After bailing out from the Cessna and floating down to the drop zone marked out by flares indicating the wind direction and landing spot, their canopies and packs had been dealt with by the cheery faced man who scrambled out of a hedgerow to greet them once they had alighted upon terra firma. A plump and jovial fellow in his late fifties, he was accompanied by an equally cheery and rotund female companion who may well have been his wife and not just his gender-opposite double.
Rey did not actually recognise either of them; they may have been a trusted Novice Brother and Sister from Seraphim or Cherubim for all he knew, hastily called in to do an 'odd job'. Either way, they knew the recognition password and they seemed to be enthralled with the request to help out. The fact that they were involved in an obviously covert mission to bring a couple of senior ranked members into the country would probably turn out to be the highlight of their month if not the entire year.
Combined with his well-fed but stocky build, the man had the efficient and capable manner of a retired builder who could turn his hand to anything. The woman beamed broadly and scurried about like a cooing grandmother fussing over her visiting grandchildren, detailing the contents of the back-pack that she had filled with sandwiches, fruit and flasks of both coffee and tea. She may just have well been preparing for a Women's Institute midnight ramble and she jovially chatted about the up to date weather forecast for the country as her husband reeled in the parachutes and stuffed them into their own vehicle.
It was easy to imagine the couple excitedly driving home again after the impromptu and fleeting meeting with their two mysterious compatriots, home to animatedly regale each other with the events of their night over a hot cup of cocoa before retiring to bed and dreaming of daring escapades that they had only been on the periphery of. In fairness, the pair had played a significant - albeit small - role in an important mission for their Order, perhaps the only time they had ever been called upon to perform such a duty, but they would remember it for the rest of their lives as a secret that they would only share between themselves.
As the Land Rover rounded a gentle curve in the road, Rey slowly applied the brakes and then stopped in the entrance to a rough track spurring away from the road. He fully expected his crew at the farmhouse situated at the end of the track and deeper inside the forest that covered the whole area to already be aware of his presence and he knew that he needed to give an identification signal so as not to attract any undue defensive action.
Rey slowly climbed out and started to walk up the track with his left hand touching the back of his head, Akosua sliding over to the driver's seat and waiting with the vehicle until she had been given the signal to drive on.
Within a few steps, a camouflage-clad figure emerged from the tree line and beneath the dark face paint there appeared a large white smile.
'Boss! Good to see you!'
Recognising Private Daniel Cohen, Rey grinned back.
'Is that Danny? Sorry we're late; we had a spot of bother in our travel arrangements, nothing to worry about though.'
He turned and waved to Akosua to bring the Land Rover up.
'Glad to see that you recognised the friendly signal!'
'Right hand behind your back, situation compromised, Left arm raised, all clear,' Cohen nodded.
'They're also playing it by the book up at the farmhouse, sir, so don't forget to pause and signal with you lights or Ramsey might get trigger happy, he seems nervous enough as it is.'
Rey laugh and climbed into the passenger side of the 4x4 as Akosua drew level and stopped.
'I'll remember that, thank-you Private.'
Cohen snapped to attention and saluted, Rey returning the gesture with a smirk before nodding to Akosua for them to drive on along the bumpy and rutted track.
After half a mile or so, a wide snow-covered clearing came into view and they could see the main farmhouse, some brick out-houses and a large old wooden barn. Akosua stopped and flashed the headlights in a prearranged identification sequence and waited for the 'all clear' to be given.
A short stocky man opened the front door of the farmhouse and marched purposefully out, putting one hand up in greeting which gave Akosua the signal to drive forward and park next to him.
Rey climbed out and the man immediately stood to attention, performing a textbook British Army salute.
Rey saluted and then held out his arm for a handshake.
'Sergeant Loftus, good to see you!'
He took a look around the clearing and nodded.
'It looks as though you've taken care of everything.'
Akosua opened the driver's door and slid out.
'Sergeant!'
'Lieutenant Akosua,' Loftus grinned widely.
'Right then Sergeant,' said Rey, 'have the Land Rover unloaded, we've brought some extra equipment up with us, then come and join us as I want to go through the current SITREP over a brew, I am dying for a cuppa!'
The sergeant saluted again and grinned as Rey and Akosua disappeared into the farmhouse.
Crammed into a small room that had been converted into a makeshift office, Rey stood at a table pushed against the wall and dithered for a moment; the surface was cluttered with various tea and coffee making facilities and after rapidly stirring the murky brown liquid in his mug he tapped the spoon against the rim to release the drips and searched for a place to put the spoon. Dropping it into a bowl, it tinkled to a rest as he turned and slid behind his desk, lumping down into an old wooden chair that creaked and squeaked as he settled himself in.
He looked at Akosua and Sergeant Loftus seated before him and took a sip from his tea.
'I needed this!'
Akosua supped at a white coffee although Loftus had passed on the offer of a drink. He thought for a moment, running his fingers over his thick moustache.
'So where would you like me to start, Boss?'
'Vehicles and defence, please Sergeant.'
Loftus leaned forward to speak.
'The vehicles are all stowed and prepared for immediate operation. The Jackal and both Land Rovers are now in the outbuilding at the back of the farmhouse - direct access from the house but nicely out of sight. The truck and cargo are in the barn and we have the Faraday tent up. Everything is ready to roll at a moment's notice so no worries there.'
Rey breathed in heavily through his nose and nodded.
'Excellent, what about the defences and men?'
'We have the sentry patrol rostered, paired up, two on and eight off, plus we have guards at the gate, the compound and the barn itself. We also have the laser wire set-up right around the perimeter and again, another set specifically for the barn; nobody is waltzing in here without a warning bell going off.'
'Good, good.'
Rey thought for a moment.
'Did you see what we brought with us?'
'Yes Boss, I did wonder though.'
Rey grinned and took a slurp from his tea.
'As you might Sergeant, you see, there is a chance that we have been compromised.'
Loftus stiffened.
'How so?'
'It is a very slim chance admittedly, our little jaunt over in Europe didn't quite go as we expected and Akosua and I are now considered to be international fugitives.'
The Sergeant looked between Rey and Akosua and blinked.
'The US Intelligence Services are looking for us, it's all rather complicated, but the bottom line is that it should not affect our operations here. They have no idea that we're back in the country and so UK security is unlikely to be on our tails, however, I want a belts and braces approach. I want the team to know that they aren't just patrolling the grounds for the sake of their health.'
Loftus nodded sagely.
'What about the gear you brought?'
Rey sat silently for a moment and considered his reply.
'Deploy it, I want the Claymores and incendiaries inside the perimeter after we've gone through a good terrain analysis but, we'll need the trip flares laid out through
the trees immediately.'
'What about the RPG you brought up? I didn't even know we had one in the store!'
Loftus snorted and grinned as he recalled his surprise at seeing a Soviet designed rocket propelled grenade launcher and eight warheads suitable for both anti-armour and anti-personnel purposes in the back of Rey's Land Rover.
'Assign it to your best shot, although our maximum range here is only around one hundred metres so there isn't much chance of missing. We're more likely to need it for a breakout than anything else so they'll need to be up and ready to go if anything happens; I have no intention of bunkering down if it all goes tits up.'
'Alright Boss, Wilson is the best shot and I'm sure she can handle the RPG, shouldn't be a problem, she's a tough lass.'
'Good, see to it that she is rostered to keep her well within the compound.'
Akosua placed her mug onto the desk.
'Don't forget about the radar.'
'Oh yeah,' smiled Rey, 'you must have seen the trailer we were towing, we brought an extra pair of eyes with us, a small tactical radar system that can detect both ground and low flying airborne targets. It doesn't have a huge range but it will warn us of an approaching helo which is probably what Special Forces will favour if they decide to turn up. We can stick the dish at the top of the old feeder silo which should give us a clear return over the hills around here. We don't want any surprise, do we?'
'Damn right Boss,' Loftus nodded, turning the corners of his mouth down. 'I'm not having some trooper ruin my beauty sleep with a boot in me head!'
Rey caught a laugh and smiled wryly.
'If the SAS get called in, it'll be your balls that you'll need to worry about!'
The remark made Loftus guffaw as Akosua reached forward and picked her mug up again.
'Well, I guess that I'll be alright then,' she remarked drily.
Rey smirked at Loftus before he clapped his hands together in finality.
'Alright! So, have I forgotten anything else?'
Akosua jutted her bottom lip and shrugged to signify a 'no'.
'Alright,' he nodded in return.
'Lieutenant, I suggest that you walk the compound to familiarise yourself with the layout a bit more, check in with the team and get the flares deployed.'
Akosua stood and started to exit.
'I'll need the Sergeant to go through the terrain for the Claymores,' Rey continued, 'but be back by lunch time.'
He turned to Loftus.
'Who is cooking?'
'Banks.'
Rey smirked at Akosua.
'Regardless of that small detail, see you at lunchtime!'
Chapter XVII
Rapunzel
Gertrude sat back into the voluminous pillows propped up against the headboard of the large French sleigh bed in her spacious attic room and tried to reconcile recent events with her current circumstances. She had to admit that the impish man had not lied when he had said that she would be comfortable; the bed linen was of the highest quality and laundered to a crisp perfection, the carpet was possessed of a luxurious deep pile and all of the furniture in her room exuded antique but very well cared for quality.
Looking around, she guessed that the floor space was greater than whole of her one-bedroomed apartment back in The Netherlands and the seating area in front of a large double-glazed set of doors was certainly better appointed than her own living room with a sumptuously upholstered sofa and chair set. She even had a flat screen television secreted in a discrete cabinet which was connected to a surround sound speaker system and a media centre which gave her access to a comprehensive range of music and entertainment. All in all, if this had of been a hotel room then she would have considered herself very happy indeed!
Of course, the illusion was shattered by the fact that along with the sliding doors that she supposed led to a balcony, all of the windows had their heavy wooden shutters closed up and securely padlocked. Even more significant was the fact that the main oak door to her room was locked from the outside and to cap it all, every telephone socket in the room was devoid of an attendant receiver except for a single handset that had no keypad on the face of it. She had picked up the phone and a voice had answered immediately, requesting whether she needed anything but she had simply slammed the handset back down. Regardless of the comfort offered by the room she was incarcerated within, there was no doubt that she was a prisoner.
She looked at the remnants of the breakfast that had been delivered to her. It had been brought in when she had been in the shower and placed on the coffee table in the lounge area, a continental breakfast with a range of pastries, cheeses, hams, and preserves. There was even a large flask of coffee although her room also boasted its own percolator.
Thinking through what she guessed had been the last twenty-four hours; from the fight in her apartment to her arrival here at the place she was now imprisoned, she could only wonder where she was actually located although she had her suspicions. The van she had been tied up in had travelled quite a distance and she knew that the last thing she remembered properly was being at home on Saturday morning. Even by road, in a single day they could have travelled from The Hague to any number of countries within Europe; Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, perhaps even Luxembourg. For all she knew, she was still back home in The Netherlands.
Recalling events, as they had neared their destination last evening the man in the van with her had placed a velvet bag over her head and she was effectively rendered completely blind, however, even above the din of the engine and beyond the muffled quality of the sound inside the bag, she had heard an emergency services siren in the distance that she was sure was used in Germany. It was not definite, of course, but it was something to hold on to, something to give her a sense of awareness.
She knew that the van had travelled through a small town or village; she had felt herself swaying around as the vehicle turned corners although she had made no attempt to scream or cause a commotion. She did not want the gag back in her mouth just for the sake of creating some noise that nobody was likely to hear anyway.
After a while, the van had stopped, the tie about her ankles had been cut and she found herself bundled out of the rear doors to be marched across a gravel space, the stones scrunching beneath the slippers that had been placed onto her feet. The man who had sat next to her for the whole journey had tried to comfort her and let her know what obstacles were coming up, but she was essentially manhandled and guided the whole way. He had led her inside a building into a large hallway with a stone or tiled floor, the sounds of his footsteps echoing about the room in contrast to her shuffling, before stepping into what was obviously a lift and climbing to a higher floor, the storey of which she just could not ascertain although it was probably only two or three flights.
Marched along a corridor, she had eventually been deposited into the room in which she now sat. The tie about her wrist had been snicked off and the bag over her head removed before she was left alone to contemplate her new situation. As the door had edged shut, the last thing she had seen was a mischievous smile and quick wink from the little man before hearing the door lock clunk ominously.
She had investigated her surroundings immediately, looking for a possible escape route, but, since the room looked to have been built in the attic space, she guessed that the only real direct exit was through the main door - she really did not fancy climbing down a drain-pipe to ground level.
She had considered breaking the glass of the windows and trying to shout or signal for help, but she quickly dismissed the idea. The tight-fitting shutters across the windows would have prevented anyone from seeing her, besides, since she had just been marched across a forecourt area with a black bag over her head she figured that the building was probably remote and secure enough to prevent any outsiders from noticing something suspicious.
After dismissing any immediate ideas of escape, she had noticed a large dining tray which had been placed on the coffee table in the seating area next to t
he bed. Lifting the big domed metal cover of a wide dish, a meal of cold chicken, potatoes and salad had been revealed and another covered dish had contained a dessert pudding. There had even been a flask of hot soup and a flask of coffee and although she had not eaten all day and the food presented a tempting meal, she could not ignore her suspicions that the food was drugged.
After another half hour of hunger gnawing at her belly, she had sat down and eaten well enough although inwardly cursing each morsel of food as a reminder of the fact that she was being held against her will, so much so that in spite of her having spent a large part of Saturday in a drug induced state of unconsciousness, the stress of the situation had become too much for her and she had eventually curled up fully clothed on the big bed and slowly drifted off to a disturbed night of sleep after wiping away a few tears that had dripped from her eyes.
Waking up late on Sunday morning, she had decided to use the bathroom facilities and take a shower, ignoring the paranoia that told her that hidden cameras were spying on her and watching her every move. Wrapped in a fluffy white robe and with a towel about her head, she had come out of the bathroom and immediately spotted that a breakfast had been delivered and the remnants of last night's meal removed during her absence. Sullenly making herself comfortable on the sofa, she had pecked at the croissants and meats, once again trying not to enjoy the food, judging that to do so would constitute some form of self-betrayal. Now, having returned to the bed and nestled into the pillows, she waited for her next visitation, wondering what she could say and what she should do when the little man came back to retrieve the breakfast tray.
Gertrude had managed to endure half an hour of waiting, poised to enter into a tirade of questions and argument, before deciding that nobody would be coming to collect the tray any time soon. With a distinct air of extreme irritation, she went to the bathroom and pick up her old clothes, slipping her underwear back on and dressing in her black and red striped jumper and jeans before returning to the lounge area with her damp hair now left to dry in the warmth of the room.
Sun of the Sleepless Page 34
