The Hunt is on: The Jensen Series, #2

By Michael Wilkinson

Following the terrorist attack on the new Channel Tunnel opening ceremony, Matt Jensen and Lisette Bouche are tasked with finding the terrorist group responsible for the deaths of the UK Prime Minister and, the French President.

Matt and Lisette begin a dangerous manhunt that leads them to Somalia, Yemen, Brussels, Carrick Roads, and deep into a world of the terrorists and international crime gangs.

Matt, Lisette and their team find themselves thrown into a myriad of operational dilemmas and political conspiracies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elgin House Publications
• Release date: Apr 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9780954263157

Michael Wilkinson

I’m based in England and live in a quintessential canal-side village in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside. I specialise in writing adventure novels, with a twist of the heart. My series of adventure novels follows the covert assignments of ex Naval Intelligence Chief and MI6 commander Matt Jensen and French DGSE commander Lisette Bouche in the ‘Jensen’ series. Due to my long and successful professional risk management consulting and international speaking career I plan to write a series of risk-based management system handbooks.

Book preview

Prelude

Rail Control Centres (RCC), Folkestone and Coquelles

Following the deadly VX gas attack by the Avenging Lions , killing the British Prime Minister, French President and scores of other people, at the opening ceremony of the new Channel Freight tunnel.  Matt Jensen and Lisette Bouche, joined by the UK and French counter-terrorism officers, are trying to piece together what happened!

Commander Lawrence Paxton (Head of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command) walked over to Matt.  Can we get access to all the CCTV recordings for the rail and service tunnels and ventilation plant areas, for the past five days?

"No problem, Lawrence.  We’ve already requested the recordings. Henry Falstaff (Duty RCC Manager) is organising that, as we speak."

Matt noticed Henry beckoning to him.

Matt strolled over What’s up Henry?

Matt I’ve just been speaking with Kevin James, our engineering manager.  He’s over at the Samphire Hoe ventilation plant.  They’ve inspected the VX gas cylinder installations.

Hold on Henry, Matt calls across Owen Lewis (Chief Incident Controller), Lawrence Paxton and Adrian Dawson (Chief Scientist for Defence Science and Technology Laboratory – Dstl).

Yes, Matt?

You all need to hear this.  Carry on Henry.

As I was saying, our engineering manager has examined these cylinders at Samphire Hoe.  It appears high-pressure armoured hoses are connected from the cylinders to an eight-port input manifold.  They fixed self-sealing piping flanges to the main ventilation ducts.  Wireless remote-controlled solenoid valves with heating elements are fitted to the outlet port.  This port is then connected directly into the tunnel’s main ventilation fresh air ducts.  It was just a matter of triggering these wireless remote-control valves, to release the deadly VX poisonous liquid, which would have vaporised as it passed over the heating elements. Thus, propelling VX gas flooding down into the rail and service tunnels.

Any idea of the range these remote-controlled solenoids were activated from Henry? Said Owen.

According to Keven, he estimates they could be activated from up to a mile away.

So, they could have parked up in a car, well away from the plant, and just pressed a button, said Matt.

Matt, those cylinders and piping will still contain significant residual amounts of VX Gas.  The problem is VX gas has no odour and is tasteless, so nobody would even be aware of its presence.  We need to urgently quarantine that whole area off and get everyone away from there, said Adrian.

Owen, nodded, I agree with Adrian.

Glancing around at them, Henry, picked up his hand-held radio.  excuse me a moment, gentlemen.  Come in Kevin.

Kevin here sir.

Get your people out of there now, there may still be a risk to you from that poisonous gas.  Oh!  And get anyone else there out as well and lock the gates securely. Sorry gentlemen, because of what Adrian’s just said, I needed to get them all away from there.

Adrian frowned.  Good move Henry, we don’t want any more casualties, do we?

"Might be a good idea for the HART (Hazardous Area Response Teams) people to check them over Henry," said Owen.

Oh!  Never thought, said Henry.  Kevin come in

Yes, sir?

Henry pressed the radio’s send button Kevin when you’ve locked the gates, get yourselves over to the HART people for a check-up, just to be on the safe side

Will do sir.

How do you suggest we handled this Adrian? said Matt.

The only way is for my team to go over there, fully suited up, with breathing apparatus.  Dismantle the whole installation, cylinders and piping, Etc.  We’ll then transfer it down to our chemical research facility at Porton Down for further analysis, processing and secure storage.

STEPHEN BARKLEY (Senior Scientist) helped the two train drivers, Dereck and Norman, to get into their HazMat suits.

Dereck scowled at Stephen These don’t leak, do they mate? said Dereck, shooting a worried look at his friend Norman.

No, we’ve tested and sterilised them, you’ll be quite safe, said Stephen, laughing.

Yeh!  Okay, but what’s this breathing apparatus kit? Not worn one of these contraptions before!  I mean if it runs out of air, I’ll suffocate, won’t I?

Trust us Dereck, we’ve done this a few times before you know!  One of our team will be with you monitoring your air levels all the time.  We’re taking a lot of backup air cylinders with us to change over, when necessary.

The scientist team, incident response teams and train drivers climbed on-board the specially configured Eurostar train with two passenger coaches and, three freight cars.

Normal prodded Dereck, Hey we all look like them astronauts going to the NASA Shuttle launch pad.

Very funny, said Dereck.

As the train slowed to a stop at the tunnel’s mid-point disaster site, Stephen, called his team together.

Right gentlemen, first we establish if we have a safe atmosphere?  Test the air quality, victim’s clothing and absorbent surfaces for any traces of this VX gas.

Turning to Vic Earl (Senior on-site Incident Controller) and his three incident response teams.  Please remain here inside the train, with your breathing apparatus on, until we’ve tested the area.

Looking at the two train drivers.  One of my team will remain here with you to monitor your air supply, he said.

Thirty minutes later, Stephen stepped back onto the train.  Our checks have revealed dangerous levels of VX gas, in the air and still present on victim’s clothing and, also on a few absorbent passageway wall surfaces.

Vic got up from his seat.  Okay, Stephen, looks like we’ll have to recover the bodies, still wearing our full HazMat suits and Breathing apparatus.

That’s about the size of its Vic, replied Stephen.

Vic gathered his three teams of six together.  Okay men, grab a pack of body bags each and follow me.  Keep an eye on your air supply gauges.  Change your air cylinders, as you need to.

Stepping off the train onto the mid-point ceremony site.  The majority of them stopped abruptly, horror-struck at seeing the devastating scene of death.  Over two hundred crumpled and lifeless bodies lay scattered across the passageway floors.

We’ll work from the edge here, in teams of two, working in toward the service tunnel, said Vic.

They began their gruesome task of placing dead bodies into body bags, sealing them and carrying them, one-by-one, back to the specially prepared freight cars.

Hey! Vic came an excited shout from inside the Technical and Communications room.  There are two men still alive in here.

Vic ran quickly over and saw two men huddled on the floor coughing and spluttering. Quick get two emergency oxygen sets.

They helped the men onto the train.  Jason and Fiona, two HART paramedics, quickly removed the men’s outer clothing, placing them into a sealed bag.  Jason and Fiona quickly rinsed their skin with bleach, flushing it off with clean water and then dressed them both in clean blue overalls.

What’s your names? said Jason.

I’m Norman, and he’s Keith.

How do you feel? Asked Fiona.

Keith said, little better, but my chest feels like someone’s sitting on it. Also, having a bit of trouble breathing properly.

Yeh! I feel just like Keith does, said Norman.

Fiona also noticed their noses were running.  Classic symptoms of nerve agent exposure.  It was decided to inject them without delay with the antidote ‘Atrophine’ and ‘Pralidoxime’, with a ‘Diazepan’ sedative.

Both men’s eyes widened with fear as they saw the paramedics’ holding big syringes with long needles.

Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks, said Jason, as he shot an amused look at Fiona.

It took almost three hours to remove the UK’s victim’s corpses into two of the three specially prepared freight cars.

The Prime Minister’s body was placed in the third freight car on its own with a Union Jack stretched over him.

Vic pointed over toward the rail tunnel.  Place the French President’s body over there against the passageway wall and drape the French flag, we brought with us, over him.  The French train is due soon, they will be using the tunnel on the other side of the service tunnel, to recover their French dead.

Climbing back on the train Think we’re all done here Stephen, said Vic.  Take us back to Folkestone driver.

Chapter 1

Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London - 2 Weeks Later

The Cabinet Office Briefing Room ‘A’ ( COBR ), was crowded with senior commanders-in-chief from several UK and French security and intelligence agencies.  They stood around, in several groups, conversing.

Matt and Lisette wandered over and sat down next to an old colleague he’d worked with many years ago in Naval Intelligence.  The chatter suddenly went quiet as Angela Dryden (Deputy Prime Minister) and Rosemary Harding (Home Secretary) entered the room, taking their seats in the middle of the long conference table.

Please be seated Ladies and Gentlemen.

Matt noticed the Deputy Prime minister, looked weary and anxious.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming at such short notice.  May I also offer a special welcome to Monsieur Dupro from the French intelligence service, said Angela.

Dupro nodded his head, Merci Madam

I’ve asked the Home Secretary, Rosemary, to conduct this meeting, as she has general background knowledge of the incident.

Thank you, Deputy Prime Minister, said Rosemary.  As you all know two weeks ago, we suffered a horrific terrorist attack, using deadly poisonous nerve gas, at the opening ceremony of the new Channel Freight Tunnel.  Tragically, our Prime Minister and, the French President was among the many people killed.

I understand from our security services, that this is not the first time the Channel Tunnel has been targeted. Rosemary looked over toward the French security officers present.  As our French colleagues here from the DGSI foreign intelligence service are aware – in 2018 a group of Islamic terrorists were aiming to cause maximum carnage during the holiday season.

Monsieur Dupro smiled Yes, you are correct Madam, French DGSI intelligence were tipped off by the American CIA. Whilst this attack was successfully prevented, by joint sharing of intel with UK security services, it was noted, at the time, that potential future terrorist attacks on the tunnel complex remained high.  Their plan, I am informed, was put together in Pakistan with plotters believed to have been Al Qaeda co-conspirators and Britons, here in the UK, of Pakistani descent.

Thank you Monsieur Dupro. Said, Angela Dryden (DPM).  It is apparent now that their prediction for potential future terrorist attacks was well-founded.

Carry on please Rosemary.

Thank you, Prime Minister.

Rosemary Looked over to Matt. Commander Jensen, could you advise the final number of dead, please?

Matt stood. First Ma’am, may I introduce Mademoiselle Bouche of the French Security Service.  Our two security teams have been working closely together.

The DPM glanced over at Lisette. Welcome Mademoiselle Bouche, may I offer you our condolences on the loss of your President and the French people who tragically lost their lives in this terrible incident.

Thank you for your kind thoughts, Ma’am, said Lisette.

Matt glanced down at a sheet of paper he was holding Ma’am, including both the UK and French people, the total number killed is two hundred and thirty-five persons, and miraculously we had two survivors.

They all started murmuring with each other and shaking their heads in a slow, back and forth sweep of disbelief and horror.

I believe you’ve prepared a brief presentation to update us on this tragic event? said Rosemary.

I have Ma’am, although I’m grateful to Owen Lewis, Laurence Paxton and Adrian Dawson for providing several of the photographs for the slides Matt, pressed a remote control switching on each of three ceiling-mounted LCD projectors.

Everyone shuffled their chairs about toward one of the three huge screens mounted on the end wall and each of the side walls.

The main screen and two side screens came to life showing the title slide, ‘Channel Tunnel Terrorist Attack’.  May I respectively warn you, that some of these slides show graphic details of the human carnage. Matt presses the presenter button for the next slide.  First let me explain how the VX Gas was released into the tunnels.  What we are looking at here are the cylinders containing concentrated VX liquid gas connected to remotely activated solenoid valve release mechanisms, installed by the terrorists.  VX liquid on being released flowed across heating elements transforming it into concentrated vapourised gas.  This gas was then boosted by high pressure, directly into the tunnel ventilation ducts, which flooded down through rail and service tunnels to the mid-point ceremony site.

Monsieur Dupro, (Head of the French intelligence services) leaned forward Monsieur Jensen, how were these terrorists able to install such complex equipment to the Sangatte and Shakespeare ventilation plants?

Lisette stood and turned towards Monsieur Dupro Sir, we believe they had been assisted in obtaining employment as HVAC engineers and subsequently recruited by the contractor responsible for upgrading these NVS and SVS ventilation systems.

Several gasps expressing disbelief were heard around the room.

"Sacre bleu!" Said Dupro.

Robert Henderson (Metropolitan Police Commissioner) leant forward Matt, after the fire in the Channel Tunnel, a few years ago, I understood they had installed emergency extraction systems specifically to deal with situations like this?

Yes, sir, you’re correct.  There is a Supplementary Ventilation System (SVS) designed precisely to suck smoke, fumes, etc., out of the tunnels in the event of an emergency.  It can be activated from either or both of the UK and French Rail Control Centres (RCC).  But it has emerged that the terrorists had hacked into RCC computer system networks.  Using sophisticated trojan and malware software enabled them to take over complete operational control of both the UK and French normal fresh air systems (NVS) and, the SVS ventilation systems.  Therefore, both the UK and French RCC control room operators lost total control of these two key systems."

Thank you, Commander, this was obviously a well planned and executed attack.

What about these five murdered terrorists found at the hotel in Folkestone, who was responsible for planting the explosive devices, where do they come in? said Rebecca Leggett (Defence Secretary).

Glancing down at Lisette.  Lisette and I believe this was an elaborate ruse by the terrorist group to deceive us into believing we had successfully foiled their attempt of planting and subsequently exploding these devices.  We further believe that the anonymous tip-off received, by French Intelligence, some weeks ago was also a cunning part of this ruse.

Neville Donaldson (Senior Intelligence Liaison Officer, MI6/MI5) raised his hand Commander, why were MI6 or MI5 not advised this tip-off?

Matt shifted his feet nervously.  Do they know about David’s betrayal?  "With respect Neville, MI6 was fully aware of it—I was advised of it—in confidence by Commander David Pleshey (Senior MI6 Commander), even before I accepted this opening ceremony assignment."

Neville immediately got Matt’s drift.  David Pleshey had been found dead at his house, in Kensington.  Where they’d discovered evidence confirming he’d been working with the terrorist group.  Nodding his understanding its isn’t the time or place to discuss betrayal.  Ah!  Yes, I recently became aware of Pleshey’s role in this.  Thank you, Commander.

Matt brought another slide up.

Everyone recoiled with alarm, gasping in disbelief and horror at the gruesome scene showing on the three screens.  "My apologies for showing this, but, the opening ceremony site was located twelve miles into the tunnel, which is approximately halfway between the UK and France.  You will see from the carnage of victims that the VX gas, having travelled this great distance, although gradually being diluted by the surrounding air.  It still reached the ceremony site in a lethal concentration that killed two hundred and thirty-five innocent people in a matter of seconds.

How did we get every one of those poor people out of there Matt?

Scientist and emergency response teams, fully suited up in HazMat suits, with breathing apparatus went in on a specially configured train and recovered them.  The French emergency services did the same from their side.

Matt pressed for the next slide.  "Okay, this is a table showing the exposure effects of VX gas