Chapter 5 VI

--¡OI! Diego-- He looked up inquisitively  

-- Oh man, that's long time no see -- Now he was more surprised. He had not yet processed everything, but hearing Spanish had increased the effect. He raised slowly one hand, timidly anwering. An instant later he recognized me, as I neared in.
 

-- ¡Damn! what are you doing here?--. I was now close to him and stretched my hand. It took a bit because he had not realized he had the car keys already in his hand, ready to leave., so he switched hands, but then rethought it and swapped the key and stretched the right hand, not without avoiding an odd appaluse with both hands stretched .
 

-- You're keeping yourself fit, uh?, do you have time? we can grab some dinner, what do you say?--  Sometimes keeping people in permanent confusion ensures that you hve the initiative on the conversation. 

-- I can tell you what's going on.--

He had a few seconds of trance, but then he smiled and said -- Let me have a shower, come over and I'll get you a beer meanwhile and then we'll grab something to it-- Then he looked suddenly a little worried
 

--¿Do you have time?--

Now it was my time to smile and nod. -- Sure I do.-- And I went on towards the passenger door .

I sat down and leaned back, got my belt and looked around. It is an odd sensation, to be siting in a British car. You are actually siting at the driver's position, but there is no steering wheel. It always makes me a little nervous, as seems the car is under its own will. My hands get restless

-- How much do you run? --

He turned the engine on before answering. I presume it is indeed true that men are not good at multitasking

-- Ideally, about 45 minutes, but it is really dependant on the time and will that I have at the moment, you see, routine is important -- He turned towards  me.

-- What are you doing here? --

-- I gotta stuff to talk to you about -- His eyes opened widely-- It is important and it's going to take a while, so I can do with that beer so my mouth does not run dry-- I drummed on the dashboard with the tips of my fingers and pointed to the front, which to be fair was the brick wall around the park.
 

-- ¡Avanti! --

For  a bit, until we arrived to the roundabout at the end of the street, we were silent. He was negotiating the street and I was getting as much info from the car as possible. Visible papers, the bluetooth connection, anything useful.

I started telling my story. Even if he did not live far, I got to the end as we were arriving,  the evening traffic thick as molasses. I tapped my backpack.
 

-- I have a bundle of information here for you, but before that beer --

The problem with Diego was not to convince him, the main problem was to present the whole thing in a way he would not brush it away and don't listen any longer. If he decided it smelled like shit, he would not change his position easily. It was this important to answer his questions before he even got to formulate them.

While Diego was taking an unusually long shower, I checked that he was not using the phone or that he had left me there and gone somewhere. I turned on the tv, but kept vigilant.

The dwelling was a one of those two story affairs, fairly narrow and the staircase in the middle of everything and rooms on its sides. On the upper story there was a bedroom, the bathroom and a minuscule room that dubbed as office.

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Chapter 5 V

Grimbsby, United Kindom, June 20th 2009

We had not seen each other for at least  three years. When Diego Ristón finished his degree, it took him exactly three weeks to make his first interview, less than a month afterwards, he had a signed contract with one of the biggest building companies in the world.

He spent several years in South America, pouring concrete. At the time, he had been for about a year in  Grimsby, in the UK. His job was to oversee and direct the assembly of eolic stations, both on land and sea.

I had booked a room with breakfast close to the People's Park, close to the station and not far from the harbour. My plan was to meet him, without much pre-arrangement. I had four days to plan it and a fifth to talk to him. My coverage was as a technician for mainteinane and repair of industrial machines, and by coverage I mean the story I had told anyone who wanted to listen. I was there to visit some local fisheries.

As I arrived into the station, I got myself a map of the city and region. I walked to the B&B toting my backpack and the small case for tools and a thick notebook. I had written all I could since I got it at my arrival airport and kicked the shit out of it to make it look used and beaten. I had succeeded.

After the paperwork at the B&B I got directions to a place that, I hoped, would allow me to survive the experience. On the way back I got myself some granola bars, chocolate a a few liters of water.

All things considered, most of the preliminary work was done. Jesíus had spent two weeks in Grimsby. Thanks to that  I had the habits and schedule of my target. I knew he would go running in a park nearby his home, usually around 1800. I also knew this week there was little to do, because they were not getting materials. I hoped the imminent rain would not make him chicken out.

I spent most of the morning next day making a recce of the most important areas for contact. Where he lived, the beach he used to run, the parking lot where the encounter should take place, the different approaches... I had then a quick bite and looked for alternative places and escape routes, in case something went south. 





I divided the remaining time between practicing the escape routes, shadowing my target and get to try out the encounter.

 The day of the encounter, I arrived at  17:45 to the beach area. I sat on the brick wall that delimited a small park, next to a roundabout. One of the streets that went on from the roundabout lead directly to the beach. At the end of it there was a small parking lot. Next to which there was a mini golf. From where I was sitting, I could see the last mini golfers, pacing in the court next to the parking, were packing to go home.

The grey Vauxhall 2006, went slowly through the roundabout and headed down the street to the parking. I had no beef with the car colour because it was a leasing. I presumed that the routine of coming directly from work to the park/ beach parking lot was to avoid being lazy and remaining home. At any rate I had a while until he came back, so I took a camera out and did the tourist thingy.

I managed to get the timing right. It is trickier than you may think. The trick consist on being a little too fast and then just slow down as needed. Generally speaking people will not notice other people adjusting their pace 20 m away. They are not in collision range.

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Chapter 5 IV

Langreo, Spain, June 01 2009

Pornión, Alejandro or Alberto. I knew him just as Pornión, like pactically everybody else. I could barely remember the first time I met him, it must have been late 90s or early 2000s. Jesus strongly disapproved of this , as it seemed Sloppy. Pornion was always dressed in fatigues, or other black cargos . He sported a bushy beard in which white wireless could be seen against the jet background period you looked a bit like captain Haddock with curly black hair.


Since he hadleft the army in the 90's, he had gained weight. this resulted and making his figure even more imposing. He always were a top from a metal band. He didn't never restrain himself to the past. He was always showing the last bands the last albums.


For Jesus, he had the highest priority the reason being if he wanted to organise their recruiting you needed people of vigilance and to collect information. as I said Pornión in the army and as far as I know in the special forces but I never got around finding out where or exactly which unit. Jesus of course found out . a picture taken at the end of the 90s where a young Pornión was visible. also visible was the unit: Grupo de Operaciones Especiales Tercio del Ampurdán IV. As expected her friend was wearing the shirt from iced Earth, the name of the album was barely visible but it looked like Dark Saga. there was another 3 young man in the picture they were all retained against a blue Fiat Brava.Where on earth did Jesus got his pictures from was a mystery to me however he had a lot of contacts on many armies.





Jesus and I prepared a plan. Our target worked shifts and he lived in the city of Langreo, in Asturias. in order to meet him the usual procedure was to write him an SMS because you never know when he was working. in this case Jesus had done some work beforehand, so we knew is schedule and therefore it worked well. I wrote The SMS telling him that I was close by (in Oviedo) on a trip, since I had some free time we could meet and have a beer. we got the last details sorted out as my train was departing from Chamartin station to the North.




now that I was living in Madrid we didn't see each other often, moreover similar meetings our common Friends arranged , we're even more difficult for me to attend. Pornión had no car, Italy because he didn't want to have any contracts nor paperwork and also because the costs if I did not know how much he did monthly but I was quite sure it was not a lot of money. I knew he was not worried about it, he valued his hobbies more than anything else and he had a very simple lifestyle. we would be meeting at the entrance of a mall, next to the bus station





There was a coffee shop next to the door in from the year I could see it weigh my contacts to take before meeting. I decided not to go in, but to lean against the window shop of there bar and enjoyed the temperature instead. Pornión arrived at the right time, wearing mastodon t-shirt period did not move and when he arrived where I was standing we shook hands. Pointing at his t-shirt I said



-- do you have the new album from Nightwish already?? --


-- Fuck you -- he replied. it was partly my fault. My list of the music I listen to was fairly old and one of the few new things are listen to that caught my attention was Nightwish the album Wishmaster which was the third album of the group. when I spoke to him about it he looked at me in this belief and he said it's fucking garbage.I told him then I could not see too far from other new stuff like mastodon meaning that it was all new experimenting and that musically speaking they could even be better because they were all very good musicians period conversation did. not go well.As far as I knew Nightwish had release an album shortly before and even if I was not a big fan it was always fun to poke him and then we went into the bar.






We both ordered beer from the tap, as if there were any other options. It was a Mahou, very fresh. we talked a little about the things in general, how life was going period I could use this to confirm the information I got from Jesus. Pornión and had little changes in his life. since two years he was living alone in the flat his mother left him, as she passed away. Regarding work and whatever else was left,everything was the same.





-- So what about you? -- he asked

-- Mmmm... This might sound funny but I have something to tell you... --

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Chapter 5 III

The first on the list was Olegario Zamburrián, AKA Oleg. Oleg was not especially tall, but very solid. He looked as if he had ancestry from the far north, and he probably did. Light hair colour and milky skin. He had gone into the Spanish Guardia Civil in 2001 and in 2004 he had spent 4 months in Mostar, with the international mission which was investigating war crimes and gathering evidence. Nowadays he was in Madrid, assigned to a so called UCO, which are investigative units taken care of investigation of things like organized crime and high profile crime.

We knew each other since we were kids. We used to play football together often and we had a bunch of common friends. Back then he lived on the other side of the railway tracks that sliced the city in two. Unlike other occasional players  we ended up meeting outside the field and our friendship prospered, unlike our football skills, fed by music, films and beer.


As it often so happens, we all took different ways that scattered the group, the teenage years converted those not so innocent kids into brainless teenagers. We kept in touch all that years, even when he was off to the academy. He used to come home regularly. By then I was also in University and we had different life routines, but once in a while we sat down and talked and drank beer.

Oleg had bought a small apartment close to the planetary in Madrid, which he shared with his bike. Biking was his passion. Since we where kids and we played bottlecap cycling and when we went on dirt roads emulating the tour, or very real sprints running away from junkies, dogs or older guys looking for cheap bicycles.

The plan that evening was to meet at an irish bar close to where he lived and have a go at it with the recruiting chat. That was at  least my plan. Then, all going well, we'd meet Jesús. Easy and for all family members.

 Madrid, Spain,  June 11th, 2009

Somewhere along the San Martín street, very close to the underground station of Planetario there was an Irish pub where we used to watch rugby. I never was a huge sport fan, but Oleg was. He loved Rugby passionately  since a teenager. He got into it through a neighbor who played... damn we were about 16 or 17 back then.

Oleg was waiting for me at the underground exit with a Steeve McQueen T-shirt and and a plastic bag hanging from his left hand. which extended towards me slightly together with a decisive right and said

-Some films I got you-
-Thanks mate, how are you doing?-
-As usual, work, life, all good-

We got moving towards the bar.
- I'd happily had gone pick you up, but I have the car on the shop-

-It would have not been faster, what's with it?- I said and winked.  
He shrugged - the turbo housing leaks oil-

At the bar, we sat so we could watch the match through the TV but a bit aside from the counter where the big hubhub was. To be fair, the hub hub was not that loud, and the TV was not a TV but a large screen and beamer. Our Guiness arrived, white on black accompanied by a large bowl with chips, peanuts and two generous portions of Spanish omelette. Oleg hat the almost supernatural skill to find places where tapas where glorious.

During one of the breaks, the conversation turned slightly on my favour. Oleg knew I was not all that happy at work and he knew I had been fishing around. When he asked I knew I had a queue.

-Well, you see...-- I started.
 
Forty minutes and another Guiness after, Oleg started with his questions. He had said nothing until then and had practically ignored the match.
 

--By when do you need an answer?--

I shrugged-- Soon, but not immediately --
 

-- All right, give me a week. Let's go see your mate --

we got up.

as we got up and left the night was falling like a blanket over the city.I slowly turned to look into the bar we were leaving the game was over. and Led Zeppelin was starting.

In the days of my youth
I was told what it was to be a man
Now I've reached the age
I've tried to do all those things the best I can

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Chapter 5 I

Jesús and I were sitting at the safe apartment, on the Hortaleza neighborhood. The street was very quiet and none of the neighbors  knew each other nor had much interest on doing so. It was perfect for us.

The flat was small. We had assembled to small cots on a room with two small closets. None of us lived there and we had few things there, aside of a bug out bag. The living room had a close view of the building opposite. Therefore we had put a living room up. the other room was a small crowded office, with desks, filing cabinets and a coupe of computers. One with internet connection and the other not. The best of all was that we had a couple of those IKEA chairs you can cradle yourself and put your feet up

Precisely there was I sitting  when Jesús threw me an envelope. It was the contact list I had prepared  and there it was. I pulled  the sheets of paper from the manila enverlope and glanced at the list of names.

It was not just names on the list, the people there meant something to me. Not only interesting people with the needed characteristics for the proyect. It was people I personally knew and I had carefully chosen. It was also people in whose hand I was going to put my own life, literally. We were going to start with those who I trusted the most, in order to build a tightly knit core.

the list was fairly long. I got goose bumps upon reading a couple of names. When one looks back there are always important people and important relationships. On the other hand well, I was not good with relationships... Anyway, I would have some difficulties facing some of those names.

Jesús chuckled and passed me a cup of tea.

-Are you regretting already? Facing ghosts from the past is not that difficult as it seems-  I stared back, blankly

-They also have been living these years you know, they changed and evolved, they failed, changed path and forgotten their dreams. Well covered by a routine wall.-  I nodded, there was not much I could say.

- ... And the ladies - he said pointing vagely towards the papers I had on my lap, while he let himself fall into the couch opposite from mine -  It's more about you than about them. You're an stupid pretentious for thinking you are making the right thing or thinking that you are fucking saving them ... - He rested his cup on the armrest  - You're no bloody knight in amour saving them. They have been accepted because they are good and they can do this without your self pity- Now I really did not know what to say.

Jesús smiled.

-Worry not, we'll start with the easy ones-

I nodded with more confident than I felt, but that is how it was with Jesús. We got started on the list and, before Jesús could get some Madness on the sterieo, I got an Ethel the Frog in and pressed play.  I could see Jesús rolling his eyes exaggeratedly and accepting the defeat. We got on plans for the first round of selections and we sorted the first candidates out and made notes on all the relevant information and the details we had to gather.

After a while, Jesús got up for a refill and patted me on the back on his way

-I did this for you back on the day... you're not worse than anyone... nor than myself-  He smiled - At the end of the day, here we are.-

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Capítulo 5 XIV

Gottlieben, Suiza, 15 Julio 2009

Después de 5 horas al volante, dos de ellas con Jesús de copiloto, había llegado a mi hotel en Gottlieben. Silke me había echado una mano con la reserva y había comprado el coche. Nos habíamos hecho con un WV Passat blanco convenientemente marcado con SD en rojo en las dos puertas delanteras.

El hotel me sorprendió, pues era un edificio muy antiguo, a la orilla del río Rin. Al otro lado del río estaba Alemania y, de hecho, el edificio del hotel había sido en algún momento el puesto de aduanas.

Pero no estaba yo allí para hacer turismo. Tenía una reunión en el pueblo de Engwilen. Allí estaba basada una empresa de preparación de vehículos de aventura.

El proyecto necesitaría de vehículos todo terreno para multitud de tareas y esta gente tenía amplia experiencia construyendo vehículos para condiciones de todo tipo.

La discusión se centraría en qué chasis básico y métodos de propulsión. Las variantes estaban todavía un poco abiertas, pero los chasis serían Land Rover defender de chasis corto y largo, Unimogs y camiones MAN de tres ejes. La discusión era muy preliminar y el objetivo era ver las capacidades de la empresa y tantear un posible acuerdo.

Wooldrow había volado a Zurich y estaba en el mismo hotel que yo, pero llegó tarde a la noche y nos vimos en el desayuno.

A las 0850 estábamos entrando en el portón de la empresa, que se llamaba AKTION. Numerosos vehículos estaban aparcados frente al edificio. Después de un café y una presentación de la empresa fuimos a ver las lineas de montaje y cómo preparaban los vehículos. YO hice mucho hincapié en el mantenimiento ... y me ensenaron radiadores desmontables, llaves rápidas y espacio para cambiar y desmontar. Los espacios motores nunca son excesivamente amplios, pero hay formas de hacer las cosas. Me gustó que todas las sujeciones metálicas estaban cubiertas de vaselina, para protegerlas de la corrosión.

Después de un duro día, nos despedimos con la promesa de vernos en un par de meses y hacerles una propuesta de unidades.

Capítulo 5 XIII

 Londres, Inglaterra, 27 Julio 2009

Con los acordes de My Sharona salté del metro al andén en Barbican y me dirigí hacia el norte en la soleada manana del sábado. según la predicción no iba a durar mucho pues pronto empezaría la lluvia, pero estaba decidido a disfrutar la temperatura agradable hasta mi destino. Gehry trabaja este sábado también y nos íbamos a ver para comer. En Clerckwell road hice mis últimos controles y me dirigí a mi destino, un restaurante trendy y totalmente abarrotado.


Después de meter el Mp3 en mi bolsa me armé de paciencia para escanear el bar. Gehry debía estar ya allí. El escaneo no duró demasiado, probablemente porque el mensaje que me había enviado Pornión desde dos mesas más allá había sido de mucha ayuda.

Ignorando a Pornión, me senté frente  Gehry e intercambiamos las preguntas habituales. Aunque era escocés, después de terminar su título en Suecia, había vuelto a Inglaterra para trabajar como esclavo en un estudio de arquitectura. Yo estaba allí por trabajo, hablando el cuál le propuse una colaboración. teníamos un par de proyectos relacionados con sostenibilidad y quizás le podía interesar? Obviamente el estaría a cargo de toda la arquitectura, sería un comité con ingenieros, diseñadores y arquitectos.. En Colonia, apenas a 5 horas en tren del centro de Londres. Qué tal 60 kiloeuros Anuales? Qué tal si nos vemos en 3 semanas y me cuentas?

Gehry era un socialista convencido y estaba seguro de que era una buena y necesaria adición al proyecto... pero no necesitaba saberlo todo desde el principio.

Me convenció para tomar un poco de tarta con un café sorprendentemente bueno y nos despedimos con que le llamaría en 3 semanas