JCTT: Prodigy

Complete PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE:

         Lee hated the underground. The smell of urine, smoke and damp all mixed together, swarmed into his nostrils, causing him to scrunch up his nose. As a balding man stumbled through the daily crowd of commuters, Lee stepped onto the escalators. ‘Moving stairs, what an utter waste of taxpayer’s money’ thought Lee, who would have been just as happy to walk down normal stairs. He arrived in the tunnel where all the trains headed to central London. Looking up at the electronic display, he noticed that the next train would arrive in approximately three minutes. After enduring the horrific smells of the station, the train arrived with a roar of power, and a screech to pierce even deaf ears. Only one person got off the train, another tramp, probably seeking out the other drunk that had stumbled around the stations main entrance. The train was packed. Full with London’s employees from the other suburbs the train passed through. Eventually finding a seat, Lee sat down and took out the letter he had received thirteen days ago.

Dear Mr Williams,
                         I am writing to you on behalf of the Defence Minister, Sir John Crawley, and the Prime Minister, Mr Anthony Gates. You are required to attend a meeting with the aforementioned government representatives and myself, regarding a matter of utmost importance and secrecy. Only when you arrive may you know what that matter concerns. We cannot write down the reasons we need your services in case the letter doesn’t reach you. The meeting will be held on the  24th of September, 12 Noon prompt, at the following address:

New Scotland Yard
Broadway
London
SW1H 0BG
Yours sincerely
              Brian Powell
         Chairman of Military Intelligence 6 (MI6)

                        
P.S Bring your passport, you will have to prove your identity to the guards outside the building, because of the break in last week. (extra security measure)
Lee had wondered about the meaning of this letter over the last thirteen days; intrigued about its cause, yet nervous about its meaning. He had figured out that it must be to do with something of military or national security, due to the people attending: The Head of MI6, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defence. That posed the next question. What could all these people have to do with him? These gentlemen were leagues above Lee, yet he was still required to attend this mysterious meeting. In the end he concluded that it was not worth thinking about, as the only result he got, was a banging headache. The train ride, didn’t take long, only half an hour to St James Park, the nearest station to Scotland Yard.
*
Outside, the rain trickled down, from the never ending grey cloud high above. The streets were almost empty, and the gentle breeze swept the litter from last nights football crowds off the curb, into the gutter. Lee preferred the open space to the train, despite the weather. “Rather be out in the rain, than having to breathe in that foul air” he muttered to himself as he started his walk. The journey from the station to Scotland Yard, only took five minutes.
*
As he reached the building, the glass, which took up ninety nine percent of the building, reflected what light there was into Lee’s eyes. Almost one hundred metres of reflective glass held together by  just a steel frame, gave the place an air of menace. The guards outside the front gate, dressed in all black, checked Lee’s passport, and eventually granted him entrance to the front yard. To enter the building you had to undertake two security measures, to make sure you were who you said you were. Lee stood close to the glass camera, as a red dot appeared in front of him. “Stare straight into the dot” said a computer generated voice. The red dot remained solitary, as other green rings pulsated, taking down Lee’s retina details. The next security measure was fingerprinting. The screen changed, and a green finger appeared where the red dot once was. “Place your finger tip on the tip of the finger on the screen” crackled that same computer generated voice. The high security door opened, and an unexpected scene lay ahead. After the high tech entrance Lee expected something flash inside. A map of the world, with flat screen monitors around it or something. Actually, it was bland. A tacky painting stood, where the interactive map of the world should of, and the rest of the room looked a lot like a run down recreation centre. Eight receptionists were encased in a glass cage in the centre of the room, whilst surrounding it were a few foam cushioned seats. A small clock was placed on the eastern wall, and a lift door below it. Lee slowly walked up to the glass case and spoke into the microphone. “My name is Lee Williams, I’m here…” The blonde receptionist interrupted “Yes, we know who you are, and we know why you’re here, so why don’t you just sit on that chair over there, and whoever needs to see you, will be down shortly”. The sudden outburst from the receptionist shocked Lee so much, he became speechless. Laughing to himself at how rude his greeting was, he sat down on one of the foam cushioned chairs.
*
Almost instantly, the lift doors opened, and Jack Ryan, Head of MI6 appeared. “Aha, there you are Lee” he boomed, in his loud, obnoxious voice, “Come this way me lad” he carried on. Lee stood up, and walked towards the lift, after shaking hands with Jim. “Before you ask, we can’t answer any questions yet, just get to the meeting, and then we’ll explain” Jim said, before Lee had any chance to speak. Taking his order, Lee remained silent, and watched the elevator’s screen show what floor they where at. At floor four, Jim, moved forward leaving the lift. Lee followed.
*
They arrived in a small room. The white walls and solid wood table made it look like any old office’s meeting room, nothing extravagant. Another letdown. Since his early years, Lee had been intrigued by gadgets. Although he hadn’t grown up where technology was abundant, he always took interest in all things electrical and sleek. He’d expected some technology, and security gadgets to be put in place for the prime minister, but none were visible. As he thought about it, he realised he was in one of the most secure buildings in the country, so the need for protection inside was probably nonexistent. He sat down in his allocated seat as Brian just small talked with him. The usual questions, “how are the kids? How’s the job, did you so and so on the TV yesterday?” Lee answered all the questions as politely as he could, trying not to show how annoyed he felt, being left in the dark about the meeting like this. The door swung open, and the prime minister, after telling his security to wait outside, entered accompanied by John Crawley, the Defence Minister. “Lee! What a pleasure, glad you turned up,” the Prime Minister said, waiting for an equally ecstatic response.
“The pleasure is all mine, Prime Minister”, Lee replied. John Crawley introduced himself and the group sat down and the meeting was started.
“Okay then, well Lee, you don’t know why you’re here today, so let’s get straight to it. John, if you would do the honours please” as he said this, the Defence Minister, John, opened up his briefcase and handed out four A4 letters to all the attendants, keeping one for himself. “Now then Lee, we are here today, to offer you a new job. It is one of great importance to us, and of which you are the prime candidate. We are opening up a new unit, a counter terrorism unit to be precise. We want you to be the boss basically.” Lee was taken aback; he hadn’t expected this to be a job offer. “Well,” he stuttered, “we already have the SAS, the SBS, MI6 and whatever other behind the scenes squadrons have been mustered up over the years.” The prime minister interrupted, “Yes, we have all those, but this is something different and unique, something completely unexpected, yet completely needed. Find one common factor with all the other services. They all consist of adults, the most unsuspected type of people are children, and we are going to use this to our advantage!”
“No way, I have children of my own; children can’t be allowed to do this, it’s impossible, this must be a joke” replied Lee, shocked, and almost outraged at the preposterous idea.
“We knew you would react this way” said Brian, “I did, when I found out, its human nature to reject it. Once you’ve read the pack you will understand. You will see the advantages, and the possible outcomes.” Feeling it would be a waste of time to come down here and not even check out the pack, Lee grabbed it and opened up. A waitress was called in, and asked to bring biscuits and drinks for the men. The others waited around anxiously as Lee read the twelve page dossier, explaining the advantages, the safety measures, and finally the task ahead, that Lee would be undertaking. The last page shown the salary, and benefits to be given to Lee, of he accepted the job. He flicked over the last page, and put the booklet on the table. Looking up at the others, who all had become fidgety over the quarter of an hour it had taken Lee to read the book, he sighed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but, I do see the benefits of the unit. I’m happy to say to you all, that I accept the job.