The Whitehall Syndicate: A time travel conspiracy thriller Read online

  As Tony slipped into the thin, soft white covers, his Latino girlfriend was already asleep. Within a few minutes he was too, and he was so tired that not even the turbulent weather woke him during the night.

  Pete pulled the curtain back and slipped into the area where Bob lay. Gina was there waiting for him. It was barely half six and they had to be at work soon but the two of them had decided to go see Bob and check he was okay.

  Even after the police had barged in that morning, Jack had only divulged the sparsest of details about the shooting and everyone got the sense that he wanted to handle the matter privately. Even so, Pete and Gina wanted to see him. They had all been attacked or threatened by the same people and in a strange way there was some sort of spiritual bond that linked them to him.

  Bob's bed was quite large and Gina sat on the end, while Pete took the lone chair. Jack's brother just lay there, quietly breathing. He looked fast asleep; almost comfortable except for the tubes poking into his skin, pumping drugs into his body to keep him alive.

  Neither of the pair really knew Bob, so they couldn't say much about him or too him. Instead, Gina was chatting nervously about everything so far, while Pete listened to her patiently. She was afraid for her life and about getting caught by the police, and also feeling low because she had yet to produce anything useful for their plan.

  Pete couldn't find the words to console her. He had already served his most useful purpose and he felt like a hypocrite telling her it was all right. Instead he just walked over to her and hugged her, rocking her gently to try and sooth her.

  Both friends felt as if Jack had distanced himself from them recently. He was spending most of his time planning with Green senior and when he wasn't doing that, he always had some errand to run. Like yesterday when he had said he was going with Anisha to test out some of the equipment in the dark. Once again he and Gina had been excluded.

  As Pete heard Gina's concerns, he personally felt it puerile to complain, although he knew Gina had a valid point. They were risking their lives and their livelihoods, for a mess that Jack had dragged them into. It was their choice to help him and so far he had barely stopped to thank them. The pair sat now, sharing bitter silence.

  Another day, and as usual, everyone had left to work. Green senior was also out, meeting one of his old contacts from years ago much the same way as he had with the pharmaceutical worker. He was trying to work out how to avoid being caught on camera when the group went in on Monday.

  That left Jack all alone in the house, so he had invited Kim over to brainstorm. As he waited for her he felt like a nervous teenager again, inviting over a girl his parents didn't know about. Only this time it was his friends that were in the dark.

  Finally he heard the doorbell ring and was greeted by Kim wearing a white summer dress with pink flowers and a thin smile. She looked around and felt slightly jealous of Anisha. A gorgeous figure, a job she was great at, and now this stunning apartment.

  She entered into the living room and saw the stack of papers she had heard about. In her hands were carrier bags filled with the six boxes. Just in case they could do something with them. Jack offered her a seat on the soft blue couch and something to drink. It was early so she just had a coffee. As the two of them sat there discussing how things were going, Jack was plugging in a more sophisticated fingerprint scanner that Anisha had collected from work.

  It looked simple enough to work but even though all the wires were connected properly, it wouldn't turn on. As he fiddled and doubled-checked everything, Jack began to get slightly flustered and then Kim giggled, realising he hadn't turned the mains power on.

  Sheepishly smiling to cover his embarrassment, he flicked the switch and managed to set up the rest of the machine. It looked like a spruced up photocopier, but smaller and thinner, and with a small black plate separated from the machine but attached by a trailing wire. Kim passed him the boxes and one by one he scanned in the fingerprint pads using the removable plate.

  Having tried their own prints and the thumb, already, it didn't seem likely that they would get much else, but according to Anisha the machine could extrapolate fingerprints from smeared partials. So the fingerprints of the person who the box was for may still be on the panel.

  The box they opened yesterday had contained a small, translucent cyan, octagonal disc. It looked like some sort of crystal but neither Kim nor Anisha were sure what it was for or how it could be used. They hoped that the other boxes had more clues in them. If Jack could get names off of these prints then maybe that might lead them somewhere.

  Anything was better than this, thought Jack. Having to blindly follow orders and break the law just to stay alive. Jack's spirits fell as he remembered Anisha. If she got caught she would face a lifelong prison sentence for breaking surveillance procedures.

  Kim asked him what was wrong and he explained that she had been helping them to avoid big brother's cameras. That way, the people watching them wouldn't know about the plan to fake the chancellor's death. They had to think it was real.

  As he sat there, Kim could see genuine worry in his eyes. She had noticed how every time she mentioned Anisha his face would brighten up, and she wondered if there was more there than just friendship. Her musings were cut short by a shrill tone from the scanner telling them the prints had been processed. Jack scrolled through the menu and saw three or four sets had been found on every pad. He ran them through the list that Anisha had given him and almost instantly came up with four hits.

  Two of them were his and hers of course but the remaining pair were known criminals, released on probation. Jack's stomach sank and he turning to Kim, he could see the worry in her eyes. He turned off the scanner and looked across at the boxes, deciding, “We should see if we can cut them open”

  “I already tried. I used knives and even a hammer and saw. They barely made a scratch. I think the boxes are made of Hawkinian steel.”

  “What's that mean?”

  “It means they're made of the strongest steel available. The same thing they make space gliders with. It's impossible to cut without a special cutting saw.”

  Jack smiled and said, “Then it's a good thing I know someone who works in an auto shop full of cutting tools.”

  Frank scratched his head and blinked rapidly a few times. He was sitting in a small room, which was near pitch black, with monitors projecting video all one hundred and eighty degrees ahead of him. His large leather chair was fitted with all manner of buttons and consoles.

  After Tony had painstakingly showed him how to use the system, he was looking over the last twelve hours of video on the day of the phone calls, while Tony looked at the next twenty-four. Normally video following an MP required high level clearance but as usual, Frank and Tony had worked the system. And watching a hundred different screens at once was their reward.

  It was fairly easy while Green was in one place, and they could speed up the film, but then when he began moving they had to watch the whole hive of monitors and call up random camera feeds until they saw him again.

  It was taking a long time, especially since they weren't professionals at this sort of thing. Their lunch hour had long gone but the voyeuristic glow from the myriad of screens had them both transfixed. The audio was switched off for now because if they played it for every monitor simultaneously, the result would be a garbled mess.

  Frank asked Tony if he had anything yet and Tony shook his head. He was just fast-forwarding Green asleep. Then suddenly the man got up and Frank yanked on a lever to slow the film down. He mumbled to Tony that he might be onto something. Tony pulled off his videos now, and began helping Frank out.

  As they followed Green driving to an abandoned shack in the middle of a park, they switched on the zoom to check inside his car and saw pitch black. Whoever was in there with him, he was connected to Bob Winchester's shooting. Or possibly something even more sinister.

  Tony got off of his chair and headed over to the help desk to see if he could find somebody
to adjust the brightness of the video. He came back in a few minutes, with the button sequence written on his hand while Frank turned the audio back on for the single camera in the park.

  Tony pushed a few buttons and as the screen gradually tinged green, the detectives saw the faces of the five thieves, all being given a dossier. They could hear Green clearly outlining what he wanted each of them to steal. Frank couldn't believe his eyes. He was watching a tape of one of England's most respected MPs organising a major felony.

  Jack trudged up to the auto repair shop holding a carrier bag. It was a grubby little place on an otherwise quiet road. Jack breathed in a lungful of oxygen and motor oil as he walked up to the entranced.

  There was a small desk next to a dark garage full of complicated machine arms and blades, and Gina was sat reading a magazine on her electronic Multibook. It was a standard device now; a book made of microcircuits embedded into liquid fibre and cotton weaved sheets. It allowed ebooks to be read just like paper books, and was a much better alternative to the eyestrain of computer monitors.

  Jack knew he had to tell Gina about Kim and what was going on at the lab. If he wanted to open up these boxes he didn't really have a choice. It was nearly one o'clock and Jack knew that the mechanic's store would soon be closed for an hour.

  Gina was twirling her hair and staring forwards like a zombie now; business seemed to be slow today. As Jack walked up to the desk, Gina heard footprints and turned around, surprised to see her friend at work. They traded hellos, then Jack ushered Kim to come over and he introduced her.

  Gina's remained expressionless as he quickly whispered his predicament to her. Even so, Jack could tell that she was a little concerned about the situation. Maybe she didn't trust Kim or maybe he was just imagining it, he wasn't sure.

  He looked over at the inside of the garage and saw a few men walk out saying they were off to lunch, and asking her to lock up. The trio watched the men casually walk off and when Jack was sure they had gone he turned back to Gina. “We need your help. We have to use those tools to cut open these boxes.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Gina with shrill confused. “You have no idea how to use the equipment.”

  “Then you help me do it.” He shone a sneaky smile, knowing full well that she liked to feel useful. It worked and with a quiet nod she got up and went into the back.

  Kim began studying one of the boxes from Jack's bag and looking for the easiest way to break it open. She compared a locked one to the one they had managed to open and she could see three main metal clasps. That meant three things to cut on each of four boxes. She hurried in to join the others, aware that time was slowly slipping away from them.

  Gina had seen the mechanics use the cutting tools thousands of times before, and had just finished explaining the basics to Jack when Kim walked in. Kim was naturally timid as it was, but she felt even shyer speaking with Gina around. It was as if she was the outsider. Eventually she mustered up the courage and spoke up, telling Jack where to make the cuts.

  Gina was still looking uncomfortable with the plan and Jack felt pangs of guilt starting to build up. Was it asking too much of her to bludgeon his way into her place of work? It was clear from her eyes she was hurt he hadn’t shared all of this with her sooner. Later he would try and make it up to her, but for now time was of the essence.

  Gina announced that she would go back to the desk to look out for anyone coming, and Jack agreed with her idea. He flipped on a safety mask and motioned for Kim to do the same.

  Carefully placing the first box on the workbench, he turned on the rotating saw. It wasn’t designed for cutting metal so strong, but it would still do the job. It made a skull shatteringly loud whirring sound and lowering it down onto the box, he watched the sparks fly.

  It was too short notice for Green to hire somebody trustworthy. Moreover, he wasn't sure if anyone could actually be trusted. He crept up to the laboratory, and saw a clean white van parked by the entrance, with the back swung open and bright yellow HAZMAT suits filling the inside. Only one or two uninterested passersby filled the street, and the road was near silent.

  Green stealthy walked over, pulled out a suit and shoved it under his long, brown leather coat. Reaching his car he got into the back seat and promptly began putting it on. He walked out fully clad and whistling a merry tune, entered the lab. Since he had paid to hire out the laboratory he had his own access password so entry was simple, as long as he was careful not to be recognised.

  Green wasn't like most of the fancy, middle class peers he sat with in parliament. His family had lost out more than anyone in the depression, and even decades later when he was born they were still struggling. He was raised in squalor, performing backbreaking labour with his dad so that the family could get by.

  He knew what it was like to have to do things for himself, and he didn't shy away from tasks just because they were dangerous or hard work. Even now, as he entered the area, he wasn't apprehensive and he didn't have any second thoughts. He had no fear, and that was the scariest thing of all.

  He marched through the corridor swiftly, knowing exactly where the safes were. The access codes were in his pocket and he didn't expect this to take long. He realised as he walked under the long, echoing air vent that he hadn't brought anything to carry the boxes in. He would probably have to find something in one of the labs.

  On approaching the relevant area of the storage room, he began rapping his knuckles on the thick metal floor of the vent as he listened to the sounds. A voice sounded out from behind him and his ears began to burn. He began exhaling hot breaths and the green tinged visor to his suit became cloudy.

  He turned around now to face what looked like a dark skinned woman, but with the condensation on his eye shield, he couldn't tell for sure.

  “What are you doing here?” He could almost hear her glaring at him

  “I've been ordered to check the radiation levels along every air vent.” There was a long pause and Green took a step towards a metal pipe left on the floor, preparing himself for the worst.

  “I see. So why are you tapping the air vents?” Green replied immediately.

  “I've got a hunch one of them is broken. If it is we’ll have to fix it to avoid more radiation spreading later on. I'm just being thorough.” Green had regained his composure and was back to his best: cool as ice under pressure.

  The woman nodded, as if recognising the problem from experience, before slowly walking away. Green continued what he was doing and after a minute of two, heard what he was hoping for. There was a dull sound where the safe was. Grabbing the metal panelling with his fingers he yanked it backwards and watched it snap off to reveal the sleek black vault.

  Pulling the paper from his pocket and entering the appropriate password, he heard the clicking sound of the door unlocking. As he heaved the door open his pupils dilated and his teeth began to grind.

  The safe was empty. For the first time so far, he lost all sense of calm and his fists began to clench. He punched the wall in anger and didn’t even flinch at the searing pain.

  There must be a mole in the laboratory, someone who was onto him. He closed his eyes and breathed one long deep breath. Loosening his hands now an evil smile crossed his face. He knew just the right person to hunt them down…and eliminate them.

  Chapter 20

  Frank smashed his fist down onto the solid wood door and watched it momentarily rattle on its hinges. While he waited he took in the bright white walls and simple, elegant architecture. The small circular lights embedded into the walls, the pine panelling, the laminate staircase: this was a beautiful apartment building. He didn't normally like apartments, feeling that at his age a house was more suitable. Still, this was one place he could definitely see himself moving into.

  Eventually the door creaked open and Anisha smiled at him. Frank could hear suspicious clamouring in the background and finally Anisha opened the door fully to let him in. Frank wasn't in the mood to mess around now and h
eaded straight for Jack, asking him for a word in private. As the two of them marched outside, Jack glanced over and saw Anisha wearing a worried face. Nobody else was home yet. Nobody else to help him.

  They stopped in the hallway and Frank cut to the chase. “I can arrest you on a John Doe charge and hold you for a week if I have to. So I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you’re going to tell me what I want to know. Understand?” Jack nodded emphatically, intimidated by his suddenly threatening demeanour.

  “I know that your brother was shot because he was investigating Michael Green. I know that Green was conspiring with five former felons and I know about his laboratory side project. I know that you're involved in this and what I want to know right now, is why.”

  Jack had to admire the way he cut straight to it, in that calm but menacing voice. But his mind was in a storm and with Frank's menacing gaze beating down upon him, he struggled to piece together a convincing lie.

  “Come back inside,” he said, trying to buy some time.

  Frank slowly turned to go in and Jack's mind whipped into shape. If he lied, Frank would only be back and he would investigate everyone in the house. That meant Anisha, and what she had been doing at her job. Also, if he did arrest Jack now, it was all over. He couldn't do his task and someone would kill him.

  As risky as it was, the only option left was to tell the truth, or at least enough of it to cover himself and keep the man at bay. After all, Frank may have some useful information, much like what he just mentioned about the criminals.

  As Frank walked in, he motioned to Anisha that it was okay and he began telling him in detail about Kim and the laboratory, but left out everything to do with the Green assassination. Frank listened intently but if he was shocked, he failed to show it.

  Slowly getting up, he said, “It's against normal procedure but I think we can help each other out.” Jack began nodding in agreement and Frank asked him to bring out the five boxes and the names he had come up with. He said he didn't have the boxes but he did have the names, and once he handed them over Frank got out his mobile and checked them.