AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're back with more Who Dares Wins. If you've not read Chapter 50, I strongly recommend that you do so. A lot of the previous chapter ties into the current one, which will not make as much sense without it. If you want to leave feedback for Ch50 before moving to this chapter too, you are more than welcome to do so!
Red Team, Mobility troop, G Squadron, 22 SAS
Callsign: Romeo-One-Zero-Bravo
Red One: Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald
Red Two: Sergeant Cole Barker
Red Three: Corporal Chuck Bartowski
Red Four: Corporal Daniel 'Big Dan' Thomas
Red Five: Trooper John Murray
Red Six: Trooper Jamie Hughes
Red Seven: Trooper Sarah Walker
Red Eight: Trooper Bryce 'Speedy Gonzales' Larkin
Red Nine: Morgan Grimes, Box 500 (MI5)
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Fifty-One: Lockdown: Part Thirty: Jeffster: Part Five
Somewhere in London
Saturday, 22 November, 2007
00:00 hours (Midnight)
"The burger was cold," Sarah grumbled, tossing the empty burger wrapper into the rubbish bag in Red Team's surveillance van.
"Hard luck, Sarah," Big Dan smirked before he turned to look at Jamie. "Because ours wasn't, was it, fella?"
Jamie refused to meet Big Dan's glance. "You're not getting me to go along with winding Sarah up anymore, mate! She's already going to kill you the first chance she gets, and if I say anything more, I'm next on her list!"
Red Team burst into immediate laughter, while Sarah beamed at Jamie in approval.
"Smart thinking, Jamie!" Cole said with a grin. "If everyone else is wise, you'll save your own skins, say nothing else to wind her up, and leave Sarah to feast on Dan's carcass!"
"He's too big. It will take me a while," Sarah blurted.
Winces suddenly permeated every nook and cranny of Red Team's surveillance van following Sarah's remark.
"Ooh! Fucking hell, Sarah, that hurts me right in the heart!" Big Dan said, moving a hand on his chest, trying to hide his amusement.
Sarah gave a smug look that could rival one of Big Dan's. "Good."
"Yeah, he's definitely a dead man walking!" Chuck joked though he narrowed his eyes over the sudden fiery change in Sarah's demeanour.
Cole pointed in endorsement at his best man.
Jamie laughed. "And at least I won't be joining him, mate!"
Big Dan's eyes scanned his teammates. "That's my selection partner there, by the way, fellas."
"And here's mine," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes as she pointed at Bryce.
Sarah's latest remark hung in the air, causing the atmosphere in the van to become increasingly tense as a series of loud winces erupted.
"I didn't even do anything!" Bryce protested, narrowing his eyes at Sarah.
"That's technically not true," Chuck said. "Maybe not today or the last couple of days you haven't, but since you both joined... a different story."
"Fucking hell, though!" Big Dan laughed, changing the topic while shaking his head. "Sarah's on one tonight! Did you get some bad news while you were in there, Sarah?"
"Nope. I'm just tired of all of you picking on me with your jokes every chance you get. It's always Sarah did this, or Sarah did that. Is it because I'm the only woman and the only one without balls?" Sarah asked, looking at everyone except Chuck and Cole.
Chuck and Cole pointed in endorsement at Sarah, each suspecting that's why the team was targeting her, too.
"I don't know about that, Sarah," Big Dan said with a playful grin, his hand resting on his chin. "Sometimes I think some of these don't have any balls either, especially Jamie today, who's scared to back up his mate."
"Fuck off, you gobshite!" Jamie shouted, pointing at Big Dan, his temper immediate and clear for everyone in the van to see.
Big Dan smirked in satisfaction at his latest successful wind-up. "But my balls will never be put in question. I say what I have to say, and I don't give a fuck if you like it or not."
"Neither do I. You're a knob," Chuck said instantly, not mincing his words, his tone blunt and to the point, coming to the defence of his lover.
"Ooh!" Big Dan said in glee, smirking. "Are you sure you want to go there, fella?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Chuck asked. "I'm not scared of anyone. Just because you have the biggest mouth, it doesn't make you the alpha, nor do you intimidate me. I had you the last time, and I'll have you the next time as well."
"I don't dispute what you said about not fearing anyone, fella, but I'm not so sure that's what happened last time," Big Dan said, still holding his hand on his chin.
"I am," Chris intervened and got involved in the flaring argument. "A lot of you have short memories as to what Chuck's capable of, both with his mouth and with his fists. And it's fast approaching the time where we see what Sarah is capable of with both as well, seeing as though it's mostly just the both of them who you're all ganging up on now every chance you get."
Cole—second in command of Red Team—pointed at his team leader in approval. "I couldn't have said it any better."
"Speedy hasn't forgotten what he's capable of, though!" Big Dan said, his teasing side unrelenting.
Snorts of laughter escaped from most of Red Team, making it hard for them to keep a straight face.
However, Bryce was unamused, and with a completely straight face, complained, "Fuck off!"
Big Dan smirked at another successful wind-up, but he turned his attention toward Chris. "Though I'm surprised you can remember in your old age, Chris, old timer."
Chris shook his head in scorn, refusing to let Big Dan succeed in winding him up by giving a verbal reply.
"Who put something in Dan's drink?!" Cole laughed suddenly, looking around his teammates. "Because he's taking on half of us!"
"Yeah, and Sarah's taking on the other half, mate!" Jamie laughed back.
Jamie's hilarious remark broke the tension, and the whole team burst into laughter together.
Big Dan, continuing the exchange, pointed at John Murray. "He's the only one who's not picked a side or is staying neutral yet. So, John, fella, whose side are you on? Is it Team Dan, or Team Sarah?"
"Och!" John Murray laughed, changing his glance between his teammates, who were now all looking at him. "I'd rather fight a man than get on the wrong side of a woman's temper!"
"He is a smart man!" Cole said, pointing at John Murray in approval. "Notwithstanding the woman Dan's royally pissing off at the moment being the only Tier 1 female soldier in all of NATO."
Chuck nodded. "And probably will be the only one for some time."
"He's got a ruddy death wish!" Cole chuckled.
Jamie, laughing at the remarks so far, got in on the latest exchange. "He's lost the thrill of danger from his missus, so he now wants some of it from Sarah as well as her!"
Jamie's latest remark increased the laughter amongst the team substantially, as several Red Team members soon started shaking their heads to try to curb their amusement.
Big Dan then turned his attention to Bryce. "Actually, though-"
"Oh, here we go!" Bryce complained, interrupting Big Dan before he could finish, shaking his head. "I knew I'd get brought into something again. What is it now?"
"I was mistaken. Because you've not chosen a side yourself, fella," Big Dan said.
Bryce's frustration boiled over as he snapped. "I'm not taking any side! Fucking leave me out of it, alright?!"
"Fucking hell, Speedy, fella, how much alcohol have you snuck on the sly at the restaurant?" Big Dan asked, snorting. "Because you'd usually be the first to get involved."
"Well, not anymore!" the sudden seriousness in Bryce's voice made his team take notice and focus on his words. "I'm not taking sides or causing fights on the team anymore! You're all my mates, for fuck's sake!"
Staff Sergeant MacDonald's eyes widened in approval, directing his glance right at Bryce. "That's the spirit, laddie! I'll bloody well be expecting the same stance from you from now on, laddie!"
Multiple additional teammates shared the sentiment of praising Bryce's conduct, each muttering their agreement.
Nevertheless, Big Dan, still not letting go of his teasing, said, "Unless you'd forgotten, fella, the last I heard from the horse's mouth herself, Sarah wasn't your mate anymore."
"Give it a rest, Dan!" Cole interjected abruptly, his annoyance becoming increasingly apparent. "You're pissing people off now and it's beyond a ribbing."
"No, let him keep behaving like a child," Sarah said as her attention turned to Bryce. "If Bryce keeps behaving like this, he will be my friend again long before Dan does."
Bryce smiled at Sarah in reply.
"And we're ending it there," Chris ordered, his stern expression leaving no room for argument among the team, staring at each one of them. "The next one who makes a comment about anyone else will be getting bitten by Ghost repeatedly as soon as we get back to Hereford."
"Agreed," Chuck—Ghost's handler—said as soon as his team leader finished his remarks.
The team settled down and a moment of silence passed until Jamie broke when he looked at Chuck and Sarah. "So, how was the cinema? Was Saw 4 any good?"
Sarah shifted uncomfortably, aware of her aversion to horror movies and her desire to keep it hidden from the team.
However, Chuck took the lead, and looked around the team, finishing on Jamie. "The cinema was good, though I'd prefer hot food and alcohol like you bastards all got!"
The team shared laughter at Chuck's remarks.
"As for the movie," Chuck continued, grimacing as he did so. "I didn't rate it. It was probably the worst one in the series so far, and I'm not all that eager to see any additional ones if there will be any more."
"What about you, Sarah?" Big Dan asked, turning his attention to her.
Chuck, having already noted Sarah's unease, quickly interjected, "She loved it. I couldn't get her to shut up throughout the whole movie. If I had to bet on it, I'd say she was a complete horror freak and she gets off on that kinda stuff!"
The team unanimously approved of Chuck's comments, laughing in agreement, but Sarah fixed her eyes solely on him, searching for an explanation behind his words.
Chuck soon met his lover's glance, who held her narrowed stare at him.
He soon smiled, mouthing 'you're welcome' a moment after.
Sarah, now understanding why Chuck had said what he did, smiled back before she glanced around the team to sell the idea that she loved horrors.
Activity picked up again a few moments later in Jeff's van as Jeff and Lester entered the vehicle after having visited a McDonald's.
"That was the best movie ever, Jeffrey!" Lester said excitedly. "The pornographic violence was so… poetic! It was a masterpiece, my brother!
Big Dan turned to look at Chuck from where he sat back against the van. "It sounds like he doesn't share your sentiment, fella."
Chuck, as well as a few other teammates, suppressed laughter.
"I'll have to check the film out myself as soon as this is all over," Big Dan said. "Maybe we can see it as a team as soon as we all get back."
"Sod that!" Cole said without hesitation. "I'm going straight back to Sophie! And then Chuck and I have a lot of lost time to catch up on!"
"Yeah, count me out as well, mate, because I have a lot of sweet talking required to get back into Emily's good books!" Jamie chuckled.
Cole pointed in endorsement at Jamie as the team shared muted laughter, then they continued to zone out, listening to Jeff and Lester's gory after-action report of Saw 4….
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Saturday, 22 November, 2007
13:00 hours
This is BBC Radio One with the news at one. American officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with the British Government's refusal to get involved and have American whistleblower Robert Malone extracted from the Embassy belonging to a South American country, which we cannot name for legal reasons, where he has been handed asylum on the grounds of political persecution. Today, the Prime Minister released a statement, in which he repeated the position of his government in that British authorities have no legal basis on which to enter the sovereign territory of another nation without permission or invitation from the country which is hosting him. The Prime Minister's statement follows remarks from the Foreign Secretary on a recent trip to Washington D.C., where it is reported the Foreign Secretary stated to his American counterpart that if their government wanted Mr. Malone so much, they should negotiate with the country which has granted Mr Malone asylum. This follows recent threats from Mr Malone where he has threatened to release additional explosive leaks in the coming weeks related to American foreign policy. We will have much more on this breaking news as it develops.
Big Dan's eyes glazed over as he listened to yet another political discussion on the radio, his hand reaching for the dial to change the station in Red Team's surveillance van. "Just another boring day of politics."
Red Team all nodded at Big Dan's assessment, with none of the team having any interest in politics.
"So, what shall we do today?" Sarah asked.
Jamie let out a sharp scoff. "There's nothing we can do, mate. Just sit here, bored out of our arses, and eat this shite from these ration packs."
"Quit whining, laddie!" Chris rebuked.
"Nah, Chris, he's right," Chuck said, shaking his head at his team lead. "You know that I'm always one of the last to complain. But this op… It's an absolute joke! We're being led on a fucking goose chase all around London by these jokers, and we've been in lockdown for nearly a month now for a threat that does not exist."
"It's a piss-take is what it is, fella," Big Dan said.
Everyone except Chris nodded at Chuck and Dan's remarks.
"I agree with them," Sarah said. "I've already seen enough of these two idiots to know they pose no threat. Do any of you really believe that Jeff and Lester are connected to the IRA?" she asked, scoffing.
"Sarah's right!" Bryce said. "Those two journalist pricks wouldn't even get a job at Kentucky Fried Chicken never mind working for the IRA!"
Red Team burst into snorts of laughter, and the van became unbearably loud once they couldn't control it.
"That was a good one, Speedy, fella!" Big Dan said, looking at Bryce with glee. "I'm impressed!"
Bryce nodded.
"Where did they get the trackers from?" Morgan interrupted the discussion.
"That's your job to find out. You're supposed to be the intelligence service," Cole said with frustration. Just like his mates, he was tired of being led around on a fruitless operation, too.
"MI5 is one-hundred percent convinced those tracking devices on your cars were the same ones used by the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland," Morgan said. "One hundred percent. If we weren't sure, I wouldn't let them waste your time. Heh."
"We get that, fella," Big Dan said, nodding. "However, whose to say those imbeciles didn't pick up the trackers in a garage sale a year ago? What if the transaction was a one-and-done?"
"Dan's right," Chuck said. "We can't follow these two morons around for the next twelve months in the hope they go back to whoever they got the trackers from and purchase more. For all we know, they've got dozens of them somewhere."
"Not according to Sarah and Bryce," Chris said, turning to look at Sarah and Bryce. "We've gone through an inventory of what you both saw in their van already, but once more, did you locate any trackers in the van when you broke in?"
"No. We were thorough and could search almost all of it, but we found no trackers," Sarah said.
Bryce nodded at the report.
"That means nothing, though," Chuck said. "They might have a storage or a fixed address somewhere where they have boxes full of them."
"MI5 has no known current addresses of either Jeff or Lester," Morgan said.
Sighs and groans broke out amongst the elite soldiers.
Big Dan met eye contact with Morgan. "Look, all me and my mates know, fella, is that these two are not part of an Irish Republican Army cell, and have never been reported or linked to anything remotely IRA, barring possession of trackers which they probably picked up at a car boot sale or on a fucking fetish site!"
Additional snorts erupted over Big Dan's gag, but again, they couldn't contain their laughter and the unit laughed together for a very long moment.
"So what do we do?" Chris asked, looking around the team. "Down tools and all piss on holiday to Tenerife because we know they're no threat?"
"No one's asking that, Chris," John Murray said, detecting the sarcasm of his team lead. "But at least put a wee bit of pressure on command and urge that maybe we'll never find out how they got the trackers."
Chuck nodded. "John's right. We'd probably have more luck with Box 500 (MI5) pulling the two idiots in for questioning. And considering how much of our lives they've wasted the past month, I'm sure any or all of us would be happy to give them a good beasting until they revealed where they got them."
Chuck's comment got numerous replies from his teammates.
Firstly, Cole Barker pointed in approval at Chuck and said, "That's why he's my best man! We always think alike!"
Then Bryce said, "Too bloody right, mate!"
While other Red Team members each muttered their agreements.
But Big Dan's response was the most commanding of them all, who reached his arms out and said, "I will gladly give them a good beasting for wasting all of our time. Leave them to me, fella!"
Once more, Red Team couldn't help but snort like pigs at the replies of their teammates.
"Ok, here's what I'll do," Chris said once the amusement of his team calmed. "If there's no movement on any link to the IRA by Wednesday, a full week since we started the op, I'll press command to have Morgan bring them in for questioning. And if I find they've wasted all of our time and they have zero connection to the IRA, I'll give them the bloody worst beasting of their sorry, pathetic lives."
Big Dan pointed at his team leader. "And I'll join you in that, fella!"
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
One hour later
"Jeffrey, stop the van!" Red Team overheard Lester cry out suddenly.
Jeff obeyed Lester's instructions, stopping a moment later, with Chuck doing the same soon after.
"What is it, Lester?" Jeff asked.
"I've found the next wedding for us to crash, Jeffrey!" Lester said in excitement.
"Here we go!" Cole laughed in excitement.
Cole's teammates shared the merriment with him.
"You're not getting the pleasure of seeing this one, Cole, fella," Big Dan said as he suddenly pointed at himself. "Because I am."
Lester continued. "At the Landmark Hotel, in Marylebone, London, tonight at 9pm there will be a wedding reception at the hotel's esteemed ballroom. Jeffster intends to crash it!"
"Have you decided what we will do to crash it, Lester?" Jeff asked.
Lester suddenly erupted in maniacal laughter which had all of Red Team sit up from their positions due to what they'd just heard.
"He sounds like Dr Evil!" Chuck said, erupting in laughter.
"FUCKING HELL!" Jamie instantaneously screamed in a sudden fit of laughter. "DR EVIL! Chuck, mate, you're a savage and I love ye!"
Jamie wasn't the only one to find Chuck's comment hilarious, as he had almost everyone else in Red Team's van in stitches too.
"Yes, I have, Jeffrey!" Lester said as he continued his evil laughs. "We will attack this one with red paint and flares!"
"Flares?!" Big Dan asked, snorting in shock. "Fucking hell! They're raising the stakes fast. I'm not so sure they're not connected to the IRA anymore, fellas, because next it will be pistols and fucking Uzis!"
Big Dan's latest remark intensified Red Team's laughter as Lester continued, "On our arrival, we will announce ourselves as messengers with an important message. From there, we will explain to them they have so much blood on their hands. People are dying in great numbers, Jeffrey!" he shouted dramatically.
Lester's latest remarks elicited further laughter from Red Team.
"And it is all of their faults! This wedding will have many more guests than the previous one! Their registration has stated that over two-hundred guests will be in attendance and it is our mission, my brother, to enlighten them all of the extreme dangers of overpopulation! We must saturate them in blood paint to make them realise the errors of their ways!"
"We need to find out who this wedding reception belongs to because one of these days, these two idiots are going to upset the wrong people," Chris said.
Morgan raised his thumb. "Already on it."
A short while later
"Ok guys, I've got the information we need," Morgan said, looking around Red Team.
"Get on with it," Chris said with impatience.
"It's not good," Morgan said, glancing around the team. "Tonight's wedding reception is booked for over two hundred guests. We already knew that because of Lester, but what he didn't tell us, and what he probably didn't know, is that a lot of these guys will have ties to the Russian mob because this wedding reception is a ceremony for the daughter of the top boss of their London outfit."
"Oh, boy!" Chuck said, wincing, before he hid his face at the revelation.
"The shit is about to hit the fan!" Bryce said, wincing like Chuck.
"Yeah, fella," Big Dan said, nodding. "And Jeffster is the fan that the shit's about to hit!"
Red Team couldn't help but snort, despite the newfound seriousness of the situation.
"Do we intervene?" Cole asked.
Red Team looked at each other and Cole, but Chris said after a brief second, "We have to. They're idiots not worth our time, but if we do nothing, it won't end well for them. We can't blow our operation to save their skin, but we can be in place to stop it all from kicking off and pull them both out if necessary to save their lives. So, laddies and lassies, it looks like you may all get your wishes with Jeffster in custody by this evening's end."
"Thank god for that, mate!" Jamie laughed.
Red Team shook their heads, fighting off additional amusement after Jamie's remark.
"We'll preposition a few of us while the rest will wait in the van to flood in as immediate reinforcements if necessary. Morgan, with your credentials and ability to pull strings as an MI5 officer, we'll send you in with a few of us because we don't have that authority without our command," Chris said.
Morgan nodded.
"Well, fellas and Sarah, we already know that I'm going in because I wouldn't miss this for the world! So the only question is: who's coming with me?" Big Dan asked, looking around at his teammates.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world either," Sarah said with a smile.
Everyone turned to Sarah in query, as many eyes narrowed in Red Team's van. Suppose you were to ask a member of the team who would be least likely to want a piece of the fun, then each of them would have said Sarah within quick succession.
"I'm surprised by that, Sarah," John Murray said. "Last night you were enemies, and now you're going in together."
Sarah looked at every teammate who was glancing at her. "What can I say? I want to see them get a good slapping for their comments about me, so like Dan, I'll be watching the show with glee."
Chuckles broke out as Big Dan pointed at Sarah and said, "I always knew she was one of us!"
The laughter continued until they gave Chris their attention when he continued the brief. "Right then, we'll send Dan, Sarah, and Morgan into the hotel undercover with the aid of Morgan and preposition ourselves conspicuously in amongst the ballroom before the reception gets underway at 21:00 hours. For this op, we'll all have our usual callsigns, while Morgan, you'll be Red Nine. DO NOT forget it!"
"I won't. Trust me, the least I can do in the presence of you heroes is to remember a callsign," Morgan chuckled heartily.
John Murray nodded at Morgan. "You're alright, mate," said the Scot.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Landmark Hotel
Marylebone
London
20:00 hours
Big Dan and Morgan entered the large ballroom of the lavish hotel where tonight's wedding reception of the Russian mob would take place in less than an hour.
Morgan, pulling many strings and flashing his security service credentials a few times, obtained places on the hotel roster for Sarah, Dan, and himself.
Sarah was already in position in the ballroom, dressed as a waitress.
"So, how do I look?" Morgan asked, laughing as he gestured to his bartender outfit.
Big Dan surveyed Morgan up and down for a moment. "Lovely jubbly, fella!"
Morgan suppressed approving laughter.
Big Dan turned his attention to surveying the ballroom briefly, observing numerous guests that had already arrived for the wedding reception at 9pm.
With his observations complete, Big Dan looked back at Morgan. "Remember, fella, if the shooting starts, get your head down behind the bar, ok, fella?"
Morgan chuckled and said, "After the last time I tried to play with guns, and got shot while with you guys during the Plutonium transport, I have no intentions of doing otherwise!"
Big Dan smirked in approval. "Don't worry, fella, if anything kicks off, Sarah and I will take care of it as easy as this," he said, clicking his fingers.
"I believe you. Heh," Morgan chuckled.
Big Dan held his smirk. "Right then, fella, let's be making our way to the bar. And remember; if they don't ask nicely, it's singles not doubles, ok, fella?"
Morgan nodded, still chuckling.
"Status report?" Chris appeared on comms.
"Red Four and Nine now in the ballroom and moving to take up positions at the bar. Red Seven is unchanged and is actively moving around the venue as part of her cover," Big Dan reported, glancing over to his teammate, who made eye contact with him.
"Affirmative. Keep us apprised. Out."
Dan tapped his conspicuous communication device two times to acknowledge. Besides the comms, Big Dan and Sarah concealed carried their sidearms. Because MI5 officers were not routinely armed in their duties, nor did Morgan have advanced firearms training, he was not armed with a weapon.
Big Dan's sidearm was strapped to his ankle holster and the veteran soldier had drawn quickly from that position numerous times before over the years, so it was an action he could perform hastily, if required.
"I hope this will be fun. Heh," Morgan said as he walked with Big Dan toward the bar.
Big Dan pointed multiple times at Morgan. "That is an excellent shout, fella! As do I. As do I…."
Morgan chuckled at the funny and intimidating SAS soldier.
Arriving at the bar section of the vast ballroom twenty seconds later—which had a twelve-foot aquarium placed behind it—Big Dan and Morgan moved to take up their positions.
Now in position, Big Dan ensured nobody was within earshot, then tapped hold of his communication device. "Red Four and Nine, in position."
"Affirmative," Chris replied.
"And don't get pissed, Dan," Chuck said, appearing on comms.
"Now, fella, you know me. Would I ever do a thing such as that?" Big Dan asked, hiding his amusement.
"Yeah, we know you!" Cole said instantly.
Big Dan could no longer hide his amusement, nor could Morgan as they shared smirks, but Dan opted not to reply to it as he switched his head on to his mission tasking.
"And now we wait…" Big Dan said, looking at Morgan.
Morgan nodded.
Forty minutes later
Dan, Sarah, and Morgan's situations were unchanged, though the ballroom was filling up fast with more than a hundred guests of the Russian mob wedding reception already in attendance.
"Status report?" Chris asked, appearing on comms.
"Unchanged," Sarah said, appearing on the channel. "Red Four and Nine still in position at the bar. I'm mobile around the venue, which is filling fast."
"Affirmative. We're still tracking Jeffster, who are mobile in Jeff's van. ETA just after 21:00 hours," Chris said.
Sarah pressed her communications device two times, then continued her activities.
While at the bar, Big Dan and Morgan had been bartending as part of their cover duties and were now engaged in conversation.
"So then, fella, how does it feel to be going on ops with us now a lot these days?"
Morgan chuckled. "I don't think I have what it takes to be alongside you guys."
"Nonsense, fella," Big Dan said as he took a bottle of whiskey into his hand. "What you need is one of these to calm your nerves, then you'll be right as rain," he said, gesturing to the bottle of alcohol.
"No, thanks!" Morgan laughed.
"Suit yourself," Big Dan said as he immediately prepared two drinks. "I'll be having yours as well as mine then, fella."
"You don't need it to calm your nerves," Morgan chuckled. "You guys are as cool as ice."
Big Dan smirked. "And right you are, fella," he said, nodding. "I'm just having it to give this lot," he paused, gesturing to numerous Slavic male guests in attendance, "a fraction of a chance if it all kicks off."
"They still won't have a chance!" Morgan laughed.
Big Dan's smirk grew wider over Morgan's remark before he turned and snuck a glass of whiskey, which he downed in one.
"Aw, that's lovely, that is!" Big Dan said in immense delight.
Morgan, who had been watching Dan the whole time, opened his mouth in shock at the ease with which he downed the drink.
However, Dan had been unsuccessful in avoiding the hawkish eye of Sarah, who appeared on comms and said, "Dan's getting pissed."
"You fucking snitch!" Big Dan shot back into comms, snapping to look at his teammate's position.
"Maybe that's why I came," Sarah said back into comms.
Dan narrowed his eyes, glaring over at Sarah about thirty metres away.
"Get your head in the game," Chris ordered.
"My head's always in the game, fella," Big Dan said back, scanning around the large room briefly. "I just seem to lose the ability to function when there's an open bar in front of me eyes. It's like being in Fort Knox and getting gold-struck! I'll just finish me second one quickly, then have at it. Plus, I need this second one anyway, because it's a drink I'll take in honour of Jamie not getting one."
"You proper bastard! Wait until I see you!" Jamie shouted into comms.
Big Dan's comment—and Jamie's reply—led to the briefest of chuckles on comms, but it quickly died as Dan turned to look at Morgan, who was still laughing at Dan's actions, just not on communications.
Dan merely just elicited a trademark smirk at Morgan's humour.
"You relish winding them up, don't you?" Morgan asked.
"It comes with the territory of being part of the army, fella," Big Dan said, nodding. "It's all in good spirits. If you can't take a ribbing, and take it consistently while in the army, not least in the best regiment in the world, you don't belong here."
"So why doesn't Sarah like it, in particular?" Morgan asked.
Big Dan crossed his arms. "Because she's new, and female, which I have massive respect for. Her accomplishment of getting here was arguably better than all of ours because of all the stereotypical bullshit she's faced every step of the way. But that means fuck all simultaneously, and it doesn't give her a free pass from not getting the same treatment as the rest of us, because if I ease off and give her nicer preferential treatment, it means I'm singling her out for her gender, rather than treating her the same way as the way I treat the rest of them. She's not a woman to me, fella, she's my teammate and although she doesn't think it, she's my mate, and I love her to bits already. Eventually, she'll understand why I don't hold my punches with her, and I hope she'll think better of me for it, and why I did it when she does."
"So it's all a ruse from you?" Morgan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Of course, it is, fella," Big Dan said, taking Morgan's unwanted drink into his hand. "I want her to get offended by everything I say until she hardens up and fights through the teasing and fights for what she and Chuck have with each other because right now she's in denial about it. I'm doing the same thing with Speedy Gonzales to grow him into a better man as well. But as for Sarah, she's come into the best special forces outfit on the planet without thick skin and she takes insults towards her way too personally. But I can promise you this; by the time she leaves the Regiment, fella, there'll be nobody better at receiving and more immune to the ribbing than she, because I will personally see to it myself that she gets that thick skin she lacks, and that she stops giving a fuck," he said, before he threw the contents of the whiskey into his mouth, this time taking a little longer to savour it.
"Aw, that is so lovely, that is!" he soon said.
Morgan chuckled at Dan's actions and his words. "You're actually a nice guy, Dan."
Big Dan met Morgan's glance. "Don't let any of the team know that, fella. And by the way, what I've told you is confidential and if it ever gets repeated, I'll know who it has come from," he said, his cordial glance turning into a stern one in the blink of an eye.
Morgan nodded. "You're not somebody to mess with. I won't say a thing."
Big Dan held his stern glance for the briefest of seconds longer, then he eased it and relaxed, nodding at Morgan.
Ten minutes later
"It looks like everyone's here and it's about to start," Big Dan said on comms.
"Affirmative. Jeffster is about to arrive in a few minutes. Heads in the game," Chris ordered.
Big Dan, who was already fully in the game, held his alert state as the wedding reception got fully underway.
Sarah, meanwhile, repositioned herself to a more static place about twenty metres from the main exit of the venue, at a waiting counter for the table staff, enough to house four people.
A few minutes passed, with Red Team in pause, and the post-wedding festivities well underway, when Chris appeared back on comms. "Ok, they've arrived outside the venue at a back entrance and they're disguised as decorators. They picked up the paint Lester spoke of a few hours ago and are now heading inside."
Big Dan rubbed his hands together in immense excitement at the report.
Turning to look at Morgan, he said, "Are you ready for some fun, fella? Because I am!"
Morgan chuckled in reply, matching Dan's excitement.
A few more minutes passed, the situation unchanged as the Russian congregation enjoyed the wedding celebrations when all of a sudden, Big Dan observed Jeff and Lester's arrival through the main entrance of the ballroom.
Sarah, too, positioned just twenty metres away, determined their arrival and reported into comms, "They're here."
Big Dan erupted in chuckles, the sheer excitement on his face over what was about to happen. "This had better be a good one, fella!" he said, turning to Morgan, rubbing his hands again. "Because if it's not, I might just grab some of that paint meself and have a go!"
"I'll take some flares and set them off too," Morgan joked, sharing the laughter with Dan.
Morgan's comment set off additional laughter from the big Geordie.
"Good shout, fella! I'll make a smooth SAS operator out of you yet."
Big Dan couldn't contain his excitement as he watched on with glee as Jeff and Lester walked deeper into the ballroom.
By now, several of the guests already knew of their arrival, especially because they stood out of place because of their labouring clothes.
Lester and Jeff continued walking deeper into the ballroom for a few seconds until Lester started speaking, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are messengers and we are here with a very important announcement!"
Big Dan and Morgan turned to look at each other, each chuckling to their heart's content. "Here we go, fella, here we go."
Turning back to watch the show, Dan and Morgan's view of the proceedings suddenly became obstructed by the arrival of two Slavic men at the bar.
"Two vodkas, is it, fellas?" Big Dan asked, his tone chirpy, while his height advantage helped him to still sneak a glance at Jeff and Lester's position.
"Da," one of the Russians said.
"See to that one, Morgan, fella. I'm a little occupied at the moment," Big Dan said before he focused fully on Jeff and Lester's show again.
Morgan nodded, suppressing laughter as he sought to serve the two Russians their drinks as quickly as he could because he too wanted to watch events.
Lester—armed with two paint cans—had now dodged what Big Dan and Sarah deemed to be a henchman, and he was in a new position, at the very front of the ballroom, with every guest looking on, and a few other henchmen in relatively close proximity, though Jeff was doing his best to block them, to Dan's glee.
"This despicable wedding that you are all here to support is rotten to its core!" Lester shouted, pointing around at every guest in sight while holding the two litre paint cans.
Big Dan snorted, fighting hard to hold in his laughter as he watched on, observing as multiple other Slavic, military-aged men stood, their expressions stern and unwelcoming towards Lester and Jeff.
Lester continued, "You have blood on your hands, ALL OF YOU!"
Lester's raised decibels seemed to anger even more guests of the wedding than before as some men converged in groups, obviously in search of orders from their bosses.
Lester's actions so far already had Dan doubled over in laughter inside, anticipating even more hilarity to come.
"Sit rep?" Chris asked.
Big Dan observed the position of the two Russians at the bar, who held their drinks from Morgan, and they'd moved to a corner of the bar, away from earshot of muted chatter. "It's about to kick off big time, fella," Big Dan said with glee, his eyes locking back on Lester.
"People are dying in such great numbers through overpopulation!" Lester shouted. "And this…" he said, pointing all around while holding the paint cans at the large gathering in scorn. "This is all you care about! BREEDING! Breeding the species!"
Big Dan snorted instantly.
However, Lester had to pause his remarks because one of the four henchmen within Jeff and Lester's position pushed Jeff with force, which caused him to tumble back.
"One henchman just pushed Jeff and others are now closing in on Lester," Sarah reported in comms with concern.
"Affirmative. Things are turning nasty. We've already repositioned our van as close as possible, and we'll be in there in a moment's notice if we get the call," Chris said.
Sarah pressed her comms twice to acknowledge.
Lester, meanwhile, was quick to reposition and take up a new spot away from the henchmen as he led them on a merry dance around the ballroom. "People are dying! In great numbers! And it is all of your fault!" he shouted, pointing at the now enraged guests.
"But Jeffster will not stand for it! You must all pay the price and see the error in your ways!" Lester shouted, yanking open a paint can.
"Here we go!" Big Dan said, his excitement now immeasurable, his eyes glued to Lester, feeling more focused on what was about to transpire than he'd ever concentrated on before.
Revealing an already placed paint brush from out of the paint can, Lester started to fling red paint at every guest around him in sight.
"Repent! Repent your sins and confess to the lord!" Lester shouted, continuing to fling fresh paint from his brush to every guest in sight as he expertly ran away from the henchmen, trying to catch him.
However, as soon as the first splash of paint was flung by Lester, things turned very hostile in the ballroom!
"Blyat!" the two henchmen stood at the bar, cursed.
But for Big Dan, meanwhile, he was now snorting multiple times in succession in rash attempts to prevent him from wetting himself at by far the funniest thing he'd ever seen in his life! He already felt some water in his pants because he attempted to control his laughter, and he wasn't sure how much he could take before he exploded and give up his cover.
"Go on, fella!" Big Dan muttered under his breath towards Lester as loud as he possibly could without alerting the two Russians at the corner of the bar.
"It's time for the flares, Jeffrey, and then we must flee!" Lester shouted over to Jeff, now about twenty metres away from him.
Big Dan watched on as Jeff nodded, and then in the blink of an eye, he'd retrieved two flares from out of his paint coat, moving to activate them as he did so.
With the flares now lit, he extended his arms out, now receiving half of the attention of the incensed Russian mobsters.
Dan was certain the only reason Jeff or Lester hadn't been shot yet was because of the public place of the wedding reception, as well as the young guests in attendance. However, the veteran soldier had already observed several of the henchmen with their hands close to where standard holsters would typically be located.
"Our work here is done, Jeffrey!" Lester shouted as he started to flee.
Jeff nodded, but unfortunately, the nodding wasn't the only thing he'd just done, for he'd just made an incredibly foolish mistake!
Because Jeff had accomplished his mission and tossed the flares aside carelessly.
A soft thud echoed in the ballroom as one of them landed on the polished floor.
The second flare landed with a louder thud, striking the Russian mafia boss and sending his men into a frenzy!
"Oh, shit!" Big Dan cursed, ceasing from laughing in an instant.
Jeff quickly tried to flee, unaware of what was now happening behind him as two henchmen withdrew their weapons.
And chaos erupted with pandemonium ensuing all around the ballroom quicker than thunder!
"ARMED!" Sarah bellowed into comms.
"We're in there, laddies! Sixty seconds!" Chris shouted as Red Team flooded out of their surveillance van to reinforce the situation.
As Jeff tried to flee, he zigzagged through the obstacles of tables and chairs when suddenly, gunfire in his general direction erupted, as the two henchmen with guns drawn tried to shoot him.
"SHIT!" Big Dan cursed, knowing it was now truly kicking off!
"CONTACT!" Sarah cried.
"ROE?" Big Dan asked with urgency, his fingers suddenly itching to fight an engagement.
"Eliminate any threat to you or the public!" Chris's feet pounded against the pavement as he shouted back, his breath ragged as he sprinted to link up with his team.
Big Dan's eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings. He weighed his options, but he couldn't find a clear shot through the crowd of people blocking his line of sight to the two henchmen.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
The gunfire from the mobsters was deafening, but Sarah could still see their silhouettes in her clean line of fire. In fact, she was almost directly now within the Russian mobster's lines of fire, so they presented an immediate threat to her safety.
The moment after Chris gave her the clarity to engage any threat, Sarah moved to unholster her concealed carry.
However, there was a much closer threat for her to have to overcome first…
During Sarah's two calls so far, she had alerted another nearby henchman to her position.
Her calls alone were enough to draw him towards her position, though when he witnessed her move to unholster, he suddenly charged at her position with fervour.
Sarah, now in a more immediate battle, assessed she could not draw and fire at him before the mobster reached her position.
Abandoning her sidearm, for now, she steadied and braced herself to receive an enemy combatant.
The well-built mobster soon arrived at her position and committed an immediate mistake before the fight had even begun.
In his mistake, he went lunging right at Sarah.
She reacted quickly, sidestepping the mobster's lunge and effortlessly countering his move.
Firmly with the upper hand, she turned and swiftly kicked the mobster, causing him to lose his balance and tumble crashing to the floor.
Owed to the lightning-fast reflexes of her training, she pounced on the fallen mobster and drew her pistol, discharging a pistol whip with maximum force to the back of the mobster's head.
With the immediate threat of her now eliminated, Sarah repositioned behind cover at the waiting counter, which was now very much deserted as dozens of people fled towards the exit.
From there, she broke cover to fire on the two mobsters who had been shooting at Jeff as he fled.
Returning to cover, Sarah screamed out into comms while taking rounds close to her position, "I NEED BACKUP NOW!"
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
"Fucking hell!" Big Dan said in shock and pride at his teammate's actions as she pistol-whipped and eliminated the beefy henchman with ease.
Though Big Dan himself now too had immediate problems to deal with.
During Sarah's disabling of the henchman who went for her, she had revealed herself as hostile to the enraged crowd of mobsters, including the two stood at the corner of the bar.
The instant Dan saw both mobsters reaching for their pieces, he clicked into immediate action.
Taking hold of a large whisky bottle in front of him, Big Dan launched it with expert precision at the first mobster, who was already lining up Sarah.
The ferocity of the object connecting to the side of the mobster's head knocked him out cold, tumbling onto the floor in front of him.
The second mobster, now knowing Big Dan was a threat, snapped to face the bar to confront him.
However, the mobster's reactions were far too slow, because no sooner than Big Dan had launched the whisky bottle, he'd already crouched to unholster his SIG Sauer P226 and was now standing again, aiming it at the head of the goon.
"Not your lucky day, fella," Big Dan said, discharging a round at near point-blank range.
The now lifeless body of the mobster slumped to the floor in front of the bar and out of sight with a resounding thud.
Big Dan's actions in the engagement caused several other mobsters to draw out their pieces and fire toward the bar, as the once joyful ballroom hosting a wedding reception was now replaced with bedlam and all-out war.
Knowing he had to take cover, Dan crouched, though he also knew that the one he launched the bottle at wouldn't be disabled forever.
Dan's view of what was in front of the bar was non-existent and completely obscured. However, he had a plan.
Turning to look at Morgan, Dan's personality oozed calm as he said, "I need to deal with that one whose head I smashed in with the bottle, fella. Sarah's occupied with a shootout of her own right now, so I'm going to need you to cover me with my sidearm as I dash out to nab him."
Morgan nodded. "Ok. I'll try."
"Just point at them and shoot, fella! That's all you have to do," Big Dan said, handing his sidearm to Morgan.
Morgan nodded again. "When?"
"When I say so. But it will be on three," Big Dan said.
Morgan nodded.
Having relayed his instructions and trusting in Morgan, Big Dan turned away from him, still crouched, as he moved his way toward the exit of the bar.
Now in place, he turned back to face Morgan and said, "Three, two, one, execute!"
After the countdown, Morgan and Dan broke cover as Dan dashed out of the bar, though he kept as crouched down as possible to avoid getting in Morgan's line of fire.
Reaching the second mobster's position—still dazed next to the deceased mobster—Big Dan dragged the dazed mobster back into the bar, where Morgan was stood heroically and was covering Dan by firing towards henchmen located close to the position where Lester had done most of his shouting.
Now back in place, Big Dan ducked, turned to Morgan, and said, "Get your head down, fella, and I'll have my piece back!"
Morgan returned to cover, turned, and faced Dan, where he chuckled. "This is kinda fun!"
"I'm glad you said that fella because this one's for you," Big Dan said, reaching into the proximity of the dazed Russian, taking his Makarov pistol from his possession, and extending it out toward Morgan.
Morgan nodded, moving to take it out of Big Dan's hand.
Once he had, Big Dan turned his attention back toward the dazed mobster, and with his sidearm, he pistol-whipped him twice to remove him from the threat of the engagement. Had Morgan not been with him, standing orders would have been much more brutal, but he didn't want to send the MI5 employee into shock had he done the alternative usually required of a SAS soldier.
"Now what do we do?" Morgan asked for guidance.
"Now, fella, we fortify and hunker ourselves down nicely here, draw lots of attention to ourselves by firing on their positions every so often, and let the rest of them finish things off who should be arriving any moment now…"
No sooner than Big Dan finished speaking, Morgan and Dan heard the scream of two teammates, "BRITISH ARMY!"
"See, fella, what did I tell you?" Big Dan said, feeling relaxed before he turned in the general direction of where that came from—the entrance. "NEVER MIND ANY OF THAT, FELLAS! JUST SHOOT THEM!"
Morgan chuckled at Dan's remarks.
"And now we do our part, fella," Big Dan said.
Morgan nodded as he and Dan rose from their crouched positions to redraw fire away from their team towards them instead.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Sarah remained behind the waiter counter, exchanging fire with mobsters in multiple locations as the sixty seconds until reinforcement passed very slowly and felt like an hour.
She felt an overwhelming sense of relief when she finally saw a familiar face, but it quickly turned to dread, as Chuck was the first one to arrive, lobbing in a flashbang as he entered.
With complete disregard for his own safety, Chuck determined where she was and bolted towards her.
"CHUCK, GET DOWN!" Sarah screamed, her voice shaking as she spoke, a sudden petrified state in fear of his safety overcoming her.
Without a thought for her own safety either, she broke cover and joined the intense gunbattle in the deserted ballroom, save for those taking cover and fighting the battle, firing desperately at enemy positions to protect Chuck as he approached her position.
The guests who remained in the venue were huddled and trapped in groups, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible as Sarah, Chuck, Dan and Morgan confronted the enraged Russian mobsters, with the rest of Red Team due to arrive at any moment.
Chuck arrived at her position after a few seconds and they quickly entered cover.
She moved deeper into it to accommodate him.
Now side by side, the lovers shared a glance.
"Are you ok?" he asked, his tone giving away the significant level of concern he felt.
She nodded. "Yeah. You?"
He nodded.
The lovers and teammates observed from their positions in cover as the rest of Red Team suddenly flooded through the entrance.
"BRITISH ARMY!" Chris and Cole screamed out in warning.
However, their warning was met with nothing but a salvo of gunfire from at least four mobsters from a central position in the deserted ballroom, and a witty reply from Big Dan over at the bar in return.
"LET'S END THIS BEFORE INNOCENTS GET HURT!" Chris commanded on comms as he, along with Cole, Bryce, John Murray, and Jamie Hughes, exchanged intense fire with the mobsters, throwing additional flashbangs throughout the ballroom.
After a few seconds, the team leader appeared back on comms, "COVER US! WE'RE ADVANCING!"
On receiving the command, Sarah and Chuck broke cover instantly, discharging rounds at any threat to their rapidly advancing teammates as they closed down on and killed the enemy.
In a matter of seconds, the team's assault was complete, the echoes of gunfire fading away, leaving behind a once stunning ballroom that was now a chaotic scene of death and destruction!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next chapter, the reaction, and aftermath to the intense shootout, as well as the finale of Jeffster, which will lead to a new assignment for Red Team. I wonder what that whistleblower at the Embassy was about, too?
FOOTNOTES: Thanks a lot for the reviews last chapter. I appreciate them. If you choose to leave a quick comment again today, I'll appreciate it just as much! See you in a few days for more Who Dares Wins!