North Weald
North Weald
Lat = 51 degrees, 43.1 minutes North
Long = 0 degrees, 9.2 minutes East
To
ICIS Biggin Hill
Kent England
Lat = 51 degrees, 19.6 minutes North
Long = 0 degrees, 2.0 minutes East
The helicopter dusted off and headed south the forty-seven mile journey took just under fifteen minutes.
Flight lieutenant Osborne touched down in the North West corner of Biggin Hill airport.
“Would you like me to wait for you?”
“Yes we should be back in about two hours,” replied Max.
A Black Range Rover was waiting nearby, which ferried Max and Roy the short distance to a disused gasholder station.
Max and Roy alighted from the Range Rover. Max gestured with his arms. “Welcome to ICIS Roy.”
Roy gave a puzzled look.
“Follow me and all will be revealed.”
Both men walked towards the gasholder, as they neared the building a large metal panel slid open and they both entered with the panel sliding closed behind them, a voice came from a nearby speaker.
“Please carry out identification procedure.”
Both men placed their eyes against an optical eye scanner where their eyes were biometrically analysed for the unique characteristics of the iris, they spoke into the voice signature monitor.
Seconds later the panel in front of them slid open, two armed Sentinel guards stood just inside with a VDU operator.
The female operative spoke. “Vince Edwards is expecting you sir he is in the situation room.”
Max nodded and together both men walked down a long corridor.
“So Max what’s the story with this place?”
“Good question Roy; ICIS Intelligence Collating Information Service, from what I can recall this was a disused Gas holding station that had stood derelict for several years. When Strayker set up the unit he found this place and together with Vince Edwards created a high tech information gathering and analysis unit, all under the guise of a disused gas holding station.”
“Who’s Vince Edwards?”
“Vince; heads up ICIS and we should find him in this room.”
As they entered the room, Roy saw Vince, Roy’s first impression was the same as everyone else who set eyes on Vince for the first time.
He looked like a science teacher from the late fifties, collar length silver grey hair, glasses wearing a tweed suit yet ironically only thirty-two years of age.
“Hi Vince this is Roy; Eagle six.”
Roy shook Vince’s hand.
Vince put his right hand to his chin. “Now where do I recall your name from?”
In a microsecond, Vince’s mind with a British Mensa I.Q of 191 had found the answer.
“Yes! You were with Max when they raided Shakira’s camp, didn’t you get wounded.”
“Yep; just a flesh wound fully fit now, Today’s my first day operational.”
“Well you certainly have come in at the deep end,” replied Vince.
“You have arrived at a propitious moment we have just identified your bomber Max.”
“That’s quick work Vince, replied Max.
“We have GAIL to thank for that.”
“You mean one woman found our bomber.” Roy Interjected.
“This is no ordinary woman Roy, if you would care to follow me I believe introductions are in order.”
Roy looked at Max, Max shrugged. “Don’t look at me; this is one woman I have not met”?
They left the situation room walking to a nearby lift Vince pressed level two, the doors closed and the lift descended.
The door opened out into the Intel room a large circular room in the middle was a tube of vertical light similar to a fluorescent tube, but this one had a diameter of six feet.
Max and Roy followed Vince over to the Light, as if my magic a three-dimensional hologram of a beautiful female face appeared within the shaft of light.
“This gentleman is GAIL!”
The female hologram said, “Hello Vince have you brought some visitors with you?”
“Max, Roy this is Gail, Gail this is Max Eagle three and Roy eagle six.”
“Ah yes.” GAIL replied. “I feel I know you intimately Max However, my systems tell me that you Roy are the new boy on the block”.
Max stepped forward towards GAIL turning he looked at Vince. “Go on then explain the name GAIL.”
“Simple really Max, Global Analysis Information Link.”
“Well I have never seen anything like this before,
what about you Roy?”
“It’s a wonder of the modern world Vince,” replied Roy.
Vince looked towards GAIL’s holograph image and said, “Do you here that GAIL; you’re a wonder of the modern world.”
“Thank you Roy you know how to flatter a lady.”
Roy looked at Vince in amazement she knew it was me; that said that!”
“But of course; she can hear and also see you.”
Both Max and Roy looked at Vince and then turned to GAIL.
“But that’s impossible Vince,” Max replied.
“Impossible maybe gentlemen but not unfeasible.”
Vince continued like a giddy student.” GAIL is the only one of her kind in the whole world, I have been researching and working on her for the last twelve years, she has been operational for three weeks.”
Max looked at Vince in admiration. “I hope there paying you well Vince.”
“The monies inconsequential Max, just give me the facilities and I’m like a pig in muck.”
“So how does she work,” replied Roy?
“Do you want the technical brief or the simple one?”
Max and Roy just looked at Vince in silence.
“Okay guys; simply GAIL can tap into and access any computer system in the world; she does this covertly without the host knowing anything about it, FBI CIA,
Israeli, French and many more intelligence networks.
She is also linked into all the CCTV systems at all the world’s major airports and shipping ports and other transportation areas, together with access to British immigration and passport services, in fact there’s very little my girl can’t access.”
GAIL’s voice caused Max and Roy to turn around. ”I could not have put it simpler Vince.”
Max looked at Roy. “Ever had that feeling you are about to become redundant!”
“Now boys; until Vince can come up with a way of allowing me to leave this room and into the world outside, your careers are safe.”
Both men looked at Vince and Roy smiled. “That could be sooner than we think.”
“You never know, remember nothings impracticable,” replied Vince.
Max and Roy burst into laughter.
GAIL’s voice spoke. “What’s so funny Vince?”
“Don’t worry GAIL it’s a human thing called humour!”
“Now Max let’s get back to business, GAIL Bring up the data on the Paddington suspect.”
A large two-meter square Visual display screen appeared on the wall to their left.
“Pretty snazzy Vince must get one of those for the house.”
“Sorry Max; this is a one off proto-type from a friend of mine, it’s called a plasma screen probably will not hit the streets for another ten years.”
A photo appeared showing their suspects CCTV photo taken at Paddington, alongside it appeared a similar photo the word ninety-nine point nine percent positive match flashed on the screen.
Vince spoke. “Like a fingerprint the facial features have certain points that can be mapped, the shape, pattern and positioning of facial features; then cross referencing from one image to another, GAIL can build a three dimensional image from a photo and acquire these reference points, I call it Bio-Metric scanning, the statistical measurement of biological data.”
“So what do we know about this man.” Replied Max.
“Quite a lot Max, GAIL if you could be so good and display the antecedents.”
Below the two pictures, details began to appear.
GAIL’s voice interjected. “Name Abu Wael age twenty five years old, born Mogadishu Somalia, first came to notice of the American CIA five years ago suspected of arms trafficking but they could not pin anything on him, he was arrested two years ago by the South African Police after a racial demonstration.” GAIL paused.
“Go on GAIL,” said Vince.
“He escaped custody and in the process killed a white Police officer, he is on their most wanted list, and his recent whereabouts’ have been sketchy and unconfirmed.”
“GAIL, has he any known associates,” said Max.
“Most unusual Max there is no record of any associates, just wait a moment I will access the CIA and South African Police intelligence files.”
The three men waited in silence.
Ten seconds later GAIL spoke. “It would appear someone has deleted this information from the files.”
“It would have been nice to have had some other names to go on,” Roy replied.
“I said the files have been deleted Roy, however they can still be located.”
“My knowledge of computers is limited GAIL,” replied Max. “But I thought that when a file is deleted, it was history.”
Generally you would be right there Max,” Vince interjected. “But as you are no doubt now aware GAIL is no ordinary computer please explain GAIL.”
“With pleasure, during the first week of my inception I discovered that the hard drive on a computer leaves a ghost image of all deleted files and information I also discovered that I could access that information.” GAIL
paused. “I have only tried it once the annoying thing is that it is a lengthy process that diverts a lot of my resources and can take days.”
Max looked at Vince.
“Don’t worry Max I can read your thoughts, GAIL I want you to commence the process to retrieve the ghost image information.”
With that, GAIL’s holograph image began to fade her voice came out of the fading image, “be seeing you gentlemen.”
Max looked at his watch 16:00hours. “Time to hitch our ride back Roy!”
Vince walked towards the lift door and pressed the call button, he turned at looked at Max and Roy. “As soon as we have more information I’ll let you know.”
Fifteen minutes later the Gazelle was airborne with Max and Roy strapped in.