AUTHOR'S NOTE: I did a lot of early planning for this mission arc four years ago, so it's a long time in the making. Though I originally planned for this content to arrive around chapter twenty. The full story taking place over 18 months also would have been complete by now. This shows how far Who Dares Wins has expanded in the years since, with around 200 chapters and 20 years of story-time remaining for the most recent version. I much prefer the alternative direction because Who Dares Wins has already had many fun and powerful moments that otherwise wouldn't have come to fruition, with so much more to follow, I can promise! But enough of that, let's get on with the chapter (I strongly advise reading the previous one first if you have not already for the mission briefing of this mission arc).


Who Dares Wins

Chapter Seventy-Two: Prelude to Chaos


Stirling Lines

Monday, 3 December, 2007

The growl of military boots against the gravel snapped through the chilly afternoon air as Red Team departed their service vehicles outside their barracks. Fresh from the armoury, they moved with a sense of purpose, their faces set with the weight of the high-stakes operation ahead.

Chris glanced at his watch. "Alright, lads," he said, voice low but firm. "Grab anything else you need. We'll catch up to Blue Team and Wallace en route to London. Let's move."

The team responded with a silent nod before scattering into the barracks. A few minutes later, they emerged in civilian clothes, their rucksacks containing full assault gear slung over their shoulders or in their hands.

Red Team was about to depart, but they paused when Chris stopped a few steps from the door, checked his watch again, and then turned to face them. "You've got two minutes. Make the necessary calls to your special ones that we'll be off the grid for a few days."

The team exchanged glances.

This was unusual.

Chris never encouraged distractions, but they knew the stakes of this mission were extraordinarily high, being up against another tier-one special operations unit.

Big Dan spoke up first, his brow furrowed. "Come again, Chris? You don't usually allow this. So, what's changed?"

Chris locked eyes with him, his voice hardening. "What's changed is that command's watching us closely after recent screw-ups of our unit even though we always got the job done. Also, with everything we all did in the briefing room, we're now on tenterhooks. There's no room for further error, no excuses. So get your heads in the game. Make your calls, switch off for however long the op takes, and focus. We're professionals. Let's act like it."

Without another word, the team complied with nods.

Cole, Jamie and Dan took out their phones, making their respective calls to Sophie, Emily and Dan's missus, Rachel.

Bryce and John had nobody in mind to call, so they held fast along with Chris.

Chuck and Sarah's first port of call would have been to each other, so they shared an awkward glance at the prospect of talking to each other in person while the rest were speaking to someone in a different place.

The barracks hallway soon filled with quiet conversations, broken a moment later by a raised voice on Dan's end of the call.

Dan's teammates, not actively talking, burst into laughter at the development.

Chris raised an eyebrow at Chuck and Sarah. "You two. I said two minutes, not twenty. I'm sure you have something to say, so say it now. Time's running out."

Chuck shot Chris an awkward look, his eyes betraying his uncertainty.

"We don't need to," Sarah protested, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, her mind occupied with knowledge of the sex she had with Chuck in her quarters just a few hours ago.

Chris met Sarah's glance. "It wasn't a request. It was an order. Your relationship is paused from the moment we depart until we return. So get at it. Who knows when the chance will next arrive?"

"Fair enough," Chuck said, overcoming his nerves and not needing a kick up the butt or telling twice to express his feelings for Sarah. Chris was right too in that who knew when the opportunity would come again?

Chuck dropped his rucksack with a determined expression and took deliberate steps towards Sarah.

Sarah's body went limp in anticipation as her gaze shifted from Chris to Chuck approaching her position.

On Chuck's arrival, he knocked Sarah's gear bag out of her hands with purpose and rested his hands on Sarah's waist. From there, he pushed her into a kiss as he pressed his lips against her motionless mouth, matching the stillness of her frozen body.

Sarah's breath caught in her throat as Chuck's unexpected kiss startled her, her body still tensed in response to the sudden intimacy.

After a moment of stunned silence in surprise at Chuck's actions, Sarah relinquished her reservations and kissed him back, matching it with equal fervour, her fingers gripping tight hold of his jacket.

For the next minute, they knew nothing else mattered but them.

Big Dan, Jamie and Cole broke from speaking to their partners to join Chris, Bryce and John in sharing laughter at Chuck and Sarah's actions.

A moment later, Big Dan shouted into his phone, "Babe, I wasn't laughing at you!"

The amusement increased as Big Dan's wife shouted down his ear for a few more seconds, then disconnected the call.

"Oh well. At least I tried," Big Dan said, turning to his teammates with a loud snort, captivated by the unabashed passionate display occurring in full force between Chuck and Sarah.

Cole and Jamie gave similar explanations as Dan to Sophie and Emily without revealing what they were seeing with their own eyes, then said their goodbyes.

Chuck and Sarah paused after a moment for air, but with an intense fire now lit inside Sarah—thanks to her boyfriend and her team leader—she took command, taking a forceful grip of Chuck's chest, her fingers tightening as she pushed him back into her. When he was close, without hesitation, she closed the distance between them, her lips finding his again.

When they paused for air again some seconds later, Chuck took a moment to inhale deeply, and then he dove back in for more with his flawless blonde girlfriend, his hand grasping the back of her neck, intensifying their passionate snogging.

Sarah matched his intensity, oblivious to events around them just like him as they persisted in their intimacy, their chests heaving and their breath becoming shallower with each passing moment.

Cole finished his conversation and disconnected the call, his gaze remaining locked on Chuck and Sarah, overjoyed with the passion on show between his best friend and his girlfriend.

Jamie's call ended soon after, joining his five teammates in a moment of laughter at the actions of their final two comrades.

A few seconds later, Chuck and Sarah finally broke apart, gasping for air and breathless from their activity.

"And that's how it's done!" Jamie exclaimed, his voice filled with uncontainable pride, his eyes sparkling with pure delight, and a beaming smile on his face.

Cole let out a deep, manly chuckle. "I'm proud of my best man!"

"I'm just as proud of Sarah!" Jamie shouted, his excitement palpable. "Though I expected if anyone, it would have been her instigating it."

Cole continued his boisterous chuckles, knowing she already did after the showers earlier in the day when he saw his best friend leaving her room. "She's probably already fulfilled after the perfect weekend we all had, Jamie!"

The team laughed as Chuck and Sarah fought to regain their breathing. When they regained their breathing, an intimate look passed between them, revealing the unspoken emotions and desires for one another as their relationship continued to build.

"Be safe," Chuck said with a grin straight from the heart.

Sarah smiled back. "You too."

"Fucking hell! Is that all the passion you both have?!" Big Dan teased, snorting. "I get more from my missus than that!"

Jamie chortled. "He must have missed what we all just saw!"

"Dan's just jealous!" Cole said, emitting another deep chuckle as he moved to pat Chuck in immense approval. "Because the only thing he gets from the missus is slippers at his head, not the passion we just saw between those two!"

Sarah's cheeks flushed in embarrassment from Cole's comments as the team laughed on.

"It was two minutes and twenty seconds," Chris informed, his glance changing around the team. "But I waited a little longer because I was enjoying the show myself!"

The team leader's remarks set off another wave of laughter until he appeared above it again. "It's been a long time since I saw desire like that. My wife has long since filled with nothing but hatred towards me, but Chuck and Sarah showed everyone how romance is supposed to be done!"

"It's because they are still in the honeymoon phase," Big Dan said, snorting. "Just wait until they're married. I'm telling you all right now that the slippers and shower gel bottles aplenty are coming right at his head!"

Red Team shared a further exchange of amusement, but Sarah, now excessively embarrassed and not thinking straight, said, "I'd better fix my lipstick."

"YOU'RE NOT WEARING ANY!" Jamie's laughter erupted like a volcano, filling the area with a thunderous cacophony.

Sarah's attention became solely focused on Jamie as the laughter grew louder, her gaze narrowing sharply as she shot him a burning glare.

A moment later, she surrendered her embarrassment and anger, fighting off a smile as she proclaimed, "Oh, piss off, Jamie!"

Her remarks intensified the amusement, which Sarah soon succumbed to herself, seeing the funny side of her blunder and complete loss of composure—at Chuck's hands.

"So, now that we're running late," Chris said, glancing around the team. "Hurry up and grab your makeup bags, then let's be off to give these Russians a good seeing to!"

"FUCKING HELL!" Jamie led the immediate loud outbursts of humour from the latest remarks but mostly focused on the team leader's comment about makeup bags in particular.

Big Dan snorted and said, "It's not a bad idea actually 'cause I fancy a splash of cologne meself!"

"It's for his benefit and nothing else!" Chuck said, stifling a chuckle as he picked up his bergen. "'cause the only thing he's getting after the slippers is the shower gel and anything else in her sight!"

"He's got more chance of getting it on with a ruddy Russian spy than Rachel!" Cole said in instant reply, his deep chuckle resonating through the barracks' hallway.

Sarah led the immediate snorts, her face lighting up with joy, collecting her own rucksack Chuck had knocked out of her hands as the team shared mirth over Chuck and Cole's remarks, departing the barracks, entering the open air, and then mounting their vehicles.

X-X-X-X-X-X

En-Route to London

Monday, 3 December, 2007

Mobility Troop's convoy moved in close formation, engines humming steadily as the vehicles sped toward the capital.

Jamie, at the wheel of Red Team's lead vehicle, kept his eyes on the road but couldn't resist breaking the silence.

"So, give us a sit-rep of everything that happened with those gobshites in Blue Team," he asked, glancing at Dan in the rear-view mirror. "I was too busy in Joe's face to see what went down."

Dan smirked, shaking his head. "We'd be here all night if we told you everything that happened, fella, so before I tell you some things, what did you see?"

Jamie laughed, recalling some of the chaos of what he saw in the briefing room over an hour ago. "I saw Gary smashing with force into a wall a few inches away from me head!"

"That wasn't me," Big Dan said, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he fought off a smirk, his voice tinged with amusement.

Jamie's head shook in levity, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Of course it was you! No one else on this team could have shoved him with that much force! I'm surprised he never broke his back with how sharply he twatted into that wall!"

Big Dan snorted. "The one I'm actually more surprised at whose back didn't snap is Kyle's!"

"Speaking of which!" Jamie shouted, shooting his glance at Chuck opposite him. "I saw you spearing that twat right past me head as well, but on the other side of it!"

Chuck shared the laughter with the other three.

A moment later, Jamie continued. "It was no less than what that gobshite deserved!"

"Indeed, fella," Big Dan said with a nod. "But it seems like you missed the best of all."

Jamie laughed and put a hand to his ear. "I'm all ears, mate, as we've bugger all else to do for the next few hours so we may as well have a little fun before getting serious once we arrive!"

Big Dan smirked. "Let's just say Kyle is still trying to regain his wind and recover from the blow Sarah landed as we speak," he snorted. "And I'd be very surprised if he can have kids after what I saw Sarah do with me own eyes."

Sarah shone a smile at Big Dan opposite her. "I hit him in exactly the place I was aiming for. Just like you earlier, at the gun range."

"I always knew she was one of us!" Big Dan shouted, a series of exuberant snorts escaping his lips.

Jamie led the latest outpouring of laughter for a long moment.

When he calmed, Jamie flashed a glance at Chuck opposite him. "We showed them what us scousers can do, mate!"

Chuck grinned in reply.

Big Dan leant forward, appearing just behind Chuck and Jamie, now pointing at himself. "Don't forget geordies."

"And Londoners," Sarah said with a smile, not wanting to be left out.

Chuck suppressed laughter and turned to face his girlfriend. "Don't you mean cockneys?"

"Shut up," Sarah warned with a glare—the smile she was fighting off betraying the firm look in her eyes.

Chuck stifled further laughter, proud of his wind-up. "You can't get out of your heritage, Sarah."

"I'd watch out if I were you, mate!" Jamie chuckled. "Or else you might get a punch as well, just like the one she gave that gobshite!"

As Jamie's warning sank in, Sarah held a glance at Chuck, daring him to test her about whether she would.

Chuck held his silence, still fighting off amusement.

"He's learning fast," Big Dan said with a smirk, glancing to his left at Chuck. "I'm proud of you, fella. Not doing anything to wind her up so that you'll get more necking (kissing) as a reward from her instead."

Sarah shot her gaze at Big Dan next to her. "Do you want the punch instead?"

"I'm shutting up now," Big Dan, finding the entire exchange extremely amusing, said, snorting.

Jamie, his hearty chuckles continuing, quipped, "It sounds like every man in this car is smart because I don't intend to say anything towards her either! I'm never getting on the wrong side of Sarah!"

Sarah, Chuck and Dan shared the amusement with Jamie.

A moment later, Jamie continued the conversation. "What we gave them is only a small taste of what they'll get if they piss us off any more, but for the sake of all of us, if it comes to that, better to arrange the next one off-duty."

"They need only name the time and place," Big Dan said with a nod.

Chuck's humorous demeanour vanished, his lips settling into a neutral expression. "As much as I'll defend anyone on our team, I have no desire to be starting fights with that lot. We need to end the dispute where it is now before it lands us all in serious trouble, and I don't want that for any of us."

"I agree with Chuck," Sarah said with a nod. "Yes, they do things that make us want to tear their faces off, but we are all professional soldiers and need to act like it. We shouldn't lose our cool towards them, myself included."

Big Dan leant forward, snorting away as he met Jamie's glance. "I always knew they weren't one of us!"

The four shared a last laugh, and then Jamie said, "Tell me everything else I missed out on 'cause I want to hear all of it!..."

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

Staging Area in London

Monday, 3 December, 2007

The low hum of the military transport SUVs reverberated through the otherwise silent street as they pulled into an old, forgotten warehouse lot. The building was nondescript—an old brick structure weathered with age and nestled in the far reaches of a quiet industrial park. This wasn't a place anyone would give a second glance, which was exactly why it was the perfect staging area.

As the vehicles stopped inside the warehouse, sixteen members of the British Special Air Service—Mobility Troop—disembarked with efficiency and military precision.

Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald was the first to step out, the soft glow of the overhead lights casting long shadows on the polished concrete floor. His breath steamed in the cool air as he surveyed the team, their dark silhouettes moving like clockwork. They quickly unloaded crates from the back of the wagons containing weapons, communications gear, and essential equipment.

The team performed every action in servicing their gear with the precision of a well-oiled machine—with no wasted motion. The far wall of the warehouse became their staging area, each piece of gear methodically placed to prepare for what could become a deadly mission.

When the crates and bergens were all in position, the team joined up again.

The chill from the harsh winter conditions inside the front-open warehouse bit at their skin, the faint smell of oil and damp concrete lingering.

Now in each other's proximity, Jamie rubbed his freezing hands together, locked his glance on Bryce, then said, "Alright, Rocky?"

Laughter rippled through the group, breaking the tension for a moment. But Chris wasn't as amused, his steely gaze cutting through the banter. "We're not going there! I had to listen to these soft bollocks talking about it the whole way here," he grumbled, glaring pointedly at Bryce, Cole, and John Murray.

Big Dan flashed a smirk. "Fair point, Chris. But we won't forget it anytime soon." His humour then faded, replaced by a sharp seriousness. "But you're right. Even as the biggest mouth I can speak for all of us in saying the ribbing of Blue Team stops here for now. We all know the possibilities for this op, even if command doesn't want to believe it themselves just yet."

A wave of agreement passed through the team, a chorus of nods signalling their mutual understanding. Silence followed as each soldier focused on unpacking their gear with renewed intensity for a few minutes.

The measured steps of Morgan Grimes, the intelligence officer from MI5, interrupted the quiet. His approach was deliberate, his posture tight with unease.

Chris noticed him first and spoke without lifting his gaze from the rifle he was securing, an Ultra Compact M4 Carbine designed purposely for UKSF for close-quarter combat and covert reconnaissance. "What's the latest?" he asked, his voice steady but laced with anticipation.

Morgan's expression was grim as he brushed his shirt, his eyes scanning the team before settling on Chris. "We've got a situation. Actually, two."

Chris straightened, his attention fully locked on the intel officer. "Give us the worst first."

Morgan exhaled sharply, his body betraying the stress he carried. His sweaty hands fidgeted, his breathing shallow. "One of our surveillance teams found a body. It looks like the GRU has started their work before we even arrived."

Chris paused, his jaw clenching. "Who is it?" he asked, his glance already looking towards the warehouse entrance as he pictured the next steps of how this operation could unfold.

Morgan's voice dropped, heavy with the weight of the revelation, his shoulders slumped. "A Russian defector—someone we turned a couple of decades ago. Our surveillance team followed him into a residential property. Shortly after, two GRU operatives entered. Thirty minutes later, they left. When our armed team checked the place, they found the defector dead. At first glance, it looked like a suicide—nothing out of place. But we know better. There's no CCTV in the area, so we've got nothing on them except our covert team witnessing them enter and leave."

The news hit the team like a wave of ice. A palpable tension filled the air as they processed the implications. Chuck was the first to break the silence. "So, they're done? Headed back to Russia for a parade and medals?"

Morgan shook his head, his face darkening. "No, not yet. And that brings me to the second part of the report. Those four Russians aren't the only ones in play anymore."

Chris's brow furrowed, his tone sharpened. "Go on."

Morgan stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper as if the GRU agents were already within earshot. "Intel suggests reinforcements have arrived. Additional GRU personnel landed and were recognised at Heathrow two hours ago."

Red Team didn't flinch.

"Numbers?" Cole Barker asked.

Morgan hesitated, scanning the faces of the hardened SAS soldiers around him. "Two of them. So that makes six of them. Minimum. All highly trained, military counter-intelligence operatives just like you guys. They're already in the game, assassinating someone with methodical precision. If cornered, they probably won't go down without a fight."

"Neither will we," Chris said, his voice dripping with determination and a chilling coldness.

Chris took a moment to glance at his team, his grip tightening on his rifle, his heart beating a fraction faster, though his face remained unreadable.

Six trained operatives.

More than enough to make this mission lethal.

When Chris completed his observations, he noted all of his team except Bryce mirrored the same level of concern as he felt about the potential danger and serious consequences that could unfold were this assignment to end with armed engagement.

Yet, despite their concern, he knew his team would not falter and would meet any aggression of the Russians head-on.

Glancing back at Morgan, Chris asked, "Anything else?"

Morgan nodded. "Our surveillance teams tracked their movement to a derelict warehouse, which seems to be their staging area. It's two miles from here. All six operatives are holed up there at this moment."

Chris locked eyes with his team. "We need eyes on that facility at all times. If they leave, we follow. Carefully."

"My bosses agree," Morgan confirmed, glancing over the team. "Captain Wallace has scheduled a briefing for your teams in ten minutes to discuss your tasking."

Chris gave a sharp nod, then turned to his team. "Alright, lads, you heard the man! Let's finish unpacking and then grace the rupert with our presence!"

Tight grips on their weapons accompanied Red Team's nods, a fierce intensity in their eyes, locked with a disciplined focus expected of serving members of the British Special Air Service towards the perilous mission ahead. With the joking long since at an end, each teammate occupied their mind instead by psyching themselves up about the possibility of a potential armed conflict with an extremely proficient adversary.

Chris waited until Morgan walked away before glancing back at his team. "They're almost as well trained as us, but we know how they think," he said with a firm nod. "If they stay in the country beyond tonight, we know they're in for at least one additional hit and are prepared for a fight. They're disciplined, but remember the last time most of us encountered them. They get sloppy when they're cornered. That's when we'll have them."

The team's nods were sharp and forceful. They continued their preparations, their grips remaining tight around their equipment. The silence in the area was different now—tense, focused, ready. Their minds were already on the mission ahead, jaws clenched tight, eyes ablaze with fierce grit and resolve.

There was no room for mistakes now. Red Team knew the Russians were a determined adversary.

The GRU had made their first move, executing a flawless assassination with cold, calculated precision. They were professionals—dangerous, methodical, and unrelenting.

But so was 22 Regiment SAS.

The quiet resolve on the soldiers' faces said it all.

They would not back down—not even an inch.

They were ready.

Because if it came down to it, they'd meet the Russian GRU head-on, matching their resolve with fierce unyielding aggression and the same surgical efficiency.

Both sides were capable of the fight, but Red Team arrived at the assignment steeled with a burning focus that promised they would not falter.

If the Russians wanted that fight during the operation, Red Team would ensure that none of them made it back to Moscow alive—for Red Team would only entertain a battle with the conditions that it be fought to the very last breath.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Are you folks still around? Drop me a review. Would love to hear from you.

FOOTNOTES: Next chapter, the assignment continues. There will be four additional chapters covering the upcoming events of the mission.