by Hatchett
There was a moment’s delay followed by a massive explosion, followed by a smaller secondary explosion; Mamba was thrown away from the boat’s window onto the floor as it rocked to and fro on the disturbed water and debris rained down all over the area, some bits and pieces thumping down onto the boat. Mamba just hoped none of the pieces were burning or his plan might backfire.
He pulled himself up back onto his feet and looked out of the window to see a demolished Waterside pub with fire engulfing the shattered premises. He scouted the area and could see other smaller fires littered all around. He quickly checked the boat as best he could, bearing in mind he couldn’t afford to be spotted, but he couldn’t see anything of concern and went back to the window to continue his observations.
75
Day 15 – 18:40
The Waterside Pub, Hoxton Canal
Issy and Gina were still watching the pub and surrounding area when the explosion happened. Luckily their reactions were instantaneous, and they managed to duck and turn as the windows of the apartment burst inwards, sending deadly shards of glass in all directions.
After a couple of seconds getting her bearings, Gina climbed to her feet and brushed the glass off her clothes.
“You’ve got a small cut on your face,” Issy advised, as she too climbed to her feet.
Gina lifted a hand to her cheek where she could now feel a small burning sensation and lifted it away to see a small amount of fresh blood on it.
“Thank God it wasn’t my eyes,” Gina commented as she saw Issy wincing as she pulled a small shard of glass from the back of her hand. “You OK?”
“Just a scratch,” Issy replied, as she quickly made her way back to the shattered window to see what had happened.
Gina joined her, and they both looked down on the shattered remains of the pub.
“Shit! My team were in there,” Issy advised, unnecessarily. She clicked her earpiece and said quickly, “Team Alpha, respond!”
There was nothing but silence and Issy’s heart ached at the thought of nine dead soldiers. Her soldiers. Her responsibility.
“Shall I send Bravo in to search?” Gina asked.
“No. There could be other devices, so we need to tread very carefully. That bastard has set us up.”
Issy was furious, but she remembered what she’d said to Gina just minutes earlier, ‘often, emotions rule the head and that’s when mistakes are made’. For all she knew, Mamba could have planted bombs all over the place. The only thing she was certain about was that he was around here somewhere; he must’ve been watching to know when to trigger the bombs. So, Issy knew that they’d have to tread very carefully indeed.
“Team Bravo, fall back,” Issy ordered, hoping that Mamba would expect them to rush in.
“This is Bear. You need Charlie or Delta Teams?” he asked.
Issy clicked her earpiece to Channel 2 and advised, “No Bear. You and Irish stay where you are. We’ve just lost nine people and there could be more bombs in the area.” She switched back to Channel 1 as she scanned the area surrounding the pub. She was pleased that she couldn’t see any of Team Bravo, and even more pleased that no more bombs had gone off. The noise and fires had attracted more zombies to the area, although that was currently the least of her concerns. The fact that no more bombs had gone off either meant that the pub was the only target or there were other bombs around but not so close by. For all she knew, Mamba could have detonated the pub bomb from hundreds of yards away and already done a runner, but she had to make sure, and this was now becoming personal.
“I’m going down,” Issy advised.
“You sure?” Gina asked, concern written all over her face.
“Yes, no choice.”
“OK, I’ll come,” Gina advised.
“No, you stay here,” Issy ordered. “If anything happens to me we need someone in charge.”
With that, Issy headed towards the apartment’s exit, with Gina’s ‘good luck’ following her. She quickly walked to the staircase and trotted down to the ground floor. She then carefully left the building and walked a few metres onto Wharf Road before turning to her right and heading towards the bridge over the canal.
Issy dodged a few zombies as she arrived at the bridge and looked over the wall towards the water and the pub. The pub was still on fire with smoke billowing up into the sky, and from this angle she could tell that there wouldn’t be any survivors. She looked up at the apartment building to her right and could see Gina on the balcony looking down in her direction.
Issy tried to imagine what Mamba might have done, or what she would have done in his place. The bridge hadn’t been blown up yet, so either there wasn’t a bomb here or Mamba hadn’t seen her. She looked around at the nearby zombies. It was still dark despite the surrounding fires, so it was possible that Mamba wouldn’t be able to pick her out in any case.
As she looked back towards the pub, Issy heard an engine start up somewhere close by and she quickly scanned around to try and pinpoint its location. That must be them! A bit stupid when they could have crept away, but there again, she didn’t know what the hell Mamba was up to.
76
Day 15 – 18:50
The Waterside Pub, Hoxton Canal
Mamba had seen the soldiers melt away into the darkness after the bombs had gone off.
He wasn’t expecting this; he’d thought they’d all come running to try and rescue their comrades, but no such luck. A shame, as he had another little surprise waiting for them. He set the second remote control down to one side as he didn’t think it would be needed anymore. He wished he’d had the foresight to get Ahmed to plant a few more bombs around the area, but he’d needed to be careful that he didn’t block his own escape route. Still, he’d inflicted some damage on them and they would be hurting. He smiled to himself.
He thought about his escape route and the possibility that he was putting himself in too much danger, even though he’d thought it through in great detail. Perhaps it would be better to just wait a bit longer then slip away later under the cover of darkness? No. His main concern with that option was that he expected them to flood the area with more soldiers and probably start searching under every rock. The boat was bound to be searched. For all he knew, those soldiers who’d melted away could be hiding just a few metres away, forming a net and waiting for back up. Hearing one of their fuckin’ helicopters buzzing around above him just re-enforced that view and Mamba felt that it would be madness to try and escape on foot. No, there’d be no slipping away silently and he’d stick to his original plan.
As he was pondering the situation, he was sure he spotted unnatural movement on the bridge to the West. He zoomed in with his binoculars. Yes, there was a figure standing there and it wasn’t moving. Definitely not a zombie, but in the poor light, Mamba couldn’t see any real detail. He was right; they were throwing a net around the area, waiting for back up. Time to go, before the net closed.
Mamba moved to the doorway of the cabin and carefully released the only rope holding the boat to the side of the wharf. He then moved to the front of the cabin, turned on the engine, switched on the front lights, opened the throttle and steered the boat into the main part of the canal. Heading West, he lined up the boat with the bridge and opened the throttle all the way. The boat surged forwards and as he got closer, Mamba waved at the figure on the bridge as he hurtled underneath and kept going. He was expecting bullets to rake the boat, but there was nothing. Perhaps they’d all gone home with their tails between their legs after all. Mamba smiled at the thought.
He sped on for another forty metres and passed the City Road Basin on his left. Another forty metres and he passed under the Danbury Street Bridge and eighty metres later he was entering the Islington Canal Tunnel, a straight, narrow tunnel about nine hundred metres long.
77
Day 15 – 18:55
Islington Canal Tunnel
“Motorboat!” Issy shouted into her comms as the boat turned in her direction and sped up.
She was drawing her pistol, already realising that she wouldn’t have time to get a shot off. As the boat passed, she could have sworn she’d seen someone waving at her from the interior. Had to be that fucking Mamba taking the piss. Well, she’d show him.
“Mamba on board, repeat Mamba on board. Heading West. Team Bravo head West along the canal. Apache’s 1 and 2, time for you to join the party.”
Issy smiled. There was no way a motorboat could outrun an Apache and even if he stopped and tried to do a runner, they’d know exactly where he was and be able to trap him in no time. ‘GOTCHA!’ Issy smiled to herself.
She quickly moved to the other side of the bridge and watched as the boat roared around the curve in the canal and headed towards the Danbury Street Bridge. Behind her, in the distance, she could hear the Apache’s as they thundered towards her position. She’d arranged for them to wait in Shoreditch Park after the Chinook had dropped all the teams off earlier that day.
“Tom, you there?”
“Here Issy,” Tom confirmed, as Gina arrived at Issy’s side.
“Have you got the boat?”
“Got it, Issy. We’re tracking him now. He’s about to enter the Islington Canal Tunnel, and if he does, then he’s trapped.”
“What do you mean?”
“The tunnel is narrow and dead straight, about a kilometre long. One way in, one way out. Trapped.”
Issy’s smile widened as she turned to Gina and saw that she was also smiling at the news. The Apache’s thundered past them overhead, the downdraft causing a few of the zombies nearby to stumble.
“He’s made an error,” Issy noted to Gina.
“About bloody time!” Gina replied, “let’s go.”
“Apache 1 to the West side of the Islington Tunnel,” Issy ordered, “Apache 2 to the East side. Maintain position a hundred metres from the entrance and shoot on sight.”
Issy didn’t think Apache 2 would be needed, especially if the tunnel was so narrow that Mamba couldn’t turn around, but it was better to cover all angles.
“Apache 1,” came through their earpieces, “we’re looking down the tunnel and can see lights heading our way.”
“Roger Apache 1. As soon as he emerges, take him out.”
“Roger Issy, standby.”
“Tom, can we walk through the tunnel?” Issy asked as she and Gina arrived at the end of the bridge and the steps down to the canal path.
“That’s a negative, Issy. No path, just enough space for a narrow boat. There’s no easy route by road either.”
Issy was looking around thinking about how to get to the other side of the tunnel quickly as Don and another member of Team Bravo appeared on the bridge and walked up to them.
“Let’s get a boat,” Gina suggested.
Issy looked at her and smiled.
All four scoured the canal then Don pointed out a suitable craft about thirty metres away. They all headed in that direction as the pilot of Apache 1 provided them with a running commentary.
“Boat emerged. Repeat, boat emerged. Hellfire missile released. Direct hit!”
The four of them heard the explosion over a kilometre away and started running towards their target boat. They clambered aboard and began releasing the holding ropes as Don went to start it up.
Luckily the boat started first time and Don hit the throttle and headed for the tunnel. He fumbled around until he found the light switch and turned it on.
“Is he dead?” Issy asked, as the boat she was on entered the tunnel.
“Totally disintegrated. Nothing left of it except pieces of fibreglass. Bits of material on fire.”
“Roger, nearly there,” Issy replied.
Don slowed the boat as they neared the tunnel’s exit, the whole area lit up by the Apache’s spotlight. The pilot hadn’t been wrong; the surface of the water was littered with pieces of debris, some of which was still burning.
“Apache 2 to the West side, we need more light.”
“Roger,” came the response from the pilot.
Don angled the boat to the side of the canal to allow Issy and Gina to jump off onto the pathway.
“Keep searching the water,” Issy ordered and Don took the boat back into the middle of the canal while the soldier from Bravo Team looked over the side and tried to pull some of the bits of debris from the water.
Apache 2 arrived on the scene a couple of minutes later and the whole area was bathed in blinding light. As Issy and Gina watched on, the search continued.
“What are we looking for?” Gina asked.
“Evidence,” Issy replied. “Preferably something which identifies Mamba, like a sweater with his nametag in it.”
“That’s wishful thinking,” Gina noted. “We might find a sweater, but a name inside? I didn’t think Mamba was school age.”
“Yeah I know,” Issy replied, smiling. She was just about to say something else when there was a shout from the boat.
“We’ve got a body!”
Issy and Gina watched as Don helped the soldier haul something into the boat. A few minutes later there was the shout of ‘got another one’ and a second body was manhandled onto the boat.
Don and the soldier continued pulling items out of the canal for the next half hour, by which time the rest of Team Bravo had arrived on the scene. One of the Lynx heli’s had arrived bringing with it some high-powered portable lights and this enabled the Apaches to return to Heathrow.
“Bring the boat across,” Issy ordered, and Don did as he was asked.
A couple of soldiers on the pathway helped drag the bodies off the boat and lay them side by side on the ground with what remained of their faces looking up to the sky. Other items were also thrown onto the pathway before Don took the boat back out to search some more.
Issy and Gina stepped up to the bodies and took a cursory look at them. Issy then took a couple of photos with her phone and pinged them off to Heathrow before taking a closer look at the bodies. She then arranged for them to be transported to the Medical Centre in Terminal 3.
“Make sure they are looked at straight away. Tell them to drop everything else if they have to,” Issy ordered.
“Look,” Gina said, pointing to a sodden rucksack sitting on the pathway. “Would you believe it?”
“Now, all we need is a nametag,” Issy suggested, as Gina squatted down, grabbed the bag and emptied its contents.
“No nametag, I’m afraid,” Gina advised as she put the bag to one side and started sifting through the contents. “But it looks like all this stuff hasn’t been touched. A bit wet, but still OK. Look at this,” she said, holding up an object for Issy to take.
Issy looked at the lump of plastic with a switch, button and a battery compartment. She knew what it was instantly; a detonator.
“Anything else?” Issy asked.
“Got a ‘Good Pub Guide 2012’,” Gina replied, “not that it’ll be much good to us these days. A couple of bottles of water, a couple of chocolate bars, a map and other bits and pieces.” She sorted through the side pockets and pulled out a pistol and a knife. “Ooh, looky here,” she cooed.
Issy took the knife and the pistol and took a quick look at them. She smiled when she saw an ‘M’ on the hilt of the knife, then placed the objects back on the floor with the other contents.
Issy looked around the area one more time and clicked her earpiece. “Bear, Irish, arrange for a few spotters to keep an eye on the estate, otherwise you can get back home. Don, keep a few soldiers here and continue searching for a bit longer, then arrange for everything to be brought back. I’m off.”
Issy and Gina called for a Lynx to pick them up to take them home.
78
Day 15 – 22:30
Hilton Hotel, Heathrow
Issy, Gina and the other Leaders were all standing around by the corner of the bar in the Hilton Hotel, drinking and celebrating the demise of Mamba and Ahmed. A selection of Mamba’s possessions which had been brought back by Don had been placed on th
e bar for people to see.
Issy and Gina had got back a few hours earlier and had taken some time to shower and change before meeting up with the others. They had made sure Ayla was settled into one of the secure rooms in Terminal 3; they wanted her to have a nice long wait to let her imagination run wild before they started questioning her the following day.
“Great job, ladies,” Jack advised, and another toast was made.
“We’re not certain yet,” Issy cautioned, “and anyway, I don’t know why we’re celebrating when we’ve lost nine of our team and another sixty-odd in Stepney.”
Jack nodded ruefully. “You’re right, but we still need to celebrate our successes and, at the same time, remember our fallen colleagues and friends.”
“Quite right,” agreed the Major, taking another drink.
“Look at this,” Bear said from behind Issy, “his Pub Guide was a bit out of date; 2012!” The others laughed.
Andy sidled up to Issy. “You OK?”
“I will be. Just tired and I want to be certain, that’s all,” she replied.
“Issy, you can’t let what happened with the armoured truck make you second guess everything. You saw him in the boat, he entered the tunnel and was killed the other side. We have both bodies. We have his possessions. What more do you want?”
“DNA test?” she suggested.
Andy laughed. “You wish! Didn’t you recognise the bodies?”
“Nope. They were too badly disfigured, but I didn’t really know what either of them looked like anyway. Just a fuzzy aerial shot of Mamba when he was looking up at the sky. Which reminds me,” Issy turned to look around the group. “Daniel? Got a mo?”
Daniel excused himself from Gina and walked across to Issy.
“Yes, Issy? What can I do for you?”
Issy pulled her phone from her pocket and clicked on the pictures she had taken. “Can you tell me if you recognise these.”
Daniel took the phone and looked at the first picture before swiping the screen and looking at the second picture. “Honestly?” he asked.
