“That was fucking full-on!” our new passenger exclaims. He turns to check on Dan and notices the two girls in the back. “Excuse my French, girls.”
Dan and Ian, another muscled operative I do know, are running towards us and are only feet away when the rear window explodes in behind me. I rapidly swivel in my seat, turning and raising the Sig.
Through the open rear of the car, there are three targets, their grim faces looking straight at me and clawing to get through. The girls are both screaming and now very near hysterical, the sound of the three shots coming in quick succession from the Sig. All head shots don’t calm them, but I can’t help that right now.
The passenger door swings open. “Move, move,” I shout at Dan and Ian, then, “Cover the rear,” as they get in.
Before the back door is even shut, the car is speeding forward towards the main building, more firing coming from the back, from both the men now on the back seat.
“Is the gate closed? How many hostiles are through?” I demand.
“I counted nine through and they are moving fast towards us; it’s difficult to get head shots. The gate’s not fully closed, bodies are jamming it, Boss,” Dan shouts.
The car is weaving quite badly as it drives down the short road leading to a small island at the entrance of the building. We have picked up a puncture but I daren’t slow anymore. As I drive around the island, I’m too fast and sideswipe two cars that are parked there. But I control it and come to a sudden stop just outside the main entrance.
The three men are out of the car in an instant and take up covering positions. I’m also out, but my main concern is getting the girls out and inside as quickly as possible. Running around the front of the car, I see more men from inside the building coming out and taking up positions. I ignore them and pull open the back door, grabbing Emily off Stacey’s lap.
Gunfire starts again from all around, Emily’s arms and legs wrapping around me tightly and I hear her crying uncontrollably. I take Stacey’s hand, virtually dragging her out of the car and then we are running towards the entrance doors of Orion.
Gunfire continues and then, as we cross the threshold into the building, I hear Dan shout, “Fall back inside! Fall back inside!”
Turning, I see Dan and his men running toward us. Too close behind them, Rabids are chasing, and farther back at the gate, more are squeezing through the gap that remains and running and leaping through the air at speed down the short road to the building. Car alarms are sounding from the cars I had hit on the island. It will only attract yet more of them.
I look over at the reception booth and am amazed to see Lindsey still sitting there, perched behind the booth, looking frightened to death—and who can blame her?
“Lindsey,” I shout, “get ready to shut and lock the doors on my command.”
“I’m ready, Andy,” she replies in a fairly confident voice.
Dan and his men are just feet away from the entrance but three Rabids are right behind them, with more following closely. There are three other men covering the door, all pointing handguns at the hostiles baying for our blood. Emily is still wrapped around my body and neck, and Stacey is still gripping my left hand tightly. But in my right hand is my Sig, aimed out of the entrance, waiting patiently.
Dan is the last one to make it through and as soon as he does, we open fire on the three closest targets. I hit one in the head with my second shot then someone else hits another and it goes down. The last is shot to pieces by all four of us about six feet from the entrance.
“Close the doors!” Dan and I shout almost in unison.
The heavy glass doors slide closed quickly, seconds before another Rabid gets through. Its head smashes into the glass with a resonating thud that caves its head in and the Rabid bounces back off the glass, leaving a round red patch on the glinting surface.
What was once a normal woman, dressed in what looks like a business suit and with long blonde hair, is now lying flat on her back, spread across the gold Orion logo on the outside marble entrance floor. Dark red blood from her head pours across the bright white marble. We all stand and watch in silence as she twitches in her final throes of life.
Looking up and beyond, more hideous creatures are coming down the road and across the island, more getting through the gate all the time.
“Close the inner door,” I instruct Lindsay.
A mechanical whirring starts and from the left, the inner grey steel door slowly starts to slide across, cutting off the view of the Rabids; they are now at the glass doors, all in a desperate frenzy to get at us, clawing hard, trying to find a way in, teeth gnashing.
Chapter 11
My neck and shoulder are damp from Emily’s tears, her head is still buried tight in there and she is still sobbing. A parent’s job is to protect their children as much as possible from the horrors of this world, but I have just driven my youngest child through what I can only describe as Hell on Earth, and we are so lucky to have made it through in one piece.
I don’t even know if my son is alive or dead, and a cold fear waves through me. Flicking the safety on my Sig, I push it into the back of my jeans as my holster is under Emily's body. With the Sig away, I reach into my front jeans pocket to get my phone with Emily still clamped around me. Has Josh been trying to get in contact? I haven’t heard or felt it ring but with what we have just been through, it could easily have been missed.
Lifting the phone, the little green light flashes, meaning that someone has been trying to get in contact. God, please let it be Josh. The screen lights up and tells me there are several missed calls and numerous text messages. Unlocking the phone, I quickly check my missed phone calls, to see three from Dan, unsurprisingly, two from Catherine and one—yet more surprisingly—from Colonel Reed. But none from Josh. I move into the text messages and scroll past the ones from Dan and Catherine again, and from Karen…and then, with a wave of relief, I see there’s a message from Josh which I immediately click onto.
“Dad, been unable to use phone n shouldn’t now, shit is on but I’m fine. My Company has been tasked with guarding Tower Bridge and my Battalion is using the Tower of London as FOB. Will phone ASAP. You and Em okay?”
The text message only came through twenty minutes ago, which is positive news. And he is still with his Company. I have met quite a few of the lads there; they all seemed switched on and capable, and Josh is quite close to some of them. They will have each other’s backs, that’s for sure.
Emily’s sobbing has calmed somewhat but she is still sniffling quite loudly into my neck.
“Hey Emily, ssh. We’re inside now, and all the doors are locked. We made it to my work and look, Josh has sent us a text message to see if we are okay! He says he is okay too. Shall we send him a message back? What would you like to say to Josh?”
Emily lifts her head a little bit, her sobbing dying down more, and she turns slightly to look. Her long blonde hair, wet from her tears, sticks to the side of my face and neck.
“Look, we are all stuck together like a sticky thing!” I say lightheartedly with a slight laugh. “Let’s put you down and get your hair sorted. You have been so brave. I’m very proud of you and Stacey; you were both incredible.”
Emily makes a couple of grunting noises as I lean, supporting her back with my right arm to put her down. As I lower her, her arms and legs briefly grip around me more tightly for a moment but then they relax and her body swings down, her feet finally touching the floor.
All this time, Stacey has been holding onto my hand tightly, but she too now relaxes her grip and lets go. She comes around the front of me and leans to give Emily a hug.
“Yes, look at the state of your hair,” Stacey says. “This just won’t do.” She goes about brushing it with her hands.
I go down on my haunches, putting my hands around Emily’s cheeks and lift her face gently to me. Her eyes are red and puffy, her cheeks wet. I give her a smile and she gives me a small one back.
“Now, shall we send
Josh a message to tell him we are okay and where we are?” I ask Emily. She nods, which makes me smile even more.
“Boss,” Dan says, approaching.
“One minute please, Dan, Emily and I have just got to send a message, then I’ll be with you.”
“Okay,” Dan replies. He is a good mate and adores Emily but a major part of the reason for him putting his neck and the necks of his team on the line, was because he knew I had access to the not unsubstantial armoury two floors below us. And I don’t hold that against him in the slightest.
Still on my haunches with Emily, I start typing a reply to Josh.
“Hi Son, Emily and I are relieved to hear you are Ok. We are 2 and made it inside Orion Building, now locked down. Phone me ASAP, and same if you get into trouble. When we have plans this end, will let you know. Love Dad and Em.”
As I'm typing, I read it out to Emily and when I'm done, ask her if it’s okay. She says 'Yes, Dad,' so I press send. I lean and give Emily a kiss then get up to properly survey our situation. But as I do, my phone rings. Catherine.
“Hi, we are okay and in reception,” I say.
“Thank God,” she replies. “I was watching from up here and didn’t think you were going to make it for a minute. It was awful.”
“You should know me better than that,” I joke. “Although… it was pretty hairy, I must admit.”
“To say the least, Andy! Are you coming up now? How is Emily, frightened to death I shouldn’t wonder?”
“Yes, you could say that, but she was very brave. We will be up in a minute. I have just got to speak to a few people down here first, okay?”
“Yes, see you in a minute then.”
“You will.”
Taking the phone from my ear and seeing Emily and Stacey seem to be alright, I go over to talk to Dan and take in as much of the surrounding situation as possible.
There are six men in the reception area around me, three I know, including Dan, all top-notch men. Lindsay is still sitting in the reception booth, looking up to the bright first-floor foyer which is partly open plan, with a staircase leading up to it overlooking the Reception. The first-floor foyer is where the glass facade of the building starts, the floor-to-ceiling windows helping to light up the Reception area. I count another two men up there, both scanning the outside courtyard through the large windows.
“Mate, thanks a lot for waiting for us," I tell Dan, "I was worried that you may have thought we weren’t coming.”
“I knew you would make it, Boss, you have a tendency to. Anyway, I only want you for your guns,” Dan says with a big smile on his face.
“Well they’re all yours, buddy; you've earned them.” I laugh and slap him on the shoulder. “I just need to get the key from upstairs. What’s the situation here, how many men do we have, where are they and how many civilians are in the building?”
“We have eleven good men, the five here and there are six patrolling the first floor. Two you can see and the other four are patrolling the canteen, kitchen and perimeter offices. All have sidearms…oh, and there is Stan, of course.
“There are only thirteen ‘Civvies’ including the two girls, Catherine, Sir Malcolm and Lindsay. Most employees have stayed home as instructed to on the television, and some phoned to see if they had to come in but we said no. The others that are here were all here very early and are all in the canteen area now,” Dan informs me.
“That’s good, mate, the last thing we need is to be babysitting a load of civvies.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Dan agrees.
“Right,” I say, “let’s get all the men onto the first floor, to keep that perimeter covered, apart from Ian and Mick. Keep them here, one on the main door and one on the side service entrance and fire escape. The rest of it down here is concrete and they won’t be getting through that.”
I know both Ian and Mick and have worked closely with both numerous times.
“Yes, Boss.”
“Has everyone got radios?”
“Yes, and here’s one for you,” Dan says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a palm-sized two-way radio.
“Thanks, mate, are all the cameras still operating?”
“They were, Boss, before I went out to meet you.”
“Okay, tell the men their positions and that heavier firearms are on the way, and I’ll go and check the cameras.”
“Understood, Boss.” Dan turns to speak to his men.
Emily and Stacey have sat down on one of the reception’s light grey sofas, Stacey in the corner with Emily leaning in, cuddled into her.
I go over to the booth where Lindsay sits, her eyes following me as I walk.
“Are you okay, Lindsay?”
“Yes, Andy, thanks. I’m a bit in shock, I must admit.”
“I’d be shocked if you weren’t, Lindsay; you’re not the only one, believe me.”
“It’s terrible, Andy, what are we going to do?”
“We should be safe in here for the time being while we decide what to do. You can come upstairs with us in a minute. I don’t think you’ll be needed on reception today,” I tell her, smiling.
“No, somehow, I don’t think I will,” Lindsay agrees.
Just to the left of the reception booth is an unassuming door with a security panel next to it. I press my Orion security card against the panel and push the handle. The door opens to reveal what is known as Reception 2, our state-of-the-art Security Room.
Stan is seated in front of an extremely large wraparound screen which must easily be two metres across and one meter high. The screen can be used as one massive picture when needed, but now it’s split up to show what each and every security camera both inside and outside the building is showing.
Inside the building, cameras cover all general areas—the reception, all corridors, open workspaces, meeting rooms, the canteen, lift areas, inside the two lifts, the underground carpark and all rooms that are not private offices.
Outside, the coverage is just as comprehensive, the whole outside perimeter covered, including cameras on the perimeter walls of the courtyard, looking both in and out onto the street, and the gatehouse with its three separate cameras. Overall, there are more than sixty views from the different cameras, all displayed on this one large screen. Some places including reception and the gatehouse, for example, are given a higher priority centrally on the screen and are shown in larger spaces. This is easily changeable depending on what you want to look at.
From this room, many other aspects of the building can be controlled and monitored, doors locked or unlocked, and lights operated. Even phone calls and internet access can be monitored when required, with the right clearance, of course.
The front main reception may look like any other at a large company, comforting and with a friendly receptionist, but nobody gets past reception without clearance from this room.
“Ahh, Andy! Nice of you to make it to work, better late than never, I suppose. Was the traffic bad?” Stan’s usual sarcastic greeting is delivered in his deep voice with a strong Caribbean accent.
“Yes, Stan; as a matter of fact, it was, as there’s some sort of commotion in the city today! There always seems to be something going on that plays havoc with the traffic in London, doesn’t there?”
“You’re not wrong there, my friend. Seriously, it’s good to see you, all hell, literally, is breaking loose out there and I was worried about you and your little girl.”
“Yes, so was I, it wasn’t easy. Where is Adam, your young assistant?”
“I am worried about him too, I have heard nothing from him. I’m just hoping he is home with his family.”
Stan has been working for the company for over ten years. He is in his early 50’s and also served in the Marines, many, many years ago, as I like to remind him. He is an expert on all the gadgets and wizardry at his disposal in this room and even puts his much younger assistant to shame in controlling this modern technology.
“Stan, is everything operating as normal
?”
“I’m offended, Andy. Of course, everything is operating as normal. I run a finely-tuned operation in here, you know. Although, we do have one camera out, down on the gatehouse. One of those things out there must have damaged it but there are still the other two in operation.”
“Apologises,” I laugh, “I didn’t mean to offend. Can you show me the gatehouse and take me around the perimeter and courtyard so I can see how bad it is?”
Stan stands up and, using the touchscreen facility, begins to swipe between cameras, enlarging alternate views to give me a good look at the situation around the whole of the outside of the building.
The view I see is dire. Virtually the whole of the building’s outside perimeter is infested with Rabids and there are large numbers on the opposite side of the canal at the back of the building. Rabids are constantly getting through the gap in the gate at the main entrance and moving down towards the building, the Courtyard filling rapidly. And they are massing at the front entrance.
I can only assume that the car alarms I can still vaguely hear are attracting them or maybe it is something else bringing them towards us?
“Thanks, Stan, it’s not looking good out there, to say the least, is it?”
“No, no it isn’t.”
I tell him to let me know if anything happens on my radio and he confirms. I then proceed to tell him about the armoury, to which he shows no surprise and I say that I will get a rifle to him shortly.
Back in the reception, Lindsay is still there, and the girls are still on the sofa, but all the men have gone apart from Ian, stationed near the front entrance. I walk towards the girls but before I reach them, Dan calls me from the first floor above.
“Boss, up here.”
I swerve, run up the stairs then go around to the right and join him at the windows overlooking the front courtyard. He doesn’t say anything, just nods his head in the direction he is looking.
Having just seen the state of the courtyard on the big screen downstairs, I shouldn’t be surprised and shocked by what is spread out before me, but I am.
Capital Falling Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 8
