It was the middle of May, 2014, Marek Kaminska was busy at work on his laptop within his apartment in Gdansk, Poland, downloading blueprints from several architectural firms with lousy firewalls to protect their secrets. Often tabbing between pages, the flashes of local Pet Stores also appearing across his screen, the urge to raise a large dog from a pup had gripped his mind for the past week or so after having trouble bypassing some hounds at the Russian Embassy some months ago.
His days when not traveling for work had a similar routine, morning workout, coffee and breakfast in a different location, then planning of new jobs and window shopping for a pet.
The phone next to the laptop began ringing, Picking it up within two rings, Marek answered with his alias of ‘Dot’, short for Dotyk Cienia, the Shadow Touch, a name he picked up for his ability to pick a lock or pocket without detection from even the most observant target.
A familiar voice came through the line, Georg Rudek, a constant employer, Dot was always his ‘go to’ guy for anything regarding Black Bag operations. The job was explained easily, maximum of two weeks, two man crew with Dot taking the lead and one man as backup. Dot suggested two names for a preferred partner, The Swede and The Garbage Man, two solid guys that he had crossed paths with on a few jobs, both would have his back if it got messy.
Rudek would send through the documents, plane tickets and meeting location via Dot’s preferred set up, public message boards hiding encrypted phrases and links that would lead down a never ending rabbit hole to someone who didn’t know what they were looking for, for Dot, this was his safest means of secure communication. Within Minutes, there it was, plane tickets to Croatia, the flight leaving the next day.
*
Nemours Hiking Loop was always a popular place for those who desired to get away from Paris, Benoit Charvet was no exception. For a hiking trail, this was more like a neighborhood job to Benoit, where others would walk in hours, he would traverse at speed, and for hours, crossing his previous paths and keeping himself alert to changes in terrain. Working up a good sweat, he headed back to his parked Audi RS7, a modest car for someone earning as much as he did.
Stretching for a few moments before entering the driver’s side, he looked at his phone to see two missed calls, an hour apart, Alex, not so much a friend as much as a Handler, a way Benoit used for getting work. He pushed the return call button to hear Alex pick up within three rings.
Alex seemed calm, explaining to Benoit that he had been contacted about a job, a maximum of two weeks in Croatia, purely backup, nothing too serious and potential good money. Benoit gave it some thought before accepting the job, it had been a while since he had been on an easy assignment, thinking to himself that this might be a good way to not have to take responsibility for another person’s mistakes, something that seemed to follow him. Revving his engine, he headed back to Paris, his plan was to pack light and make the trip to Croatia after a full menu of French specialties, his knowledge of Croatian food leaving him wincing.
*
The Flight to Dubrovnik was uncomfortable, Benoit, even though in business class, always felt the air got harder to breathe where death had been a dominant feature of history. Landing with little delay, the address of the Hotel he was instructed to meet the designated contact was only a few minutes away by cab.
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He walked through the main entrance at 4:06pm, his meeting scheduled for 5pm. Looking around the foyer, a large cafe to his right, elevators to his left, Benoit could see that this was trying to be more than it was. A mediocre hotel trying its hand at being fancy, it was quaint enough to lure him to the cafe as he sat and observed over the top of yesterday's newspaper all of the comings and goings of the main door.
Dot entered the hotel lobby at 4.32pm. He had walked the perimeter, taking care to scout all exits and access points in case this was not just some simple information gathering exercise. He recognised Benoit immediately, pausing for a moment before heading to the cafe, Dot sat at Benoit’s table, “L'éboueur”, the Garbage man. Both men exchanged looks at each other, both breathing a sigh of relief. Having worked together a handful of times before, they both immediately felt at ease that the other part of the two man team was a familiar and more importantly, proven operator.
Killing time, the two conversed about the last time they saw each other, six months prior in Egypt where the only thing worse than the heat, was the sand.
As the clock struck 4.55pm, the two began to move to the fourth floor, room 472 was the target, Dot leading the with L'éboueur maintaining a five meter gap at all times, both men scanning every corridor.
Knocking on the door to 472, Rudek opened it with a slight smile, ushering the men into the large room. Once drinks had been distributed, Rudek laid everything out. Bringing the two men to the main table where a laptop was set up, folders of files and handwritten notes scattered across the majority of the veneer timber table top. The target was a laptop, a simple retrieval operation. The laptop was in the possession of Brigadier General Malcolm Lennart, a Canadian in charge of logistics at the NATO Base in Sarajevo. He had completed his tour and was returning to Canada on the 22nd of May, five days away.
Rudek explained that the principles behind this operation required the laptop only, no necessary force required, the General takes the computer off base every night, even though it is against procedure. The information given to Rudek suggests that the laptop contained possible ‘under the table’ deals with organized crime and NATO officials.
This triggered a thought in Dot’s mind, it would not be far-fetched to think that the General had stumbled across Serbian War Crimes activity and its connections across the area.
It was made clear that a complete file transfer from the laptop was insufficient. The laptop must be the only copy of the files within. Rudek then explained the details, he had people willing to grease the palms of any potential transportation issues on route to the NATO base at Sarajevo, from there, once the Laptop was in hand, call the number provided, Belgrade prefix, a contact named Anton Dedopovic would provide time for handoff. The location of the exchange was already provided via the GPS coordinates Rudek passed over the Dot.
The fee for the job was standard, 100,000 EU each, half transferred now, the other half cash on delivery. Rudek requested a list of equipment needed as he passed a set of car keys to L'éboueur.
The three men all agreed on the price, however L'éboueur was uncomfortable with their contact. Anton had a reputation, he was connected with Nasa Stvar, the Serbian mafia, a convicted killer and rapist, he was anyone's for a price, rumours of him setting up some sort of Heroin ring in Switzerland in previous months had taken L'éboueur attention at the time.
Both Dot and L'éboueur left the room, heading back downstairs towards the car park in search of the vehicle that had been left for them, outside the hotel and down the street, the familiar sound of a car being unlocked echoed as Eboueur pushed the unlock button on the keys.
In the car the two started making a list of equipment, firearms were always a must on a snatch and grab like this, sidearms and sub machine guns were a good start. Dot wrote down a list of equipment, including electronic listening devices, electronic lock breaks and hacking devices, most he had brought with him, but preferred to use local resources to avoid leaving any form of signature.
L'éboueur was more concerned with arming himself, contemplating the need for long arms as well as the basics.
L'éboueur waited in the car as Dot went back to room 472, an envelope containing the list of items required in his hand. He left it on the table for Rudek to find and order, both men aware that timing was crucial.
Retiring for the night at their new hotel, Dot’s phone began to buzz in his pocket. Rudek advised that most equipment would be ready by 8am, the more specialized gear would be coming no later than 10pm.
L'éboueur took this as a sign, the Jeep constantly frustrating him, he decided that while they had to wait, he would get it looked over by a decent mechanic.
As the sky turned black with the late night air, Dot and L'éboueur both checked that the initial deposit from the task at hand had been sent, L'éboueur noticing that the funds had come through from Klopstock and Bilroy, a privately owned bank based out of Hungary. Another memory triggered in his mind, that this bank had been bought by some sort of company in Switzerland and was a possible front for money laundering for the Russian Mafia. Thinking to himself about who his employers might be, he had to stop himself from thinking too hard, realizing that this was the nature of the job, there was no such thing as ‘king and country’ anymore.
*
The morning came quickly, Dot meeting Rudek with bags in hand. Basic equipment for the job, binoculars, evening fatigues, burner phones, standard Glock 19 pistols with spare mags. Rugged and reliable tools of the trade. Rudek advised that the electronic equipment and sub machine guns were on their way, everything will be ready by 10pm.
While Dot was making the pickup, L'éboueur had tracked down a somewhat reputable mechanic, doing his best to ask for a comprehensive service in his best broken English. After a few minutes of confusion, the mechanic seemed to understand and took the keys. Turning from the mechanic, L'éboueur pulled out his phone and began dialling, booking a hotel in Sarajevo for himself and Dot for when they arrived. Their plan, to pick up their gear and be in Sarajevo by 3am.
The day was then filled with checking and rechecking equipment, the occasional nap and the tapping of feet on floor and carpet as the seconds turned into minutes. Dot poured over the flash drive given to him by Rudek, containing the basics of the operation. A dossier on Brigadier General Lennart showed that he was something of a career soldier, a long standing girlfriend being the closest relationship he had. Nothing in his jacket suggested any sort of treason or investigation worthy classification. He seemed clean. The only strange thing within his file, the sudden transfer to Sarajevo, a General should be finishing his command at NATO HQ in Naples, however spending the last five months of a career in Bosnia didn’t seem like an ideal end.
Moving beyond the personal file, satellite photos of the UN base at Sarajevo showed at least 12 different nations with dozens of men on patrol at all times, numerous civilian workers and parking facilities. There was no clean way in or out without going through checkpoints where identification had to be authenticated.
If they were going to get their hands on the laptop, it was going to have to be at the General’s home.
It was 4pm when L'éboueur returned to the mechanic who was chuckling to himself about the price he was being paid for a car that required next to no work. This seemed to put L'éboueur’s mind at ease for the time being.
Dot and L'éboueur began discussing the nature of the objective, Dot explaining the difficulty of infiltrating a military base, however the risks were severely lesser off base in the town of Ilidza where the General resides. In agreement, the two both met with Rudek at 10pm, on the outskirts of town behind a gas station, a larger bag was handed to Dot, who in term placed it in the back of the Jeep for L'éboueur to look over. Rudek advised them to call his people when they were ready to leave; they were to provide safe passage to Sarajevo.
Rudek gave a nod as he drove away, Dot immediately on the phone to the number given to him, within half an hour a separate meeting was scheduled further along the road to Sarajevo, where they would meet Rudek’s people.
Dot took the time to inspect the electronic surveillance gear, while L'éboueur dove into the pair of Russian PP19 Vityaz submachine guns, both were worn, but far from damaged. Familiar with them, he broke each one down and reassembled it quickly, checking for any missing parts or damaged internals. Satisfied, he placed them back in the bag they had arrived in, the three magazines fully loaded in a separate pouch.
As the two approached the next meeting spot, a small van was waiting, three occupants inside. L'éboueur pulled up alongside the vehicle, his pistol aimed at the men from the inside of his door, he gave a nod and waited for a reply. An elderly man exited the van, a non threatening expression on his face, even though carrying a beat up AK-47 over his shoulder. He signaled for the Jeep to follow him, repeating his nod, L'éboueur took up position some 20 meters behind the van for the drive to Sarajevo.After an hour and a half of driving, the brake lights of the van came to life as 3 older model Jeeps blocked the road ahead. L'éboueur stopped short of the cars, his hand shoving Dot, waking him from his sleep, both men drew their sidearms and waited for any form of movement. Within moments, the old man appeared, exchanging something with one of the men in the Jeep, pointing to the vehicle where L'éboueur and Dot were, nodding his head. Another few moments passed, neither Dot or L'éboueur dared to breathe, both men thinking that his was going to end badly. The Jeeps then came to life, slowly rolling back off the road to allow the van and the following vehicle through.
The tense moment had passed as the two watched the militia roadblock disappear behind them, L'éboueur was relieved although would not have minded a show of force if given half the opportunity.
The van came to a stop on the outskirts of town, the old man getting out once more and waiting for his two guests to do the same. L'éboueur and Dot both exited, giving appreciative nods to the old man. Unable to control the urge, L'éboueur pulled some money from his pocket, motioning his interest in the man’s AK.
The old man laughed as the van drove away, sitting in the passenger seat counting the sum that could have bought 20 new rifles that this tourist had just paid him for his beat up nail driver of a weapon.
The hotel that L'éboueur had booked seemed modest, not fancy, nor dirty, clean nad dry, all that was needed. Dot left L'éboueur at the hotel, he had slept in the car, so he wanted to get eyes on the Generals home to start documenting the morning routine, it was L'éboueur’s chance to rest before anything serious began. Taking the jeep, it only took 20 minutes for him to find the street the General lived on and a good place in which to park the car for observation.
6am, the upstairs light of the modest living establishment came on, shadows moving against the still closed curtains. Shortly after, the downstairs light came on, followed immediately by the turning off of the upstairs. 6.45am a Jeep not dissimilar to the one Dot was driving appeared in the driveway, UN plates visible on the vehicle. A driver exited the vehicle, moved to the Generals front door and knocked before returning to the car. Lennart emerged from his home, closed the door behind him and entered the back seat of the waiting vehicle.
Dot took up a long tail of the vehicle, it was taking the most direct route the four kilometers to the base entrance, Dot thinking to himself that a car extraction was out of the question. It was a direct route, there would be good response times if any alert went out, it would have to be a night extraction alerting as few people as possible to ensure a head start.
Dot watched as the General’s vehicle approached the entry gate to the base, passing security checks it disappeared from view as Dot came to a stop along the side of the road at a safe distance. Waiting a few minutes he then headed back to the hotel. L'éboueur woke to the sound of Dot pulling into the car park, he rose from bed and began making a poor cup of coffee. Dot entered and explained the events of the morning, they agreed that in order to keep surveillance constant, another car was required, something L'éboueur would hire as it was Dot’s turn to rest.
Securing a hire vehicle seemed easier than it should have been, no pictures of passports, just cash and a promise, L'éboueur left the premises in a several year old Toyota Camry, the paint had clearly seen better days and the upholstery had clearly been used as an ashtray at some point, but for the price, it would do the job for a few days. Arranging another visit to the General's house, L'éboueur woke Dot around midday with a phone call, both vehicles arriving around 1pm to inspect the property. Dot was the first to move, he started at the front of the house, looking quickly but carefully at the door, the motion sensors inside visible through the window immediately told him that it was a standard alarm system, most likely a touch pad with a pin code. Moving around the house, Dot could hear the sound of flapping from the rear of the house as he walked silently down a side path. Looking around the back corner, a middle aged woman was standing on the back deck flapping folding linen, the General had a maid.
Withdrawing back to the car where L'éboueur waited, he explained the situation before going back to the Jeep and waiting inside. By 2pm, the maid appeared from the side of the house riding a push bike, L'éboueur started his engine before attacking up a tail of the maid. Thinking that if the maid had access to the home, she would have the pin code for the alarm, if they needed to go that far to gain entry.
The two conversed over their burner phones, they now knew the maids unit number and address of her apartment block if they needed to take that route. Meeting back at the hotel, they decided to look around the town, finding a good place to eat that sold decent coffee, L'éboueur took his leave around 5pm, knowing that standard military would be leaving the base around 6pm.
As if on cue, L'éboueur sighted the General’s vehicle leaving the base, one driver, one passenger. Tailing the vehicle, it headed into town, not in the direction of the General’s home. Pulling up outside a restaurant, L'éboueur parked across the street from the UN vehicle, observing the General exit the car and enter the establishment. Sending Dot a text, L'éboueur made his way on foot across the busy street and brushed past the driver of the General’s car, almost stumbling to see if the driver had any kind of reaction. His goal being to establish if this was just a driver, or someone with reaction skills of a body guard or trained special forces soldier. To his delight, the driver merely stood there with a strange look on his face, as if he had just felt the urge come upon him to blow his nose. Heading inside, L'éboueur spied the General sitting alone at a table deep in conversation with an elderly man who stood by him, dressed in the attire of a chef.
Playing the part of a loud tourist, L'éboueur demanded his own table, acting almost foolishly in order to be sat where he wanted, with direct line of sight to the General who was reading a novel, his laptop bag securely placed between his legs on the floor.
Too much time had passed in Dot’s mind, jumping into the Jeep and making his way towards town, he keyed speed dial 1, L'éboueur’s burner in the hope of an update. The voice on the other end of the line came through in low volume so as not to be overheard, periodically the chewing of food also echoed down the phone. Dot took up a position in the jeep outside, watching to see if the Driver would emerge. The clock was approaching 8pm before the General rose from his table. Thanking his host, he made his way back out of the restaurant and towards the vehicle, his driver opening the door for him, the driver who had been sitting in the front of the building to keep a somewhat observant if not distracted eye on any potential threat.
Dot followed the General’s vehicle back to his home, a similar routine as the morning, the driver opening the door for the General, the door opening, alarm system turned off, then a short not as the driver entered the vehicle and drove away. Setting up his listening devices and binoculars in hand, Dot could hear the sounds of music playing, the periodic tapping of a keypad and the standard movements of a single man pacing around. This continued until 11pm where the music died suddenly, lights went out and all was quiet. Waiting until 3am, L'éboueur arrived to relieve Dot from his post, having recorded one security check at 1am, Dot welcomed the reprieve, heading back to the Hotel for some food and sleep.
*
The Following day was much the same as the previous, the General’s routine following the same structure as the day previous, a lifetime of order on regulation at its finest. L'éboueur and Dot spent the morning scouting a location for interrogation if for some reason the General was uncooperative in the attempts to gain his laptop. An industrial area 25 minutes from his home looked like the best spot, good cover and good sight lines in and out. L'éboueur was convinced that they had to move against the General this evening, there was only 2 days until he flew back to Canada on board a military aircraft. It was Dot’s turn to follow the General home, today there was no restaurant, only a direct route home, his equipment picking up sounds of pots nad pans going to work as music played in the background.
The plan was as simple as they could make it, after the 4am security check that L'éboueur was convinced that they had to move against the General this evening, there was only 2 days until he flew back to Canada on board a military aircraft. Had reported, they go in, infiltrate the home and conduct a search, find the laptop and get out. As 11 pm arrived, much like the previous night, music died, lights went out and all was silent.
Dot returned to the hotel to find L'éboueur had packed everything, as if no one had ever stayed in the room. Bags were placed by the door, beds were made and all prints were wiped from surfaces.
Dropping the rented vehicle keys in the box outside the rental office, the two made their way back to the General’s house at 2am, observing from a distance as the gentle ticking of their watches counted down the seconds until it was time to move.
4am, the security check was standard, a loop of the house was conducted before moving off. 4:07am, the doors of the Jeep silently opened as Dot and L'éboueur silently approached the house. Dot taking a knee as he picked the lock with ease, L'éboueur standing guard behind him, his pistol held at the ready across his chest. As the front door opened, Dot could see the motion detector sensors glowing red, he knew he had somewhere between 30-45 seconds before sirens sounded. Plugging in his remote device smoothly, he was inside the system within moments, disabling the system in under 25 seconds. Taking a silent but deep breath, he opened the door wider for L'éboueur to enter before closing it with a slight click of the latch catching the bolt inside the lock.
Both men scanned their surroundings, clicking the switches of their flashlights only for brief moments to see what was around them. The downstairs area was clean and clear, the kitchen organized, bathroom barely used, living area without blemish. Dot signaled to L'éboueur to stay behind him as he moved towards the stairs, ascending slowly but silently, Dot reached the top of the stairs where he was met by the open door of a bathroom and two closed doors. From where he was positioned in the house, he could see the door on his left was where the General slept, the room on the right was unknown. L'éboueur placed his hand on Dot’s shoulder, motioning to the mystery door, Dot moved to it, opening it gently to reveal an office. Again placing a hand on his shoulder, L'éboueur motioned that he would remain in the hall while Dot searched the office to make sure there was no movement or surprises. Looking around the room, flicking his flashlight, dot could see he was in a study, everything in its place, even the laptop sitting neatly on the desk.
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Dot unfolded the laptop slowly, covering the speakers in case the frustrating sound of Windows startup filled the air. To his relief, it was silent, plugging into the computer he was through the password protection in under a minute and looking at a very barren desktop. Folders were present, but not labeled well, this was it, this was the op.
Laptop in hand, Dot exited the room, L'éboueur standing in the hallway, motioning to the bedroom as if asking if they needed to make entry. Dot shook his head motioning to the laptop, he moved his eyes in the direction of the exit, L'éboueur paused for an instant before shrugging and making his way down the stairs and across the main area to the door.
*
Dot and L'éboueur drove north, in no direction set in their orders. They had just stolen from NATO command, specifically a Brigadier General, if there was going to be a pursuit, it was not going to go north, it was going to the border or west, back towards anywhere with an airport. The two of them set up in a hotel in Tusla, a small place with four walls, bad TV and worse coffee, but dry and more importantly, off grid.
The TV was tuned to the local news channel, there was nothing mentioned of any activity, Dot’s computer reading the same, no increased security around NATO bases, no restrictions on flights in and out of the country, everything seemed normal.
Dot didn’t know what to do, he looked blankly at the laptop, it was L'éboueur who made the decision, deeming it important to know the information they had just stolen. With his brain also thinking the same thing, Dot opened the laptop, scanning for folders and files that the General may have been working on.
It was clear that Lennart had no sense of computer literacy, the computer was a dumping station for data. The only clear system that could be found was that the General was one of those ‘Read Everything’ personalities, once an item was read, it was closed and not organized.
It took hours to scan through most of the documents, something that could take months to get a good understanding of.
Batches of redacted NATO reports, memos and intel documents from agencies across the globe, CIA, FBI, SAS and alike, almost everything marked ‘classified’. Manifests of secret NATO flights across the Balkans, disappearing records and flight plans, it was all jumbled and all seemed to be in no particular direction or order. Evidence of diverted medical care and blood supplies bound for third world nations, all but disappeared en route. Secret death squads dispatched from NATO against western enemies in the Middle East, all of these reports seemed unfounded, neither L'éboueur or Dot ever seeing anything like it.
Money going everywhere, offshore accounts around the globe, funding non-government affiliated agencies and black ops. Recurring mentions of the ‘Cambridge 5’, the secret spy ring in the 70’s that made both Dot and L'éboueur think on their history.
This was a lot of information to compile for just one General, Dot had the overwhelming feeling that Lennart had either been given this information and pursued it further himself, or stumbled onto someone's existing research, either way, it looked like he could make little sense of it, and why was it so important to their employers?
Dot inserted a flash drive into the side of the laptop, copying all files to it, nearly filling the two terabyte drive. Wiping all traces of his intrusion from the computer, another scan of the news headlines made it clear it was time to call the number from Belgrade, it was time to get in contact with Anton.
The phone rang for what seemed like an eternity, once it was answered , only breathing came through the line at first. Dot broke the silence only to be met with a few words regarding being called back before the phone went dead again. The two had been in the hotel all day, arriving at 6am and watching the clock now chime 8pm. Dot’s phone rang to the sound of Anton on the other line, questions about why they had waited so long to call after completing their operation.
Dot explained that they needed to make sure they were not being followed, needing to lay low and observe the news and NATO movements. Anton expressed that they were required to make the exchange at 6am dawn.
Looking at each other, L'éboueur and Dot breathed sighs of relief mixed with uncertainty, the meeting destination was always going to be the hardest part, the uncertainty of them walking out of Bosnia alive was always up in the air.
Both men knew what was at stake, if the meeting was at 6am, they were going to be there hours early, scout the area, make sure they had a good exit plan in case things went sideways. Dot packed up all his equipment as tightly as possible, save for anything that he knew he would need, mainly weapons, L'éboueur did the same, again stripping and cleaning the AK 47 he had paid handsomely for.
The drive was quiet, relaxing almost, the night sky clear overhead as the Jeep arrived at Srebrenica. The coordinates given to them were for a plateau halfway up a hillside, below them the cemetery of the mass killings, above them the rocky hills of the horizon.
L'éboueur found the spot, a crossroads of sorts, one way up, an offroad track leading further into the hills, but mainly the end of the line. Whoever was coming to this exchange could only get there by the single road. The night air was cool to breath, almost cold enough to stop the nervous sweat both men had as they scanned the hills above and the valley bellow for any signs of movement or danger. L'éboueur had his AK in hand, his submachine gun ready on the front seat and his sidearm concealed on his hip, Dot was much the same, his submachine gun across his chest, his sidearm in the small of his back.
It was 7:54am when two vehicles entered their view at the bottom of the slop, a Jeep similar to theirs, and a blue BMW sedan followed. At a distance of about 200 meters the two vehicles stopped. One man exiting the Jeep and clearly using a set of binoculars to look up the hill, he was met with the gaze of L'éboueur looking back at him through similar binoculars. The man ran to the window of the BMW, clearly talking to someone inside who also exited the vehicle briefly before disappearing back inside.
The man with the binoculars hopped back into the Jeep and within moments, both cars were climbing the hillside again, slowly. Stopping 50 or so meters from where L'éboueur and Dot were waiting, a large bald man exited the BMW and began flashing the lights on and off, the signal for the exchange. L'éboueur leaned into the driver’s side of the Jeep, he started echoing the sequence of flashing lights as the sun crept over the horizon.
The sunlight bathing everything it touched in a warm orange light, everything seemed in its place, until the glint of something metallic and reflective caught the eyes of Dot and L'éboueur as the light slowly washed over the hills above.
