Adventures In The Park

Intelligence Briefing

In her latest intelligence briefing, Agent Harriet told the assembled MI6 agents that:

• A terror cell of Iron Curtain foreign agents was operating in London.

• The plan was to bomb a sporting stadium.

• Various teams of MI6 agents would be assembled to monitor and hopefully capture this terror cell before it could do any damage.

Subsequent to that intelligence briefing, Nicky Parsons, Emily Abernathy, M1 and M2 were assigned to monitor a popular park in Central London where members of the subject Iron Curtain Terror Cell were thought to meet.

When the four (4) agents were informed of their assignment as a team in this new situation, Emily briefly got them together and told M1 and M2 to approach Harriet and get her Profile Folder of the Iron Curtain Terror Cell.

“Remember, Harriet does not bite.”

M1 and M2 obeyed the request of Emily.

When they approached Harriet, she said to them: “I prepared a Profile for Emily and Nicky as well.”

M1 took the additional folders from Harriet, with gratitude.

As the agents made their way back to their respective offices, M1 took a detour to the office of Nicky Parsons: “Agent Harriet prepared a Profile Folder for you.”

Parsons: “Thank you, M1", as she took the folder from him;

and the office of Emily: “Agent Harriet prepared a Profile Folder for you.”

Emily: “Thank you, M1", as she took the folder from him.

M1 then proceeded to his office.

Both M1 and M2 then busied themselves reading the contents of their Profile Folders.

Later that afternoon Emily assembled the team in her office and discussions ensued about the finer details of their mission.

Nicky Parsons said she had made arrangements for the team to operate from a safe house in the vicinity of the popular park in Central London which would be the focus of their mission.

Parsons: “The safe house should be available in a couple of hours and it is accessible by train.”

Emily: “When you are notified of the availability of the safe house, we can assemble in your office and then proceed to the train station.”

Parsons: “That plan works for me.”

Emily: “M1 and M2, It will not hurt if one of you brings an Agent Harriet Mission Profile Folder along.”

Parsons: "We can return to our offices and I will contact you when the safe house becomes available."

About ninety (90) minutes later the team was on a train en route to the safe house.

Once they arrived at the safe house, M1 and M2 were a little surprised how quickly Nicky Parsons and Emily were able to set up the safe house for the team.

Central London Park Situation 1

The team got down to business immediately upon the safe house being set up. They proceeded to the park and took up their surveillance positions. After about forty (40) minutes, two (2) members of the suspect terror cell were identified  meeting in the Central London popular park.

Agents Nicky Parsons and M2 moved in to apprehend the suspects. The initial part of the situation unfolded largely without incident and the two (2) terror cell members were placed on the ground.

As they were being secured by agents Nicky Parsons and M2 in handcuffs, with their hands behind their backs, another terror cell agent appeared. He was not someone the team had identified at the park. Terror Cell Agent 3 approached his apprehended colleagues with his firearm drawn. He was about to try to eliminate his now captured colleagues when M1 identified the complication to the situation and emptied the contents of his firearm into the chest of Terror Cell Agent 3. The interloping Iron Curtain agent fell to the ground before Nicky Parsons and M2 had time to look around.

Emily Abernathy remained a little removed from her colleagues, monitoring the situation with her firearm drawn. She shouted to her colleagues: Are we good?

“Yes” was their reply.

Emily: I will call this in.

Within ten (10) minutes more MI6 agent colleagues were on the scene extracting the three  (3) Iron Curtain Terror Cell agents and relocating them to MI6 headquarters.

Agents Parsons, Abernathy, M1 and M2 then returned to the safe house.

The team dined at the safe house that evening on takeaway from a local cafeteria. Conversation was mostly about the mission; how the events of the day unfolded and what were their plans for the next day.

Central London Park Situation 2

The following day the team planned to continue  monitoring the Central London popular park for more terror cell suspects. Nicky Parsons told the team she had telephoned Agent Harriet at MI6 and received an intelligence update.

In the presence of the rest of the team, Nicky Parsons then had a conversation with M2 about the new situation assignment. M2 would assume the roll of a sniper. Circumstances dictate it. The resources of MI6 were stretched and improvisation was required. Everyone in the team knew from the Profile Folder prepared by Agent Harriet that this terror cell was dangerous. Accordingly, the improvisation by necessity was that M2 would now be a sniper.

Parsons: “I have made arrangements for the suitcase you will need to be delivered here. I will help you set it up.”

Then more generally, Parsons spoke to the team: “I have identified a vacant residence or office in a high rise building in the neighbourhood. It will serve as a sniper spot. M2 and I will relocate to that sniper spot and Emily and M1 will be the surveillance agents in the park.”

The sniper spot identified by Nicky Parsons saw M2 set up in an elevated position, monitoring the park. Nicky Parsons was with M2 monitoring him and encouraging him. Nicky parsons told M2 he should keep his two (2) other agent colleagues in the park visible to him.

During their park surveillance M1 noticed a man in his 30s giving his attention to Agent Abernathy and despite her disinterest in him, he was not disposed to leave her presence. M1 proceeded to the local interloping Romeo and had a conversation with him.

M1 quietly approached the interloper from behind and placed the barrel of his firearm in the ribs of the interloper: “If you do not leave this young lady alone, you will not see the weekend, let alone Christmas.”

The Interloper: I was just leaving.

M1: Good decision. Do not dawdle and do not look back.

The Interloper made a prompt exit from the scene and did not look back.

Romeo interloper aside, the mission was going to plan, when another terror cell suspect appeared on the scene.

M2 told Nicky Parsons that this new terror cell suspect seemed to be an immediate threat to Agent Emily.

Guided by the location advice given to her from M2, Nicky Parsons took a look at the particular location through binoculars.

Parsons:: Are you sure he is an immediate threat?

M2: Yes.

Parsons: Take out the threat.

M2 obeyed and with a clean M2 shot, the new terror cell interloper fell to the ground.

Nicky Parsons then said to M2: “You are on your own for the time being. I will call this in. Do not panic. You will be fine.”

Nicky Parsons then called MI6 from a public telephone in the street near the sniper spot and told MI6 to send a clean up / extraction team to the park.

During that telephone call Nicky Parsons also spoke to Agent Harriet. Agent Harriet informed Agent Parsons that the threat had been neutralised and the mission was now at an end. All agents could now return to MI6 headquarters.

Nicky Parsons then returned to the sniper spot and updated M2 on the progress of the mission. They packed up the sniper spot and returned to the safe house. They then proceeded to the park to inform Emily and M1 of the developments in the mission.

Within ten (10) minutes the MI6 extraction team had removed the now fallen new terror cell interloper from the park.

After their somewhat impromptu meeting in the park Agent Parsons, Agent Abernathy, M1 and M2 returned to the safe house, cleaned it of their presence and returned to MI6.

The team then assembled in the office of Nicky Parsons, while she made a telephone call.

“Do you want me to bring you the suitcase? OK, you will retrieve it from my office.”

The call then ended and Nicky addressed the team: “Well done team. We can call this a successful mission.”

I propose we have lunch together.”

Emily: This time we will each pay for our own steak sandwiches.”

Laughter engulfed the team.

Another Park Adventure

Seconds after M1 and M2 left the office of Nicky Parsons to return to their respective offices, Agent Harriet called in to the office of Nicky Parsons.

Emily: Harriet, this is a bit of a surprise.

Harriet:: I have another park adventure for you, if you are interested?

Nicky: Another park adventure?

Harriet: Saturday is the annual Jazz In The Park Festival in Central Park. I was wondering if you ladies were interested in going? There are food stalls, craft stalls and a bit of jazz gets played, of course.

Nicky: That was not the kind of park adventure I was expecting.

Emily: That is the kind of park adventure I like.

Nicky: I am not so sure, Emily. I did not hear about any tea stalls?

Harriet: Nicky, you could always take a flask of tea, if you were not prepared to risk there might be no tea stalls.

Emily: I think we should live dangerously, perhaps just this once, and take our chances. The Jazz In The Park Festival seems like it might be fun.

Nicky: I am in and I will leave my flask of tea at home

Harriet: Excellent. If we meet at the cafeteria downstairs at 10:30 am on Saturday, we can walk to the park jazz festival together.

Emily: I will call into your apartment on the way to the train station, Nicky.

Nicky: It looks like this plan is settled. Thank you, Harriet.

Emily: Thank you, Harriet.

Harriet: I will leave you ladies now and see you at 10:30 am Saturday.