Doyle was quickly at her side at the window. She was right. The gang they'd been watching – always two, but rarely the same two – had left the building opposite and were hanging about on the pavement as though waiting for someone. They looked jumpy.
"The lights in the flat weren't on. They came down in the dark," Perry explained as he took some photos with a night scope.
Doyle said nothing but continued watching. Eventually a car turned up and whisked them off somewhere. From the binoculars Perry had caught the car registration and relayed it to HQ. There wasn't much more they could do here, but they would stay until further orders. Doyle quietly packed up the abbo in case they were called away suddenly. He told Marie that her four hours were up and she could go now, but she was content to stay now that things had got more interesting. There was a crackle on the R/T. It was Cowley himself. Not for the first time, the agents wondered whether he ever slept.
"Your target has picked up another passenger and is heading north. 2.8 is tracking. Intercept at the armoury if possible."
Cowley was being circumspect in case there were any listeners. Doyle acknowledged, and the pair quietly left their hidey-hole with their sparse belongings. In no time they were on the road and heading towards their armoury. Perry was a competent driver. Doyle manned the radio and kept in touch with their target's route, but they had sailed past CI5's armoury without yet spotting their target. They were now on their way to the motorway. The gang would have to be taken down before they got there. Perry was closing in on 2.8's car.
"We have you in sight now, 2.8," Doyle said after a few more minutes of high-speed driving. "Intercept on A237."
2.8 - Jenkins - acknowledged and peeled off down a side street. Perry kept going in a straight line. The gang had picked up speed. Jenkins would have to increase too if he was to head them off. Doyle kept everyone up to date on their location. At last they got to a suitable crossroads ahead.
"On target!" Doyle announced.
2.8's car seemed to come out of nowhere and headed straight into the path of the gangster's car. They careered off the road together to avoid a collision, and Perry was on their tail in a moment. Their target crashed onto derelict land but their car wasn't built for off-road driving and they soon found a pothole too deep for them. The CI5 cars spun round to avoid the same hazard. Everyone was out and off in a moment. The shooting started immediately. All were hindered by the lack of street lights and the uneven ground. Time and again they would fall over things as they tried to avoid capture or bullets or both. The gang were putting up a good fight. As of one thought, the CI5 agents, well spread out now, were trying to avoid the gang reaching the derelict factory. They wanted to keep them on open ground where they had a chance of seeing them. Doyle had radioed in for backup but it was slow coming. The sniping went on for a while. Perry bagged one and went on ahead for the next target. Doyle saw Jenkins sliding on his belly towards another, but couldn't get a good angle. Doyle shot wide to distract his target, giving Jenkins clear view. He was quick to take advantage. Two down and another two to go.
Suddenly a car was heard roaring towards the action. CI5 were hoping it was the cavalry; the gang were hoping the same thing for their side. In case it was the opposition arriving, CI5 agents renewed their efforts. Then Doyle heard the awful click of a gun running out of ammo; it was Perry. The gang, too, were alerted to the new car's occupants and were backing more and more urgently towards the factory just in case. Doyle took the dangerous strategy of kneeling up to get a better shot; he needed to protect Perry. He wasn't sure if she had spare ammo in her pockets. He felt a bullet sing through his hair as he threw himself back onto the ground. That had been close. He rummaged urgently in his own pockets for spares. Fortunately he had a mag to hand, but he wasn't close enough to his colleague to pass it along. It was clear that the new car was CI5 reinforcements, not extra gang members. Doyle heard gunfire behind him and to his left. He couldn't afford the luxury of looking back to see who his colleague was, but felt relief that they were no longer alone in this.
After several more minutes another of the gang had been killed and the last gave up once his bullets had been exhausted. CI5 got cautiously to their feet and looked around for any further enemies. No-one took further potshots. Jenkins pressed forward, already reaching for his handcuffs. Doyle turned to see who had joined the 'party'. It was Cowley and Bodie. They looked very serious. He looked back over his shoulder to see what they were looking at. A foot was sticking out from the front of one of the cars. A shoe not a boot; a woman's shoe. Doyle went cold and walked numbly towards it. Soon he was at Marie's side, cradling her head. His colleagues looked on. A trail of blood trickled from the side of her mouth.
"Marie," he murmured urgently.
Perry's head moved towards the familiar voice. She tried to smile - then Doyle felt her body relax under his hands. He eased her to the ground and took her pulse. He looked up into the eyes of a troubled Cowley and shook his head.
"Are you injured?" the Controller asked softly.
Doyle shook his head sadly, getting onto his feet. The Cow looked at his other agents, including them in his question. Jenkins admitted to a graze at the hip, but otherwise bullet-free.
Doyle walked slowly and sadly to his car, head bent. He felt an arm slip across his hunched shoulders. He half turned his head and wasn't surprised to find Bodie at his side. He shrugged the arm off angrily. He wasn't ready for company right now.
"It was you who found the motor, wasn't it?" he murmured.
"Guess it was," Bodie confessed.
Suddenly the joke didn't seem funny any more.
