The Repurposed Spy

The Repurposed Spy A novel by Oliver Dowson Copyright © Oliver Dowson 2023 The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher and copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, businesses, other organisations, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Published by BKssss Publishing https://bkssss.com [email protected] ISBN: 978-1-7392988-0-7 eBook ISBN: 978-1-7392988-2-1 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library A murderer is less loathsome to us than a spy. The murderer may have acted on a sudden mad impulse; he may be penitent and amend; but a spy is always a spy, night and day, in bed, at table, as he walks abroad; his vileness pervades every moment of his life -- Honore de Balzac Contents 3rd August 1987 7 14 September 2019 9 17th October 2019 11 Day 366 13 Day 367 19 Day 368 25 Day 369 31 Day 370 37 Day 371 47 Day 372 55 Day 373 65 Day 374 71 Day 375 77 Day 376 85 Day 377 91 Day 378 97 Day 379 105 Day 380 111 Day 381 121 Day 382 127 Day 383 135 Day 384 141 Day 385 147 Day 386 153 Day 387 159 Day 388 165 Day 389 171 Day 390 177 Day 391 185 Day 392 193 Day 396 201 Day 397 203 Day 398 211 Day 399 217 Day 400 223 Day 401 229 Day 402 237 Day 403 241 Day 416 247 Day 540 259 About the Author 267 3rd August 1987 In Whitehall’s old buildings, refurbishment is rare, and, even when it happens, subterranean areas are almost always neglected. The room they were meeting in was barely big enough for the three of them, but it provided maximum discretion, being as far removed from the main offices as possible. There, not only walls, but floors and ceilings, especially ceilings, had ears too. The walls of the little room were covered with incomprehensible drawings and charts, the few gaps between them revealing dirty cream paintwork from another century. The continuous throb of boilers and generators and pumps vibrated the walls on all sides. An observer would have found it impossible to differentiate between the two ‘Human Resources’ managers and the Permanent Secretary. Seated around a small and rather wonky round table, all had silver hair, all were dressed almost identically in grey suits, white shirts, plain maroon ties. “A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.” Prendergast may have risen to a position of power in the Department, but his promotions were not in recognition of him ever making any helpful comments. “This is not a matter of a little knowledge. Our subject has considerable knowledge. Dangerous knowledge. A tongue to go with it. And a penchant for proving a liability wherever and however deployed.” “Well then, David, terminate your asset. It’s what you people do, after all.” “We no longer terminate our own, Brian, and well you know it.” “The Minister is insisting we act humanely,” added the third man. “And she is insisting on signing off on the solution.” 14 September 2019 Terrorista capturado Rio de Janeiro, 14 de setembro de 2019 Uma caçada internacional foi concluída com sucesso pela Polícia Militar no Rio ontem à noite. O mestre do disfarce brasileiro, Ronaldo Jonas, foi procurado em todo o continente por um mês depois de se passar por um técnico chileno, invadir a sede do governo em Santiago e manter reféns uma sala de altos políticos até ser dominado por seguranças. Ele acabou preso em uma armação policial no Hotel Windsor Guanabara, e agora está detido na segurança máxima de Petrópolis. Terrorist apprehended Rio de Janeiro, 14 September 2019 An International manhunt was successfully completed by the Military Police in Rio last night. Brazilian master of disguise, Ronaldo Jonas, had been sought across the continent for a month after masquerading as a Chilean technician, breaking into Government House Santiago and holding a room of senior politicians hostage until overpowered by security guards. He was finally trapped in a police sting in the Hotel Windsor Guanabara, and is now held in the top security facility in Petropolis. 17th October 2019 “This is most irregular. Do we need to have a telephone conference? Are you really sure that we cannot discuss this matter using secure messaging?” “No. We need to talk.” The man had decided that, as he was the man, he should be the spokesperson. “Are you all certain your phones are scrambled?” The CEO was vehemently opposed to any unnecessary communication of any kind with his team. Even more opposed to anything with the remotest risk of insecurity. “Confirming.” Female voice 1. “Confirming.” Female voice 2. “Confirming.” Male spokesperson. “What’s this all about, then?” “Your South America asset. He’s a liability.” “Will you get him out of that place?” “Of course. But that’s it. We refuse to have anything else to do with him.” “We? All of you?” A babble of sound as all three of the team answered at once. One woman, the one with the highest pitched voice, an acidic voice, won out over the others. “All of us. We will do nothing more. You have to get rid of him. Now.” “He is useful to us. We need him.” “Then you come here. You deal with him. See if you like putting your own life in danger. See if you like being attacked.” The female had added fury to her acidic tongue. An explosive combination. The male spokesperson came back on the