“I think you should go to the canteen and get your wife a banana smoothie,” Ellen said to Nick. “The morning sickness, you know how it is.”
“Good Lord, is this an insight to what you’d be like if you were really pregnant? Would I have to get up at two a.m. to make you toast with a side serve of eggplant?”
Ellen grimaced. “I’m sure my cravings would be really normal.”
“It’s six a.m. Let’s go for breakfast somewhere. Work will still be here in an hour and we can work on our next steps then.”
“Good idea. I’ll see if John wants to join us.” Ellen turned back to John’s office.
Nick returned to his desk, logged in and checked his messages. He checked the false account set up under his NAO membership name Nicholas Bauer. There was an email from the NAO. Nick opened it. It was an invitation to lunch with Thorsten Schmid and just for himself, not with his lovely Aryan wife.
This will be interesting. Nick typed back an acceptance. I suspect I’m about to join the breeding program.
He logged out and while waiting for John and Ellen, he sent Mitch a text.
“Okay there, Major?” he referred to Mitch’s old Air Force title and hit send on the phone. Good to check he’s not over-thinking everything or pacing himself into oblivion. Nick rose as he saw Ellen beckon from the stairs. A few seconds later, his phone beeped and he opened the return text from Mitch.
“Could do with a beer and a curry, Captain.”
Nick grinned and texted back. “You’ll have to settle for sauerkraut.”
Mitch, Eva and Adam met with three specially trained agents from the Criminal Investigation Department at the Berlin headquarters of the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA)—the German equivalent of the FBI. To Mitch’s relief they could speak English and the lead agent had received a full brief at the same time as John Windsor had provided it to the American counterparts. He asked Mitch to run him through it again and Mitch began from the start explaining how Benjamin Hoefer attracted their interest and how it rolled out from there.
When Mitch finished he waited while they absorbed it. The BKA lead agent excused himself to Mitch, asking Eva to translate while he lapsed back into German. Eva advised they were discussing who else at what level needed to understand the implications.
“We are not short on strong leadership here,” Eva told Mitch and Adam. “Our Chancellor has been voted the most powerful woman in the world by your media organization, Forbes. I don’t think she’ll put up with this.”
Mitch nodded, watching the faces of the men talking. The lead agent returned his attention to Mitch.
“What do you suggest now?” he asked.
“I suggest we map out a plan. If we can get a scale map of the route of the march, work out where we can position agents and police. We’ll need to be very clear where we intend to begin and create the first act of aggression and ensure the police know this, assuming no acts break out before this not by our hand.”
The men around the table nodded their understanding.
Mitch continued. “Then we’ll decide how far we carry the act; we can probably safely assume the other neo-Nazi groups will perpetuate it once it begins to roll out. Most importantly, we need to understand where to put your media and communications team to get the appropriate images of aggression from Voigt, along with his party’s key messages, to distribute immediately to your national media. The same plan will be put in place in Washington D.C. We lock it in, everyone understands their role and then it is a waiting game until we can enact it.”
“Excellent,” the lead agent nodded. He turned to his men and spoke in German.
Adam translated. “He’s asking them to get whoever in their own teams is trusted and authorized to make this happen, bring them back into this room in one hour and clear their diaries for the day.”
Eva nodded her agreement.
“Good,” Mitch said. “Let’s talk about our team,” he said, pulling them away from the other group. Mitch continued. “I’m getting Ellen over here to manage hierarchy—working with Eva to liaise with the police, our counterparts, any media—and report back; Adam, that leaves you free to run rally management on the ground with Eva for support. You need to have Ellen’s back and work closely with Eva.”
“Understood,” Adam said.
“You know the risk?” Mitch clarified.
“Yep, I get it.”
Mitch continued. “Get it all locked down here today; don’t let them leave until the map, staffing and rally points are in place. Then later tonight and tomorrow, visit the neo-Nazi groups and any dissidents and spread the word that there’s a march planned.”
Adam nodded.
“When Ellen arrives tomorrow, walk the area. Then day three, you’re on. Understood?”
“Yep, agreed,” Adam said.
“I’ve got a plane to catch.”
“I’ll get you to the airport.” Eva rose. “Adam, will you be right here until I return?”
“Sure Eva, no problem. Mitch, I’ll talk with you when you land.”
“Thanks Adam, keep it under control,” he said with a glance to the other three men at the table.
“I hear you.”
Mitch rang John, then Ellen and Nick separately to discuss plans with them. Ellen was pleased; Mitch couldn’t tell if it was because she was keen to go to Berlin or keen to stop acting like she was pregnant or Nick’s wife. He filed that away to rib Nick later. Eva waited while he threw his gear back into his black duffel bag. He gave his key to Eva to give to Ellen and they headed to the airport.
“I was hoping we had time for farewell sex,” she said as she took the international airport turn-off and pulled up outside the terminal.
Mitch smiled. “Eva, what’s the German word for incorrigible?”
“Incorrigible,” she answered.
“That’s you.” Mitch leaned over and kissed her. He pulled away. “Thanks for the ride. Take care.”
“You too, Mitchell Parker. If you ever want a German holiday, you know where to come,” she said. “There are many sights I could show you.”
“I may just take you up on that,” he teased her and with a wave, he exited the car and joined the flow of people heading into the airport.