Chapter 4 I

My to do list, after the conversation with Boone, was fairly simple: First to build a European net and second, to create an infrastructure to support the whole project.

For two weeks, I would meet with Jesús after work to learn the basics about counter vigilance, dead box letters and strategies to contact an unknown agent.
Saturdays was for me a free day. Sundays I took care of the "project". On the side I was putting together a list of people whose characteristics and traits would be useful to seed the European project. It was supposed to be as the branch to be transplanted, a picture from the current status of our society. For each of the candidates I had to fill up a form, plus the contact data and a list of traits and plus points. I would type all up and forward it to Jesús

His task, in this case, was to collect data and compile his report together with his recommendation, a pre analysis and data gathering if you wish. At the base, as Jesús called it, the same comitee that had approved the US team would go through it and take the final decision with regards to the candidate.

For what I got from Boone, the committee was  formed by  two psychologists, a mathematician and an ex-Army Sargent. Only afterwards I would learn that the second psychologist was Robert, a navy sailor who had sailed the world for 40 years... but that comes later.






The two weeks had been key to prepare myself for the first contact with the London team. On the one hand, I had learn a lot from Jesús but I had a lot to prepare and get the right mental attitude for what, at the end of the day, was going to be my first step into all this

  London, May 2009

The London trip was planned on the weekend. Jesús was coming along, but we would travel separately. He would shadow me and, all going well, we would not need to interact with each other at all.

When Friday arrived, I took my travel bag to work. Diego was used to me staying, and he would be the last leaving the house. He was close to go into shock when he realized he had to close the apartment. On Thursday evening he sat before me while I was making a sandwich to make a plan, What had to be unplugged, which doors had to be closed, whether the mat had to be sotored in... for the time he thought he was ready, I was done with my sandwich and I was more focused on my suitcase.




At 16:30 I turned off my computer, I said bye to my workmate with whom I shared my table and I bee lined for the tube, which was starting to be a little full, as people was gaining momentum for the weekend. Once the train left the city behind, there were still a lot of people, with suitcases, so it did not take a genius to presume they were flying out for the weekend... and to my disappointment, they were going straight to London.


At no time I saw Jesús, but that was the point in a way. On the other hand I was not stupid enough to look for him.


The flight was uneventful, the light coming through the window was that of a beautiful sunset and I decided to put some effor on relaxing with  ...And Justice for all on my mp3 player and reading Help, I am Being Held Prisoner by Donald E. Westlake. once crossed the many doors at the other side of the planes, I got myself armed with my Oyster Card and... soon it felt like in the Tube, back in Madrid because a lot of the people was the same. To a given extent, this trip was a sweet deal. I just had to take planes and trains and sit tight. The whole thing was planned meticulously(with lots of love by Jesús). On Thursday I had prepared my way to the hotel, what was fairly central and about two street away from where the meeting with my contacts will take place.