Capítulo 32: Chapter 32: Secret Meeting with Gareth
William parked his car near London Bridge. After getting out, he stood on the bridge wearing a down jacket for only a short while before a Range Rover stopped in front of him. The passenger side window rolled down, revealing a man in his thirties who asked, "William Devonshire?"
William nodded, and the man said, "Get in."
Once inside, the car drove towards the City of Westminster, entering a building with a sign for the London Electric Company on the door.
After being led to the 10th floor, William saw a slim middle-aged woman in her forties standing outside the elevator. Her name tag read "Catherine Davis."
Catherine Davis said to the staff member who brought William up, "I'll take him to Gareth's office. You can go."
She then led William to Gareth's office without waiting for the staff member's response.
As they entered, Gareth stood up quickly and greeted her, "Hey, Catherine, what brings you here?"
Catherine, with a stern expression, replied, "I was on my way to the archives and ran into this young man. I brought him up for you. I'm leaving now; you carry on."
"Alright, thanks, Catherine," Gareth said as he hurriedly opened the door for her.
Once the door was closed, William looked around Gareth's office, noting its simplicity: just a desk, a few filing cabinets, some chairs, and a liquor cabinet. Shaking his head, William joked, "Gareth, isn't this a bit too simple? Not even a sofa. And no beautiful secretary? Your department must be really poor. By the way, who was that lady? You seemed very deferential to her. Is she an old flame?"
"William, shut up immediately. Her name is Catherine Davis. She's the head of the Cabinet's Security Committee. You idiot, she's highly regarded and likely to join the Cabinet. Watch your mouth around her. I report to her, and she's notoriously difficult to deal with," Gareth warned.
Seeing Gareth's nervousness, William felt a bit lucky. "Good thing she didn't hear me. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble. Gareth, couldn't you have someone wait for me outside the elevator? If I get into trouble, I'll just say it was you who told me those things."
Gareth rolled his eyes at William, finding his casual attitude exasperating. "Shut your crow mouth. I haven't even asked what you've been up to these past few days, and here you are slandering me. Must have been fun, huh? That Diana Rigg is quite the beauty. Lucky you."
"Haha, she's alright. With my looks, wealth, and talent, of course beautiful women flock to me," William shamelessly boasted, pulling out a chair to sit in front of Gareth.
"I didn't know you were so shameless," Gareth said, pulling a large file folder from his desk drawer and handing it to William.
William opened the folder and emptied its contents onto the desk. There were two ID cards and ten personnel files inside.
Gareth explained, "These are your IDs. One is for the London Electric Company as a team leader in the maintenance department, to be used as your cover identity. The other is an MI6 ID as a security officer in charge of emergency incidents, reporting only to the Committee. The ten files are for your team members. Fill them out and submit them to the safe house. You know where the safe house near Buckingham Palace is, right?"
William glanced at the IDs and then put them down, asking sarcastically, "Of course, I know where the safe house is. But Gareth, with how famous I am now, do I really need a cover with the electric company? No one will believe it."
Gareth smiled slyly, "That's your problem. If you buy the London Electric Company, I can give you a chairman's ID. How about that?"
"Not interested. Why would I want that failing company? It loses so much money every year. Buying it would be a headache," William retorted.
"The electric company is very cheap now. The entire London Electric Company costs only 70 million pounds. The losses are mainly due to aging infrastructure and outdated equipment. You could make a profit if you modernize it," Gareth tried to persuade.
"I'd rather not. I can make more money elsewhere. Besides, everyone knows the company's union is tough to deal with. I don't want to deal with them. Now tell me about the team I'm supposed to lead. Do I have to work at headquarters? I don't want to see Mrs. M every day."
"Haha, Mrs. M, you dare say that?" Gareth agreed, nodding. He didn't like M either; she had been in MI6 for too long and ran it like an impenetrable fortress, making it hard for the Committee to intervene.
"Your team won't work at headquarters. You're an emergency response unit. If you need information, come to me. I have access to MI6 personnel files.
Once you've assembled your team, you're required to submit a list of team members to the safe house for backup. You don't need to tell anyone else. You can investigate any personnel you suspect, but you need evidence. You'll also have to accept assignments from me," Gareth explained.
"So, if you don't give me any tasks, I can do nothing?" William asked happily.
"Sigh, it's not like the pre-90s anymore. There aren't that many special incidents domestically. Everything now requires evidence; without it, nothing can be done. Our hands are tied. No action means no mistakes. Dangerous and troublesome tasks are left to MI6. The higher-ups fear exposure the most. If the public finds out, it's always bad news. Since you're a billionaire with nothing to do, why not take it easy?" Gareth said.
"You're bluffing. You just don't want to lose control. Fine, I didn't plan to take back my group's power anyway. Keeping it in your hands means I don't have to worry. I'm still young and want to enjoy life. Besides, I don't have a son yet; I don't want to risk not having an heir. Gareth, don't come to me unless it's absolutely necessary. I'll be a happy rich man enjoying my wealth," William said, not trusting Gareth. These guys only wanted to use him as muscle for dirty work without any benefits. He wouldn't fall for it and would let Gareth and Mrs. M fight among themselves while he watched from the sidelines.
"How should I recruit my team?" William asked.
"Recruit whoever you want. You can also look through the files at the archives. You can find people from the police, the military, or elsewhere. The most important thing is reliability," Gareth said, handing William a business card. "This is one of our archives in London, filled with personnel files of low-security level. You can recruit from the police force, the military, or elsewhere, but make sure your team members don't cause trouble. If something goes wrong, you'll have to deal with it yourself. Your team is a special action unit. Without a mission, you're just ordinary people, understood? Also, you'll need to fund your team. I can provide equipment and some official support, but not financial backing."
William looked at the business card, noting the address was for the London Library. "What can I find in a place like that?" he wondered aloud, puzzled.
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