Sir James Hennessey, Field Marshal Sir Alan Robinson, Home Secretary Henry Harden, Defence Minister Daniel Grieves and the Prime Minister, Fredrick Matthews sat at one end of the long table, whilst two service officers loaded the table with refreshments and sandwiches. As the door closed the Prime Minister welcomed his inner circle of security advisers and thanked them for attending. The PM handed out a folder to each person, each contained briefing notes on the current issue. “Please take some time to read and absorb the notes whilst you eat some light lunch,” the PM invited, “then I need your thoughts.” The reading of the briefing notes took almost twenty minutes, the reading was punctuated by the exchanging of looks. When all the papers were at last placed on the table the PM asked, “Options please gentlemen.”
Field Marshal Sir Alan Robinson was the first to speak. “My gut reaction is to activate call-up and put the Air Force and Navy on full alert, Prime Minister, we seem to have a clear and present danger to the security of the western world.”
“With all due respect Alan, this does not threaten us alone,” Sir James pointed out, “there are our European partners and our allies on the other side of the water, our antipodean cousins, not to mention the Indian sub- continent.”
“However Alan is correct, in that our first concern has to be the UK,” interjected the Home Secretary.
“Yes, Prime Minister, I would agree with Alan and Henry on this one,” stated Minister for Defence Grieves, “the UK must be our priority, but we also need to coordinate any action with our partners. How does the US President feel Sir?”
“I have no idea,” admitted Matthews, a little embarrassed in his omission, “I haven't had a chance to speak to him as yet.”
“The problem is gentlemen, if we open this up too much and the UIS gets wind of any moves to defend ourselves over and above what is normal, that may well trigger whatever attack they have in mind,” Sir James reminded the group. “Let's not forget that according to our informer, there are sleepers in most all western countries, a couple of million of them. They could be anywhere, even within the armed forces.”
“Well that's damned awkward,” muttered the Field Marshal.
“So, we're dammed if we do and dammed if we don't,” said Henry Harden.
“May I suggest Sir,” broke in Daniel Grieves, “that we see if President Orwell is in his office and bring him in on this over the secure link.”
“You may be right Dan,” said the PM, “but we should also include Heidi Goldbloom, at least she will be up to speed on this, and we cannot guarantee that President Orwell will have the intel as yet”
The Prime Minister activated the wall screens and pressed the button under the table that activated the secure conference link. First he tapped the auto link tab for President Orwell, whose face appeared on the centre screen within seconds.
“Good morning Fred,” said the President, “what can the US of A do for you today?”
“Firstly it's afternoon here James, and secondly it is far from being good,” retorted Matthews.
“Well you sound in a jolly mood, what's the problem?” The Prime Minister and Sir James, spent the next twenty minutes updating President Orwell of the current situation, twenty minutes that was punctuated by comment and interjections from others in the Group. “Well this started as a nice day here in Washington, but I can see some heavy weather heading our way,” Orwell said when the briefing concluded.
“James, I think we should bring in Prime Minister Glodbloom on this, she will have been fully briefed by now and in honestly Israel is right on the front line,” suggested Matthews.
“Well you can try, but I think she has a few internal problems at the moment, or haven't you heard,” asked the President.
“Heard what,” asked the PM.
“She sent the bulldozers in to demolish the mosque on the Temple Mount this morning, and all hell has let loose, preparation for building the new temple.”
“Great, that's what I call timing,” commented Sir James. “So it seems Sir Jimmy,” answered the President.
Premier Matthews tapped the secure tab for the Israeli Prime Minister on his com-pad. The face that appeared on the screen was that of Heidi Goldbloom's private secretary and aid. “Good afternoon Prime Minister, I am afraid Mrs Goldbloom is out of her office at present and cannot be disturbed, Sir. Can I ask her to contact you later?”
“Yes please, do you know when that will be,” asked Matthews.
“Not until tomorrow, I am afraid Sir,” said the aid “I know her diary is open until eleven.”
“I will call her tomorrow at nine, your time, if you can tell her.”
Certainly Prime Minister, good evening.”
As the connection ended, President Orwell cut in, “Look Fred, I think this would be better being discussed in a face-to-face meeting.”
“I agree,” said the PM, as Sir James and the others nodded in agreement.
“OK, you arrange things with Heidi and I promise we will fall into step, where would want to meet,” asked Orwell. “Probably less noticeable if we came to Washington on some pretext,” suggested Sir James.
“How about Camp David, It's my twentieth wedding anniversary next week, what say you guys come for the party, any day you like,” Orwell asked.
“Good idea, James,” said the PM
“In the mean time I have to find out why my CIA guys have not had a smell of this,” said Orwell, “see you guys next week.” The connection broke.
The meeting lasted another three hours, whilst the group discussed what could be done covertly to increase national security, which was difficult when no one knows who or where the undercover people were. It was decided that all members of the police, armed forces a the security agencies should under go DNA tests. On the surface this would be for elimination and biometric identification purposes, in reality though anyone with direct genetic links to Iran or Iraq would be watched very closely. Once complete, the security at entry and exit points to Britain would be increased.