In the heart of London – Surveillance at a glance…

The ambush in Fulham solidified a terrifying reality for Emma and Jake: the IRA cell, armed with SVR tactics and equipment, was now operating with reckless boldness. The fight had become personal and public. Their next move couldn’t be a defensive retreat; it had to be a decisive strike to decapitate the cell.

Operation Decapitation: Tracing the Weaponry

Their immediate priority was to trace the weapon that started the ambush—the rifle used by the sniper on the roof. This wasn’t a standard IRA issue; it was high-grade, likely provided through the SVR connection before Thorne’s capture.

Jake immediately tasked the forensic unit with tracking the weapon’s serial number, which he had quickly noted on the roof. The trace led to a small, recently established import/export firm in the East End docks area, a front that had been used to smuggle specialised electronics, linking back to the very supply chain Keegan had established.

“The firm, ‘Global Logistics UK,’ is running minimal traffic but has high security,” Emma reported, looking at the surveillance photos. “It’s a command node, Jake, not just a storage unit. They’re coordinating from there.”

They quickly realised the firm wasn’t just storing weapons; it was acting as the central communications hub for the newly emboldened IRA unit. Their new operational commander, emboldened by the acquisition of SVR counter-surveillance tools, would be located there.

Infiltrating the Command Node

Emma and Jake knew a frontal assault would be met with heavy resistance and lead to a potentially damaging urban firefight. They needed to get inside quietly and secure the intelligence before the cell’s leadership could destroy it or escape.

They chose a covert entry during the graveyard shift. Under the cover of heavy river fog rolling in from the Thames, Emma and Jake, wearing specialised dark gear, approached the industrial unit.

Emma focused on the physical security, disabling the laser grid and pressure plates around the perimeter. “Old brick, new tech,” she whispered over the comms. “They’ve got a layered defence.”

Jake tackled the digital security. Using a custom-built directional antenna, he bypassed the building’s exterior Wi-Fi shield and injected a silent piece of malware into the internal network. “I’m in,” he confirmed. “They’re running a virtual command centre from the top floor.”

The Commander

Once inside, they moved through the silent warehouse, navigating stacks of crates labelled ‘Machinery Parts.’ They reached the top-floor office suite, the only place where light bled through the curtain seams.

They breached the door silently. The room was sparse, dominated by three high-tech monitors glowing in the dark. Sitting at the central desk was a single figure, a man in his late forties with cold, intelligent eyes and a military bearing—the new commander, Seamus Ryan.

Ryan was staring intensely at a map of central London, marked with several potential targets, including the financial district and a high-security transport depot. He was surrounded by communication gear—microphones, encryptors, and, critically, a large, locked server cabinet.

Final Stand

Ryan didn’t panic when the door burst open. He knew who they were. “The famous MI5 pair,” he said, his voice quiet and menacing. “You stopped the arms, you stopped the funding. You think you can stop us all?”

He reached for a panic button beneath the desk. Emma was faster, vaulting the desk and tackling Ryan, her hand clamping down on his wrist before he could hit the alarm.

Jake immediately moved to the server cabinet, knowing the data inside was their final prize.

Ryan fought back with brutal, trained efficiency, a stark contrast to the desperation of the previous handlers. He was a veteran. Emma, using the confined space to her advantage, forced him back against the wall, but he managed to land a crippling blow to her ribs.

“The cause never dies!” Ryan spat, struggling.

“It does when you cut off its head!” Emma gritted out a response, maintaining her hold, knowing the fight was critical.

Meanwhile, Jake was struggling with the server lock, realising Ryan had upgraded it with SVR-provided mechanisms. “It’s a biometric lock, Emma! I need thirty seconds of his hand!”

Emma used the request as a target. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she pinned Ryan’s forearm to the desk, using his own inertia against him. Ryan screamed in pain, but the forearm was momentarily stabilised. Jake slapped a scanner onto Ryan’s thumbprint. The server lock clicked open.

The Decisive Blow

As Jake pulled the main data drives from the server, Ryan, in one final, desperate move, lunged for a drawer beneath the desk. He pulled out a small, highly compressed gas canister.

“If I can’t leave, neither can you!” Ryan yelled, activating the canister. It began spraying a thick, white chemical mist.

Emma recognised the danger immediately—a non-lethal, fast-acting paralytic, similar to the agent The Alchemist had acquired. She rolled away, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, just as the mist filled the small office.

Jake, having secured the drives, snatched an improvised mask from a nearby workbench and retreated through the door, pulling Emma with him.

They slammed the door shut, locking Ryan inside with his own paralytic cloud. Minutes later, the security teams arrived, finding a dazed, heavily paralysed Ryan and a completely secured command node.

The arrest of Seamus Ryan, confirmed by the recovered data, dismantled the entire operational structure of the IRA cell in London. The data drives contained all the communication logs, future target lists, and financial links—the full playbook of the SVR-backed cell.

Emma leaned against Jake, wincing as she checked her ribs. “We finally cut the head off the snake.”

“And got the recipe for the snake venom,” Jake added, holding up the secured drives.

The streets of London were safe once more, but the memory of the ambush and the chilling collaboration between the IRA and the SVR would inform every operation MI5 ran from now on.