Chapter 24 – Lone wolf

A light drizzle had started to fall making everyone colder and wetter than they thought possible. The sun that had threatened to break through had given up completely. Mac had been gone for over four hours. Lunch had been and gone much to Don's disappointment though as time passed he thought less and less about food and more and more about why they hadn't heard from him.

A sudden buzzing in their ears made them all jump. Steve leaned forward in anticipation meeting Don's eyes. They all looked at one another.

"Team A. Report. Over."

The voice crackled in their earpieces but it was distinctly Mac's. Don felt Jo relax a little at his side. She had barely said a word since they had set up position in a small clearing just east of the training centre.

"In position. Over." came Wright's voice.

"Team B. Report. Over."

Harry tapped his the mike at his throat. "In position. What's your status Lone Wolf? Over. " Harry flashed them a cheeky grin. Don and Steve sniggered and even the cold Kate Moore shook her head in amusement.

"Funny Harry. Funny." Don was heartened to see Jo smile at the amusement in Mac's voice. "Am currently positioned at the eastern kill house. Seven hostiles at main complex. Repeat seven hostiles. They have camera's covering the grounds monitored by Chopper. " They all looked at the sheet with the mugshots. Wong pointed at a fat bald man with a stubby nose. "Also there are Lester, Brady, Dane, Glover, Klaus, Smith. Over." They all mentally ticked off the faces on the list.

"Got it. What about Mason and the cousins? Over."

"Still here. With Carver and Bryce. Over."

"Any sign of the buyers? Over." This was from Wright.

"Negative. Over."

A faint sound reached their ears. They looked around.

"Chopper," said Steve.

"Huh?" Don looked confused.

Steve nodded at the mugshot. "Not him." Steve twirled his finger in the air. "That kind of chopper."

Mac's voice crackled over the comm's. "Hold positions. Helicopter on approach from north-east. Await signal. Over and out."

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Mac was hunkered down in the control room at the back of the warehouse. It wasn't large. There was just enough room for two men to sit side by side. It had doors on both sides that led to the walkway that encircled the warehouse. Both doors were open. It had a row of monitors and a control panel for the lights, cameras and smoke canisters used in the simulations. They were all switched off. There was a PA system that covered the two buildings. Mac had been obliged to wait until the loading had finished so although he was able to observe them from his lofty position, their attention being on the ground, he couldn't risk calling in and having his voice carry across the cavernous interior. Besides this was the last place he wanted to start a fire-fight. From Mason's snappy tone and considering the number of times he checked his watch something was going down soon. As soon as the equipment had been loaded Mason ordered the bulk of his men back to the main complex instructing only Carver and Bryce to stay behind.

However a few minutes later all five men had left the warehouse so Mac had taken the opportunity to call the teams. Now he was alone in the warehouse but he could hear the approaching helicopter clearly. It had to be the buyers. He surveyed the space in front of him. It was piled high with crates and boxes of every sort. He could see ammunitions, rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, land-mines, light artillery and surface to air missiles. This wasn't just a one-off sale. There was enough here to equip a dozen terrorist cells. These were regular supplies. The sound of cars starting up outside launched him into action.

Mac left the control room and sprinted to the metal staircase on the eastern side of the room. He plunged down the stairs as fast as he could trying not to make too much noise. The helicopter was getting closer. There was only one space big enough for a helicopter to land and that was the arena about a mile to the south. Logically Mason, Victor and Ryan Gaunt along with Carver and Bryce would be heading south though they would have to take the track that ran along the eastern edge.

Mac arrived at the door in time to see the tail-lights of the white van disappear along the track presumably following the Jeep. He hit the mike at his throat. "All teams stand-by. Over."

"Wilco," Wright answered.

"Roger that Lone Wolf. Don't keep all the fun to yourself. Over." Mac grimaced. There were times he could murder Harry.

He set off at a fast pace directly south through the trees. The chopper was coming in fast from his left and veering south. There was no longer any need for stealth. The rest of Mason's men would be inside the main buildings by now. Logically Mason and the Gaunt cousins would be in the Jeep. Carver and Bryce would be driving the well-loaded van. They wouldn't be able to go that fast. Mac kept up his neck-breaking pace, dodging around trees, jumping fallen logs. Although he was breathing heavily the adrenalin coursing through him kept him going. The helicopter was low overhead coming into land. Mac headed towards it. The trees began thin a little. He slowed his pace. He could see the chopper now low in the sky. He reached the edge of the clearing.

Dropping once more to his belly he crawled forward. The Jeep and the van were to his left. As he suspected Mason and the Gaunt cousins were getting out of the Jeep. The helicopter hovered just above the Arena. He pulled out his scope and flicked it across the back of the buildings. The rest of Mason's men were nowhere in sight. He focussed on the chopper. Five men plus the pilot. He tried to get a good look at the five men but all he could see was dark hair, dark skin and dark clothing. He tapped the mike at his throat again.

"All teams. Standby. Rendezvous is the Arena. Buyers number five plus the pilot. Five plus the pilot. Mason, Ryan and Victor are present." Mac flicked the scope towards the cars. Mason stood calmly with his hands folded in front of him with Ryan and Victor on either side. Mac glanced at the van. It was empty. He flicked the scope from side to side. There was no sign of Carver and Bryce. Dammit! Had they gone into the centre? "Possible nine hostiles at centre. Repeat nine hostiles. Carver and Bryce are no longer here. Over."

Mac received confirmation from both teams. He waited. The helicopter touched down and the rotors slowly came to a stop. The doors opened and the five men climbed out. Four of them were armed. One stepped forward. He was tall and slim with an angular face and sallow skin. The lower half of his face had a close-cut beard. He approached Mason. There was some discussion but Mac was too far away to hear what was being said. Then the buyer waved two of his men towards the truck. They went around the back with Ryan. There was a stand-off, while the goods were checked. Then they returned, nodded and got into the van clearly intending to drive it away when the deal was complete. The buyer flicked his hand once more. The man closest to the helicopter pulled out a large black tote bag and walked over to Mason dropping at his feet. Mason checked the contents and then picked it up.

The exchange was complete. Mac unslung the M16 from his shoulder.

"All Teams. We are go."

For a moment there was complete silence then the sound of sirens echoed eerily through the mist. Mason and the buyer looked around frantically wondering what on earth was going on. Mac knew that local PD would be hitting the main entrance with everything it had. They had already set up roadblocks on every road leading from the Centre. There was no way out. The FBI team would be hitting the smaller block to his right while Harry and his team, together with Jo and Don would hit the larger training block. His stomach leapt for a moment at the thought of Jo involved in this but he pushed the feelings away and concentrated on the job at hand. He spread his legs, dug in his toes, raised the scope of the rifle to his eye, aimed and fired.

The grey rubber of the van's tires exploded with loud pops and the van rocked to one side as the weight of the armaments forced it so sink onto it's wheel rims. Mac turned his attention to the Jeep. He squeezed the trigger and shot out both front tires. By this point it was pandemonium down there. Mason, Ryan and Victor dove for cover behind the van. The buyer headed back for the chopper yelling for the pilot to power up. Two of his men had dropped to their knees waving their guns from left to right not sure where to fire. Mac decided that it was time to ensure that they didn't get too far.

Pulling a small cartridge from his webbing he loaded it into a short barrelled extension fitted to the underside of his rifle. Although not standard issue in the military, Mac liked to keep up to date with his weapons and had test-fired an M16 with a 40mm grenade launcher attachment. He adjusted the sight, allowed for drift and fired. The result was impressive. The tail section of the helicopter exploded with a large plume of black smoke and a multitude of sparks causing a small electrical fire.

Mac smiled. They wouldn't be going anywhere. And that should provide enough of a diversion to ensure that Jo and the team should make it to the buildings without too much trouble.

However the downside was that the bad guys had now spotted his position. They all took cover and strafed his position with gunfire. Throwing his arms over his head he felt great lumps of wood torn from the trees shower around him. The tang of cordite filled the air. Time to move. He flipped the switch from semi to full automatic and let off a long burst spraying the side of the chopper. And then he turned and fled cutting to his right.

The sound of gunfire came from inside the buildings. Once more thoughts of Jo sprang to his mind but they were pushed to a side as more bullets came his way. He dodged left and right trying to keep trees between them and him. The bullets weren't close which meant that they were firing wild in the hope of a lucky shot. It also meant that they didn't have a clue that he was only one man. Harry's teasing voice filled his head. Lone Wolf. He was going to have to get Harry back for that.

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A/N : Back tomorrow with more action.