Hostage (8 page)

The next image on the screen showed a
restaurant scene. A family of four sat at a table surrounded by other diners.

‘So where are the bodyguards in this
picture, Connor?’

Connor searched the image for clues.
‘The obvious one is the big man in the suit standing by the window, but you just
said it
can’t
be him.’

‘Correct. He’s the
restaurant’s doorman. The actual protection team is here.’ The colonel shone
a laser pointer at a couple having a seemingly romantic meal. ‘And also
here.’ The red beam now shone on the young girl at the family table.
‘She’s one of our buddyguards. And that’s why
you’ve
all been chosen. To blend into the background. To become the unassuming friend. By not
drawing attention to your Principal, you reduce the risk of making them a
target.’

‘So why do celebrities always use the
Hollywood type?’ asked Connor.

‘As a deterrent,’ replied the
colonel, picking up a coffee mug and taking a sip. ‘If the Principal is a film
star, for example, high-profile protection will keep any fanatical followers at bay.
And, in these cases, generally the bigger and uglier the bodyguard appears, the easier
it is for them to do their job.’

‘Makes Jason perfect for the
role!’ remarked Ling out of the corner of her mouth.

Jason flicked his pen lid at her.
‘Careful I don’t step on you, mini-mouse!’

She caught the lid in mid-air without
looking. ‘You’ll have to be quicker than that to get me.’

‘Ling!’ barked the colonel,
bringing a swift end to the frivolity. ‘I realize Alpha team knows much of this
already, but this session is designed to bring Connor up to speed and the revision is
beneficial for you too. So tell me, what’s the key to effective security as a
bodyguard?’

‘Constant awareness,’ Ling
replied, her expression turning studious.

The colonel slammed his palm on the lectern.
Amir almost leapt from his chair in fright at the sudden noise.

‘What did Ling just say,
Amir?’

‘Erm … constant … awareness,’ he
replied, stifling a yawn. The combination of working late and rising early had clearly
taken its toll.

‘And you’d do well to remember
that,’ warned the colonel. ‘If you’re aware, you’re less likely
to be taken by surprise. And that could mean the difference between life and death for
both you and your Principal.’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Amir, sitting
up straight.

‘Now explain the relevance of the
Cooper Colour Code.’

Amir swivelled in his chair to face Connor.
‘According to Marine Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Cooper, the most important means of
surviving a lethal confrontation isn’t a weapon or martial arts skills but the
correct combat mindset. He identified four levels of awareness – White, Yellow, Orange
and Red. Code White means being totally switched off. This is
where ninety-five per cent of people spend ninety-five per cent of their time – living
in their own bubble. Like when you’re on a mobile phone and you cross the road
without looking.’

Connor nodded, having been guilty of this
himself many a time and once almost getting run over.

‘Code White is no place for a
bodyguard to be,’ emphasized the colonel. ‘If you’re suddenly
attacked, you’ll get a massive surge of adrenalin that your body won’t be
able to cope with. It’ll trigger a state of
fight, flight or freeze
. This
sensory overload will hinder you from protecting your Principal, who’s probably in
the same state of shock. You need to be thinking straight, making lightning-fast
decisions and taking the appropriate actions to get your Principal out of
danger.’

The colonel’s steely grey eyes fixed
on Marc. ‘So, what state of mind should a bodyguard always be in?’

‘Code Yellow – relaxed
alertness,’ replied Marc. ‘There’s no specific threat, but
you’re aware that the world’s a dangerous place and you’re prepared to
defend yourself and your Principal, if necessary. You use all your senses to scan the
surroundings in a relaxed yet alert manner.’

‘What’s the problem with Code
Yellow, Jason?’

Jason looked up from his laptop. Tapping his
pen on the lecture chair’s writing tablet, he thought for a moment. ‘Erm …
while it’s simple enough to “switch-on” and become alert, the
difficulty is in maintaining that state. You can easily drift back into Code White
without even realizing it.’

The colonel raised his eyebrows pointedly at
Amir to ensure he got the message. ‘But with practice you can “live”
in Code Yellow on an indefinite basis. Now, Charley, explain to Connor the last two
states of awareness.’

‘Code Orange is a specific alert.
Having noticed a potential threat, you evaluate your choices. Run, fight or wait and
see, depending on how the situation develops,’ she explained fluidly. ‘Code
Red is the trigger. The threat has escalated into a hazardous situation. Having made
your decisions in Code Orange, you’re now acting on them.’

‘Exactly,’ said Colonel Black,
pleased with her response. ‘You haven’t jumped from Code White to Code Red
in a single leap, resulting in potential “brain-fade”. Since your mindset is
already in a heightened state of awareness, your body can handle the rush of adrenalin.
This means you can run faster, hit harder, think quicker and jump higher than you could
seconds before.’

The colonel directed his gaze towards
Connor. ‘In short, the Colour Code helps a bodyguard to stay in control and think
clearly in a life-threatening situation.’

Connor was now glad of that early-morning
run. His brain was just about ‘alert’ enough to take this information in. As
Connor made notes on the laptop Amir had provided, the colonel forwarded the
presentation to a silhouette of a young boy surrounded by four concentric circles. Each
ring was marked with a different acronym from the outside in: RST, SAP, PES and BG.

‘In the majority of assignments,
you’ll work as part of a larger adult close-protection team,’ explained
Colonel Black. His laser pointer flicked to the outermost circle, RST. ‘The
Residential Security Team, as the name implies, manages the physical security of
anywhere your Principal’s family might stay – for example, a house, a hotel or a
yacht. They’ll perform searches, monitor CCTV and check every visitor in and out.
In theory, this
should
be the safest place for you and your Principal. On the
other hand, being a fixed and known location, a residence is the most obvious target for
an attack.’

The red beam moved into the SAP circle.

‘The Security Advance Party provides
the next layer of
protection. They travel ahead of the family,
checking that routes and venues are safe. This may happen months in advance, say for a
holiday – or minutes, in the case of an impromptu visit to a restaurant. Many potential
attacks have been foiled by an observant SAP team. So good communication with them is
essential – you don’t want any surprises when you’re out and
about.’

The PES circle was now highlighted.
‘The Personal Escort Section provides a crucial layer of defence when the family
is on the move. Depending upon the situation, their function may be to provide
additional protection or to eliminate a threat and give you time to escape with your
Principal.’

The colonel’s laser pointer spiralled
in through the circles once more to reinforce their importance.

‘Each of these groups forms a cordon
of defence round the Principal and their family.’ His beam stopped at the smallest
innermost circle labelled ‘BG’. ‘But as a buddyguard you’ll be
the
final
ring of defence. It’s your ultimate responsibility to shield
your Principal from danger.’

The colonel directed everyone’s gaze
to the large silver shield and wings hanging over the door of the briefing room.
‘Hence our logo.’

He highlighted three words etched into the
burnished metal:
Praedice. Prohibe. Defende.

‘Charley, enlighten Connor with our
motto.’

‘
Predict. Prevent.
Protect
,’ she recited. ‘Predict the threat. Prevent the attack. Protect
the Principal.’

‘This isn’t a mere saying,
Connor,’ reaffirmed Colonel Black. ‘This is our method of operation. By
identifying a
source of danger early, we can minimize the risk of it
happening. If we put in place counter-measures, then the Principal will be better
protected. Hopefully, we’ll avoid the threat entirely. For example, if your
Principal is a famous young TV star, what threat could she face?’

‘A crazed fan?’ suggested
Connor.

‘Very likely. Now, say this crazed fan
poses a risk of stabbing to your Principal. How can we prevent this?’

‘Body armour,’ volunteered
Amir.

‘Effective, but for your Principal to
wear this all the time is unrealistic and impractical.’

‘Put a surveillance team on the
suspected fan,’ Ling suggested. ‘That way you can track their movements and
keep the Principal at a safe distance.’

‘Good. But what if the surveillance
team loses the fan?’

‘Then the buddyguard keeps an eye out
and provides protection to the Principal,’ said Jason.

‘Exactly. And that’s why you
need to remain constantly aware – in a Code Yellow mindset. You have to be continually
assessing people who come close enough to harm you or your Principal. Is the person in
the crowd reaching for a knife or a gun? Or an innocent mobile phone? Have you seen them
before? Do they appear unusually nervous? These are the sorts of questions you need to
ask yourself.’

The colonel paused to take another sip of
his coffee.

‘Here’s a different scenario:
your Principal is on a skiing holiday, there’s a demonstration outside her hotel.
What action would you take to ensure her safety?’

Connor thought for a moment. ‘Stay
inside until the demonstration moves on.’

‘That’s one option,’
conceded the colonel, ‘but your Principal has to meet friends in the next thirty
minutes.’

Unsure what to suggest, Connor looked to the
others for help.

‘You could use the PES team to form a
protective cordon,’ said Amir.

‘Not ideal,’ replied the
colonel. ‘Any contact with the demonstration
greatly
increases the risk
to your Principal.’

Jason put his hand up. ‘I’d
leave by a rear exit.’

‘Good,’ Colonel Black agreed.
‘But your Principal’s still ended up in hospital.’

‘Why?’

‘She slipped on the icy step of that
rarely used exit.’

Jason threw up his hands. ‘How could I
predict
that
?’

‘You should be on the lookout for
all
dangers,’ replied the colonel. ‘This is what I like to call
“salting the step”. When it comes to analysing the threats against your
Principal, leave no stone unturned.’

Colonel Black gestured towards Charley.

‘As Alpha team’s operations
leader – and the most experienced buddyguard among you – Charley will help you predict
and prevent any threats against your Principal,’ he explained. ‘But it will
be down to you
alone
to protect them. And over the coming weeks you’ll
learn the necessary skills to do just that – unarmed combat, anti-surveillance,
body-cover drills and anti-ambush exercises, to name but a few.’ He directed his
attention at Connor. ‘Alpha team have
already completed the
introductory lessons, so you’ve a lot of catching up to do. But your martial arts
experience should help.’

Draining his coffee mug, the colonel
switched off the projector and gathered his papers together.

‘I’ll see everyone after break
for our next session.’

Alpha team rose in respect as the colonel
departed the briefing room.

Connor shut down his laptop with relief.
‘
Phew
… there’s a lot to take in,’ he remarked.

‘You’ve barely scratched the
surface,’ replied Marc. ‘Your brain will be fried by the end of the
month.’

‘That’s if he’s got a
brain!’ cracked Jason.

‘Leave him alone,’ said Ling.
‘Just because yours still needs to evolve!’

Jason made a grab for her. Ling sidestepped
him and danced down the corridor. As the others headed towards Alpha team’s common
room, Connor hung back. Walking over to Charley, he bent down to pick up her bag.

‘I can do that,’ she said,
neatly flipping it on to the back of her wheelchair.

‘Sorry, of course you can,’
replied Connor, feeling awkward at his presumption. He followed her into the
corridor.

‘Something on your mind?’ she
asked.

Not knowing how to broach the subject
directly, Connor said, ‘What made you decide to become a buddyguard?’

Charley laughed. ‘Colonel
Black.’

Connor gave her a puzzled look.

‘You’ve experienced his
recruitment methods,’ she explained. ‘He’s not a man who expects no
for an answer.’

‘But you still had a
choice.’

Charley nodded. ‘And I jumped at the
chance.’