Section Five

By Ian MacDonald

Section 5 or The Shadow Boys as our enemies call them are Canada's anti-terrorism unit. There are 13 of them in total and they operate in teams of four, 3 men and 1 woman per team. They operate off the books and with one objective -get the job done. How is unimportant, keeping Canada and its citizens safe is all that matters. Their methods may be unorthodox and civil, charter and even human rights may be ignored - but fire has to be fought with fire. These teams do what is necessary, not what is politically correct. Several exploits are described, all of them fictional, but such things can and do happen in today's world. In the final task the team foils a plot to start WW111

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian MacDonald
• Release date: Nov 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301509614

Ian MacDonald

The author was born and educated in England and served in the British armed forces and briefly as an officer in the British Prison Service. He subsequently became a financial adviser and retired as an executive in a financial planning firm. He took up writing as a hobby upon retirement and he now lives in Ontario with his wife. His writing has a military or law enforcement theme to it as his interests lie in that field.

Book preview

Chapter One

***

Dave Collins was enjoying his early morning cup of coffee when the telephone rang in the living room. He always liked to sit on the balcony in the morning when the weather was warm and today the weather was beautiful. The sound of that phone ringing was an ominous sign that his morning was about to be destroyed. One look at the caller display confirmed it. His boss in Ottawa was on the line and when he called, nine times out of ten it was to convey less than bright and cheerful news. Dave had been a member of Section 5 for several years and early morning calls from Barney Lawson were seldom uplifting. More often than not they were to advise him of some potential mission or course of action that he need take to resolve one issue or another. Dave was one of the thirteen members in this select group who were euphemistically called Problem Solvers. They were all ex-Special Forces personnel who had been given additional training and who now reported directly to the Prime Minister of Canada via a senior civil servant. Officially they did not exist and they operated under the radar in order to accomplish whatever mission they were sent on. In effect they were above the law and immune from prosecution. If a problem existed that would be an embarrassment, a threat, or anything else that may be detrimental to Canada’s welfare, Section 5 was sent to resolve the matter. How they did was inconsequential, the ends justified the means and they only had one directive – get the job done. Dave and his team had been together for some time now and they knew each other intimately and trusted each other with their lives. This they had done on numerous occasions. The Shadow Boys, as they were known by many foreign agencies, were highly respected, but those same agencies could not substantiate their existence. Everyone knew they existed, they just couldn’t prove it and the Canadian Government vehemently denied all knowledge of any such a group. They put it down to paranoia on behalf of the foreign agencies involved, many of whom had tried and failed to determine just who the Shadow Boys were. Canada is inundated with foreign spies, some in quite high places – but Section 5 is still an unknown. The only phenomenon that is known is that if you are a problem to Canada you tend to disappear rather quickly and in mysterious circumstances. No evidence is ever found, no surveillance cameras ever recorded you leaving the building – but you no longer existed, or so it would appear. Your bank accounts would never be used, all your bills would remain unpaid, but you and your passport would simply be gone. The police were still scratching their heads in many such instances. On paper at least it would appear that some people had simply vaporized and floated up into the atmosphere. In many cases the threat these people posed to Canada was not apparent to the general public or even to the police. The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) were quite often in the dark too. They may initiate a particular investigation and in fact be in the middle of it, when it suddenly becomes moot. The matter had been dealt with. Nobody knew what happened or how – but the problem no longer existed. It was this kind of activity that earned Section 5 the name of The Shadow Boys. Of the thirteen members of Section 5 three were women. They were as highly trained as the men and just as capable in most situations. The only difficulty they would experience was where physical strength was required and even here they could outperform the average man in the street. They would spend as much time in the gym as their male counterparts and their overall physical fitness was superb. They could and did hold their own on the assault courses and they could run up and down the ropes like monkeys just like the men. However, there were certain circumstances out in the field where women alone were needed hence the need to have them in Section 5. They were skilled martial artists and just as lethal as the men and they most certainly could handle themselves in tight situations. All the members of Section 5 were expert marksmen and fully skilled with the commando knives. Having said all of that, the women in Section 5 were by no means Amazons any more than the men were Barbarians. Off duty they were like any other young women. They were all university educated and had enjoyed the party lifestyle that college campuses had to offer and this allowed them to mix in all social circles as and when required. They all got along well with the other team members and they all looked out for each other like brothers and sisters do. The composition of Section 5 had changed over the years but the same male to female ratio had been maintained. One or two of the former Section 5 members were still used as consultants from time to time as and when certain situations came up where their past experience might prove helpful. John Malcolm and John Canon were two such alumni along with Bill Stewart. Bill Stewart however was not exactly a former member. He was now in charge of the security of Western Canada but he no longer had to perform field operations as he had as a Section 5 member. John Canon had won the lottery and he and his wife had started to build a new home in Markham, Ontario and so he left Section 5 to do just that. Sadly his wife died suddenly soon after. Fortunately he had met a lovely young nurse some time later and he had married her and they now had two lovely children. John Malcolm had also married and left Section five after a distinguished career. He and Bill Stewart were legends in their own right and they were fairly frequent visitors to Ottawa and their office within Caldwell Securities & Electronics. Section 5 was housed within Caldwell’s building for security reasons. They were world leaders in security, surveillance and spyware and their building would be expected to have the best security protection in the business – and it did. Derek Caldwell, the chairman, had a very close relationship with Section 5 and especially with Barney Lawson, John Malcolm and Bill Stewart. He had arranged for part of the top floor of his building to be used as a sort of assembly rooms for Section 5 activity. They would hold meetings, briefing sessions and lectures on the latest threats and be kept up to date on the latest technology that Caldwell had to offer. Nobody unknown to Derek Caldwell personally had access to the top floor. The building itself looked nondescript from the outside and it was all rented out to the federal government. The notice board in the lobby listed all the various government departments and their respective floors. The top five floors belonged to Caldwell. The regular elevators serviced only the first twenty floors. All Caldwell staff had to get out at that point and get on another elevator to their respective floors. The freight elevator however did go to all floors – but good luck trying to get on it. It was controlled by the security guard on the top floor and video cameras covered every square inch of it and the immediate area around it. It was away from the other elevators and ordinary visitors or people in general would have no need to go anywhere near that elevator. Those that did were subjected to intense scrutiny. Those on the list were fine, those not on the list were politely directed elsewhere. People expected security to be tight and many had tested it to see just how tight it really was. They had all been satisfied that Caldwell lived up to its reputation – Fort Knox was slack compared to Caldwell. It was an accepted fact now and simply accepted as such. As a result nobody paid much attention to the government types who walked into that building. The lower floors of the building were not secure in terms of radio wave exclusion. Any foreign spy agency who checked would assume that the government was not unduly afraid of any information leaking out. That could only signify that nothing of a secret nature was taking place within that building. The upper five floors however were totally protected by Caldwell’s latest technology and they could operate with impunity within this black hole. They could send and receive encrypted information to and from satellites or from operational agents across the globe with complete security. They would also send out via regular traffic, messages of a non- strategic nature to let people know that Caldwell was simply a security company. A paranoid one perhaps; they really did safeguard their transmissions, but that would be expected from such a company. Nobody knew if any foreign agency suspected Caldwell of being involved in any covert activity – but they knew no breaches had occurred. They also knew that there was no surveillance on the building or listening devices in the immediate proximity. This tended to suggest that nobody suspected a thing. However, they operated with the utmost caution to ensure that things remained that way. Complacency in the spy business can be fatal. When visits to Caldwell were called for, Section 5 members were obliged to attend dressed like civil servants i.e. in suits and ties for the men and conservative office attire for the women. Should anyone be watching the building Section 5 members would blend right in with everyone else.

Dave Collins, the team leader, had studied commerce in university and had a B.Com degree. His original intention was to join one of the large banks and make a career possibly as a merchant banker. He was a good looking and personable man and well respected by his peers. Louise Balfour had studied to be a Pharmacist in university and had her degree in that discipline. She was an attractive young woman, in good physical shape and she too was well respected by her team for her abilities and her easy going and yet professional attitude to the job. Pete had studied to be a civil engineer and he now had his P.Eng designation in addition to his degree. Like Dave he was a good looking man with rugged good looks and chiseled features. He was not overly aware of it and was not hung up on it or affected by the female attention lavished on him. Everyone liked Pete as he too had a casual approach to life, at least that’s how he appeared to be. On active duty he was completely different and like the other team members was totally dedicated and lethally efficient. Clive Morris was a teacher. After university he had attended teachers college as a supplement to his M.Sc. in computer science. He was the geek of the group and also the class clown. He too was easy going and he just had this certain way about him. It was difficult to describe, but he was just a big cuddly bear type of guy. Cheryl Balfour, Louise’s sister had been instantly drawn to him the minute she met him and they were now considered an item. However, like the others, Clive was just as lethal as they were when on duty and he too was respected by them all for his abilities. Together they made up a very effective and efficient team and one with a distinguished record of achievements.

***

Dave Collins picked up the phone fully aware that his day was about to go downhill,

"Good Morning Sir, what glorious tidings of joy do you bring on this beautiful sunny day?

Well Mr. Collins, when you get up here this afternoon I shall be delighted to enlighten you and your team. Four o’clock sharp please Mr. Collins, Oh! You may wish to give Miss Balfour a call as she may need a ride up here – her car is in the shop I believe.

We’ll be there at 4:00 pm sharp.

Dave then put down the phone and gulped down the remainder of his coffee before picking up the phone again to give Louise Balfour a call.

Good Morning Louise, I hope I didn’t get you up out of bed.

No you did not smarty pants, Barney had that privilege.

Yeah well I just got off the phone with him and he said he wants us up there by 4:00 pm and he told me that your car was in the shop and that you may need a ride. If that is the case Louise, what time could you be ready?

Well I need to shower Dave, but after that I’m good to go.

Okay Lou, I can be at your place by 10:00 am and we can grab some fast food on the way.

Thanks, Dave, that sounds fine with me, see you at Ten

When Dave pulled up outside Louise’s building she was already in the lobby waiting for him. He didn’t even have a chance to get out of his car. She motioned him to open his trunk and when he did she threw in her bag and climbed in the passenger door. There was no chance to show chivalry here – not on operational outings. If they were attending a social event then yes Dave would be attentive and chivalrous towards Louise and she in turn would expect him to be and let him. She would play the role of a lady with dignity and grace. On operational calls they were equals and she was perfectly capable of looking out for herself, and she did so comfortably.

So did Barney tell you what this was all about? she enquired.

What do you think? he replied.

Well I had to ask, Dave, it has been known – unfortunately my memory doesn’t seem to go back that far these days.

Dave just laughed at that quip from Louise. He knew exactly what she was saying. Barney was not one for disclosing information a little at a time. When he had everyone assembled he would tell everyone at the same time and give them all the information that they needed to know. That may not necessarily be all that he knew – but then that was Barney. If you needed to know something then you would be told – but if you didn’t, then he would not burden you with trivia as he put it. On the five and a half hour drive up to Ottawa from Toronto, Dave and Louise discussed all manner of things. Neither one of them had a particular love interest at the present time. However, they did have one or two romantically inclined friends with whom they spent their off duty hours occasionally. Celibacy, apparently, was not an issue with either of them. The subject never came up; it was simply assumed on both sides. They both expressed a desire to settle down one day, preferably like John Canon. A Fifty Million Dollar lottery win would be a nice start in transitioning into civilian life they both felt. Louise was now 29 years old and while not exactly deafened by her biological clock, she was aware that the ticking was a little more audible than it used to be. Dave was now 32 and as a team leader he knew his time on active duty was limited. There were no married personnel in Section 5 for security reasons. Having someone you were close to was a potential hazard and possibly a security risk if you or they were captured and threatened. So bearing that in mind he only had a few good years left in which to find his Cinderella and whisk her off to his castle. At that point he would resign from Section 5 and find alternative employment. If he couldn’t find something suitable in the private sector, then Barney would no doubt pull a few strings and set him up in a comfortable position with the civil service. Such things had been known. Pork Barreling it may well be – but it was richly deserved. These men had risked their lives for their country – and some had lost their lives doing it. Few would complain about the practice if they were made aware of it – but that would not be happening.

When they arrived in Ottawa, Dave drove directly to Caldwell’s parking lot. He used the visitor’s lot and when he entered the building he was carrying his briefcase. Louise too had a briefcase and both looked every bit the business man and woman should anyone be watching. With twenty floors of government departments they could be visiting any one of them. Caldwell employees were most certainly distinguishable. They dressed like geeks and they definitely looked the part of the mad professors that many of them in fact were. Their hair was unkempt; they wore casual loafers, tweed jackets and even jeans in some cases. This is how brilliant scientists dressed; they were far more interested in their various projects than in social statements. The office staff and personal assistants dressed a little more upscale, but even they could be distinguished from the civil service types. Dave and Louise would not raise any eyebrows when they walked across the parking lot. They were just two more business types making a call. A call that right now they had absolutely no idea about. Only Team 2 was being briefed this time it would seem. At least that is what they assumed due to the fact that teams 1 and 3 were absent. The other two team members were already there when Dave and Louise walked in. They were Clive Morris and Pete Armstrong.

Welcome to Paradise folks chimed in Pete as they walked in. Do you know what this is about yet?"

Dave did not get a chance to answer; his face must have done that for him.

Nah, I guess you guys know as much as us then.

Well you know Barney, said Clive; he’s very conservative with his vocabulary. He won’t waste any of his words unnecessarily- you know how frugal he is. That Scottish heritage is pretty strong you know –what is it he keeps saying, Waste Not Want Not is it?

They were all still laughing at Clive’s quip when Barney arrived at exactly 4:00 pm.

"Good afternoon Louise and Gentlemen. I am sure you are aware that you were not invited up here for afternoon tea. I assume that you had a pleasant trip. So with that out of the way let’s get down to business shall we?

Chapter Two

***

Once everyone had armed themselves with fresh coffee or in Louise’s case an orange juice, Barney began his briefing.

A few years ago our government opened an experimental wing in two of our nuclear plants, one not too far from here in Chalk River and the other one in Pickering. What they were working on was classified as you may expect and it was in fact top secret. The Prime Minister called me in last night and gave me the bare bones of the matter, but not exactly what it was that they had discovered. All I can divulge to you is that it was a revolutionary method of energy generation and that it was relatively inexpensive to initiate. Needless to say this is explosive information and it gives Canada a significant advantage on the world stage once this technology is fully developed and patented. The Prime Minister assures me that whatever this thing is - it works and it has been tested. The prototype has been put through its paces and the test results are indeed promising. While the development of this project was split between the two facilities only Pickering actually built the prototype. Yesterday it was discovered that someone had accessed that facility and they were not authorized to do so. Nothing seems to have been taken or disturbed in any way – but this is troubling to say the least. I have arranged for you four to go to Pickering on a fact finding mission to see what, if anything, you can find out about this breach. Do you have any questions?

How was this unauthorized entry discovered and by whom? asked Clive.

One of the scientists noticed some files on his desk had been moved. He had insisted that he had laid out his files in a specific way – apparently he was very pedantic and he noticed one had been moved. He could not determine whether it had been opened or compromised, i.e. copied in any way, but he was most annoyed that someone had dared to move it in the first place. Upon further investigation it was determined that he was the last one to leave and the first to arrive yesterday morning and nobody had been in the building in between.

Well if nobody had entered in the building, could he not have made a mistake and misplaced the file himself?

A good point, Louise, and a reasonable assumption, one most of us considered too, at first. However, this particular scientist really is super pedantic and given that fact it raised concerns. What if he was correct and that file had been moved? How could anyone have accessed that building unseen and undetected by the security cameras and motion detectors? It didn’t make any sense. Had it been any other scientist we would have dismissed the whole idea and put it down to his error.

But you didn’t do that did you? questioned Clive.

No Clive we did not. Upon reflection we decided to go with the idea that Dr. Montgomery was not deluded and if he said that file had been moved then we should act on it to determine the truth. This is after all vital technology and if someone had got into that facility and beaten the security system somehow we need to know about it and how they did it.

I assume that there were no power glitches or breaks in the tapes and there was continuity through the dead hours said Pete.

Correct Peter, there were no breaks in either the power or the tapes and both have battery back up anyway.

So then boss, we are to go down there and find out if this happened, how it happened and just who is involved, is that about the size of it?

Perspicacious as ever, Mr. Collins responded Barney. That is exactly your team’s mission. I have arranged for you to meet up with a Mr. Dalton the day after tomorrow at 10:00am and he will show you the ropes."

How much does Dalton know asked Dave?

He knows why you are there and what you are trying to determine and he will give you all the assistance that he can. He believes in Dr. Montgomery’s assertion that his files may have been compromised.

Was it just the one file or were there more potential breaches, asked Clive?

As far as we know it was just this one – but that’s the problem –has this occurred before and we were not aware of it. These are questions that you need to address also during your investigation. This research has been ongoing for some time and we need to know for sure that no leaks have occurred since it began. Right now that seems to be in question hence the need for you guys to go down there and get answers.

Right then Sir, we shall rest up here over night and set off back to Toronto in the morning.

Thank you, David, enjoy your evening lady and gentlemen and good luck with your task.

Section 5 members had an arrangement with a local hotel and they received a group discount. Dave now telephoned them to book their rooms for the night. Once that was done they would all go out for dinner – and this too would be expensed. This was considered field expenses as they were away from their home base in Toronto. Team One was based in Ottawa and team Three in Vancouver. The hotel was by no means comparable to the Hilton, but it wasn’t the local Roach Motel either. The building was clean, as where the sheets, and the beds were as comfortable as any other hotel chain’s beds. The rooms were one step above Spartan, but they did have a TV and a mini bar. However the use of that Mini Bar would cause Barney to raise his eyebrows and few agents relished the aftermath of that. They could certainly use the downstairs bar. Barney would have no objection to that. It was just the Mini Bar’s prices he objected to and being of Scottish descent he considered their prices to be gouging and he was averse to them in principle. In addition he didn’t condone laziness either and if you felt the need to imbibe alcohol then you should make the effort and visit the bar rather than lie in bed and simply reach over to the Mini Bar. Barney Lawson’s views on the subject were well known to Section 5 members and few dare breach them – nobody was that brave.

All four of them met in the lobby at 7:00 pm and walked a short distance to the restaurant on the next block. The menu was fairly extensive for a small establishment but by no means as comprehensive as the larger chains. However, the cuisine that it did serve was expertly prepared and it simply melted in your mouth. The house specialty was prime rib and all four of them chose it that night. They had all eaten there on previous occasions and had heard their colleagues who had ordered the prime rib rave about how good it was. Tonight they were about to find out for themselves just how good it really was. All of their plates were returned to the kitchen empty. The same applied to the dessert dishes. All four of them knew that had eaten far too much at the end of the evening – but it had been a magnificent meal. The portions had been overly generous perhaps – but then they didn’t have to consume every single morsel – they did so however. The food tasted so good that leaving even a crumb was never considered. Their mothers may have told them that it was polite to always leave a little on the plate – but their mothers were not present that night. As a result all plates were cleared –some barely required being washed they were so clean. At the end of this feat they all prudently decided to go for a lengthy walk in order to wear off some the fat that would inevitably develop from that meal. A run was out of the question; they could walk or even roll around the park possibly, but none of them could even think about a run. At the end of that walk they all said goodnight to each other and went straight to bed. The following morning after breakfast they would head off to Toronto and get ready for their assigned meeting with Mr. Dalton the next day.

***

They all showed up for breakfast bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for the trip back to Toronto. A hearty breakfast was had by all four of them and then they set off around 8:30am for the drive home. Dave took Louise to her mechanic before going home so that she could pick up her car. It was waiting for her in the lot when they arrived and when she came back out of the office and got in her car to drive away, Dave drove off home. All four would drive out to Pickering individually from now on. This would allow them to independently follow up on any leads that may develop as a result of their enquiries. Each of them would be looking at different aspects of the case and their investigations may take them in many different directions. They would contact Dave every night to update him and during the day if they could, during lunchtime or at coffee breaks perhaps. This would all depend on how the plant was set up and how things were to be arranged with Mr. Dalton.

Good morning is Mr. Dalton available please? asked Dave.

Yes sir, is he expecting you?

I believe he is yes, Mr. Lawson arranged for our visit.

Ah Yes, Mr. Dalton is expecting you, he’ll be right with you, please take a seat.

All four of them then sat down and started chatting amongst themselves about everything and nothing. They were all dressed like civil servants on a fact finding mission –which in fact was the case – but not the way most people would think of their real purpose in being there. The receptionist was efficient and very pleasant, but she herself would not have access to the inner circle of buildings and so she could be ruled out as being a potential suspect. At this point almost everyone else in the place was a suspect until proven otherwise. This young lady however did not have the guile or the experience to be able to pull off a job like this if in fact such a job had taken place. This had yet to be determined, but for now they would work on the basis that it had taken place. This now gave them the task of finding out how and who by? It was not an easy assignment – but then, that is why Section 5 was given it and not CSIS or the RCMP. Too much was at stake here and the B team simply wouldn’t cut it. The Prime Minister had demanded Section 5 be tasked with this one and here they were ready to begin their investigation.

When Mr. Dalton came in a few minutes later he apologized for having been tied up on the phone. Dave was the first one to speak.

Mr. Dalton, who else knows about our situation, I mean who did you and Dr. Montgomery tell about this?

Well Dr. Montgomery told no one, he came straight to me with his findings. I phoned my boss in Ottawa and I believe he notified the Prime Minister’s office. I believe that is it as far as I know. I am not aware of anyone else being notified and Dr. Montgomery told nobody else that I am aware of.

"I assume you have examined the security tapes that covered the appropriate time frame. Oh yes