December 25, 1996, Scotland, Edinburgh.
At seven in the morning, the cold winter rain was like fine needles, piercing the ancient cobbled street of the Royal Mile.
The rain and mist made the spires of the Gothic buildings appear hazy and gloomy, and the city had not fully awakened, with only a few early-rising citizens hurriedly walking by, wrapped tightly in their coats.
At Holyrood Palace, the guards at the side gate of the United Kingdom's official residence in Scotland had already changed to the third shift.
They wore heavy black coats, with the muzzles of their rifles pointing down, but their fingers always rested near the trigger guards. The atmosphere was noticeably more tense than usual.
In the past 48 hours, police across Scotland had received "very high" terror threat warnings, and today was the day Prince Charles was scheduled to visit Edinburgh for a "morale boost and unity" visit.
