LONDON ALERT by Christopher Bartlett

role. Might
come in useful, though, if someone tries to mug you for your mobile phone! Actually,
the real point of it is to help you think on your feet. Reactions do not always
have to be physical, but physical fitness helps one cope mentally.’
    ‘It sounds reasonable
to me.’
    ‘Let me make one thing
clear: while I do not want you to withhold anything you think terrorists might
come up with, I want you to concentrate on dramatic scenarios, ranging from large-scale
ones, like 9/11, to small-scale ones, since the impact on the public can be
great in either case. The recent beheadings are an unfortunate example of the
latter.’
    ‘What about the lone
gunman trying to shoot the prime minister or the Queen on some special occasion,
like Lee Harvey Oswald at Dallas?’
    ‘Other departments’
special units, such as the SAS and the SRR – that’s the even more secretive Special
Reconnaissance Regiment – with actual theatre experience in Iraq and
Afghanistan are already dealing with attacks such as might occur on great
national occasions, royal weddings, state funerals, or coronations. Not that we
expect a coronation anytime soon.’
    ‘I understand, but what
about biological or nuclear threats?’
    ‘Pre-empting them
through good intelligence, detection equipment at ports, and so on is how we
try and deal with that. We have people specializing in that. Handling any
incidents that do occur is essential as well.’
    ‘Put yourself in the
bad people’s shoes. Be an angry young man. Think like you did at school when
you came up with those silly jokes.’
    ‘But they were just for
fun.’
    ‘It’s fun for some of
those people.’
    Sir Charles, like the
major, then went through the ritual of warning Holt about the negatives
involved in working in the secret world. He would no longer be able to be frank
with people, not even with his closest friends, family, or partners, and so on
and so on.
    ‘It can produce a
feeling of isolation and even exacerbate latent psychological problems. We do
have our house psychiatrist, but the time he can allot to each individual is
limited, especially as he has to prepare officers for physically dangerous, rather
than technical, missions like yours. For your job, we need a neurotic with
hang-ups. We put a lot of effort into finding you. I am not sure Blackwell, the
in-house psychiatrist, will take to someone of your ilk!’
    ‘I am not sure I will
take to him either, by the sound of it. I have heard some bad stories about
psychiatrists.’
    ‘Then I suggest you
steer clear of him, though he has to interview everyone for the record. A kind
of health and safety thing – he’s a general practitioner as well as a
psychiatrist.’
    ‘Thanks for warning me.
Sounds as if you think I might well be joining Giraffe.’
    ‘I very much hope you
do, but only if your heart is in it. You won’t be much use otherwise. Do you
really want to join us? Though I have stressed the negatives, there would be
many pluses.'
    From having repeatedly watched The Caine Mutiny , the film
where the young ensign on his first posting has to choose between staying on his
clapped-out minesweeper or accepting an easy ride on the admiral’s staff on a
battleship or aircraft carrier, Holt knew that a good officer should be able to
make major decisions under pressure. Asking Sir Charles for time to consider
would risk falling in his esteem. He decided to take the bull by the horns.
    ‘It sounds,’ he said
unhesitatingly, ‘as though I might finally have found a way to use my talents productively.
Yes, I would very much like to join Giraffe. I think I could make a worthwhile contribution.’
    ‘Good. I expected you
would ask for time to think it over but am impressed to see you can think on
your feet. Congratulations. Welcome to Giraffe!’
    Sir Charles got up from
behind his desk, walked round to Holt, and shook his hand, smiling broadly.
    Holt felt a page in his
life had, for better or worse, been