The Dollar Academy
Dollar, Scotland
Monday, January 30th, 2017
The dining hall was packed solid.
Naturally, learning caused hunger, and having spent an entire morning learning, the children cramming the cavernous space were starving. One of those starving children was steadily cramming chips into her capacious eight-year-old mouth.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Kaitlin looked up into the face of Princess Mary and her friends, Alice, Abbie, and Leia. Kaitlin grinned.
"Wotcha! I'm having lunch, your Highness."
Mary scowled at the use of her title, but she continued on.
"You mixed mayonnaise with ketchup, that is just fowl!" Mary grinned back.
Kaitlin grinned fiendishly.
"Do Alice, Abbie, and Leia know about you deep-throating that hotdog which was liberally coated in mayonnaise?" Kaitlin whispered loudly enough for only Mary and Abbie, who was closest, to hear.
Mary's mouth dropped open in astonishment and Abbie giggled.
"Is 'hotdog' a euphemism for something else long and floppy?" Abbie asked, enjoying Mary's bright red cheeks.
"No!" Mary exclaimed as Alice and Leia burst out laughing. "I am going to kick your sorry bottom, Kaitlin!"
"My little sister causing trouble?"
Mary looked over at Jake and nodded.
"I apologise for her – she's brain-damaged and has been since birth."
"You, what?" Kaitlin demanded.
"I'd quit while you're ahead," Electra commented as she strode past with her friends, Alyssia and Janette.
Kaitlin scowled as Jake sat down beside her. The boy should have been with his own year group, but he knew that Kaitlin was struggling to adjust to their new school . . . without Naomi. While they were only there during the day, Electra and Mary were boarders, but they had both been there for much longer and they both helped Jake and Kaitlin learn the ropes, so to speak. Kaitlin was popular with her teachers and the other children in P5. However, she was on her own as Electra and her friends were in J2 (Naomi would have been in J1) while Jake was in Form II and Mary was in Form III with her friends. Nevertheless, Kaitlin was never alone as Jake kept an eye open for her, as did Electra and Mary, as well as their friends. Ginny was also around, and she ensured that Kaitlin was always accounted for, enjoying the cheeky eight-year-old's shit-eating grin and manner.
Jake, too, had settled in well. He was pleased to be surrounded by boys during the day, rather than the girls he had at home. The boys had a tendency to adjust better with the transition back to a normal childhood whereas the girls seemed to struggle more. Maybe that was just because the boys were happy to go back to being mentally immature while the girls often preferred to ensure that they were always one up from the opposite sex who they often saw as unworthy of their time.
As the bell rang, Kaitlin and Jake bounded up and returned their trays before heading off to class.
Fettes College
Edinburgh
Diana had not attended a school for many months, and it scared her suddenly being thrown into a mainstream school.
She was not alone. As Diana joined Form S, Harper was in Form P. That kept them apart for the majority of the day, but they still saw each other as they moved around the school in-between lessons. There were also Jeremy and Ewan, in Form T and the 2nd Form respectively. Due to her disability, and concern about anyone finding out, Diana wore trousers, instead of skirt and tights like most of the other girls. Diana did 'walk funny', but that was mainly due to the method she had to use to make her left leg move. Harper had long ignored the strange gait while others thought it funny. Almost nobody at the school, other than the teachers, were aware of Diana's augmented legs.
"You walk funny."
"What's it to you," Diana bristled as she turned to face a boy in her year.
"I meant nothing by it . . . sorry if I spoke out of turn . . . it's Diana, right?"
"No problem. Yes, I'm Diana."
"Cory."
"Oh, brother!" Harper growled as she breezed past.
Harper figured it was just Diana's hormones. It had not gone unnoticed that Diana's body was changing, and Harper figured that puberty was influencing the older girl. Harper and raised the issue with her sister, however, Keira had told Harper, in no uncertain terms, to give Diana her space. Keira also reminded her younger sister that Diana was not a Predator and may not want her privacy invaded. Harper had then reminded Keira that Diana often enjoyed invading other people's privacy, on a daily basis.
"I bet Diana will know I have pubes before I do!" Harper had growled.
"One girl going through puberty is enough for me," Keira had laughed. "You hold off, okay?"
"I'll try," Harper had conceded grumpily.
Diana had ignored Harper, her attention fully on the boy, Cory.
Beaconhurst School
Stirling
"Looking good, Charlie!"
Charlotte froze as she saw eyes looking in her direction. She was wearing her usual school uniform, but she found boys enjoyed looking at her legs which extended from beneath her skirt, clad in black tights.
"Craig!" Charlotte growled. "Stop it; you're embarrassing me. . ."
"Enjoy it, Charlie," Katie grinned. "We get little enough compliments from the brats, so might as well enjoy them."
"Somebody abusing the boys?" Dakota asked.
"This isn't fair," Craig grinned.
"Suck it up, Craig," Scarlett commented as she joined in the fun.
It was Scarlett's first time at a school – she had been privately tutored for all of her life. It was an eye-opener, but Olivia had promised to stand by her. Olivia studied her boyfriend's pathetic look of hope before she simply turned and walked away with Scarlett.
"Boys are so pathetic!" Jessica commented as she walked past with Christopher in tow.
"At least we're not evil," Christopher pointed out.
"I know Katie's evil," Craig agreed. "But she does have a tampon up her crack, so maybe that's why."
Kate's jaw dropped and Charlotte laughed.
"That was good," she grinned. "Sorry. . ."
"Just because you haven't mastered tampons yet, Charlie," Kate growled.
Charlotte's face went very pink as the boys guffawed.
That same time
Glenview
Chicago, USA
"Jamie! Get the door, please!"
"Yes, Mum!"
Jamie frowned as he went to answer the door, annoyed at losing time which could be spent annoying his female siblings. He pulled open the door, and he was very surprised to see who was standing outside.
"Whatever she said I did, here or back in England, I promise I didn't do it," Jamie declared to Patrick Millar.
"Jamie – I invited them," Mindy laughed. "Get!"
"Hi, Shannon," Jamie grinned. "Hi, Shannon's Dad."
"Hello, Patrick – come in," Mindy said. "Hello, Shannon – welcome."
"He feeling guilty about something?" Shannon asked.
"He's always feeling guilty about something," Mindy explained. "It seems to be a trait he and his older sister share."
Jamie simply scowled as Shannon laughed.
"Jamie, this involves you, as well – you both have a mission."
"Huh?" Jamie and Shannon said together.
"Children! Sit!" Mindy suggested as she waved Patrick into a chair in the living room.
"I am not a child!" fourteen-year-old Shannon Millar protested.
"Oh, just sit down before you embarrass yourself," Jamie suggested as he pulled his friend down onto a couch.
"I have a mission for the three of you. I am involving Jamie and Shannon as they make a good team – despite the bickering – and they have experience in the UK. I have involved you, Patrick, as you too have experience in the UK and you can easily control these wayward louts."
Patrick laughed.
"What, or who, is the target."
"An Urban Predator instructor – Stephen Monroe."
Patrick's face showed that he recognised the name.
"Is the bastard alive?" Shannon asked coldly.
"Yes, he is – we think," Mindy replied. "We've heard reports that he is in the north of England, but we don't know exactly where. You will need to track him down."
"What do we do when we find him?" Shannon asked.
"Patrick?" Mindy enquired.
"He should die, but then again, he should go to the authorities," Patrick replied. "But he could be made to suffer, just a bit."
"You want the mission?" Mindy asked.
"Why us and not Vengeance?" Jamie asked.
"A very good question, Jamie," Mindy responded. "Sometimes you show how smart you really are."
Jamie grinned enormously.
"Oh, brother!" Shannon groaned, remembering how obnoxious the boy had been during their time in England. "I hate him."
"No, you don't," Patrick chuckled. "You always tell me that he's a very brave boy with a lot of talent and you enjoyed being with him."
"Dad!" Shannon exclaimed. "Don't let him know that!"
Jamie cuddled into Shannon, grinning up at her.
"I love you, Shannon."
"Fuck!" Shannon breathed as she shoved Jamie away from her. "We'll take the mission – maybe I can leave the little shit over there."
"You will bring me back my eldest son, Stormy," Mindy directed.
"Sure you wouldn't like me to bring back a haggis or something, instead?"
"No, Jamie'll do fine," Mindy confirmed.
"We exchanging Jamie for a haggis?" Stephanie commented from the door. "Cool!"
"As for his original question, Vengeance will be providing tactical support for you . . . a couple of Predators. Otherwise, this is our show."
Shannon and Jamie grinned, pleased to have their own mission.
Friday, February 4th
Leeds, England
The flight had been long and tiring.
Especially for Patrick. His daughter and her friend had chattered non-stop at increasingly loud volumes. It had taken a veiled threat from Amy to settle them both down for the long flight. Ultimately, a meal had shut them both up and after an hour or so, both were dozing in their seats. Patrick was not worried about the mission; the two kids had survived many months on the run, being pursued from one end of the country to the other. It had been a strange match – and American girl and a British boy, thrown together by circumstances. It had been a miracle that both had survived their ordeal.
It was late by the time they had landed and been ferried by car to the Hilton hotel in the centre of the busy northern city.
"Mindy booked us two rooms – I assume you two will want to share?" Patrick asked.
Shannon looked down at Jamie.
"Not the first time," she grinned.
"Behave," Patrick called after the pair as they ran off to find their allotted room.
"Dad! I'm fourteen."
"Exactly."
The following morning
Saturday, February 5th
07:40
Patrick was the first to arrive in the dining room for breakfast.
After ten minutes sipping at his steaming coffee, Jamie appeared looking very grumpy but otherwise clean and tidy.
"Shannon hogged the bathroom," Jamie advised Patrick. "I had to pick the lock so I could have a wee."
"The little dweeb invaded my privacy!" Shannon complained.
"It's not like I haven't seen you naked before," Jamie commented.
"Enough!" Patrick ordered. "Breakfast."
As the two youngsters ate their breakfast, all animosity vanished, and the pair were soon laughing and joking.
..._...
At exactly nine o'clock, Patrick, Shannon, and Jamie stepped into the hotel lobby.
"Hi, Guys!" Shannon exclaimed as she saw three recognisable faces.
"Craig, Kate, David," Patrick said in greeting. "Good morning!"
"We're your British support," David Montgomery grinned. "Brought the kiddie winkles along."
"Dad," Craig complained. "You promised not to embarrass us."
"I never promised anything," David grinned.
The four Predators immediately began exchanging hellos and general gossip, pleased so be together. As the six of them strolled outside, Patrick and David were in discussions about the day's plan of events. David led the group towards a 66-plate Land Rover Discovery.
"We're headed to an industrial complex first," David explained. "We flew down this morning – with Kate at the wheel, no less."
Kate grinned.
"Keira is there with Twilight and Charlie," David added. "Along with another vehicle and weapons."
As they drove through the city, Jamie looked at everything. He missed England, but his home was in Chicago, no matter where he had been born. The boy had noticed that Shannon was a little uneasy with returning back to the country where things had almost gone so very wrong. She grinned down at Jamie, remembering so much that had happened and she was glad that the boy was with her. Indeed, the only one of their former team missing was Abigail.
Shannon was jerked from her memories as they drove into a large industrial unit, just to the north of Leeds-Bradford Airport.
..._...
Standing beside another Land Rover was Keira. As soon as they were inside, Charlotte pressed the button to close the roller shutter.
"Hi, guys!" Charlotte grinned as Shannon and Jamie jumped down from their Land Rover.
"Good to see you, Keira," Patrick said.
"These Predator reprobates causing you problems?" Keira grinned.
"Nothing I can't handle," Patrick chuckled.
"We are not reprobates," Kate pointed out.
"Actually, we are," Craig corrected.
"I suppose," Kate conceded.
"Can I see Twilight?" Jamie asked excitedly.
Keira grinned and she took Jamie out the back to where the black Agusta-Westland AW109LUH helicopter, known as TWILIGHT, sat on the grass surrounded on two sides by large deciduous trees.
"Cool!" Jamie announced. "You flew that?" he asked, looking at Kate.
"I'm still getting to grips with her, but yeah."
"Wow," Jamie commented in genuine awe.
As they returned back inside, Charlotte took charge.
"Weapons are in the back of the Discovery – remember, this is the UK and we don't wear pistol belts. I would suggest a concealed pistol and a couple of spare mags. You both have your creds?"
"Bossy, ain't she!" Shannon growled as she perused the weapons on offer.
"For your information, Charlie, I am as British as your twat, so I don't need to have the UK gun laws explained to me," Jamie pointed out a little too forcefully.
Charlotte looked down at the boy and she glared.
"You are on my turf, runt! You do as I say – you have your creds?"
"Yes," Jamie growled. "I have them – see."
Jamie held out his Security Service ID card as Shannon held out her CIA ID Card.
"Good," Charlotte stated as she put away the unselected weapons.
"Thinks a bit much of herself, doesn't she?" Shannon commented.
"Charlie's trying to figure out where she fits into life," Kate explained. "She wants to be useful and she wants to ensure that she never makes a stupid mistake like when she decided to become a Marauder."
"From what I've heard, you guys have put all that behind you and moved on," Jamie said. "You're even flying for Vengeance."
"We have," Kate confirmed. "I have a Mum and a Dad who care for me and love me. I have a brat for a brother. . ."
"I heard that!" Craig called over.
". . . But I would not change a thing."
"Sorry for being a bitch," Charlotte said. "But I like things to be perfect when I'm in charge of something."
"Not a problem, Charlie," Patrick reassured the young teen. "I find Shannon works best when she sets her bitchiness to max."
"I concur," Jamie quipped. "Only she sets it to max, twenty-four-seven."
Shannon scowled as everybody laughed.
An hour later
Armley, Leeds
11:00
They began with a visit to HM Prison Leeds.
Shannon was unhappy giving up her weapon and leaving it in the Land Rover, but she had no choice. They had arrived in two vehicles: Patrick drove one vehicle with Jamie and Shannon while David drove the other with Kate and Craig. Keira and Charlotte remained with the pre-flighted helicopter, just in case. Their credentials got them past the reception and precluded the normal search. It was not a drop-in visit but had been pre-scheduled the day before. They were ushered into a large conference room with a plush carpet and long mahogany table. A few minutes later, a man was escorted into the room. The prison officer handed the man to Patrick who was growling. Once the prison officer had left the room and closed the door, Patrick turned to the man.
"Hello, Bowyer, long time no see."
..._...
"Hello, Patrick."
"Care to hazard a guess as to why I am here?" Patrick asked in an even tone.
"You're looking for Stephen, I think."
"I understand you have information to trade."
"What's he worth to you?" Bowyer asked as he sat down at the table.
"Not much," Patrick responded.
"Must be quite a bit, or you wouldn't be here," Bowyer pointed out. "I want six years knocked off my sentence."
"Do you, now," David commented as he stepped forward. "Let's make it three and I let you keep your teeth."
Bowyer matched stares with David for a few seconds before he averted his eyes and he nodded.
"If your information is bad," David offered conversationally, "you get nothing off your sentence, and I come back to knock out your lying teeth."
"Sounds fair."
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" David chuckled.
"I'll give you an address in Headingly – bloke by the name of Sam, Sam Smith."
"That moniker an alias, by any chance?" Patrick asked sarcastically.
"Nah – it's real," Bowyer replied. "Trelawn Place, number eighteen. I wouldn't mention me."
"Already thought of that," David growled.
Patrick banged on the door and the prison officer returned.
Trelawn Place
Headingly, Leeds
12:30
The terraced back-to-back properties lined both sides of the road.
At the top of Trelawn Place, the road curved around to join the top of the adjacent Trelawn Avenue. David pulled up on the left, just down from number eighteen over to the right. Patrick continued around onto Trelawn Avenue and parked up. Shannon and Jamie headed around towards Trelawn Avenue and number eighteen while Patrick loitered at the top of Trelawn Place. Kate and Craig dismounted from their Discovery leaving David at the wheel.
"Any sign of movement at the target property?" Patrick asked over their covert, encrypted communications.
Shannon and Jamie walked past number eighteen without openly paying the property any attention. However, both veteran Predators took in a dozen different details as they strolled past.
"TV is on," Jamie muttered.
"There is a single male seated on a sofa," Shannon added.
"We going in soft or hard?" Kate asked.
"I heard you prefer it hard," Craig chuckled.
"David, can I use Craig's head as a door ram, please?" Kate asked.
"Please do," David responded from the Discovery.
"Thanks, Dad!" Craig growled.
They had discussed the options and had decided to go for the soft option. Kate walked up to the front door of number eighteen with Shannon a foot behind her. Jamie stood at the garden gate hiding a large steel tube behind the wall. Jamie nodded and Kate knocked on the door. After a pause, the door opened, and a woman looked out.
"Yes."
"We're looking for Sam Smith," Kate said.
"He's out," the woman replied as she looked around, seeing only Kate, Shannon, and Jamie.
The door was slammed in Kate's face. Kate waved Jamie forward and he hefted the door-opening device up the path and passed it to Kate who deftly swung the ram and smashed the end into the door close to the lock mechanism. The door exploded open and Kate dropped the ram. Feet could be heard racing up stairs while the surprised woman made a vain attempt to slow Kate and Shannon down. Kate shoved the woman backward into the lounge where she fell over the arm of a chair, landing on the floor. Kate pulled her pistol and she pointed it at the woman.
"Security Service, don't move!"
Shannon dove past Kate, jumping over the fallen woman. She raced through a door at the back of the lounge and up a set of narrow stairs. At the top of the stairs, she saw a man vanishing into one of the front bedrooms which was directly over the lounge.
"Stop!" Shannon called out.
..._...
Outside in the Discovery, David had noticed that things were not going well.
However, he was mildly surprised to see the bedroom window on the left of the first floor flying upwards and a man climbing out onto the pitched roof over the lounge's bay window. The man slid down the roof and he dropped onto the ground before kicking Jamie into a hedge and bolting down the pavement. All the time, the man was on his mobile phone which was held to his right ear. The man was closely followed by Shannon who also slid down the roof before dropping down to the ground. The girl bolted after the fleeing man, ignoring the struggling Jamie. David swiftly started the diesel engine and performed a speedy three-point turn. By the time he was facing in the right direction, Kate and Craig were pulling he unfortunate Jamie out of the hedge. Craig had the door ram which he threw into the back of the Discovery before climbing into the back with Jamie while Kate took the front passenger seat.
David accelerated down the street after Shannon and the fleeing man.
..._...
At the end of Trelawn Place, the man turned left before bolting across the busy main road dodging two cars and a motorbike as he went.
Patrick blocked the flow of traffic so Shannon could safely cross Ash Road and continue to pursue the man down Derwentwater Terrace. Patrick followed while David took a right turn onto Ash Road before making a left onto Ash Gardens in an attempt to cut off the fleeing man. However, the man had other ideas.
"He's cutting through into the Sainsbury's carpark," Patrick radioed as he saw the man dive down a narrow alleyway between two houses.
Shannon sprinted after the man as Patrick floored the accelerator to drive around the block and find the man again. Shannon was at peak fitness but there was a limit to how far she could run. As long as she kept the man in sight, she was good, she knew. Then she stopped dead as she saw the man getting into a dark blue Ford Mondeo which had just pulled up. She pulled her pistol and yelled out a warning.
"Security Service, stop!"
Then she saw the driver, and both recognised each other in an instant. As the car accelerated away with a chirp of rubber against asphalt, Shannon resisted the urge to open fire on the driver. Her professionalism allowed her to holster the weapon even as she angrily radioed in her report.
"Smith has jumped into a dark blue Mondeo being driven by the primary, pick me up on North Lane outside Sainsbury's."
Less than a minute later, Patrick stopped beside his angry daughter and he waited for her to climb in before accelerating after the fleeing car.
..._...
As the vehicles sped up North Lane, they dodged the other road users which was not all that easy as both sides of the road had cars parked along it.
"Left, left, left onto A660 Otley Road," Shannon said into the radio as Patrick drove. "Speed forty-five. Index foxtrot bravo one six golf tango yankee."
The girl had an electronic map on the tablet held in her hand and she was commentating for David who was on their tail and for TWILIGHT which had just launched from behind the industrial unit. Keira was at the controls while Charlotte was providing navigation coordination with the teams on the ground. The fleeing Mondeo dodged traffic as it flashed past traffic negotiating a busy road junction. Patrick clocked a West Yorkshire Police BMW 330d saloon parked at the side of the road a short distance ahead, the Mondeo belting past at almost fifty in the residential thirty zone. Before the BMW could pull out, Patrick leaned on the Discovery's horn and swerved around the BMW which had just lit off its roof-mounted blue lights.
"Damn!" Patrick growled.
In the rear Discovery, David swore as he was cut up by the police BMW. Despite their vehicles being government issue, they were only fitted with a dashboard-mounted blue light but no siren or other emergency lighting. David had ensured that the local police had been made aware of their presence in the area, but he had no idea if that knowledge had actually filtered down to the officers on the street.
It had.
Oscar One-Six
The speeding Mondeo had peaked Sergeant Cline's curiosity.
However, being honked at by a pursuing Discovery and then finding another close up his arse reminded the police officer of a notification during the morning's briefing that the Security Service and Special Branch were operating in the area. The notification had advised not to interfere unless called upon. The Discovery on his tail had lit off a dashboard blue light which indicated that the he had indeed stepped into a Secret Squirrel operation which appeared to have degenerated into a vehicle chase through busy streets.
As Cline considered his options, he noticed the Discovery ahead was flashing his left indicator and a hand waved from the driver's window for him to overtake. Cline did so, taking up the pursuit. He noticed both Discovery's keeping pace with him, blue lights flashing. Both registration plates had flagged on his ANPR as government which only confirmed his Secret Squirrel suspicions.
'Bloody suits!' he thought.
Three thousand feet above
Oscar Nine-Nine
The Airbus Helicopters H135 helicopter belonged to the National Police Air Service (NPAS) and was cruising over Leeds when it observed a helicopter lifting off from Leeds-Bradford which had then declared a 0026 transponder squawk code, indicating an aircraft on a military tasking, and they headed in to investigate.
As they closed, the pilot and observer clocked a black helicopter flying a thousand feet below them and they dove to investigate. As they formed up alongside the black-painted Agusta-Westland AW109LUH helicopter, the pilot suddenly realised what he was looking at. The pilot of the black helicopter looked at him through a tinted visor before waving and diving the helicopter.
"As I live and breathe," the pilot muttered as he watched TWILIGHT dive.
"That was Vengeance!" his observer exclaimed rather unnecessarily.
The pilot turned to follow the black helicopter, keeping a safe distance away and five hundred feet above.
On the road
The four-vehicle convoy raced through suburban northern Leeds.
The fleeing Mondeo dodged traffic and errant pedestrians crossing the road. It was a surprise that nobody was getting hurt, or killed, Patrick reasoned. Shannon kept up her commentary for the helicopter and for the Discovery behind them. Ahead, the police BMW was right on the tail of the Mondeo. What was a fairly standard police chase rapidly degenerated as the Mondeo took a hard right up towards the Lawnswood roundabout. The passenger appeared to have moved into the backseat and a pistol was stuck out of the driver's side rear window and two bullets were fired at the pursuing police car.
Oscar One-Six radioed for backup and two Trojan armed response vehicles were dispatched to intercept the chase. The police officer looked up to see a black helicopter flying directly above the fleeing Mondeo before it turned to fly sideways. The side door was slid open and the officer was stunned to see a person appear with a rifle to their shoulder. The rifle was aimed down at the Mondeo, but no shots were fired. The area was too residential, and it was obvious that the helicopter gunner was being careful. However, as the Mondeo sped around the Lawnswood roundabout on the Ring Road, the driver clipped another vehicle, a Kia, before regaining control and continuing to race north. At the roundabout, Patrick took a chance and he accelerated past the police BMW as Shannon brought up her pistol. Half a mile up the dual carriageway, Patrick came abreast the Mondeo and he sideswiped the smaller vehicle, but the driver was highly skilled, and they were quickly able to regain control and avoid Patrick's next sideswipe.
Shannon was able to snap off two rounds into the engine compartment of the Mondeo, but she was annoyed to have missed anything vital as the Mondeo soon accelerated ahead.
..._...
On the open dual carriageway, away from residential properties, Charlotte was able to open fire from her position in TWILIGHT.
With careful sighting, Charlotte fired off three rounds from her Heckler & Koch G36C assault rifle. All three rounds connected with the Mondeo, striking the windscreen but missing the occupants inside. Due to tall trees, Keira heaved up on the collective and nudged the cyclic to encourage TWILIGHT to shift away from the helicopter-killing trees.
High above, Oscar Nine-Nine was astonished by what he and his observer were watching as gunfire was exchanged between the Mondeo, a Discovery, and the black helicopter. The observer was guiding the two Trojan units towards the rapidly developing situation as well as advising interested parties of what was happening second-by-second. Then, the helicopter crew observed what was often the end result of a high-speed pursuit. Below them, the Mondeo appeared to wobble as it swerved past a car which had inadvertently pulled out into its path. Then the wobble turned into a sideways skid before the vehicle flipped over and rolled twice before coming to rest amid an explosion of car components on the grass median which separated the two sections of dual carriageway.
The two Land Rover Discovery 4x4s slewed to a halt a dozen yards from the wreckage with the police BMW close behind.
..._...
Shannon dived out of the 4x4; her pistol raised.
Behind her, her father was doing the very same with his own pistol. Shannon went first with Patrick providing cover for his daughter. Then bullets cracked from the direction of the inverted car wreck and Shannon dove to the tarmac, firing off two rounds in response. David, Kate, Jamie, and Craig were close behind. Craig and Kate each carried a G36C assault rifle purloined from the Discovery's gun case. Automatic gunfire erupted from above as TWILIGHT hovered forty yards to the southwest and Charlotte fired short bursts at the wrecked Mondeo. Somebody crawled from the wreckage and they made a run for it. Jamie and Shannon went after the man who was making for the nearby cemetery. Patrick went after them while David, Kate, and Craig went for the wrecked Mondeo, closing carefully.
Keira and Charlotte circled the area while Charlotte kept an eye on the fleeing man.
..._...
As David, Kate, and Craig closed the inverted Mondeo, various police vehicles began to arrive, including a Volvo ARV.
Two armed police officers appeared, armed with G36C assault rifles and they moved towards the three Vengeance members. While David moved to intercept the two officers, Kate and Craig made for the wrecked Mondeo. As they approached, Kate saw a hand appear with a pistol and snap off around. Kate fired two rounds into the car which caused a scream of pain and for the two armed police officers to aim their assault rifles at the girl, only David shoved his Security Service identification in their faces to prevent anybody getting shot. While Craig kept watch, Kate holstered her pistol and she dove into the wreckage.
It took a few moments for Kate's eyes to adjust to the darker interior, but she was able to see that the passenger was still in his seat – it was Sam Smith. The man was not in a good way. He had sustained injuries in the crash as evidenced by copious amounts of blood spilling down his face from a wound on his forehead. The man also had a bullet wound to his right shoulder – inflicted by Kate. The man was in the early stages of shock and he was shaking. Kate moved to get a better look at the man's injuries and that was when she saw his hands feverishly working on something. Her eyes went wide as she clocked the explosive device.
"Grenade!" she bellowed as she reached down and grasped hold of the device, clamping her hand over the clip which was still in place – the pin was missing.
The man fought to gain control over the grenade before Kate dug a thumb into his bullet wound, causing the man to scream out in pain and cease fighting over the grenade. That was when Kate found that her arm was caught on something within the wreckage. Kate turned her head as she heard scuffling and she saw Craig appear.
"What you got, Katie?"
"Sam here is bleeding badly, but that's not important right now," Kate explained to her brother. "He tried to pull the pin from a grenade but failed. The pin is gone but my arm is stuck under his leg. He's going to have to be removed first."
"Oh, Katie – only you! Stay safe, you hear?"
"I'm good," Kate grinned as her brother scrambled back out of the upturned car.
Kate was left on her own with the groaning Sam Smith. In the distance, she heard the cracks of pistols as Shannon and Jamie cornered their prey. Craig ran to his father and he relayed what Kate had found. David sought out the nearest uniformed officer.
"Security Service!" David announced as he stuck an identity wallet in the young police constable's face. "We need an ambulance, specialist paramedics, fire brigade, and bomb disposal . . . NOW!"
The young officer began talking into his radio, relaying the request.
The Cemetery
Jamie and Shannon were chasing down the fleeing man who, it turned out, was their primary target, Stephen Monroe.
Patrick was racing after his daughter as he figured that she might have ulterior motives for hunting down the ex-Urban Predator instructor. Indeed, Shannon was snapping off rounds in the direction of the fleeing man without any obvious attempts at aiming. Jamie had noticed, too, and he was a little concerned by his friend's demeanour.
"Brings back memories, huh?" Jamie asked conversationally.
"A lot of bad ones," Shannon replied.
"I meant, you and me running around England getting shot at," Jamie tried.
Shannon grinned. "I suppose."
The two Predators moved as a unit, covering each other as they went, pistols aimed at their target. The man had a lot to lose, so he did all he could to make his escape. He had recognised Shannon, so he knew what was coming after him. The man knew the skills of the pair and it was obvious that neither had forgotten anything they had been taught. They used gravestones and trees as cover, moving one at a time, covering each other. No matter what the man did, there was always a pair of eyes on his movements, not to mention the black helicopter clattering around above him. He had a distinct feeling that he had Vengeance after him which would explain the helicopter and the armed people. He did his best, snapping off shots in the direction of his pursuers, but unable to get the time to take an accurate shot.
As his bullets dwindled, he knew that he was a goner. He was being swiftly outflanked and the chances of outrunning the marauding helicopter were somewhere between 'zero' and 'not happening'. Would they take him alive? He knew nothing about the boy, but he knew that the girl would like nothing more than to make him suffer. He had made her suffer on many an occasion, so all was fair, the man supposed. He wanted to live . . . but what life might he have behind bars. He would probably be classified as a child abuser, should what he was ever get out. He had never done anything 'dodgy' with a child, but he had often physically abused the children in his care in a non-sexual manner. That had been his job and he had accomplished the training of the children to the best of his ability.
Yes, he regretted a lot of what he did, but he also felt he had had no choice.
The Mondeo
While Shannon and Jamie were running around in the cemetery, the emergency services were gathering in force – the full primary 999 array.
Fire Service, Police, Ambulance Service – they were all represented. The team required initially was the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). They would work with the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service to address the unique traffic accident. While the local police got to work cordoning off the area and creating a safe zone around the crashed Ford Mondeo, senior members of HART and the Fire Service examined the scene to work out a plan of action which would ultimately save lives without risking anymore. To complicate matters, there was the hand grenade, not to mention an active gun battle underway four hundred yards away to the west.
"I understand we have a unique problem, or so control told us," the Specialist Paramedic stated as she looked up at David who appeared to be the senior person at the scene.
The car was inverted and there were a pair of legs visible, sticking out of the passenger side front window.
"Yeah – the guy's currently unconscious, but he has a live hand grenade and the pin's missing. Those legs belong to my daughter who's got her hands clamped around the grenade, but her arm is stuck."
"Unique – yeah. I'm Rachel, by the way."
"David Montgomery. The girl is Kate."
As Rachel got to her knees, she peered through the windscreen and saw the injured man hanging inverted in his seat. Rachel had been rescuing people from car crashes and more interesting venues for nigh on fifteen years and she was a senior member of the team. As she squirmed in through the shattered rear window on the driver's side, her expert eyes searched for damage and potential dangers for the injured person and her team. Rachel observed that Kate, who appeared to be around sixteen years old, had a compact pistol holster fitted onto the back of her jeans inside of which sat a compact black pistol. Rachel did not comment, knowing that she was dealing with MI5 personnel, and she figured that the others were probably similarly armed.
Due to the grenade, there was very little that could be done until the bomb disposal team arrived, therefore, the Fire Service spent the time stabilising the vehicle while the HART team stabilised the injured man.
The Cemetery
Jamie and Shannon closed on the man from two different directions ensuring that the each did not stray into the other's arcs of fire.
To complicate matters, there had been four civilians in the cemetery – thankfully, they had scattered the very moment the bullets had started to fly. Armed police were working there way in from the far side of the cemetery, ensuring that Stephen Monroe had no avenues of escape, forcing the man to capitulate. Jamie reached him first, levelling his pistol at the former Urban Predator instructor. The man dropped his weapon to the ground and raised his hands to the side.
"Get down on your knees!" Shannon bellowed as she approached, her pistol not wavering a millimetre from the man's torso.
Monroe sank to his knees, his eyes looking anywhere but at Shannon. His time had come, and he knew that ahead of him was a lot of suffering. Shannon strode closer, the muzzle of her pistol never shifting from her former tormentor. Jamie kept one eye on the man as well as his other on Shannon.
"I have waited too damn long for this!" Shannon growled and she pistol-whipped the man across the face.
"Shannon!" Jamie yelled out as Monroe fell to the ground.
However, Shannon holstered her pistol and she rolled the man over just as two armed police officers arrived, their G36C assault rifles at their shoulders.
"Handcuffs!" Shannon ordered and one of the officers handed over the rigid cuffs from his belt.
Shannon handcuffed the man personally before she got up and faced the two officers.
"Take the bastard away," she growled before walking away.
Jamie holstered his own pistol and then ran after his friend.
The Mondeo
The white Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) Bomb Disposal truck slewed to a halt, blue lights flashing.
A female officer jogged across to where Specialist Paramedic Rachel Clarkson stood talking with the senior fire officer and another man while a corporal headed for the wrecked Mondeo.
"Captain Rebecca Hunter – what do we have?"
"We have a traitor to this country who tried to blow himself up with a hand grenade – David Montgomery, Security Service."
"Corporal!"
An RLC Corporal came over.
"Ma'am?"
"The Mondeo – see what we have."
"Yes, ma'am."
..._...
The corporal squirmed on his stomach into the wreckage.
"Hello, there. There's me looking for explosives in a car wreck and I find a stunning young lady instead!"
Kate felt her cheeks heating up and she laughed.
"Damn!" Kate replied. "I forgot my makeup."
The corporal turned serious. "What have you got in your hand, luv?"
"L109A1, 465-grams, loaded with 155-grams RDX explosive and fitted with a 3-4 second fuse. Pin's gone but the spoon's in place"
"Not bad!" the corporal responded, approvingly. "You know your shit! Are you secure? Any chance of the grenade slipping from your hand?"
"Secure and I won't drop it anytime soon."
"Your arm aching?"
"A bit."
"Well, we need to get this sack of shit out first – I gather he's a bad guy."
"The very worst."
..._...
It was a good forty minutes before Kate heard the wrenching of steel as the jaws-of-life tore into the car, swiftly removing the door on the driver's side.
The driver, Sam Smith, was dosed up with drugs and unconscious, allowing him to be easily removed from the wreckage and taken to an ambulance. That simply left Kate and her grenade. Very carefully, the corporal was able to gain access to the explosive device and Kate was finally able to wriggle free of the wrecked vehicle. With the aid of some strategically placed Duct tape, the grenade was rendered safe before being placed inside a protective enclosure and thence into the back of the RLC bomb disposal truck. Kate said goodbye to the corporal and as she turned to speak with David, she saw two police officers bringing Stephen Monroe towards the group. The man was in handcuffs. Ahead of him, walked Shannon and Jamie. Shannon's expression was dark and full of anger, Kate noticed.
"A successful day," Craig commented.
Keira and Charlotte had already left the scene, taking TWILIGHT with them.