Saturday, June 10th, 2017
Port of Gibraltar
British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar
11:30 GMT+2 (09:30 GMT June 10th)
OCEAN VIGILANTE & CALEDONIA
Very swiftly, the jetty emptied leaving only Greg and his son to take custody of the hired van.
Once aboard, accommodation was allocated to each individual so that they could unpack and stow their kit before it was time to depart the port, early that afternoon. As members of the crew returned to the main deck, they were allocated a watch and a duty station while Cameron took command of the bridge aboard the 260-tonne 132-foot CALEDONIA and Joshua did the same aboard the 155-foot 330-tonne OCEAN VIGILANTE. As the clock moved towards 13:00, all were ready, and the lines were cast off by Greg and his son.
Minutes later, the two mega yachts were making way towards the Bay of Gibraltar and thence into the Mediterranean Sea and onto an easterly heading towards the French port city of Marseille, some eight-hundred nautical miles and fifty-seven hours away.
Kissing, Bavaria, Germany
11:00 GMT+2 (09:00 GMT June 10th)
Audi S8: Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Yvette & Electra
The drive south was relatively pleasant.
Germany was very green, to the south of Nuremberg, and the girls spent time looking out of the windows – at least when they weren't bickering. However, as the kilometres raced past, Stephanie smelt a rat. Not once had Mindy complained about the noise and the bickering. Not once had Mindy yelled at them. Indeed, Abigail had been more annoying than usual – an astonishing feat, admittedly, and bordering on the impossible – but even that had not triggered the expected response in Mindy. It was not until they reached their first destination in southern Germany that Stephanie understood and only one person in the car appeared to be amused.
"You trying to be funny?" Stephanie demanded as she read the sign which depicted the town's name and which Mindy had chosen to almost crawl past.
"So immature," Abigail muttered.
"Sacré bleu!" Yvette added.
"I feel for you, Steph," Electra chimed in.
Mindy grinned enormously as she drove on through the town.
Bentley Continental: Cassie, Charlotte, Naomi, & Kaitlin
Cassie laughed, having known what was coming, but seeing the road sign was still fun.
"That is so awesome!" Charlotte laughed.
"I don't get it," Kaitlin complained.
"Very amusing," Naomi conceded with a grimace.
Charlotte had a feeling that it was going to be an interesting trip and she had seen the knowing look on Cassie's face which had simply confirmed that fact.
Audi Q7: Jennifer, Saoirse, Shannon & Marc
Saoirse took her eyes off the sign beside the road and she rolled her eyes as she looked into the back seat.
"That was not an invitation!" Jennifer exclaimed as she looked to see what Saoirse had seen.
Shannon said nothing as she continued to follow the advice of the sign with Marc.
Somewhere east of Munich, Germany
13:30 GMT+2 (11:30 GMT June 10th)
For some reason or other which Stephanie could not fathom, Mindy chose to lead the convoy to the east – in what was apparently the opposite direction to where they were headed - her biggest hint was when they crossed over the border into Austria.
"Where are we going?" Stephanie wondered out loud.
"For a drive," Mindy responded, somewhat cryptically.
"You are up to something," Stephanie said accusingly.
Mindy simply grinned in response. Two kilometres later, the proverbial penny dropped.
"Oh, I see where this is going?" Stephanie groaned.
"Mindy," Yvette commented. "You are truly evil."
Mindy grinned broadly at the road sign they were approaching.
"Welcome to Fucking, guys!" she laughed.
In the Audi Q7, Saoirse cringed as they drove past the sign, but then she heard a giggle from behind her and she hoped to God...
"No, you wouldn't...," Saoirse began as she turned to look into the back seat. "Ewww!"
Jennifer just shook her head and she kept on driving.
Petting, Germany
14:00 GMT+2 (12:00 GMT June 10th)
Unsurprisingly, as far as Stephanie was concerned, there was yet another stop in some weirdly named town.
"What is wrong with you?" Stephanie demanded of Mindy but then she turned on Abigail who was about to 'pet' her head. "Fuck off, Abigail!"
Yvette thought it was really funny and she knew that Stephanie was not amused by it all – which just made it all the more fun! As for Electra, she just grinned at her friend's annoyed expression while Abigail was laughing fit to burst. The boys of course decided that it was worth risking their wellbeing to annoy the girls.
"If you dare touch me," Charlotte growled at Owen.
Owen dared.
"Ow, fucking OW!" Owen complained as he found himself on his knees, his right wrist bent back and held there by Charlotte. "Easy Charlie!"
Needless to say, Shannon and Marc enjoyed some adventurous petting.
A couple of hours later...
Wank, Germany
16:30 GMT+2 (14:00 GMT June 10th)
Jennifer had something to say when they stopped just outside the village.
"Oh, Mindy, this is going too far!"
"I'm saying nothing!" Stephanie growled as she refused to look at the road sign.
"The level of maturity of some people is deplorable," Abigail lectured no one in particular.
"I love being immature," Kaitlin grinned as Jake tried to look innocent.
"Cool!" Marc said. "I'm off to wank in Wank..." – he pronounced it correctly with a 'V'.
"I am truly mortified," Shannon announced.
"Oh, come on," Marc grinned. "You love a good wank!"
Shannon grudgingly agreed.
"Where's that Hustler...?" Abigail teased and she received a nasty look from Stephanie.
"I've got it," Saoirse grinned.
"You redefine the word 'slut'," Stephanie pointed out as Charlotte burst out laughing. "And you can get your hand out of your trousers, Morgan!"
Tommy grinned at Stephanie as he kept his hand where it was, "You gonna place your hand there?"
An angry scowl spread across some very pink cheeks.
Innsbruck, Austria
18:00 GMT+2 (16:00 GMT June 10th)
Finally, after a day spent in cars (and driving through smuttily named towns and villages), Stephanie was relieved to find them entering a properly named population centre.
The fifth-largest city in Austria, Innsbruck was famous for its winter sports centre.
"Run out of innuendo, have we?" Stephanie muttered as Mindy turned off the engine.
"Cheer up, grumpy," Mindy said with a smile. "You must have enjoyed some of the journey."
"It was amusing," Stephanie allowed. "Mind you, seeing Abigail make a fool of herself is always fun."
"I try my best," Abigail grinned.
"You don't even have to try."
Mindy left the Audi very quickly as the two girls began to bicker.
..._...
Mindy was in a decidedly frisky mood by the time dinner was over, Dave noticed.
It was the first time in a while that they had both been alone with each other in a private setting. Mindy needed an outlet for her activities that day. She had been getting more and more aroused as the day had gone on and knowing that Shannon and Marc had fucked (Jennifer was not speaking to either of them) had made Mindy all the more desperate for some sexual contact. Dave had noticed and he was waiting for an explicit night – he was not to be disappointed.
"Kiss me, Dave."
Dave began with a gently peck on Mindy's left cheek which earned him a nasty glare. Dave simply kissed Mindy on the other cheek, avoiding her eager pink lips. Then, before Mindy could explode, Dave clamped his lips onto Mindy's and he soon had her moaning as they both fell onto the bed and Mindy's hands pulled Dave closer in and their tongues intertwined. Dave gently ran his hands up his wife's back and he felt an involuntary shudder as his fingers tickled her backbone. Mindy's back arched as her arousal increased and Dave pushed up her sweatshirt to reveal a black sports bra. Dave's expert fingers easily negotiated the fabric to release first one, and then another succulent soft breast each topped off with a hard ruby-red nipple. Dave's lips moved down Mindy's neck, kissing as he went, causing Mindy to squirm uncontrollably and she began to giggle. Then she screamed out as a nipple was teased by Dave's mouth and Mindy struggled against the forces which were building up inside her body, originating in her groin but spreading out to her breasts.
Mindy shuddered as Dave moved south and he effortlessly pulled down her leggings and panties. She braced up as his tongue began to tease somewhere very special and she bit her lip as she did her best not to scream out so loud that everyone would hear. Then Dave suddenly stopped, and Mindy groaned bitterly at the loss of the sexual stimulation, not that it mattered as her body tensed and shuddered from head to toe. Then she smiled as she felt his warm skin against her own and then something very hard knocking at her front door. Mindy spread her legs and she wrapped them around her husband, pulling him inside her. The feelings of ecstasy spread rapidly to every point of her body as she felt him thrusting inside her vagina, again and again. She never wanted the feeling to end as she feverishly kissed her man on the lips and relished in the simple touch. All the worry and concerns that had plagued her since they had left London were pushed into abeyance for just one night and her mind focussed one hundred percent on herself and her husband. She was the very centre of her universe and there was nothing else for hundreds of miles which need concern her at that very moment as an earth-shattering orgasm built up and then detonated, tearing her body apart, limb from limb.
Mindy collapsed back onto the bed as Dave rolled off to the side, his chest heaving as he took several deep breaths.
The following morning...
Sunday, June 11th
Innsbruck, Austria
07:20 GMT+2 (05:20 GMT June 11th)
Mindy had awoken in an amazing mood and even Stephanie's sour mood could not dampen her happiness.
Jennifer had grinned broadly as Mindy had appeared for breakfast – she could see the glow in her skin and the spring in the nineteen-year-old's step. Cassie and Marinette exchanged knowing glances and grinned as Mindy sat down.
"I think we all got boned, last night," Cassie commented.
"Speak for yourself," Jennifer laughed.
"Not a conversation for breakfast," Naomi pointed out as she scowled at an unrepentant but very satisfied Cassie.
"Wow, I'm spent!" Shannon groaned as she collapsed into a chair.
Saoirse grinned up at Marc.
"Don't look at me," Marc muttered as he sat down beside his girlfriend. "She spent an hour with Abigail's Hustler magazine this morning."
"Can I have it back?" Abigail asked.
"Here," Marc said as he pulled said magazine from his back pocket.
Abigail grabbed it and sat back down, her cheeks a little pink. Then she flipped through it and frowned.
"The centrefold is glued together - Marc you're a dirty fu-!"
Abigail's epithet was interrupted by Charlotte's laughter.
A little later...
Leaving Innsbruck, Austria
09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 11th)
The convoy departed the city, heading east through the mountains.
Mindy was worried about their route and the memories which might be rekindled for some of them, but Dave had insisted that those involved would be able to cope. As such, Mindy had not mentioned their route to Stephanie, but Cassie knew and she had been there that night, just over a year before when somebody had died. However, Mindy being Mindy, she wanted to be a bitch first.
Therefore, after two hours and forty minutes of driving through some amazing scenery, Mindy slowed and then stopped atop what she saw as one of the most amazing roads in the world.
Stelvio Pass, Italy
11:40 GMT+2 (09:40 GMT June 11th)
Stephanie was not as excited as Mindy.
"I hate you so much, right now..."
"You've done it before," Mindy pointed out.
"I was scared shitless then too."
"Live a little, Steph."
"Assuming we aren't plastered all over the pass!"
There was the awesome sound of a mighty six-litre W12 engine as Cassie pulled up beside Mindy.
"You ready?" the Brit demanded.
"No," Stephanie replied. "Nooooooo!"
Cassie roared off with Mindy seconds behind and the pair made for the sweeping and sometimes tight turns of the pass. The four-wheel-drive Bentley was ideal for the roads as was the Quattro Audi. However, as the two women concentrated on each other, neither noticed the Aston Martin Rapide S driven by Andrew with Jake in the passenger seat flash past in a blur on a straight, the six-litre V12 roaring as it sent power through the eight-speed gearbox into the rear wheels. Then the trio of cars flashed through a short tunnel, the engine sounds reverberating, making Jake and Andrew grin happily as they led the convoy.
At the back of the convoy, two vehicles were taking their time. One was Jennifer in the Audi SQ7 who was determined to get to the opposite end of the pass alive, and the other was the plodding Mercedes Sprinter panel van.
"What's the zero to sixty for this pile of shit?" Owen demanded of Adrien.
"You got a calendar on you," Adrien responded derisively as he shifted the manual gears to accelerate after making a tight turn the long wheelbase van was never designed to make at any speed.
As for Dave, he was not far behind Mindy in his own Audi S8 Quattro with Jamie and Tommy. The two boys were eager to get past Mindy and show who was boss. But Dave was not alone as he had the other Audi S8 Quattro at his back bumper with Marinette at the wheel and Alya beside her. Marinette was a demon behind the wheel and she was very keen to overtake Dave and then Mindy with her ultimate target being Cassie in the Bentley.
Speaking of Cassie, she was livid that Andrew and Jake were ahead of her. Kaitlin and Charlotte were cheering Cassie on as Cassie did her best to keep up with the Aston all while Mindy was chomping at her rear end eager to pass.
"We're going to die!" Naomi groaned.
"At least we'll die leading," Kaitlin responded.
Naomi simply ignored the girl and stared at the satnav screen. The line on the screen looked like something a child might draw on a scrap of paper with a felt tip pen or like something you might see resulting from a lie detector test. At irregular moments, Cassie would stamp on the carbon ceramic brakes (a ten-thousand pound optional extra) and the 2.3-tonne car would slow dramatically enough to force everybody into their seatbelts. As the almost five metre length of the massive car negotiated the tight right hairpin, they were doing just ten miles per hour, but then as the road opened up again, they would all be thrust deep into their richly upholstered leather seats as the W12 engine dug deep and over six-hundred horses accelerated them back up to speed, the four-wheel-drive system ensuring that all the power went into the tarmac and not into wheelspin via the monstrous twenty-inch foot-wide tyres. Then just four hundred yards ahead they would repeat the feat, this time to the left, and then the next time to the right, as they made their way through the pass.
The road was narrow and periodically, you would have to slow to allow oncoming traffic to pass but otherwise, the road was open with very little opportunity for overtaking. The descents were scary, and it did not take much imagination to figure out what might be left of a vehicle and the occupants should they come off the road and take the quick route down. Thankfully for all travelling, Mindy was able to control her urges and she ensured that her car stayed on the tarmac and she refused to put anyone at major risk, despite what her heart told her she really wanted to do. It was warm outside but the air conditioning in the vehicles kept everyone inside cool and collected, even Mindy. The scenery out the windows was beyond amazing and partway along the pass, they elected to pull over to exchange notes on the road and their surroundings. Indeed, they took the opportunity to acquire a photo of everyone with even Stephanie taking the opportunity to smile.
However, when it was time to move off, Stephanie, who had endured too many nasty flashbacks, opted to slide into the backseat of Dave's Audi beside Tommy and behind her brother.
"Traitor!" Mindy shouted over as Electra took the opportunity to slide into the front seat beside Mindy.
Cassie was the first to roll but Andrew was closer to the road and Cassie had to stomp on the brake pedal while Jake gave an indignant Charlotte the bird.
Meanwhile...
Sunday, June 11th
Forty-five nautical miles southwest of Ibiza
13:00 GMT+2 (11:00 GMT June 11th)
OCEAN VIGILANTE & CALEDONIA
After twenty-four hours, they were not too far from the midway point on their voyage.
The two mega yachts cruised abeam with a seventy-yard spacing between their glistening hulls. The warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea were thrust aside by the bows as four giant diesel engines thrust the two vessels through the water at fourteen knots. As would be expected of such yachts, the upper decks were crowded with scantily clad young females enjoying the rays from the scorching sun high above them in the perfect sky. On each bridge, the watch were wearing shorts and T-shirts, enjoying the cooling air conditioning which kept the inside of the yachts several degrees below that outside. Both vessels sported a partially shaded upper deck where those off watch could lay around in very little clothing and enjoy cold drinks from the bars – some would even sink into the soothing Jacuzzis and enjoy the raging bubbles.
Indeed, the Jacuzzis were packed with giggling girls with a few boys thrown in for good measure. Some, such as Rylee, Tanya, and Simon had never experienced such luxury and the three of them had swiftly sunk into the hot waters, the two girls clad in barely concealing bikinis which Simon was very pleased with. They had been joined by Dakota, Harper, and Scarlett while Amber simply lounged in the shade and concentrated on her laptop while she sipped at a cold glass of iced Coke. Rachel took the opportunity to enjoy the sun on a lounger not far from the Jacuzzi so that she could keep an eye on the younger members. While things were a little more sedate aboard the British vessel, things were not so aboard the American one.
A scantily clad Willow had led the charge for the Jacuzzi, and she had slipped into the water with Annabelle and Megan, neither of whom were leaving much to the imagination with their choice of bikinis. Larger sections of cloth were generally used to clean out their gun barrels after use than what was covering the area between their legs and their breasts. There was continuous banter as kids did what kids did and tried to wind up their friends all while trying to prevent being wound up themselves. Not surprisingly, after a lot of splashing and screaming, it was Annabelle and Megan who were the first to end up streaking around the upper deck much to the amusement of the boys – especially Curtis and Iain who appeared to be holding their skimpy trophies as the two embarrassed twelve-year-old girls tried to ignore the crude comments originating from the other girls.
It was not all fun and games as everyone knew what was waiting for them at their destination – or a fair idea at least. Indeed, the adults spent time going over intelligence information and making encrypted phone calls to the likes of Mindy and Marty. Both vessels were equipped with state-of-the-art communications suites which could connect into various communications satellites to make secure voice or data calls to anywhere in the world. There was also plenty to be done to ensure that the vessels were ready for action, as it was well known that the Axis of Evil had access to oceangoing vessels.
During the day, when other vessels sailed past, they had to look normal, but at night, the vessels would close up and prepare for any eventuality with her crews armed and ready.
Milan, Italy
17:30 GMT+2 (15:30 GMT June 11th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette
While the Stelvio pass had been both stunning and scary, Stephanie would have happily remained with the scary part given the stark choice.
Stephanie could handle being scared; she knew how to process that emotion and file it away deep inside her. But the deep feeling of loss which she felt as they entered that city took her by surprise and so many memories raced through her mind in a space of just a few seconds. Then she felt herself shaking as an image appeared in her mind and she felt tears flooding down her cheeks. Abigail, Yvette, and Electra were appalled at the overt display of emotion, but Mindy knew exactly what it was.
"What's going on, Steph?" Yvette asked.
"She died to save me – I lost someone very special..."
Stephanie began sobbing again.
"Last time we were in this city was when we were pursuing Urban Predator," Mindy explained. "April last year. A very brave woman threw herself between Stephanie and a gun. Without her, Stephanie would have died right there and then."
"What was her name?" Electra asked.
"She had many names," Mindy replied. "When she died, she was called 'Aurora'. I knew her, momentarily, as 'Night Bitch', some years ago."
"Her name was Miranda," Stephanie said as she wiped away her tears. "Miranda Swedlow. It was her idea for us both to go to Chicago to seek help after we 'awoke' from Urban Predator. I owe her everything. Without her, I would have never met Dave and Mindy – nor would I have found all of you."
"It was because of Miranda, and her past relationship with Dave, that I met Stephanie and found out about Urban Predator. I found out, and I swore to destroy Urban Predator," Mindy admitted.
"We all owe Miranda, I suppose," Abigail suggested.
There was general agreement.
That evening...
19:08 GMT+2 (17:08 GMT June 11th)
At the hotel...
Stephanie spent the evening with Dave, not leaving his side for a moment.
Abigail took Jamie off to one side before dinner and she explained what had occurred in the Audi as they had entered the city and she did her best to explain about Miranda.
"I never knew," Jamie responded, flabbergasted by the revelation.
"Just leave her for tonight," Abigail cautioned. "She needs Dave and not us right now."
"But, she's my sister."
"Please, Jamie."
"Okay."
Jamie looked over at Stephanie as they returned to the dining room and he gave his sister a supportive smile which she returned briefly. Jamie knew that there was much more to his big sister than he actually knew. Part of him resented not knowing but he also knew that there were some secrets which he would probably regret knowing. Cassie and Saoirse had both spoken with Stephanie – Cassie had been present in the city at the same time, but she had not witnessed the awful events at the training facility.
Mindy could remember the very moment that they had entered the Urban Predator training facility, just a few miles from where they were eating dinner at that very moment, and they had encountered the sombre scene of the twenty-six children, all massacred. Mindy had a very vivid recollection of pausing over the still warm body of an eight-year-old girl who had a gaping .40-calibre hole in her forehead. Her azure-blue eyes had stared up at the ceiling, devoid of sight; Mindy had closed those eyes and she had fervently hoped that the young girl could finally rest in peace, along with her friends.
Marinette had reported later on that the body of each and every child had been carefully recovered then individually cremated, and their ashes were held at a classified location – a garden of remembrance somewhere in Milan. As for those who had killed those children, the Italian authorities had simply cremated them en masse and then dumped their ashes into the local river – a fitting end for the bastards, Mindy thought.
Despite the successful conclusion of that European escapade, many emotional scars had been created and many horrible memories were resurfacing – but it could not be helped.
The next morning...
Monday, June 12th
Leaving Milan, Italy...
09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 12th)
Stephanie awoke feeling refreshed and ready for whatever the day – or Mindy, for that matter – might throw at her.
"You seem chirpier," Electra commented as her friend dumped her bags in the back of Mindy's Audi.
They had all taken breakfast in their rooms to speed their departure along that morning.
"I'm feeling chirpier, 'lectra," Stephanie grinned.
"We were worried about you," Abigail said cagily.
"It helped to know that my friends were there for me; thanks, guys," Stephanie said quietly. "Now get in the car doofus!"
Abigail grinned as she jumped into the back seat with Electra, glad that her friend was back to her normal self. Mindy appeared with Dave and she peered into the backseat and she smiled at the two grinning girls.
"You ready, sport?" Dave asked his daughter.
"I'm ready for anything she's got going," Stephanie responded.
"Is that so?" Mindy chuckled as she climbed in behind the wheel and she strapped in. "Let's hit the . . . bitch! That is the last fucking time she gives me the bird!"
Stephanie laughed as up ahead, the Bentley Continental GT Speed accelerated out of the hotel carpark with Cassie at the wheel and Charlotte's right arm, hand, and finger extended out of the passenger window. They were closely followed by Andrew at the wheel of the Aston Martin Rapide S. Jake followed Charlotte's example, further infuriating Mindy.
"I don't care how cool that car is, if one more person flips their finger at me, I'll..."
Mindy was quite literally cut off as the Audi SQ7 cut her up as Jennifer decided not to be at the back. Stephanie laughed as Saoirse and Shannon both gave Mindy a one-finger salute as the enraged Mindy floored the accelerator and the large saloon raced forward.
In the Audi S8 Quattro which pulled out behind Mindy, Dave simply shook his head as he considered the grief that Mindy was getting and how Mindy might reciprocate later that day. But for the moment, they headed south, out of the city, towards Voltri, an easy two-hour drive away. Jamie and Tommy were loving it – most enjoyed seeing Mindy get ribbed but they tended not to like the nasty repercussions; however, it was often worth the pain.
Pain – unseen by the combined force, pain was closing in on them and the French Riviere would be an unwelcome challenge.
Voltri, Italy
11:00 GMT+2 (09:00 GMT June 12th)
The E25 was an amazing road.
When they reached the Maritime Alps, the road began to climb into, and through, the mountains. The road alternated between being open, with stunning scenery, to plunging drivers into tunnels which burrowed through the mountains. The scenery was stunning and the mountains huge. While Mindy would have loved to take the twisting old road through the mountains, the multi-lane motorway was faster, which was just as fun. The tunnels would amplify the sounds of the exhausts on the high-performance cars, the roar resonating within the concrete shroud.
An hour or so after starting out, they pulled over at a service station, Terchino. While the adults poured gallons of fuel into their thirsty cars, the youngsters got out to stretch their legs.
Stephanie was stunned by the view. Ahead of them, they could see the azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea from their vantage point, some three hundred metres above sea level. Below them, they could see the Italian city of Voltri with the mass of Genoa, further over to the left.
"You putting more fuel in that car, Mindy?" Adrien teased.
"It's thirsty – what about you?" Mindy retorted.
"My trusty van still has most of a tank left – I'm getting double figures on my diesel, what are you getting? Two, maybe three, miles-per-gallon?"
Mindy hesitated before she responded.
"Maybe fifteen..."
"Twelve!" Abigail called out. "We averaged twelve miles-per-gallon since we left Milan."
"It's a big engine in a big car," Mindy responded, somewhat defensively.
"It's a big ego," Jennifer countered. "I managed thirty miles-per-gallon."
"So fucking what!" Mindy growled as she slammed the nozzle back into the pump.
"Just making conversation," Jennifer laughed.
"Never discuss fuel economy with Mindy," Dave commented. "The conversation never ends well."
Then Stephanie piped up.
"Mindy has no use for phrases like fuel economy, speed limit, considerate driving, lane discipline, road rage – I could go on."
"And you probably will," Yvette groaned.
"You can bet on it," Electra added as Stephanie scowled.
Once Mindy had reluctantly handed over a stack of Euros to pay for her fuel, she slunk back into her Audi and raced off ahead of everyone.
Not too far outside the
Principality of Monaco
12:50 GMT+2 (10:50 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi S8 Quattro
Heading west along the A8, with the Mediterranean Sea to their left, they were just rounding the town of Latte, not too far from the Principality of Monaco, when Mindy frowned at the rear-view mirror.
"Okay, Predators, what's with the black BMW M3 four cars back?"
"You mean the one that's been following us since Sanremo?" Electra responded.
"The one with two pals?" Yvette added.
"That would be the one," Stephanie confirmed.
"That's what I thought," Mindy conceded.
"Isn't bad guys in Black M3s a bit cliché?" Electra asked.
"Everything in Mindy's world is a bit cliché," Stephanie responded.
"They're accelerating into position to form a kill box," Yvette warned.
"Kill box?" Mindy queried, knowing what Yvette was talking about but surprised to hear such a term from her.
"Basic Phase 2," Yvette muttered. "They're bad guys alright – you girls ready?"
"Hell, yeah!" Electra replied, a Glock 26 raised in her right hand to match that held by Yvette.
"And you two wonder why I am so much better than you," Abigail grinned as she produced an MP7A1 PDW and inserted a fifteen-round magazine.
"And I, you," Stephanie chipped in as she reached under her seat and produced a Heckler & Koch M320 grenade launcher module with a detachable buttstock and iron sighting mechanism.
Stephanie casually flipped open the breech and she inserted a 40-millimetre grenade, before she flipped the breech closed.
"That's my girl!" Mindy chuckled.
Stephanie grinned enormously as her eyes focussed coldly on the mirror beside her.
..._...
As they entered a short tunnel, above Latte, the three BMW M3s had closed in, and spread out across all three lanes with no other vehicles between them and Mindy's deep grey metallic Audi S8 Quattro.
Mindy stomped on the gas, and the Audi accelerated hard, the twin-turbos helping to haul the large saloon past 160KPH and into triple digits as far as the more traditional miles-per-hour were concerned which worried Stephanie. Would she die at the hands of Mindy's driving or by a bullet from their pursuers? The Audi packed two hundred extra horses compared to the BMWs, but the smaller saloons were a third of a tonne lighter which tended to even things out a bit. Mind you, Mindy knew that she was in the better vehicle, despite what some others may think about the two German marques. Either way, over eighteen-hundred horses were stampeding down the autoroute with a roar of high-powered engine noise and exhausts.
One question was foremost on Mindy's mind at that moment: were the teams pursuing them, on a capture mission . . . or a kill mission? As the M3 in the left-hand lane accelerated ahead of the other pair, Mindy's question was answered. The front passenger side window lowered as the BMW closed on Mindy's left and Yvette yelled out a warning.
"Get down!" the girl yelled as the nasty-looking black muzzle of a Heckler & Koch G36C came into view.
Abigail pushed Electra to the floor as Yvette dropped below the level of the rear windows. There was the rattle of machinegun fire and the rear window and that immediately behind Mindy shattered, tiny shards of glass imploding all over the cabin. Abigail reached up with her MP7A1 and she squeezed off a short burst which had the BMW driver slamming on his brakes as the bullets stitched across his bonnet, narrowly missing anything vitally important.
"Everyone all right?" Mindy demanded urgently as she struggled to control the Audi which had slewed slightly as Mindy had ducked to avoid any errant bullets.
"We're gonna need some more glass, back here, but we're good," Abigail confirmed as Electra pushed the older girl away.
"Bastards!" Stephanie growled as she reached up and she pulled the button to trigger the overhead sunroof.
The BMW had switched sides and was now approaching from Stephanie's side, the rear window behind the driver lowering to reveal the muzzle of another G36C.
Some miles back...
13:04 GMT+2 (11:04 GMT June 12th)
Marinette & Alya – Audi S8 Quattro
Alya scowled as she listened to the feed from the Menton Gendarmarie Nationale – a town located on the coast between them and the Principality of Monaco.
"Zut Alors!" Alya breathed.
"Mindy?" Marinette queried, fearing the answer.
"Des coups de feu ont été signalés, plusieurs kilomètres plus loin! Une bataille d'armes à feu!"
Marinette floored her accelerator, even as she triggered her radio.
A little further behind...
13:05 GMT+2 (11:05 GMT June 12th)
Dave, Jamie & Tommy – Audi S8 Quattro
"Gunfire reported by the Gendarmes!" Marinette reported.
"Mindy!" Dave responded as he accelerated after the other Audi S8 Quattro.
"Contact! Contact! Contact!" came another voice over the radio – Dave instantly recognised the very serious and slightly stressed voice of Abigail.
More ominously, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background – then Dave felt a chill run up his back as everyone heard a very loud explosion.
"Holy fuck!" Tommy exclaimed as he pointed ahead, past Jamie, through the windscreen at a fireball which rose into the sky, some distance ahead, amid a pall of black smoke.
Dave gripped the steering wheel tightly enough to disform the leather as he pressed the gas pedal down as far is it would go, and he prayed that they were not too late.
Further ahead...
13:08 GMT+2 (11:08 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi S8 Quattro
Stephanie was straddling the two front seats, her upper torso outside of the racing car as they emerged from the tunnel.
The youngster grinned as she saw the BMW driver's expression when he clocked the evil weapon held in her hands, even as she raised it to her shoulder and she braced herself against the steel roof of the Audi to take careful aim at the expensive saloon a dozen yards behind them and a little to Stephanie's left as she faced the rear of the Audi. Mindy was accelerating hard to put some distance between them and the BMW as the warhead of the grenade needed around twenty metres to arm.
"Eat this!" Stephanie growled as she squeezed the trigger and the high-explosive dual-purpose M430A1 grenade left the muzzle of the M320 launcher at 241-metres-per-second.
The grenade flew straight (actually, it flew in a parabolic arc) and true, striking the BMW a fraction of a second later, and the armour-piercing projectile tore through almost the entire engine compartment, embedding itself deep within the twin-turbocharged three-litre inline-6 engine. The camshaft, spinning at over five-thousand rpms was knocked askew and the precision aluminium pistons broke apart as they were also knocked askew. Then the grenade detonated, and the engine came apart in a catastrophic sympathetic explosion. If the fragmented grenade did not kill the four men in the BMW, the shredded engine and its hot components caused mayhem as the aluminium shards ripped through the badly weakened crash bulkhead and through the soft fleshy humans like they were not even there. Then vapours from the fuel system reached flashpoint and Stephanie was stunned as two-and-a-half tonnes of luxury saloon somersaulted atop a massive fireball before gravity intervened and the shattered chunk of steel and aluminium crashed down to earth where it was narrowly missed by one of the other pursuing BMWs.
As for the third BMW, the car had swerved to avoid the second BMW which had swerved to avoid the rapidly disintegrating remains of the first BMW, and then had struck the central crash barrier which was substantially stronger than the front end of the BMW which bounced off the crash barrier like a ball in a pinball machine and another four men died instantly as the vehicle rolled violently several times before it came to rest at the side of the autoroute, steam venting from the shattered engine compartment.
All five aboard the Audi felt instant relief as Stephanie sank back down into her seat, reloading the grenade launcher as she did so.