The Journey of Kyle Gibbs Box Set

by Wayne Marinovich

  ‘That’s a fine blade, sir. Let us get the other men back they run again.’

  ‘Good work, men. Let’s get back to the trucks before Mr Rubert has a heart attack. What are your names?’.

  ‘Chilemba Wangai and Jackson Bayo, sir.’

  Chapter 22

  Givet, France - 2028

  Gibbs awoke in the musty old barracks and looked up at the old wooden beams where the pigeon family were attending their nest. One of the adults flew to the corner of the large room and disappeared through a large hole in the masonry. Gibbs sat up and looked around the room at his sleeping men.

  After splashing ice-cold water on his face from a bucket, he walked into the adjoining room. Lying on a few blankets was the figure of the man caught spying on them the previous day. He walked over to the man and prodded him awake with the toe of his boot.

  ‘Francois?’ Gibbs whispered. ‘Get up and follow me,’ Gibbs said, walking to the door.

  The man slowly rose and followed. Gibbs walked past all his sleeping men and out into the cold morning air. He nodded to the two guards at the door and turned to Francois, cut the cable ties binding his hands. ‘Off you go.’

  Francois frowned at Gibbs and looked up towards the barrack walls.

  ‘Come on then, get out of here before I change my mind. Stay out of our way and don’t let us catch you spying on the mayor or us again. Do you understand?’ Gibbs said.

  Francois nodded his head, turned and walked through the gate and past its bemused sentry.

  Gibbs watched him go and turned to see Killey leaning against the door frame, watching him.

  ‘I keep saying it. You’re getting soft, boss. Whenever you fall in love, prisoners go free.’

  Gibbs walked past the smiling Killey. ‘Shut up and wipe that smile off your face. Get all the men up. We are going out into the field today so get them all to pack full kits. We might be staying overnight.’

  ‘Yes, boss,’ Killey said.

  The short thick-set corporal walked around kicking the men’s bunks and rallying them for a short briefing. ‘Everyone up on your feet, get ready to head out in thirty minutes. Pack provisions and weapons for three days out. Weapons are required. Captain is heading back down for a meeting with the mayor, and we will position ourselves around his mansion. Get to it.’

  • • •

  Gibbs looked at his watch again. The small office he was waiting in was sparsely decorated with just a small, blue fabric two-seater couch and a side table with a jug of water and two glasses. A servant had left him there to go and find René Chabal, but he could hear voices in the mayor’s office which were in the next room.

  The inter-connecting door opened, and the sulking face of René Chabal appeared. ‘Captain Gibbs, what brings you here? I thought you would be off attending to GGC business,’ René asked.

  ‘That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. I agreed with the mayor that we would help with the further training of your men.’

  ‘Everyone keeps telling me that my men need training. Let me tell you, Captain, they do not. We were caught off guard by the last GGC group, and I can assure you it will not happen again.’

  ‘Let me continue, René,’ Gibbs said. ‘We want to help train your men with the aid of joint military exercises. War games outside the village, with your men, pitched against my men initially, and then we can mix up the groups and do them over again.’

  René looked at him, thinking about the suggestion. ‘That does sound more productive, Captain, and it will at least give the men something else to do, other than sit and watch perimeter fences.’

  ‘Exactly, René,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘When do you plan to do this?’ René asked.

  ‘Well, I thought that you could plan the exercise and tell us where to be and what the exercises entail, which will give you a bit of an edge,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘Ha…’ René said with a big smile on his face. ‘We do not need an edge, but I will be happy to plan the war games.’

  ‘I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, I would like to take a barge up the river and do field training with my men on the airfield that we landed on. Would that be in order?’ Gibbs asked.

  ‘Of course, Captain,’ René said.

  • • •

  Gibbs returned to the busy riverfront and gave his men an update. With curious townsfolk gathering in closer, they loaded more of their equipment onto a nearby barge and climbed on board.

  ‘Gather around,’ Gibbs said. ‘Killey, can you take the helm and head for that low-lying bridge we passed yesterday? You know the one?’

  ‘Aye, boss.’

  ‘Right, I have agreed with his royal pain-in-the-arse, that we’ll shortly take part in wargames out near the airfields, but until they decide how and what they want to do, I want to head to the plant and set up observation points.

  ‘We will make for the bridge, moor up and head into the forest for ‘training’. Three of you will split off from us and set up on the eastern side of the plant. We’ll then return to the barge, move to the western side and do the same exercise. This will give us eyes from the western side also.

  ‘Only a trained, observant eye would notice that we are six men short, and I don’t think that any of the mayor’s men will be watching us that closely.’

  Chapter 23

  Phoenix Council building, Canary Wharf, London, England, UK - 2028

  ‘Order, order.’ Lady Winterton’s voice rang out in the Phoenix Council Chamber. She stood at the centre of the long Grand Founders’ table and rapped her small wooden gavel on the teak lectern.

  ‘Grand Founders, the Phoenix Council is now in session. We’ve assembled to discuss a few serious issues that have arisen over the past few days. I will now hand over to Lord Butler to kick off the discussion. Lord Butler,’ Lady Winterton said, taking her seat next to the lectern.

  ‘Thank you, Lady Winterton. We’ve known for a while that the resistance has been very active in both Germany and Poland. However, yesterday a call came from our Phoenix Guard controller, Captain Gibbs, in Givet, France. They detained and interrogated a man who claims to have orders to monitor the GGC movements in the area. He was also told to try and pressurise the mayor into not entering into an agreement with the GGC. This man told Captain Gibbs that Vargen had given him direct instructions to try and recruit new members in the surrounding areas,’ Lord Butler said.

  ‘Can we get the prisoner sent here for further interrogation by Minister Kirilenko and his team?’ Jürgen Kohler asked.

  ‘After intense interrogation by Captain Gibbs’s team, he was deemed not to be a direct threat, and as he and his accomplice were unarmed, they were released under reconnaissance,’ Lord Butler replied.

  ‘What?’ Jürgen Kohler asked. ‘They were released? That is outrageous. Who gave the order to release this man, a man who can potentially identify this rebel leader Vargen?’

  ‘They had no reason to detain this man any longer as he confirmed that he had only received voice messages and had not physically met Vargen. Releasing him will allow Captain Gibbs to follow this man to see if he tries to contact Mayor Magne,’ Lord Butler replied.

  Jürgen Kohler sat back at the main council table. ‘And what if the very same Mayor Magne is this Vargen? He has been blatant and open in his disdain for the GGC and still believes that he is in control of the future of Givet and the Chooz power plant. We have just handed this prisoner straight back to the person who tasked him to spy on us!’

  ‘Interesting observation, Minister Kohler, and it is plausible, seeing that we have been chasing Chooz as a valuable resource for a considerable amount of time,’ Lord Butler said.

  ‘Well then, what is the strategy going to be to get a handle on the situation? And do we need to get the other ministers and deputy ministers in, for a vote?’ Jürgen Kohler asked.

  ‘I believe that one of us should go out to France and spend time there with the Phoenix Guard. This will allow us to get a better picture
of what is happening,’ Lady Winterton said.

  ‘It would be dangerous for any Grand Founder to be outside of the protection of the compound for an extended period. I would like to remind you that we have already been out there and not achieved much with this stubborn man,’ Lord Butler replied.

  ‘We cannot leave the diplomatic solution in the hands of a Phoenix Guard captain who has multiple murder charges to his name,’ Jürgen Kohler said.

  ‘A fair point. May I suggest that we send Deputy Minister Anderson out to Givet? She is very diplomatic and quite a charmer when she needs to be. She might be able to soften the mayor’s stance or at least get close enough to ascertain whether he’s the leader of this resistance or not,’ Lord Butler said.

  ‘What about her duties here? We are in the middle of setting up more Phoenix Guard units,’ Lady Winterton asked.

  ‘She can do a lot from there, and she can hand over other local duties to Minister Kirilenko and his team,’ Jürgen Kohler said.

  Lord Butler nodded and watched the rest of the Grand Founders as they moved on to other issues that he had no interest in. They never grasped how easy it was for him to manipulate them all. Yes, they were scared of him and would never disagree with any suggestion he put forward, but it was much more fun to play them against each other making it seem like they mattered.

  Chapter 24

  Phoenix Building, Canary Wharf, London, England, UK - 2028

  Christina sat on a lumpy old couch, staring into her glass of golden whisky.

  ‘Christina, my lovely. Are you okay?’ Christina looked up and smiled at the sound of Lord Butler’s voice from the doorway.

  ‘I haven’t been to the staff relaxation room to have a drink with you in such a long time,’ he said.

  ‘You do need to come down here and mix with us commoners a little more often, Francis,’ she said smiling, as he sat down next to her on the couch.

  ‘Indeed, I do, girl. So how are things in the life of my favourite deputy minister?’

  ‘Busy. We’re setting up three Guard units, and have so many applicants, but not many of them are suited for the leader role.’

  ‘Well, at least we have many applicants to choose from. It could have been the other way around. You’re doing a fantastic job, and by the way, it’s not going unnoticed,’ Lord Butler said and winked.

  ‘Thanks, Francis, that’s good to hear. It’s been a little lonely doing this all mostly on my own,’ she said.

  ‘Ahh! Missing a certain Scottish captain, are we?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Speaking of Scottish captains. As we discussed, the Phoenix Council are concerned about the growth of the resistance, and there is a theory that the Mayor of Givet could be the very resistance leader we are trying to track down. Captain Gibbs and his men caught a resistance member a couple of days ago, and it sounds like the resistance is insistent on coercing the stubborn mayor into not joining us,’ Lord Butler said.

  ‘I see. How can I help?’

  ‘You know what I am about to say, you cheeky madam. We need a diplomatic envoy to go to Givet for a few weeks to monitor the mayor and the resistance, and also to check up on the Phoenix Guard,’ he said.

  Christina stifled a scream of excitement. ‘When am I to head out?’

  ‘Pack your bags, you leave tomorrow,’ he said, a big smile on his face, as she hugged him. ‘They are flying out supplies to Captain Gibbs’s Guard, and you will be part of that shipment.’

  She sat back, clasping her hands in front of her chest, a smile on her face.

  ‘Just remember your briefing. Get close to Mayor Magne and establish whether he really could be this bloody Vargen character. If he is not, try and ascertain if the resistance has made contact with him or not and whether he is siding with them. Most important of all, convince him that it’s in his best interest to join up with us.’

  ‘I’ll start packing then.’ she said. ‘Thank you, Francis.’

  ‘Just one more question, Christina.’

  ‘Yes, Francis.’

  ‘Has Captain Gibbs mentioned anything about his past? You know, about the murder convictions.’

  ‘We haven’t spoken about the details, other than he believes that they were all set up.’

  ‘I see,’ Lord Butler said.

  ‘Why do you ask, Francis?’

  Lord Butler got up and walked towards the door. ‘I don’t want him focusing on revenge or something like that. We need him to stay on point for his mission.’

  ‘He seems like a proficient military man. I am sure that he will keep focused on the job at hand.’

  ‘I guess that you are right,’ Lord Butler said. ‘If he starts asking for information about his case, or the Billionaires Club, would you please let me know? Especially if he starts asking questions about Jürgen Kohler.’

  Christina frowned as Lord Butler turned and left the staff room.

  Whatever did Francis mean by that? Why would he want to be notified if Gibbs started asking questions about Jürgen Kohler or his murder conviction? What were they hiding?

  • • •

  A cool breeze was blowing as Gibbs and Shredder stood in the long grass at the side of the Givet airfield. After a few minutes of standing around, the low rumble of an aircraft engine drifted on the wind, approaching from the west. They turned and looked back towards the Chooz nuclear plant. Eventually, the shape of the DC-3 appeared against the white clouds. It approached the field and lowered the undercarriage as it lined up for the bumpy landing.

  A few minutes later the silver aircraft turned towards them and stopped, letting the two large propellers wind down to a stop, with puffs of black smoke. Gibbs moved around to the side door, which opened as he got there and the slim figure of Christina Anderson appeared in the doorway, dressed in a loose man’s work shirt tucked into her blue jeans, her long blonde hair blowing across her face and shoulders.

  ‘Gibbs!’ she shouted and jumped down. Jogging over to him, she planted a long kiss on his lips. He clasped his hands around her waist and pulled her tight against his body. After what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart and smiled at each other, staring deep into each other’s eyes, savouring the moment.

  ‘Shall we leave you two alone for a while?’ Shredder said.

  ‘Hello, Shredder. Nice to see you too,’ Christina answered, pulling away from Gibbs to turn and pick up her bags.

  ‘Christina, what are you doing?’ Gibbs asked.

  ‘Getting my bags,’ she said.

  ‘Please, Deputy Minister, we have men here that will carry your bags and deliver them to your room. The smart-mouthed corporal here will make sure the bags are taken care of, won’t you, Corporal?’ Gibbs said, winking at Shredder.

  ‘Yes, Captain, winking gets everything done, doesn’t it?’

  Gibbs took Christina by the arm and led her towards the river and down to the boat to Givet.

  As they sat in the barge, she turned to Gibbs. ‘Did you ever meet any of the Grand Founders or senior men from the Billionaire Club, before you went to prison?’

  Gibbs frowned. ‘Now there is an out of the blue question. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Well, did you?’

  ‘The only man I ever met was Mason Waterfield. What brought this on?’

  She turned and looked out over the river at the small sailboats fishing near Givet. ‘Never mind, we can chat about it at a later stage. We have a job to do here.’

  Chapter 25

  Givet, France - 2028

  It was mid-morning when the trucks trundled into a backstreet of Givet. Chilemba noted how old and ornately decorated all the buildings were. They were all made of white stone, smooth like the rocks in the river near his village, worn by centuries of water gushing over them. The trucks came to a standstill outside a tall old building, where they all got out and walked up the marble stairs of an old chateau.

  ‘Everyone, this old building is the headquarters and barracks of the Givet army. You will spend the rest of your s
tay here. Chilemba, Jackson, you two men follow me,’ shouted Alain. ‘You won’t be sleeping with the others. I have arranged a large room for you two to share with your own bathroom. It is a thank you gesture from us, for recapturing the other two men and saving Etienne’s life.’

  As Alain walked away from them, Etienne Leclerc said. ‘Is it wise to pamper these two men in front the others?’

  ‘We have two truckloads of men who fear and respect these two. You can see it in their eyes. Chilemba and Jackson seem to naturally lead these men so treating them as leaders will count in our favour.’

  The two smiling Africans were shown into a dormitory of ten beds on the second floor. The wallpaper was peeling in patches around the room. The faded green carpet was threadbare, and there was a basin in the corner of the room with a leaking tap.

  Chilemba went over to one of the single beds and lay down on the old mattress. It was soft and lumpy but a thousand times better than the ground that he had been sleeping on. He smiled.

  ‘What are you smiling at, brother?’ Jackson asked, sitting down on the other mattress.

  ‘Look at us in our fancy room, brother, with running water and a bathroom. Is this not already so much better than running around, hunting and scavenging? We are part of an army again, and they will look after us as long as we stay loyal to them,’ Chilemba said.

  ‘That is true, although I don’t think I will get used to sleeping on this bed, nor will I get used to having that thin man constantly drooling over you, like a horny jackal,’ Jackson said.

  ‘I know he’s a lover of men, but we have to make the best of the situation that we are in, and that includes using the people around us to achieve what we want,’ Chilemba replied.

  ‘Just be aware of that snake. It may appear meek and mild, but the snake can quickly turn and bite the hand that holds it,’ Jackson said, lying back on the bed.

  Chilemba smiled and closed his eyes.

  • • •