the engine running, looked at Stratton and gave him a nod. Stratton walked around the car to the driver’s door.
‘This got comms?’ Stratton asked the driver.
‘Na. It’s clean.’
‘No support kit in the boot?’
‘Nuffin. I was told you needed a sterile car just for a run around.’
Stratton understood - they were in good old England on a safe op - but he always liked the support of comms, a medic pack and a weapon or two, out of habit if nothing else. Safe ops held bad memories for him. The last one he ran was in Paris and he had lost a US Navy Seal operative to the Real IRA. ‘Thanks,’ Stratton said to the man who nodded and walked away up the street.
‘This is our ride,’ Stratton said to Gabriel. Gabriel climbed into the back while Stratton got behind the wheel and shut his door. He turned to look at Gabriel pulling his bag beside him and resting his head on the back of the seat as if preparing to sleep.
‘Where’re we going?’ he asked as he turned back to familiarise himself with the instruments and check the fuel gauge.
‘That’s your job,’ Gabriel said tiredly.
Stratton suddenly felt like a chauffeur but held back any sarcastic comment, reminding himself this was a game and a temporary one at that. Gabriel had the clues and Stratton had to piece them together. It might even be fun. What else was going on?
‘An American air base near a large wood with soldiers in it?’ Stratton asked.
‘I have nothing more to add to that at the moment,’ Gabriel said.
Stratton pulled his seatbelt on, put the car into gear, drove round the corner at the end of the street and headed for the Bayswater Road.
The only American air bases in England he could think of were Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Fairford. There were a few others the Yanks shared with the RAF in some way or other and Gabriel had given no clues the bases were not dual nationality. But Mildenhall and Lakenheath were the biggest US bases outside of the States and both were close to Thetford Forest, which had a large Brit army training area.That was north east of London, two hours or so. It was a start, and if it was a negative, he would have to make a few calls to get information on other locations.
M1, M11 or A1, he wondered? The M11 sounded good from what he could remember of trips into Norfolk.
Stratton suddenly felt hungry. He had not eaten supper and only a sandwich for lunch. ‘You hungry?’
‘No.’
Stratton decided to get out of the city first and then stop somewhere, on the motorway perhaps, and grab a bite. He looked in his rear-view mirror. Gabriel had his eyes closed but did not look asleep.
‘Is it some kind of mental gift?’
‘What?’
‘Remote viewing.’
‘I’m told most people can be taught to view.’
‘You can be taught to look inside people’s heads?’ That sounded even more far-fetched.
‘It’s all about clearing one’s mind and getting into a pure alpha state.’
Gabriel did not elaborate further and Stratton was beginning to find his attitude irritating. ‘Gabriel, I’d like to know more about it . . . Yes, I’m sceptical, but you can understand that.’
Gabriel opened his eyes slightly to look at Stratton. He remained silent for a moment deciding whether or not to bother trying to explain any further. ‘The brain basically operates in four mental states: alpha, beta, theta and delta. Delta is deep sleep and the best place to receive viewings, but you can’t interpret them if you are asleep. Theta is light sleep and also a good place to view, but you can quickly drift into delta. Beta is normal consciousness, such as where you are now, but it is almost impossible to view because the mind is too crammed. Alpha is the mind state between theta and beta where you can clear your mind but remain awake. It’s a form of meditation. The rest is practice and being able to interpret what you see. It’s really that simple. If you want to know more about it, you’ll have to get a book. I do it, I don’t teach it.’
Stratton rolled his eyes. He had got what he asked for but was none the wiser.
‘Do you believe in God?’ Gabriel asked him.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Because you haven’t seen him.’
‘Because I’ve never needed him,’ Stratton said, then wondered how true that was. He was reminded of something he had thought of that afternoon on the train while reading