Chapter 48

I leave before anybody gets up in the morning. Paul has assigned Gun to be my escort again. To my surprise, Paul talked Gramps into signing over my guardianship to Gun for the trip.

We get to the airport, and for the first time in both lifetimes, I see somebody use the captain’s box for what it is supposed to be there for. The captain’s box is a lockbox brought on board the aircraft, which contains things that are not allowed in the passenger cabin, such as firearms. My father used it to transport stuff he didn’t want security to see. Mostly only people that are allowed to use it know about it. So when you check-in and ask to put something in the captain’s box, nobody questions it. In later years, they check your credentials, out of fear of terrorism.

When we check-in, Gun asks for the captain’s box. It takes a few minutes, but the attendant takes off to get it. When she returns, Gun shows her his carry permit, unloads his firearm and puts it in the box. The attendant locks the box and finishes processing our tickets before returning it.

I will say that the long flight is a lot better than I expected. This is before the days where they crammed as many people as they could on a plane. I’m also a lot smaller than the last time I flew anywhere. I took a trip to Hawaii in my 40s. I swore never to fly out of North America again. I felt like I was eating my knees the entire flight, and I was in extreme pain for three days afterward. Not only that, but I had to put up with my parents. It ranked amongst the worst vacations I ever had.

When we touch down in New York, I become a bit nervous. Technically, by not giving the FBI the Unabomber’s name, I am committing a felony. I don’t clear customs, so technically, I am not in the US, but that hasn’t stopped the US before. If they arrested me and brought me through customs, I would be in the US and committing the felony they arrested me for. At which point, Canadian politicians could argue until they are blue in the face. The US only has to point out that I committed a felony and could keep me. It doesn’t matter that I only committed the felony because they illegally abducted me. The US always did such things, but if you ever did something like that to one of their citizens, it would be a prelude to war.

An hour after landing, I’m boarding my next flight, on a Concord, without any interference.

Instead of sleeping, I spend the three-hour flight writing a paper on Linguistic Analysis and Psychological Profiling. I then write an addendum showing how the Unabomber has a phobia of being ridiculed. I have the added knowledge of his CIA torture and what it amounted to. It is the main reason he has a phobia about opposition to his core beliefs, which is why he started bombing people in the first place. I can’t prove that it was the CIA that had him tortured, but it became commonly accepted. In essence, the CIA created the worst serial bomber in US history.

As soon as we get off the plane, we meet four gentlemen from MI5, who take us on an express route through customs. Gun has his pistol returned to him, along with a ton of paperwork for him to sign. It is a good thing that this is pre-1996. That is when the UK cracks down on handguns since they are the preferred weapon of criminals, and there was a massacre at Dunblane Primary School where a pedophile killed 17 people, injured 15 more, then committed suicide. The guns he used were all legal handguns.

We don’t have to wait for our luggage. They were taken off the plane and sent directly to our car, which happens to be a limo that the admiralty has provided for our stay. It also comes with two Land Rover escorts for our guards. Having this much security is not a common sight in England. It is something reserved for visiting royalty, and so, we attract a lot of attention.

I fall asleep as soon as we get in the limo, so I don’t see much. When the car stops and I get out, I comment, “I thought we were supposed to be in a hotel, not a B&B.”

Gun laughs, then corrects me, “This is a hotel. A hotel doesn’t need to be a 40-floor high-rise. It is better for you to be in a small, high-class hotel. There are fewer guests, and it makes guarding you easier.”

We get to the desk, and check-in has already been done. We just have to sign for the keys. I’m not as tired as you might think. It is only 5 am here, but it is 9 pm in Victoria, which means our meeting will be the equivalent of 2 am.

We get to the suite, and two of our guards stand outside while the other two come in with us. They check out the rooms then disappear into one of them. After saying, “It’s all clear,” Gun explains, “It is a three-bedroom suite. They are taking one of the bedrooms and will sleep in shifts, so we always have at least two guards awake and four on-site.”

“We need to talk before we nap.”

“I’m not tired anyway. Now is as good a time as any.”

“Good. As you probably noticed, I have an issue with letting my temper get the best of me, especially when it comes to people not showing respect or underestimating me.”

“Ya, that might be a problem here, especially with the people you will be dealing with.”

“I wish you were up on all my business so I could get you to speak for me. I’m going to need you to kick me before I get out of hand. I need these people. Not just to help Grace either. I’m just moving up the timeline for her. We need this to expand our business and boost the European economies.”

In truth, Europe eventually forms into the European Union. The British argue incessantly for years about whether it is a good idea to be part of it or not. It’s hard to argue one way or another, even knowing the future. If I change some things, it will be a no brainer, and the UK being in the Union will benefit the entire continent.

“Have you ever thought about getting your head checked out?”

“How do you mean?”

“Where I am from, there are only two ways to escape the life-sucking existence of working the mine. You either get a football scholarship or join the military. I was never any good at football. Anyway, I noticed that many of the guys who dropped out of football and had to come back had a bit of a temper issue. I knew many of them before they got their break. There is no way that a simple life choice can change a person that much. There has to be something happening to them. Think of all the concussions they have.”

He has s point, and I already made that correlation. In 1994 the NFL pretended to have a commission on the subject. Only they put a guy in charge of it that knew nothing about neuroscience or neurology and often admitted to knowing nothing about head injuries. In 2012, 4,500 players, spouses and other representatives started a lawsuit against the NFL for their part in hiding the issues and forcing players to continue playing when it was no longer safe to do so.

“I know what you mean. Since 1906 when Harvard released, ‘The Physical Aspect of American Football,’ it has been known that such head trauma causes brain damage, but there still isn’t any proof that it causes aggression or mental disorders.”

“How can you say something causes brain damage but doesn’t cause mental disorders?”

“I know it is silly. I think that once my medical and humanitarian company gets a little more settled, I will get them to start an independent study. The problem is, that kind of brain damage isn’t detectable by modern equipment until after death when you can remove and examine the brain.”

This is one of the reasons I am distressed most of the time. There are just too many things that need fixing, and there isn’t enough time, especially since there is only one of me. As my companies grow, I can delegate more and more of it, but there is still too much. What is the point of fixing everything if you can’t take the occasional time out and have fun? It seems like I am always running from one crisis to another.

There isn’t much else to say, so we head to our bedrooms and try to nap.

I never did have much of an issue with jet lag when flying. It is when I was travelling by ship, and every day for better than two weeks, you would either lose one hour or gain one. That always messed with me. You arrive at your destination, worn out, and your body takes a while to get used to a 24-hour clock again.

I don’t get much sleep, lying in bed, and thinking over my talking points, but I do get a lot of rest. Twenty to ten, I get a wakeup call from the front desk. I quickly get up and dress. When I leave my room, Gun is with our MI5 escorts waiting on me.

We make it just in time. Gun and I are escorted into a conference room, where we wait for 20 minutes for the admiral and his entourage. I just bite my tongue when they enter the room.

The first to enter the room is a Chief Petty Officer (CPO). He doesn’t introduce himself. He just holds the door open and announces, “First Sea Lord and Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral of the Fleet Oswald.” Oswald enters the room, and I hold out my hand for him to shake and Say, “Good Day, Sir. This is my bodyguard and representative of my head of security, Kommando Spezialkräfte, 3rd Commando Company, Vizefeldwebel, retired, Gunther Stein.”

Kommando Spezialkräfte, also known as KSK, is arguably the best special forces on the planet. The Germans rent them out to other nations as anti-terrorism troops, and they have a lot more experience than almost any other soldier on the planet. They are also known for being able to take out a vastly superior force without firing a single shot. Their first ten years of existence, they fired their guns in anger twice. They killed attack dogs on two separate missions. Gun is one of the few members of my security team that I hesitate to spar with. I know he would go easy on me, but he is still intimidating.

Shaking Gun’s hand, Oswald asks, “And, he isn’t your top guy?”

“No, Sir. I have a gentleman that used to plan missions for Delta Force. I also have one of your Pathfinders.”

“You don’t mess around.”

“No, Sir. I don’t. Which is why we are here.”

Oswald steps aside, and the CPO announces, “Rear Admiral Jones.”

“Trent Brown, please call me Trent.”

He shakes my hand, and I leave Gun to introduce himself.

“Rear Admiral (RADM) Taylor.”

“Trent Brown, please call me Trent.”

“Mr. Jacob Foster from MI5.”

“Trent Brown, please call me Trent.”

“You sure are an interesting young man. My colleagues are interested to hear what you have to say.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Don’t be calling me Sir. That is for the navy chaps. Call me Jacob.”

“Nice to meet you, Jacob.”

The CPO doesn’t look happy that Jacob is slowing down the lineup. Jacob moves on, and the CPO announces, “Also from MI5, Mr. David Campbell.”

“Trent Brown, please call me Trent.”

“And, call me David. There is no need to stand on ceremony. If what you say is true, we will owe you quite a bit.”

“Thanks, we better take our seats before the pomps get upset.”

I turn to see that the First Sea Lord has taken a seat at the head of the table, and his RADMs sit on either side of him. Gun’s and my notes and briefcases have been moved to the foot. The guys from MI5 take a seat in the middle of the table.

Before I move or say anything, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. After holding it in as long as I can, I exhale and say, “Fuck it ... What is with the childishness?”

Oswald says, “I don’t know what you mean.”

Looking at Gun, I say, “I told Dahlia that dealing with these people would be a mistake. Go downstairs and call a cab. We are going to the airport.”

Gun looks at me bug-eyed, but he doesn’t move. Quietly he says, “You told me to kick you when you step out of line.”

“I’m sorry Gun. I shouldn’t have put you in that position. They don’t want us here. We need to go to Germany, where we will be respected.”

“What is this about? We have done nothing to cause this anger,” The Sea Lord complains.

Addressing the admiralty, I say, “I’m sorry gentlemen, I didn’t think this would work, but I figured I would give you a chance anyway. You blew it. It is time for us to take our offer and intelligence to Germany.”

I expected this and am not as mad as I am making myself look. I deplore British pomp. Their navy is worse than there society. The Canadian Navy has a similar problem but isn’t anywhere near as bad.

Engineering officers are a prime example. There is NO reason to have an engineering officer on board. The only reason the Commonwealth has them is because talking to an enlisted man is beneath a ship’s captain. All the engineers that make the ship run are enlisted men. The Chief engineer has more experience than anybody else on board ship, and he knows the ship better than anybody else too. Still, he isn’t allowed to talk to the captain because of this stupid castest system. He is beneath any officer, and an officer with one day of experience is considered to be worth more than his 40+ years at sea.

The Chief engineer has more training, knowledge and experience than anybody else on board but gets to be bossed around by snot-nosed little kids that don’t know anything. Then when the officers make mistakes, the enlisted men are pinned with the responsibility and are punished for it. There are few things I despise more than casteisms.