Euston Tower
4-30 p.m.
17th April
David and Beaumont worked solidly for some hours, looking at on line charts and using software to calculate all possible routes south and across the country. They highlighted possible terrorist targets on the digital maps and sent out the completed routes, when done, to the scanner teams on the other floors. This made it easier for those teams to make more finite searches and communicate with DIC watchers on those routes only.
Finally David completed the last digital map and pressed send. The compressed file zipped around the building and was then zipped across the country at high speed.
“What time is it?”
“It’s just gone three”
“Let’s go and take a break.”
“Sound idea.”
The two men sat in the canteen drinking coffee and eating biscuits.
“It’s been an interesting first day.” David smiled looking around.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t get any more interesting. Remember that curse? May you live in interesting times.”
“I see you’re eating Jaffa cakes. Now that’s an interesting conundrum. Is it a cake or is it a biscuit?”
“It’s whatever the majority of people decide it is I guess." Beaumont said and gave him a twinkly smile.
“What about the tyranny of the majority concept?”
“True enough. I see you’ve read your JS Mill.”
“Also if you start thinking of Pol Pot and the ‘Year Zero’ concept isn’t anything exactly what a powerful tyrant says it is?”
“Hmmm. I tell you what though a cake by any other name would taste as sweet.” To emphasise the point Beaumont popped the rest in his mouth.
“Well that’s philosophy, politics and literature covered what’s next?”
Beaumont looked at his watch.
“It’s information technology next my friend. Let’s go.”
Both men chatted amiably on their way to the lift. In a short space of time the pair had formed a bond.