AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please note that this book contains violent scenes. Brace yourself for a heart-pumping chapter as a terrorist attack unfolds. To be clear, I denounce all acts of terrorism and do not promote them. My love for my country runs deep; as a British patriot, I cherish our traditions and culture. It's just a work of fiction :)
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Three: Terror Strikes London
Wednesday, 10 October, 2007
Stirling Lines
Credenhill
United Kingdom
The forceful clack of Sarah's boots thundered down the corridor, a resounding declaration of her determination as she paced towards the situation room on her base.
Eight days had passed since she started her journey as an SAS trooper.
Sarah had made no further mistakes, and she felt she was gradually earning the respect of her teammates through her hard work and resolve. She had also forged a strong bond with Chuck, who consistently demonstrated his caring and friendly nature.
Chuck had already helped Sarah a lot. She felt eternally grateful towards him for that because he had been the major driving force behind aiding Sarah to settle into her new career and move past her mistake on her first day.
For the past few days, Sarah, Chuck and the rest of Red Team had absorbed themselves in rigorous training exercises.
Red Team had been honing their advanced driving skills for most of the day when the simultaneous buzzing of their pagers brought their training to an abrupt halt.
They'd received word from command about a developing situation, so Red Team made their way to the situation room, with Mobility Troop being one of the two troops stood to for potential action.
Stepping into the situation room, Sarah's eyes darted around the space from person to person, establishing who was in attendance, while capturing the visual overload of information and the mechanical hum of the sophisticated equipment.
Colonel Philip Wood, the Commanding Officer of 22 Regiment, was in attendance, along with every member of her troop.
Sarah scanned the room again, taking in the sight of soldiers and officers all fixated on a large television and multiple secondary monitors, while an unmistakable pang of tension lingered in the air.
A live BBC News feed was being broadcast on the big TV in the room, seemingly showing London.
Being a London native, she was intimately familiar with the city's nooks and crannies.
Sarah's eyes met a soldier from Blue Team. "What's going on?"
The soldier's drooping shoulders and distant gaze revealed a heavy heart burdened by events unfolding. "There's been a terrorist attack in the Centre of London. Someone has just blown themselves up at Piccadilly Circus tube station…"
"Oh my god!" Sarah's eyes widened in horror, her breath catching in her throat as she recoiled in shock. She could feel the instant rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins simultaneously, aware that her team might be called to take action and neutralize the threat if the attack was sophisticated.
"Yeah. Fucking bastards! The CO has just told us that COBR (The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms) is meeting immediately. The briefing is being chaired by the Home Secretary to plan their response. It looks like a gun battle, and a hostage situation is unfolding at a secondary location at a shopping centre in Hammersmith and Fulham in West London-"
"Yeah. I know the area. I'm from around there," she said, pausing and letting out a heavy, melancholic sigh. "Do you have any more information?"
"Not much. It's a real-time situation. Everyone is scrambling to find out what the fuck is going down. All I know is that the location is the Westfield London shopping centre. It looks like an unknown number of terrorists have stormed the shopping centre and begun shooting. We're still waiting for confirmation that they're wearing explosive vests, but we're pretty sure they are," the soldier said.
Sarah's eyes filled with tears as she absorbed the harrowing details of the attack on her country, her heart weighed down by the gravity of each word. "Are the attacks linked to each other?"
The soldier nodded fiercely. "Oh, undoubtedly. It seems to be a coordinated set of attacks. We'll probably deploy to the scene. You've only been in the Reg for a few days, and you're already getting something big. I hope you're ready. It's OK if you're-"
"I'm ready. Tonight's attack is why I volunteered. Our country is under attack. I'm here to stop bastards like these," she interjected with absolute conviction.
The soldier expressed his approval with a nod and a smile. "I'm glad to hear that! Good luck tonight if I don't see you again. Joe Lewis, by the way," the soldier said, offering out his hand.
With a confident stride, Sarah extended her hand towards him, eager to build relations with her comrades. "Sarah Walker. And good luck to you, too."
As her comrade walked away, she stood fast, focusing on the large television inside the situation room.
Soon, the anchor hosting the special live report appeared on the air.
"This is BBC News at 9pm. From the heart of the capital, we are witnessing a highly complex terrorist attack on the United Kingdom unfolding right before our eyes. Ever since the London Bombings two years ago, the country has been on high alert. It now appears we are facing yet another tragic mass casualty event. There is limited information available on who might be responsible for this. All that is certain is that, within the last half hour, an alleged suicide bomber has attacked Piccadilly Circus tube station. Eyewitnesses at the scene have confirmed to us that a massive explosion occurred at the scene, and eyewitnesses have reported that there are many casualties and almost certainly fatalities. We don't have any numbers to bring you right now. There have also been reports of loud bursts of gunfire at a separate location at the Westfield London shopping centre. As you will probably already know, the shopping centre is one of the most frequently visited shopping centres in the country. Armed Police are responding to both locations and will undoubtedly be stretched thin, with a distance of five miles between the incidents. Our next guest is Emma Bunting, who is currently at Piccadilly Circus station and will share her eyewitness account."
"Bastards!" Sarah's lips trembled as she released a hushed curse, barely audible to anyone nearby.
After a moment, Sarah tore her gaze away from the television screen and made her way over to Red Team, huddled together in a corner of the situation room. Upon arrival, she scanned her team, noting their expressions.
Her unit crackled with anger, fists clenched and faces flushed with rage, their voices muttering curses, the tension in the room suffocating.
She felt the same.
"They don't want to fucking negotiate. 7/7, Madrid, and 9/11 proved that. They are just there for mass casualties. Hostage bargaining is a thing of the past. Times are changing!" Cole Barker muttered, his voice sharp and biting with anger.
Nods of agreement rippled through the team, including Sarah.
"Then what the fuck are we delaying for?" Bryce asked, his head shaking in disbelief. "Why aren't we being sent in?"
Sarah focused on the response, blocking out all other noises and distractions in the situation room.
"Approval has to come from the Home Secretary. They won't call us in until the Home Secretary has given COBR approval," Chuck said, glancing at both Bryce and Sarah, with them being new to this, providing clarity on their rules of engagement.
"That's fucked up!" Bryce shouted, his patience wearing thin. "We should be on our way there right now to neutralise the fuckers!"
Sarah's resounding nod signalled her complete alignment with the rest of her team, all in agreement.
"That's politics for you, mate!" John Murray uttered sarcastically, his voice dripping with distaste.
Three minutes later
The aides of the Regimental CO began clamouring for attention, while the elite operators of Mobility Troop and Mountain Troop stood ready, captivated by the footage unfolding in the situation room.
"Heads up," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said with authority, shooting a glance around the team.
In a matter of seconds, the situation room transformed from a cacophony of noise to an eerie silence.
"I'm still waiting for the call to come in to deploy. COBR is meeting as we speak. They're planning out their response. Mobility Troop, I want you geared up and ready for if the call comes in. If it does, then it's your show. Mountain Troop, you're to remain on immediate standby for any secondary attacks," Colonel Wood commanded.
As soon as Colonel Wood gave the order, Mobility Troop scrambled out of the situation room to gear up for deployment to their nation's capital.
Twenty minutes later
Mobility Troop reentered the situation room, dressed in full assault gear, anxiously waiting for the Home Secretary's approval to deploy to London.
Four AgustaWestland AW109 helicopters were on standby, their engines idling, ready to transport Mobility Troop at a moment's notice.
With nothing else to occupy her, Sarah found herself fixated on the large television where the BBC news anchor was delivering the latest news.
"We're still live with you in Central London, and in the last few moments, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they are now dealing with an active situation at a third location. The Metropolitan Police have confirmed reports of gunfire at a music concert in Hackney-"
Sarah's attention snapped away from the news report as the Regimental CO commanded the floor again.
"Right, that's it! Mobility Troop, you have the green light! The Home Secretary wants an end to this. The attack is extremely well-coordinated and sophisticated and occurring in multiple locations. CO19 (Armed Metropolitan Police) is stretched too thin to deal with three active locations and at least seven armed hostiles with explosive vests and assault rifles. They have requested our expertise to nullify the threat. It's over to you now, Captain Wallace," Colonel Wood said to a room filled with almost forty people, but you wouldn't know that because right now, you could hear a pin drop inside the situation room as they listened intently to their CO.
"Sir," Captain Wallace said with an approving nod before addressing the soldiers under his command. "Right then! Let's mount up! We'll be apprised of more in the air and discuss deployments on the way! But I want to be wheels up and in the air RIGHT NOW!" the Captain shouted to his soldiers as Mobility Troop scrambled out of the situation room to embark into the four waiting helicopters provided to them by No. 658 Squadron Army Air Corps...
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Sarah's grip tightened on her weapon as she stared out of the AgustaWestland AW109 helicopter, her eyes burning with determination to stop the terrorists responsible for the attack occurring in London.
ETA for the four mobile AW109s transporting the two crack SAS teams to arrive at their destination in the capital was thirty-five minutes.
The SAS had customised the four helicopters to facilitate the rappelling from the aircraft if necessary.
The other soldiers on this helicopter with Sarah were Corporal Chuck Bartowski, Trooper Bryce Larkin, and Staff Sergeant MacDonald.
The rest of Sarah's team, comprising Sergeant Cole Barker, Trooper Hughes, Trooper Murray and Trooper Thomas, were being transported on a second AW109 as the AW109 could carry a maximum load of six passengers.
Captain Wallace was also present. He was in one of the AW109s transporting Blue Team to the incidents.
Sarah and her teammates exchanged glances, their faces etched with resolve, their minds focused on psyching themselves up, realizing the gravity of the critical mission and the enormous stakes that lay ahead.
Out of nowhere, their O.C.'s voice filled the airwaves. "I'm liaising with command and control back at Hereford. Staff Sergeant MacDonald, we want your team to take over the incident at the Westfield London shopping centre. Gunfire is still occurring there. Armed police units are presently engaged in a gun battle. They are not attempting to contain or defuse the situation until we arrive, as the terrorists have no intention of doing so. Liaise the location with your pilots. You'll have the location on your GPS."
"Boss," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said in acknowledgement.
The O.C. soon appeared back on their communications channel. "I'll be deploying with Blue Team. I will set up base near the concert venue in Hackney and will control the operations on the ground. Gunfire hasn't occurred from the location in a short while. The venue seems to have turned into a hostage situation, so the Armed Police attending this location are attempting to contain the situation until we arrive. Blue Team will have control of the situation as we have already received the green light for both teams to take immediate command and to disperse police units in the immediate area of the attacks however we see fit once we're on the ground."
Captain Wallace then went off the air after completing his apprisal.
As Mobility Troop soared towards the unknown, Sarah's heart raced in her chest, a blend of adrenaline and anxiety. "Just how big is this operation?!" she shouted above the thundering racket of the helicopter blades overhead, the deafening noise drowning out any sense of calm.
"It's the biggest counter-terror operation I have ever been part of. There are three active locations!" Chuck shouted back.
SSgt MacDonald nodded.
"How the fuck did an attack this big go unnoticed by the intelligence agencies?!" Bryce bellowed, his head shaking violently, his face flushed with fury over the attack unfolding on the United Kingdom.
"It's not our place to judge, trooper! Our only concern is to save lives and to send the terrorists to an untimely death!" SSgt MacDonald shouted back.
Chuck gave an immediate nod.
A few minutes later
The four AW109s continued their charge to the capital to deal with the terrorist incidents inside London when Captain Wallace came on air again.
"I am receiving information from command back at Hereford," the OC paused briefly. "Armed Police at the incident at Westfield London shopping centre have put an end to it! Tactical armed police units have stormed the centre, shot dead two X-rays, and a third blew himself up!"
"Good riddance!" Chuck's voice thundered with fury and venom as his words pierced through the communications channel, leaving no room for doubt about his seething anger. If there was one thing Chuck hated most, it was a terrorist seeking to hurt others who had done nothing towards them to merit such barbarity.
In a display of solidarity, Bryce and Staff Sergeant MacDonald nodded, their anger burning just as fiercely as Chuck's.
"Are we still heading to the scene, boss?" Staff Sergeant MacDonald then asked on comms.
"No. You're being rerouted. Inform your pilot that you will insert at the concert venue to join up with Blue Team instead."
"Boss," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
A few minutes later
"Heads up," Captain Wallace interrupted the brief silence, appearing on comms again. "Command has just informed me of another active situation," he said, then paused, allowing the information to register with his soldiers.
"Fucking hell!" Chuck's exclamation of shock reverberated off the air, appearing above the helicopter blades with his loud voice. "These scumbags aren't messing around! They want a fight, and they're determined to have one!"
"They'll have one, mate, because we'll fucking give it to them!" Bryce shouted back.
Chuck's jaw clenched, his nod of agreement sharp and forceful, a fire full of purpose burning in his eyes—just like every other soldier aboard the AW109s right now.
Captain Wallace continued. "There have just been around fifty 999 calls near Borough Market, Southwark, London. It's almost certainly another phase of their attack. Staff Sergeant MacDonald, I'm rerouting Red Team to the area to neutralise the threat. Liaise with your pilot."
"Boss," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said, his voice firm before he stood and strode with purpose straight into the cockpit.
Sarah exchanged a nervous glance with Chuck and Bryce, their eyes reflecting the shared tension and rising anger amongst the whole unit.
"What the hell is going on, Chuck?!" she asked, desperately seeking guidance from her seasoned teammate, her worry and fear for the safety of their fellow compatriots in London growing.
His shoulders slumped as he shrugged, his despondent state clear. "Beats me."
"Dozens of people are going to be killed!" Sarah seethed, her eyes flashing with fury.
With the anger now unlocked inside her, in a sudden fit of rage, she pounded her fist into the helicopter seat, the searing pain in her knuckles mirroring the turmoil in her heart as she comprehended the grim reality of her country's sustained terrorist attack.
Post action, she locked eyes with Chuck and Bryce; the trio sharing a radiating anger that crackled like electricity between them.
"Motherfuckers!" Bryce soon exclaimed, emulating Sarah's actions as he slammed his fist into another part of the helicopter.
Chuck, meanwhile, remained steady, but he was just as livid as his teammates.
A minute later
The Staff Sergeant, now returned to his seat, was keeping a watchful eye over his team members—especially the rookies—when Sergeant Cole Barker appeared on their communications channel. "How are we getting down there, Chris? Are we landing the birds?"
"No bloody chance! We can't risk the birds. We're rappelling. Start setting up your harnesses. ETA, ten minutes!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Two minutes later
The soldiers aboard the four AW109 helicopters were on edge, anxiously fidgeting with their gear to calm their nerves and stem their anger. Just then, their commanding officer's voice crackled over the communications channel.
"I'm receiving information from Hereford that five armed X-rays are still in the vicinity of Borough Market. Armed Police are responding."
"Save the bastards for us!" Bryce's voice quivered with a threatening undertone.
"Calm down, trooper! Keep your emotions in check, or it will cloud and impair your judgement," the extremely experienced Staff Sergeant MacDonald ordered.
Two minutes later
"Five minutes to location, fellas!" the pilot shouted to Sarah, Chuck, Bryce and Chris.
"ETA, five minutes till overhead, boss," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said into the com channel.
"Affirmative. Good luck," Captain Wallace said.
Two minutes later
Captain Wallace came on air again. "Hereford has relayed that the five X-rays from Borough Market are involved in a heavy firefight with police. They've fled north toward London Bridge. Numerous armed police units are on the scene, attempting to set up a cordon to lock them in place until we arrive."
"Affirmative," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
"Staff?" Sarah called out suddenly, glancing at Staff Sergeant MacDonald.
"Yes, Walker?" the SSgt asked, meeting her glance.
"I know this area. There's a junction just south of the bridge, about two hundred metres. It's between Southwark Street and Borough High Street and is a perfect location to insert!" she suggested.
While Chuck and Bryce began mulling over her suggestion, the Staff Sergeant meticulously examined his GPS, his fingers tapping on the screen.
"Good shout, Walker!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald said after a moment, completing his actions, nodding in approval at her. "Cole, we're fast-roping two hundred metres south of the bridge at the junction between Southwark Street and Borough High Street. We will advance north from there to confront X-rays. Apprise your pilot of our final insertion location."
"Affirmative," Cole said.
One minute later
With just two minutes to go, Red Team braced themselves for the high-pressure situation they were about to face in their mission to kill the terrorists rampaging through the streets of London.
The whole team stood at attention on their helicopters, the only sound coming from the steady thump of the rotor blades as they approached the area of operations.
Without warning, Staff Sergeant MacDonald's firm grip locked onto Sarah and Bryce, startling them.
"Remember! Speed, Aggression, Surprise! Check your corners! Treat anyone on that fucking ground as a potential hostile! The bastards are all over London tonight!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald guided the rookies.
Sarah and Bryce nodded, their heads fully in the game, razor-sharp and locked in.
They spent her last moments psyching themselves up one last time as they double-checked that their harnesses were in place before they verified that all of their pouches remained in position and that all of their gear was stuck in place.
One by one, after being satisfied with their preparations, Red Team took deep breaths and counted down the time until they would enter combat.
Ninety seconds later
The sound of the AW109s hovering announced Red Team's arrival over the target location.
As the helicopter doors opened, the team wasted no time in making their move to insert and kill the enemy.
Red Team descended from their helicopters onto the chaotic streets of London, ready to confront the rampaging terrorists.
Their fingers tightened around the ropes as they heard the sporadic bursts of sustained automatic gunfire below.
With a loud thud, the team of eight hit the ground, their synchronised movements showing rigorous military training and precision as they entered a parallel formation.
Now on the ground, the unit observed dozens of civilians running and screaming around their vicinity to escape the terrorists.
The chaos of the streets was overwhelming, with dozens of emergency sirens blaring and rapid gunfire accompanying the screams of the terrified British public.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
"Red Team on the ground. Advancing to London Bridge," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said calmly into the communications channel as his team advanced north to meet the gunfire head-on.
"Affirmative. Red Team on the ground and advancing to London Bridge," Captain Wallace replied as he continued to take control of the operation.
"BRITISH ARMY! KEEP YOUR FUCKING HANDS UP!" Big Dan's hostile warning tone echoed through the street as the team kept their sights trained on the unknown bodies running past them from every direction.
Red Team, maintaining their formation, continued to advance for a few moments longer until an unfamiliar individual came barreling towards Chuck.
The unit froze in place as Chuck and Jamie took steps forward, lining up their rifles at the unidentified.
"BACK AWAY! WE DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE!" Chuck screamed in warning, his finger on the trigger directly aiming at the individual.
The unknown obeyed the instructions and backtracked away from the soldier, his heart pounding with fear. He scurried off to the side, his eyes looking back fixed on the team as they advanced up the street toward the enemy.
With the potential threat behind them, Red Team continued to advance meter by meter when their O.C. came on air again. "Police are actively exchanging fire with them on the bridge. They've cordoned off the bridge's northern end and have them sandwiched, but have taken multiple casualties."
"We can hear it," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said as they continued to advance.
"Fuck me! There are so many fucking angles and potential X-rays running right past us!" Bryce exclaimed as Red Team headed under an underpass with train tracks above them and scores of civilians running all around them.
Surrounded by a whirlwind of bedlam with screams and sirens originating from every direction, the team couldn't help but feel an excessive amount of unease settle over them.
Red Team was attempting to keep and maintain trigger discipline until they encountered the confirmed terrorists, which was not a straightforward task with the chaos that was occurring in front of their eyes all around them.
Still, it exemplified the highest degree of training they'd each received.
"BRITISH ARMY! KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!" Cole Barker suddenly barked out as the team continued to advance.
The soldier's terrifying demeanour made everyone in the area comply with his commands.
"Are we clearing the Market, Chris?" John Murray asked, his horrified glance fixed towards the market.
Sarah's eyes flicked to the left, where the entrance to the market stood.
The sight of her fallen countrymen sprawled on the ground near the market struck her with an overwhelming force as if a ton of bricks had landed on her. This abhorrent sight not only intensified her anger but also fueled her unyielding desire to confront and exterminate the barbaric terrorists.
"No. The last reported contact of the terrorists was them at the bridge, so we're confronting the fuckers head-on, on that fucking bridge!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald said as the team continued to advance.
"There are casualties all around us," Sarah, her voice filled with complete shock and horror, echoed through the communication channel.
"No time to stop for them, trooper," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
"I know," Sarah said, training her sights on anything that moved as the team continued to advance in close formation.
The bridge was now becoming more visible to the unit, emerging from the landscape before them.
Because Sarah was the furthest to the left, she would be the last to have a full view of the bridge.
Cole would be the first to see it as he was the furthest right, followed by Chuck, then Jamie Hughes, then John Murray, then Staff Sergeant MacDonald, then Bryce, then Big Dan, and finally, Sarah.
From Sarah's perspective, she could now make out two distinct BMW X5 police cars about sixty meters in the distance.
They were unattended, and they were the police cars that the Metropolitan Police were phasing into their Armed Response Vehicle units.
With each step, Sarah and the team gained a clearer view of the bridge, while the unmistakable odour of gunpowder filled the air. Suddenly, amidst this backdrop, Cole's voice broke through their communication channel.
"THREE X-RAYS NINE O CLOCK!" he barked out, discharging a burst from his long barrel C8 carbine.
Chuck, armed with an identical rifle, swiftly joined in, targeting the same enemy.
In a rapid and seamless display of their exceptional skills, half of the crack unit clicked and took off in a sprint towards strategic positions to engage with the enemy, while Jamie, Dan, Bryce and John paused, unleashing an immediate barrage of suppressive fire.
The thunderous roar of the crack SAS unit's gunfire shook the narrow street, each bullet fired fueling their rage against the scrambling for cover terrorists.
"Red Team contact! London Bridge! Three X-rays at the southernmost entrance to the bridge are in position behind multiple vehicles!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald barked into comms, pausing in place along with Sarah, Chuck and Cole as they discharged bursts from their rifles in the enemy's vicinity to keep them suppressed.
"Affirmative," Captain Wallace said, who then relayed the information to Hereford, who was liaising with the Metropolitan Police over the SAS's current movements and positions to avoid a friendly fire incident.
After a moment, the four teammates heard the cries of their four teammates in the rear, "Coming through!" they each bellowed, Bryce, Dan, Jamie and John soon sprinting ahead several yards as the first four covered their advance.
Bryce, Dan, Jamie and John then stopped, discharging their rifles to cover the advance of their teammates now in the rear.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Staff Sergeant MacDonald screamed battle instructions to Chuck, Cole and Sarah as the elite SAS operators continued charging forward to advance and kill the enemy.
While half of the elite team dashed ahead again, the other half rained down an intense barrage of gunfire onto the location of two cars at the westernmost side of the southern entrance of the bridge, creating a cacophony as the elite soldiers unleashed hell on the enemy without quarter, covering the rapid advance of their teammates.
The terrorists, with no option but to take cover, knew they now had a real battle on their hands against the determined and highly elite SAS unit.
Sarah came to a final stop in a battle position behind a red double-decker bus, her muscles burning from the exhaustive combat sprint. From her position on the left, she squinted into the distance in search of the enemy, but her line of sight was obstructed.
Staff Sergeant MacDonald had taken up position on the opposite side of her and was peeking out from behind the bus on the right side, discharging a burst toward the bridge to cover his advancing teammates in the rear and to keep the enemy suppressed to protect the British public.
"One X-ray down!" Chuck suddenly appeared on comms.
Sarah darted back into cover to glance over to where Chuck and Cole took a forward stance behind an abandoned Ford Focus GHIA about twenty yards away.
Chuck and Cole were exchanging heavy rapid-fire at a target that was out of her line of sight, the echoes of the sustained automatic gunfire bouncing off the surrounding buildings as they covered the advance of their remaining teammates from their most forward positions.
"Coming through!" Jamie and Big Dan, two of the team who'd rained down an intense barrage of fire to cover their team's initial advance, shouted, arriving to take up positions in the battle lines.
In a fierce fight to the death, the SAS unit and terrorists exchanged relentless volleys of gunfire as more and more emergency sirens arrived in the area, creating a deafening environment.
"Fuck! I need a better vantage!" Sarah cursed, so desperately wanting to help her teammates engage with the terrorists.
She decided to break cover, dashing to her left to take up position behind an abandoned Audi A4.
"Coming through!" Bryce and John Murray shouted in sync, arriving close to her position, having suppressed the enemy during the initial action.
Staff Sergeant MacDonald darted back into cover, his glance connecting to Bryce and John's position as they took rounds from the terrorists. "Get down!" he commanded, instructing his teammates to take cover.
"One X-ray down!" Cole shouted into comms.
Sarah took Cole's report as a sign to come out of hiding and zeroed in on the contact's location with her sights.
From this vantage point, she had a clearer view and could make out a figure in the distance holding a rifle and aiming towards Bryce and John's position, both of her teammates now in cover.
Filled with rage, she aggressively aligned herself and her weapon, her eyes burning with fury, before unleashing a burst on her target stood sixty meters away. Her eyes stayed locked on her target as she pulled the trigger, sending a burst that hit him and caused him to collapse onto the ground behind the vehicle.
"One X-ray down!" she shouted immediately, but she didn't even have time to think as her team leader was on comms again.
"ADVANCE!" he commanded as the crack SAS team broke cover and charged with fervour towards where they had just engaged the terrorists to ensure they had neutralised them and they were no further threat to the team or the members of the public.
Sarah's eyes bulged in disgust, her breath catching in her throat, as she advanced, her gaze fixated on the lifeless bodies scattered on the ground.
She arrived at the BMW X5 police car in a hurry, her eyes meeting the lifeless stares of two armed officers.
With her gut sinking—but no time to mourn the loss of her countrymen falling in the line of duty in service of their country—she continued past the vehicle, a newfound determination raging within her to kill the enemy.
The first two to arrive at the position of the three terrorists, Staff Sergeant MacDonald and Bryce, wasted no time in unleashing a hail of bullets on their bodies.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
"One of them fucking bastards was still alive," Bryce's words dripped with malice as he addressed the entire team, their faces contorted with rage at the enemy's barbarity.
"Good riddance," John Murray said as he surveyed the surrounding situation and saw multiple fatalities, just like Sarah had.
"Two X-rays still unaccounted for," Captain Wallace said on comms.
"What are we doing, Chris? Are we advancing onto the bridge to hunt them out?" Cole asked.
"I'm worried about being flanked or stabbed in the back," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said, then entered the briefest of thought. "I'll fortify and secure this location with Jamie, Dan, and John. You take Chuck, Bryce and Sarah and advance onto the bridge and root out those two X-rays on the bridge."
"Affirmative," Cole said. "Let's move!"
Sarah advanced upon receiving the instruction, tightening her formation closely with Chuck, Bryce, and Cole.
Dozens of deserted cars littered the bridge, catching the attention of the small squad of four as they progressed.
As Sarah scanned her surroundings, her brain worked overtime to detect any potential dangers.
Without warning, a mysterious figure suddenly materialised from behind a car, their fingers gripping something.
As soon as she saw him, Sarah's aim was laser-focused, but Chuck beat her to the punch and fired first at the terrorist.
Discharging a burst, Chuck engaged the X-ray, causing the body to crumple and disappear behind a nearby car.
"X-ray down! Continuing to advance!" Chuck said into comms.
"Affirmative. X-ray down. Continuing advance," Captain Wallace said.
The small team continued advancing on the bridge.
With precision and efficiency, Cole and Chuck fired further rounds into the X-ray that Chuck had neutralised, their training and standard operating procedure towards a hostile threat clear in their actions.
Moving past the deceased X-ray, they continued the hunt for the final terrorist until they were more than halfway across the bridge.
The northern end of the bridge came into view, and Sarah could see the flashing lights of five police cars. Armed police were on the scene, cordoning off the area with weapons raised.
The bridge was a chaotic scene as people scrambled out of their cars and onto the pavement.
Hidden beneath the cars, Sarah could make out the shapes of people crawling out from their hiding places.
The small team of four meticulously scanned everybody on the bridge, treating each one as the potential fifth X-ray.
It was incredibly hard for them to crowd control right now because of how many people were appearing.
They continued to advance in close formation for a second or two more until Cole raised his hand into the air and signalled to stop. "The fifth X-ray will not be any further north. If there is still a fifth terrorist active, then we've gone past them, and they're hiding and blending in somewhere on the bridge."
"Agreed," Chuck said.
Sarah and Bryce nodded.
"Let's head back south and see if we can root them out if they're still alive. We're going to have to vet everyone on this fucking bridge, probably!" Cole said anxiously, with the implications of his words now clear on the battle-hardened SAS operator's face.
"We're heading back south, Chris. One potential X-ray is outstanding. They could be blending in on the bridge, or we've gone past them in the market," Chuck apprised the Staff Sergeant.
"Affirmative. We now have a dozen armed police at the bridge's southern end. I will have them keep a cordon, and we'll advance north slowly, vet anyone we see, and meet you halfway," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
"Copy that," Chuck said.
The small team turned to double back, training their sights on every unidentified civilian appearing in great numbers.
The civilians were likely thinking that the area was now safe for them to flee, having encountered the crack special forces team that was not shooting at them.
"EVERYONE, STOP MOVING! DON'T YOU FUCKING MOVE!" Cole screamed suddenly to around twenty people moving all around the team as Sarah and the rest of her unit suddenly became very anxious.
"We need to check and clear this group one by one and place them in a secure spot." Cole paused as his glance connected to one section of the bridge. "We'll place them over there," he said, pointing at the westernmost side of the bridge on the pedestrian sidewalk.
Sarah, Chuck, and Bryce nodded as they followed their teammate's instructions.
"British Army! Don't you move!" Sarah commanded as she trained her sights on the first person she was going to vet. He was a middle-aged European man.
"Ok!" he said with a London accent.
Sarah could tell by his body language and tone that he was petrified. Continuing to train her sights on him, she continued to relay her commands of what she expected from him. "Open your coat and shirt, but slowly!" she warned.
The male in question nodded as he lowered his arms and opened his coat, followed by his shirt. He appeared to be clean. Sarah then walked up to him, patting him for weapons whilst her teammates were doing the same thing to other civilians in the small team's vicinity.
With that civilian she had vetted now being clear, she commanded, "Stand over there! And don't move!" as she pointed to the agreed, secure location.
"Yes, ok! Thank you for helping us! Oh my god, I thought we were all going to die!" he said, feeling profoundly elated and thankful to be safe.
But Sarah ignored his words.
They didn't even register with her as her gaze had already shifted to the next person needing to be vetted and scrutinised.
"British Army! I need to vet you for weapons!" Sarah commanded as she trained her sights on another middle-aged man.
"Yes, of course!" the man said in a terrified frame of mind as his arms remained raised in the air.
"Open your jacket!" Sarah commanded as she continued to line up the man in her sights with her finger on the trigger, waiting for one wrong move from the man in her sights.
The man did as Sarah instructed and opened up his jacket.
Sarah inspected all around the man's frame for explosives or weapons.
"Now your shirt!" she commanded as she continued to train her sights on her present target.
The man again did as Sarah instructed, and only then did Sarah feel safe enough to move into his vicinity.
She patted down his legs in search of a weapon.
Once the civilian was vetted and clear, she nodded, saying, "Over there!"
The man complied with Sarah's order, moving over toward where she'd commanded him, which was where everybody secured by the team had been placed so far.
Sarah's next objective was a young boy, and he looked terrified. He had his hands in the air, and Sarah's heart sunk at the sight in front of her eyes. She watched him lift his shirt, and as he did, she felt ready to burst into tears, and she could have if she weren't so focused on protecting everybody on this bridge and her teammates, relying on her to remain composed and vigilant.
So instead of crying her eyes out in the middle of a battle, she replied, "Thank you," in a soothing voice as she nodded her head and said, "Over there."
As soon as she'd finished, Sarah watched her teammate Bryce commanding a young Middle Eastern adult female.
She then heard him say over there, watching as he nodded to where they'd placed the vetted civilians.
Her teammate hadn't even asked the female in question to open up her coat to check her for explosives that the team had already found on the terrorists.
And by now, Sarah's alarm bells were ringing as something just didn't feel right with that woman Bryce had just cleared.
Sarah couldn't explain why, but something just felt very wrong with that woman.
She could just feel and sense some kind of hatred in the woman's eye on noting how the woman had looked at her teammate.
Sarah's focus became razor-sharp on the Middle Eastern woman as she began walking away from her team and towards the vetted group of civilians.
By this point, Sarah was sure beyond all doubt that the woman may have had something to do with the attack.
Sarah, unable to ignore her instinct any further, suddenly screamed, "YOU! IN THE BLACK COAT! STOP!" as she trained her sights on the spine of the woman she'd just commanded to stop.
There was a brief pause as the woman in question slowly came to a stop.
"TURN AROUND!" Sarah commanded.
However, the woman ignored her request.
"I SAID TURN AROUND OR SO HELP ME; I'LL PUT ONE THROUGH YOU RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND!" Sarah commanded again, her finger itching on the trigger.
By now, the entire team was also training their sights on the woman their teammate Bryce had just let pass.
A few seconds passed, and Sarah was becoming jittery when the woman in question turned around at a snail's pace.
The woman was a few metres away from Sarah, Bryce, Chuck and Cole and a few metres away from the vetted civilians over on the sidewalk in safety.
Turning to face Sarah, the woman's body language and facial expressions made it obvious that she was exceedingly nervous.
Sarah now had her sights trained on the mouth of the woman instead.
This readjustment was special forces' standard operating procedure.
During Sarah's selection, her training had taught her that if she double-tapped an X-ray through the mouth, then if the X-ray was holding onto any kind of device or weapon, a shot to that location would stop any message from being sent to the hand of the X-ray.
The Middle Eastern woman's hands were down against her sides when suddenly, she raised her hand into the air, and she muttered something in Arabic.
As soon as her hand raised, Sarah saw what was in her hand.
In her hand, she held a wire that was attached to a red trigger!
"ARMED!" Cole and Chuck screamed as they also noticed the trigger and the wire leading up to the arm the female was holding.
Sarah didn't even hesitate as she fired off a burst from her MP5 into the mouth of the female X-ray, followed by the rest of her team discharging their weapons as they lit up the neck and facial area to be one hundred percent sure that they had neutralised the target and she was no further threat to anybody on the bridge.
The team of four surrounded the neutralised terrorist, whilst Staff Sergeant MacDonald and his four-man team raced to a stop close to Sarah's team.
His troopers started screaming, "GET BACK, GET BACK!" to the civilians on the bridge as they ushered them with urgency with their hands to put some distance from the deceased suicide bomber in case the device exploded…
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next Chapter: The aftermath of the devastating terrorist attack in Central London. I think it's safe to say that Bryce is in for one almighty rollicking at the VERY least, wouldn't you? What did you all think of Sarah's sixth sense? It turned out to be correct, didn't it? I wonder how Sarah will deal and cope with taking at least one and possibly even two lives when she had engaged one terrorist hiding behind the vehicle and exchanging fire with her team? Regardless, even if it was just the female suicide bomber she had killed, I would imagine that would play on her mind too!
FOOTNOTES: Please review. I would love to hear your feedback.