Saturday, May 12th, 2018
Leeds
West Yorkshire
Custos and Necis, once they had confirmed the property was clear, reported in.
"Building is clear," Necis reported. "Let the drug squad know we found a crap load of weed."
"Where is she?" Custos asked. "Noxa, Custos, respond, over."
There was no response from Noxa.
"Where is who?" Doctrina responded, knowing exactly whom they were speaking of.
"We seem to have lost Noxa," Custos clarified.
"Sounds about right!" Doctrina sighed. "Noxa, Doctrina, respond, over!"
"Noxa is hundred yards east," came the response.
"Let's go!" Custos said as he headed off in what he hoped was the direction Noxa had headed.
It did not take them long to find an alleyway which was bathed in blue light from the opposite end. Custos felt foreboding as he and Necis headed down said alleyway. Then he grinned as he took in the sight of the police BMW, the man on the ground, the cameraman, and Noxa chatting up a policeman.
"Ah, found her! Our illustrious leader appears to be staring in Police Interceptors!"
Doctrina decided not to comment on her daughter's wayward ways.
..._...
The constable was not all that surprised to see two more vigilantes appeared – he was aware that Vengeance rarely operated alone.
"Sorry about the damage," Custos offered. "Noxa can be a little heavy handed."
"If it keeps a bad criminal off the streets then it's a small price to pay," the police officer responded. "Hopefully, my supervisor will agree."
"Any trouble with him, you let me know," the pint-sized vigilante stated.
"How do I get a hold of you?" the officer asked.
Custos dived in and pulled Noxa away before she could respond. "Don't go there!" he warned as he handed over a business card which was a deep blue all over but bore the embossed Vengeance symbol on one side and a phone number on the other: 020 0001 0001. "Anytime you need us, give us a call."
The police officer nodded as he and his colleague scooped up the unconscious man and placed him into the back of the BMW.
..._...
Doctrina had little to say as she pulled up to collect the three young vigilantes.
"Did we have fun?" she asked.
"Meh!" Noxa commented as she stowed her assault rifle and pulled on her seatbelt.
"Understatement of the year!" Custos grumbled.
"Always seeking glory, she is," Necis commented. "I think she fancied the policeman."
"Did not!" Rylee retorted as she pulled off her mask.
"I think you did," Simon confirmed as he too removed his mask.
"Did not!"
"Meh!" Doctrina growled as she pulled away and headed for home.
"Never a dull day when Rylee's around," Georgia grinned as her best friend scowled.
Simon and Rylee's bickering continued most of the way home.
Monday, May 14th
Whitehall, London
Sub-Lieutenant Sam Graeme looked up at the old stone and marble buildings which made up the centre of government for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island.
She had not set foot in London for several years and it looked the same apart from increased security and there were still signs of the battles fought just half a year or so previously. The young Royal Navy officer was hoping for a promotion to lieutenant as her career appeared to be stagnating. While she was a very competent officer, she rarely excelled and that had slowed down her career path. However, she was happy to take any posting which may help her prospects, even a posting to the Ministry of Defence, far from the sea which she loved. She turned her back on the architecturally exquisite buildings of Whitehall and headed towards the more modern Ministry of Defence building where she followed written instructions which took her into the depths of the massive building until she finally stopped outside a solid dark wooden door marked only with a number in lightly faded brass numerals: '27'. Sam had no idea where that number was derived from as the nearest door, some twelve feet away, was marked as '49'.
She knocked.
..._...
The door opened and a smiling Royal Navy rating greeted her.
"I'm Menston, ma'am, please come in."
Sam did so and followed the female rating through a comfortable office where a male petty officer sat pummelling a computer keyboard but paused to nod at the young officer.
"Morning, ma'am, can I get you a mug of tea?"
"Er, yes please, petty officer. Nato standard"
"Right away, ma'am."
Sam followed the female rating – Menston – through a large open door after Menston had knocked once on the doorframe. There Sam stopped dead and was startled to recognise the officer who stood up from behind a large desk to greet her with a firm handshake.
"Captain Lawrence. Please take a seat."
The man was obviously in a much better way than when he had been rescued by HMS ALBION some ten months previously, Sam thought. The young officer was intrigued by unfolding events, and a little concerned. But then her tea arrived and the door to the office was closed firmly.
"Sub-lieutenant Sam Graeme," the captain began. "You have come highly recommended by a mutual friend who I trust explicitly." Sam had no idea who that could be. "Now, before we get to the good bits, I have to make you aware that should you breathe a word of what you are about to learn then you will be unceremoniously shot – I kid you not." Sam took a sip of her sweet milky tea and squirmed in her seat, not knowing if the senior officer was messing with her. "Well, you haven't run off screaming so let's move on, shall we."
The conversation swiftly ventured into dark territory with the discussion of events in London and around the world the previous year as well as discussion of a certain paramilitary organisation which while not well known was well known. Sam mentioned that she believed in what said organisation did and how they were judge, jury, and executioner. That gave Craig Lawrence all he needed to push on.
"You have been told very little about what this department does," the captain explained. "Officially, we are Military Intelligence Section Eighteen – I know, 'military intelligence' is a contradiction in terms but there you are! I suppose you could say that we are a contradiction as well but unofficially, we are known within this office as 'Vigilante Liaison'."
Sam was speechless. She was aware that the police and Her Majesty's Government were not actively pursuing Vengeance but while there had been rumours that Vengeance was operating at the behest of said government, nobody actually believed it.
"I see you are surprised. Yes, Vengeance operates closely with the likes of MI5 and MI6 as well as the military establishment in general. There are times where certain individuals escape the hand of justice or as happened a while ago, certain individuals needed dealt with quickly and cleanly without the embarrassment of a public trial for treason."
Sam remembered that after the events which had seen Vengeance vindicated of all crimes raised against them, certain government ministers had seemingly suffered a string of bad luck and been killed in accidents deemed of a non-suspicious nature. Naturally, there had been conspiracy theories about them being taken out by Vengeance – but maybe they were not conspiracy theories. Was Vengeance truly beyond the law?
"We coordinate with Vengeance," the captain went on, "and provide them with business all while they receive a decent stipend to support their activities. Indeed, Vengeance lost their biggest helicopter – they had three, you know – off the Thames Estuary, so HMG is building them a replacement which will be completed by Christmas, we hope. Now, onto the detail. Vengeance consists of over thirty individuals who are sworn to protect these shores. They are highly trained and have access to the very latest weaponry, armour, and electronic equipment. Their intelligence comes via the likes of MI5, MI6, the police, and GCHQ. We sift through that intelligence and assist Vengeance where we can. Currently, there are nine of us in this office and we would like you to become number ten, heading up the Vigilante Liaison office. Actually, there would just be the two of you – for now. Once another comes off medical leave, we will be eleven. Does that all sound like fun?"
"Do I end up trapsing through the Cambodian jungle?"
Captain Lawrence grinned.
"I would like to say no, but..."
Sam grimaced at that comment.
"The job comes with a second stripe as both a bonus and compensation," Lawrence grinned.
Sam knew she had to take the posting, and she was intrigued by all she had so far witnessed – semi-reluctantly, she nodded.
"Congratulations, lieutenant!"
Sam was beginning to have second thoughts.
That afternoon...
Edinburgh, Scotland
Kate and Craig were glad to be home after another long day at school.
As normal, they dumped their jackets and school bags, and Craig headed into the kitchen for something to drink. When he stepped back into the living room he froze. Kate sat on the sofa, one hand over her mouth, and she was sobbing. Her other hand was holding a letter. Craig winced as he considered that she had received bad news. He sat down beside his stepsister and tentatively placed a hand around her shoulders. Normally, Kate would have punched him very hard but instead she turned to look up at him, dropping her hand from her mouth.
"I've got in," was all she said as she began to cry again.
"When do you start?" Craig asked.
"Next week!" Kate replied. "It looks like there was a hold up with my application which delayed notification."
"Wow! Congrats, Kate!"
"Thanks, Craig."
It was the beginning of a new start for the young woman. She would be attending one of the world's most prestigious naval colleges at the start of what she hoped would become a long and illustrious career in the Royal Navy. Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth was world renowned for the level of naval officer it produced and indeed, many other countries would send their officers to BRNC for initial training.
She had a lot to do to prepare for her trip.
Later that week...
Thursday, May 17th
Edinburgh, Scotland
Sam was no longer beginning to have second thoughts – she was having second thoughts.
The briefing documents which had taken all week to get through had raised more questions than answers and she had a distinct feeling that she was being had as many of the documents were redacted. She had raised this with Captain Lawrence but been told that all would be revealed once she arrived at the Vengeance Command Centre in Edinburgh. Then things began to unravel as she was picked up from Edinburgh station that morning by a woman who was very sure of herself and an enigma at the same time.
"Welcome to Edinburgh, Lieutenant Graeme. I'm Lieutenant Commander Keira Sharp. Can I call you Sam?"
"Er, yes ma'am," Sam responded, surprised at the unexpected familiarity from a more senior officer who somehow seemed too young to be a lieutenant commander.
Sam followed the other woman to her car and together they fought their way out of Edinburgh.
..._...
As they drove, Keira spoke with Sam.
"You looking forward to this posting, Sam?"
"I think so, although I don't know a lot about it, to be honest; Captain Lawrence was not too forthcoming."
"Ah, yes, he can be a little secretive – part of being a spook, I suppose."
"Are you...?"
"Careless talk, lieutenant!" Keira advised.
Sam had so many questions, but the advisory had been taken as an order. After escaping the almost impossible traffic which throttled every artery in and out of Edinburgh, they finally turned off main roads and then onto a twisting back road before they then turned into the drive of an amazing house before pulling up outside. That was when things began to click as a woman with fiery auburn hair strode towards her.
"Sarah! What are you doing here?"
"Welcome to Vengeance, Sam!" Sarah Perrin responded with a broad grin.
Sam scowled at her friend as she realised who had recommended her to Captain Lawrence.
"I'm beginning to wonder if I'm doing the right thing," Sam offered as she gave Sarah a hug.
"Congratulations on the second stripe, Sam. You are doing the right thing, but I will not lie to you, and you know that. You are entering a world of secrecy and danger, but you are also entering a world of good where we help those who cannot help themselves but yes, you are also entering a world where we kill people. That may be with a missile, a rocket, a rifle, a pistol, or our bare hands, but we do kill."
"I figured that, Sarah, and I am okay with it. I trust you and I know you would not do anything to hurt me – too badly."
"Let's go meet everyone, shall we?" Keira suggested.
"This way to the rabbit hole," Sarah grinned as she led the apprehensive Sam inside the building.
Sam had no idea what to expect as she stepped through the door.
..._...
Sam was led into an amazing glass room – an orangery.
"We can talk properly here," a man explained. "This place is swept for bugs on a regular basis, and we have jammers in place. Welcome, Miss Graeme to Vengeance. I am Jasper Collins. I am officially the MI5 liaison officer for my sins, and I go by the codename Sleuth. This is my wife, Lynn who is Doc. We try to ensure that Vengeance does not appear in the newspapers by reducing collateral damage and reigning in the exuberance which sometimes guides Vengeance. You have met Keira who is our senior pilot and goes by the name of Scorpion. She is an ex-Royal Navy pilot who commanded Nightshade before the helicopter fell into the Thames Estuary last year after suffering extensive battle damage. She is assisted by our other pilot, Captain Trevor Lai, ex-Army Air Corps, who commands Scourge and also flies Twilight is known as Raptor. Chief Petty Officer David Montgomery maintains our aircraft."
Sam tried to take in the names and faces as she shook hands with each person.
"Then we have the leaders of Vengeance, Cameron and Natasha King – Drift and Crimson. Their second in command is Cassie Bedford, also known as Nemesis."
Sam was surprised at that – she knew that Cassie was Sarah's younger sister.
"Finally, we have Eric Cunningham who is known as Q, our tech expert. That makes up the adults of Vengeance. But before we venture onto, ah, noisier territory, I would like to introduce you to three more members of MI18. We have our head of security, Lance Corporal Joanna Regis, on loan from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Joanna is up here reviewing some security matters. Dealing with some local foreign matters, we have the Russian Liaison team made up of Band Lance Corporal Hannah McFadden of the Royal Marines Band Service and Trooper Lindsey Raisa who has joined us from the Life Guards Regiment of the Royal Household Cavalry."
Jasper waited for the latest introductions to complete before he turned to the final adult in the room.
"Lance Corporal of Horse Charles Allerton, also of the Life Guards Regiment of the Royal Household Cavalry, please meet your unit officer in charge, Lieutenant Sam Graeme of the Royal Navy."
"Good to meet you, ma'am," the man said with a broad smile.
"Likewise, corporal."
"Now," Jasper said quietly, "did you read up on Urban Predator before you came up?"
Sam's face went very dark which indicated that she had indeed read up on that heinous program.
..._...
As Sam was led by Sarah deeper into the house, it sounded like there was a riot underway.
"Are you prepared?" Sarah asked.
"For what?" Sam asked with concern in her tone.
"A herd of wild animals. Outwardly, they are children; some even look and may come across as sweet and innocent but do not be taken in as they are the very worst in every way. The youngest is just ten while the eldest is due to turn eighteen in a few weeks. They know literally dozens of ways to take a life and even unarmed they are a lethal weapon. Every child in that room has killed at least once and while they hate it, they have little choice but to feed the desire for blood. That is the reason why they are a part of Vengeance; they need the outlet, or they react badly – we'll get to that in a short while."
"Will it be safe?"
"No. If they wanted to kill us; we would never know it, and they would be able to dispose of our bodies long before the authorities arrived. They would have vanished by then and they would never be found."
"What the fuck have you gotten me into Sarah?"
"Just don't show any fear," Sarah grinned as she waved Sam through a doorway and the noise grew; it sounded like a major riot was underway.
Sam stepped through and followed a short corridor and went down four steps and then through a pair of double doors where the sound was all but deafening.
..._...
The kitchen was large and luxurious with two large bay windows, one with three window seats and the other with an oval table which could seat six.
The opposite end of the dark wood-panelled kitchen was occupied by a log burning fire and a pair of comfortable sofas. But that was where the civility ended. Some twenty or so youngsters were distributed in groups around the large space, most engaged in trying to out shout the next. Three women stood at the kitchen counter drinking coffee, but Sam noticed that three bright yellow taser devices were very visible on the counter within easy reach.
"Deck, Ho!" Sarah bellowed and the sound instantly stopped, and all the youngsters leapt to their feet.
"You have them well trained, I see," Sam commented.
"They know that if they don't obey, they will be tasered," Sarah commented. "Jasper wanted shock collars but apparently that goes against their human rights – despite them being complete animals."
Sam noticed a small girl hugging a stuffed pony, grinning sweetly as she advanced on her. The girl curtsied before she spoke.
"Hi, I'm Kaitlin."
"Don't buy the sweetness," Cassie advised. "She killed three men on a day out in Glasgow last year and also totalled a police BMW – glass, tyres, the works."
The short girl grimaced but persisted.
"I will admit that I have let my emotions get the better of me, but I can also be civilised..."
The entire room burst out into derisive laughter at the girl's comment.
"Pull the other one, Kaitlin," a voice called out. "The other one has bells on!"
"The loudmouth is Craig Montgomery, son of David and Amy, over there with Alexandra and Captain Sinead McFadden of 42 Commando," Cassie stated. "Kaitlin and Naomi, the grinning one at the table, are my daughters. I also have a son, Jake who is on the window seat snogging Charlotte – we call her Charlie, and she is now my sister."
"We have some visiting members who don't reside in Scotland," Jasper stated. "Rylee, Simon, Tanya, and Georgia are from Yorkshire and look after Leeds and Bradford plus the surrounding areas. While most here are Predators – horrible creatures – some, such as Georgia, did not endure Urban Predator."
Sam saw the dark expressions at the mention of said heinous program.
"We then have our London operation," Jasper continued. "Freya and Frieda provide technical support to the operators, and for your information, Sam, they are the adopted daughters of Captain Lawrence. The London operators are Amber Dawson who is soon to become Amber Allerton..."
Amber ran up to hug Charles Allerton then she looked up at Sam.
"Hi, I'm Amber and this is soon to be my dad," the girl said proudly.
"You are Spark?" Sam asked carefully.
"You've heard of me?"
"I've read the report from last year in London and then in Mali."
"Oh...," Amber responded.
"I understand you suffered torture," Sam saw one of the older girls turning away at the comment. "And then you were shot while serving as a double agent."
"I was shot, here, here, here, here, and here, oh, and here," Amber said as she prodded parts of her body. "But I survived and with help from Charles, I recovered."
"The other operators are Electra, and someone you may have seen before..."
Sam's jaw dropped as one of the girls at the table turned in her direction and grinned broadly.
"Hi!" Her Royal Highness Princess Mary called out before she indicated a woman who had also been sat at the table. "This is Ginny – she's my minder."
"We then have the local talent," Cassie said. "The girl on the floor is Keira's sister, Harper. You've met my family. We then have Dakota and Ariana who are the wards of Sinead and her family. We then have Jasper's family: Christopher, Olivia, and Jessica. Kate and Jordan live with David and Amy. Kate, incidentally, has just passed her AIB and is due to start at Dartmouth on Monday. She flies the helicopters with Keira."
"Congratulations, Kate," Sam said as she remembered her own AIB and time at Dartmouth some years previously. "You will have the time of your life."
"You met Trevor, earlier, he has a son, Jeremy, and a ward, Ewan. Finally, we have our resident magnate, Scarlett Radford who may be young, but she is also a billionaire in control of the Radford Group which is one of the world's biggest corporations right up there with Wayne Enterprises."
Scarlett went scarlet as she tried to hide behind Charlie.
Later that afternoon...
Sam had been given unfettered access to Vengeance records which had filled in many of the redacted sections in the previous briefing documents she had seen.
After reading through many files relating to past operations, current members of Vengeance, and information concerning a nasty bitch from across the pond who had an unnatural liking for purple, she had read debriefing documents which had been harrowing to say the least. There was the case of one Harper Sharp who had been viciously tortured. The girl, Scarlett Radford who had lost a hand to one of the younger girls. The list of injuries from the previous year had been long and extensive, along with the extensive scars both mental as well as physical. Then there had come the more recent story of the boy, Jake, who had been seized by the Russians and then rescued by three seemingly innocent youngsters. It was like somebody was writing a dark story where said writer seemingly enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering on his characters.
Part of Sam wanted her to run away and try to forget what she had learned but her true self wanted to be a part of what Vengeance was and what it represented.
..._...
After two hours, Sam groaned and rubbed her tired eyes.
"You want a drink, Sam?"
Sam looked up to see three girls staring up at her.
"How long have you three been sitting there?"
"About an hour," the tallest of the stated.
"Okay. Harper, Naomi, and Kaitlin – right?"
All three grinned before a voice spoke.
"If you are going to let those three hang around with you, I'd carry one of these," Cassie said as she pushed a yellow taser towards Sam.
"You've each been tasered?" Sam asked and received three nods.
"I think they enjoy it," Cassie grinned.
Harper simply shrugged before the three girls bolted out of the door.
"So?" Cassie pushed.
"You guys have been through hell, and nobody will ever really know what you have done for the country, and the world."
"Maybe some nutjob will put our story down onto paper for prosperity," Cassie considered. "However, it would probably be filed away not to see the light of day for a hundred years."
"It isn't for the feint hearted is it."
"You in?"
"Yes, I'm in. I trust Sarah even if she's a fucking nutjob, too."
"Good luck finding anyone sane around here!" Cassie laughed. "What would your father think about this?"
"The admiral?" Sam replied. "He'd have a sodding cow!"
"And then some," Sarah added as she walked up. "It's great to have you onboard, Sam. I hated keeping things from you."
"I read about how you gained your QGM and your second stripe. You had no choice but to keep things from me and I won't blame you for that."
"Vengeance is in the thick of it," Cassie said. "We've made enemies in the past, and intel has some bad shit coming our way. We have had more than one brush with the Russians, and they don't like us very much. One of the reasons we asked for you, Sam, was your ability to speak fluent Russian."
"Daddy insisted I learnt Russian when I was at school; he said it might help me gain promotion, but I don't think this was quite what he had in mind."
"Well, your work when we you were in Albion was essential to rescuing our friends, including Captain Lawrence," Sarah stated. "You've met Freya and Ariana – neither of them would be here without your contribution, Sam."
"You're just trying to make it sound easy, but I know you, Sarah – you're full of crap!"
"She's got you there, dear sister," Cassie laughed.
Sarah had preferred it when her little sister had been too timid to speak her mind.
That weekend...
Saturday, May 19th
Northern Scotland
Jasper had been dubious about accepting another MI5 mission but considering it was within the United Kingdom and would be planned by Vengeance, it appeared to be safe.
They were based at RAF Lossiemouth, some one hundred and twenty-five miles north of Edinburgh. The drive had been long, and most were resting in RAF accommodation ready for the assault around ten that night once the sun was well and truly down. The briefing was for six o'clock that evening and all would be required to attend. After having eaten a large meal, the majority of Vengeance slipped into a lecture theatre which was then sealed.
"This mission has been passed to Vengeance for deniability. Intelligence has indicated that the target site is being used for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes by a foreign nation. What that foreign nation is has not been confirmed but the worry is that it is either Russia or possibly China."
"Yeah – been there before," Harper commented dryly.
Some derisive comments were exchanged with reference to 'the file incident' the previous year.
"Yes," Jasper responded, "but this time, we will not go in blind. Whoever is operating this site does not belong, so we are not invading an official consulate. The primary objective is recovery of evidence confirming identity of the foreign country. A secondary objective is the capture of one Anthony Griffiths – alive. He may or may not be onsite, but we also have a secondary location for him about five miles from the primary objective. This is intended to be a covert assault and not a 'shock and awe' assault. The local police will not be aware of our presence, and will no doubt react with their own armed officers which we do not want. If the opposition attempts to prevent our access or evidence collection, then they should be detained in the first instance to maintain the covertness of the operation or eliminated – silently – if there is no alternative.
"There will be three teams. Team One which will be known as 'Cavalier One' will be made up of Lion Squadron with the balance of Vindicator Squadron – that is, minus Resolute and Intrepid. In command will be Nemesis. Team One will assault the primary objective. Team Two which will be known as 'Cavalier Two' will be made up of Valiant Squadron. In command will be Crimson. Team Two will be providing protection for Team One and will patrol the area surrounding the primary objective. Team Three which will be known as 'Cavalier Three' will be made up of Vigilant Squadron. In command will be Drift. Team Three will go after the secondary objective. In support, we will have Scourge and Twilight being crewed by Scorpion, Raptor, Goshawk, and Chief. They will be on hand as required. For technical support, we will have Q and Obsidian who will be operating from Trident, our new command van. Thunderstorm will be protecting Trident with Commando and Crusader on hand.
"We are taking no chances on this one and only suppressed weapons will be used alongside blades. No flashbangs and no grenades. We want to be in and out within forty minutes with any evidence in Faraday bags for later inspection by MI5. On that subject, Team One will be joined by Jack Foster to assist with evidence identification while Debbie Grey will be joining Q and Obsidian in Trident. You will all be masked with FCCS suits; however, we ideally do not want Vengeance splashed across Monday morning's front pages. Further information will be provided by those in command."
"Let's get kitted up – we move out at twenty-one hundred," Cassie announced.
Everyone left the lecture theatre to get ready.
21:30
TRIDENT: Q, Obsidian, and Erebus with Thunderstorm, Commando, and Crusader
The dark blue Mercedes Sprinter van was parked up two-thirds of a mile from the primary objective from where they had a panoramic view of the local area.
While it was very cold and pitch dark outside, inside the insulated van it was cosy, what with the crap load of electronics installed and the three occupants. One of the six screens mounted on the left side of the van's capacious load area showed a low light image of the target property across two ploughed fields. Another screen showed the marked-up image from a drone – Q had the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle 2 Block-F UAV known as Eagle Two Alpha airborne and circling the area at some ten thousand feet where it was invisible from the ground, even in daylight, let alone at night. The high-definition optics were slaved to the infrared spectrum and picked up heat sources for miles around on the narrow peninsular which separated the North Sea estuary and the Cromarty Firth at the entrance to the Moray Firth. The local area was flat farmland and during the day, rows of North Sea oil rigs could be seen queuing up in the nearby Cromarty Firth to be cut up into razor blades. With the area being made up pf primarily farms a mass of strange vehicles descending on the area would be a major give away and having TRIDENT onsite was bad enough. So, how were the assault teams to arrive at their positions? With the help of Sinead's colleagues, they had hitched a ride.
At that moment, the UAVs primary cameras were slaved upon three objects hurtling across the estuary at some thirty-five knots. The 9.1-metre offshore raiding craft were powered by twin Styr M256 highspeed inboard diesel engines each developing 250-horsepower. Each of the troop-carrying craft belonged to 4 Assault Troop of 42 Commando, Royal Marines. Each craft was crewed by two Royal Marines Commandoes standing at the aft-mounted steering console while the eight troop-carrying seats forward were mostly occupied by Vengeance.
Two of the ORCs would make for Eathie Beach less than half a mile from their Primary Objective with Cavalier One and Cavalier Two while the third ORC would head further to the west to deposit Cavalier Three onto the beach below Rosemarkie.
Eathie Beach
Cavalier One: Nemesis, Stripe, Arbiter, Polaris, Noxa, Custos, Necis, and Spark with Hermes
Cavalier Two: Crimson, Glide, Harrier, Aegea, and Overrun
The waves splashed onto the shore even as the aluminium reinforced bow ran up the beach and eight souls leapt over the same bow where their lightweight boots sunk into the mix of wet sand and gravel.
Each person wore black combat clothing, masks, and woollen hats for warmth as there was a stiff ten knot wind coming in from the North Sea. They wore NVGs to allow them to see and they each held a SIG Sauer MPX-SD submachinegun with the younger members carrying the shorter 'K' variant with a shorter barrel and suppressor. Nemesis led the two teams off the beach and to the east along the foreshore. They had a gentle approach which would cover a little over a mile before they reached their objective. After climbing about fifty metres above the sea, most of which had been via a stony path with the sea to the right and trees to their left, they came to open fields. Aegea and Overrun were left to guard their return to the beach and also to cover the fifty-five acres of ploughed field to the south of the objective. Cavalier One headed in a northeasterly direction while the remainder of Cavalier Two headed to the northwest along the edge of the field. The stiff breeze could be felt as it carved across the open land from east to west which meant they needed to maintain silence as any sound could be carried towards the enemy who they hoped were inside and unsuspecting of an assault. Every set of eyes was searching for movement or a threat, their weapons moving with the eyes as they walked.
Across the field, they could see lights at their primary objective which may or may not have confirmed presence of the enemy.
Five miles to the west...
Rosemarkie Beach
Cavalier Three: Drift, Prowl, Ajax, Belle, Forager
The approach was stealthier due to the proximity of the town to their left and several homes to their right.
The ORC nudged the beach as the five passengers leapt over the bow and then reversed off to take up a holding position a mile offshore. Swiftly, Drift led his team up the beach, angling for a copse of trees above the beach. Ajax stayed close to Belle, just in case. At the copse of trees, they paused.
"Q, Cavalier Three at the copse, standing by to move," Drift radioed.
In TRIDENT, Q and Obsidian checked the feed from the drone for any threat."
"All clear for you to move to secondary objective. Nearest movement is eight hundred yards to the east. Report any contact with Anthony Griffiths."
"Acknowledged!" Drift responded as he waved his team forwards.
They moved through the trees, closing the objective which was just one hundred yards distant. The target property was not large – a typical three-bedroom detached property overlooking the see and surrounded by green lawns. The lights were on, but the curtains were closed meaning it was not easy to identify if anyone was home. The team split up to surround the property with Drift taking Forager to the left while Ajax and Belle went to the right leaving Prowl to make directly for the property where, being the shortest, she was able to get close without attracting attention and she leapt over the low brick wall landing and rolling on the grass beyond. She came up onto her right knee, her SIG Sauer MPX-SD-K to her right shoulder and she scanned the garden, the muzzle of her rifle following her eyes. She saw no threats or movement, so she moved towards the building and the back door which she knew led into the kitchen.
She took up a position, crouched down but with her weapon aimed at the door.
..._...
Anthony Griffiths was what was termed a sleeper agent.
He was not a man to be trifled with and he had a number of deaths to his credit, all of which had been stealthily undertaken with no evidence remaining for the police to find. He had never been a suspect and to everybody who knew the man he was a model citizen who had been resident in the United Kingdom for some thirty years and was part owner of a farm further along the coast. He was touching fifty but his paymasters in Moscow still deemed him to be a functional asset. In fact, he was one of the Russian jewels in the espionage crown – a Fabergé egg amongst jewellery. He had no idea that he had been betrayed by a man he saw as a friend but who had ulterior motives in mind and Griffiths was to be the key to his greatest desire. While Griffiths was not alone; he ran a sleeper cell of Russian agents who covered the United Kingdom commanding other sleeper cells of recruited informants many of whom worked in places of critical importance to the United Kingdom.
As Griffiths sat in his home, he felt peckish, so he got up off the sofa in the living room and headed through into the kitchen just as the doorbell rang. The man frowned as he checked the cheap plastic clock which hung on one wall of the small kitchen.
"If it's another goddamn Jehovah's witness, I'll...," he growled as he walked to the front door and peered through the spyhole seeing a shadow of a person but nothing more. He pulled back two deadbolts and then turned the Yale lock, pulling open the door. He looked out into the darkness beyond his porch light and at first, he saw nothing but then his eyes caught shadows that should not have been there and then he caught some colour, and he felt a chill run up his backbone as his brain reacted to the twin yellow eyes and the twin red eyes which hung in the darkness. He made to slam the door, but a black boot appeared in the light and Griffiths bolted through to the kitchen and the back door which he hauled open only to find two more eyes, these ones a dull blue. He noticed the crouching shadow which appeared small and probably an easy takedown but the very real submachinegun which she held removed any thought of escape. After all, he was simply an innocent man at home on a Saturday night.
He raised his hands as he heard boots behind him.
The Primary Objective
Cavalier One: Nemesis, Stripe, Arbiter, Polaris, Noxa, Custos, Necis, Spark, Hermes.
Cavalier Two: Crimson, Glide, Harrier, Aegea, Overrun
As Cavalier One and the balance of Cavalier Two encircled the primary objective, the radio call came through.
"All Cavalier Teams, Anthony Griffiths is in custody. Repeat, Anthony Griffiths is in custody."
Nemesis and Crimson both responded in the affirmative as they moved into their assault positions. Crimson, Glide, and Harrier would cover the rear of the farm while Cavalier One would assault the main house and the surrounding farm buildings. The nine strong team moved together, Stripe and Arbiter making for the front door of the main house where Arbiter downed her weapon to work the lock while Stripe covered her with his own weapon. Her task complete, Arbiter raised a hand, and Stripe sent a double-click over the radio circuit as Arbiter turned the handle and pushed open the stout wooden door with inset glass panes.
She and Stripe entered, weapons raised, searching for movement or threat.
Overwatch Position
TRIDENT: Q, Obsidian, and Erebus with Thunderstorm, Commando, and Crusader
Thunderstorm heard Commando growl first and then Crusader a split second later.
Instantly, she raised her weapon and sought out whatever had spooked the two hounds. She found it as she looked to the southeast where she heard a vehicle approaching. She waved the dogs into the undergrowth and sank down into cover herself even as she radioed the danger signal.
"Tallyho!" she radioed.
Inside the command van, Obsidian switched a monitor to the camera mounted atop the van in what appeared to be a ladder holder. Erebus seized a pistol with attached suppressor, and she made ready while Q sent a signal to Eagle-One to shift a camera onto their position.
"I have a car approaching, two hundred yards out," Q reported. "Stand to!"
As the vehicle came around a bend in the road, Thunderstorm saw that it was a police car.
"It's plod," she reported.
"No," Q replied. "I don't buy it; not out here. The odds of it being a coincidence are beyond ridiculous."
"Stay calm and let it play out," Obsidian cautioned. "That means you, Thunderstorm!"
Three clicks came in response and Obsidian hoped that her friend would behave.
..._...
The Land River Discovery 4 appeared genuine.
Obsidian's eyes clocked the yellow and blue Battenburg pattern and the unlit light bar on the roof. She also clocked the no nonsense winch cover, heavy duty nudge bar, and the snorkel which was fitted to the driver's side A-pillar. While the vehicle appeared correct, the two men who climbed out of the vehicle were large but that was not unusual. However, it was the bulge beneath the unzipped fluorescent jacket which was unusual.
"Plod's armed," she radioed as she watched the pair advance on TRIDENT.
"Open up!" one of the man said as he rapped on the side door of the van after having peered into the empty cab. "Police!"
The door slid open once all light emitting systems had been suppressed. Erebus stepped out and slid the door shut behind her even as the two 'police officers' attempted to see inside the darkened rear. "What's up?" she asked politely, her masked face hidden by her hooded top.
"Care to tell us what you are doing up here at this time of night?" one of the men demanded not so politely.
"Making out; is that a problem?"
The two men had not expected that it seemed.
"I've run the plates," Q advised. "It's a retired vehicle – left Police Scotland service three years ago. Take them down!"
At that announcement, Erebus threw herself to the ground even as the two 'police officers' turned at the sound of movement and they reached for their weapons even as two shadows leapt at them and both men went down hard as a good fifty kilogrammes of animal and armour landed atop each of them. Then came a pair of eyes piercing the darkness, mesmerising as they faded from grey to blue and back again. She wanted to kill but she knew that she could not, and she could do without the self-righteous bollocking from Obsidian should the two men die, so she simply order off each dog in turn and secured both men with rope and taped their mouths after retrieving a Glock 17 Gen4 pistol from each man.
With help from Erebus, the two 'police officers' were dragged into undergrowth and placed into the unwelcome custody of Crusader and Commando.
The Primary Objective
Cavalier One: Nemesis, Stripe, Arbiter, Polaris, Noxa, Custos, Necis, Spark, Hermes.
Cavalier Two: Crimson, Glide, Harrier, Aegea, Overrun
Arbiter and Stripe moved along a hallway from the front door finding nothing.
Arbiter went to the left to clear the living room and dining room while Stripe ventured into the kitchen. Stripe found the kitchen empty but warm and cosy like somebody was due back at any moment. In his earpiece he heard the 'clear' calls from Arbiter, and he made his own call: "Clear! Nemesis, bring your team in." As Stripe waved Arbiter up the staircase to clear the upper floor, Polaris, Noxa and Necis entered the house and started to toss the place, searching for information. Cupboards were opened and drawers emptied out onto tables where papers were sifted through. Custos and Spark went through the discarded drawers and empty cupboards searching for hidden items, false bottoms, and other tricks of the spy trade.
"I've got a slip!" Spark announced excitedly as she ripped a hinge from a cupboard frame and produced a small plastic-wrapped package which she handed to Nemesis who pulled open the package and found a passport – a British passport, only it was blank and ready for a photo to be inserted along with the all-important page of personal details. That was useful as it might lead to a source of stolen passports. The passport was placed in one of four large packs which were lined with wire-lined fabric to prevent any signals escaping.
Nemesis was not happy. While they had found numerous items and documents which might be useful, none was exactly evidence of the century. Every deep cover agent-maintained documents and keepsakes which linked them to their past which would be used to make their escape back into their former lives. It had to be somewhere easy to get to but not so easy that a counter-intelligence agent might find it within seconds. Custos was surveying a wall which to his eyes appeared smoother than the other walls in one section about a foot off the wooden floor. It might have been nothing but... He took the stock of his submachine gun to the wall, smashing the plaster board to pieces before he ripped away the remainder with his gauntlets. There was nothing revealed except for some mains electrical wiring. The boy looked around the kitchen and then focussed on an alarm panel with a key lock – it was dated and looked not to be in use. Again, he used his weapon to break open the panel but found nothing but old electronics and a backup battery. He was just closing the panel when Spark sparked up.
"Stop!" she called out. "The battery's been moved – look at the dust pattern."
Custos grinned – Spark was right. The battery had not been there for years in the same position – it had been moved and recently it seemed. Necis reached into her utility belt, and she produced a small digital multi-meter, and she tested the battery which came back as fully charged.
"Why would a battery be fully charged in a dead control panel?" she asked as she traced the red and black wires and found they vanished into the wall. She yanked the wires, and plaster began to fall away as the wires came loose. The wires followed a route about four inches shy of the ceiling and headed along the length of the kitchen and then out into the hallway. Spark smashed away part of the plasterboard wall to find the wires which headed downwards before they vanished into the floor. Looking along the polished floorboards, she saw something out of kilter and then found a small hole into which she inserted the tip of her combat knife before twisting it. A plank popped up, but she did not lift it. It was potentially boobytrapped. Spark peered into the visible gap with a torch and groaned.
"An incendiary grenade wired up with a magnetic switch. Necis, disconnect one of the terminals on the battery, please," Spark directed and Necis did so. "Stand clear!" she ordered as she lifted the floorboard. "Bingo!" Carefully, Spark reached in, and she removed the incendiary grenade which if detonated would have destroyed everything under the floorboard – and then some. She also produced several folders containing paper, notebooks, and computer media. It was the motherlode!
"Get this lot stashed and ready to move," Nemesis ordered as Arbiter and Stripe came back down the stairs. They had found nothing despite having a fun time demolishing drawers and cupboards, ripping apart bedding and mattresses alike.
"Not bad," Noxa commented as she surveyed the mess and the seized items, "and not a shot fired!"
"You're bloody tempting fate wise arse!" Polaris countered. "You..."
Polaris never got to finish her sentence as four gunshots rang out from the direction of the staircase and both Polaris and Noxa went down hard.
Five miles to the west...
Rosemarkie Beach
Cavalier Three: Drift, Prowl, Ajax, Belle, Forager
The trussed-up Anthony Griffiths was manhandled aboard the ORC where he was secured to a seat with Ajax and Belle watching over him.
The coxswain in command of the offshore raiding craft, eased his command out of shallow waters before he spun the helm over and pushed the throttles ahead to take them racing across the estuary from whence, they had originally come. For them, the evening had been successful, and they were rapidly racing away from danger and enjoying a spirited ride across the wavetops. However, any high spirits were soon dampened by a flurry of radio calls.
"Contact! Contact! Contact! Polaris and Noxa are down! We have a suspect escaping on foot over the fields."
"Scourge is airborne and closing on primary objective – eta: two minutes."
"Trident is evacuating the area, repeat Trident is evacuating the area."
Something had gone badly wrong.
The Primary Objective
Cavalier One: Nemesis, Stripe, Arbiter, Polaris, Noxa, Custos, Necis, Spark, Hermes.
Cavalier Two: Crimson, Glide, Harrier, Aegea, Overrun
Necis' head came around after the second shot and she triggered the flashlight affixed beneath the suppressor on her submachinegun as she aimed the weapon up the staircase.
She caught sight of movement; a pair boots and possibly blue jeans. They vanished after the fourth shot even as she sent a three-shot volley in return while hitting nothing but the wall at the top of the staircase.
"I have movement on the landing!" Necis called out as she raced up the staircase before calling back down. "Gone out the bedroom window. Cavalier Two; head's up we have a runner coming in your direction!"
Nemesis was busy checking on Polaris and Noxa who were both in a lot of pain but otherwise uninjured as the nine-millimetre slugs had not penetrated their chest armour, but Nemesis noticed that all four bullets had struck dead centre, two per girl which indicated a crack shot. Needless to say, they had to capture the shooter as he or she might know something about Griffiths.
"Grab your gear!" Nemesis directed. "We are compromised, and we need to get to the ORCs before anything else happens. Polaris, Noxa get a fucking move on!"
Custos was the last out of the farmhouse, his weapon watching for anybody following.
Above the beach...
Cavalier Two: Aegea, Overrun
Aegea and Overrun were up, their weapons raised.
They could see movement where there had been none before. Somebody was running across the ploughed field, heading in their direction. Aegea thought that was strange but figured it was an easy escape route. However, a warning from Q soon changed her mind.
"Cavalier Two, Raider One-Zero, you have inbound your location. Target coming in from the sea at fifteen knots – at least four men."
Aegea waved to Overrun to cover the running person while she turned towards the beach. Through her night vision goggles she could just make out the two ORCs on the beach about half a mile away awaiting their return. She thought she saw movement at the ORCs which would have been the two crews but then nothing and she turned to look out to sea where she could make out some heat from an engine and the white of a bow wave approaching the ORCs. For a moment, she was concerned, but then she smiled.
She pitied the men aboard the approaching craft.
The approaching craft...
The workboat sped across the water at some fifteen knots.
Onboard were five men who had been sent to find out what was going on at the farm. They were recruited thugs who had been undertaking some other not so legal activities in the estuary when they had received a radio call to divert on their way back into Cromarty. There was a pickup location on the beach below the farm – only, there were two large craft already on the beach which was a surprise especially as they were camouflaged and screamed military. They paused for a full minute checking out the craft which appeared abandoned. The engines were shutdown and there was no crew visible on either craft. Whatever they were, they were not what they were there for and maybe they were newly acquired for their offshore trips.
The man at the wheel nudged the workboat into the beach a few yards up from the two dark green craft. As he shutdown his engines, his colleagues leapt over the low bow onto the beach. That was when his world came to an end as he sensed movement behind him, and he turned to see what it was but caught sight of just water on the deck – huh? Then he felt something wet and cold wrap itself around his neck as he was lifted off the deck. The man felt a sharp pain in his neck for just a moment as his head was wrenched around and his spine snapped, before he felt and saw nothing.
The four men on the beach looked back for their colleague but were astounded to see two shapes rise out of the surf before them but before they could bring their pistols out of their holsters, the first man fell as his throat was severed from ear to ear by a double-edged blade from behind. Captain Sinead McFadden did not waste a second as she allowed the gurgling corpse to fall, and she moved onto the next man. As the second man fell dead to her commando knife, she and her marines were alone.
"Raider One-Zero, Q; beach is clear. Out!"
Sinead wiped the blood off her blade as her three marines threw the bodies into the extra boat which they would tow out to sea and sink.
Above the beach...
Aegea thought she had problems with her night vision goggles.
The person running across the field was shorter than she would have expected but whoever it was, they were armed with a pistol, so Aegea had her submachinegun raised and tracking the target.
Aegea was not alone in thinking the shooter was a lot shorter than expected. Necis was also unhappy with the runner's stature. There was also something familiar, but her mind was still filtering out key items from her past, so she filed that away. Running across a ploughed field was not easy, especially at night when the furrows blended into the darkness. Necis ripped off her NVGs and hung them on her belt which made things slightly easier. She ducked and rolled as the shooter turned and fired a round off. She regained her feet but did not return fire – why, she would never know. But then a shot rang out and the runner went down, rolling on the mud before snapping off a round in the direction of Aegea and Overrun. Necis was able to leap over several furrows, her long legs reducing the distance to the runner who was just getting up but appeared to be hobbling – he had been shot. Necis was certain it was a boy, and that fact was confirmed as she approached the fallen shooter. He raised his pistol, and he squeezed the trigger twice but only a single bullet emerged from the barrel before the slide locked back upon an empty magazine. Necis was struck by the bullet and fell back but she kicked out as she fell, hurting the boy's left leg which was already injured with a bullet wound to the thigh. Necis was back on her feet in a flash, ignoring the stinging pain in her chest from the bullet. She did not hesitate as she kicked the boy in the face with her boot and he fell backwards, dazed. Necis lit off the torch on her submachine gun and ran it across the boy's face – it weas familiar despite the mud but then she froze as the beam ran across the boy's left wrist which lay beside his head.
The wrist bore a tattoo, a tattoo identical to one on her own left wrist and issued just nine times of which one wearer was dead, and seven others were accounted for – only one wearer was missing.