Z-Series (Book 4): Z-Takeover

by Hatchett

  “Must’ve been where the bastard held Jenny and Daryl,” Travis commented.

  “Thank fuck Issy and Gina aren’t hanging there!” Andy replied with feeling. “We need to find them, now!”

  “There’s no one else here,” Travis stated the obvious, “so where have they gone?”

  “Jack, have you spotted anyone leaving this building?”

  “That’s a negative,” Jack responded through their earpieces. “We’ve been focused on the building so they must be there somewhere. I think Hakan mentioned a storeroom or something near the back.”

  “Everyone fan out and search,” Andy ordered.

  It only took a couple of minutes before, “Boss, got something back here,” came through the earpiece.

  Andy and Travis jumped over bodies as they ran towards the rear of the church to find two soldiers holding a door open and pointing their MP5’s down a set of stairs.

  “Looks like access to one of their tunnels,” Andy guessed. “Now we know where they went.” He could see nothing in the weak light coming from the tunnel and turning on his helmet light, took the first few tentative steps down. When he reached the bottom, he saw that the tunnel stretched for about twenty metres and was clear. He gave Travis a ‘thumbs up’ and moved into the tunnel a short distance, noticing the doors on either side. “There’s a load of doors down here,” he whispered.

  Travis caught up to him with the rest of the soldiers following on behind, all now with their torches on and flooding the tunnel with light.

  “Listen up,” Travis ordered. “There’s loads of doors down here and we don’t know what’s behind them. It could be a trap. Pair up and take each door at a time and work your way along. We keep going until we find something.”

  The first pair of soldiers took the first door on the left. As one opened the door, the other had his MP5 ready to shoot if the need arose. Both soldiers then entered the room, one moving quickly to the left and the other moving quickly to the right. “Clear,” came through everyone’s earpiece and the two soldiers reappeared in the doorway.

  “Right, let’s get it done, quickly and carefully,” Andy ordered.

  All the soldiers passed Andy and Travis and selected doors as they went along. Andy and Travis watched before following on behind them.

  “Storeroom,” came through the earpieces.

  “Storeroom.”

  “Weapons.”

  “Food.”

  “Goods.”

  “Drugs.”

  And on it went.

  “Cell. Boss, you might want to see this,” came from one of the soldiers.

  “Where are you?” Andy asked, worrying that the soldiers might have found the bodies of Issy and Gina.

  “A couple of rooms down on the left after you turn the corner.”

  Andy and Travis ran to the end of the Westbound corridor, weaving between soldiers entering and leaving the rooms on either side. They turned into the Northbound corridor and spotted the two soldiers standing outside the door to one of the rooms, waiting for them.

  “In here,” one of the soldiers pointed unnecessarily as Andy pushed past them into the cell, closely followed by Travis. They were joined by the two soldiers and their combined torchlight lit the body of Hakan in the middle of the floor, lying in a pool of blood. Andy approached carefully with his MP5 raised but immediately saw that the person had been stabbed in the head as well as the back. He leant over and pulled at the matted hair to get a look at the face. It was obviously one of the Turks, which made it a bit unusual, possibly Mamba getting rid of a dissenter?

  “Over here,” Travis said, and Andy went to join him.

  There was a small amount of blood on the wall and the ground underneath it looked like it had been scraped.

  “They might have been here,” Travis suggested, “and possibly injured,” as he pointed towards a small splash of blood.

  “Well, the good news is that they’re not here lying next to that,” Andy noted, pointing towards the body of Hakan. He went back over and took out his phone to take a picture.

  “Let’s go,” Andy suggested, once he had finished and they re-entered the North bound tunnel to watch the soldiers still checking all the rooms.

  Both Andy and Travis were well aware that it was taking too much time and that Mamba, and the women could already be miles away. It was beginning to seem like a hopeless task.

  It took a further fifteen minutes before the soldiers cleared all the rooms up to the wider area at the end. It was clear to everyone that people had been there recently with all the fresh blood and guts covering the ground. Andy had noticed the other tunnels leading off the space and grimaced inside. It really was like a maze down here and they could be here for hours checking everything out. Mamba could literally have gone anywhere. He could even still be down there somewhere, waiting to ambush them. The futility of their mission was almost overwhelming, but there was no way he were going to give up.

  The soldiers had opened the doors leading off the space and one of them shouted that he had found some stairs.

  Andy and Travis walked across to the doorway and there were indeed stairs leading up.

  “What do you think?” Andy asked. “Did they go down the other tunnels or up here?”

  “Difficult to say,” Travis started, “if they got dirty here, then it suggests they were ready to move out and used these stairs. But it could be a decoy and they actually went down another tunnel.” He turned to a couple of soldiers next to him. “Check the other tunnels for footprints or any other indication that people went down them.”

  “Hold on a minute,” Andy cautioned, and quickly moved towards the stairs. “Fresh blood on here,” he noted, as he continued up the stairs.

  “Be careful,” Travis warned, “it could be a trap.”

  Andy continued out of sight and Travis heard another door being opened at the top.

  The two soldiers returned and explained that it wasn’t possible to tell if the other tunnels had been used recently. The ground was simply too hard-packed.

  “Did you spot any blood?” Travis asked.

  “None that we could see,” replied the soldier.

  “Up here!” Andy shouted down the stairs and Travis ran to them and bounded up two stairs at a time, almost slipping halfway up on some of the guts which had obviously fallen off someone.

  Travis entered the house to find Andy looking around. There was fresh blood and guts all over the floor, the trail leading to an outside door at the rear.

  “They must have come this way,” Andy stressed. “They wouldn’t have had the time to set up such an elaborate decoy.”

  “Agreed, and there’s no trail in the other tunnels,” Travis confirmed. He turned back to the stairs and called for the two teams to come up before moving across to Andy. “I guess we need to follow the trail.”

  “Yep.” He opened the back door, walked out into the small yard and headed for the back gate. It was unlocked, so another indication they had gone this way.

  “Jack, have you picked up anything on the satellite from our current position?” Andy asked.

  “Not yet, but since you found the tunnels, we expanded the search area, but it’s a lot of ground to cover. Now we know where you are, we can narrow down the search again.”

  “Roger,” Andy replied. “Quick as you can.” He turned to the group, “Team Alpha on me, Team Bravo on Travis. We move slowly and merge, not too close to each other. Check you’re still dirty.”

  A couple of soldiers rubbed their hands on the mess on the floor before rubbing them against their clothing, just to be absolutely sure.

  Andy opened the gate slowly and slid quietly through the gap onto Beechwood Road. He followed a trail of bloody footprints for about ten metres before they blended with other blood and detritus. He looked around and spotted other footprints heading in other directions. This was impossible.

  “Looks like they split up,” Travis suggested, obviously thinking the same as Andy. “We’v
e no chance of following. They could have gone anywhere.”

  “I’m not fucking giving up!” Andy replied heatedly.

  “I’m with you mate, but they could be anywhere by now,” Travis pointed out, placing a hand on Andy’s shoulder.

  Andy turned and looked at the two teams and ordered, “spread out and follow any trails you find for around ten metres.”

  Andy and Travis watched as the soldiers spread out. It was clear within the first thirty seconds that the trails led in every conceivable direction. That fucking Mamba was like a ghost.

  “This is Jack. We’ve got the earlier footage of about twenty to thirty people emerging from the house and spreading out in all directions. I’ve got operators following each person, but I don’t think it will do any good. Remember when we found Mamba driving those Defenders a few days ago? As soon as he knew we were onto him, he went into that supermarket and they all disappeared like smoke. We simply couldn’t track them. He’s bound to have given them similar instructions about how to lose a tail.”

  “We’ve got to try,” Andy demanded. “Ayla made a mistake, so what’s to say one of the others won’t do the same?”

  “We’re not giving up,” Jack agreed. “I just don’t want you to get your expectations up.”

  “Roger that. Maybe we should be looking at it from another angle? So, the questions should be ‘where are they heading’? ‘Where is there for them to go’? ‘Where do they meet up’.”

  “Tom is considering that and checking on the radio chatter we’ve picked up over the past week or so in case they’ve been in communication with anyone.”

  “We could do with posting sentries around the area like Gina organised when we were looking for him before,” Travis suggested.

  “We don’t have the manpower at the moment,” Jack explained, “although we could ask Hendon for some help.”

  “No. They would be sitting ducks like the watchers around the estate,” Andy said. “I think we should get as many helicopters as possible circling all around the area, even if it causes just one of their group to mess up.”

  “Roger. The Apache already there is circling the area. I’ll send the other two Apache’s and the two Lynx’s so we can cover more area. That should keep them occupied. They should be with you in five to ten minutes. You might want to stick together; we don’t want to start picking off our own personnel.”

  “Will do,” Andy confirmed.

  “While we’re waiting, let’s go back and check the other tunnels and rooms,” Travis suggested.

  “Good idea,” Andy said, “Let’s go.”

  18

  Day 16 – 17:30

  Dalston Estate, London

  Mamba and Ahmed had taken Issy and Gina back to the Kingsland Shopping centre as part of their escape route. Mamba had decided that it would be ideal for his purposes because there were plenty of stores where they could change clothing and get some supplies before they reached their temporary hideaway.

  Mamba had particularly enjoyed Gina’s reaction of disgust to Faruk and Ismet’s art exhibition as they had passed by and he had delighted in pointing out the ‘knob jockeys’, promising that something similar was in store for them, except it would be a different type of ‘knob’.

  They entered a clothing store and, once tied securely to a counter, Mamba took great pleasure in cutting away Issy and Gina’s clothes and groping them when they were both naked. He had found the small file beneath Gina’s watch strap and smiled as he flung it away together with the watch.

  “Can never be too careful,” he muttered. “I’ve seen the James Bond films.”

  He had then stood there with a bulge in his crotch as he looked them up and down for a full minute without saying a word. Gina tried in vain to cover herself with her arms and closed her legs tight, whereas Issy just stood tall and proud, staring back defiantly and with hatred in her eyes.

  “Ya girls got anythin’ else hidden or do I have ta do some more searchin’?” he asked with a smile.

  Gina quickly shook her head, but Issy just stared straight back as if daring him to take a look.

  Mamba was intrigued by Issy’s tattoos, especially the King Cobra with its flared hood, bright red eyes and white fangs dripping poison from between her breasts, and the snake’s body which coiled sinuously around her right breast before flowing down her stomach towards the tail which disappeared between her legs.

  “Gonna be fun lickin’ that snake,” he threatened menacingly then tweaked her nipple. He pulled up his top to reveal a Black Mamba snake in the centre of his own chest.

  “Maybe we’re just same after all,” he suggested.

  Issy just stared at him.

  “Maybe ya like this one.” Mamba turned and showed them a massive tattoo of a hydra all across his back; the water-based snake from Greek mythology with several heads. Issy had to admit to herself that it was a very impressive tattoo, the heads weaving around as Mamba swung his arms around. It gave the impression that the monster was alive.

  Mamba turned his attention to Gina. “I’m already dreamin’ of what I’m gonna do ta ya, Princess,” he said in a lower, huskier voice.

  “Stop fuckin’ ‘round!” Ahmed admonished him as he came back to the counter and dumped some clothes on it. “We ain’t got time fer yer games.”

  “OK, OK, keep yer hair on!” Mamba replied. “Oh, I forgot, ya ain’t got none,” he added and started laughing.

  “Jus’ let’s get ‘em dressed ‘n fuck off outta here,” Ahmed suggested. “I need a drink.”

  Between them, and releasing one hand at a time, they quickly clothed Issy and Gina in day-glo T-shirts, hoodies, cropped jeans, socks and a coat. No underwear.

  “Bet the two of yer always wanted ta go commando,” Mamba joked as he forced their feet into some slip-on shoes. Issy was sorely tempted to try and kick Mamba in the face but he was watching her carefully and grinning as if he expected her to make the attempt.

  Once they were dressed, Mamba pushed some material into their mouths and tied it at the back of their heads so they couldn’t make any noise.

  “That’s how I like me birds,” he commented as he tied the knot, “except when they’re suckin’ of course,” he added, watching to see if he’d get a reaction, and was pleased to see Issy’s eyes narrow. He then pulled out a couple of jars from his rucksack and proceeded to pour the bloody contents over each of their heads.

  “Fuck me, yer both look like that ‘Carrie’ bird from that old horror film,” he remarked with a laugh.

  “Come on!” Ahmed barked, as he headed for the store’s exit. He then went straight to the supermarket and started adding items to his rucksack. By the time he was finished, it was bulging at the seams.

  Mamba then led the way through the side exit into the ‘roofed’ outdoor market and after checking the area carefully, led them right onto Ridley Road, which ran parallel to the train line.

  The majority of Ridley Road had shops on either side with large awnings where the local Turkish merchants offered items for sale on the pavement outside their shops. Mamba could just imagine the fuckers creeping to every mark that passed, ‘I give you good price, lady, very good price! Very cheap!’

  Everything was scattered all over the place so the four of them had to watch their step as they made sure they kept the awnings above their heads. There was no way any satellite would know they were there as long as they stayed under cover.

  One of the shops had a wooden stall outside which had wheels and could be pushed along like a large wheelbarrow. They debated whether it was worth using it, but decided it wasn’t a good idea; there was too much crap all over the place and the stall would keep getting stuck. In any case, they didn’t have too far to go.

  After two hundred and fifty metres and just after ‘Yusuf’s Foods’ shop, they came to ‘The Bricklayer’s Arms’. They were less than a kilometre from the Dalston Estate church as the crow flies.

  Mamba entered the pub with his knife drawn, leaving Ahmed t
o keep an eye on the women. He was back out within a couple of minutes with fresh blood splashed across his top and a wide smile.

  “The coast’s clear,” he said. “Welcome.” With that he turned and re-entered the pub, holding the door open for the others to join him.

  “I thought we was goin’ ta ‘The Oatsheaf’?” Ahmed asked in confusion. “It’s already bin cleared fer us.”

  “Thought ya said ya wanted a drink?” Mamba replied.

  “I do.”

  “Well, shut the fuck up then!”

  Ahmed just shook his head and led the two women to a seat and undid their gags.

  “Do ya want a drink?” he asked kindly.

  “Yes please, G&T,” Gina requested.

  “And what ‘bout ya?” Ahmed asked Issy.

  Issy stared at him before responding. “Coke.”

  Ahmed tied them to a heavy wood table then went to help Mamba with the drinks.

  Mamba and Ahmed came back with a couple of trays full of drinks and set them down on a table a couple of metres from the women. Mamba made a big show of selecting two plastic cups before pouring the drinks and bringing them over.

  “Gina and tonic for the Princess,” he announced with a laugh at his own joke, “sorry, no ice or lemon.”

  Gina just nodded.

  “And a Coke fer Miss Congenitally,” he suggested as he placed it on the table.

  “It’s ‘Miss Congeniality’,” Ahmed corrected. “Congenitally is a disease, I think.”

  “So, I was right the first time!”

  Mamba sat down and was handed a bottle of beer by Ahmed, who threw some crisps and nuts onto the table. “Help yerselves.”

  Issy and Gina leant forwards to pick up their drink with both hands before raising the plastic cups to their lips to take a drink.

  “Cheers,” Mamba saluted, and clinked his glass against Ahmed’s.

  Issy and Gina ignored him.

  “So, what we gonna talk ‘bout?” Mamba asked.

  Issy and Gina ignored him.

  “How ‘bout the two times yer tried to kill me with a rocket,” Mamba suggested.

  Issy and Gina ignored him.