The Journey of Kyle Gibbs Box Set

by Wayne Marinovich

  Gibbs took a deep breath as he stared into the German’s icy blue eyes. He felt Christina approaching from the left of them and decided to wait for a few seconds. ‘So, Markus, while you were killing needlessly, how many of the mayor’s men did you let escape?’

  ‘What do you mean, escape? Not a single person made it off the site, Gibbs. My men made sure of it,’ he said.

  ‘Gentlemen, stop behaving like bloody children,’ Christina said. Both captains and Shredder turned and looked at her. She turned to Markus. ‘Captain Gibbs has a team tracking five fugitives who escaped across the river.’

  ‘And one of the escapees is their bloody leader,’ Gibbs said.

  She looked at Gibbs. ‘How do you know?’

  ‘You remember those two dreadlocked men we saw in the mayor’s office?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course, I do,’ she said.

  ‘Well, we found the executed body of one of them between the buildings back there. No sign of the other,’ Gibbs said, turning to look at Markus.

  ‘The man you talk about resisted capture. You have done the same in your past, Gibbs, so don’t stand there and judge me. Get in touch with your men and find out if they have captured or killed the men who escaped,’ Markus said.

  ‘No more killing unless I say so, is that clear?’ Christina said, looking at both Phoenix Guard captains. ‘As per protocol, from now on, everything is to be run by me first. Don’t even think of doing anything unless I say so.’

  Captain Schmidt, take ten of your men and go and get the new warlord.’

  Chapter 36

  Chooz Nuclear Plant, Givet, France -2028

  Gibbs and Christina climbed onto the empty barges moored next to the low-lying bridge and sat down towards the back. The men had dragged ten of the African’s bodies to the side of the bridge for burial at the instructions of Christina. Activity around the Chooz plant had died down while they waited for Markus and his team to arrive. White steam billowed silently from the two white stacks, oblivious to the loss of life that had occurred down below.

  ‘Is it true what Markus said about you having executed people in your past?’ she asked.

  ‘I wouldn’t believe anything that jealous idiot says,’ Gibbs said, avoiding her gaze.

  ‘I have seen your files, Gibbs. There are countless missions that list many casualties, and many missions have all the information redacted. Were you involved in any execution-style killings?’

  ‘There were many casualties caused by many executioners out there. I was not one of those men,’ he said.

  Christina looked deep into his eyes and squeezed his hand.

  From the direction of the forest, four men appeared on the bridge and walked over to the barges. Three of them were GGC soldiers, wearing khaki fatigues, and the fourth was a plain-clothed man, who gingerly climbed aboard one of the barges. Markus gave the signal to move out, and all the barges shoved off, back to Givet. A light breeze cooled them as they slowly wound their way to the mooring point below the old fort.

  Climbing the old iron ladder from the barges to the roadside, Christina called Gibbs over. ‘Captain Gibbs, this is the newly appointed Warlord of Givet, Mr Serge Dubois. He will be taking residence with immediate effect.’

  ‘Good day, Mr Dubois,’ Gibbs said to the slim, accountant-looking man.

  ‘Greetings, Captain. The deputy minister was telling me about the valuable role you and your team played in safeguarding the Chooz plant. The people of Chooz thank you.’

  ‘Captain Gibbs and Captain Schmidt will take their teams and head into the town to make sure the mayoral residence is secure and clear for you. Their orders are also to gather up the mayor and as many of his men as they can, and to have them all in the town square when you arrive,’ Christina said to Serge, making sure the two Guard Captains could hear her.

  ‘I look forward to seeing my new residence, Deputy Minister.’

  • • •

  Both Guard units walked into the deserted town square, weapons at the ready. Gibbs’s team patrolled the west side, passing in front of the mayor’s mansion while Markus’s team walked around to the side closer to the river, scanning the side streets that led off the square.

  ‘He seemed very happy to patrol the streets instead of clearing the mayor’s house,’ Shredder said.

  ‘I know, I imagine it’s the bloodlust in him. He must think that there will be more contact on the streets.’

  Gibbs and his smaller team began to secure the mayor’s residence and surrounds, in preparation for the new warlord. ‘Killey, take five men, and surround the mansion in case anyone tries to get out.’

  Gibbs and Shredder quietly moved into the main residence. ‘Clear!’ Shredder said, and stepped to the right of the reception area, his SA80 trained down the long-decorated passage. The left side of the corridor had large landscape paintings and tapestries hanging, with small tables decorated with flowers. On the right side were oak panelled doors. Gibbs stalked forward, his SA80 out in front of him. He stopped outside the first door and waited for Shredder to arrive.

  With a nod of his head, Shredder reached across and opened the door, swinging it open as Gibbs stepped forward, covering the small reading room. Two women in grey dresses and white aprons screamed and held up their hands, protesting in French. Gibbs backed out of the doorway and gestured for them to leave. They gingerly walked past him and Shredder, before running out the main door into Killey. The two men went to check the library and dining rooms, but all were deserted. Shredder looked across at Gibbs who shrugged his shoulders.

  Halfway down the corridor was an archway that had a wooden stairway leading up to the second floor. The steps were lined with a thick red carpet, muffling the sound of their footsteps. Gibbs ushered Shredder up first, making their way up to the room where Christina had been held captive. Gibbs checked the room then stepped back into the corridor noticing a dark red stain on the carpet. ‘Shit,’ he said.

  ‘What is it?’ Shredder whispered.

  ‘This is where I shot Alain Rubert. Twice through the heart. I left him lying there,’ he said in a hushed tone, pointing at the bloodstained carpet.

  ‘Great. Not a sign of life in this creepy place and now we have a missing corpse,’ Shredder said.

  Gibbs smiled at his fearless second in command and then moved towards the spiral stairs. ‘Let’s head down to the cellar. It’s a nice and dark place. Perfect place for a corpse to go and hide.’

  Shredder’s gloved fist popped up, followed ceremoniously by his middle finger.

  Gibbs led the way, hugging the wall of the stone stairwell, his SA80 facing downwards into the ever-darkening spiral. After passing two floors, a light appeared at the bottom. The cellar light was still on. Walking past the racks and shelves of food, they moved over to the wine vaults, the one to the tunnels was ajar

  Gibbs swung his SA80 on its strap until it hung from his side and then reached down for his SIG226 pistol. It had a small torch clipped beneath the barrel, and chambering the round he switched it on. He heard Shredder do the same. They stepped into the wine vault and moved through the wooden chamber into the next room. The smell of dust and explosives burned their nostrils, but they started down the tunnel, two ghostly beams of light fighting through the dense air.

  Fifty metres down the tunnel, lying in the dust and rubble, they found the mangled bodies of two men.

  ‘Those are the brown leather boots the mayor always wore. He probably wanted to ensure that he caught Christina himself and in doing so set off the trip wire. And I assume the other one is René Chabal.’

  ‘So what happened to that Alain fellow?’

  ‘I can only guess his family crept into the mansion and removed his body. The tunnel is sealed now so no one will be going in or out of here. Let’s check the third-floor rooms just to be sure it’s all clear.’

  • • •

  Twenty-five men in civilian farm clothing were kneeling in a group, their hands on their heads, fingers interlaced and watchi
ng Markus and his team as they prowled around the square.

  Markus walked over to Gibbs and said. ‘These are all local men, found hiding in and around the square. None of them were armed, and they all claim that they did not serve the mayor.’

  ‘How many did your men execute?’ Gibbs asked, studying Captain Schmidt with narrowed eyes.

  ‘Is the house secure or have you missed a few armed men hiding away in a cupboard?’ Markus said.

  ‘Don’t try and be funny, Markus. You lost your sense of humour at birth when it was thrown out with the afterbirth by your mother. Hey, maybe she threw out the baby, and you are the afterbirth,’ Gibbs smiled.

  Markus lunged at Gibbs’s throat. He was only just able to deflect the strong German to his left, pushing him to one side and punching him in the kidneys as he passed. Shredder rushed forward, managing to get in between the two captains with a firm grip on each of their shirts. Both men were snarling abuse at each other when a gunshot went off within an ear-splitting distance from them. Killey was standing at the foot of the mansion stairs with a smoking shotgun facing skywards.

  Christina walked around the corner of the house, alarmed by the gunfire. She slowed up her pace when her eyes fell on the two captains being restrained by their men. They pulled away from each other and straightened their uniforms. Choosing to ignore more egotistical and petulant behaviour, she just shook her head.

  ‘Have your men made sure that the house and surrounds are secure for the new warlord and his family?

  ‘Yes, Deputy Minister,’ Gibbs said. Markus just nodded his head.

  ‘Serge looks like it’s all ready for you to move in and prepare for the arrival of your wife and children,’ Christina said.

  The new warlord bowed slightly.

  ‘Captain Schmidt and his men will stay with you to facilitate the transition. I will leave you to decide the fate of these villagers. You are the man who will now lead them into the future.’

  ‘Thank you, Deputy Minister. If they served the mayor, then I am sure they will be happy to serve me and the GGC.’

  ‘Captain Gibbs, call your men in and follow me to the fort.’

  The weather was warm with a slight breeze off the river as Christina and Gibbs’s team walked up the narrow road back to the fort again. The two GGC men who were stationed at the dilapidated portcullis snapped to attention as they walked past on the cobblestone street. ‘What is with you and that idiot?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s an evil fuck who has no regard for life, and, as you rightly stated, he is a bloody idiot,’ Gibbs said.

  Shredder piped up from behind them as he walked into the barracks. ‘I for one hope you don’t work together anymore because I’m tired of dragging you apart… sir.’

  ‘Do one, Shredder,’ Gibbs said and walked over to his bunk to lie down. Shredder smiled and walked off, leaving his boss with the angry deputy minister.

  ‘Come over here and sit down, Christina.’

  ‘Now is not the time, Gibbs, besides I’m too angry at you,’ she said, sitting on the bed next to his.

  ‘You’re adorable when you’re angry, did you know that?’ he said.

  ‘Flattery will get you nowhere with me,’ she replied, smiling a little.

  A knock on the door diverted their gaze. ‘Go away!’ Gibbs shouted.

  ‘An urgent radio transmission from Lord Butler for the Deputy Minister,’ the radio operator said.

  ‘Fine, come in then,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘Deputy Minister, Lord Butler, requests that you call him on the satphone, urgently,’ he said.

  ‘Thank you, Sparky,’ she said, taking a satphone out of her bag.

  ‘I didn’t know that you had one of those,’ Gibbs said, looking at the small phone.

  ‘Diplomatic privilege,’ she said as she began dialling.

  Gibbs lay back on the bed and watched the beautiful woman pace around the barracks as she relayed the conversations with the new warlord, the decision to leave a guard unit behind and what they were to do next.

  For long periods, she stood frowning silently while biting her lip. He knew that his feelings were getting stronger for her, and it scared him. This was not the sort of life for a long-term relationship. The entire time while rescuing her, he had a knot in his stomach and was worried he’d never get the chance to tell her what she meant to him.

  ‘Right, Captain Gibbs. You and I have new orders,’ she said, putting the satphone down.

  ‘Yes, Deputy Minister. What are they? Staying here and taking a hot bath together?’ he said.

  ‘Gibbs, you are incorrigible. No, we are going to Paris, where you and your team are to restock at the GGC headquarters, following which you’re heading off to Poland to meet up with a research team, who need an escort back to London.’

  ‘Will you be coming to Poland with me?’ he asked.

  ‘Unfortunately not, I am due back in London. You’re on your own for this one.’

  Chapter 37

  Givet, France - 2028

  Everything passed in a blur for Chilemba as he hung onto his loyal men, his arms around their necks. They were now his support. Waves of colours and smells washed over him in a cacophony of noise and sound adding to his delirious state, brought on by a mixture of pain and morphine.

  For what seemed like days, two of his men carried him and took short rests every few hours or so to make sure that he was comfortable, two other troops would then follow up a few minutes behind them, to make sure that they were not being followed.

  Chilemba gained full consciousness at the foot of a large oak tree and looked around the large forest clearing where they had stopped to rest. There was a fire going, and he could smell meat and hair burning as the recently killed rabbits roasted on the fire.

  The men helped him sit up against a Bergen that was leaning against a huge oak tree. Carefully, he unwound the outer bandage and studied the wound. It had been stitched and dressed on both the entry and exit wounds. It would leave a massive hole in his leg, and he would have to endure a lot more pain, but he was alive.

  ‘Thank you for carrying me to safety, men. You have also done a fine job of stitching me up,’ Chilemba said.

  ‘We’ve already lost one of our leaders to these foul hyenas. We have no intention of losing a second. Who would then speak for us?’

  ‘You’ve done me proud. We will rest here tonight and head further south at dawn.’

  • • •

  When they all awoke the following morning, a gentle mist had floated through the trees, giving it a cold ghostly feel. The fire had been kept going through the night and added warmth to their bodies. Suddenly, one of the men jumped up and pointed his AK47 into the mist, away to their left. He whistled sharply, and from the haze over a nearby field came two sharp whistles in reply. Two other men in green fatigues slipped into camp and came over to him.

  ‘It is with much gladness that we see you in better health, brother,’ one of them said.

  ‘I will get stronger with each day,’ Chilemba replied.

  ‘We bring news that there are three Guard unit soldiers following us, they are fully armed but seem happy just to keep their distance and track our movements.’

  Chilemba felt anger welling up inside him again. He took a deep breath in order not to lose his temper, not when these men needed him to be focused and calm.

  ‘Men, I have decided to seek revenge on the captain of the Phoenix Guard for the execution of Jackson Bayo. I will not expect you to be a part of my plans and will understand if you choose your own path,’ he said.

  ‘Chilemba, we all need to stay together in this foreign land, and we are still part of your team. We will help you get this man,’ one of the men said.

  ‘I thank all of you for your loyalty,’ Chilemba said. ‘He will be sorry for what he has done.’

  ‘There seem to be two of these Phoenix captains, Chilemba. Are you sure of which one killed Jackson?’

  ‘I am sure that it was the dark-haired one, the one
from the Mayor’s mansion. The tall blond one also killed many of our brothers so if we run into him, we will kill him too, but I am convinced the one we seek is the one they call Gibbs.’

  ‘I do not mean to argue, brother, but I was in the alley with you. There was a lot of shooting and grenades going off, and his back was turned to us. I do not recall with any certainty, the colour of Jackson’s executioner’s hair.’

  Chilemba clenched his teeth. ‘You have trusted me this far, Mangwe, I saw the man, as clear as day. If you do not believe me, then you are free to leave.’

  ‘I am sorry, Chilemba, I am clearly mistaken,’ Mangwe said.

  ‘Now, I want three of you to go into Givet and find out where this Gibbs is to be found. Do not wear anything that will link you to the military. Be careful, and take your time in gathering your information,’ Chilemba said. ‘We will wait in this clearing until you return.’

  ‘Yes, Chilemba. What of the three GGC men who are watching us?’

  ‘They haven’t attacked us yet, so are probably just watching us. If they do attack us, we will fight and kill them or die right here.

  • • •

  Echo team were sitting beside a large unkempt hedgerow, scanning the long grass of the field for activity. Through the haze of the mist, they saw the silhouettes of three men slip from of the edge of the forest and head in a northerly direction.

  ‘Captain, Echo team here,’ the team leader said, using the satphone.

  ‘How are things there?’ Gibbs asked.

  ‘The group have split up and have left the wounded man behind with only two others. Three men have set off in a northerly direction, possibly back towards Givet,’ he said.

  ‘Can you confirm that one of the men is the big African with the dreadlocks?’ Gibbs asked.

  ‘Yes sir, the dreadlocked man is the wounded one. He seems to have a serious leg wound, and they have had to carry him for most of the way. Right now, he is hiding in the forest,’ the team leader added.