Kerry Nitpick wanted to run. But to do so would be to draw attention to himself, to “show out” as the pavement artists call it. He did not know if the surveillance team following him was real or merely in his imagination, but either way he was certain they were there.

They’d probably been on him since he left Yellow Sun HQ thirty minutes ago. YS hadn’t trusted him from day one – they’d likely been watching him ever since. The team was probably plotted up away from the building; no need to have their own eyes-on in such a controlled environment. That goon in the security hut at the gate must have been the trigger.

An aware target masquerading as an unaware one, Kerry strained his hearing, trying to hear them on their radios.

RED has the eyeball

GREEN backing

BLUE, I’m on the other side of the street

Despite the odds, the advantage was still his. He knew that as he turned left onto Laker Street they’d do their silly little dance, same as always, regular as clockwork.

RED, Target is approaching nearside turn onto Laker Street

BLUE moving up to cover

He’d be able to see Blue now if he looked over his right shoulder. He considered taking an extra step or two before turning the corner just to rattle them, but that would have tipped them off that he knew they were there. “Never let them know that you know,” Dave always used to say, “That’s Rule #1.” Rule #1 changed with the wind, but this one had held the title at least once.

He turned left onto Laker Street.

RED that’s the target Left Left onto Laker Street; handover

BLUE has the eyeball. Target proceeding, corner is clear

GREEN turning Left Left; I have the eyeball

BLUE backing

RED, I’m on the other side of the street

Laker Street was routinely pounded by suburban traffic, rattling the sash windows of the tall Victorian homes on the left hand side. Most properties had basements with steps leading down from the street; RED ONE was one such basement flat, number 221b. As he passed it he looked as closely as he could without turning his head. Everything seemed in order, but he certainly wasn’t going in through the front door. RED ONE was chosen for a very good reason, one which the surveillance team was soon to discover to their cost.

Leaving the steps to RED ONE behind, he maintained his pace but quickened his thoughts. The next left turn onto Kingsway had to be just right – he’d have three or four seconds tops to evade his pursuers. The window was tight, but terrain was on his side.

GREEN, Target is approaching nearside turn onto Kingsway

RED There’s no more footpath – I can’t move up to cover the corner! There’s too much traffic for me to step into the road

GREEN, That’s understood. If the Target takes the nearside turn I’ll clear the corner myself and we’ll carry out cornering drill without you. Catch up when you can

RED, That’s received

With Red neutered by the short footpath, Kerry turned left onto Kingsway, passing the corner shop. As he did so he removed his jacket and increased his walk almost to a jog.

GREEN that’s the Target Left Left onto Kingsway. Temporarily unsighted



Out of sight of the surveillance team, Kerry turned left one last time into the alleyway alongside the corner shop. Running now, he made for the rubbish bin that stood in front of the six foot gate that blocked further passage and obscured the alley’s access to the rear of the properties on Laker Street.

GREEN, I’m crossing Kingsway. No sign of Target. Loss, Loss

Lent by adrenaline the agility of a fitter man, he leapt onto the bin and threw his jacket over the thin strand of barbed wire that topped the gate. He hauled himself over and down the other side, tugging the shredded remains of his jacket behind him.

BLUE turning Left Left onto Kingsway. No sign of Target. Loss, Loss

Moving down the alleyway to the rear entrance of number 221b, the surveillance team’s comms chatter faded to silence.

GREEN, Total Loss, Total Loss. Commence search pattern

Finally inside RED ONE, Kerry took stock. It was supposed to be a straightforward penetration job; a simple exploit, lift some assets, get out. It would have been so much better had the target not turned out to be his boss, his real boss. All this “need to know” nonsense just gets a man into trouble. Why hadn’t Dave told him SIBHOD had already penetrated Yellow Sun? Why wouldn’t Yellow Sun tell him who the target was? Keith Starr would never have taken the job if he’d known.

So he did the best he could. He wasn’t going to give Yellow Sun anything that would damage SIBHOD; instead he turned over part of Dave’s tasteless music collection, plus his shopping list and his IE cache. Total junk, but better than nothing. It certainly bought him a ticket out of Yellow Sun’s front door.

But what to do next? From the files he turned over to Yellow Sun, he was certain there was nothing that could link him to either Dave or SIBHOD. Keith Starr’s professional reputation would take a bit of a hit, but if he kept his mouth shut, no harm done, surely? Or perhaps he should come clean to Dave, at least to tell him to update his PDF reader. Or maybe silence is golden – SIBHOD is not an organisation that tolerates failure…

A full write up of the winning solution to the Spy Hunter Part II Packet challenge is here!



Alec Waters is responsible for all things security at Dataline Software, and can be emailed at alec.waters@dataline.co.uk



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