An Irish Affair Ch9

         
         
         
         
CHAPTER 9.

I walked in to the Ops room, there was nothing exciting going on. Just the normal mundane traffic squawking over the radio, and the signaler once again mulling over a crossword. Stuff this, I thought I ain’t hanging around here, someone will notice me, and I’ll be given some menial task to do. Best go back to the room. “Out of sight, out of mind”.

In the room, Mac laid face down on the bed sound asleep. He’d left the stereo on, playing some Queen track. I walked over to the window, and overlooked the parade square. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw the barracks looking so dead. Not a soul to be seen, anywhere. The silence was welcoming, although a little unsettling. The sky was gray and mottled with the odd black cloud. Looks like rain, I thought, I turned, walked over to the stereo and turned it off. Mac gave a slight stir and a moan, but continued with his slumber. I sat down on the edge of my bed, contemplating what to do. A smile appeared on my face. Funny I thought, for the first time in ages, I actually feel bored. I lay back, and for a few minutes stared at the flaking white ceiling. This began slowly to give way to black as I found I could no longer keep my eyes from closing.

I woke up in pitch-blackness. God I must have slept for hours. I glanced over to the window, I was right, looks like it’s been raining. I sat up and lifted my arms into the air, and stretch my body as hard as I could, at the same time letting out a great big yawn. I looked over to Mac’s bed... it was empty. I checked my watch. Shit its 1930, I’ve missed dinner. Mac you shit, you could have woke me, I’m frigging starving, I said to myself. Nothing for it, I will have to go down to the Naafi. Mac will probably be in there drinking anyway.

Mac was sat on a bar stool chatting to the barmaid. I tapped him on the back. “Thanks a lot mate,” I said.

He turned his head. “What are you on about?”

“You know, you could have woke me for dinner, I’m starving now.”

He spun his body around on the barstool. “Well I would have, if I’d have been awake, but I only got here about ten minutes ago myself.”

“Oh right, sorry.” I gestured the barmaid over, “Pint of lager please.” I turned to Mac, “are you still trying to get into her knickers then?”

“Shush, not so bloody loud, she’ll hear you.

“Your a bit sodding slow aren’t you, How long you been trying now? Christ, with looks like hers you’d think she’d be gagging for it.”

“Oh right, and when was the last time you had a screw? Tell me that.”

I put my arm around his shoulders and whispered in his ear. “Ask me no secrets, and I’ll tell you no lies,” then stared at him, with a big smile on my face.

He shrugged, and said. “Yeah right.”

I just laughed and took a sip from my glass.

We continued to drink and chat, until the bar closed. “Shit I still haven’t had anything to eat. What’s that barmaid’s name?” I asked Mac. “Mandy,” he replied.

I shouted across the bar. “Hey Mandy, do you have any food.”

“Only crisps,” she said.

“Shit, okay, give me three packets of cheese and onion.”

“Jesus, I’m as pissed as a fart.” I said.

“Me too, let’s go, I need my bed.”

“Sounds good to me, better say good night to your chick.”

“Cheers Mandy, see yah later.”

“Thanks boys, steady as you go, good night.”

********

Once again, I woke up feeling like shit. Mac was still snoring. I looked at my watch. Shit one day I’m gonna wake up in time for breakfast. Pat came charging in the room.

“Jesus, aren’t you two up yet, we’ve got a briefing in twenty minutes, down at the compound. By the way I want a word with you two later.”

“Fuck,” I leapt out of bed and started shaking Mac.

“Mac get up quick.”

Mac lifted his head, “just give me an extra ten minutes.”

“You ain’t got ten minutes; we’ve got a briefing in twenty minutes.”

He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Shit I still feel pissed.”

I was busy throwing my clothes on, and trying to use my electric razor at the same time. “I know exactly how you feel. Now move it.”

We reached the compound just as the boss was entering the security door. He turned and looked at me, “rough night I take it,” he said.

“Just a bit boss, sorry.” I replied.

“Okay, get inside and sit down.”

The boss as usual sat on the edge of a table in front of the platoon.

“Okay gents, the word from Special branch is, we do nothing. It seems there isn’t enough information for any of the agencies to go on. So, for now it’s business as usual. We concentrate on the tasks we have running at the moment, and forget about this rouge group for the time being. Any one got any questions?” He paused and looked around, “okay, that’ll be all for now.”

I was sat there with mixed emotions, I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not. “Was what the boss said true, or, was this a ploy by the other agencies to try and flush us out.” I looked at Mac, who was sat next to me, in a drunken daydream, and probably hadn’t even heard a word the boss had said. Pat however, was looking at me from across the room. If looks could kill, well, I’d be dead now. What the hell had I done wrong, to warrant such a look, I thought. I nudged Mac. “Let's go. Fancy the Naafi? I could kill for a coffee and a sandwich, and you definitely look like you need a coffee.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard so far this morning,” he said.

“Are you kidding me, that’s the only thing you’ve heard this morning.”

As we left the compound and headed across the parade square, Pat came running up behind us. “Where the fuck are you two going.” he shouted. “What the hell is your problem,” I said. “And what was that look back there all about.”

“Some fucker has been talking.”

“What the hell are you on about?” Mac said.

I stopped walking and stood right in front of Pat. “No one’s been talking, why would you say that?”

“One of the guys who has just come back from Woodburn, said they had an SAS team in the station there, on some kind of Op. He said, he overheard them talking in the Naafi there.”

“Talking about what?” I said.

“Mac spoke up, “Don’t you think we should go somewhere before we go on? I mean we look a bit silly just standing in the middle of the parade square.”

We walked to the Naafi ordered some coffee and sandwiches. Then slid over to a table in the corner of the cafeteria. The room was full of people, but they were all too involved in their own activities, to worry about what we were doing.

“So what was it this guy was suppose to have overheard?” I asked.

“Well, apparently they were going on about a rouge group within the Irish ranks. However, he reckons, they were under a different impression, and that it wasn’t an Irish faction at all, but, maybe a little closer to home. Then he said they all got up and walked out.”

“That’s it, is it. So in affect they really don’t know any more than Special Branch does. They, like everyone else are, just guessing.”

Mac turned to me, “but he said they don’t think the group is Irish.”

I leaned forward and whispered. “And what evidence do they have, to back up that idea  . None. So let’s stop panicking shall we.”

“So, we just ignore it and carry on as normal.” Pat said.

I leaned back into my chair, “that’s exactly what we do, I turned to Pat, Oh by the way, don’t give me a look like the one you gave me earlier again, okay?”

“Or what, I thought someone had blabbed, alright.”

I leaned forward and put my face right up to Pats. “I don’t give a shit what you thought, there is no way any of us is going to blab, so keep your looks to yourself from now on.”

He leaned back in to his chair. “Fuck you.”

“No, fuck you,” I said.

Mac butted in. “Give up you two, will you, that’s all we need right now, is a frigging fight.”

“Fine,” I said.

“Yes fine,” repeated Pat.

I looked around the cafeteria, to see a few people staring over at our table and talking amongst themselves. “I think we better get out of here, we seem to have an audience.”

“I agree,”  Mac said.

So we left and headed back to our room.

********

A couple of days later I began to think about doing another job. It seemed, for the moment at least, the heat had been taken off us. The quandary I was having though, was, do we go for a Republican again, this at least would hold off the vigilantly theory. But it would also begin to put pressure on the loyalists. Then the republicans would feel the need to keep face, and put some kind of reprisal in to motion. What we were doing was meant to hurt both parties equally, that’s what this was all about. I appear to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was obvious, I needed to speak with the guys and see how they felt about it. So we all got together in my room, and I explained my earlier thoughts.

Pat was still thinking about the last job we did. “Are you sure it’s not too soon after the last Op.”

“Well the heat as been taken off us for the moment,” I said.

“He has to be Republican,” Mac blurted out. “If we do a Loyalist, it will only help go towards proving their theories, and we don’t need that kind of pressure. At least I don’t.”

“Pat how do feel about it?” I asked.

Pat was stood staring out of the window. He never broke his stare when he spoke. “Well, I don’t really care myself. It’s only a matter of time before they figure it all out anyway.”

I stood there like I was giving a speech. “Come on guys, remember who we are. We have the know how and the recourses. Were always going to be one-step ahead of them all. Let’s not give up now.”

Pat turned from the window. “Okay, I agree with Mac, let’s make him a Republican. We can certainly do without any extra pressure. Better to keep them all guessing.”

“Good, Republican it is then, leave it with me and I’ll sort out our next target. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve chosen him. I’d rather do it sooner than later.”

********

I know we had agreed that the next target should be a Republican, however, I wasn’t sure that this was the right course of action. I really felt we should be hitting the loyalists. Or this is going to end up becoming one sided, which was never meant to be the intension. I decided for myself that I would concentrate on looking for a Loyalist target, and worry about what the others thought later. I felt sure I would be able to convince them to change their minds, once I had chosen the target, and put a plan together. I searched through the files and photos of all the high-ranking Loyalist players we had on our books. I quickly found, we didn’t have anywhere near as many Loyalist players, as we did Republican’s in our archives.  There was this one player though. His name was, Thomas Flattery. He was reported as being the head of the Woodburn Asu. Although this would make an ideal target, the big problem was, he lived in an estate that was located directly across the road from the Woodburn police station. Where, there is a company of our guys based. At least one hundred soldiers, along with about twenty police officers. “This will make for good sport,” I thought. “Wait till Mac hears about this, hell wet his pants, for sure.” I made up my mind, that Thomas Flattery was to be the target, and began hatching a plan together.

I called a meeting with Pat and Mac, and told them to meet me once again down in the parachute hanger at 1900 hours tonight. I was really dreading the reaction I was going to get, when they heard what I had decided.

********

I walked in to the empty hanger and scanned all around, to make sure no one was lurking in the back, near the storeroom. It wasn’t as light as it was when we held the last meeting here. But that was a while back, and winter was beginning to set in. I sat in the mock up aircraft thinking, we will need to have these meetings a little earlier from now on. Just then, I could see two silhouettes growing larger as they got closer to the hanger doors. Then I heard the muffled sounds of two people having some kind of conversation. As they got closer, although  I couldn’t make out what they were saying,  I was able to distinguish that they were arguing.  “Same as ever.” I thought. “That’s definitely Pat and Mac.” As they got closer, I said to them, “couldn’t you two make any more noise on your way over here. Everyone in the barracks must have heard and probably seen you both coming over here.”

“There you go again, always whining,”  Pat said.

Mac was stood there hunched over with his arms folded over his chest. “It’s frigging freezing in here.”

“Will you two just sit down.” I said.

“I hope this isn’t going to take long, I didn’t bring a coat,” said Mac.

“That’s cause you’re a moron,” said Pat.

I scowled at them both. “Will you two give it a rest, just for five minutes, you’re like a couple of old women.” They both shut up and diverted their attentions to me.

“Okay, first off  I’ve changed the target to a Loyalist.” I paused and looked at them with squinting eyes just waiting for their reply.

Mac sat up straight and glared at me. “You did what,”

Pat was leaning forward and staring at the floor, “We agreed he would be a Republican, so who gave you the rite to go changing things,” He slowly raised his head and scowled at me. His voice took on more volume. “This is not a one man show, there are no leaders here. No one man makes the decisions for all of us. You have to remember, it’s our arses on the line, as well as yours.”

“Look I just didn’t feel right about doing another Republican, that’s all. It just doesn’t seem fair.”

Pat sat back in to his seat. “Fine, but you discuss it with us first, not just take it off your own back, and expect we are going to go along with it.”

Mac just sat there moving his head back and forth with our conversation, like a spectator at a tennis match.

“Alright, I was out of order. I should never have presumed.-”

Pat quickly interrupted, “your dam right you should never have presumed.”

“Mac what you got to say about all this,” I said.

He was sat there in a daze, until suddenly he snapped out of it, “Yeah, I go along with what Pat was saying.”

I shook my head. “Jesus, that’ll be a first,” I said. “Fine, can we put this behind us now? Does anyone here want to hear what the plan is.”

“So your assuming we agree with your idea on hitting a Loyalist, I take it,” Pat said.

I let out a big sigh. “Okay, does anyone violently object to my proposal of hitting a Loyalist.”

“Well that would depend on what you’ve planned,” said Pat.

I looked at him with my mouth hanging open, and let out a small laugh. “I don’t fucking believe you,” I said. “Fine, can we get on with this, before we are all sat here in pitch bloody black.”

“Please go on,” Pat said sarcastically.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“The guy I’ve chosen is Thomas Flattery, He’s the head of the Woodburn Asu.” I took a deep breath, now the biggest problem with this, is his house is in the  Tildarg estate, right opposite the police station.” I sat and waited like someone standing in front of a firing squad.

“You are kidding, aren’t you,” said Mac.

Pat gave a little laugh, “you should have been a comedian. Why don’t we just phone the police station first, and see if they wouldn’t mind turning a blind eye for a half an hour.” 

“Alright, it’s not as bad as it sounds, the house is at the far end of the estate, and is about four hundred meters away from the station, also his house is on a street that leads straight out on to Blacks road, and straight back to the city.”

“That’s all well and good, so long as there is no shooting involved. Otherwise we will have our own troops all over us like a frigging rash.”

Mac jumped in, “Yes and they won’t stop to ask questions, they’ll just start shooting, that’s for sure.”

“Yes I agree, so the answer is, let’s get it right and there should be no reason for any shooting. It will be a carbon copy of the job we did at Kieran’s house.”

“I don’t like it,”  Mac said.

“Nothing new there then, is there Mac,” I said.

“Okay fine, get on with the rest of the plan,” Pat said.

“As I said, it’s just going to be the same as the job at Kieran’s. Except this time we need to park our car up, and steal a car from somewhere in the city first. I looked over to Mac. “Now, Mac, do you want to go in the house or do the driving?”

He thought for a moment, “I’ll do the driving, if this thing go’s tits up, I want to be able to just put my foot down and get the hell outta there. And don’t think I’m gonna wait for you two either.”

“Fine, whatever, are you happy with that Pat,” I said.

Pat gave Mac a dirty look, then turned to look at me. “Sure, doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice,” he turned again to Mac, “does it.”

“Now again, there won’t be any chance of doing some surveillance, there is only him and his wife living in the house. So we run everything as we did before, agreed?”

Mac sat there hunched over with his arms crossed, “Fine, can we just get this over with I’m freezing to death here.”

Pat looked at him, “you wuss, yeah fine by me.”

“Okay, good, we go with the same excuse, that we are going on a dead letter box drop off, if anyone asks. So the only change to the previous plan is, we need to steal a car once we get in to the center of the city.”

“I would go for the car park at the cinema, if we hit it at the start of the film the owner won’t even notice his car has gone, until the film has finished, by which time hopefully we will have the car back,” said Pat.”

“Good idea, Jesus, where did you pull that one from?” I asked.

Pat looked up astonished. “Don’t know it just came to me.”

I could see Mac was quickly losing interest, “Well all we need to do now is pick the time we want to do it.”

“Well let me look at the local newspaper, and find out what time the film starts at the cinema, and we’ll go from there, okay?” said Pat.

“Okay, good, you happy with that Mac,” I said.

Mac looked up, “Fine, can we get the hell outta here now?”

“Well its getting too dark in here now anyway, who’s for a drink over the bar?”

“Sounds good,” said Pat.

Mac leapt up, “Good, anywhere, where there is a fucking heater,” then stepped over Pat and headed for the door.”

Pat stood up, “God he’s a frigging pussy,” and moved slowly towards the hanger door.

I stood up, patted him on the back. “I know Pat, but lay off him for a bit will you?”