Monday, June 12th, 2017
Not too far outside the
Principality of Monaco
13:15 GMT+2 (11:15 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi S8 Quattro
Stephanie grinned over at Mindy.
"Two down – just one to go," she quipped loudly due to the windblast from the shattered windows and open sunroof.
About a minute later, and four kilometres further on, Mindy swore violently as they blasted out the end of a tunnel, like the bullet from a gun.
"I think you need to need to redo your math, sweetie," Mindy called out as she nodded at the side of the road as they raced past at around 240KPH.
"Oh, come on!" Stephanie exclaimed as two more black BMW M3s accelerated off the side of the autoroute and they joined the chase to replace the two flaming wrecks scattered a few kilometres back.
"Fils de pute!" Yvette muttered, reverting to her native language as she often did at times of intense danger.
"What she said!" Electra confirmed.
"Well, we have eleven rounds left," Stephanie stated. "We should be fine."
"Despite her issues," Electra commented, "of which she has many...," Stephanie scowled. "...she always was good with the M320."
Mindy said nothing as she concentrated on avoiding other road users.
That same time, some distance behind...
13:15 GMT+2 (11:05 GMT June 12th)
Dave, Jamie & Tommy – Audi S8 Quattro
Dave slowed as he and the boys surveyed the wreckage scattered across three lanes and several hundred metres of autoroute.
"Yep, Mindy was definitely here," Jamie commented. "This has Mindy written all over it!"
"That might have been a BMW," Tommy stated as they passed a chunk of metal in the middle lane.
"That one too," Jamie added as he laid eyes on a concertinaed wreck which could have been a BMW – not all that long ago.
"No sign of anything Audi," Tommy commented, his tone full of hope.
"I agree," Dave responded with barely concealed relief.
He was still very worried about his wife and daughter, not to mention the others who were headed in harm's way.
In Harm's Way
13:20 GMT+2 (11:20 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi S8 Quattro
Mindy's normally unflappable character was beginning to wane.
She wrestled with the steering wheel as the Audi was rammed by a pursuing BMW M3. Tyres squealed as they fought to grip the tarmac but then came another assault as bullets peppered the left side of the car and Mindy's side window exploded, momentarily distracting her and the Audi was rammed again, this time from the right and Mindy overcompensated and the Audi narrowly avoided ramming an errant Fiat as it wavered and the Quattro system struggled to keep all four tyres gripping the road. Mindy's eyes went wide as she saw a crash barrier looming just a dozen yards ahead. The protected end of the barrier marked where a junction went off to the right – Mindy had no choice but to take the junction or get impaled on the steel crash barrier.
In the backseat, Abigail was firing off short bursts from her MP7A1, but the violent manoeuvring was not helping her aim. Electra was battling fear as well as trying to aim her pistol out the rear window at the trio of dodging BMW M3 saloons pursuing them. Yvette fought her own fear as her mind told her that the probability of their survival was very slim – and getting significantly worse by the minute. Stephanie had not had another opportunity to make use of her grenades as the manoeuvring was far too violent and she did not want to lose the important weapon which may just prove vital to their ongoing survival. She had seen the fear in Electra's face and the same in Yvette, but there was not much Stephanie could do about it when they suddenly smashed into the concrete barrier to their right as they were forced into the junction.
Stephanie screamed involuntarily as her side window exploded and she was covered in glass shards, some of which tore at her exposed skin and Stephanie found blood on her hands after she had touched her face. The bodywork of the expensive car was decidedly dented and gouged but it dutifully held together as they rebounded off the concrete and Mindy struggled valiantly to prevent the vehicle from smashing into the steel crash barrier on the opposite side of the slip road which was signposted Roquebrune. The squeals of tyres and the blaring of horns told them that their BMW pursuers were still coming after them, however, the short respite allowed them to gain a much-needed lead.
"Mindy, slow down," Abigail suggested as they careered around a sharp bend, the back end catching the concrete at the side of the road.
"Trying," Mindy muttered. "Brakes are mushy."
Yvette and Electra exchanged a glance as they both detected uncertainty in Mindy's tone. The road was curving downhill and there was a junction not too far ahead. If they could not make the turn at the bottom of the hill, then they were going to see how well the Audi flew and then how it floated.
"Oh, crap!" Mindy yelled as they found three cars at the junction waiting to turn.
Mindy stabbed the mushy brakes which initially did little in their overheated state, but they then dug into the large diameter disk brakes and began to slow the multi-tonne vehicle. Mindy jerked the wheel to the left, missing the rear bumper of a Ford Focus by just a few inches, then she yanked the wheel over to the right and she ignored the angry horns blaring out as she scraped down the side of a Mercedes E-Class, sending the Merc's wing mirror spinning off and into a surprised Stephanie's lap.
"Thanks, Mum!"
"Souvenir," Mindy quipped as they took the tight turn on no more than three wheels, blazing past a parked police van as they did so and Mindy caught sight of an irate gendarme, even as the man leapt to safety as the trio of black BMW M3s flashed past his van in pursuit of the fleeing Audi.
They took the left fork at the next junction and continued heading downhill. Immediately to their left, should they have had the time to look, was an amazing view of the Mediterranean Sea, hundreds of feet below them.
..._...
The first BMW was on their rear bumper – well, within six feet of it at least.
Mindy was running out of options and every time she tried to figure a way out, she came up with them all dying – at least if they stayed on the road . . . but there was nowhere to go but stay on the road. The Audi shook as they were rammed again, and Mindy fought the wheel as she felt the vehicle's roadworthiness take another battering. There were already several warning lights on the dashboard and various angry comments from the various computers scattered around the car. One benefit of the two lane road was that only a single BMW could safely engage them as whenever another tried to overtake or come alongside, a vehicle came up the hill and the errant BMW would find that it had no choice but to drop back in behind its compatriot.
"What fucking frog twat laid out this goddamn road!" Mindy swore as she jerked the car around another bend and then another.
At any other time, it could have been seen as fun, Abigail considered, but not when their lives were so close to being snuffed out. All three of them in the backseat had regained their seatbelts and they each held on for dear life. The next ninety seconds of the deadly chase seemed to go on for ever, as if they were trapped in a slow-motion movie scene. They were racing down hill when Mindy caught sight of the next junction, then a minibus appeared, turning into their road. It was a no-brainer for Mindy as she instantly cranked the wheel over to avoid the collateral damage, but the move had doomed them all as Abigail found her view out the front windscreen changing as the car began to flip over. Incredulously, she watched as pieces of shattered glass seemed to hang in mid air as everything seemed to remain in place while the car rotated around the loose items. Then, as their world turned inverted and continued to turn, the shattered frontend of the Audi caught at the right corner and the roll was stopped and over two-tonnes of car smashed down onto its roof sliding across the tarmac, shedding sections of bodywork as it went. As the car crashed into the curb, Mindy's mind told her that keeping her feet on the brake pedal was not making a single bit of difference to the car which was now deemed to be out of her control, despite Hit Girl telling that part of her mind otherwise.
As the shattered remains of the no-longer-very-luxurious car slid to a halt at the side of the road in an inverted state, silence descended on the crash scene.
Some kilometres back...
13:24 GMT+2 (11:24 GMT June 12th)
Andrew & Jake – Aston Martin Rapide S
Jennifer, Saoirse, Shannon & Marc – Audi SQ7
They were following the signal from Mindy's Audi when Jake found the signal stopping dead – bad choice of word, he considered almost instantly.
The traffic rapidly ground to a halt due to what had to be an accident, blocking in the two Audi S8s of Dave and Marinette. Andrew made an instant decision and he waved at Jennifer in her Audi SQ7 as he raced up the road which climbed upward while Jake confirmed a route on his tablet. Route de la Turbie was narrow and twisting and most definitely not suited to the Aston Martin which at two metres wide was almost a foot broader than even the large Audi luxury 4x4 behind them, but both were fairly evenly matched at five metres in length. Jennifer knew that there would probably be injuries, so she was determined not to let the side down by being left behind. Behind her, Shannon and Marc were raiding the boot for weapons, passing an evil-looking MCX Virtus SBR in .300 Blackout calibre to Saoirse along with a small pack of spare magazines.
Jennifer did her best to keep the scintilla silver Aston martin in sight as the coupé vanished around tight bends ahead of her. Jennifer was not amused as the road was lethal with not much to prevent either one of them from crashing through the barrier to their left and taking the scenic, and somewhat faster, route down the hill. Jennifer would hold her breath each time Andrew floored the accelerator and the supercar overtook other vehicles before nimbly slipping out of the way of approaching traffic. Jennifer would use her significant bulk – the Audi, not herself – to force her way through the traffic to a barrage of angry horns and uniquely French comments.
"Holy fuck!" Shannon breathed as she looked down the hill just before they took a hard right and she spied a crashed vehicle on the road a few hundred feet below them. "Move it!"
Jennifer stomped on the gas, tailgating the Aston Martin.
D51/D6007 Junction
13:26 GMT+2 (11:24 GMT June 12th)
The Panther Brigade
Manfred Riese could not resist a snide grin as he braked his BMW M3 to a very rapid halt and he surveyed the scene quite literally spread out before him and his men.
Riese commanded a small detachment of Panther Brigade soldiers – eight of whom were already dead. He was in a foul mood and he wanted blood, vengeance for his dead colleagues. Behind him, two men climbed out of the back of the BMW and they joined Riese's second-in-command, Emmaline Vonnegut as she too climbed out of the BMW. Not far behind, the other pair of BMW M3s slewed to a halt, blocking the road behind them. Each soldier was armed with an H&K G36C and they raised the weapons to their shoulders as they stepped towards the wrecked Audi which lay just two dozen yards ahead of them. Riese and Vonnegut spread out, the other two men in between them. They approached slowly and cautiously, very aware that they needed to wrap things up swiftly so that they could make their escape before the gendarmes appeared on the scene. The question at the forefront of his mind was whether anyone in the wreck was still alive.
"Halt! Ich sehe jemanden," one of his men warned.
But before Riese could respond, there was a loud crack and the man who had called out the warning wavered before he fell backwards onto the roadway, a single red-ringed hole in the very centre of his forehead.
"Beachtung! In Deckung gehen!" Riese ordered as he ran and dropped flat behind a decorative stone obelisk which sat beside the road junction – one question answered.
There were screams from civilians who had arrived on the scene to investigate the crash but who now chose to run away for their own personal safety.
13:28 GMT+2 (11:28 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi S8 Quattro
At first, nobody had moved.
They could not – the pain was too much. But then they quickly realised that you had to be alive to feel pain. Yvette found herself upside down, still held by her seatbelt in the centre seat. To her left, Electra was groaning from her own inverted position. Then Yvette laid eyes on the crumpled form of Abigail who lay below her, amidst smashed glass and vehicle trim on the roof of the car – she was not moving.
"Motherfucker!" Stephanie groaned and Yvette smiled, glad to hear her friend's voice.
There was a small scream as Stephanie released her seatbelt and dropped to the roof of the car which was partially squashed down at the front. Stephanie moved to check on Mindy who hung from her seatbelt unmoving. Stephanie had no time to worry about dignity, so she simply slapped Mindy's face.
"What the fuck!" Mindy exclaimed and Stephanie found her neck seized by a powerful hand.
"Just thought it was time for you to wake up," Stephanie choked out.
Mindy groaned as she released her daughter.
"I see why you like Audi products," Stephanie muttered. "They do crash well."
"Fucking smart ass!" Mindy complained as she released her seatbelt.
"Abigail!" Stephanie exclaimed as she slapped her friend around the face.
Abigail was not responding.
Yvette joined Stephanie and she pushed two fingers into Abigail's neck, "No pulse."
"Well, I'm not giving her the kiss of life – where's fucking Jamie when you need him!?" Stephanie groused. "You fucking bitch, Abigail – don't fucking leave me!"
Stephanie brought her right fist down hard on Abigail's chest – twice. With an explosion of breath, Abigail began to cough as her fear-filled eyes opened and she looked around.
"Who the fuck hit me?" she demanded groggily.
"Seems to be going around, right now," Mindy growled.
"Welcome back," Stephanie grinned as she wiped away some tears.
Electra coughed.
"Guys, I think we have a problem," she stated as the five female occupants of the vehicle struggled to regain control of their fogged minds and aching bodies.
"This had better not be bad news, 'lectra," Mindy growled as she searched for a weapon.
Electra simply pointed out the shattered side windows of the Audi and up the road. Everyone looked as they saw the first of the BMW M3s pull up and then a minute later, three people emerged, followed by a fourth.
There was a mad scramble within the wrecked inverted Audi as everyone acquired a weapon – except for Abigail who did not seem to know what planet she was on as she floundered about. Yvette pushed Abigail out of the way as she swept up Abigail's MP7A1 PDW and then yanked a loaded magazine out of the front of the bemused Abigail's trousers. Electra scrambled over to the rear window; her Glock 26 pistol raised before her and she began to figure out their opposition.
"What we got?" Yvette asked as she slipped in beside Electra.
"Four cunts – one looks like he's won the lottery," Electra responded.
"You think you can take one, 'lectra?" Mindy enquired.
"Go for it," Stephanie grinned as she fiddled with her grenade launcher.
Electra took careful aim with her pistol and with very little outward display of emotion, she squeezed the trigger.
Not too far away...
13:32 GMT+2 (11:32 GMT June 12th)
Andrew & Jake – Aston Martin Rapide S
Jennifer, Saoirse, Shannon & Marc – Audi SQ7
Andrew had not had all that much exposure to the life which his wife inhabited.
But the closeness with which his entire family had almost been wiped out just over a week earlier had given the man pause. Okay, he knew how to use a gun – he had learnt to shoot when he was much younger, but until Cassie had urged him to train with some more serious weapons, he had found that he enjoyed shredding paper targets, despite the bloodthirsty way in which his two daughters and son went about their own targets. It was a world which he was not overly keen on, but one which he was part of, and he knew how devoted every child was to protect any of their own. Jake was itching for action, a compact L22A2 carbine held in his experienced hands.
As Andrew raced the not-so-small Aston Martin around tight bends and threaded the vehicle down narrow streets, Jake perked up as they started to hear gunfire. Andrew put his right foot down, skidding the rear-wheel-drive car around a tight 110-degree right-hand bend and then turning into the skid to straighten up. The sounds of gunfire was getting louder and louder as they closed the distance with just two more bends to go.
"There!" Jake yelled and Andrew could see the four wheels of an upside-down car just below them. "Fuck!"
There was a loud explosion and their vision was instantly drawn to a devastating flash over to the left and beyond the crashed Audi. A BMW had just been blasted apart by what was probably a grenade. Using the explosion as cover, Andrew stomped on the brakes and stopped thirty yards back from the shattered Audi. He and Jake leapt out, Andrew reaching back inside the car for something clipped behind the driver's seat before he ran after the boy.
Jake was quick to appreciate the scene unfolding before him. The wrecked Audi was just over a dozen yards away and he could see movement inside. It was obvious that the occupants – Jake could only hope that they were all alive – were pinned down by the six or eight men and women who were firing into the Audi wreck. Four of those men and women had been using one of three BMW M3s for cover – at least until it was blown away. Jake could see maybe six still moving near to the blazing BMW. Bullets were still incoming but at a slower rate than before the explosion. However, Jake's keen eyes recognised movement – the enemy were taking advantage of the burning BMW to outflank those in the Audi.
"Hey, you guys in the Australian Audi – sing out!" Jake ordered over the comms. "Resolute sends."
"La Terreaur, checking in!"
"Rigour!"
"Fury's got a sore head."
"Psyche's up!"
"Hit Girl is present and correct."
Resolute and everyone else were very relieved to hear the radio call – there had been nothing since before the crash. Over to the left of the Audi, Resolute could see a flash of blonde hair.
"Psyche, you outside the Audi?"
"Yes, I am."
"Okay, I have you. You guys have company inbound – they're trying to outflank you," Resolute reported.
"Foxy, Stormy, and Tempest are up!" Tempest reported as he and the two scowling girls joined Resolute.
"Foxtail – go left," Resolute directed. "Stormtide – go right. Tempest, you and I move to extract the girls."
With nods of assent, everyone moved into position. Marc carried a Diemaco C8-CQB carbine which he aimed towards the enemy, keen to draw blood. The two girls were armed with their MCX Virtus SBR carbines and they had the weapons to their shoulders, searching for targets as they moved into a position from where they could provide covering fire for the extraction.
Foxtail grinned at the thought of the nasty reception the enemy were about to receive.
13:35 GMT+2 (11:35 GMT June 12th)
Mindy, Stephanie, Abigail, Electra & Yvette
Jennifer, Saoirse, Shannon & Marc
Andrew & Jake
Inside the Audi, the girls were galvanised into action.
Knowing that friendlies were close by filled them all with hope. Quickly, they gathered their equipment, yanking their packs out of the boot via the backseats. They were all short of ammunition, and the enemy were generally safely undercover. Even Psyche's grenade launcher was seeing very little action as she could not break cover safely to take aim and there were plenty of homes all around them. The initial problem was getting out of the damned Audi as the area behind the smashed car was a kill zone. Then Mindy grinned as she recognised a different sound other than the H&K weapons the enemy were using. She recognised the heavier cracks of the .300 Blackout calibre rounds, punctuated by the crisper crack of an American M4 or maybe a Canadian C8. Either way, the enemy was sent scurrying for cover as they suddenly found themselves more evenly matched.
The gunfight raged as Foxtail, Stormtide, and Tempest provided covering fire as Resolute and Allegiant moved in to extract those trapped within the Audi. There was also the ever present threat of the French authorities arriving in force with heavy weapons which was a worry for both sides as neither wanted to spend time in a French prison cell, nor did they want to die at the hands of a French gendarme.
As Electra made to exit the Audi, bullets pinged off the tarmac within inches of her and the youngster recoiled in fright. Her nerves were badly rent, and she was struggling to hold back the fear which was creeping up inside her. Then she felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and the voice which had kept her sane all those years before.
"You've got what it takes, 'lectra, go for it."
Electra looked around at Stephanie.
"I'm sc..."
"Don't say it. Don't even think it. Just focus on where you're going and just go. Trust in everyone who is out there, covering you."
"Will you be..."
"I'll be coming, but I need to see to Yvette and Abigail – now go!"
Electra did not look happy about leaving Stephanie behind, but she knew that she had to. So, her face dirty and smeared with tears, the ten-year-old grabbed her pack and she bolted out of the car and raced for cover. She was grabbed by Allegiant along the way and directed towards Surgeon who swiftly shoved the young girl in the direction of the Audi SQ7. Yvette was close behind and the two girls hugged tightly as they both sat in the very back of the SQ7, shaking as the shock of the situation set in. Stephanie shoved Abigail out ahead of her and both ran for cover, packs over their shoulders as Foxtail and Stormtide provided covering fire. That left just one person.
As Mindy emerged from the Audi, she sensed something. Something was approaching from her left. As gunfire raged all around her, she turned, her pistol coming around, but she knew that she had been too slow. She braced up as her mind registered three loud blasts very close by, but she was surprised to feel no pain. But when she looked up at where the sound had come from, she found herself looking into the serious expression on Andrew's face. In the man's hands, he held a Benelli M4 Super 90 combat shotgun with gun smoke curling from the end of the barrel. The man reached out for Mindy and he bundled her in the direction of safety. Mindy took a moment to look back and she saw the dead man, his face and torso shattered, who lay just feet from were she had been standing.
Mindy reached the Aston Martin to find Stephanie sliding in behind the passenger seat, her trusty M320 in her hand, and Jake slipping in behind the driver. Mindy raced around to the passenger side, but then she stopped. Stephanie glared up at Mindy as she looked back, and she saw the hazard lights of the smashed inverted Audi flash orange once.
"Did you just lock the car?" Stephanie demanded incredulously. "The car with no sodding windows and currently parked the wrong sodding way up?"
"Force of habit," Mindy muttered somewhat sheepishly as she chucked the keys over her shoulder, then climbed into the passenger seat of the Aston Martin. "Should I leave a note for the car hire company?" Mindy asked.
"Why, you think they're going to give you your deposit back?" Andrew queried with a chuckle as he slipped into the driver's seat and passed the shotgun to Mindy.
"Maybe..."
"Get your damn seatbelt on, Mindy!" Stephanie ordered.
Andrew led off, picking up the road which Mindy had been negotiating until a short while earlier, with Jennifer in the Audi, close behind and with three extra passengers.
Nice, France
14:25 GMT+2 (12:25 GMT June 12th)
Jennifer, Saoirse, Shannon, Marc, Abigail, Electra & Yvette – Audi SQ7
Andrew, Mindy, Jake & Stephanie – Aston Martin Rapide S
It took them a little over twenty-five minutes to reach Nice, but they did not hang about, quickly finding the road which would take them along the Riviere towards Cannes.
Shannon and Marc were watching the road behind them for any signs of pursuit, but there appeared to be none – for the moment. It was also possible, they hoped, that their vehicles may not be known – however, that was probably improbable. The three extra passengers in Jennifer's vehicle were asleep, their weary bodies desperate for rest. The same applied to Andrew's new passengers – Stephanie and Mindy were out for the count; both having succumbed to the incredibly comfortable seating within minutes.
Less than thirty minutes later, they passed by Cannes, and they began to head inland. They did not stop. They did not deviate from their route. They had planned to have a pleasant trip with maybe a long stop off for lunch, but that was now deemed too dangerous. Dave had been on the radio, and he had insisted that Andrew get his family to safety as fast as possible. Dave and the rest had managed to untangle themselves from the traffic chaos caused by Mindy's running battle and they were about an hour behind them, but steadily catching up.
With Jake acting as a second pair of eyes and watching out for trouble, Andrew concentrated on the road ahead, and getting his small convoy to their destination and the safety of the yachts.
A couple of hours later...
Marseille, France
17:00 GMT+2 (15:00 GMT June 12th)
OCEAN VIGILANTE & CALEDONIA
Both vessels had been made aware of what had gone down so they had been on the lookout for trouble as they had entered the French Port.
They had pre-booked a mooring and the two mega yachts had been offered a secluded location, right at the entrance to the port. The dock was U-shaped and located to the south of the decidedly unique Mucem building. CALEDONIA went alongside first, port side to and bow in, exposing her stern and the boat garage. OCEAN VIGILANTE went alongside next, port side to, but stern in, exposing her starboard side and her boat garage. Both vessels extended their stern-mounted gangways to the dockside to allow easy disembarkation – and promptly placed a guard at the head. From the bow of CALEDONIA, it was possible to see everything going on within a hundred yards of the two yachts. From the OCEAN VIGILANTE command centre, Marty and Abby were able to connect to CALEDONIA's systems and monitor the view via high definition 4K colour cameras mounted in the eyes of the British yacht. Covert armed teams – two of them – went ashore as tourists, milling with the crowds on the esplanade to await the arrival of their comrades-in-arms.
Having been warned what to look out for, Megan was relieved to see the Aston Martin Rapide S turn onto the esplanade followed by an Audi SQ7.
..._...
Mindy and Stephanie snapped awake at about the same time.
As they both stretched, Mindy stared out at the azure blue Mediterranean which stretched out before her as they drove slowly down the concrete esplanade.
"Where the fuck are we?" Mindy growled to no one in particular.
"Have a look over there," Andrew suggested.
Mindy felt her heart flip as she laid eyes on her yacht for the first time in weeks. The superstructure towered over her and she read the name painted on the stern three times before she was certain that she was home. As they parked up, she saw a shadow beside the car, and she looked up into the grinning face of Megan. Mindy released her seatbelt and pushed open the door.
"Good to see you, Megan," Mindy grinned, hugging the surprised girl.
Megan had expected a snarky remark, but she took one look at Stephanie as she emerged into the sunlight and she figured that neither were in the mood for being funny or snarky.
"Let's get you all aboard," Hailee suggested as she pointed Mindy to the gangway of OCEAN VIGILANTE.
"Yes," Craig said as he pointed Jake and Andrew in the direction of the CALEDONIA. "The Zetas will gather up bags and weapons for Caledonia, so just leave them in the car."
"We'll get the bags and weapons for Ocean Vigilante," Annabelle said as she indicated her brother, Iain, and Becky.
The cars were a nightmare of discarded weaponry and soiled clothing which would be dealt with by the fresh forces aboard the yachts, leaving those who had suffered to receive medical treatment, a shower, food, and a rest – in that order.
17:40 GMT+2 (15:40 GMT June 12th)
OCEAN VIGILANTE
Mindy and Stephanie had been mobbed the very moment that they had set foot aboard the OCEAN VIGILANTE.
It had been quite a few days for the twins not to have seen Mindy and Stephanie and there were many tears on both sides. It was obvious to all that even Mindy had suffered, and the family were generally left alone, apart from Jen paying a visit to Mindy's suite to check her and Stephanie over from head to toe. Apart from a significant amount of bruising and cuts from flying glass, both were in good health. Jen soon left the family alone so she could check on Abigail and then head over to CALEDONIA to check that all was well with Yvette and Electra – Rachel was going to check them over, but Jen was responsible for them all, no matter what their nationality or allegiance.
Mindy was just settling down onto the bed after a refreshing shower when the door opened and Mindy felt emotions hit her like they never had before and she leapt off the bed, wrapped in just a towel, and she jumped on Dave, hugging him tightly and kissing him for all she was worth. Dave was stunned but it was fairly obvious that his wife was still in vaguely one piece and very much alive!
"Dad!" Stephanie yelled as she bolted from the bathroom and she joined the hug.
Dave had been ambushed by the twins the moment he had come aboard, and he stood back as Jamie entered the suite, a broad grin on his face as he saw Mindy and Stephanie – both alive.
"You okay, sis?" Jamie asked.
"I'm good – you?" Stephanie replied.
"I was so worried about you and Mum."
"A few more bruises but we always come back – two bad pennies us."
"I thought I might never see you again, Dave," Mindy whispered to her husband.
He had felt exactly the same way and Jamie had been very upset.
That night...
20:00 GMT+2 (18:00 GMT June 12th)
CALEDONIA
Despite their injuries, Mindy insisted that the intended gathering should go ahead, therefore, everyone aboard OCEAN VIGILANTE had dutifully headed aboard CALEDONIA, leaving the aforementioned yacht in the hands of Synthesis for the evening.
Spread out over two decks – the main and the upper – fifty-eight people gathered aboard the British yacht where a truly unbelievable amount of food had been prepared for all along with gallons of soft drinks, some beer, and several bottles of wine. It was intended as an evening of relaxation and fun. A time to ignore the battles and just spend time with their friends and family.
"Welcome aboard CALEDONIA, Mrs Lizewski," Cameron grinned as Mindy crossed over the gangway onto the quarterdeck.
Mindy laughed.
"I am very glad to be aboard, Cameron," Mindy admitted.
"Welcome, Dave," Cameron grinned.
"Stephanie!" Electra and Yvette exclaimed as they intercepted their friend and they both dragged her off.
Abigail was left standing there looking stupid until Jamie grabbed her hand, "Come on, Abigail."
Abigail cringed as she allowed the boy to lead her inside the yacht.
"Welcome, Mindy!" Jasper exclaimed as he handed her a glass of white wine.
"Hello, Mindy," Rachel said. "Come and join the womenfolk."
Mindy found herself directed towards where Marinette, Alya, and Cassie stood with their own glasses of wine. Mindy scowled at the expressions she received from the two women.
"Okay, I have a few extra scratches, but I am fine, I promise!"
"We trust you, Mindy, but you are our friend and we worry about you," Cassie responded.
"I concur," Jen commented as she, Mathilda, and Hailee joined them.
"I suppose," Mindy replied uncomfortably as she sipped from her glass of wine.
Not bad, Mindy thought – she rarely touched alcohol, but it seemed that it was the thing to do when in adult company. Mindy knew that they were right, and she knew that they were her friends – the whole friend concept was still alien to her, despite her years of having friends for only the second half of her life.
Just like the small group of women, the men had separated off and were talking loudly a few feet away from the women. Cameron, David, Jasper, Adrien, and Andrew were entertaining their American colleagues, Dave, Marty, and Patrick. Each of them held a glass of cold beer in one hand as they chatted. As for the many children of varying ages, they had broken down into their age groups; late teens, early teens, tweens, and finally the younger members.
Chloe, Abby, and Joshua sat with Lucy, Willow, and Dakota in comfortable chairs scattered around the after deck outside the upper deck saloon. They had soft drinks and large plates of food gathered from the massive spread laid out upon the various tables throughout the two main decks. It was rare for the Brits to be able to spend quality time with their American counterparts, and they all had fun – even the usually sullen Willow. Chloe kept her eyes peeled for any hint of another girl coming onto Joshua, but they all knew better than to even try.
The younger teens had occupied the upper deck saloon and were spread over the sofas there. Charlotte, Jake, Craig, Olivia, Scarlett, a reluctant Amber, Tommy, Marc, Shannon, Saoirse, Ariana, Freya, and Eva were all talking loudly, and the boys were telling disgusting jokes which had the girls both cringing and giggling. Amber, naturally, was seated as far away from Olivia as was possible in the tight space and generally kept herself to herself as she ate, despite Scarlett's attempts to involve her friend.
As for the tweens – Stephanie, Abigail, Jamie, Jeremy, Annabelle, Iain, Harper, Rylee, Simon, Tanya, Owen, Yvette, Electra, Ruth, and Lin – they had taken over the seating area in the main deck saloon under the watchful eyes of the adults. However, while some were telling crude jokes and taking the piss out of each other, Stephanie was the hub of unhappiness. Electra and Yvette would not let Stephanie out of their sight and both girls were still feeling very nervous and they found that being near to Stephanie a morale booster, much as they had back when they had been with Urban Predator. Abigail stayed close by, but she did not want to intrude, letting Ruth get in closer to be with her friends.
Abigail had not been happy when Jen had prodded and poked her all over before applying some gooey cream on her face and neck where she had apparently been headbutted by the Audi (Abigail's version of events) and knocked senseless. The girl had a nasty bruise on her chest where Stephanie had pummelled her, but as Abigail had been informed by Yvette, Stephanie had saved her life – yet again! Electra had come away, scared out of her wits – she had honestly never expected to survive the crash in the Audi. At that moment, she was sitting as close to Stephanie as she could get as they both ate. Jamie sat between Abigail and Iain, keeping an eye on his sister, but feeling a little distant.
As for the Zetas, they were pushing the limits as Harper and Rylee encouraged increasingly dubious behaviour which Simon and Tanya just went along with. Annabelle and Iain, along with Jeremy, had no problems joining in and adding to the raucous fun.
That just left the youngest ones. The group was led by Kaitlin and she sat with Naomi, Xiāngxìn, Danny, Anne-Marie, and Becky. They were located on the after deck, outside, and well away from the adults. Anne-Marie was ensuring that everyone knew she was just as foul-mouthed as Kaitlin, much to Becky's annoyance. Danny, being the only boy in the group had to put up with Naomi and Xiāngxìn sitting on either side of him – apparently, as Anne-Marie 'accidentally let slip', Naomi had a good chance as Danny liked older girls.
Unsurprisingly, that just ended up with Danny being fought over by Naomi and Xiāngxìn – a fairly typical result of Anne-Marie's interfering.
..._...
Towards the end of the evening, Mindy was taking a walk up on the foredeck when she was approached by Amber.
"I can't do this, Mindy," the girl said.
"You have no choice," Mindy replied quietly but forcefully.
"You heard about what happened?"
"Yes, I did, and I'm sorry, but it does kinda help things along."
"Fuck you!"
Mindy did not respond to the bait.
"If you stop now, then everything you've been through would have been for nothing – do you want that?"
Amber thought about that for a minute before she responded, "No. When will be the time?"
"Only you will know."
Amber just glared at Mindy for a moment before she stalked off.
End of PART IV