Three days later
Saturday
'The Farm'

4:30 A.M.

They came at dawn...

I awoke with a jolt as Jack shook me awake. He explained that the perimeter alarm had been triggered and that he could see trouble advancing on the house, via the CCTV cameras. I noticed that he had his Glock 17, in his right hand. I rapidly jumped out of the bed and pulled on some warm clothes and boots, then I reached under the bed and pulled out a hidden FN Five-seveN Mk 2 pistol and a spare magazine.

"How long has that been there?" Jack asked, with a concerned tone.

"Since we started fighting the Russians, last year; I asked Mindy for it," I replied. "Sorry!"

"Don't be! That was an astute decision; I always saw you as smart!" Jack said with a smile.

I checked the magazine in the pistol and then racked back the slide to chamber a round. Jack led the way out and down the stairs. Natalie was already half way down the stairs and, I was rather surprised to see, armed with an over and under shotgun! As we got to the ground floor (I had issues with calling it the 'first floor'), I could make out the shadows of armed men through the glass on the front door. We headed for the kitchen and the back door, but when we got there, we found shadows beyond that door, too.

..._...

"The basement... We can get out that way... Tunnel to the barn," Jack announced.

"What tunnel?" I asked.

"Did I never tell you?" Jack replied with a chuckle. "I need to keep some secrets, Joshua!"

Just then the men outside assaulted the house. Both doors were smashed open and the men poured in. Natalie opened fire with the shotgun, emptying both barrels, before pushing her way through the door to the basement. Jack and I emptied our pistol magazines at the men, dropping three or four. The men obviously weren't expecting to find us all up and armed; this threw them a bit and they were suddenly disorganised, which gave us time to dive for the basement.

At the bottom of the stairs, we passed Marty's backup command centre installation, which was secured behind a locked, but unarmoured door. I wanted to go and get a Fusion radio, but there was no time. I inserted my only spare magazine, as did Jack. Natalie swiftly reloaded the shotgun with another pair of shells. Jack opened a small door that was easily missed, but which actually led to a tunnel, about five feet high and three feet wide. I urged Jack and Natalie to move, while I opened up a hidden Fusion gun cabinet and pulled out a set of upper-body armour, preloaded with P90 and FN Five-seveN magazines, plus a pair of Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives. I quickly strapped this on and heard men coming down the stairs into the basement. I only had time to shove my pistol into my trousers and grab a P90, before I slammed the gun-safe door closed, thus locking it and pulled back on the P90's cocking lever. The first man appeared at the bottom of the stairs and I fired off a dozen rounds, dropping that man and the man behind, and giving the rest cause to slow their advance; there was no way that they could have expected automatic weapons! I had to give Jack and Natalie time to reach the barn.

"Come on, Josh!" I heard Jack shout.

I fired off a couple more short bursts and then dove for the tunnel, pulling the door shut behind me. I hoped that they might not find it, in the dark. Minutes later, I found a wooden ladder and climbed up to and through a trapdoor that came out in one corner of the dark barn. Jack and Natalie helped me out of the trapdoor, before Jack dropped it closed and we pushed a heavy box on top of it.

I moved towards the locked barn doors and peered out. I could see a pair of SUVs out by the road and several armed men, all equipped with body armour, moving around the exterior of the house. They seemed very organised and competent.

"What now?" I asked Jack. It had suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't picked up my fucking mobile!

"It won't take them long to come and search in here," Jack replied. "We have only seconds."

"I only have two more shells left," Natalie announced. "We need to get you out of here, Joshua!"

"I need to stay to protect you!" I growled back.

"No Josh, we're not all getting out of this. Take your motorcycle and head south..." Jack started, but he was cut off as bullets started to pierce the wood of the barn and Natalie went down with a scream, followed by Jack. I felt two rounds hit my chest armour and I dove for the ground.

"Go, Joshua, go..." Jack said, then his eyes closed and he lay still.

West Ridge

5:00 A.M.

I awoke with a jolt, as my cell rang.

The screen told me that it was Murphy and I also saw the time!

"This had better be fucking good Murphy; it's five o'clock in the fucking morning!"

"CPD's being hit and hit bad... Jack Bay was attacked half an hour ago..." Murphy explained, in a subdued tone.

I sat bolt upright in bed and came fully awake.

"What! When?" I blurted out.

Oh my God, Josh!

"Black clad men attacked four CPD Commanders, at their homes. Commanders of District 8 and District 4 are both dead. Commander District 10 was away, but his family was hit hard. Jack and his wife were taken to hospital with serious injuries. I'm at the scene now; there was a major fire fight and we have almost a dozen dead attackers. I know the Commander had a boy living with him, but there's no sign of the kid..."

I felt like shit inside...

"... Lieutenant Williams will be here in minutes to take over the scene. I'm sorry Hit Girl, I know that you and the Commander were close. We have men out searching the area for the boy. As soon as I know more, I'll contact you." Murphy finished.

"Thanks, Murphy!"

..._...

Several minutes later my cell rang, just as I was getting dressed and so was Dave. It was Marcus.

"Have you heard?" Marcus asked, without any preamble.

"Yes, Murphy called. Where are you?" I asked.

"I've just arrived at the Farm; it's a damn mess. I can see six dead bodies from here... There are more bodies in the house. I've checked the barn; Josh's motorcycle is gone and there are tracks heading south. Mindy, the tracks are not just motorcycle tracks; he was pursued by what look to be a set of SUV tyres, too..." Marcus explained, before trailing off.

I knew how much Marcus cared for Josh; it was almost as much as he cared for me.

"Marcus, check the gun-safe, in the basement - you know the code..."

I heard Marcus heading into the house and down some stairs. Then the electronic beep of a code being entered and the buzz of the lock.

"Is there a P90 on the left hand side?" I asked, tentatively.

"No."

"Then he's armed. He'll have taken his armour, too!"

"That would account for the dead men in the basement!" Marcus commented, dryly.

"Oh God!" I said.

"Mindy, you trained him well. He's a bright kid, we'll find him!" Marcus said. "I... Hold on..."

I heard chatter in the back ground, then Marcus came back on the phone. He sounded like he was running.

"Neighbours have reported gun fire a couple miles from here, about ten minutes ago. I'm on my there now."

Two miles south of The Farm

4:50 A.M.

I was in a lot of pain.

When Jack and Natalie had been shot, I had unlocked the motorcycles with my keys, which were in my trouser pockets, thank goodness! I grabbed my helmet from a rack and pulled it on, then I climbed on to the motorcycle, started the engine and waited a few seconds as I heard the barn doors rattling and then the doors being opened. I loosed a burst of rounds, then clipped the P90 to my armour and accelerated out the door. My burst of gunfire had caused the armed men to dive for cover. I saw a total of about six men on the ground as I roared off, heading south towards the track where Mindy had taken us for off-road training. I couldn't see very much and had no lights, so I took extra care and tried to avoid being too reckless. I was scared, very scared and I wished Mindy was with me, to guide me. I hadn't a clue what to do, except to run. But where was I going to run to? I had no communications, but at least I could protect myself. I took a quick glance behind me and saw an SUV, headlights blazing, coming after me.

Oh, shit!

I just needed to hold out until help arrived.

I first headed south-east for about five hundred yards, then turned south for another five hundred yards, before I came to a fence. To the east was an open, ploughed field which was no good as it would then leave me exposed to the pursuing SUV and the men inside, instead I stopped the motorcycle behind some dense bushes and I turned off the engine.

I saw the lights of not one, but two SUVs, heading towards me. I checked the P90 and ensured that I had a fully loaded magazine fitted. I had one more magazine left, plus three spare magazines for the Five-seveN.

Unfortunately for me these guys were also well equipped. The first SUV stopped twenty yards away, with the second moving about twenty yards to my left of the first SUV, before stopping. Two men climbed out of the first SUV and started to scan the area. There was something not right about the silhouettes and then it hit me, the men were equipped with Night Vision Goggles!

I wondered if they were image intensifying or infra-red…

I got my answer, as automatic gunfire ripped through the bushes near the motorbike with the hot engine. I had to move and fast… I jumped back on the motorcycle and fired off a dozen rounds as I kick started the motorcycle. Thankfully it started on the first kick and I accelerated away from the bushes, heading west for about a hundred yards, where I found the river then turned south again.

I kept going for another three hundred and sixty yards before I came off the bike and fell into a ditch; I must have skidded on a muddy patch of ground. The SUVs had closed and instead of getting back on the bike, I dumped my helmet and crawled deeper into the ditch, which was where I was now. I had a big bruise on my right hip, where I had landed on a rock and I also noticed a stinging sensation in my lower left back. When I reached behind me, my hand came back wet, with blood.