“Get out of my way,” said the man holding the gun and he pushed the ambulance driver aside. “Move away,” he ordered, and the ambulance driver stepped back a few paces. The man with the gun then grasped the door handle and wrenched it down and pulled. The door opened so quickly that it put him off balance. He steadied himself, looked up and saw a white-clad figure launch himself out of the ambulance, leading with a right fist that connected with force to the man’s jaw. As the man fell back, he pulled the trigger of the pistol and a shot was fired that went wide and harmless. He tumbled to the ground, dazed by the blow and the white-clad figure wrenched the gun from his hand.
At the front of the ambulance, the ambulance driver’s mate watched the man holding a gun on him. At the sound of the shot and the noise of a scuffle, the man with the gun was distracted and looked towards the noise at the rear of the ambulance. He saw the ambulance driver moving forward and fired off a shot. Almost immediately, two feet thudded into his chest with great force and he fell backwards to the ground, the gun flying from his hand. As his opponent also fell to the ground, the gunman rolled away and pushed himself to his feet. The ambulance man also rolled and leapt to his feet and the two men faced each other at the same time, both looking to see where the gun was. Any move by one for the gun would have an immediate attack from the other. They faced each other warily, each trying to weigh up the other and then started to attack and defend in unarmed combat.
Behind the ambulance, the ambulance driver and the white-clad ‘nurse’ were subduing the man that had held a gun on the driver. While they were focussed on that task two men in the car behind the ambulance got out of the car and ran forward to tackle the driver and the nurse. One of the men held a gun. On seeing that, the ‘nurse’ rolled away and came up with the gun in his hand. He fired at the other man with a gun, the bullet hitting his forearm and causing the gun to be dropped. The man’s companion tackled the ambulance driver, punching him in the head with a knuckleduster-clad fist. The ambulance driver fell sideways, semi-conscious. At that, a third person leapt from the rear of the ambulance and brought his arm down in a stiff-hand chop to the neck of the knuckleduster-clad man. He fell forward, and was on his hands and knees shaking his head. The blow should have done more than that but he was clearly a very fit man. The man who had jumped from the back of the ambulance then moved forward and tackled the gunman with the injured forearm and the two of them of them started a duel of unarmed combat.
Seeing that their companions had not subdued the ambulance crew, the other two men got out of the car and came forward to join the fray. One of them was holding a gun and fired a shot into the air. Action paused for a moment as the participants took in the scene. The ‘nurse’ dropped to one knee and fired at the man holding the gun, the bullet plucking at the man’s jacket sleeve but not harming him. Surprised, he turned and brought his gun to fire at the ‘nurse’, who started to take evasive action. His companion raced to look into the back of the ambulance and saw that the stretcher-bed was empty and yelled out, “He’s not here!” Then he savagely kicked the ambulance driver in the head and, drawing a handgun, fired at the ‘nurse’, the bullet hitting him in the thigh. As the events started to swing in favour of the attackers, a blue three-ton truck roared up and pulled past the car and stopped, men jumping out of the back and moving into the fray.
At the front of the ambulance, the ambulance driver’s mate and the other man had been sparring and were on the bridge. In a move, one man had grabbed the other’s jacket and was trying to unbalance him but the move was counteracted and both men, locked together, got too close to the low balustrade of the bridge and fell over into the river below.
One man climbed out of the cab of the three-tonner, holding a Thompson sub-machine gun. He fired a burst into the air and all action stopped. Every man in the action knew what that meant. With the sub-machine gun covering the scene, the men who had attacked the ambulance were quickly disarmed and brought in a group, surrounded by the late arrivals. “What are the casualties, Flight?” asked Flying Officer Crombie, as he held the weapon cradled in his arm.
“Andy has a bullet in his thigh. Murphy is nursing a sore head and a cracked rib. He may have concussion. Stan is missing. Apparently, he went over the bridge parapet with one of the Russians. One Russian has a wounded forearm and another may have a cracked neck bone,” was the answer.
“Right. Secure these men and put them in the back of the truck under armed guard. Any attempt to escape and they are to be shot,” ordered Crombie. “Check that car on the bridge and get it started and move it. One of you move the car that’s behind the ambulance. We need to clear one side of the road.” The whole action had taken less than ten minutes and the men moved quickly to clear the road on one side. The cars were started and the drivers executed three-point-turns and the cars were driven back towards Aviemore. A vehicle coming from Inverness was waved through and drove past with curious stares from the occupants. The prisoners were loaded onto the three-tonner and secured. Andy was carried into the ambulance and Murphy put in the cab while four others squeezed into the back of the ambulance. As the vehicles moved off, first aid was applied to Andy’s wound and he was made comfortable on the stretcher. The three-tonner and the ambulance were driven towards Inverness until they came to a forest track. They were reversed onto the track and then were driven out and back towards Aviemore. The three-tonner carried on while the ambulance pulled off the road near the bridge. Five of its occupants got out and then climbed over the fence and worked their way down the slope to the river, looking for Stan and the Russian. After thirty minutes of searching downstream they found no trace of either man. Flight Sergeant Bradley called off the search and the men made their way back to the road and the ambulance.
Driving back to Aviemore, Crombie radioed through to base camp and asked to be patched through to the office. He reported the situation. One of the MI5 men had been in the ambulance, supposedly the patient, and now he took control of the situation, saying that the prisoners were to be taken to the police station and held in the cells until they could be moved south. The other MI5 man had been in the three-tonner and now drove one of the cars back to Aviemore Hospital to report to Hamilton. After he had done that, Hamilton took him in to see Garasov and repeat his report on the situation. After listening to it all, Garasov said, “I know what would have happened to me. I would like to defect and I ask for political asylum.”
“That we can do and we will take care of you. Welcome to a new future,” said Hamilton.
Downstream, near Duthil, a man collecting firewood found two bodies caught on rocks in some shallows of the river, having been swept there by the current. One was dead and the other just alive. He appeared to be injured and suffering from hyperthermia. The man had rushed for help and the two men had been wrapped in blankets, put in a van and rushed to Inverness Hospital. Identification on the one who was alive showed him to be Corporal Stanier of the RAF. He was subsequently transferred to a RAF hospital.
Back at RAF West Sanby, the JSTU settled down to preparation for the spring trials. The media lost interest and the Russian attempts at getting information also seemed to have faded. New members of the unit being posted in, settled into being trained for the task ahead.
EPILOGUE
Corporal Andy Hill had a slow recovery since the thigh had been badly damaged by the bullet. He had sick leave and the rest of his disembarkation leave, much to the delight of one young lady. Once recovered, he was told by Air Vice-Marshal Denby that he was going to OCTU and no arguments. When the Walton twins had their twenty-first birthday, Alice and Officer Cadet William Andrew Hill became engaged.
A prestigious high school in Inverness appointed a new literature teacher with rather high academic qualifications. It was understood that she had come from an English university. Her husband set up a martial arts school and also trained young people in mountaineering. He walked with a limp and spoke with a hard-to-place accent.
Budget cuts by th
e British government caused the cancellation of the Red Hawk programme in favour of Bloodhound Mk. 2 surface-to-air missile system.
The End
Red Hawk Rising Page 44
