by Jim Eldridge
20
Two Moons was sitting in a chair in his hospital room when the rest of Delta Unit walked in. He looked up at them in surprise.
‘Hey, guys, don’t think I’m not touched by this, but isn’t all of you coming to visit me at once slightly overdoing it?’ he asked.
‘We’re not just visiting,’ Nelson told him. ‘We’re having an ops meeting.’
Briefly, Nelson filled Two Moons in on the plan. When he’d finished, Two Moons turned to Mitch with a broad grin.
‘And you’re gonna be the prime minister?’ he chuckled.
Mitch grinned back. ‘You’re welcome to take on the role, Two Moons,’ he said.
Two Moons shook his head. ‘You know as well as I do that ain’t gonna fly.’
‘They’re going to use make-up on Mitch,’ pointed out Gaz. ‘I’m pretty sure a good make-up artist could do a convincing job on you.’
Two Moons looked aghast. ‘Make-up?’ he said. ‘In that case I am definitely not doing it!’
‘Can we get down to details?’ said Nelson. ‘The clock’s ticking and every second is precious. Let’s talk about where the trap is going to be set.’
‘The top floor,’ suggested Benny. ‘It makes it harder for Deacon and his men to get to the target because there are more obstacles. And the top floor isn’t overlooked, so we cut down the risk of Mitch getting shot from the window of a building opposite.’
‘I agree with that.’ Tug nodded. ‘Though the roofs of the buildings opposite could be a problem. I checked it as we came in. They’re on the same level as the windows of the top floor of this hospital.’
‘We’ll get Gerald’s men to cover the roofs of the surrounding buildings,’ said Nelson.
Mitch’s mind flashed back to Istanbul, and working with Koman.
‘We ought to have someone on the roof here, too,’ he said. ‘Remember Istanbul? Koman said to me that if he was doing a job he’d use the roof.’
‘I’ll take the roof,’ said Gaz. ‘It’ll be useful to have a couple of Gerald’s people with me. Three of us should be able to handle it.’
‘Leave that to me,’ said Nelson. ‘I’ll fix it with him.’
‘We also need to make sure the windows of the room where Mitch is gonna be have bullet-proof glass and wire in them,’ added Benny.
‘Right,’ agreed Nelson. ‘Two Moons, how you feeling?’
‘I’m perfectly fine,’ said Two Moons. ‘I should have been out of this place days ago. I told Mitch . . .’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ sighed Mitch. ‘We all know you’re invincible. But the fact is, if your wound had opened up again . . .’
‘It won’t,’ said Two Moons firmly.
‘We use the fact that Two Moons is already in this hospital to our advantage,’ said Nelson, cutting their argument off before it could escalate. ‘Two Moons, we’ll have you moved up to the top floor, in the room right next to Mitch’s. That way you’re on hand and ready for action if needed.’
‘Suits me,’ said Two Moons cheerily.
‘Mitch, you’ll have all the weapons you need stashed within easy reach,’ continued Nelson. ‘Two Moons, same for you.’
‘Body armour under your pyjamas, of course,’ murmured Tug.
‘Good com headsets,’ added Benny. ‘Communication at all times.’
Nelson unfolded a plan of the hospital, showing the stairwells and the lifts.
‘OK, guesses as to how Deacon and his boys are going to make their attack?’
‘Disguised,’ said Tug. ‘Hospital orderlies, or doctors, or nurses.’
‘Which suggests to me they’ll be using one of the big lifts,’ put in Gaz. ‘Maybe with a bed or a trolley, with their weapons hidden in it.’
‘OK, so we disable all the lifts except one,’ said Nelson. ‘Tug, you and me stay close to the functioning lift on the top floor.
‘Benny, you’ll be in the landing of the stairwell for the top floor. Me or Tug will be on the other side of the door, ready to join you if the attack comes that way.’
‘I suggest we all have gas masks ready,’ said Benny. ‘Deacon’s tricky. Remember, he used a tranquiliser dart to knock Mitch out. He’s just as likely to use a disabling gas in the stairwell.’
‘Or when he comes out of the lift,’ pointed out Mitch. ‘If he uses the lift, he could be bringing anything up: flash-bangs, grenades, whatever.’
‘Good point,’ agreed Tug. ‘We need a lift operator to check everyone entering the lift.’ He smiled. ‘I’ll volunteer for that.’
‘If one of them’s Deacon, he’ll recognise you,’ pointed out Gaz.
‘Deacon will recognise all of us,’ said Benny. ‘And he knows we’re going to be here. This ain’t about him recognising us, it’s about us recognising him.’
‘In other words, we don’t hide,’ murmured Tug. ‘We’re in plain sight.’
‘Let’s get back to the business of the lift,’ said Benny, turning to Tug. ‘You’ll be on your own. Say two of them get in the lift. You won’t have much chance.’
‘I’ll keep an alarm gripped in my hand every time I open the lift door,’ replied Tug. ‘The sort that only works when you release it.’
‘Dead Man’s Hand.’ Two Moons nodded.
‘I prefer to think of it as Unconscious Man’s Hand,’ chuckled Tug. ‘If they attack me, whatever happens, I’ll loosen my grip on the alarm and it will go off, and you’ll know they’re in the lift.’
Nelson frowned. ‘I’m not happy with this,’ he says. ‘You’re too important to lose, Tug. Especially that early in the operation. I think I’d prefer to use one of Gerald’s men as the lift operator.’
Tug shook his head. ‘With respect, Colonel, the reason we were brought in to this in the first place is because we know Jimmy Deacon. If he walks into that lift, I’ll know him and I won’t hesitate.’
‘Tug’s right, but how about a compromise,’ suggested Benny. ‘Make sure that there’s always one of Gerald’s people, dressed as hospital staff, in the lift with Tug. Fully armed.’
‘Good idea,’ agreed Nelson. ‘I’ll buy that. And I know Gerald will. He wants his people to be right at the heart of the action.’ He looked around at his men. ‘Let’s recap: Mitch in the room. Two Moons in the room next door. Gaz on the roof with a couple of Gerald’s men. Benny in the stairwell. Tug in the lift. Me on the top floor by the lifts, ready to join Benny if needed. Is that it?’
The others nodded.
‘And Gerald’s people on the ground floor as a first line of defence and possible backup,’ added Benny.
‘OK, we have a plan.’ Nelson checked his watch. ‘So, let’s get it moving. I’ll get back to Gerald and set things up. Hopefully he’ll have organised the media to cover the prime minister coming here this afternoon. And after that, it’s up to us.’
21
Phase One of the plan swung into operation within three hours. A press release had already been issued stating that the prime minister was going into hospital for a minor medical procedure; and that he had chosen to go into the military hospital as an expression of solidarity with the troops who were recovering from injuries received while fighting for their country. When Mitch read this, he shook his head in disbelief.
‘Politicians!’ he said to the others. ‘They grab any opportunity to chase votes!’
At 3 p.m. two heavily armoured limousines drew up outside 10 Downing Street and Nelson and Tug entered the building. Like the rest of Delta Unit they were wearing civilian clothes: dark suits, with noticeable bulges near their arms where they wore their guns. Mitch, Benny and Gaz got out of the cars and stood waiting by the entrance to Number 10, making sure the TV cameras caught them. Deacon had to be convinced that this was no trick – that Delta Unit was taking control of the prime minister’s personal close protection.
A few moments later Nelson and Tug escorted the prime minister out of Number 10. They paused on the doorstep long enough for him to answer a journalist’s question and to reassure the nation
that he was in good health and that he would still be attending the terrorist treaty conference when it opened. Then he walked with Nelson and Tug to one of the cars and got in. The other soldiers followed suit, and then the cars set off on the short drive to the military hospital.
There were more TV cameras outside the hospital, awaiting their arrival. Their every move was captured on TV. Deacon would surely be in no doubt that the prime minister had been delivered to the hospital.
Phase One accomplished, the plan entered Phase Two.
Inside the hospital, three of Gerald’s people were waiting, all wearing white coats and with ID tags identifying them as doctors. They carried a fourth white coat, similarly tagged with an ID card, which they slipped on to the prime minister once he was safely inside the building. They added a false moustache and a pair of glasses to his face, then the four of them strolled out of the rear entrance of the hospital to the car park where they got into a military ambulance and drove off.
The five soldiers of Delta Unit headed up to the top floor of the hospital. They nodded at Two Moons, now ensconced in an upstairs room, and entered the room designated for Mitch. The curtains of the window had already been pulled.
Two make-up experts were already in the room, dressed as nurses. They gestured to Mitch to sit in a chair by a dressing table, and then they set to work. Thirty minutes later, with the help of hair dye, pads in the sides of his mouth to push his cheeks out, and shadows under his eyes, Mitch bore a passable likeness to the prime minister.
The make-up artists packed up their gear in medical cases, then headed downstairs where they were met by more of Gerald’s people and escorted to a secret location until after the conference. MI6 and Delta Unit were taking no chances – loose talk could cost them the operation and their lives.
With just 48 hours to go before the conference began, Delta Unit needed Deacon and his hired assassins to make their move now. The trap was set. Now it needed to be sprung.
22
Mitch sat on the hospital bed and looked across at Nelson, who was hovering near the one operating lift, an automatic rifle cradled in his arms. Mitch knew Two Moons was poised for action in the next room. He had popped in for a brief chat earlier, dressing gown on and with a slight limp from his bullet wound, but he was ready to go, rifle at the ready.
Soldiers feel naked without a weapon of some sort, Mitch reflected.
Mitch’s own weapons were to hand. His M80 and his favourite handgun, the H&K23. Like the other soldiers, he had a gas mask within easy reach, just in case Deacon used some sort of chemical weapons in his attack.
The time was dragging now. Trust me to be willing an assassin to hurry up, he thought.
He considered the chance that Deacon would wait until the prime minister was at the conference. That would be bad news for the unit. They needed to get this dealt with, and soon. This was their only real chance of stopping Deacon.
Every so often Nelson would check on Mitch and Two Moons, and make contact with the rest of the unit via the comms link.
‘Gaz?’
‘Everything’s quiet on the roof,’ reported Gaz.
‘Tug?’
‘No action in the lift so far,’ said Tug.
‘Benny?’
‘All quiet on the stairs.’
The first word of movement from the opposition came at ten o’clock that night. Nelson’s voice came through the unit’s earpieces. ‘Word from Gerald: five of those bodyguards have disappeared from their posts and gone off the radar. They think it’s happening.’
So much for keeping them under close surveillance, thought Mitch.
But then, these guys were all special forces. Getting out from under close surveillance is what we’re trained to do.
‘Makes sense – it’s going to be a night attack,’ said Two Moons.
‘Which five?’ asked Benny.
‘The two Americans, Kornick and Weathers; Koman, Dominguez and Weissman.’
‘So the Chinese guy turned out to be OK,’ said Gaz.
‘We don’t know that for sure,’ said Nelson. ‘All we do know is those five are on the move.’
‘When did anyone last see them?’ asked Tug.
‘According to MI6, about two hours ago.’
Two hours ago, thought Mitch. They could be anywhere by now. They could be right outside the building at this very moment. He wondered where Deacon was. Deacon was the key. The real danger.
Suddenly a voice came through his earpiece. It was Nelson, and he sounded angry.
‘I’ve just had an update from Gerald,’ he said. ‘It turns out that Kornick didn’t vanish two hours ago. He’s been missing since early this morning. He reported in sick, which is why the Americans didn’t pick up on it. It was only when someone went to his hotel room to check on him they found he’d gone.’
A hundred thoughts raced through Mitch’s head. Kornick had had all day to set a plan in motion. From before they’d even brought the prime minister to the hospital.
Mitch swung his legs off the bed and began to pace around the room. This was a trap and he was the bait. It was that simple. He was the target.
Gaz’s voice came through his earpiece. ‘The roof is still secure. Everything OK.’
Let’s hope those really are Gerald’s men with Gaz on the roof, thought Mitch. Deacon could have easily pulled a switch. He went back to the bed and sat down, nerves jangling, but on full alert.
Some sixth sense suddenly made Mitch look up. There, in the ceiling, directly above his hospital bed, was a dark round spot. No, not a spot. A hole. Something was being pushed through. The barrel of a gun!
23
Mitch rolled and threw himself off the bed, just as a bullet thudded into the spot where he had been lying a split second before. He swung his automatic rifle up at the spot in the ceiling and started firing, letting the bullets tear into the plaster above him as he twisted the gun in a circular motion. He rolled again as he saw the plaster bulge, then something – someone – crashed through the weakened ceiling and was falling downwards, smashing into the bed.
The gunfire had brought Nelson and Two Moons running. They stood in the doorway, rifles ready but stunned at the sight of a body on the bed.
Gaz was calling on the headset: ‘What’s happening? Someone just shot a burst right through the roof!’
‘That was me,’ said Mitch. ‘It’s OK.’
‘What do you mean: OK?’ demanded Gaz indignantly. ‘We could have been killed up here!’
‘Stop complaining, the ceiling and joists would have taken most of the impact,’ argued Mitch.
‘You planning on shooting through the roof any more?’ said Gaz.
‘Not any time soon,’ answered Mitch.
Two Moons aimed his rifle at the hole that had appeared in the ceiling, and Nelson joined Mitch by the bed. The attacker was dead, the telltale exit wounds visible at the back of his head. He was wearing Kevlar body armour, but Kevlar didn’t protect the head, neck, arms and legs. Mitch’s blind shooting through the ceiling had torn into the man in all those places.
While Mitch kept his gun ready for action, Nelson turned the man over so they could see who it was. Was it Deacon? No. It was Walter Kornick, the CIA agent.
‘One down,’ murmured Mitch.
Two Moons looked up at the shattered ceiling. ‘How the hell did he get in there?’ he demanded.
‘He must have got up in the ceiling cavity some time before we arrived here,’ muttered Nelson. ‘He parked himself up there, ready to bore himself a nice little spy-hole.’
‘How did he know which room I was going to be in?’ demanded Mitch.
Nelson shook his head. ‘I don’t think he did,’ he said. ‘He must have waited until you moved in before positioning the spy-hole.’
‘But how did he do it without you noticing, Mitch?’ asked Two Moons.
Mitch sighed. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I had to go to the toilet this afternoon,’ he said. ‘I figured with t
he colonel in the hall, everything was secure. I didn’t factor in the ceiling cavity! I guess he used that opportunity to make his move.’
‘So why didn’t he shoot you earlier? Why now?’
‘I think he was intending to get away,’ said Nelson. ‘That meant waiting till it was dark. Shoot Mitch, then smash his way out through the roof.’
Two Moons shook his head suspiciously. ‘I don’t like it,’ he said. ‘There are too many coincidences. If you ask me, someone inside this operation is leaking intel to the opposition.’
‘One of Gerald’s people?’ asked Mitch.
‘Well I sure ain’t suggestin’ it’s one of Delta Unit!’ snorted Two Moons indignantly.
Nelson turned to Mitch. ‘What do you think, Mitch?’
Mitch shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Don’t get me wrong – I don’t trust spooks, but in this case, if Deacon really knew what our plan was he wouldn’t be here trying to kill me, he’d be going after the real prime minister.’
Two Moons gave a scowl. ‘Damn! I should have thought of that!’ he grunted.
‘What’s the situation?’ came Benny’s voice.
‘Kornick tried to shoot Mitch,’ Nelson reported. ‘He was hiding in the ceiling of Mitch’s room. Luckily Mitch shot him first.’
And then the lights went out.
24
It was pitch dark.
‘Night vision!’ yelled Nelson. The soldiers were already pulling on their goggles.
‘He must have blown up the transformer that supplies electricity to the whole area,’ said Benny.
‘Guys, I’ve got a problem,’ came Tug’s voice. ‘I was in the lift between the first and second floors when the power went. I’m going to have to get up through the trapdoor in the roof and climb up the cable. Can anyone see if they can get the lift doors on the second floor open for me?’
