‘Any five, or shall I also bring the chief and second chief?’
‘No, leave them be. Just bring the other wardens. Bring up those two paedophiles from solitary too. You know the two that you tried to decapitate with your dinner tray?’ Gibbs asked.
‘What do you want with those fuckers?’
‘We’ll line them up with the wardens. No one else will know who they are as they’ll be gagged and hooded. If it goes sour on my end, shoot them and throw them overboard,’ Gibbs said.
Killey smiled. ‘It’s going to be difficult to make sure my finger doesn’t twitch at all.’
Gibbs laughed. ‘Only if they take us out because by that stage I won’t bloody care.’
• • •
The rowing boat slammed up against the stone harbour wall, and the three men inside were thrown across the boat. Cameron managed to get a hold of an old mooring chain and pulled the boat towards the algae lined wall. The sea was trying her best to throw all the men overboard, almost succeeding in her task to drown them in the white sea spray. With a final surge, the boat came up against the wall, and Smithy managed to get out with a mooring rope and tie up the boat. The others jumped onto the slime-covered stone steps and climbed to the top of the harbour wall.
The wind howled and hissed around them, and Gibbs looked back at the huge old oil tanker with its black peeling hull and white bridge house. His eyes flicked from one sniper post to another along the length of the Icarus. All were now empty. Seven hostages were kneeling on the edge of the deck. His men were hidden from view with their weapons trained on the unfortunate captives.
Cameron cleared his throat and nodded in the direction of the harbour. Gibbs turned away from the ship, quickly positioning his right hand on the SA80. He drew a quick breath as he saw the group of six men and a woman, walking towards them. Christina led the group, with her long blonde hair flicking around her face. The black business suit she wore was wonderfully tailored to suit her curvaceous young body.
‘Bloody heck,’ Smithy said.
‘Easy boys. Focus on those weapons,’ Gibbs said.
‘Gibbs,’ Christina said as she stopped two metres in front of him. She couldn’t help but notice the strong line of his unshaven jaw. He was a brutishly handsome man with his windswept brown hair and brown eyes which sparkled as he greeted her.
‘Good day, Christina.’
‘I see you’re a few hostages short out on the deck. Is there anything I should know about?’ she enquired.
‘The rest are safely locked in the cells below deck,’ Gibbs said, not breaking her gaze. She had captivating blue eyes, and he had to shake himself to focus while looking at her.
‘We are here to discuss our demands, of course,’ Gibbs asked.
She waited a moment. ‘My proposal is as follows. Those who have served over ten years here will be relocated to prisons closer to their families. The rest of the serious offenders will have to serve at least another three years before they can apply for release or transfer.’
‘That seems a little less than what we want,’ Gibbs said.
‘Let me finish, Gibbs,’ she said. ‘These transfers will start tomorrow morning. Trucks will be provided to take those being relocated, to waiting trains bound for London prisons. They will then be sent onwards to the individual facilities closer to home as soon as we can make the arrangements. I have a list of the prisoners who will have to remain in custody.
‘Finally, before I agree to any form of release for you and your men, I will want to see for myself, that the crew and the prison wardens on board are all in good health. I have shown good faith so far and want to see the hostages in person before I agree to anything further.’
‘Okay. You and three men can come on board and take a look at the hostages. If you’re happy that they still have all their fingers and toes, we’ll ferry the prisoners across. Once they are in the trucks and on their way, you and I, with our men and the rest of the hostages, will then cross over on a different ferry and go to the warehouses to the right of the harbour to conclude the deal,’ Gibbs said. ‘Once you’ve formalised our release, we’ll hand over our weapons and the hostages.’
Christina smiled. ‘Agreed. We’ll come on board tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.’
Chapter 11
Givet, Champagne-Ardenne, France - 2028
Lord Butler and Jürgen Kohler stood looking up at the ten marble stairs and ornately carved façade of the mayor’s residence. They felt tired and frustrated after surviving the wearisome journey by truck from Paris to the old fort town of Givet, situated in the north of France. The meetings in Paris had been extremely fruitful for the GGC, and they now had a major stake in the control of all the remaining nuclear resources in France. All but this one facility.
‘I’m glad that we don’t have to endure too many more of these arduous journeys,‘ Jürgen Kohler said.
‘Glad you finally see my wisdom in having the likes of Christin Anderson as a deputy minister? Grand Founders like us will have the initial meetings with warlords and mayors, and then all the follow-up sessions can be done by the deputy ministers.’
‘I still don’t think that she is ready for that responsibility,’ Jürgen Kohler said.
‘Of course, she is. She will do exactly what I tell her to do. That is her role in all this. We decide what needs to happen, and she will make it so. Do you think I would have promoted her if I couldn’t control her or bend her to my will?’
Jürgen looked down at a document in his hand. ‘Do you think she can handle this Magne character? He was the ex-operations manager of the plant before he was elected as mayor, so might be a tough nut to crack.’
‘He will love her. She’s an exquisite looking woman and very intelligent. Why wouldn’t the Frenchman like her?’ Lord Butler said. ‘We’re here to lay the foundations for her, so take your cue from me.’
As they reached the top of the steps, they were met by a small balding man dressed in a dark grey suit, who welcomed them and escorted them through the impressive hallway of the renovated chateau, into an expansive library.
‘Please be seated, gentlemen. The mayor will be with you shortly,’ the man said.
The library was filled with bookshelves packed with old books from floor to ceiling. It was well lit and spacious, the perfect setting for an office. The leather furniture they sat on was old and well used, but extremely comfortable. The door opened, and they turned to see the mayor walk over to them.
‘Lord Butler and Minister Kohler, I bid you a warm welcome to Givet. I trust you had a comfortable journey,’ the tall man said, shaking their hands, his blue eyes staring intensely at each of them. ‘Please take a seat.’
Mayor Christophe Magne walked around the large antique desk and sat in a large black leather chair. He leant forward, flicking a fringe of greying black hair to the side of his face.
‘Lord Butler. I shall get straight to the point because I’m fully aware of the purpose of your visit and I’m afraid it has been a waste of your time. I have spoken to a number of influential people in the area, and the common feeling amongst us remains unchanged. We will continue to control our own resources that belong to Givet.’
‘Thank you for this opportunity to present our case in person, Mr Mayor. I find dealing with such topics like this over satellite phone or radio seldom yield any benefit to either side,’ Lord Butler said.
The mayor gave them a small smile and sat back in his chair. ‘Very well, Lord Butler. Present your case.’
‘We understand your reluctance to join a growing global organisation such as the GGC since people often perceive it to be similar to an autocratic type of government. This, however, is not the case. The current global situation means that our planet is in the middle of a massive social crisis. Over the last century, our world has been shaped by the cheap energy that oil and gas afforded us. We are without most of those sources of energy now.’
‘Lord Butler, I am aware of the history of the financial
and resource revolutions of recent times, France played a large part in many of those developments,’ Christophe Magne said.
‘If you would be so kind as to allow me to finish,’ Lord Butler said. ‘The last of the major energy resources are now responsible for supporting massively migrated populations. We see the GGC’s role as that of a facilitator, to help prolong the life of many of these critical energies and prevent further wholesale grab of these precious resources of our future.’
‘So, you want to stop the scramble for the last of the planet’s resources, by asking me to join you in scrambling for the last of the resources?’
Lord Butler smiled. ‘You know the situation is not as trivial as that, Christophe. As a leader, you must realise that to save these resources, we need to control them.’
‘Ah… There is the word I’ve been waiting for, control. That is exactly why we have no interest in joining the GGC because by doing so, we will lose control over our resources.’
‘You intend to maintain control of the nuclear plant at Chooz for the people of the region, is that correct?’
‘We have owned and maintained this plant since it was built and, therefore, have the right to continue to make sure that the people of the area benefit from the resources it provides.’
‘What is the difference between both our goals? They seem aligned to me.’
‘Simple. I do not aim to control the world by controlling its resources,’ the mayor said.
‘Gentlemen, may I suggest a compromise?’ Jürgen Kohler interrupted. ‘What sort of security do you have here in Givet, and up-river at the Chooz nuclear plant, Mr Mayor?’
‘We have a security team that is quite capable of securing both, Minister Kohler,’ the mayor replied.
‘How many men? ’ Minister Kohler asked again.
‘Seventy well-trained young men.’
Minister Kohler looked at the well-dressed man behind the desk. ‘Would you allow us to place a Phoenix Guard team of specialist soldiers here in Givet to assist, train and monitor the security? We would be happy with that compromise, and you could remain in control.’
‘We don’t need your bloody help. My men are sufficiently trained to keep the plant secure,’ the mayor said.
Minister Kohler stood up and took out his satphone. ‘Excuse me, please.’ He dialled and after a few seconds began speaking. ‘Captain Schmidt, this is Minister Kohler. Are you in position?’ Jürgen Kohler listened for a while longer, then handed the phone over to the mayor.
The mayor’s demeanour suddenly changed, his face darkened with anger.
‘What did you say?’
‘You are joking, right.’
‘This is outrageous!’ Christophe shouted, and then listened for a few minutes more. He looked up at the two men sitting in front of him then threw the phone onto the desk. He sat back in his chair, glaring at them.
‘This is how you engender trust within your organisation, with a demonstration of an industrial coup d’état?’ the mayor said, his voice booming as the anger rose within him.
‘Captain Schmidt was under our orders to infiltrate the plant and take control of it as an exercise to test your security and prove to you that your men are insufficient in numbers and ill-prepared to protect such a valuable resource,’ Jürgen Kohler said.
The mayor slammed his hand on the desk, leaning forwards. ‘Gentlemen, you may think that you’ve demonstrated your point about the inadequate security measures of Givet and Chooz, but you have also just proven my point about the autocratic nature of your organisation.’
‘I don’t think that was the purpose of the exercise,’ Lord Butler said.
‘Nevertheless, gentlemen, you have done just that,’ the mayor said. ‘But I am a pragmatist, a retired engineer who believes in solving problems. I will agree to you stationing your Phoenix Guard here in the town. We will make use of them and learn from them, but that is all. We will not be part of the GGC as I do not share your lack of faith and trust in humanity. And that, gentleman, concludes this meeting. I wish you a safe journey back to London.’
Lord Butler nodded. ‘Thank you for your time, Mr Mayor. We will be sending a new Phoenix Guard to be stationed here in the next few days.’
The two men got up and left the mayor’s residence. They walked down the marble stairs and out towards the large truck they arrived in.
‘The mayor rolled over rather quickly, didn’t he?’ Lord Butler said.
‘Yes. I thought taking control of the plant might force his hand, but I expected more resistance from him. I guess he just wanted more time to think about it,’ Jürgen Kohler said.
‘That is what I am concerned about. He is obviously an intelligent man, and we have just shown him that his forces here are weak and disorganised. I am sure he is going to strengthen them now. Wouldn’t you?’ Lord Butler said.
‘Yes, I would, but with a Phoenix Guard posted here, we’ll have men on the ground to monitor what he does,’ Jürgen Kohler said.
‘Send Markus back to Wales to help Christina. We need to get this Gibbs on board, briefed and out here as soon as possible. I know his work. He’s a skilled and ruthless SAS soldier. I’d like to get Christina out here on a regular basis to continue to try and get Magne to join.’
‘If he continues to refuse to cooperate?’
‘Then, we will have to have a vote in the Council to determine the future of Mayor Magne, and re-evaluate his importance to us,’ Lord Butler said.
Chapter 12
Givet, Champagne-Ardenne, France – 2028
Christophe Magne sat behind his desk, fiddling with a wooden letter opener as he watched the two men leave the room.
‘René!’ he shouted.
The doors flung open, and a squirrel of a man entered. ‘Yes, Christophe.’
‘Can you find Alain and bring him back here for an urgent meeting?’ Christophe said, and getting up to look at a map of Givet that was lying on a wooden table up next to one of the stained glass windows.
A few minutes later his men returned. ‘What is it, Christophe?’
‘Come in, my friends, and sit down. Let me tell you about my meeting with the latest regime to come knocking on our door,’ Christophe said. ‘Our dear friends from the Phoenix Council came here to try and convince us to join them, under the pretence of caring for the world’s resources. They then proceeded to show their fist of strength, by having one of their squads take control of the plant.’
‘The bastards,’ Alain Rubert said, slapping the arm of the couch. The mayor’s slim-faced friend clenched his jaw and leant forward. ‘What will we do?’
‘That is why I have asked you both in here. We have to decide our course of action together. Do we join these people, or resist their advances and struggle to stay independent?’ Christophe said.
‘They had the advantage of surprise when they took over the plant. We will not drop our guard like that again.’
‘Why did they catch us so off guard in the first place?’ Christophe asked. ‘Our men should be doing the job all of the time.’
‘They are farmers and nuclear scientists, Christophe. I have done the best that I can with them,’ René said.
‘I know that you have, René. It was not meant as a personal jibe. Maybe it was a good thing in the long run. We need to learn from this. What do you think that we should do?’
‘I say we determine our own path forward,’ René replied.
‘I agree with René,’ Alain said. ‘We will also have this Phoenix Guard stationed here in Givet, so it will be easy to keep an eye on them and at the same time, get training from them.’
Christophe nodded. ‘Okay, we’ll allow them to send their troops and then keep an eye on this guard unit while at the same time recruiting more men to help increase our security.’
‘Where are we going to get more men? We are already employing the best men we can get in the region, and I wouldn’t want to start employing old people, teenagers or men from inside our prisons. It is dangero
us and costly,’ René said.
‘I agree with you. What about contacting our sister towns in France and Belgium?’ Christophe asked.
‘It will come down to cost again,’ Alain replied. ‘Our coffers are not full enough to enable us to buy and maintain a new army.’ Alain said, then stopped, a smile widening across his face. ‘What if we could get a large group of men to work for us for a few years for nothing? All we would have to do is feed them and give them weapons.’
‘You have gone mad, my friend, where will you get them from?’ Christophe said.
‘Nice,’ Alain replied.
‘Nice is a small decaying harbour town,’ René said. ‘Why would they have all these resources you talk about?’
‘I have a friend in Nice, who specialises in acquiring things for people. I spent time with him on my last trip there, and he mentioned there was an influx of fighting men from Africa. These men come with a debt to be paid in return for their safe passage. They must work in France, to repay those debts,’ Alain said.
Christophe frowned. ‘I am not too thrilled about becoming slave owners.’
‘We will not be slave owners, Christophe. These men will be mercenaries for us. They will work for us for a period and then we’ill let them go,’ Alain said.
Christophe stood up and walked over to a window overlooking the town square, which was empty except for a few young boys running around, playing with an old football.
‘Fine, let’s do that. How many men would you think we require? They would have to have had military training,’ Christophe said.
René thought a while then answered. ‘Thirty to forty men should be sufficient to create two specialist groups.’
Christophe nodded. ‘Alain, take ten armed men and two trucks, head down to Nice and get us a security force. Take enough gold and cash to pay for them, but most importantly, make sure they are military men.’
‘Yes, Mr Mayor, I’ll leave in the morning,’ Alain replied.
‘René, you get the old barracks on the other side of town ready,’ Christophe said.
The Journey of Kyle Gibbs Box Set Page 32
