Greta had taken her own sweet time getting back to the base in Wales and when she arrived they had told her to go to her quarters and that she should report to Lady Julia the head of Special Activities Section when she was called. Julia was Lady Julia Robertson the Duchess of Montgeave and Viscountess Rhayader. She was a retired MI6 assassin who looked after the training of certain parts of special activities, specifically training assassins. Lady Julia was a member of the English Royal Security Oversight Committee and besides training EUOPS killers she was in charge of security at the EUPOS Welsh safe house village base. Lady Julia was a registered nurse and expert in extracting information from people who would rather not talk. She was also the designated successor for Lady Victoria Elaine Covington operational code name Blossom the head of the whole EUOPS operation. Greta carried her equipment pack and small bag to her quarters and sorted and put things away and then sat down and waited.
Greta had spent the night in an upscale seaside hotel to the west of the training base by herself. Not with the young touring American doctorial student she had picked up in Liverpool. Jeff had been standing at the dock holding a roadmap and looking puzzled when she noticed him. He was in his twenties and tall and blond and had the thousand dollar teeth that people from America buy their kids. She had walked over and asked if she could help since he looked lost. And he had explained he actually was lost. He wanted to go to Farndon but he couldn’t find it on his map of Wales. Greta explained that he was right since it was in England right across the river Dee. Jeff had rolled his eyes and Greta had laughed and offered to help him find some books and maps. He had been driving his own camper van and she had used her phone to find a store that had hiking and trekking gear. Greta loaded her pack in the back of the van and they had gone to the store.
Greta helped Jim purchase a village registry and some ordinance and trail maps because of her training courses in map reading and orienteering at the training school. Greta bought some shorts and tee shirts and underwear and socks and a few toiletry items and a small backpack to keep them in while Jim looked at dehydrated food. When they left Jim had offered to buy her lunch and she had accepted. They had gone to a pleasant pub and had chatted while they ate. Jim had explained he was knocking around for a week or two before he went back to the states and wanted to see some country before he left. He was driving south to Cardiff to return the van and take a train to London in a week or so. Greta had explained she was on a walking tour between sessions at school and was headed south. She had offered to be his guide if she could be dropped of in Cardiff the next week. Jim had been overjoyed and they had headed south to Farndon. Greta had asked to stop at a pharmacy for some allergy tablets and she had jumped out and run in and bought some tablets and a package of twelve condoms.
When they arrived in Farndon Jeff had stopped at an inn and asked about a camping space for the van. The innkeeper had said there weren’t any locally but he had one room available and they could park the van at the inn if they took the room. Jeff booked the room and came back and explained to Greta that he had rented a room for her and he would sleep in the van. Of course it hadn’t worked out that way.
By the time that they arrived in Cardiff Greta had given Jeff a totally false mailing address and phone number. He had let her out at the bus station and she had ducked into a cab and then jumped out at a red light and taken a hop on hop off tourist bus to an outdoor market. She had thumbed a ride with a delivery van up the coast to where she spent the night in a luxury hotel. In the morning she had showered and dressed in a pair of cargo pants a tee shirt and an outdoor multi pocket vest with hiking boots then paid her bill using her personal credit card. She had packed her small backpack and her larger equipment pack and then taken them gone and set on the terrace and ordered breakfast. She was just finishing the last of a buttered scone with orange marmalade when a policeman walked up to her and demanded identification.
Greta smiled and stood up and stuck a small silenced automatic pistol in his stomach and said, “I’m done playing games constable. Pick up my equipment pack and carry it to the car. You and your partner are giving me a ride to the base or I will make a big scene right here in front of all the guests by blowing your guts out.”
The flabbergasted policeman had picked up the pack and Greta had followed him to the car and then ordered his partner out and hand cuffed him and ordered him in the back seat. Then she had handcuffed the other policeman to the steering wheel and ordered him to drive to the base where Greta had used her identification to have them admitted. The gate guard had asked Greta for the handcuff keys and then detailed a car to take her to her quarters.
Finally two guards had come to the door and ordered her to follow them. They had walked to Julia’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come”, said a voice and Greta opened the door and walked in.
Julia was sitting at her desk and Blossom was standing and looking out the window.
Blossom turned and glared at Greta and said, “What in hell are you playing at? I should put you in prison and throw away the key. How dare you treat the police like you did you broke several serious laws and I will need to patch it up.”
“An interesting choice but hardly likely,” said Greta, “When I rolled over on that bloody tank I finally realized what you all were up to and so I graduated. I will not do any more bloody training exercises dressed in a clown suit with a kick me sign. As for the police that you so casually called to come get me thank you for providing me with a ride but I am tired of strip searches and providing the boys with peep shows. Also you will have Julia smooth things over if anything gets smoothed since you have never done anything like that in your life. Now like I said I graduated and then took a vacation and a leisurely drive south while I decided what to do. Now I’m here and as I said I self graduated.”
“Well I think she has things figured out, Blossom,” said Julia with a laugh.
“I’m leaving you with Julia but I will be keeping an eye on you young lady,” said Blossom.
Blossom walked to the interior door in Julia’s office and went out.
Greta turned to Julia and Julia smiled.
“Well you have been coming along fairly rapidly,” said Julia, “It usually take the trainees a bit longer to figure out what is going on but I must admit you did it with more flair than most.”
“And enjoyed every minute of it,” said Greta, “I assume that Jeff is an instructor in the honey girl training? He is very good in bed and quite nice and thoughtful too. I had a very good time but he really isn’t good in the field. He doesn’t have the background for his characters down and has rough spots in his presentation. He really isn’t very believable. But then thanks for sending him even though it was obvious what he was. I was able to relax on the way back and not worry about my company.”
Julia looked at Greta then said, “Well, we will want a written report and evaluation on him. Now we will need to get you papers and equipment. You are going to be assigned to Syria and will be reporting to the Southern Area Supervisor, Mark Saint Martin. He has a Russian problem.
EUOPS Greta Steiner 