SAM: In Search of Agent Kilo
2009-06-01 Introduction, Orders Received
My ID is S.A.M., and I work as a field agent for an organization I'll just call "The Agency". Over the course of my career, some of my exploits have been so notorious the Agency's cover story resulted in a number of copycat "reality" shows in the entertainment industry.
However, time fears no man, and eventually I had to retire to a somewhat more subdued lifestyle as an Agency consultant, which in realspeak means I was put out to pasture. While I was out making the world safe for democracy, there was a sea change of attitude at The Agency with the thought that we should be "kinder and gentler" in how we did our work, and this old spy-horse's rather (ahem) dynamic style didn't fit into their plans anymore.
And then, one day, I received the following communique:
From: HQ - Operations Section
To: S.A.M. 50615
Re: Recall to active duty
A mission profile has developed which requires your unique skills and background. The profile details are as follows:
Owing to your current status, the character profile we've developed for you is that of a middle-aged IT professional. Due to the nature of your mission and current budget considerations, your usual mission-spec vehicle will not be available. Instead, the motor-pool has developed a vehicular configuration which will meet both the mission requirements and our budget constraints. You will find your vehicle keys in the attached envelope.
After I checked it for booby-traps, I opened the attached envelope, and found this:
That could only mean one thing ...I had to make my trip with this:
In other words, I was going to be a flipping two-wheeled road train! No smoke screen, no oil slicks, no heat-seeking missiles, no radar, no stealth mode, and no hot women! I suppose I could be thankful for small things, since this was a recon mission, I'd have to carry a fair bit of imagery gear with me... they actually gave me a secure way to carry it:
Will wonders never cease?
My ID is S.A.M., and I work as a field agent for an organization I'll just call "The Agency". Over the course of my career, some of my exploits have been so notorious the Agency's cover story resulted in a number of copycat "reality" shows in the entertainment industry.
However, time fears no man, and eventually I had to retire to a somewhat more subdued lifestyle as an Agency consultant, which in realspeak means I was put out to pasture. While I was out making the world safe for democracy, there was a sea change of attitude at The Agency with the thought that we should be "kinder and gentler" in how we did our work, and this old spy-horse's rather (ahem) dynamic style didn't fit into their plans anymore.
And then, one day, I received the following communique:
From: HQ - Operations Section
To: S.A.M. 50615
Re: Recall to active duty
A mission profile has developed which requires your unique skills and background. The profile details are as follows:
- Agent Kilo has gone missing during a survey of agency safehouses and has not been heard from for three reporting cycles. Agent Kilo has in their possession a "package" which is critical to an Agency mission, and will become contaminated and useless unless it's located in time and returned to Agency control.
- Since Agent Kilo did not complete their mission, we need you to trace Agent Kilo's path and complete Kilo's mission.
- Time is of the essence, you have three months to bring this mission to a successful completion.
Owing to your current status, the character profile we've developed for you is that of a middle-aged IT professional. Due to the nature of your mission and current budget considerations, your usual mission-spec vehicle will not be available. Instead, the motor-pool has developed a vehicular configuration which will meet both the mission requirements and our budget constraints. You will find your vehicle keys in the attached envelope.
After I checked it for booby-traps, I opened the attached envelope, and found this:
That could only mean one thing ...I had to make my trip with this:
In other words, I was going to be a flipping two-wheeled road train! No smoke screen, no oil slicks, no heat-seeking missiles, no radar, no stealth mode, and no hot women! I suppose I could be thankful for small things, since this was a recon mission, I'd have to carry a fair bit of imagery gear with me... they actually gave me a secure way to carry it:
Will wonders never cease?
- Save $5 off your first year's SmugMug image hosting with coupon code hccesQbqNBJbc
0
Comments
To: S.A.M. 51605
Date: 2009-06-02
Re: Time is ticking away
The
clock
is
ticking....
and soon - time'll be up!
<hr>
(Did I ever mention how those characters at HQ Control have a rather strange sense of humor? This is their way of telling me to get a move-on...)
The bike's packed, I've just made the final arrangements for keeping homebase secure - the time has come to shutdown and turn off everything in sight.....because it's time to hit the road!
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So, HQ, get off my back!
2009-06-05 Kitchener ON to Gatineau QC - Launch!
After collecting my gear and getting the transportation ready, it was time to make a short shakedown run around town before leaving Kitchener and heading out to the first safehouse located in Gatineau, Quebec.
The bean-counters at HQ live in a world where every bean must be accounted for, so the odometer and clock reading is all for them.
Next I had to check in with Director of Advanced Directives (aka D.A.D.):
By way of comparison, the Matron Of Mystery (M.O.M.) lives in a highly classified world. If any imagery was traced back to me, it would quickly result in my taking up permanent residence in a small, windowless room for an extended period of time.
<hr>
And then I was off! With standard practice at the start of every mission required making sure the equipment was working properly, so the following images are me running the camera through it's paces while en-route to the first safe-house.
First, some local topography:
then some infrastructure - there've been an accumulation of large cranes and heavy equipment gathered at this location for the better part of a year:
and then - paydirt! A truckload of government agents on the prowl make for an excellent check to see if my cover would hold, and check out my vehicle-to-vehicle shooting capabilities!
First I had to get past their standing instructions:
and then sneak up and snap a shot of the agent before he could go to stealth mode:
and then make my escape.... victory! Bwahahahah.
The rest of the day was pretty quiet - I got some more infrastructure shots:
and then, just for fun, some geographical markers:
before I encountered another rider using a smaller version of my ride:
He didn't think much of me, which meant my cover was holding up and I was fitting in with the natives.
Overall, the weather was good, the air was fresh, and everything worked as expected - you got to love it when all conditions are nominal.
On arrival at the Gatineau safe-house, it didn't take long to de-brief the local agent and determine that Agent Kilo was no-where to be found. However, he was investigating a target of opportunity the next day, which would make for an excellent opportunity for some first-class sneaking and peaking.
It sounded like fun to me, so we made plans, caught up on other business, and called it a night.
I'm sure the open-house imagery must've made the agents in Archaeological & Historical Section wet their pants.
There were engines:
and bombs:
and aircraft similar to the ones that helped sink the Bismarck.
there were also Hurricanes:
and sparkly things:
a colorful Yak-52:
Some four-wheeled critters managed to sneak in as well:
I think they wanted to check out this "Beep Beep!" of an aircraft:
Some old warbirds were on display:
an old bomber:
a stunt plane:
Rumor has it this bird's pilot stopped in for lunch and an airshow ... er... open house broke out:
and then there was some aerobatics - at least that was their cover story:
followed by some ground-level stealthery:
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
Dave
Alpha 99 & VG, 900x2 & VG; 50mm1.4, CZ135 1.8; CZ16-35 2.8, CZ24-70 2.8, G70-200 2.8, G70-400, Sony TC 1.4, F20, F58, F60.
And then a Corsair and Mustang went out for some reconnaissance:
Start 'em up!
Stepping out:
Moseying down to the end of the runway:
And then head for the hills!
Who'se prettier?
Return to base all too soon:
Obey the little guy with the funny mittens:
Before doing a side-by-side pose-down for the crowds:
This is a truly well polished aircraft:
Then a pair of Russian Yak-52's decided they could show the Corsair and Mustang a thing or two...
The take-off was in formation:
The white Yak came down after a couple of fly-arounds:
while the Red Yak-52 put on an impressive show all it's own:
and then came down looking for Ms White Yak.....
so he could show off for the lady:
I didn't get the impression Ms White Yak was very impressed.
Having successfully infiltrated one "open house", it was time for another. An intel update indicated that there'd be a fly-in at the Smith Falls airport to check out.
First, a bit of the airport's history:
Security at the fly-in was remarkably lax - I even managed to get some shots of their stealth aircraft:
and catch the locals observing an incoming aircraft:
An example of their airborn amphibious capability:
An aircraft with attitude:
"The Other woman":
This little guy did some sneaking and peeking of it's own:
And - I even managed to find the lair of some aircraft I'd spotted the day before. HQ'll love this...
Meanwhile, sneaky-copter snuck up on behind me, which gave me cause to wonder if my cover was blown.
All for naught - it was interested in something else...
Going against regs and trying something artsy -
It wasn't all aircraft - some other vehicles managed to gain entrance to the area:
There was even a buzzed bike powered by hemp-based beer:
All in all it was a quiet day although there was suspicious display of aerobatics.
NAPP Member | Canon Shooter
Weddings/Portraits and anything else that catches my eye.
www.daveswartz.com
Model Mayhem site http://www.modelmayhem.com/686552
2009-06-08.1 Near Packenham Ontario
After I'd logged my Gatineau imaging data, I took off for the Agency safe-house in Pakenham Ontario which was the home base of Agents Delta and Holiday, and a heaping helping sample of some of the big fields and trees that populate Ontario's country and farm land:
Signs of civil unrest?
A sample of local infrastructure:
The RCMP breed the horses used in their musical ride at their Pakenham Breeding Farm:
but they discourage interaction with visitors....
After leaving the breeding farm, these horses either go to the RCMP Musical Ride stables at the Rockcliffe Park Equestrian Centre or they go up for auction.
I love that place for keeping those great airplanes in an airworthy condition! And wow is that hangar floor clean!
(PS, the 'colorful' Yak 52 looks more like an 18T and the red/white planes are Nanchang CJ-6's)
What is this sign about? It doesn't look very friendly?
www.ivarborst.nl & smugmug
I looked at the CJ6 - and you're right, the Y52's wing is straight while the CJ6's is bent, and these planes have bent wings. And the 18T looks like a good match to the 'colorful' Yak. Thanks for the correction!
http://www.ontariolandowners.ca/ has more information on what this sign's about.
2009-06-08.2 Packenham Infrastructure, Park, and Church
After the debrief at home base, Agent Holiday took me to check out some local infrastructure:
After we finished the infrastructure shoots, Agent Holiday took me to another location that needed imaging. We started with someone fishing on the peninsula:
A sailboat puttering back into port carrying - contraband? Opposing agents?
another angle at the fisherman - although I'm starting to wonder what this person's really about.
Some of what I shoot was a bit contradictory:
Can you see the contradiction? If not, take a closer look:
Some local domiciles:
There's jungle growth to be found everywhere you go:
I've never seen tower cladding like this, so I had to shoot this church:
Before returning back to the park we passed through a cemetery behind the church:
before returning to the park above our lone fisherman:
Looking at this picture now, I can't help but wonder if this fisherman's real, or if his fishing rod's a decoy for something else.
2009-06-08.3 Pakenham ON - What have we here?
A short chat later convinced her that her time would have to wait.
Disclaimer: No secret weapons were activated in the taking of this picture.
2009-06-09.1 Pakenham 5-Span Bridge and Burnstown Bridge - Pt 2
After we took our fill of the Pakenham bridge, it was off for some food at a lovely little local restaurant run by the Watt family called, logically enough, Watt's Cooking:
We got a seat with a nice (and dry!) view of the landscape and river out the back
and on the way out were tempted by their assortment of take-out fare. Tempting as it was, this time resistance was difficult, not futile!
After we left Watt's Cooking, we rode to the Burnstown area for some more colorful targets of opportunity:
the overcast made shooting from the Burnstown Bridge posed a challenge - and this is the result:
some more happy flower power:
2009-06-09.2 Ottawa and St Lukes Ev Lutheran Church
We left Burnstown for Ottawa, home of this unique sculpture:
which seemed to be dedicated to human rights:
We stopped by a local church and got a few more shots:
2009-06-10 Packenham ON to Gatineau QC Part 1
Once my inspection of the Packenham safe-house was done, the next stop was in Gatineau Quebec. With a full day to make a one-hour hop, I decided to free-lance a bit and explore the area. Going off-track can turn up the most interesting bits of trivia - like how small-town country spies...er....residents share their community intelligence using strategically placed trees:
I also found some locals that looked like it'd be fun to try some mind games with.
The first step is to find them -
then get their curiosity going -
"come closer my pretties"
however, they weren't buying what I was selling...
there was some milling about - was I getting through? Would they take the bait?
this didn't looking good for my side -
nope...
not good at all...
Having failed to entice these locals into my snare, I cleared the area before the local authorities could arrive and investigate, and in the course of my escape and evasion I came upon the town of Blakeney, Ontario.
My GPS showed that it straddled the Mississippi river which could make it of tactical interest in certain situations, and that made it a photograph-worthy area.
Their bridge over the Mississippi -
Making my way into the area:
and then gathering the intel:
One observation I have to make about the areas is how aggressive and persistent the local airborn troops are - every time I tried to my riding jacket off, any exposed skin was promptly dive-bombed and munched on with great vigor.
It was a relaxing stop overall.
2009-06-10 Packenham ON to Gatineau QC
Escaping from the Blakeney ON locals was hungry work, and my escape route brought me to the little town of Almonte Ontario.
After I'd secured my ride and activated all the appropriate booby-traps...
I left find some man-fuel. A short walk later I found a walkway that guided me on my way around some construction work upstream of a local waterfall:
Hmmm.... an electric plant - this intel could prove useful in the future....
after which I found the rear entrance to this local establishment:
After the food was done, I made my way out their front entrance:
and found yet more infrastructure to shoot - on the surface, this appears to be a railroad bridge, but in my line of work one can never be sure:
Upstream of the dam:
Mugging for the camera -
some more targets of opportunity:
The rest of the trip to Gatineau was un-eventful, but an encrypted archive of images taken during my passage through Ottawa can be found here.
2009-06-11 Gatineau QC - Time to Go
After my second visit to the Gatineau safehouse, I had one more area safehouse to check in Kanata, ON. However, I was a bit lax in getting my reports back to HQ, and they weren't happy about it and wanted more substantial evidence that I was actually completing my assigned task. Being a recon kind of guy I figured I'd gather some "evidence" of where I'd been by "out"ing Agent India's affection for bikes with large engines while apprentice Agent Juniper looked on in amazement:
Then Agent Archangel joined the party:
I figured this would keep HQ happy, and off my back for a little while.
Note: No motorcycles were harmed in the taking these pictures.
2009-06-12.1 Ottawa ON - Canada Parliament Building, Currency Museum
After I left the Gatineau safe-house, my next stop was in Kanata, Ontario, and the safehouse of Agents Tango and Rho, who, among other things, are tasked to watch the Canadian Federal Government. I needed my best undercover behavior for today's mission, because Tango and I were off to the Canadian Parliament buildings, which houses the HQ for the Federal Government of Canada.
Agent Tango's always getting into it. How he survives as a secret Agent is a mystery to me.
This is the elevator to the Parliament Building's Peace Tower.
which yields an unmatched view of the Ottawa area:
A historical artifact from "back in the day":
Here's the Peace Tower's Carillon bells:
Capturing images of these bells was a challenge because they can only be seen for ~2 seconds while the elevator's passing them. There's no time to aim or focus - all I could do was point, shoot, and pray.
2009-06-12.2 Ottawa ON - Canada Parliament Building - Memorial Chamber
After we left the Peace Tower, our next stop was the national Memorial Chamber, which honors Canada's war dead:
The Memorial Chamber's entrance, which holds various Books of Remembrance:
The South African War / Nile Expedition Book of Remembrance:
The Newfoundland Book of Remembrance:
A floor inscription - the battle of Vimy Ridge. These name plates were made from the casings of actual shells used during the war.
This central platform is the "Altar of Remembrance" and contains the World War I Book of Remembrance, which includes the names of all 66,000 men and women who lost their lives during the "Great War":
Plaques commemorating various theaters of war:
Windows above the Chamber's entrace / exit.
You can see a virtual tour of the Memorial Chamber here.
The Hall of Honor houses a diverse group of sculptures and plaques and pays tribute to the people and events of Canada's past:
At the bottom floor we found a room that told the tale of the legislature's history:
Including a ballot box that was once used in Parliament:
Agent SAM Makes Mischief!
One of the lamps that illuminate the various columns in the Rotunda had a camera mounted on top. Being the kind of spy I am, I thought it'd be fun to take a picture of a camera taking a picture of a camera, much to the dismay of Agent Tango. This little maneuver drew the attention of the local security guard who wanted to know why I was interested in imaging that camera. Deleting the picture made both Tango and the security guard happy - and kept my cover from being blown.
What makes this amusing is the wide variety of locations where one can take pictures of this rather obvious security device. It's so obvious, I wonder if it's even hooked up!
2009-06-12.4 Ottawa ON - Canada Parliament Building - Outside
Since we'd attracted too much "official interest" inside the Parliament Building, we exited the building in order to recon the exterior:
The Olympics are coming to Canada!
This is Parliament Hill's East Block:
and Parliament Hill's Central Block & Peace Tower:
The Langevin Block is the home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister, and the working headquarters of the executive branch of the Canadian government:
View from below Parliament Hill overlooking the Ottawa River:
Heading up the Rideau Canal:
Somewhere on the Hill there's a facility for the care and feeding of stray cats. I wasn't able to find a similar place for the care and feeding of stray Parliamentarians...
I found it odd that most of the local residents were anything other than the official residents: