Anhur

by Wayne Marinovich

  • • •

  Toby barked from his position in the front passenger seat, making Gibbs jump. He had gone into a daze as the scenery flashed past the truck. The endless nothingness of dead desert scrub numbed his tired mind. The sun was starting to dip over a low range of hills to their left. They were heading north to the last place that Rebus had set up camp. This was the first night he would not have Stuart with him since Christina had died ten years before. He felt a dark hollow inside.

  ‘Calm down, you mutt,’ he said, reaching across to be met with a wet snout. A few licks and Toby went back to looking out for rabbits and coyotes, nose out the small window opening, tongue licking the armoured glass.

  ‘We going to camp for the night?’ Smithy said from his position on one of the side benches against the side of the truck.

  ‘I want to get as close as we can in the next few hours. Stuart is close. I can feel it.’

  Smithy put down the old book he was reading and came over. ‘We’ve had a monster of a day, boss. Everyone is tired and needs a break. We cannot find them tonight.’

  ‘We can get closer, which means we’ll take less time in the morning to find them.’

  ‘Getting stressed about it won’t help anyone.’

  ‘What do you know about what I’m going through?’ Gibbs said, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel.

  ‘My wife and son died in case you’ve forgotten,’ Smithy said. ‘So, I know exactly what you’re feeling.’

  Gibbs looked down the straight tarred road. The headlights were starting to illuminate the weeds and bushes growing through the tar. ‘Sorry, mate. Just a bit concerned for those that Rebus has taken.’

  ‘I’m concerned about the few of us that he has not taken yet. We can still wreak havoc with his gang, but we have to be lucid and awake when we encounter him next. We can only do that by being in the best shape we can be.’

  Gibbs eased his foot off the accelerator. His mate was right. They needed a plan. A change of tack. Something Rebus wouldn’t expect.

  • • •

  Gibbs watched Smithy and the men as they went about setting up camp. They were parked outside the remnants of an old farmhouse that was set about one hundred and fifty metres from the main road. Casey and her baby walked around watching the men intently, Toby bouncing after them. Reaching across in the door area of the passenger door, he pulled the satphone out. Turning it on, he stared at the spinning logo of the satellite company as it sought a connection. Three messages showed. They’d have to wait as he dialled a number from memory.

  ‘Gibbs, is that you?’ the man asked.

  ‘Yes, it’s me.’

  ‘Thank God. We were worried sick. How are you? We got a message from a source that said you were captured.’

  ‘I’m still here, but I have bad news. Warren was killed defending an enclave called Constance. Stuart plus many others have been taken by the 38s.’

  ‘My God, that’s terrible.’ Silence for a few seconds. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘I know. I just wanted to check in with you to see if you had any news about the NAG in this area or feedback on our request for more info on Rebus.’

  ‘The NAG is all over your region now. It seems they’ve sent in two additional companies of men, but I have no exact locations because they’re moving too quickly. They suddenly seem to want you more than ever. Not sure what has changed.’

  ‘Thanks. Did you broadcast a plea for more information on the radio station?’ Gibbs said.

  ‘It’s been badly compromised and will be off the air until it can be relocated. You’re to call our other contact and invoke the emergency protocol we’ve agreed.’

  ‘Shit, that’s not good.’

  ‘I’m sorry I cannot tell you much more. Walls have ears. Good luck, my old friend.’

  Gibbs heard the line click and then silence. He sat back and closed his eyes, trying to slow his breathing down. There were so many moving pieces on the board to consider.

  ‘I don’t suppose that you are going to tell me what that was all about,’ Smithy said from behind him.

  ‘Fucksakes, mate. You scared the bleeding life out of me,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘What’s going on out there in the dusty, flooded world?’

  ‘Our contact has been compromised. We’re on our own for a while.’

  ‘The secondary person not active yet?’

  ‘No, it’ll take a few days. Not sure I want to risk making contact with them until we get Rebus anyway. Let’s end this chapter first.’

  ‘Good call.’

  Chapter 30

  Eagleton Village, Maryville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  The screaming whine of the lead guitar drowned out the last whimper of the girl as life passed from her. Led Zeppelin was the best music for fucking. Standing next to the bed, Rebus looked down at the teenager, then to his blood-soaked hands. The rush was exquisite. He threw his head back and stared at the ceiling, the hit of cocaine pulsing through his brain.

  ‘All good things must end,’ he said and walked over to the built-in chest of drawers. Bending down, he took another sniff of cocaine. He missed the hard body of Luka. He was far more resilient than these new waifs that Skink kept bringing him.

  ‘I told you to let me pick a girl for the night,’ Enyo said as she lay naked on the sheets. The girl’s blood glistened across her breasts. She lit a joint and took a deep breath. ‘Skink is a soft little runt. He picks girls that he likes and that might perform for him. You’re a far more demanding lover than that little turd. It’s weird to think you’re even related.’

  Rebus looked at her body, drinking in her dark skin. ‘You’re as close to a wife as I’ll ever have, and you’re right of course. You pick next time. We have a whole new bunch to choose from.’

  ‘I’ll do that. And might I suggest that we don’t try to force them to have as much powder as you and I do. I think this one might have overdosed anyway.’

  ‘I don’t remember how much she had,’ Rebus said, pulling on a pair of old black leather trousers. ‘Maybe someone younger would be more resilient.’

  ‘I’ll have a look, but you’ve already broken a few of the younger ones. The doctor has had quite a job patching them back together. Cutting them and having them bleed on you takes its toll. You have to let them recuperate.’

  Rebus laughed. A knock at the door had distracted him. ‘Come.’

  Skink walked in, bowing his head. ‘Morning, Rebus,’ he said, glancing up and down Enyo’s naked body.

  ‘Just in time, you little turd,’ Enyo said. ‘Get rid of this body, will you.’

  ‘Shut up, bitch. I don’t take orders from you.’

  ‘You picked a bad one again, little man,’ Enyo said. ‘You get to clear it all up.’

  ‘Get rid of her, Skink. Enyo will be picking the next few for me,’ Rebus said.

  ‘But that’s my job.’

  ‘At which you have failed,’ Rebus said, placing his hand on Skink’s shoulder. ‘Has the plan been set in motion?’

  ‘It has,’ Skink said.

  ‘What plan?’ Enyo asked, getting up from the bed and wrapping a white sheet around her.

  ‘None of your bloody business. This is men’s work,’ Skink said, taking a step towards the door. Enyo reached for her staff that was leaning in the corner.

  ‘Skink. Get rid of the girl, will you? Enyo, come through to my study,’ Rebus said, walking past the kitchen area and toilet. He walked to the chair behind the large desk and sat down. The buzz from his sex high was starting to fade.

  ‘What plan, Rebus?’

  ‘I gave Skink an order to leave five of my most loyal men near the Constance enclave. They’re waiting for the Hooded Man.’

  ‘Why didn’t you let me know when we were there?’

  ‘I forgot to mention it, my warrior goddess, besides, you had your hands full with that blonde woman that you found in the hospital. Do you remember? The one who kicked your pretty arse.’

/>   Enyo screamed and hurled her staff at Rebus. He ducked and lifted his hands as it struck him. She was on him, leaping over the desk. Her knees pinned him to the chair. ‘I hate that slimy little fuck knowing more than me.’ Rebus tried to laugh, but she had a tight grip on his throat. ‘What are they going to do to the Hooded Man?’

  ‘Get off me so that we can talk,’ he said, wheezing the words out.

  Moving with a leopard-like grace, she landed on his desk, totally naked. He was getting aroused again. ‘Those five men have instructions to kill the Hooded Man. One of them is a sniper, so they shouldn’t have to get too close.’

  ‘What? What about the ransom that the Bounty Hunter is offering? Somebody higher up wants this outlaw just as much as you do.’

  ‘I am sure that they’ll pay for the body. We get to kill him, and they get their body. We’re all happy.’

  Skink stood in the doorway, looking across at Enyo. ‘I’ve dumped the body.’

  ‘Very good,’ Rebus said.

  ‘The men have been deployed, and the diversion has been set.’

  ‘Thank you, nephew. Now get out.’

  Rebus watched him leave. He had to keep himself from fantasising about strangling the little runt. Looking across to Enyo, he saw the muscles in her jaw clenching. ‘What now, my sweet? Why are you so insistent on handing the man who killed our Luka over to the Bounty Hunter?’

  ‘You’re an idiot. You do know that. You’re both chasing the Hooded Man. The same price is on his head. If you were to catch him first, you could ask for more. Possession is nine-tenths of the law or something like that. The Bounty Hunter would have to pay you to collect his bounty.’

  ‘I plan to speak to whoever is paying the Bounty Hunter directly,’ Rebus said.

  ‘Now you are thinking, my prince. We can play them off against each other. And with that money, we can pay off the debt to the bloody Bisons, get more weapons and be done with them.’

  • • •

  ‘Now what?’ Gibbs said as he pumped the truck’s brake pedal. ‘Grace. Take cover with Toby,’ he shouted above the squealing bearing of the front wheel.

  Fingers was standing in the road next to the parked van. He looked over his shoulder at the road ahead a few times. Blondie was still sitting in the driver’s seat, the door open, and his foot dangling out. Gibbs squinted into the morning sun that had just started filtering over a distant mountain range.

  Driving up to them. Gibbs opened the door. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Our radio battery is flat, and there’s a gang van up ahead,’ Fingers said. ‘Looks like they’ve got mechanical trouble and are hovering around the wheels. It’s pulled off to the side of the road, in front of a farmhouse and barn.’

  ‘Anyone else around?’

  ‘Difficult to say. There are clumps of trees on either side of the road. And across from the van is a big forest. Blondie is using the scope, but hasn’t seen any movement.’

  ‘Doesn’t mean there’s nobody there,’ Smithy said from the passenger seat.

  ‘I know that. We need to know what you want to do. Go around or speed straight through? The gang members have both front and back wheel off from what we can see. They couldn’t go anywhere quickly.’

  ‘We’re here to kill them all, Fingers,’ Gibbs said, throwing him another radio handset. ‘Make bloody sure that you charge all the radios each night, will you. It could cost us our lives.’

  ‘Yes, boss,’ Fingers said, playing with the channel button on the top of the radio. ‘Want us to draw their fire as we drive through and then you hit them from this side?’

  ‘No. Drive on through. Keep scouting up ahead. We need to find out if Rebus is back at his last known position,’ Gibbs said, reaching down and giving Fingers the small GPS device, which had the map of the area. ‘That arrow marks our position. Can you work out where the gang members are holed up? It should be south of that.’

  ‘I’ve used one of these before, boss,’ Fingers said, scrolling through the display a couple of times, squinting as he searched the map, He pointed to the location. ‘That structure at the beginning of the side road. That’s where they are.’

  Gibbs nodded and closed the door, watching them as they drove off.

  ‘Not charging radios is a life-threatening issue now?’ Smithy said.

  Gibbs glared at him and flipped the middle finger. ‘Get up on the roof with the L115A3 rifle. I’ll bring us in slowly and park up so they can’t see us. Take out as many as you can. Leave me someone to question.’

  ‘Just get me as close as you can,’ Smithy said, squeezing through the front seats to get the front turret open. ‘I’ll click the radio twice when I have a good range.’

  Gibbs started to inch the truck forward, keeping an eye on the road as it veered left. The sun was now on their right-hand side, and this was perfect for Smithy. The road straightened out, and he could make out the shape of a white building with a black roof between a group of big trees. There was no shot from this line. Picking up the pace a little, they moved closer.

  ‘Not much of a line from this direction,’ Smithy said on the radio. ‘Take us closer.’

  Three large trees blocked the abandoned farmhouse, and the barn was located twenty meters past that. An overhang from the farmhouse extended towards the street, and below that was the parked van. The 38s were unaware of their approach. Another thirty meters closer and the radio clicked twice. Slowing down, Gibbs pulled over on the right verge and grabbed the binoculars.

  Four men walked around, smoking and drinking a clear liquid. One was kneeling near the back wheel hub, changing the brake pads. The rest of the group stood next to the vehicle, joking and laughing with the man making the repairs. A raven that had been perched on the black roof of the farmhouse burst into flight, squawking loudly, causing the men to duck and reach for their sidearms. A shot rang out from above the cab, then two seconds later a second. The furthest man fell backwards with a headshot. The man next to him spun to the right, liquid exploding upwards from his head. The third dropped the M4 he was holding and raised his hands. The kneeling man spun around, not sure of which direction to face. His hands raised as he got to his feet.

  ‘Take us in,’ Smithy said over the radio. ‘I’ll cover you.’

  Gibbs accelerated and they raced forward, taking the side road to the left, and then cutting across the overgrown lawn to within ten meters of the startled men. Hair raised on Gibbs’s arms. This was going smoother than he’d thought. He looked at the faces of the men. They looked younger than the usual grey and haggard gang members. Rebus was running out of seasoned, experienced men and had resorted to young cannon fodder.

  ‘Toss all your weapons. Knives included,’ Smithy shouted from on top of the truck. ‘Then lie face down where you are.’

  The two men wearing 38 jackets threw their knives and pistols to the side, then got to their knees and lay on the ground. Gibbs grabbed his SA80 and opened the door slowly. Stepping down to the ground, he scanned the trees across the road to the left. His heart pounded in his chest.

  In a crouch, he walked forward towards the men. ‘Get up onto your knees.’ The men lay still. ‘I said fucking get up. Do you want a bullet in the back of the head? I just want information.’

  One of the gang members looked up. ‘We know who you are. You don’t take prisoners or let people go.’

  ‘Get up onto your knees. I’m not talking to the back of your bloody heads,’ Gibbs said, walking closer. He moved closer towards the van, to cover any possibility of a person being in the house or barn. One of the men flicked a glance across the road.

  The hair on the back of Gibbs’s neck rose. ‘Smithy, check those trees across the road.’

  The men lay still, looking at one another on the floor. Gibbs reached down to grab the nearest by the back of his leather jacket when he felt a flick of his hair and heard the side mirror of the van shatter from the bullet. Dropping to his stomach, he looked to see one of the gang members smiling. Swivelling aro
und to the right, he pulled his Glock from its holster and shot the man in the face. Smithy let off a round into the distant trees.

  ‘I can see two flashpoints. Get the hell out of there,’ Smithy shouted and reloaded. Another shot went off.

  A bullet hit the side door of the van behind Gibbs as he leopard crawled around and back towards the truck. Smithy had retrieved an SA80 and was sending cover fire into the trees as ground flicked up around Gibbs. A sharp pain went along the back of his leg and up into his buttocks.

  ‘I’m hit.’

  ‘Hold on,’ Smithy said, and Gibbs could feel the truck swaying a little as Smithy scurried around inside. The last of the gang members had crawled under the stricken van and was looking across to Gibbs. They both looked at his weapon that lay five meters out in the open.

  Gibbs rolled under the truck in a single movement, pulling a grenade from his chest webbing. The pain spiked up his leg again as he crawled forward. Swinging the grenade arm around, he lobbed the green, round bundle of joy across to the gang member, who was edging out the other side of the van. Gibbs could hear the GAU19 starting to rattle from the rear roof turret as Smithy cleared sections of the opposite trees. No point in shouting out to warn him. Gibbs crawled backwards, thumping his head on the diff lock under the truck. He heard the scream and then the roar as the breath was taken out of him from the explosion. Shaking his head, he crawled out from the protected side of the truck and looked at the twisted metal ball of flames. The gang member was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘Gibbs?’ Smithy said.

  ‘Yeah. I’m okay. Get to the driver’s seat. You’ll have to drive,’ Gibbs shouted as he hobbled forward, holding the bloodied back of his leg. With a groan, he reached up and opened the passenger door. Toby was standing there, tail wagging. ‘Move over, you stupid thing.’

  He pulled himself up, his face twisted as the pain spread up his back. ‘Why are we still here?’

  ‘If you can still whine and pull yourself up into the truck, it’s nothing serious. Stop moaning,’ Smithy said as he started the truck. ‘You want to go back to see Martin if he is still alive?’

  ‘It’s a flesh wound. You can stitch me up later.’