Sporadic gunfire broke up the argument.
A soldier entered the tent. ‘Sir we have enemy movement coming in from the west.’
‘We need to leave.’ Pearson ordered.
‘Sir, we can’t just abandon them.’
‘It’s not my call to make Corporal. Now move your arse, we need to get out of here before those bastards cut us off.’
Gunfire peppered the ground as the tribesmen set up a defensive position.
Sam sprinted towards a defensive barricade that other soldiers of her unit had constructed.
‘Command has just said they’ll send a chopper for an evac.’ Richard Bowman revealed.
‘We can’t stay here.’ Sam shouted over the gunfire. ‘They’ll encircle us and kill us all.’
Pearson emerged from a tribal leader’s tent and sprinted towards the group. A bullet struck him in his lower back. Pearson fell forward and lay still.
Sam got to her feat. ‘Lay down covering fire!’ She sprinted towards where Pearson lay rolling him onto his back.
He was still alive.
Pearson gasped for air. ‘I can’t feel anything.’
Sam stared into the terror that filled his eyes.
‘I can’t fucking feel anything.’ He started to sob. ‘Jesus I can’t feel anything.’
Tracer fire lit up the surrounding countryside as the enemy focussed all their fire power on the centre of the camp.
Sam summoned all her strength. Despite Pearson’s wiry frame his uniform and bulky equipment made it difficult to move him. Sam dragged the Sergeant towards the group of soldiers. Even in the moonlight she could see the dark crimson trail of blood as she dragged his body.
‘Andrews, I need an assessment!’ She shouted at one of the squad.
Lance Corporal Steve Andrews lifted up the back of Pearson’s shirt shining a small torch onto where the bullet impacted. He glanced at Sam, shaking his head.
‘I’m fucking done.’ Pearson said coughing up blood. He looked at Sam. ‘You need to get the fuck out of here Corporal. You need to get to that evac.’
Tears streaked down Sam’s face. ‘Sir, I’m sorry.’
‘Save it Corporal, you have to get the fuck out of here.’ Pearson unclipped a small satchel from his waist belt. ‘You have to get these back to command.’
Sam nodded.
Pearson stared up at the star filled heavens. A look of calm descended over his face. ‘Tell Helen I’ll be waiting for her.’ Pearson’s eye’s started to close.
‘Sam we have to go.’ Bowman urged. ‘I’m not getting stuck in this shitbox ’
Sam composed herself for a few moments.
‘Sam please, you’re in command now. We have to go.’
‘Yes.’ Sam said wiping the tears away. ‘We have to move.’ She looked towards the tin hut where she had discovered the women. ‘I want you to lay down covering fire.’
‘What for? The way out is over there.’ Bowman pointed to a narrow pass. ‘The valley is beyond, the RAF boys will be able to pick us up.’
‘Just lay down cover fire for fuck sake.’ Sam shouted getting to her feet.
Bowman pointed his weapon and let off a short volley.
Sam opened the door to the tin hut.
The women were huddled together. Terror etched into their faces.
Sam spotted the woman who had spoken to her earlier. ‘You must come with me, I will lead you to safety.’
The woman stared back before nodding. She turned to the other girls and spoke to them. The women emerged from the hut.
Sam’s unit had rallied just outside the hut.
‘You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!’ Bowman screamed.
‘We all leave.’ Sam insisted. ‘I’m not leaving them here.’
‘It’s your fucking funeral Sam.’
‘Come on, we’ll make for the pass and valley beyond.’
Woodhouse Farm – Burneside - Lake District – 7:29am
Sam opened her eyes.
Teller sat on another bunk staring at her. ‘Good morning.’
Sam stretched. ‘Have you been sat there watching me all night?’
‘You were talking in your sleep.’
Sam sat up on the bunk bed. ‘I’m fine.’
‘Still haunts you doesn’t it. Your time in Afghanistan. You dream about it most nights.’
Sam rubbed her tired eyes. ‘Yes.’
‘What happened?’
‘I grew a conscience that’s what happened and it got me booted out of the army.’
‘I read your casefile during the night. The tribunal roasted you alive. They blamed you for the death of your commanding officer.’
‘All I wanted to do was help those women.’
‘I know.’
Sam shook herself awake. ‘Enough about me. Where are you in finding Dystopia?’
Teller handed her a tablet. ‘We believe they could be operating within a hundred miles of this area.’
The tablet displayed a map of the border between Wales and England. ‘As soon as Dystopia make another speech we’ll be able to pin point them more accurately.’
‘A young woman entered the bunk house looking concerned. ‘Mathew we have intruders.’
Sam and Teller returned to the barn.
‘Who the fuck are these guys?’ Teller questioned looking at a security monitor.
Three black Range Rovers were driving up the long drive.
One of Teller’s security team, armed with a baseball bat stood in the yard.
A man got out of the leading vehicle and walked towards the man holding the bat.
Sam stared at the monitor.
For a few moments the two men spoke. Then without warning the man from the car produced a handgun and pointed at the other man’s head.
The gunshot could be heard from inside the building.
‘Shit, who the fuck are these people?’ Teller gasped.
Other men poured out from the vehicles heavily armed.
‘Tell me you have an escape route out of this place.’ Sam stated.
‘Yes it’s out back.’
‘Get everyone out, now.’ Sam ordered. She approached a man holding a baseball bat snatching it off him. ‘Get out of here.’
Teller shouted orders to his team. ‘Leave everything, use the east entrance.’ He said looking at another security monitor.
Sam watched the security monitor as three men marched towards the main door of the barn. ‘Jesus they’re armed to the teeth.’
Teller sat in front of a laptop tapping away on the keys.
‘What are you doing, we have to move!’
‘You have to stall them.’ Teller replied tapping furiously.
‘What?’ Sam glared at Teller.
‘Stall them; I need a minute to initiate a self-destruct protocol?’
‘You’re kidding right? This place is laced with explosives?’
Teller smiled. ‘Nothing that dramatic. These computers are linked. I have written a program that will wipe everything off the hard drives within twenty seconds.’ He indicated to the security monitor. ‘Whoever those guys are, they’re definitely not police.’
Sam gripped the baseball bat and walked towards the door. Keeping an eye on the monitor. The lead man who had killed one of Teller’s team slowly approached. Sam braced, she was expecting the door to be kicked in and the armed men to rush in guns blazing.
The door creaked open slowly.
Sam watched from behind the door.
A gun, then an extended arm appeared.
Sam summoned all her strength and swung the baseball bat downwards.
The gun clattered to the ground. An angry scream followed as the man fell backwards clutching his wrist.
Sam kicked the door shut and scooped up the gun. Pointing it at the door she backed away glancing behind her at Teller. ‘Mathew, tell me you’re finished. We are about to get fucking overrun.’
‘Almost.’ Teller responded.
The door burst open and a se
cond man rushed in holding a semi-automatic rifle.
Sam didn’t hesitate. She fired a round at the intruder’s knee.
He dropped to the floor screaming out in agony.
Another man followed.
‘Down!’ Sam screamed at Teller.
The gunman opened fire, spraying the barn in a hail of bullets.
Sam crouched as low as she could. She looked around spotting Teller who was lay on the ground. He gave her a thumbs up.
The gunfire stopped.
Sam seized the opportunity of silence. She launched herself to her feet aiming her weapon at the head of the attacker. She squeezed the trigger of her weapon hitting the man directly in the centre of the forehead.
The man fell backward, his lifeless eyes stared up at the rafters.
Teller was also on his feet. He tapped a few commands on a tablet and pointed towards the back entrance of the building. ‘I’m done now let’s get the fuck out of here.’
Sam fixed her stare on the open doorway. The man who she had shot was nursing his knee. Sam kicked the weapon he had dropped to one side.
‘Who are you?’
‘Bitch you fucking shot me.’ The man replied.
‘Who are you?’ Sam repeated the question.
‘Fucking bitch, you stole all our money.’
Sam reached into the man’s inside pocket and pulled out a smartphone.
‘Sam hurry up, we need to get the fuck away from here!’ Teller shouted glancing at the tablet which now doubled as a security monitor. ‘They are about to surround us.’
Sam looked towards the man she had just killed. She picked up a semi automatic AR15 rifle, slinging it over her shoulder.’
‘Sam, come on!’ Teller begged.
Sam strode across the deserted barn towards Teller who showed her the tablet. ‘This has a two hundred metre range. Looks like the others got out.’
‘We need to move.’ Sam said keeping her weapon trained on the door.
‘We can’t follow the others.’
‘What, why?’
‘Sam, we still have to track down Dystopia. We have to find James.’
‘And how do you suppose we do that.’ Sam said pointing at the Tablet. ‘Your car has been blocked in.’
Teller pointed at one of the vehicles. ‘We steal this car and head for a location where I can get a more accurate reading on where Dystopia is.’
‘Fuck!’ Sam cursed.
‘Sam, it’s the only way. We have to stop Dystopia. The longer James is allowed to continue the more damage he will do.’
‘Ok, we’ll head around the side of the barn. Hopefully they won’t see us.’
Sam and Teller stepped out of the back entrance. They edged their way along the wall of the barn. Sam gripped her gun. Afghanistan flooded her mind as she recalled the event.
Teller stopped, grabbing Sam. He silently pointed at the tablet. Then pointed straight ahead towards the corner of the building.
An armed man suddenly appeared clutching his weapon.
Sam didn’t hesitate. She fired two rounds hitting the man in the upper chest. He stumbled backward flinging his weapon to one side.
Both Sam and Teller continued their way along the back wall of the barn. When they reached the corner, Sam cautiously peered out.
The man she had hit with the baseball bat was talking to another heavily armed man.
Sam composed herself for a few moments. She looked at Teller. ‘Stay behind me.’ Sam closed her eyes in silent meditation before stepping out into plain view. ‘Police, lay your weapon on the ground. And put your hands behind your head.’
The heavily armed man raised his weapon.
Sam beat him to the draw firing three shots.
One bullet hit the man in the neck. Blood sprayed outwards splattering onto the man standing next to him. The man dropped to the ground desperately trying to stem the blood that pumped from a main artery in his neck.
The other man rushed towards the man’s weapon.
Sam fired a shot directly into his ankle.
The man let out a painful gasp as he dropped to the floor.
Sam marched towards him pointing her gun at his head. ‘I want the keys to your car.’
The man glared back at Sam who fired a round into the soft mud next to him.
‘Keys, now!’ She ordered.
The man fumbled in his pockets and tossed a set of keys at Sam’s feet.
She picked them up and turned her back on the man who started to laugh.
Sam turned to face him. ‘What so funny?’
The man smiled at her. ‘We are going to have some fun with you darling. You and your little nerdy mates are going to pay for taking our money. I’m going to use you as my personal play thing, my fuck doll.’
An anger Sam had not felt since Afghanistan welled up from within. She raised her weapon lining it up with the man’s head.
Fear replaced arrogance as the man realised what was about to happen to him.
Sam fired one round.
The man slumped to the ground.
‘Let’s go.’ Sam ordered marching towards the vehicle.
Teller climbed in to the driver’s seat and started the vehicle.
Sam rummaged through the back seat. ‘Jesus, these guys are armed to the teeth.’
‘Any idea who they are?’
‘Hired thugs by all accounts.’ Sam remembered what one of the armed men had told her in the barn. ‘One of the men I shot said that you had stolen all their money.’
‘I haven’t stolen anything.’ Teller said.
‘Didn’t Dystopia say that they will target the criminally wealthy?’ Sam said.
Teller nodded. ‘James must have pissed off some pretty hard nosed criminals for them to come after us like that. Question is how did they know where we were?’ Teller stopped. ‘Mark said last night that three team members didn’t turn up.’
Sam vaguely recalled this being mentioned the day before.
‘The three team members were interviewed by your lot.’
Sam shook her head rigorously. ‘There’s no leak, if that’s where you’re going.’
‘Come on detective. How else would they know how to find us? That place was off the grid. Three of my team are missing. And to top it all off those twats show up. Someone on your end blabbed.’
Sam hated the thought of corrupt police officers handing over information to criminals. She eventually nodded. ‘One Problem at a time. Let’s just find Dystopia.’ She pulled out the smart phone that she had taken off one of the armed attackers.
Teller made a grab for the phone she was holding but Sam was too fast.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘I have to call this in Mathew. We were just involved in a gunfight with heavily armed thugs. My guess is that this isn’t over.’ Sam started to dial.
New Scotland Yard – London – 7:39am
Teague‘s phone started to buzz loudly on his desk. ‘This is detective Teague.’
‘Daniel, it’s me Sam.’
‘Sam thank Christ. Where the hell are you?’
‘No time to explain everything. Have you got a pen and paper handy?’
Teague scrambled around his desk for a scrap of paper.
‘I need you to get an armed police unit to Woodhouse Farm just outside Burneside in the Lake District.’
‘What the hell are you doing all the way up there?’
‘We may have a location for Dystopia.’
‘We, who’s with you?’
‘Mathew Teller. Darren you need to pull out all the stops. There are a number of armed men on the farm I have just come from. You need armed police there.’
‘Ok I’ll see what I can organise. Sam you need to come in. You need to make contact.’
‘No.’ Sam said looking at Teller. ‘I’ll ring you as soon as I can.’
‘Sam.’ Teague shouted down the phone, but she was gone.
Chapter 47
Voice Radio – London –
8:34am
Good Morning you are listening to the Alex Leeder show. This morning we are discussing the Prime Minister’s late night press conference. If you haven’t seen the news already this morning, the Prime Minister has called a halt to the latest round of Brexit talks and sacked Deputy Prime Minister Edwin Fuller. She also made what many are considering as a plea to Dystopia to stop what they are doing. The question we are asking this morning is how much longer can Mayflower hold on to power. Opposition leaders have already expressed their concern. George Hardy stated that it is time for the people to decide their future. In a statement on his Twitter page Mr Hardy called on the Prime Minister to announce a general election to let the people decide who should lead them out of Europe. We have in our studio this morning Labour Member of Parliament for Battersea, Martin Jones. Mr Jones thank you for speaking with us. Where do you think we are at this moment with a successful final Brexit deal?
‘Quite frankly I don’t think we are anywhere. The Prime Minister seems to be making a mess of the whole deal. I think sacking Edwin Fuller is a clear sign that she has become unhinged. Mrs Mayflower needs to do the honourable thing and call a general election immediately.’
‘So what about the European Union. Ever since a majority of people in the country voted out of the EU the leaders in Brussels seem to be putting obstacles up to try and slow our exit. Do you think there is a general hatred amongst the members of the European Parliament against the UK?’
‘Absolutely, I think there are a lot of disgruntled MEPs. Many who will believe that they have worked hard all their lives to form a stable economic future for Europe. When the UK leaves the EU there is fear that more countries will want to follow suit. When you look at the events in Spain last year especially Catalonia it’s clear to see that the citizens of Europe want more of a voice.’
‘If the Prime Minister does call another election, what do you think the mood of the British people will be?’
‘I think the British people will decide their future by voting Labour.’
‘George Hardy is the people’s choice then?’
‘Mr Hardy has rallied his party around him. He has weathered many storms over the last few years. Some of which include attempts to oust him as party leader. I think George Hardy is the man to lead this country out of Britain. So yes, he is the people’s choice.’
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