CHAPTER 14
‘Sneak Peek’
Vince looked through the viewfinder of the Canon EOS-1D camera. Its F2/L200mm lens was excellent for surveillance operations such as this. He rotated the lens until the target, the Chateaux Number 55 Boulevard du Mont Boron – the stronghold of the Russian mafia on the Côte d’Azur – was clearly in focus.
The light emitting from the Chateaux allowed Vince to clearly see most parts of the property; however, there were still areas that couldn’t be seen from their vantage point. This issue needed to be resolved, and he had the perfect tool to do it.
‘James, what do you have on thermal,’ Vince asked.
‘I have two individuals who look to be seated just inside and to the left of door one on GREEN. A third person is standing next to that door. On TWO and THREE, there are no signs of humans. So, looks like only three people in the stronghold,’ James responded.
‘Okay, thanks, take over for me, mate …. I need to check up on a few things,’ Vince asked. He then made his way downstairs to the undercroft garage where Peter was working.
Sitting on the table and positioned upside down on rubber maintenance blocks was a matt-black LPSV. Its thick anodised solid aluminium chassis, complete with customised constant velocity driveshaft and sway bars provided the car with strength and superior handling capabilities for both on and off-road environments.
Vince looked down at the vehicle as Peter made minor adjustments. When Peter squeezed the trigger on the remote control, the chunky off-road wheels spun in almost complete silence. The only sound was a faint hum of its electric motor as he put the LPSV through its paces by cycling the throttle back and forth.
A remarkable vehicle really, rebuilt for a purpose, it stood 15 centimetres above the ground in retracted mode and was capable of 60 kilometres per hour over dirt surfaces like that of gravel and a cruising speed of 110 kilometres per hour on smooth surfaces.
‘Pete, how are the LPSVs coming along?’
‘Just testing the last one now … we’re just about ready to go.’
‘Outstanding, mate. What have you done to them?’
Peter eased back on the throttle and killed the engine. He looked up at Vince and then back down at the LPSV. ‘Well, I’ve essentially rebuilt them. Provided them with additional strengthening elements that will allow these once docile cars to carry an offensive payload rather than just being for surveillance. This will give us more flexibility and allow us to do more stand-off actions rather than “us” having to get up close and personal.’
‘Shit, ya gotta love that idea. What can it do?’ asked Vince.
‘Well apart from the normal surveillance FPV capability, I’ve added some actuating arms that will extend upwards to a maximum of 40 centimetres. This’ll allow us to magnetically fix a TNT slab to the base of any of their cars and remotely initiate them at a time of our choosing. Further, I’ve provided additional batteries to give us more time on target.’
‘TNT slab! Love it …. We’ll nickname them the “Little Fuckers”. Vince replied, smiling broadly.
‘Little Fuckers it is,’ said Peter as he smirked and shook his head.
‘When can we take them live?’
‘They’re ready to go now. All optics and the payload bay have been tested. I recommend we send one of them into the stronghold compound to do a reconnaissance, you know, to have a look at the areas we can’t see from here, and to also get a better look at that door leading off from the parking area on GREEN. Once we know of its construction, we’ll know what we’re up against regarding breaching,’ Peter suggested.
‘You’re right, Pete, I think we’ll do exactly that. Okay, gear up, we’ll send one in and have a sneak peek,’ Vince replied.
Vince gathered Peter and James around and commenced discussing his plan to send in the Little Fucker. After the briefing, they packed away all the remaining non-essential equipment and loaded it into the van so that if the shit hit the fan, they could bug out with their kit.
The discipline of the team was outstanding, nothing was ever discarded, nothing was ever left out on the floor or on tables. Instead, as items were used or consumed, they were packed away with the idea of a hasty departure – leaving nothing that could tell a story that they were ever there.
The night was still, only a slither of moonlight cast shards of light over the Côte d’Azur. The roads were all but deserted, save the occasional car or scooter that passed by. Permeating the night’s sky were distant sounds of commercial aircraft that made their way to and from Nice’s Côte d’Azur airport.
The room on the top floor of Number 44 was totally blacked out. A black shroud had been erected so that no light was able to be seen through the small opening in the curtains, which ensured light discipline for the surveillance team was maintained. James was busy looking through the lens and making detailed notes of every occurrence that happened on target.
Vince depressed the pressel switch on his Motorola MX-360 radio and began to speak, the digital voice encryption providing security over what was being said. Only radios encrypted with the daily code could listen into their conversation.
‘What’s happening, Alpha-Three?’ Vince asked James.
‘From what I can see, there’s only one vehicle parked in the stronghold – a Range Rover. It would be interesting to get a better look at the parking area inside the compound so we can see how much room there is between cars. That will give us a better understanding of response times regarding their ability to access the vehicles; if the vehicles are parked too close together it will restrict their ability to access the vehicles quickly. Earlier on, we were briefed that when they exited the cars, they entered the Chateaux via GREEN – door one. They left the same way earlier tonight. Since then, there has been minimal movement in the stronghold,’ replied James. There was a slight pause before he then added, ‘Wait, we have movement on WHITE THREE – window two. The light just turned on.’
From the shadows down at street level, Vince noticed the light in the room was on but could see no movement inside. No sooner had the light been turned on, it had been turned off. ‘Hit it with thermal,’ said Vince.
‘Roger, doing that right now …. There’s someone walking downstairs. Still only three people visible inside the stronghold,’ James replied.
The street below was dead quiet. The neighbourhood was still, even the road had little or no traffic on it – a perfect time to pass an LPSV through the bars of the gate and send it to work.
James zoomed in on the Chateaux, while Peter moved forward and took up an overwatch position so that he could cover Vince as he inserted the LPSV through the gate.
Once Vince was clear, Peter immediately started to manoeuvre the Little Fucker along the driveway to the Chateaux. Steering the vehicle into the shadows and into the parking bay, he moved the LPSV under the Range Rover. Edging the LPSV forward, he found a position where he could view the main door and began to zoom in on the door, sending real-time video back to Number 44, where James was recording and monitoring.
‘That’s great right there Alpha-Two, hold there for a bit,’ James said. ‘Can you zoom in on the lock?’ he added.
The lens rotated clockwise as it zoomed in closer; some minor adjustments of direction were made, and the lock became clearly visible.
‘Excellent, that’s great, thanks. Are you able to position the vehicle so that we can get a better view of the approach to the door?’ he asked Peter.
‘One sec,’ came the reply.
The LPSV moved forward and across to another position in the shadows. As Peter started to reposition the vehicle, a light came on, and the door opened.
‘Freeze – don’t move the vehicle, a guy is exiting on GREEN – door one,’ James said. ‘Are you able to rotate the camera only so we can get a look at him?’ he added.
‘Can do,’ Peter replied.
A burly man exited the Chateaux, his head shaven and still wearing a dark-grey suit that he had no doubt worn all day. In his hand, a black garbage bag that looked to be filled to the brim. As he made his way to the rubbish bins, he walked along the driveway within metres of the LPSV – his concentration focused on securing the top of the plastic bag; the LPSV remained undetected.
As the man reached the rubbish bins, he lifted the lid of one of the bins and raised the plastic bag up and into the container; just at that time, a small tear appeared at the bottom of the bag, pouring a putrid sludge of rotting fluids out and onto his suit. The burly Russian exploded in profanities as he dropped the bag in the bin and immediately started walking back towards the Chateaux, wiping the sludge off as he walked. His anger was concentrated on his suit, and as he tried to brush it off, he walked past the LPSV – almost coming in contact with it.
The Little Fucker remained undetected in the shadows as the camera followed him all the way back until he entered the doorway, slamming it behind him.
‘Well, fuck me – that was close,’ James said.
‘That it was,’ said Peter.
‘Hey, can you move back to the car bay, I want to test out the actuating arm to make sure we can place a device when needed. Go back to the Range Rover; if it reaches the Range Rover’s fuel tank, then we know we’re good to go for all of their vehicles,’ Vince asked.
‘Can do.’
The vehicle silently moved across the ground towards the parking bay as Peter expertly manipulated the remote controls. He edged the LPSV under the fuel tank before bringing it to a complete halt. With his left thumb, he pushed a small lever on the remote, which activated the armature into place. Then he pressed another button to activate the telescopic rods used to drive a payload upwards and into position.
‘Perfect,’ said James.
Now that the armature worked as planned, this would give the team so much more scope regarding operational methodology. They would have additional flexibility in the execution of their mission, a mission that was of high risk, yet one that was of high value.
‘Alpha-Two, can you manoeuvre the vehicle across to the rear of the Chateaux and capture some video of the approaches to and from the rear of the building?’ Vince asked Peter.
‘On it.’ Peter guided the vehicle slowly along the paved driveway making sure to use the shadows wherever possible. He periodically brought the LPSV to a halt and panned the camera around to capture areas of interest: approaches to the building, entry and exit points, lighting, security, obstacles, and any structures that would offer the team cover from view. The little vehicle continued on its reconnaissance, capturing everything of importance.
‘I think that’s about enough for tonight, let’s wrap it up and get that Little Fucker back to the gate for recovery,’ Vince directed. ‘Ack … let me know when you’re ready for me to go and pick it up,’ he added.
Peter guided the vehicle back towards the main gate and parked in a shadow about two metres from the wrought-iron gate.
‘Alpha-One, I’m ready now, move in.’
Vince edged forward and stopped in the shadow of a building, glancing up and down the street – looking to his left and then to his right and finally back towards the gate.
He then stepped out onto the road. Just as he stepped out, lights of an approaching car lit up the bend in the street, some 200 metres from where he was standing. Vince quickly stepped back into the shadows and remained still.
‘Stop!’ came the command of James over the radio. ‘Vehicle approaching the bend in the road.’ He then added, ‘Two … no, three vehicles.’
As the three vehicles made their way along the Boulevard du Mont Boron, James provided overwatch and commentary as the cars approached. ‘We have three Tango vehicles approaching your loc … remain out of sight until further notice,’ ordered James.
‘Alpha-Two, they’re 100 metres away, is the LPSV out of sight?’ asked Vince.
‘Yes, it should be okay. I’ve reversed it into some bushes – so I think we’ll be fine,’ came the reply.
The three vehicles, one black S500 Mercedes Benz and two black Range Rovers, made their way towards the Chateaux, slowing down as they approached the gate. Just as they arrived, the gate started to retract, and as the first Range Rover arrived, the gate was almost entirely opened, allowing for a seamless arrival with all three cars making it through the entry point and into the parking area.
‘Alpha-Two, are you able to get any imagery of the occupants and their actions as they approach the building’s entry point?’ asked Vince.
‘Capturing video now,’ Peter said.
Using the ambient light, the camera was able to capture the men as they exited the cars, with enough detail to provide physical features.
‘I have Drozdov in sight, followed by five other heavy-set lads,’ came the commentary from James as he studied his monitoring screen. ‘Shit … I’ve lost them! My screen has gone black … no wait, that’s better, hold the Little Fucker there, Alpha-Two. I have them now; they’re entering the building on GREEN – door one,’ said, James. ‘All six are now inside the stronghold.’
‘Alpha-Two, get the Little Fucker to the gate,’ Vince ordered.
‘Alpha-Three, am I clear to approach?’ asked Vince.
‘Yes, go now,’ came the reply.
Peter manoeuvred the LPSV back towards the gate, keeping the vehicle where possible in the shadows.
As the LPSV arrived at the gate, Vince scurried across the road and placed his hand through the bars, retrieving the LPSV and shoving it into a small backpack. He then started to make his way back to 44.
Rather than going directly back to the house, Vince took a planned route that would see him walk down along the street and away from 44 in order not to compromise the team. Passing through several small laneways, he hooked back around and made his way towards the team.
‘Imagery is good,’ said James as Vince came into the room. ‘There are sections where it’s still a little dark to get clarity, but in general, it was a good recon,’ he added.
Vince lowered the pack from his back and handed it across to Peter. ‘Outstanding work on that Little Fucker, Pete.’
Peter smiled at Vince; pride for his good work emanated from his face.
‘I think we have all we need, Vin …. Check out the approaches to the door on GREEN. There is ample shadow for the initial approach, with only the last four metres being exposed, and by that time it’ll be too late,’ said Peter.
Vince stared at the monitor as it replayed the recon video. The reconnaissance had turned out better than he had expected, yielding excellent images, and just as importantly, it may negate the need for further close reconnaissance, reducing their exposure.
‘This is fantastic, lads. I think we have what we need, at least enough to start forging a plan to hit the Cash House,’ Vince remarked. ‘Okay, I’ll stay on watch. You two get some sleep, as it’ll be daylight soon.’