Monday, June 26th, 2017
The Sahara Desert
Northern Mali
19:28 GMT+2 (17:28 GMT June 26th)
The Russian Forces
Jacques Maurand, the administrator of the Deadlight facility who rode in one of the lightly armoured GAZ Tigr four-wheel-drive vehicles, was feeling jumpy.
The man hated to be in enclosed spaces, and he hated to be in an environment where he was not in control. He knew that something bad was going to happen on the long drive out of Mali and he was scared that he might never see his family again. The prisoners at Deadlight had escaped their cell but he had left orders for them to be captured – not that it really mattered, he knew, as come sunrise, any further attempt to escape would be fruitless. Beside Murand, Colonel Dimitri Petrovich Priabin sat comfortably, his mind at ease as he studied his laptop.
Priabin had no concerns about a looming attack – he knew that the train was a poor target but with the many vehicles arrayed around the train as well as their air support, he was content to allow his forces to lay waste to any attackers. Outside the windows of the Russian-built vehicle, the skies had darkened, and the temperature was plummeting as the sun descended beneath the sandy horizon behind them as they continued on the meandering eastward trek towards Mauritania. The man looked at his watch, just as the minute hand moved to point at the '6'. He then opened his mouth to issue an order to put everyone on notice for an attack, when the vehicle just thirty yards to his left suddenly exploded into flame, closely followed by a second, a third, and then a fourth. It went on until six of his escorting vehicles had been destroyed; them and their crews six burning pyres scattered amongst the sand dunes.
The remaining six vehicles, including his own executed pre-planned evasion plans to evade whatever it was which was attacking them. The two Mi-24 Hind gunships scanned the area, searching for other attack helicopters which might have swept in undetected, but they found nothing in the air. However, they swiftly found five fast-moving targets racing across the sands on an unerring course towards the train and the remaining vehicles. As the gunships manoeuvred, bright green tracer fire erupted from four different ground-based locations. The heavy .50-calbre bullets struck the gunships which shuddered under the onslaught, but they ultimately shrugged off the slugs which did little more than damage the paintwork. Both gunships were very wary of approaching the targets as they were fully aware of the fate which had met the other gunship, earlier on that same day, and neither wished to be violently blasted apart by hypersonic missiles. Therefore, they circled at high-speed, before suddenly darting in as a pair, their gunners triggering off a ripple-salvo of S-5 rockets from the quadruple rocket pods mounted on the weapon wings of each gunship from a little over three kilometres away.
The unguided rockets bored in towards the wildly dodging LSVs, even as the gunships veered away from their targets, popping flares as a preventative measure against the feared surface-to-air missiles.
19:34 GMT+2 (17:34 GMT June 26th)
Tango Two Alpha & Tango Two Bravo
Hit Girl/Stripe & Shadow/Piranha
Stripe was firing off rounds as fast as the Browning M2 would cycle.
A constant stream of bullets reached out for the inbound gunships with several bullets colliding with the inbound rockets which exploded spectacularly with the warheads committing fratricide against their fellow rockets. However, the remaining rockets with the remnants of the shattered rockets, still continued on towards Tango Two Alpha and Tango Two Bravo just a dozen yards away. The first rockets struck the sand where the LSV had been just a second previously, as Hit Girl jinked the vehicle left and right. Sand flew up into the air as shrapnel and sections of destroyed rockets peppered the surrounding dunes. Then came the pinging and clanging as metallic shrapnel peppered the LSV, Stripe and Hit Girl ducking as a rocket shot across the bonnet with probably two inches to spare. Tango Two Bravo was just as lucky as several rockets landed all around, Shadow and Piranha both holding on tightly as their vehicle was momentarily blasted onto two wheels before the vehicle crashed down onto the sand and the massive tyres dug into the sand, propelling the vehicle to safety.
It had been close, but it had set up the gunships for an attack from the rear.
19:36 GMT+2 (17:36 GMT June 26th)
Tango Two Charlie & Tango Two Delta
La Coccinelle/Splinter & Rampart/Obsidian
The two LSVs had slid to a halt in the sand and the gunners, Splinter in Tango Two Charlie and Obsidian in Tango Two Delta, had reached down to grab a long tube with an attached sensor and trigger package.
Neither Russian gunship saw the hypersonic missiles blast out of their launch tubes and then accelerate to Mach 4, the infra-red seekers locked onto the hot engine exhausts of the massive helicopters like a bulldog with a raging hardon faced with a willing bitch on heat. The rocket motors of both British Starstreak surface-to-air missiles burnt out as their tungsten alloy dart sub-munitions separated and barrelled in on the unsuspecting gunships at 2,800 miles-per-hour. It did not take long for the darts to find their targets, only luck seemed to be with one of the gunships as it passed behind a sand dune just as the three darts targeted on the helicopter struck the sand dune, detonating milliseconds later and sending shrapnel through the sand dune and into the gunship, penetrating the armour, but not causing any significant damage to anything important aboard the gunship.
Not so the other gunship which did not explode so much as it came apart; the tungsten alloy darts neatly trisecting the aircraft. The twin cockpits struck the sand first, rolling over and over, the pilot and gunner being thrown around like they were in a tumble dryer, bones broke and their brains were smashed around inside their skulls. The main central fuselage landed as one, sliding to a halt after rolling once, the rotor blades snapping off and a weapons wing being torn away. The surviving crew chief found himself thrown clear but before he could stand, the tail section smashed his otherwise intact body to pulp as it drove deep into the sand dune, the still-spinning three-bladed tail rotor disintegrated on impact with the sand.
"Damn!" Splinter exploded as he saw the surviving gunship turn to check on its non-existent wingman.
"One Hind down!" Obsidian radioed to the teams. "The other bastard's on fucking borrowed time!"
The LSVs accelerated away as La Coccinelle and Rampart stomped on the gas.
A few kilometres ahead...
19:36 GMT+2 (17:36 GMT June 26th)
Tango One Alpha & Tango One Bravo
Psyche/Trojan/Wildcat/Intrepid/
La Terreaur/Termino/Rigour & Kick-Ass/Rage
Wildcat could barely believe that one of her greatest wishes was about to come true.
She had told her niece about it, just a few hours previously. Psyche had laughed out loud as Wildcat had described her desire to board and hijack a moving train – Wildcat had explained that she had loved watching the Doc and Marty takedown the train in Back to the Future Part III. However, they were not on horseback, instead, the seven members of Tango One Alpha were crammed into the oversized load bed of the giant Mercedes G 63 AMG 6x6 truck as it raced across the desert scrub, the massive suspension softening the ride, so it was just uncomfortable instead of intolerable. Each fighter aboard sought out targets for their long rifles which would soon be discarded before they caught their train to Mauritania.
The news that there was still an airborne gunship out there was not received well but their thoughts were discarded as they had more important tasks to contend with and they needed their minds to be fully focussed as they closed on their primary target.
..._...
Kick-Ass wrestled with the steering as he fought to keep the truck barrelling along at almost forty kilometres per hour over rough terrain in the looming darkness as the sun set ahead of them.
Beside him, Rage was cringing as his bruised body was shaken constantly. But despite the discomfort, the boy had a job to do and his sister's life was to be in his hands as they approached their target. His eyes focussed on the twin rails which Kick-Ass was attempting to keep alongside as they raced up behind the train which steadily climbed away from the desert floor and into a semi-mountainous region. The climb had slowed the train's forward speed which would make boarding the thing slightly easier. None of them had ever done it before, and none of them were as excited about it as Wildcat was. Even Trojan could not believe that his girlfriend was so excited about something which could end badly in a hundred different and creative ways.
"I have the rear container wagon in sight!" Rage announced as he looked ahead as darkness fell amongst the rocks.
They knew that they had to race ahead – and fast – as the road which paralleled the rail track split off a few kilometres ahead before they rejoined a number of kilometres further on. Kick-Ass pushed his boot down harder as they began to overtake the 1.2-kilometre long train. Each articulated container wagon was thirty-four metres long, weighed in at thirty-two tonnes unladen, and rode on six axles mounted in three bogies. A pair of standard 40-foot containers were mounted on each of the thirty intermodal freight wagons being hauled by the twin locomotives. As they moved close to the tail-end freight wagon, a man became visible, but only for a second as Rage leaned out of the side window. Rage raised an X16 Crossbow to his shoulder, and he dropped the surprised man with a single bolt. Rage watched the body fall onto the train tracks and vanish into the darkness before he simply shrugged and reloaded his crossbow.
It had been mutually agreed that it would be far too dangerous to fire bullets towards the freight wagons in case those bullets hit something they should not.
19:44 GMT+2 (17:44 GMT June 26th)
Tango Two Charlie & Tango Two Delta
La Coccinelle/Splinter & Rampart/Obsidian
As well as the marauding gunship which had escaped the initial ambush, there were still six lightly armoured but heavily armed vehicles which were a direct threat to the operation.
They were GAZ-2330 Tigr multipurpose, all-terrain, infantry mobility vehicles equipped with a roof-mounted PKMT 7.62-millimetre machine guns and a box which held a 100-round belt of ammunition. Rampart hated being on the ground – she wanted to be in the air where she could manoeuvre in three dimensions, not on the ground where she could only move in two dimensions.
"On the left!" Obsidian yelled out from the gun turret behind Rampart.
Rampart looked to her left to see a Tigr heading towards her, the machine gun spitting fire from the roof-mounted gun position. Obsidian had already returned fire and her heavier rounds drilled holes in the light armour of the enemy vehicle, shredding metal and flesh alike. The incoming bullets struck the LSV armour and the storage boxes mounted to the doors. Obsidian involuntarily ducked as the bullets pinged off the steelwork which surround her, but she bravely stood her ground and continued to fire back, but she fell to the seats below the turret as the Tigr collided with the LSV with a grinding and rending of steel. Rampart, turned into the Tigr, fighting the impact which was about to push her in front of Tango Two Charlie.
Aboard Tango Two Charlie, La Coccinelle rapidly altered course to avoid the other LSV as Splinter engaged another Tigr which was moving in from their rear. The LSVs were fast and agile, advantages which were put to good use by their drivers as they attacked the enemy force. However, they were diverting attention away from the train and allowing the Tango One units to move into a position from where they could board the primary target. It was chaotic in the darkness as it was proving difficult to identify a rapidly approaching vehicle, however, the LSVs had a lower body form when compared to the GAZ Tigr which was the best aid they had to identification, apart from the heavier machinegun carried by the LSVs.
The bulbous sand tyres gripped well, La Coccinelle found, and she enjoyed driving the large vehicles over the undulating and dangerous terrain. Then she winced as there was an enormous explosion from behind as the Tigr exploded, the two-tonne vehicle flipping upwards into the air as its fuel tank exploded from the continued impact of heavy bullets which had torn the tank apart.
"Fuck me!" Splinter exclaimed as he watched the Tigr come apart and scatter burning bodies in all directions.
At the same time, Obsidian was able to immolate the Tigr which was alongside her with half-inch holes, shredding the enemy gunner into chopped suey and a brief stream of bullets tore the enemy driver apart. The Russian vehicle began to skid on the loose sand with no one (alive) at the wheel and then it struck a rock, flipped over, and rolled three times before it came to a rest in a massive cloud of sand with no overt signs of any survivors.
There were but four enemy vehicles remaining.
19:48 GMT+2 (17:48 GMT June 26th)
Tango Two Alpha
Hit Girl/Stripe
Someone was having the time of her life!
Her LSV bounded over the sand and scrub as she pursued the Tigr which carried additional antennae, marking it out as a command vehicle. Hit Girl knew who was in that vehicle and she wanted him. Not that she was alone; Shadow was with her, just a dozen yards to the right. There was a problem – actually three; Priabin's Tigr was being escorted by three other Tigrs. While the two drivers were enjoying the chase, their gunners were not quite so happy as they tried to aim their Browning machineguns at the enemy vehicles.
"Fucking women drivers!" Stripe exploded as he struggled to maintain his footing in the turret.
"Bite me!" Hit Girl responded over the intercom.
Piranha was tempted to make her own snarky comment, but she knew what Shadow wanted to do. However, it was becoming blatantly obvious that Priabin was going after the train; he apparently refused to be distracted like the crews of the other vehicles.
There was also the other problem.
"FUCK!" Hit Girl yelled as she saw the dark sky ahead of her light up.
The turret-mounted Yakushev-Borzov YakB-12.7-millimetre four-barrel rotary cannon on the remaining Mi-24 Hind gunship spat out bullets at a rate of over four thousand rounds per minute in short bursts due to the gunship only carrying 1,470 rounds. As well as flames being seen in the darkness, the deadly weapon could be heard above the sound of the engines and the other gunfire as the bullets walked up the sand, chewed up the right side of the LSV, and shredded the front right tyre. The loss of the bulbous tyre caused the racing vehicle to slew around and dig in at the right corner. The inertia of the strike then span the LSV around violently before it came to a halt in deep sand at a thirty-degree angle, the left hand wheels a foot off the sand.
Hit Girl yelled and screamed obscenities with every obnoxious bone in her body as she unstrapped and turned to check on Stripe.
19:52 GMT+2 (17:52 GMT June 26th)
Tango Three
Leon/Songbird
High above the rapidly unfolding battle, the calm and collected sniper team stood post, watching and waiting for the moment to take action.
Songbird watched in horror as an LSV was taken out by the Russian gunship, before she then snapped into action as two of the remaining Tigr vehicles turned away from their escort duties and raced to attack the single LSV even as the third Tigr peeled away to finish off the crashed LSV. The last Tigr – the command vehicle – raced on after the train even as the other pair of LSVs were directed by Hit Girl to go after the command vehicle. It rapidly became certain that it was Hit Girl and Stripe who were down. The pair swiftly came under fire from the machineguns mounted on the Tigr mobility vehicles and were pinned down despite returning fire with their Colt M4A1 assault rifles.
Leon steadied her weapon and she took a breath as her sight found a target. She squeezed the trigger and the enormous bullet exploded out of the muzzle, boring through the air at breakneck speed. The bullet met up with its target at the intended point in space selected by Leon and passed through the open driver's side window of the closest Tigr. To those inside, the driver's head seemed to spontaneously explode as the bullet punched an enormous hole through the flesh, skull, and brains of the man. The Tigr slithered to a halt and the six men seated in the back shoved open the rear hatch and raced out moving on foot to surround Hit Girl and Stripe who were both valiantly returning fire as they used their LSV as cover from the incoming machinegun bullets.
As Songbird watched through her spotter's scope, she could not resist a grin as one of the running soldiers seemed to pause in his stride as his head exploded like an overripe melon. It appeared to be infectious as the remaining five soldiers each appeared to suffer the very same head malfunction. Having witnessed the swift disposal of its twin, the other Tigr appeared to have second thoughts about pressing its attack and rapidly turned away from Hit Girl and Stripe.
"Good shooting, Leon!" Hit Girl radioed.
"Just don't go losing your head like the opposition," Leon responded sagely as she inserted a fresh magazine.
Two kilometres away, Hit Girl grinned as she hauled an injured but happy-to-be-alive Stripe to his feet.
Several kilometres ahead...
19:55 GMT+2 (17:55 GMT June 26th)
Tango One Alpha & Tango One Bravo
Psyche/Trojan/Wildcat/Intrepid/
La Terreaur/Termino/Rigour & Kick-Ass/Rage
Kick-Ass had raced past twenty of the thirty railcars.
Two more guards had fallen by the wayside, thanks to Rage and his crossbow. They were rapidly approaching the twin locomotives and it would be time to execute a very dangerous evolution. Boarding the rear locomotive would be hazardous at best and downright deadly at worst. Just one slip could send someone under the wheels of the locomotive and a decidedly messy death. Just to make matters worse, they were not boarding at their leisure, they were boarding against the will of armed soldiers who would not take kindly to the invasion of their train.
Psyche and Wildcat had not fully realised how massive the two locomotives were. The Mercedes Truck was massive – or so they had thought – but it paled into insignificance next to the almost twenty-three-metre-long beasts which they were to capture. However, neither girl allowed doubt to infect their mind; they knew their limits, but they knew that what they were about to do was well within the scope of what they were capable of.
"Stand to!" Psyche called out over the noise of the two diesel-powered locomotive giants.
Everyone prepared to stand up, their weapons ready for immediate use, but they had to be careful lest they shoot one of their own by accident in the tight confines of the truck bed. As they drew level with the final rail car, they laid eyes on the first of their primary targets. To Psyche it was one of the largest vehicles she had ever laid eyes on. She was very aware of what would happen should anyone fall beneath the behemoth before her. She was also aware of the sheer power which nonchalantly trundled over the rails at 25-KPH. The two locomotives were joined back-to-back; therefore, she was looking at the front of the rear locomotive. The locomotive was box like but with multiple appendages sticking out – most of which were the various cooling systems for the diesel engine. At the very front of the locomotive, located between the couplings and the first bogie, there was a set of steps which led up onto a narrow platform, an opposing set of steps was fitted on the opposite side, but hidden from Psyche's eyes at that moment. The bluntly pointed, stepped nose of the locomotive came next, set into which was a steel door. That steel door led into the locomotive cab and which could be opened from the outside and opened outwards. Next to the door, on the opposite side of the nose, five horizontal steel bars were welded in place to form a vertical ladder onto the flat top of the nose which was directly ahead of the two large double-glazed, armoured windows of the driver's cab which came next. The cab was enormous and airconditioned. Apart from the driver and engineer aboard each locomotive, there was expected be an even dozen Russian soldiers evenly split between each locomotive. Breeching the cab would not be easy and they had to try to keep the driver and engineer alive on at least one cab without damaging the operation of either locomotive. Leading out of the rear of the cab, there was a door on the near side of the locomotive which led along a narrow platform towards the rear of the locomotive and another set of steps fitted at the rear before the couplings and the rear of the next locomotive. The platform along the far side only extended form the rear platform as far as just a short distance past the middle of the locomotive.
Though they were approaching without lights, someone aboard the locomotive caught sight of them from the narrow platform which led down their side of the rearmost locomotive. It was time to move and as they came under fire from the Russian soldier aboard the locomotive, Rage opened fire with a submachinegun form the rear seat of the Mercedes truck, making the Russian soldier duck as the bullets from the low velocity rounds struck the steel of the locomotive behind him. While Trojan braced her, Psyche stood up and she checked her snub-nosed Heckler & Koch MP5K-N submachinegun which was strapped across her chest, ready for instant action. As Wildcat stood up beside her, similarly equipped, Psyche felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder and Psyche gave the order.
"Tango One Alpha – DEPLOY!"
With that, Psyche took a leap into the darkness.
A few kilometres back...
19:56 GMT+2 (17:56 GMT June 26th)
The Russian Forces
Colonel Dimitri Petrovich Priabin was apoplectic with rage as the radio call came in.
He was astounded that someone was attempting to board the train – he had expected the train to be a target, but more from an airstrike or from interfering with the track ahead, but not an audacious attempt to board the monster while it was moving! However, he was certain that his men could fight off any direct assault against the immense locomotives at least while they were moving. He also figured that no sane person would actually try to board the moving train – however, he had already learned that those he was fighting may not have directly matched his own personal definition of 'sane'.
Still, he maintained that the attack could not be pulled off with any satisfactory degree of success.
A few kilometres further back still...
20:00 GMT+2 (18:00 GMT June 26th)
Tango Two Alpha
Hit Girl/Stripe
Stripe rubbed his bruised shoulder as he surveyed the wrecked LSV.
"Your driving sucks!" he groaned.
"Could have been worse, I suppose," Hit Girl reasoned as she ignored Stripe's jibe.
"How the hell are we going to get out of here?" Stripe persisted.
Hit Girl pondered that important question as she looked around and then she grinned as her eyes focussed on the stopped GAZ Tigr just fifty yards away. She reached into the LSV and grabbed her pack before she pulled the tabs on a pair of flares. Stripe swiftly reached in and he grabbed his own pack before he jumped back as Hit Girl threw the two spitting flares into the LSV. Hit Girl turned away and began to stride in the direction of the Tigr. When Stripe saw where Hit Girl was going, he groaned again.
"You have got to be kidding!"
"You got a better idea?"
A few minutes later, they both surveyed the vehicle which, apart from an excess of blood and brain matter, appeared intact and functional. Hit Girl pulled open the driver's door and swiftly jumped back as the driver – and what was left of his head – fell to the sand.
"That is nasty!" Stripe informed Hit Girl.
"I think he disagreed with Leon's bullet," she responded as she examined the interior.
"I bet this is just your colour scheme, isn't it?" Stripe complained as he peered in from the opposite side.
"It has its appeal," Hit Girl conceded as she pulled off the dead driver's jacket and she used it to clean off the inside of the windscreen as best as she could.
"You are so creepy!" Stripe commented as he heard Hit Girl humming to herself as she cleaned off the blood and brain matter from the windscreen and then the dashboard.
"I like to keep in character," Hit Girl chuckled as she started the engine. "Shut the back door, won't you?"
Stripe jumped out and he ran around to the back of the vehicle and he threw their packs inside before he slammed the door.
..._...
Hit Girl had a lot on her mind as she accelerated away from the exploding LSV as the flames reached the ammunition which cooked off somewhat spectacularly.
Hit Girl was worried about events and how they were unfolding. She knew that attacking the train and the protecting vehicles was a risk, but she also knew that they had no choice. She had heard the radio call which told her that her daughter was heading into danger and that was forefront in her mind as was the fate of her husband and son. But she also knew that they could look after themselves and that her daughter had plenty of skilled backup, including the redoubtable Wildcat. Hit Girl grinned as she remembered how excited Wildcat had been at the thought of hijacking a train – that girl had some really strange desires; not that she, herself, could talk!
Stripe kept a good lookout, doing his best to ignore the slimy substance which still covered a significant portion of the dashboard and which slid from side to side as the 4x4 moved over the sand. He had to admit, despite his earlier assertion, that Hit Girl was an amazing driver and he also had to admit that he had enjoyed almost every minute of the time which he had spent with the arch-vigilante.
The enemy were some distance ahead, but Hit Girl was able to use the flashes from the exchange of gunfire which were readily visible in the clear darkness of the desert evening.
Several kilometres ahead...
20:02 GMT+2 (18:02 GMT June 26th)
Tango One Alpha
Psyche/Trojan/Wildcat/Intrepid/
La Terreaur/Termino/Rigour
"Tango One Alpha – DEPLOY!"
With that, Psyche took a leap into the darkness.
Bullets were flying, but she had not time to figure out if any were reaching out to cut her down. Instead, she reached out with her left hand and she grasped the white-painted steel handrail which was mounted vertically up either side of the steps which in turn led up onto the narrow platform. With intense relief, Psyche felt both of her feet find secure purchase on a step and she bounded up them, pulling her MP5K into place and cocking the action as she ensured that the narrow platform was clear and then pulled Wildcat aboard. Wildcat in turn readied her own MP5K and then turned to help Rigour aboard. Intrepid came next with a little scream as a bullet struck her left side and she almost lost her grip on the handrail, but before she could fall to her death, Trojan jumped over and bodily threw the girl onto the narrow platform before Termino became the last member of the team to board the train.
"I'm alright! I'm alright!" Intrepid reported but she felt her hands shaking as she cocked her weapon – it had been very close.
Once Psyche had checked everyone was safely aboard, she radioed Kick-ass.
"Tango One Alpha is aboard safely – executing mission, out."
With that, Rigour kept an eye open down the far side of the train while Termino did the same on the near side. Wildcat and Intrepid swarmed up the vertical bars which formed a ladder onto the flat top of the locomotive's nose. They both ignored the faces visible inside the cab which was lit with a dim red glow as they continued up onto the roof of the cab, and immediately ducked down as bullets began to fly in their general direction. A head appeared on the far side of the locomotive where there was another ladder; Wildcat blew it apart with a three-round burst, the body falling down onto the platform outside the door leading into the cab. As Wildcat and Intrepid moved along the roof of the locomotive, they kept their eyes peeled for another head popping up, although it appeared that nobody was willing to enjoy a free hole in the head, but bullets still flew – unaimed, but still deadly – in their direction from the soldiers who had emerged from the cab and were making every attempt to catch sight of the attackers.
Unfortunately for Tango One Alpha, Tango One Bravo – Kick-Ass and Rage – had been forced to leave their position alongside the train thanks to the road altering course into the mountains, therefore, they were unable to provide any external assistance to the team aboard the train, much to their annoyance.
20:06 GMT+2 (18:06 GMT June 26th)
Aboard Locomotive 3006
The junior lieutenant in charge of the dozen men who had the task of guarding the train was not a happy man.
He was in the cab of the front locomotive trying to piece together what was going on. Sometime earlier, he had lost contact with the two men who had been patrolling the 1.2-kilometre long train. Then, a vehicle had been spotted overtaking the train and then had come the warning that people were boarding the rear locomotive. The colonel, understandably, had not been all that happy to receive the junior lieutenant's report. However, the junior lieutenant had assured his boss that he would be able to defend the train from the attackers – he had, however, neglected to inform his boss that he had already lost two or maybe three of his men.
"Three-zero-zero-seven, report!" the man called over a radio.
A few seconds later, the sergeant in the rear locomotive responded.
"We have two more men down and eight or ten enemy attempting to enter the control cabin – we need the reserves."
It was quite a reasonable request under the circumstances, the junior lieutenant knew. In the container immediately behind the rear locomotive, a dozen soldiers were travelling in a low level of comfort. They were there to assist with protecting the train should they be forced to stop or to relieve the soldiers currently on duty.
"Sergeant Filatov!" the junior lieutenant radioed. "Send eight men forward to attack the enemy aboard locomotive three-zero-zero-seven. Acknowledge!"
There was perhaps a two-second delay before a gravelly voice responded.
"Directly, lieutenant!"
The junior lieutenant grinned as he considered the hell that he had just unleased upon those who had been stupid enough to board his train.
20:09 GMT+2 (18:09 GMT June 26th)
Tango One Alpha
Psyche/Trojan/Wildcat/Intrepid/
La Terreaur/Termino/Rigour
The top of the locomotive was a minefield of vents and exhausts, air intakes and antennae.
Everything aboard was air-conditioned, from the cab at the front, to the electrical and electronics compartments in the middle, and finally the massive diesel engine at the back. Two gigantic circular exhausts took up a considerable amount of the top surface of the locomotive and were mounted directly above the gigantic diesel engine. Extremely hot air and engine exhaust rose out of those vents and the temperature could take skin off and leave third-degree burns – at best. Wildcat and Intrepid moved along the locomotive roof to a position from where they could cover the access door to the cab. Soldiers on the narrow passageways along the sides of the front locomotive were taking pot shots at them but the giant air intakes mounted along the sides of the rear locomotive were blocking any direct fire.
At the front of the locomotive, Psyche and La Terreaur were examining the steel door which led into the front of the locomotive nose when suddenly La Terreaur screamed out as she was struck in the back by three bullets and she collapsed into Psyche. Both of them fell to the steel platform even as Termino turned at the sound of the gunfire in time to yell out a warning to Trojan who also turned and he sent two three-round bursts into the armoured chest of a Russian soldier who was part way down a vertical ladder built into the container mounted on the intermodal freight wagon coupled directly behind the locomotive. As Termino looked upward, he saw three more Russian soldiers atop the container and their assault rifles were aimed at...
Short bursts exploded out from above the cab as Wildcat and Intrepid engaged the Russian soldiers from a similar level. It was a ludicrous situation – a gunfight atop a moving train – but Wildcat grinned as she gunned down a Russian soldier and watched his body fall from the container into the darkness alongside the train. Beside her, Intrepid was firing off short bursts at the Russian soldiers who seemed to have climbed out of a hatch atop the container – it was obviously a concealed barracks – but how many more soldiers were in there? Wildcat enjoyed fighting alongside the young British girl – there were only eight months in age between them – and their skills were fairly well-matched, especially their acrobatic fighting skills. They also made a good team, and both were fearless as they took cover behind the main air-conditioning unit which extended three feet from the superstructure on each side of the locomotive and engaged the growing group of Russian soldiers.
Termino pulled La Terreaur off Psyche while Trojan pulled Psyche to her feet. La Terreaur's face was creased up in pain but she waved off Termino as she regained her feet. Psyche quickly gathered her wits and she examined the situation around her as she leapt onto the intermodal freight wagon and took cover with Termino for a moment before they both surged up the ladder with Termino in the lead. The boy paused at the top of the ladder as Rigour triggered off short bursts to keep the Russians away from the top of the ladder while Wildcat and Intrepid prevented any further Russians from exiting the rooftop hatch in the container. Four Russians were dead and two of the bodies lay atop the container beside the rooftop hatch.
"You're clear, Termino, Psyche!" Wildcat radioed as she and Intrepid covered their colleagues.
Termino leapt up the last few rungs and landed atop the container, closely followed by Psyche. The container shook as the railcar trundled over the uneven rails and Psyche felt concerned about falling off – it was a long way down. However, she focused on the task ahead as both she and Termino each pulled a hand grenade from their webbing. They pulled the pins and then Psyche held up four fingers on her left right hand, dropping one finger then the next, the next, and then the final finger. Both lobbed their grenades into the gaping hole of the rooftop hatch and then aimed their weapons to ensure that no one tried to escape.
First there was a yell of surprise, and then there was some more concerned yelling, before a second later, there was a bright flash and then a muffled double boom and a clanging sound followed by black smoke which billowed out of the rooftop hatch – then there was silence. Psyche and Termino moved forwards as the smoke began to clear and Psyche peered down inside the container with her MP5K and the attached torch. She grimaced as she counted the dead. Those who had not been killed by the shrapnel had been stunned to death by the explosive force of the shockwaves which had rebounded around the inside of the container.
"I have eight dead," Psyche reported. "No survivors."
Termino covered Psyche with his MP5K as she dropped back down the ladder and then jumped over to the locomotive platform.