One Day in Paris. A novel by Andrew Brel
Dan Blake, 39, an unexpectedly unemployed British Army Officer accepts a lucrative offer to mastermind a devastating attack that turns his fortunes, leading him to an extraordinary position of influence on world events.
One Day in Paris
After 18 years rising through the ranks of the British Army, specialist field commander Colonel Dan Blake, 39, is in line for a senior posting in Counter Insurgency, at the fore of Britain’s military reply to domestic terrorism. The position was an ideal fit for his experience and training as a soldier. With an unblemished record in service, the high achieving Blake’s world falls apart when he fails the Psychiatric profiling for the position.
In the space of a few months he finds himself divorced, unemployed, homeless and virtually broke. He has not addressed the PTSD at the core of his mental disorder and is instead self medicating with alcohol. His skills though remain intact.
Blake travels in search of himself choosing to visit his oldest friend, and roommate from Cambridge, Edwin Mallory; an MI6 operative, based in the Moscow Embassy.
Mallory, the outstanding student of their year, headhunted at graduation by MI6, is now a senior figure in British Intelligence with considerable influence. As the job requires, Mallory has secrets and is a complex man, but one who regards Blake as his only real friend. Their lives will intertwine more than once.
During the Moscow visit Mallory assists his friend with a number of introductions to potential employers, interested in acquiring Blake’s particular and specific skill set and here Blake meets Dubai billionaire, Sheik Mohammad Al Hussein. Blake finds both share an interest in military history and single malt whiskey. A few drinks too-many leads to inappropriate speculation on how easy it would be to co ordinate a devastating ‘landmark’ terror attack.
Invited to speculate, as a professional soldier, on how he would design a landmark terror attack given unlimited resources, Blake describes on how easy it would be to create mayhem on a scale the relatively amateurish attacks to date lacked.
Events move to Morocco, where Blake is invited to a job interview. He meets Karim El Moumni, 67, a Saudi financier representing trillionaire clients, including the Al Saud Family.
Blake is offered a multi-million dollar payday and access to unlimited resources, including a billion dollar war chest, to coordinate the secretive planning, training and execution of a devastating high-visibility attack.
Blake has six months to stage the event, and a further six months to deal with any consequences, after which, if he succeeds, he will be free to enjoy his financial independence.
Drawn by circumstances into what might previously have been unthinkable, Blake turns his mind to a battle plan, with the accompanying recruitment and ordnance acquisition, operating within the highest level of secrecy.
The attack is set for the 5th of July, one day after security would be at it’s highest. Sixteen professionally trained jihadi’s are driven by four local drivers to four locations in Paris, and the attack achieves all of it’s objectives.
In the aftermath, Blake lays low, working a cover job as a security consultant while the dust settles. Much to his surprise, it appears the investigation that follows does not link to him in any way, and six months later he resigns and moves to America to start a new life as a very wealth man.
Blake never finds out who his employer was or their motives. What is clear though is the Paris attack has impacted on World markets to the extent of multiple billions, while dramatically shifting Western perception of Islam.
Blake’s journey from unemployed former soldier to multi-millionaire forty year old takes an unexpected twist when he receives an invitation to meet one of the worlds wealthiest men, former Senator Bob Barrat, President of Barrat Industries, who introduces Blake to a world of new-tech weaponry, extraordinary wealth and the conscienceless power that combination enables.
Barrat also introduces Blake to his deviant daughter Diana and, after a brief courtship, they marry. Blake accepts a dream job from his new father in law as executive director of a highly funded nano technology armaments division of Barrat Industries, with a breathtaking range of new products that will need field testing for the world markets.
But Blake must remain ever vigilant for the ghosts of his past, with the attentions of MI6 and Mossad never more than one phone call away.
Andrew Brel.
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“There are only two classes in the world: those who profit from violence, and those who are victimized by violence. Class war is not about rich or poor, black or white, or man versus woman. It is one class using force and deceit to control a majority supporting their own victimization under the guise of the pursuit of freedom. We who profit by war rule those who bend to our will. Those meek inheritors born for no higher purpose than to meekly inherit nothing. Our controlling interest in this relationship is now so entrenched that we maintain our position without even needing to get our hands dirty. Our power lies in controlling information in all its shapes and sizes. Information is the integral component of the class war and of my business – creating content and distributing it, by whatever means available: information and misinformation. The only surprise in this balancing the status quo is how very easy it is for a tiny handful of people to own and control everything while the huge majority make do without life choices.
Napoleon knew the formula when he said ‘Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.’ All the great empire builders have relied on this understanding. Even the atheist leaders like Stalin and Mao, who killed off their intelligentsia rather than allow free thought to prosper, understood this same obeisance. All so they could enjoy drinking from the same cup. Power. Its what makes the world go round and it only makes the world go round when it’s concentrated in the hands of the few. Always been that way. Action and reaction. It takes a lot of poor people to make one billionaire.”
Senator BOB BARRAT.
Milkor MGL. One of the three weapons used by the 16
MP5 . One of the three weapons used by the 16. With the 100 round magazine
Glock. One of the three weapons used by the 16
