emily produced her firearm and shot the prospective thief in his right thigh.

Emily to the thief: “Just wait there until our colleagues arrive.”

Harriet: This looks like a volunteer for a human shield.

Nicky: Precisely what I was thinking. I will call in for transport for him.

Nicky then went to a nearby public telephone and called MI6 to request a transport team attend for their new found volunteer.

Nicky returned to the Stuffy Shirts and spoke to the thief: “We have an adventure for you. You will find out its details later.”

Emily: “When our colleagues arrive, they can treat your wound for you. No need to panic.”

Harriet: “The adventure will be memorable for you.”

Nicky Parsons greeted the MI6 transport crew before they arrived at the table with the Stuffy Shirts and the thief. The conversation was brief and the thief offered no resistance when he was taken into MI6 custody.

Harriet: When I heard the street festival was advertised as colourful, this was not what I had in mind.

Nicky: Emily told you previously her neighbourhood was colourful.

Emily: So long as this kind of colour arises only when either or both of you are here, it will be fine.

Monday Morning

When Nicky Parsons arrived at work Monday morning, Harriet, M1 and M2 were in her office.

Parsons: This is interesting.

Harriet: Obviously we are having a team meeting to organise a raid. Never let a human shield go to waste.

Nicky Parsons then telephoned Emily: Emily, Team meeting in my office, now.

Within five (5) minutes Emily was in the office of Nicky Parsons and the team meeting got underway.

Parsons: Agent Harriet, The floor is yours.

Harriet: There is a tailor shop in BeBop Circus that has a large contingent of Iron Curtain clients. My information is that three (3) particularly nasty chaps will be present at 3:00 pm today for a suit fitting.

Emily: So, an adventure for our degenerate thief friend?

Harriet: Precisely.

Harriet: I think this is a three (3) team raid. So Nicky might organise the other two (2) MI6 teams.

M2: Like the bookstore raid.

Harriet: Yes.

Parsons: Why not. Monday is a good day for an adventure.

Harriet: Conveniently, our degenerate thief is still being held in the cells downstairs in this building.

Emily: Wonderfully considerate of him.

M1: It seems no positional changes are needed, so M2 and I will be on equipment and driving duties.

Parsons:

• M1 and Agent Emily will cover the back entrance.

• M2, Agent Harriet, Mr Degenerate Thief and I will take the front entrance.

Harriet: I have prepared a Mission Folder, which you can all read before we meet back here at 1:30 pm.

Parsons: I will let you know if I have any trouble recruiting the two (2) extra MI6 teams. Otherwise, it is back here at 1:30 pm.

The team meeting then ended and the agents dispersed to their respective offices to read the contents of their Mission Folders and prepare for the raid.

Harriet also telephoned the custody agents holding Mr Degenerate Thief to let them know he was going on an adventure later that day. They assured Agent Harriet they would have him available for her.

The 1:30 pm Famous Five team meeting was brief. There were no hitches in their preparation for the raid. So it was off to the car park, collect the handcuffed Mr Degenerate Thief for his adventure and then make their way to the BeBop Circus tailor shop.

En route to the raid venue, there was no conversation in the motor vehicle. No one wanted to spoil the adventure surprise for Mr Degenerate Thief.

Upon their arrival, the agents alighted from the vehicle and put on their protective jackets.

It was about that time when Mr Degenerate Thief again heard the street festival man from a nearby table say to him: “This will not end well for you, Mr Thief.”

Instructions to the raid teams, including the two extra MI6 teams, from Agent Parsons were brief: “We all know the drill for this. Let’s go.”

Agent Parsons had one arm of Mr Degenerate Thief and M2 had the other. They were pulling him to the front door of the tailor shop.

As they paused at the front door, M2 spoke to Agent Parsons: “Happy to do this for you, Agent Parsons.”

Parsons: “As you wish, M2. Mr Degenerate Thief, You are enabling some on the job training.”

M2 grabbed Mr Degenerate Thief tightly and placed him in front of him.

M2 said: “This is your adventure and it will be memorable.”

M2 then breached the front door of the tailor shop with his colleagues behind him.

The response of the Iron Curtain assassins to the interruption to their suit fitting was predictable and unfriendly. They chose to greet the MI6 agents with gunfire.

M2 held Mr Degenerate Thief tightly in front of him. The adventure for Mr Degenerate Thief was about to reach its pinnacle. He took most of the gunfire from the Iron Curtain assassins, as the other MI6 agents fanned out and surrounded the assassins. M2 held his target well and having taken almost all of the gunfire from the assassins, there would be no more stealing for Mr Thief. His time had expired.

The trigger-happy Iron Curtain assassins being fitted for their suits did not expect a breach from the rear. A couple of well placed rounds to their calves saw them drop to the floor and neutralised. In no time at all the three (3) assassins were in handcuffs.

The raid went very smoothly. The Iron Curtain assassins were captured and Mr Thief got the adventure his behaviour deserved.

Nicky Parsons looked at the now dead body of Mr Degenerate Thief lying motionless on the floor and said: “Your friend at the street festival table was correct. This did not end well for you.”

Nicky Parsons: Good job, team. All of you.

Agent Harriet was already on the tailor shop telephone calling the raid situation in to MI6 and the clean up team would soon be in attendance.

Nicky Parsons spoke to the Iron Curtain assassins just before the MI6 clean up team took them away to MI6 headquarters: (Pointing to the now very dead Mr Degenerate Thief) “This is what happens to you, if you do not cooperate with us.”

The MI6 agents all made their way to their motor vehicles and returned to MI6 headquarters.

As they were driving back to MI6 headquarters, Agent Emily said: “Did someone say detour for a cup of tea and a bite to eat?”

Harriet: Indeed, they did.

M1: Yes.

M2: Absolutely.

Nicky: Detour for a cup of tea and a bite to eat it is, then.

Emily: Good job today, M2. You can choose our food venue.

Parsons: Good job, M2. Good job, everyone.

Shooting Range

Just over three weeks after the tailor shop raid, Agent Parsons held a Famous Five team meeting in her office.

Parsons: “How is everyone with their firearms training?

The reason I ask is the three Iron Curtain bad guys were captured at the tailor shop raid are apparently having memory problems and are not cooperating by providing MI6 with the information we want. I thought they could accompany us to the shooting range and we could help them with their memory lapses.”

M2: An important part of shooting training is to ensure you do not hit the wrong target. Having a live volunteer or three would be very useful for that practice.

Emily: Their presence could really help us focus on the targets.

Harriet: Very considerate of them to volunteer to help us with our firearms training.

M1: We do not want mistakes to occur when we go on missions. It is very helpful of them to volunteer to assist us with improving our skills.

Parsons: Can we go to the range today?

M2: Short of a mission, and happily we are light on them at the moment, this firearms training seems a priority.

Harriet: I just rang our custody people, the Iron Curtain bad guys are immediately available to accompany us to the MI6 shooting range, if that is our wish.

Parsons: OK. Can you collect your jackets and coats and be back here in 15 minutes.

M1: M2 and I have got the driving duties covered. No need to trouble any other MI6 agents.

As the three handcuffed Iron Curtain bad guys were being walked to the motor vehicles, Nicky Parsons said to them:

“We have an adventure for you. I am sure it will help you with the memory troubles you appear to be having."

When the team and their companions arrived at the shooting range, Emily said to everyone:

“Amazing luck for us. The shooting range people told me when I telephoned them earlier, we would be the only agents present and the entire range was at our disposal.”

All five agents accompanied the three Iron Curtain bad guys to their position on the shooting range, where they were each secured to a target on a lane. M1 and M2 seemed to be rather enthusiastic about tying them to their respective targets.

Apart from acknowledging the three volunteers were properly secured to the targets, there was no conversation during this process.

The five MI6 agents then assumed their positions in their respective shooting lanes.

The initial rounds of shooting saw the agents stick to their paper targets.

The silence was then broken by Emily: “Thigh”, as she put a round in the thigh of the first Iron Curtain Bad Guy.

Harriet put a round in the thigh of the second bad guy.

Nicky completed the set and put a round in the third bad guy.

M1 and M2 then loaded rubber bullets in their sniper rifles.

When they were ready to shoot, M1 said: “Ladies”.

The Stuffy Shirts then stood down and M1 and M2 fired many rubber bullet rounds at the Iron Curtain bad guys, mostly in their chest.

Having completed their shooting, The Famous Five made their way to the targets.

As Nicky Parsons detached and secured the paper targets, she said to her team: “Good shooting, team.”

Parsons then spoke to the Iron Curtain bad guys: 

“I thought we made it clear to you at the tailor shop, your obligation was to cooperate.

Careless of you to get yourselves in the path of live fire.

There is no point in any of you screaming. This is a shooting range. No on can hear you.

Are your memories getting any better?

We have plenty of time today to work on our firearms training.

In case you were wondering, you will not be getting any medical treatment until we return to MI6."

By this time M1 and M2 had returned to their shooting positions and reloaded their sniper rifles with rubber bullets.

As M2 said: “Ladies”, the Stuffy Shirts moved out of the firing line.

M1 and M2 then fired several rubber bullets into the knees of the Iron Curtain bad guys.

Agent Parsons continued to the Iron Curtain bad guys:

“I think I will get the MI6 agent to whom you have refused to provide information to attend here and interview you now. He can bring an MI6 doctor with him.

I have no patience for your lack of cooperation. Cooperate or we will finish the job.”

One of the Iron Curtain agents spoke, through the pain: “Bring your agent here and bring a doctor.”

His two bad guy colleagues said “Yes” several times in agreement with him.

Agent Parsons: “Wait here while I make a telephone call.”

Within five minutes Nicky Parsons was back and she confirmed the MI6 agent would soon be in attendance and he would bring a doctor with him.

When he and the doctor arrived at the shooting range there was a fairly short conversation between them and Agent Parsons about the developments with the Iron Curtain bad guys.

The MI6 agent then said to Agent Parsons: “We will take it from here. Thank you for your assistance.”

The Famous Five then proceeded to go through their usual shooting range clean up and left the range.

As they were about to get into their motor vehicles, Nicky Parsons said:

“ Good job, team. My watch says it is time for late lunch.”

Emily: My watch says it time for lunch.

Harriet: M2, That cafeteria of yours is calling.

M1: Lead the way, M2. Food is calling.

M2: Food it is.

The Consequences Mirror

 Dresden Leipzig sought to relive some of the tedium and boredom of his new 15 Minute City life by going for a walk in his neighbourhood. Leipzig was struck by the magnitude of surveillance cameras that populated the neighbourhood.

He was not really keeping track of time during his walk. Leipzig was gone from his apartment from between an hour and a half to two hours and when he returned home, he found himself locked out of his apartment, for reasons unknown to him.

He passed the time in the evening walking the streets to the City centre.

That venture saw him encounter city security officers, who informed him he was in breach of the recently implemented curfew.

Leipzig: I was not aware of the curfew.

Security Officer: Notification was sent earlier today to the computer in your apartment.

Leipzig: I am locked out of my apartment for reasons not known to me.

Security Officer: That is not our problem. You are in breach of the curfew. We will now arrest you and take you into custody. Needless to say, this will adversely impact your carbon footprint score.

Leipzig enjoyed some comfort during his time in the watch house cell, he had no companions to share or aggravate his misery.

When the security officer greeted Dresden the next morning, the officer told Dresden they had decided not to put Dresden before the court. He was free to make his way home. They were also confident there would be no problem for Dresden accessing his apartment when he returned there.

Dresden knew better than to argue with or complain about his treatment to the security officers. It was an exasperated and infuriated Dresden who walked home from the City watch house.

Sporadically seeing billboards proclaiming:

• Enjoy your 15 Minute City, Infidels. This was the life you wanted.

on his way home did nothing to lighten the mood of Dresden.

New Regime

The New Regime was determined to revamp the legal system and that change would be personally overseen by The Chief of The Stasi.

Court was in session and The Chief of The Stasi entered the Court, visibly possessed of a firearm.

Stasi Officer: Everyone keep quiet and do not move.

A court administrative staffer was foolish enough to ignore him and moved.

Without flinching, the Stasi Officer trained his firearm on the defiant court administrative staffer and ended her life.

Stasi Officer: I said do not move. Do not even think of calling security. You will live, if you do what I say.

Stasi Officer: Judge, There is a New Regime and that regime is going to do things very differently. This time properly. You will do as I say or you will suffer the consequences.

Judge: Looking a little perplexed.

Stasi Officer: Judge, Telephone your mother. Do not argue. Just Do it.

The Judge telephoned his mother, as requested.

Stasi Officer: Put it on speaker, Judge.

The Judge complied.

The Mother of the Judge spoke to the Judge: Son, why are there men with guns here?

Stasi Officer: "Hello, Mrs Judge. The Judge is learning the importance of doing things the way the New Regime wants things done, not the corrupt way the old regime did things.

I am sure the Judge will want to comply and not try to be a hero.

Have a nice day, Mrs Judge."

The telephone call ended and The Chief of The Stasi left the Courtroom to pursue other duties.

The Following Day

The following day The Chief of The Stasi returned to the court. This time he had colleagues with him and they were all obviously brandishing firearms. He also brought with him Mrs Judge, the mother of the Judge.

As soon as the Stasi Officer and his entourage entered the courtroom, he said:

“No one is leaving this courtroom and do not even think of speaking or moving.

Mr Judge, It was made explicitly clear to you yesterday that a new regime was in power and the law will comply with the wishes of the new regime.

You have shown by the judgment you have just given that you have no intention of complying with the law of the new regime. Such defiance will not be tolerated.

You mother was part of the explanation process yesterday. She is here today to witness what happens to people who defy the new regime.”

By now two armed new regime males were positioned either side of the Judge, with their firearms drawn.

The Stasi Officer continued:

“You now have a choice Mr Judge: Do it yourself or we will do it for you."

One of the new regime males then placed a firearm on the bench in front of the Judge. There was absolute silence in the courtroom. Everyone could see there were several firearms trained on the Judge’

The Stasi Officer continued: “Eat it, Judge, or we will do it for you.”

It was then that the true horror of the situation into which the Judge had placed himself became clear to him.

The Stasi Officer: “You do not get a second chance, Judge. Eat it. You have 30 seconds.”

The Judge picked up the gun, but seemed to hesitate.

The New Regime officers did not hesitate. The life of the Judge was ended immediately, and in front of his mother.

The Stasi Officer: “It is unfortunate your son chose to be defiant, rather than compliant, Mrs Judge. We are confident you will not make the kind of mistake he made. One of my colleagues will now drive you home.”

“To everyone else present in this courtroom, defiance will not be tolerated. Could one of you administrative people get a new Judge to this Court immediately, please.”

A female administrative officer then telephoned someone: “There has been a situation in Court 17. We need a new Judge here immediately.”

Within 10 minutes a new Judge was in the courtroom.

The Stasi Officer addressed him, as he observed the now deceased Judge being removed from the chair:

“You will reverse the orders made in this case by your now late colleague or you will enjoy the same fate as him. Should any of your colleagues choose to defy the New Regime, your future will be the same as his.

The lawyers here will help you make the correct orders.

Should anyone choose defiance, we will find you and extinguish you.”

The Stasi Officer and his entourage then left the courtroom.

Princess of Language Hypocrisy

The Princess of Language Hypocrisy was in line at the Electricity Company, waiting to pay her Utility Bill, which was due that day. In her company was a male companion.

Relevantly they had the following conversation, where she opined in respect of her male companion:

“Oh, people will say, That’s what he said. That’s not what he meant.”

The male companion looked at her and answered:

“I meant what I said. How could you take it any other way?”

The demands of the Electricity Company interrupted further conversation. The Princess of Language Hypocrisy presented her bill to the staff member and said she would like to pay the entire amount on the bill.

The Electricity Company staff member appeared to process her credit card payment in settlement of the bill. All appeared in order, so The Princess of Language Hypocrisy and her male companion left the premises.

Three (3) days later The Princess of Language Hypocrisy was contacted by the Electricity Company to inform her that her Utility Bill remained unpaid. The Princess then made a second relevant trip to the Electricity Company, accompanied by what she thought was the relevant paperwork confirming the subject bill had been paid.

When The Princess eventually saw an Electricity Company staff member in relation to the bill, she presented her paperwork claiming it supported her contention that the subject bill had been paid.

The Electricity Company staff member responded:

“Madame, We have conducted a review of your account and of the subject transaction to which you refer. Our staff member dealing with you on that occasion is clear. When you said you wanted to pay the bill, she knew that is what you said. She also knew That is not what you meant. Accordingly, the funds from that transaction were applied elsewhere.”

“Madame, You are not being punished because you are an unfaithful wife, nor are you being punished because you are a climate hoaxer. You are being punished because you have not paid the subject bill. As the subject bill remains unpaid, Carbon Credit penalties will apply to you, until such time as the subject bill is paid.”

“Madame, If you are having trouble accurately remembering the day in question, we have reviewed the video recording of your attendance upon us that day.

Relevantly we note you told your male companion:

“Oh, people will say, That’s what he said. That’s not what he meant.”

All that has happened with you Madame, is that you have been subjected to your own ideology.”

“Perhaps you could take some time to consider your position, Madame, while we serve other customers, and then you can tell us whether you want to pay the subject bill. If that bill is paid, Carbon Credit penalties for late payment will not apply to you.”

Roughly 15 minutes later The Princess was approached by three (3) large male regime security officers. One of those officers spoke to The Princess:

“We note you have not paid your Utility Bill. We also note you are an unfaithful wife and a Climate Hoaxer. It looks like you would benefit from a Three (3) month stint in our 15 Minute Cities Re-Education program. That program will help you correct your thinking.”

Within an hour, The Princes of Language Hypocrisy was receiving her induction to the 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program. The Regime Officer conducting the induction said to The Princess:

“All you had to do was pay your Utility Bill. Instead, you insisted on drawing attention to yourself and now you are being inducted into this program. Welcome to Your Actions Have Consequences.”

The Princess was uncharacteristically silent during that conversation and induction program.

15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program

Just over a week after spending a night in custody for breaching a curfew, Dresden discovered the new regime was keen to share more of its hospitality with him. He was visited at his home by security officers, who informed him he had been enrolled in a 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program and his attendance was required immediately.

Surprisingly, for someone who previously strongly advocated for re-education programmes for Infidels, Dresden was less than enthusiastic that he should have to attend one.

Even in the induction program for the 15 Minute Cities Re-Education Program, the message was clear:

• The Infidels have a choice: Epiphany or Eternal Damnation in 15 Minute Cities.

That message was repeated relentlessly during the Re-Education Program.

During the actual Re-Education Program more messages were repeated relentlessly:

• Every single piece of the 15 Minute Cities comes from the Infidels.

• The Infidels are the problem.

• Infidels should be given no respite from the hell their religious fervour and zealotry created, unless their epiphany is genuine and permanent.

• Unless they have an epiphany, the damnation of Infidels in the 15 Minute Cities will be eternal, without relief.

• The whole idea of 15 Minute Cities in the New Regime is to show that they are a bad idea and should never be implemented.

• The only people in the 15 Minute Cities are the people who advocated for them.

The lecturers at the Re-Education Program did not miss their targets. Dresden Leipzig and The Princess of Language Hypocrisy were focal points. They were seen as regime recalcitrants and relentlessly punished.

Not revealing the indiscretions of the other was seen as a serious breach by the lecturers and significant punishments were meted out to Dresden Leipzig and The Princess of Language Hypocrisy, including the imposition of Carbon Footprint penalties.

It is difficult to say that attendees of the Re-Education Program were dehumanised, given it was the very type of program for which they advocated for Infidels of their religious zealotry.

The Princess of Language Hypocrisy had a great deal of difficulty understanding the rank hypocrisy of her position.

That position of:

• "That's what he said. That's not what he meant."

could equally be applied to her in a regime that relentlessly implemented a:

• "This is your ideology. This is what you wanted" ideology.

The Princess wanted to control the language, but she did not want that ideology used against her.

Her stay at the 15 Minute City looks to be long and painful.

The attack upon Dresden Leipzig by the regime was brutal and relentless. This was what he wanted and this was what he was getting. Leipzig was used as an example of everything bad the re-education program lecturers wanted to emphasise. It is accurate to say there was an attempt to make him a pariah even in a community of Infidels.

The sun was never going to shine for Dresden Leipzig. There would be no new dawn. There would be no new day.

Opportunity Knocked, Innovation Answered

On what was an otherwise unremarkable day for him, Quatorze, a friend of Stourton, was minding his own business at a coffee shop, when he noticed a male known to him, Umburto. That male had a female companion. Quatorze then recognised the female companion to be Limoges, the wife of Stourton. Limoges and Umburto got very familiar with each other.

Quatorze overheard Limoges making plans with her lover to get together later and those plans did not resonate well with Quatorze.

A text message to Stourton was required, he thought. The text message he sent read:

“We have not seen each other for too long. Dinner at The Steakhouse Bar tonight at 7:00 pm. No excuses. Be there.”

The reply from Stourton read: “OK, tonight is Steak night.”

The Steakhouse Bar

Quatorze was the first to arrive at The Steakhouse Bar and he secured a table for he and Stourton. He waited until the food ordering was done and served before he delivered the bad news.

Quatorze: “Limoges, the event planner wife of yours was kind enough to interrupt my lunch by planning the wrong kind of event. She was planning the infidelity two-step with another male known to me, that male obviously being not you.”

Pausing his eating, a stunned Stourton replied: "What do you mean?"

Quatorze: "Your wife was always about the glitz and the glamour. The big events, the fancy parties. But she ignored the most important event of all: your marriage."

It is not really a surprise to see her so caught up in her own world and her own desires,  planning events for others, that she would neglect what should be the most important person in her own life."

Stourton understood enough of what was told to him, even if he did not process all of it.

The men finished their meals. Conversation between them did not dwell on the infidelity of Limoges, but focussing on other topics was difficult for Stourton.

Quatorze did not press him, he tried to be supportive. It was the kind of bad news he did not enjoy delivering, and to the extent that he could, he tried to be supportive.

The Kidnapping

As far as Limoges was concerned, her marriage had become predictable and dull. In stark contrast to the exciting job she did. Of course, she took no responsibility for her marriage not producing the excitement and variety she apparently craved.

Stourton being a fairly high-level engineer at a pharmaceutical company developing a revolutionary new energy source was not enough to meet the excitement needs of the now very important and demanding Limoges. As she got caught up in the excitement of her event planning, she became prone to gossiping. Applying some circumspection to sharing details of work information her husband shared with her did not occur to her.

The paths of Limoges and Umburto crossed at one of her planning events. He seemed younger, vibrant and exciting, in contrast to the solid predictability that was now apparently a problem for her husband. So the dalliance started and it became an affair.

Limoges was also an interesting moment of excitement for Umburto. His work had not delivered the results he desired, so he left his employer for a rival company. What Umburto did not tell Limoges initially was that he worked for the same pharmaceutical company as her husband. A company that was making real progress with a breakthrough drug. Umburto desired his own kind of results, so he took his disgruntled self off to a rival company.

With her mind focussed acutely upon herself, Limoges did not think too much about the work information her husband shared with her. She also enjoyed moments from time to time where he was definitely not good enough for her and sharing his information with others was not beyond her pettiness.

The disgruntled Umburto was happy to hear information from Limoges about Stourton and his new drug. He may be able to use that information to advance himself. The life of disgruntled Umburto was resplendent with poor choices. The pharmaceutical company employer he left, when he worked with Stourton, was having success with a breakthrough drug. The rival company for whom he now works was desperate to gain a competitive edge.

The poor decision-making of Umburto to share the information about a new drug from his former employer to his new employer triggered catastrophic consequences. The desperate to gain a competitive edge, rival company hired a group of criminals to kidnap Stourton and force him to reveal the secrets of the new technology. If this pharmaceutical company crew could monetise their stupidity, they would be very wealthy.

Quite a contrast was now in play, thanks to the lack of thinking of Limoges and Umburto. The new employer of Umburto saw Industrial Espionage as a legitimate motivation for the kidnapping of Stourton. Umburto was their useful idiot in their plan to circumvent the hard worm and intellectual dedication that is so much a part of most success.

Proper research was not a constituent component of the business plan of the new employer of Umburto. They did not bother to research the group of criminals they hired to kidnap Stourton and force him to reveal the secrets of the new drug.

The day after Quatorze revealed the infidelity of Limoges to Stourton, the criminal masterminds put their plan into action and kidnapped Stourton. The criminals told Stourton, if he does not cooperate and give the criminals what they want, they would kill his wife.

Now in the custody of the kidnappers, Stourton assessed the situation as one where he faced an uncertain future. Stourton took the view that if these geniuses were true to their word, he would not feel unhappy about the outcome. He adopted the approach of telling the criminal mastermind kidnappers that he does not negotiate with terrorists.

Upon hearing their captive Stourton declare that he does not negotiate with terrorists, the kidnappers did not respond well. Two (2) of them departed the scene and attended upon the location of Limoges, where they proceeded to shoot and kill her. Predictably, chaos ensued.

Shortly thereafter the criminal mastermind kidnappers, and now murderers, were arrested and charged with kidnapping and murder.

Locating the geniuses who kidnapped Stourton did not take the police long and he was freed to return home.

The Police Perspective

The nightmare was not yet over for Stourton. The police felt they needed to spend some more time with him.

The humourless Detective Harper interviewed Stourton at the city centre police station.

Harper to Stourton: "So, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Stourton: "Correct, Detective. I was minding my own business, and suddenly, I was kidnapped."

Harper "And you are sure you do not know why you were targeted?"

No hesitation from Stourton. "I am certain. I have no enemies, no outstanding debts. It was a random act of violence."

Detective Harper had no evidence to suggest Stourton was not telling the truth.

Harper: "Alright, then. We will do our best to find out who is responsible for this."

"In the meantime, I suggest you try to relax and let us handle this. You have been through a lot."

The Train Station Interlude

Stourton left the police station and proceed home after his eventful day, happy that he had not been charged with any offence. There was no reason he should be charged with any offence, but things had not gone well for him recently.

He made his way to the train station and waited patiently for his train.

Helping pass the time during that patient wait was a conversation her overheard between two lawyers known to each other and waiting for their respective trains. As is the want of lawyers, they shared a war story. This one was colourful.

The Bank Job Gone Wrong

The professional bank robbers entered the bank. They had planned this heist meticulously, down to the last detail. They had studied the layout of the bank, its security systems, and the routines of its employees. They had even gone so far as to create elaborate disguises to help them blend in with the crowd.

But as they were about to make their move, chaos erupted. Two drug-addled individuals, clearly under the influence of heroin or methamphetamine, stumbled into the bank, shouting and swearing at the top of their lungs. The robbers were taken aback, and from that moment, they were put off their game.

Oblivious to the danger they were in, the two junkies continued to cause a commotion, drawing the attention of both the employees and customers of the bank. In their panic, the robbers were forced to act quickly, but their usual precision and coordination were thrown off by the sudden and unplanned junkie interruption.

The attempts of the bank robbers to carry out their plan were thwarted. They found themselves struggling to keep up with the unpredictability of the situation. The junkies continued to cause havoc, making it impossible for the robbers to complete their heist without being detected.

Just as the robbers were about to give up and abandon their plan, the police arrived on the scene. The chaos created by the junkies had tipped off the authorities, and now the robbers found themselves surrounded by blue lights, sirens and police.

In a desperate attempt to escape, the robbers tried to fight their way out, but they were no match for the police. They were quickly subdued and taken into custody, their plans foiled by two very drug-affected junkies they might have included in a better thought out plan.

The reputation of the most professional bank robbers in the business had been shattered, all because of two junkies high on drugs. It was a bitter pill for them to swallow, and one that would haunt them for the rest of their days.

Unsurprisingly, the two junkies were oblivious to the impact they had just had on the lives of the bank robbers. The junkies were taken away by the police, still high on drugs and still causing havoc wherever they went. Their actions had inadvertently saved the day, but they would never know it.

The trains then arrived for the lawyers and the overheard conversation ended.

Homeward Bound

Stourton did not have to wait much longer for his train.

When he arrived home, Stourton closed the door to his residence and to this sorry episode in his life. The silence of the apartment was comforting to him.

He made his way to his entertainment cabinet and browsed his collection of recorded television shows. He selected an old DVD, the kind he had not watched in years, its details hazy in his memory. It was just an hour of dated drama, perfect for switching off. He settled onto his couch, the familiar opening credits of "Fatal Obsession" flickering onto the screen.

Fatal Obsession

The air thickened around her, a suffocating blanket of dread. An ultra-feminist, utterly consumed by a narrative of male menace, she stepped off the train, the station’s artificial calm doing nothing to quell the rising tide of her fear.

“He is there.” Her mind screamed, a phantom presence at her back. “He has seen me.”

As she walked, the familiar sounds of the suburb warped into sinister omens. Every rustle of leaves, every distant car engine, became a confirmation. She picked up her pace, her knuckles white around her bag strap.

“He is closer. I can feel him.”

A relentless loop of danger, her internal narrative tightened its grip. 

For just a fleeting, panicked moment she glanced over her shoulder, seeing only the shifting shadows that her paranoia shaped into a man following her.

Her conviction solidified into chilling certainty. This was not just fear; this was a pursuit. Her walk quickened, then lurched into a desperate sprint. She swerved abruptly down a side street, her breath ragged. The pavement became a blur beneath her, the world a disorienting rush of colour and noise.

“I have to lose him!”

She cut hard through a narrow alley, then burst onto a busy main road, headlights flashing like malevolent eyes, horns blaring in what seemed a deliberate cacophony. Oblivious to the true dangers, her focus was fixed on the unseen malevolent male figure she imagined to be at her heels.

A car horn blared, a prolonged, angry shriek. But to her, it was white noise. She charged forward, a desperate, fragmented desire for freedom overriding all sense. The heavy traffic on the main road became a fluid, terrifying gauntlet. The fast-moving motor vehicle was upon her before the terror could truly register. A sickening thud, a screech of tires, and then, silence.

Just a few paces behind, her cousin Marcella stumbled to a halt, panting, her arm outstretched. "Wait! I just ... I just wanted to ask you about ..."

As the closing scene of Fatal Obsession finished, Stourton fell asleep.

The Fallout

MI6 Boss Meets with Sir Julian Finch

MI6 Boss: This is the Chief of The Secret Intelligence Service. I would like to speak with Sir Julian Finch, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office. We are known to each other and he definitely wants to speak with me.

MI6 Boss: Sir Julian, We have not seen each other for ages. Are you aware there is a park near my office? Touching grass is wonderfully invigorating. And that park allows you to have a conversation without the complication of unnecessary ears.

Sir Julian: A park?

MI6 Boss: A park. Wonderfully free of prying eyes and unwanted ears.

Sir Julian: We could have a conversation in my office.

MI6 Boss: Of course, we could have a conversation in your office and everyone in your office would know I was there speaking with you. No doubt there would be entries in the Log of Visitors. A walk in the park has none of those complications.

Sir Julian: So you are not suggesting I attend your office, to catch up with you, but rather we meet in the park near you?

MI6 Boss: Meeting in the office is resplendent with complications. Walking in the park frees us from prying eyes and unwanted ears. And the park visuals are much more invigorating than our offices.

Sir Julian: A park is very unconventional.

MI6: You are correct, Sir Julian and I realise I have misread the situation. I will shortly attend upon your office, with entries in the Log of Visitors, with prying eyes and unwanted ears and we can have the candid and sensitive conversation that is necessary between us. I had intended to walk to the park, but I will drive to your office, or more correctly be driven. That will be more records of our meeting. I apologise for overlooking the need to follow protocol.

Sir Julian: A candid and sensitive conversation, you say?

MI6 Boss: Yes.

Sir Julian: It seems you are refreshing my memory. It is rather a large park. And quite attractive. Certainly in comparison to our drab offices.

MI6 Boss: A large and beautiful park, which is usually sparsely populated during work hours.

Sir Julian: That sounds like the kind of venue where your conversation is unlikely to be interrupted.

MI6 Boss: A highly recommendable quality in a park.

Sir Julian: So you are suggesting we go for a walk in the park near your office?

MI6 Boss: I know it is walking distance from your office. Meet me just inside the entrance that faces the street outside my building in 20 minutes. You have not got anything better to do.

Sir Julian: I will see you in 20 minutes.

The telephone call then ended and the MI6 Boss made his way to the park shortly thereafter.

When the MI6 Boss saw Sir Julian had attended the park, he was a little surprised, but grateful. The telephone call seemed to be making slow progress.

MI6 Boss to Sir Julian: “Getting you here was like pulling teeth. I do not intend to waste time. You have a very serious problem. One of your officers, Contessa Fortescue, a mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6, has, or more accurately now, had a brutal Iron Curtain assassin for a boyfriend. The partial good news for you is one of my agents killed him a few days ago. And killed one of his colleagues also. They were both in the apartment the assassin seemed to be sharing with your officer.

We have got your Contessa in custody and we have got a book we intend to throw at her. When we confronted your Contessa shortly after my agent rid the world of those two assassins, she refused to cooperate with us.

As I see it, the question for you is to what extent has this female traitor compromised your department and the government? There may well be other areas that enjoy the splendour of her betrayal and compromise.

It seems I will have to do an investigation into your department.

The killing of the Iron Curtain assassins aside, there is no part of this I am enjoying.

That, all of that, is why we are walking in the park."

Sir Julian: That is quite a lot of bad news.

MI6 Boss: Do you have any thoughts on how you propose to handle that bad news and in particular, the potential compromise of your department and the government by the traitor?

Sir Julian: "A brutal Iron Curtain assassin ... in the heart of Whitehall. This is an unmitigated disaster, 'C'. One we must contain at all costs. My proposal for handling this ... particular stain ... is to establish a Joint, Covert Task Force. It would comprise a small, trusted team from my department, working directly and solely with a liaison from your Service. Their mandate would be to exhaustively audit Contessa's entire operational footprint – her access, her communications, her movements, and crucially, any individuals she may have influenced or compromised. We must demonstrate a swift and decisive response, but one that is completely under wraps. The last thing we need is this becoming fodder for public consumption or, heaven forbid, a diplomatic incident with our allies."

MI6 Boss: “I am convinced you have not fully switched on to this. I am meeting you in a park, not either of our offices, to deliver this bad news to you and you are telling me your concern is becoming fodder for public consumption or a diplomatic incident with our allies.

Your department has been compromised by a traitor. I have no sense of humour about this and very little patience. I should never have had to have this conversation with you. The inquiry is yours, but I will monitor it, and if I do not like it, there will be serious trouble for you.

“I deal with people who want to kill us. There are a lot of them. I do not have time to investigate public servants who allow their departments to be compromised by traitors and who align themselves with people who want to kill us.

“To help you with your deliberations and to assist you in focussing your attention, it will be useful for you to remember, we kill people. The boyfriend of the traitor is now dead and so is his colleague. Switch on to how serious this breach is. My loyalty and the loyalty of my team is to Queen and Country and we serve with pleasure.

“You will do this inquiry and you will do it properly. There is no other option for you.

"I will now return to my office. I suggest you take some time to walk in this park and appreciate its beauty, before you return to your office. And also take some time to appreciate the magnitude of the task ahead of you and how failure is not an option.”

Confronting The Traitor

M2 was not finished with the traitor, Contessa Fortescue. He attended upon her in custody. And he brought some photographs with him to endeavour to enrich her custodial experience.

Introductory pleasantries were minimal from M2. He got straight down to business.

“I watched and waited for three (3) days for my chance with your boyfriend. When he gave it to me, I took it, immediately. And I took his mate with him. You were lucky you were not with them.”

M2 then told Contessa:

“This is how we deal with traitors.”

Channelling Agent Nicky Parsons, M2 showed Contessa photographs of the two (2) now deceased Iron Curtain agents whom Nicky Parsons used as a  human shield (from the Soho gambling den raid and the raid on The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury.).

“You had your chance to cooperate and you rejected it.

"With human shields as part of our arsenal now, we get to be even more effective in our raids.

"I will enjoy every moment of you being a human shield.”

M2 spent several minutes patiently going through the photographs of the now deceased human shields.

“I am grateful to our crime scenes teams for having the insight to photograph these degenerates after their demise. It enables their utility to continue after their life has been extinguished.

That look of terror on your face is you realising, it is not a matter of if for you, it is a matter of when.”

M2 then collected the photographs and said: “This visit is done.”

M2 then ended his meeting with Contessa Fortescue and made his way to work.

Team Meeting

The day after M2 had his not so romantic interlude with Contessa, Nicky Parsons called a team meeting of The Famous Five. The main topic of discussion was the traitor Contessa Fortescue and what should happen with her.

Nicky proposed a campaign of deliberate psychological torment involving Nicky or Harriet (or both) systematically arranging interviews with Contessa on three (3) separate occasions, only to cancel them on the day of the proposed meeting. The aim being to escalate the anxiety and despair of Contessa.

M1: That sounds like a great plan.

M2: I like it.

Emily: It definitely has a delicious quality to it.

Harriet: What is not to like?

Nicky: That went down even better than I had hoped.

M2: "Does the traitor become one of your human shields?

I would be quite happy to utilise her as a human shield."

Nicky: This is an interesting meeting. The human shield was my next proposed topic of discussion.

M1: The traitor has no utility for MI6, other than as a human shield. She is no different than the Iron Curtain agents you burned in the Soho gambling den raid and the raid on The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury.

Emily: It looks like we might be looking for a venue to raid.

Harriet: I have a few prospective venues, but there is some material through which I must trawl. Perhaps we could share that load?

Nicky: Ideally it would be a quick, uncomplicated raid.

M1: A repeat of the Bookshop raid?

Nicky: That was the kind of raid I had in mind.

Harriet: My prospective venues generally seem to fit that mould.

Nicky: Things are a bit quiet here at the moment, for which I am grateful. It seems we are available to help you with your trawling.

Do you have a favourite prospective venue?

Harriet: “The most likely venue is a Small Corner Shop with a Back Room in BeBop Circus. It is used as a drop point and a place to store and then pass on sensitive materials. 

The intelligence I have is that sensitive materials are present waiting for an exchange. The hidden back room is where hosting the materials and the exchanges occur.

The sensitive material the subject of the exchange is said to be False Passports and Travel Documents for some undesirable Iron Curtain agents, with the aim of creating false identities for ongoing operations within the UK.

In the circumstances our trawling would be to see if there was a better option and perhaps think of any reason not to use that venue as the raid venue.”

Nicky: “If you can share your trawling load around the team, we can help you.”

The Boss Joins The Team Meeting

It was then that the Boss entered the office of Nicky Parsons.

The Boss: “This is convenient. I can tell you all the news. Sir Julian Finch is the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office. Relevantly, he is the boss of your traitorous acquaintance, Contessa Fortescue. He and I have had a chat. Sir Julian will conduct a review of his department, which I will monitor. So you can be comforted that some progress is being made in that area and we can concentrate on our own work.

“Where are my manners? Good morning, agents. 

Now that I have caught you up with the relevant news, I will leave you to continue with your work.

Thank you, agents.”

The boss then left the office of Nicky Parsons and returned to his own office.

Emily: Now I know the Boss does whirlwind visits.

M1: If Sir Julian Finch is conducting a review of his department, the traitor Contessa Fortescue has no utility to offer MI6, other than to be a human shield.

Harriet: That is certainly an interesting take from the news of the Boss. It is also a take with which I agree.

Emily: It seems the raid planning will be intensifying.

M2: There is no reason to spare the traitor from being a human shield.

Nicky: OK, then. It looks like we will be meeting back here tomorrow to refine the raid planning. I will let you know when I settle on a time. In the meantime, Harriet will give us some of her intelligence material, so we can help her with her trawling.

Follow-Up Team Meeting

The discussions in the follow-up team meeting were fairly brief.

• It was agreed Harriet had made the best choice for the raid venue, the BeBop Circus Corner Shop with a Hidden Back Room.

• There was no reason to change the pairings from the raid on The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury:

• M1 and Agent Emily will cover the back entrance.

• M2, Agent Harriet, Nicky Parsons and the traitor, Contessa Fortescue, will take the front entrance.

• Harriet would again ensure the proposed human shield (Contessa) was available to accompany them on the raid.

• M1 had driving duties and M2 had equipment duties.

The discussion then moved on to whether it would be prudent to have more than just The Famous Five attend the raid from MI6. It was agreed two other teams would attend the raid, because there may be a significant gathering in the hidden room and the extra agents would be required to subdue and secure the transgressors.

Nicky Parsons would take care of organising the extra MI6 agents to attend the raid.

It was proposed they leave from MI6 at 11:00 am, as the meeting they proposed to interrupt was scheduled for noon.

The Raid

Everything went smoothly preparation-wise on the morning of the raid. There seemed to be an air of glee in the Famous Five MI6 vehicle as they approached the pick-up location for their now handcuffed traitor colleague.

When Nicky Parsons appeared to collect her from her MI6 agents was the first time Cintessa learned about her impending adventure.

Upon greeting Contessa and the MI6 colleagues, all that Nicky Parsons said was: “You are coming with me.”

Agent Parsons walked Contessa to the MI6 vehicle and placed her in the back seat. Once Nicky Parsons resumed her seat in the vehicle, she said to Contessa: “You are going on an adventure.”

There was no other conversation until the agents arrived at the raid venue.

As the Famous Five alighted from the vehicle and put on their protective equipment for the raid, M2 had his only conversation with Contessa. And it was very brief: “Judgment day has arrived.”

A rather concerned Contessa asked: What is going on?

Nicky Parsons replied: “This is your adventure.”

The terror was building in Contessa.

As Nicky Parsons grabbed Contessa and placed her directly in front of her, Contessa was saying “No” over and over.

Parsons: Too late, Traitor.”

Parsons grabbed Contessa tight and shoved her through the front door of the Corner Shop.

The raiding agents were greeted by panicked occupants of the Corner Shop, who unleashed a burst of gunfire. Almost all of that gunfire was caught by the human shield, Contessa, as the team had planned and M2 had foreshadowed.

Contessa spent the remainder of the raid on the floor. Her life was now over.

Once the gunfire receded, the panicked corner shop occupants were subdued and handcuffed.

A corner shop staff member was then volunteered by MI6 to provide access to the hidden back room. He did not need to be convinced to cooperate.

By the time the hidden back room was to be breached, all the MI6 agents were in the corner store. All the undesirables in the hidden back room were surprised by the breach, but they did not respond with gunfire. Their response was more akin to freezing, which made their apprehension easier.

Securing the sensitive materials the subject of the meeting and the raid was then a simple task.

Harriet had contacted MI6 for a clean up team by the time the agents returned to the body of the corner shop. And they arrived within 15 minutes.

The raid went smoothly and the Famous Five achieved all their goals.

There was no discussion of Contessa Fortescue in the vehicle on the return journey to MI6 headquarters.

As they were getting close to MI6 headquarters, Emily said: “We should adjourn for lunch before we return to the office.”

M1: Lunch:

M2: Lunch

Harriet: Definitely lunch.

Nicky: Lunch, it is.

M2 Goes Buck Wild

 It was an unusual Intelligence Briefing from Agent Harriet, but it was no less significant than her other style and type of briefing.

Agent Harriet: “There are very scant reports of a serious Iron Curtain assassin relocating to London. If they are true, MI6 is very interested in taking him out.”

The MI6 agents in attendance at the briefing were given a Briefing Folder. That part of the briefing was normal practice.

M2 was in attendance at the briefing and took a Briefing Folder to read. When he returned to his office, he read the folder contents and looked at the photographs. Something about this struck him, but he could not identify what it was. He read the folder contents several times over the ensuing days. There was something about the photographs, also.

M2 said nothing to anyone about this. He kept his thoughts to himself.

One night not too long after the Intelligence Briefing M2 found himself catching a later train than usual home. It was an unremarkable journey until the train approached Modalvale Train Station. He saw a female from another agency, whom he had met once or twice previously, but whose identifying details escaped him, getting rather cosy with a male.

They both walked across the road from the train station to an apartment above the small fruit shop. As fate would have it, technical difficulties meant the M2 train was delayed at the station longer than usual. M2 maintained his interest in the female he thought was familiar to him and her male companion. Shortly before the train left the station to continue its journey, the female and her male companion appeared visible in the apartment. The male turned to face the train station and M2 got a glimpse of him. Immediately, M2 got flashes of the photographs from the Agent Harriet Intelligence Briefing. He was the guy the subject of the Intelligence Briefing, M2 thought.

Home was not far away for M2. When he arrived home, he put down some things he did not want to take with him and returned to the train station. He caught the next train to Modalvale station. M2 then looked around the precincts of Modalvale train station. He noticed across the road from the fruit shop (the other side of the train tracks) was what appeared to be a vacant building. There was an elevated vacancy at the level or just above of the apartment where his female colleague and her friend seemed to be staying. It was a little off centre from that apartment, but it still had good vision. It was an otherwise small and quiet train station.

M2 got a bit of a sense of the immediate area, then went home.

When he attended work the next day, M2 maintained his silence about what he thought he saw. He read the Intelligence Briefing Folder contents again and spent some time looking at the photographs.

His interest in the apparently vacant property adjacent to the Modalvale train station continued. When his train home that evening stopped at the Modalvale train station, M2 focussed his attention on the apparently vacant property. It continued to appear vacant.

As his train to work the next morning was pulling away from Modalvale train station, he was sure he saw his colleague with her cosy companion enter the station platform. Unfortunately all these moments were fleeting glimpses and not something solid upon which he could be certain of what he believed he saw.

Firearm Training

When M2 arrived at work, he made some enquiries about his firearm training. As he suspected, it had been a while since he had been to the MI6 shooting range for firearms training. M2 had a conversation with Agent Harriet about attending the range and undergoing firearms training. He said his desk was light on missions work and this was a useful and necessary way to spend his time. Agent Harriet agreed and arrangements were made for M2 to immediately attend the MI6 shooting range.

Upon arriving at the range, M2 did some handgun training, but he told those in charge at the range that it was sniper training that he thought should be the focus of his attention. No one else was using the sniper facilities, so M2 was easy to accommodate.

M2 was focussed and his session was long. Twice in three days M2 had long sessions at the MI6 shooting range working on his sniper skills. He knew how important it was that he not miss.

During his commute home on that second day of sniper training, M2 was sure he saw the cosy couple again at Modalvale train station and even though his vision of them was fleeting, his plan was solidified.

At work the next day M2 called in to the firearms area of MI6. He was reasonably friendly with one of the staff there and he asked if he might take a sniper suitcase with him, so he could work on his sniper training. His colleague said it was a quiet period, so that should not be a problem.

The Stakeout

With the sniper suitcase now in his possession, M2 made his way to the Modalvale train station precincts and gained access to the vacant premises he had been checking out. The elevation was good and so was the vision, except for when a train was at the station.

M2 had clearly done some preparation for his stakeout. He brought food supplies with him and a sleeping bag. Importantly he set up the sniper rifle and focussed it on the apartment above the small fruit shop across the road. He even brought a radio with him, to keep him company.

That evening the cozy couple made their way to the apartment after work for the day had ended. M2 had good vision of the male, through the sniper rifle sight. But a train interrupted his vision and when the train departed, his male target was no longer in sight.

Even though his sighting was fleeting, M2 was certain he was watching the Iron Curtain assassin the subject of the Agent Harriet Intelligence Briefing.

There were no more sightings that day. The next day M2 saw a different male attend the apartment from the train station. He also jogged the Harriet Intelligence Briefing memory of M2, albeit from an earlier occasion. There was some bad Iron Curtain fruit gathering above the Modalvale fruit shop. 

For three days M2 staked out the apartment above the fruit shop.

The first day of the apparent absence from MI6 was explained by his colleagues as due to firearms training. The second day he was assumed to be away ill. By the third day, his absence was the subject of some discussion. No one knew where he was or where to look for him. He was not answering his telephone at home.

By lunch time on day three of the M2 stakeout, activity at the apartment had escalated. M2 could clearly see he was correct about the male getting cozy with his female colleague. He was the Iron Curtain assassin the subject of the Agent Harriet Intelligence Briefing. M2 just needed a clean shot at him now.

Things got even more interesting when M2 realised that assassin was also hosting another Iron Curtain assassin.

M2 was focussed and waiting for a clean shot opportunity to arise. Luck was with M2. Both Iron Curtain assassins turned to walk towards the open window. M2 had a clean shot opportunity at each of the men.

His primary target was the assassin the subject of the Harriet Intelligence Briefing. M2 did not wait.

With his target clearly in his sniper rifle sight, M2 said: “For Queen and Country” and put two (2) rounds in his forehead.

Before Target 1 hit the floor, Target 2, the other Iron Curtain assassin, had two (2) rounds put in his forehead by M2 and quickly joined Target 1 on the floor.

M2 then went about packing up his sniper rifle kit and then packing up his stakeout site. That was more important than calling in the situation.

Once M2 was packed up, he made his way to the public telephone at the Modalvale train station and telephoned Agent Harriet.

M2: Agent Harriet, Can you organise a clean up team to be sent to the apartment above the fruit shop across the road from Modalvale train station, please.

By the way, the Iron Curtain assassin the subject of your recent Intelligence Briefing will no longer be a problem. A colleague of his will also no longer be troubling us.

I am not sure how long that takes to organise, but there seems to be a female from another one of our agencies who is (or was) apparently involved with your now late Iron Curtain friend and she definitely seems to be worthy of a candid discussion.

I am at the Modalvale train station. I will wait until you guys arrive.

Agent Harriet: I will take care of it for you.

The call then ended.

The Famous Five Go To Modalvale Train Station

Agent Harriet then telephoned Nicky Parsons: Come and see me, now. Do not delay.

Agent Harriet then made arrangements for a clean up team to attend, as M2 requested.

5 minutes later Nicky Parsons was in the office of Harriet.

Harriet closed the door.

Harriet: M2 has been located. It seems he was working. He just asked for a clean up team to attend near Modalvale train station. Apparently the situation is not completed. There is a female part of the puzzle who is unlikely to know of the news and has yet to be located. It is probably a good idea to get Emily and M1 and go to the Modalvale train station. I am confident I do not need to do any more organising here, so I can accompany you, if you consider it appropriate.

Parsons: I will get Emily and M1 and we can all catch a train to Modalvale. We will be back to collect you shortly.

Before Harriet, Nicky, Emily and M1 left for the train station, Harriet said: “It is sufficient for present purposes to say, there is a situation in the vicinity of Modalvale train station. When we arrive there, M2 can expand upon the details.”

As Harriet foreshadowed, when The Famous Five gathered at Modalvale train station, a relaxed and calm M2 found a spot away from unnecessary ears and explained what had transpired. More correctly, he told them enough of what transpired for them to be informed. He may not have told them everything.

The MI6 clean up team had been and gone from the apartment where the situation occurred. The Famous Five were now potentially waiting for the female involved to arrive either at the station or the apartment. With the explanation of M2 now complete, the agents positioned themselves so they could monitor both the train (and passengers) arrival and departure and the apartment.

After about an hour, M2 told his colleagues the female in question had just alighted from a train and he identified her.

Nicky Parsons: I think I know her. I will go and introduce myself to her.

Emily: The rest of us will wait here for you.

Liaising with The Liaison Officer

Agent Parsons approached the subject female as she was making her way to the exit of the train station:

“Contessa Fortescue, I have not seen you for ages.”

Contessa: Agent Parsons from MI6?

Parsons: Correct

Contessa: What brings you to this part of town?

Parsons: You. We are going to walk over to my colleagues and then we are going to have a chat. This is not a time for you to argue or be heroic.

Contessa: What is this about?

Parsons: We can chat when we get to my colleagues.

Contessa complied with the request of agent Parsons and they walked over to the rest of The Famous Five.

When they arrived, agent Parsons asked Contessa: Can you clarify something for me. You are employed as a mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6?

Contessa: Yes.

Parsons: Please wait here with my colleagues. I have to make a telephone call.

Agent Parsons then proceeded to the public telephone and called the secretary to the Boss.

“Hello, Miss Secretary.”

Secretary: Hello, Agent Parsons

Parsons: I need to speak to the Boss about a sensitive issue. The kind where we do not want unnecessary ears.

Secretary: Wait on. I will let him know.

He is waiting to speak with you. I will put you through.

Parsons: Hello, Sir. There is a sensitive situation at Modalvale train station. I am sure we could find a park nearby to discuss it.

Boss: A park, Agent Parsons?

Parsons: One with very few ears. Near Modalvale train station, which is where I am now.

Boss: A park, Agent Parsons?

Parsons: Definitely a park, Sir, and only your lovely secretary needs to know you are coming here. If you take the train, Sir, you will not have to trouble yourself with the complications of a driver and a motor vehicle. It is a short train ride.

Boss: I will be at the Modalvale train station as soon as I can.

Parsons: Thank you, Sir.

The call ended and Agent Parsons returned to her colleagues and Contessa Fortescue.

Parsons: Interesting choice of yours for a boyfriend, Contessa. An Iron Curtain assassin and a brutal one, at that.

Emily: A mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6 with a brutal Iron Curtain assassin for a boyfriend. That is not complicated at all.

M2: Perhaps more than one.

Emily: Oh, this keeps getting better.

Harriet: I really want to see the paperwork where the government has approved a mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6 having a brutal Iron Curtain assassin for a boyfriend.

M1: More than one brutal Iron Curtain assassin for a boyfriend. Clearly you like to live dangerously.

Meanwhile Agent Parsons was talking to M2.: Is there a park nearby this train station?

M2: Yes. There is a cricket field one street over.

Parsons: Wonderfully helpful of Modalvale.

The Boss Joins The Liaison with The Liaison Officer

The Boss arrived shortly thereafter.

Agent Parsons walked over to greet him.

After the exchange of greetings, Agent Parsons said: M2 tells me there is a cricket field one street over. That provisionally seems a better venue to discuss a mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6 having a brutal Iron Curtain assassin for a boyfriend.

Boss: Have you thought of improving the quality of your friends, Agent Parsons?

Parsons: This job certainly attracts a lot of undesirables, Sir. Let us all adjourn to the nearby cricket field.

When the Boss joined the group he said to M2: Suburban tour guide was not a talent I was aware you possessed, M2.

M2: Today you get to see it first hand, Sir.

M2 then lead his colleagues and their guest to the nearby cricket field, which was populated only by a few birds.

Boss: Miss Fortescue, I was not aware you had such a creative interest in international relations.

Agent Parsons: Where are my manners? Contessa Fortescue, mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6, please meet the Boss of MI6. It is easier if you address him as Sir.

Contessa: What is going on here?

Boss: Miss Fortescue, It seems you have made my job, all of our jobs, rather complicated.

Please explain to me how a mid-level liaison officer between the government and MI6 could possibly be unaware her boyfriend was a brutal Iron Curtain assassin.

M2: In order to assist you in your deliberations, Miss, I can assure you that there are no circumstances where your assassin boyfriend is going to save you.

Boss: We also have to work out what to do with you. One option is very attractive, but it does not help us identify the extent of the damage you have caused.

Harriet: Start talking, Miss Fortescue. That means not lying.

Boss: You are not returning to your job until this is sorted out. That may mean you spend some time in MI6 custody.

Contessa: He is not my boyfriend.

M2: I routinely get that cozy with women who are not my girlfriend.

Harriet: This is not going well for you, Miss.

Boss: Your Boss is not going to enjoy me telling him I will have to do an investigation of his entire office to determine the extent of the breach and compromise you have caused.

Parsons: Contessa, I can assure you Agent Harriet is not looking for her purse.

Boss: I had hoped you were just a silly, love struck fool. It seems you were in for the full pound, not just a penny. You can expect to be charged with everything we can throw at you and your future will involve a long period in custody.

You can console yourself with the fact, if you were at your apartment earlier this afternoon, you would not be alive now to have this conversation.

Boss: I have seen and heard enough. We can now return to the office. I have some bad news to deliver to the boss of our traitor colleague.

Opening The Gates of Hell

 East German Prospective Water Poisoner

Agent Parsons made another visit to the custody location holding the East German prospective Water Poisoner.

“Time is running out fast for you Mr Iron Curtain Bad Guy.

This is your colleague Agent Itchy. (Agent Parsons showed the East German prospective water poisoner a number of photographs.)

He was present during the negotiations meeting requested by the East Germans to try to get you returned to East Germany. I have already told you, I think they want to kill you, not return you to East Germany.

Your cretinous colleague gave me the impression he wanted to shoot me during that negotiations meeting. Subsequently the airport authorities held Agent Itchy on “visa irregularities” and he missed his plane back to East Germany. It then became necessary to hold him for much longer.

The good news for him is that he was an integral part of a successful raid on a gambling den that funds your East German colleagues. The bad news for him was that he was used as a human shield, so we could gain access to the premises and he wore most of the gunfire from the gambling den bad guys. As you can see, he did not survive that expedition to the gambling den.

His utility to us continued as we then deposited him at the gates of the East German Embassy in London. He enabled me to have a conversation with The Ambassador. Turns out The Ambassador was a sensible man. He understood the importance of returning to Britain, unharmed, the three (3) missing British nationals currently residing in East Berlin.

Those three (3) missing British nationals have now been returned to Britain, unharmed.

The significance of that information for you is that we no longer need you to achieve our goal of the return of the three (3) missing British nationals.

Your utility now will be the prompt provision of the following information:

• All the details about your plans to poison our water supply; and

• The details of your new East German listening post near our UK naval base in Portsmouth.

If you choose not to promptly provide that information to us, then expect your future to be similar to that of you colleague Agent Itchy. Should there be any ambiguity in your understanding of your prospective future, let me help you out. I will use you as a human shield in one of our missions and your prospects of surviving that exercise are zero.

I previously made it very clear to you:

“You are a short-tempered and impatient fool, who allowed himself to get so agitated over a jazz record, you blew your cover and gave us the opportunity to capture you. You are not a clever man.

We want the information from you and if you are not going to cooperate with us, I can assure you, I have other very unpleasant plans for you.”

Try your luck with me, Mr Water Poisoner. Complain to The Ambassador about how I am treating you. Gamble that I am wrong about the people who you think will help you, that they do not want to kill you.

If they kill you, they will save me the time and trouble.

Provide us with the information we want by 4:00 pm tomorrow or you will be another Agent Itchy. I can assure you it will not take me long to organise a raid where you will be the bait and the human shield. There are far too many of you Iron Curtain trouble makers in London and the United Kingdom.

You have had plenty of time to provide us with the information we want. 4:00 pm tomorrow or the gates of hell are going to open for you.”

Agent Parsons then collected the photographs and  left the interview room. She then left the premises and went home.

The Famous Five Team Meeting

Immediately upon arriving at work the following day, Agent Parsons went to the respective offices of all the other Famous Five members and said there was a team meeting in her office, now. No one was doing anything that warranted delaying the team meeting.

Once all five (5) agents were in her office, Agent Parsons informed the team that the previous day she made another visit to the custody location holding the East German prospective Water Poisoner and had a conversation with him. The kind of conversation where she did the talking and he did the listening.

Agent Parsons: I gave the prospective water poisoner until 4:00 pm today to provide us with the information we want, namely:

• All the details about his plans to poison our water supply; and

• The details of the new East German listening post near our UK naval base in Portsmouth.

I made it clear to him, provide us the information we want by 4:00 pm today or the gates of hell are going to open for him.

I also told him about Agent Itchy, to help focus his thoughts.

That is the relevant background for this meeting and my request of Harriet:

• Are there any locations or venues currently in play, like the Soho gambling den that recently enjoyed the pleasure of our company, that would benefit from a similar visit by our water poisoner friend?

I am aware that some venues are considered too dangerous because we are likely to lose agents in the process of undertaking the raid.

We now have a shield. So let us use him and shut down at least one of these problematic venues. I say this to you in the expectation that our East German friend will not provide us with the information we want. So we will waste no further resources on him and put him to use to attempt to solve another problem.

Harriet: There is The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury. Our intelligence says that it has a Reading Room at the back of the store, that also seems to operate as a meeting place for East German sympathisers. Details of the frequency of the meetings are so scant as to be unreliable. You could do a raid and get nothing or you could do a raid and hit the jackpot with a meeting of sympathisers underway.

Our intelligence also says some of the people who meet there are of the crazy kind. Nicky had a trigger happy former friend. Things did not end well for him. He could very well be found at the venue we are discussing.

Agent Parsons: That sounds like the kind of venue where a human shield would be valuable.

Harriet: If you took one there with you, it would not go astray.

Agent Parsons: M1 and M2, are you familiar with Bloomsbury? You have scored the driving duties.

M2: By 4:00 pm we will know how to transport the team to The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury.

Agent Parsons: Excellent.

Agent Emily Abernathy: "Let me just clarify where we are at here. If the Water Poisoner provides the information to us by 4:00 pm today, he has no more utility to offer us. If he chooses not to provide the information to us, he is of no utility to us. That certainly sounds like the raid on The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury is proceeding at 4:00 pm today."

Agent Harriet: Best I make arrangements for the Water Poisoner to be available to accompany us on the raid.

M2: In addition to M1 and I confirming the route we will be taking to Bloomsbury this afternoon, it looks like we are Officers-In-Charge of Raid Equipment.

Agent Parsons: Apart from the roles you are quite splendidly articulating, I propose we assume the same roles we took for the Soho gambling den raid:

• M1 and Agent Emily will cover the back entrance.

• M2, Agent Harriet, the Water Poisoner and I will take the front entrance.

Is there any reason to divert from that set up?

Emily, Harriet, M1 and M2: No.

M1: Can everyone check their firearm well before we leave.

Agent Parsons: We will meet here again at 3:00 pm to go over the final details before we leave for the raid.

The meeting then ended.

The Raid

The 3:00 pm meeting was short. Everything was in order. No apparent glitches had arisen. The Famous Five then set off for their raid on The Cultural Exchange Bookstore in Bloomsbury.

Upon collecting the handcuffed Water Poisoner, he was suitably clueless about what was going on.

Agent Parsons told him: “We have an adventure for you, Mr Water Poisoner.”

Otherwise there was no conversation with him during the journey to the raid venue.

The team arrived at The Cultural Exchange Bookstore at roughly 3:50 pm and took a little over 5 minutes to put on their protective jackets and get into position for the raid.

Once again Agent Parsons and M2 walked their handcuffed shield to the front of the premises. When Agent Parsons positioned herself directly behind the Water Poisoner, he asked what was going on?

Agent Parsons: “We have an adventure for you.”

She then shoved him through the front door of the premises.

That breach of the premises occurred without any resistance from the occupants. Likewise the breach of the rear of the premises occurred smoothly, without resistance.

With her firearm drawn and facing the staff member behind the counter in the Bookstore, Agent Parsons said to the staff member: “The Reading Room.”

Without any argument or hesitation, the staff member pointed to a door at the back of the book display area and said: “Through that door.”

Agent Harriet might describe what the team encountered as they burst through the door as hitting the jackpot. A meeting of Iron Curtain sympathisers was underway in the Reading Room.

Unfortunately for the Water Poisoner, a trigger happy Iron Curtain sympathiser in the Reading Room panicked when the breach of the room occurred and he emptied his firearm into the Water Poisoner.

Fortunately for Agent Parsons, the Water Poisoner shielded her from any damage.

The Water Poisoner was the only casualty in the raid and all those meeting in the Reading Room were subdued and ultimately taken into custody by MI6 agents.

Agent Harriet took some delight in calling in the raid to MI6 from the bookstore telephone. Her MI6 colleagues were quick to send a clean up team to assist in wrapping up the raid.

With everything under control at the raid scene, a satisfied Agent Parsons said to the rest of The Famous Five: We can now be on our way.

As The Famous Five left The Cultural Exchange Bookstore, they thanked their MI6 colleagues for their clean up efforts.

Shortly after they commenced their return journey to MI6 headquarters, Agent Parsons said:

• “This is not quite a steak sandwiches moment, but it is definitely worthy of a modest meal. I suggest we find a cafeteria close to headquarters and appreciate a job well done.”

M2: I know a place we can go and parking the work vehicle will not be a problem.

Emily: Lead the way, M2.

Back To Work

Not long after Nicky Parsons arrived at work the day after the raid mission, the Boss telephoned her: “Gather your team in your office, Agent Parsons. I will come and visit you shortly.”

The Famous Five team were gathered in the office of Nicky Parsons within 10 minutes of the telephone call from the Boss.

The Boss made his way there after about 15 minutes and closed the door.

The Boss: Agent Parsons you are Agent Parsons. And for Queen and Country, Agent Parsons. For Queen and Country.

The London water supply system is safe. The three British nationals have been returned, unharmed and two (2) East German Iron Curtain undesirables have been permanently neutralised.

That is quite an achievement.

The East German Ambassador was correct when he said:

• “The things you people do for Queen and country.”

The things you five agents do for Queen and country. This is a dirty job. I am glad you are all on my side.

They are going to keep coming at us and we must never relent.

I am not going to talk about your methods. I am definitely going to celebrate your achievements.

If I give the five of you the rest of today and tomorrow off work, in recognition of your outstanding achievements, do you think you could spend your not working time not working?

Could you all turn off your bad guy radars for a couple of days and unwind from this maelstrom?

M1, 2 days off, no work. Can you do it?"

M1: Yes, Sir. Thank you.

The Boss: M2?

M2: Yes, Sir. Thank you.

The Boss: Agent Harriet?

Harriet: Yes, Sir. Thank you.

The Boss: Agent Emily?

Emily: Yes, Sir. Thank you.

The Boss: Agent Parsons?

Nicky: Yes, Sir. Thank you.

Thank you for your efforts, agents. Enjoy your time off.

The meeting then ended and the Boss returned to his office.