Anhur

by Wayne Marinovich

  Gibbs jumped into the nearest van and started getting the fusion process up and running. There was enough battery charge to get them clear of the town by which time the fusion reaction would be in full flux, and so delivering more power. He reversed to the right between Enyo and another approaching team. Bullets fizzed around them and slapped into the truck and van. The passenger door flew open as he pressed the accelerator. The wheels spun in the dust for a second before they took off back towards the guardhouse.

  ‘Other way, Gibbs. Left down the main street.’

  ‘Of course, my lady,’ Gibbs said as they hurtled towards three men, who dived out of the way. Snapping the steering wheel to the left, he let the back of the van drift out to the right as they turned. The sun was starting to clear the horizon.

  ‘Turn left at the last road, then first right down the alleyway. Drive to the end and stop.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Just do it. We need to pick something up.’

  ‘You do realise that every Roadster still alive will now be awake and running to their vehicles,’ Gibbs said, veering to the right down the narrow alley. It was at the back of all the properties and filled with litter and remnants of a community that once lived there. Screeching to a stop before an old wooden fence, he turned to Enyo who was already out of the seat and opening a small shed door in the fence. Returning with a large duffel bag, she threw it across to him.

  ‘A present for you,’ she said.

  He unzipped the bag. Two Glocks and a Sig plus three old revolvers lay on top of ten blocks of explosives. The rest were boxes of ammo and magazines for the different calibres. He grabbed the vest from the floor of the van and threw it in. ‘Thanks for the thoughtful gift. Didn’t have time to get it monogrammed, I see,’ he said.

  ‘Very funny. The fence in front of you is weak and leads to the main road out of here. I suggest you punch through it quickly. I have to call someone,’ she said, taking the bag back from him. Reaching into a side pocket, she took out a satphone.

  They smashed through the rotten wooden fence and bounced across a sandy verge to reach the main road. Gibbs looked across to the woman who’d freed him and smiled. It was returned as she dialled a number on the phone. Luck was turning back his way.

  ‘Hello, Elijah,’ she said. ‘We’ve just driven out of Gatlinburg and are on our way towards you. At speed, if you catch my drift.’

  ‘Yes. He is sitting right next to me. I will tell him.’

  Gibbs looked at her as she hung up.

  ‘What?’

  ‘The Russian said he’s looking forward to seeing you.’

  • • •

  A roar of anguish pierced the Gatlinburg air as Rebus held Skink’s pale face in his lap. Tears streamed down his face and onto his bare chest. One landed on Skink’s face, and Rebus wiped it away with a bloody hand. The blood smear reminded him of the facial marking of the woman he loved more than anyone. A woman who had betrayed him.

  ‘You sure it was her with the Hooded Man?’ Rebus asked a Roadster who was seated near him, leaning up against a van the other members had dragged him to. Blood seeped from a belly wound.

  ‘Yes, boss. It was her, and that bastard. By the time we came running, they’d got the others’ guns and were returning fire. I did my best to flank them, but she blasted the three of us.’

  ‘Then you let them get away,’ Rebus said. ‘Did you even see which direction they went?’

  ‘They went full circle around the parking lot and then headed east out of the town.’

  ‘And then, where?’ Rebus said.

  ‘I didn’t see them. A couple of the men went running after them.’

  ‘Really? What a fucking smashing idea. Men running after a speeding van. We’ve lost them now and will take weeks to find them. Skink has died for nothing.’

  Rebus choked back the tears. Holding the limp body, he pressed it close to his chest as he wept uncontrollably. The feeble frame of the man who had warned him many times against trusting Enyo. She was poison, he’d warned. As soon as she met the Hooded Man, she had changed. He lowered Skink’s body and slowly stood up, his nephew’s Sig in his hand.

  Two Roadsters came jogging towards him from the main road, wheezing for breath. ‘Rebus, we chased them as fast as we could to see which direction they went in,’ one of the men said, pain etched across his face. The second man went down on one knee, sucking in the air as fast as he could.

  ‘And?’

  ‘Went east out the town and then went down a back alley, breaking through a fence to join the road that goes northwest to Knoxville. They stopped at the fence, and Enyo climbed out to get a bag by the looks of it. We couldn’t follow on.’

  ‘Okay, we know that she’s going to meet the Bounty Hunter and hand Gibbs over to take all the money all for herself.’

  ‘How do you know that, boss?’ the man said.

  ‘Because Skink has been warning me for the last three days that she was up to something.’

  ‘I knew she was trouble,’ the wounded man said, trying to push himself into a seated position.

  ‘If you’d done your fucking job, we’d have them both here right now,’ Rebus said and shot the man in the face, his head clattering against the door with a clunk, and his hands dropping to the ground. Pulling the trigger over and over again until the magazine was empty, he tossed the spent weapon onto the man’s legs.

  Rebus turned to look at the two latest arrivals.

  ‘You two. Take one of the vans and give chase. The road is dusty, so you should see a plume even in this light. Radio back when you have clocked their position,’ Rebus said, walking towards the truck.

  One of his generals jogged up to him. ‘All the men have been recalled from their positions. They should be here in a few minutes. The ones on the mountain will struggle to get here sooner.’

  Rebus lifted another weapon towards the man’s face. ‘That’s great, general. Now get Skink’s body and place it in the passenger seat of this van.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘Then get everyone on the move to Knoxville. The last van to get there will be blown up with the occupants inside. I need two vans with me immediately,’ Rebus said, getting into the van and looking across at Skink who was propped up against the closed passenger door, his eyes staring forward. Rebus touched his cheek and wiped blood specks away.

  Reaching behind the seat, his hands gripped the M4 and a pouch of magazines. He passed them to Skink. ‘Hold those for me, buddy. We’ll have to tackle Gibbs and the bitch on the road.’

  He pressed the gear lever forward and started to move out. Reaching to the dashboard, he turned the radio on. ‘Scout One, on route to Knoxville. This is Rebus. Come in, over.’

  ‘Rebus. Rebus. This is Scout One. We have found the plume. We are gaining on the vehicle to confirm it is them, over.’

  ‘38 Roadsters. This is Rebus Maze. The hunt for the Hooded Man now includes that snake, Enyo, who has betrayed us all. Out.’ He reached across and patted Skink’s cold hand. ‘Here we go, little brother. Like all the others who’ve tried to harm us, we will make these traitors pay.’

  Chapter 44

  Chapman Highway, outside Knoxville, Tennessee, USA – 2043

  The van screeched to a halt, and both driver and passenger jumped out and sprinted around to the other side. Swapping around would cost them time, but they needed to. Gibbs glanced back through the dust to see a lone van approaching. Soon more would be chasing them on this desolate road.

  ‘Hurry up, Gibbs,’ Enyo said, releasing the brake and pulling off just as Gibbs got his foot in. ‘You sure this is the best option?’

  ‘You keep driving on this road no matter what comes up behind us. I’m better suited to fighting them off than you.’

  ‘That’s a little presumptuous. I’m just as good as you.’

  ‘Don’t start that crap with me. I have been a soldier longer than you have been alive. Drive the damn van.’

  She stared at him, grinding he
r jaw, then focused on the road, knuckles tightening on the steering wheels. Gibbs reached out of his window and adjusted the side mirror so he could spot the van. It was still there.

  ‘Slow down a little, so we can see who it is. If it’s Rebus, we can end this now.’

  ‘No, Gibbs. My job is to get you to the Bounty Hunter as fast as I can. That’s the mission. Not to kill Rebus.’

  ‘I thought you wanted him dead?’

  ‘He’s irrelevant right now.’

  ‘The Bounty Hunter must have a monster size favour that you owe him.’

  ‘It’s not just that,’ she said, glancing down to her side mirror.

  ‘What then? Don’t lead me on with half an answer.’

  Enyo looked at him then back to the road ahead. She shook her head a little, biting on her bottom lip. ‘I’ve only told you part of the story. I know the Bounty Hunter a lot better than I let on.’

  ‘How much better?’ Gibbs said.

  ‘He’s my cousin.’

  ‘So is this story about you helping me just a pack of lies then?’

  ‘No,’ she said, swerving to miss a pothole which stretched halfway across the road. ‘He did catch me and was taking me in. That part is true. I overheard him on the phone talking about someone who turned out to be a common distant uncle. After that, the tension eased, and we got on well. When we drove into the NAG stronghold, he couldn’t turn me in.’

  ‘He has a heart? Bless him.’

  Enyo stared across at him. ‘He’s a damn good man. Don’t you forget that.’

  Gibbs shrugged his shoulders, checking on the following van, then looking at the speedometer. ‘You got your foot flat on the floor? He’s gaining on us.’

  ‘Yes, I have,’ Enyo said, looking in the mirror. ‘Guess we have an older van or something. Or do you think that I’m deliberately driving slowly?’

  ‘Okay. Take your foot off the defensive pedal for a bit.’

  ‘As I was saying. Elijah decided to let me go on the condition that I had to do this one job for him.’

  ‘His name is Elijah?’

  ‘Yes, I have said so before.’

  Gibbs’s one eyebrow raised. ‘Sure you did.’

  Enyo swerved another pothole that ran diagonally across the road. Skidding to the right, the van swerved both right and left before straightening again.

  ‘Elijah said that if I could get close to Rebus and find out all he knew about corrupt NAG captains who were helping the drugs trade, it would get Elijah leverage with those captains. He promised to take care of me after it was over. We set it all up. I acted like a lost soul, and Rebus lapped it up. Then you arrived and spiced it all up.’

  ‘Your act was pretty convincing, I must say. You had me fooled.’

  ‘Compared to where I came from, it wasn’t all bad with the 38s. I fitted in naturally and focused on getting inside his head. After a while, I could manipulate him into doing things that I wanted.’

  ‘I misjudged you, and I apologise for that. It takes a lot of guts to do what you’ve done.’

  ‘We can kiss and make up later,’ she said, looking in the mirror. ‘We must be slowing because I can see more vans approaching in the distance.’

  ‘I think this old girl is long past retirement age. The potholes will slow them down too. Just keep on it. I wonder if those back doors open?’

  ‘The left-hand side one opens. There is a bracket on the top that you slide across that keeps it open.’

  ‘Okay then. I’ll get to the back and start preparing for them. You keep running it, and praying that your Elijah comes over the horizon pretty damn quickly.’

  • • •

  ‘What are you bloody waiting for? Shoot at the damn van. Kill the fuckers,’ Enyo shouted.

  Gibbs smiled as she swerved to the left again. He nearly fell over and had to splay his legs even more to steady himself. The dust plume behind their speeding van was covering the van following them. Stones and debris flew up from under them, peppering the gang members behind. The van following swerved to the right to get into some clean air and a better view of the road. Gibbs could see the faces of the gang members, both with thick grey beards, their eyes widening as their van hit a small gulley at the side of the road. The driver veered hard right to get back into their dust trail.

  ‘He’s stopped shooting at us, so I want him to get real close,’ Gibbs said.

  ‘Come on, Gibbs. The others are gaining on us quickly, so how about you take care of the fuckers as soon as they arrive?’

  Gibbs smiled and lined up the approaching vehicle down the sights of the M4. He rattled off three rounds and watched the glass crack as the bullets ricocheted upwards. His position was too low, and he couldn’t use the roof. As he fired another few into the front cooling radiator, the driver slowed again. It would be a few minutes before the overheating of the reactor would cut the power. Gibbs pulled the duffel bag closer and unzipped it. The blocks of explosive would be pretty useless now, so he reached in for the five grenades. Pulling them out, he laid three out on the rubber floor of the back of the van and passed two forward to Enyo.

  ‘You might need to throw one out your window. Try to calculate the five seconds that it will need.’

  Grabbing one of them, he pulled the pin and counted for two counts then lobbed it out the back and onto the bonnet of the van behind. It bounced once then hit the windscreen and flew up into the air, exploding behind the vehicle. The van slowed a little and started to weave. Veering to the right, Gibbs realised that the blast had punctured one of the back wheels. It vaulted into the air as it hit the old roadside barrier.

  Enyo screamed with delight and slapped the steering wheel. ‘One down, three to go.’

  ‘Keep her steady,’ Gibbs said. ‘Here they come.’

  An old signpost on the roadside passed behind them, and Gibbs counted out loud until it passed the following vans. The perfect distance for lobbing grenades. The road had widened, allowing them to drive alongside one another. It was now or never. Pulling the pin out, he counted down to one and rolled it out the back.

  The grenade bounced once and spun to the right. The speeding vans had no chance in the dust, and the one on the right lifted into the air, the rear section lifting higher than the front, before the yellow ball of flame rolled up, engulfing it. The van on the left of it jolted to its left and was forced across the tarmac into the dusty plain, the side of the van ablaze in yellow and black. It stopped with the gang members exiting into the desert.

  ‘The Hooded Man is on fire,’ Enyo said, shouting above the noise of the vans’ wheels on the road.

  A single van sped straight through the black and yellow flame ball. It continued straight at them at speed.

  ‘Brace yourself. Rebus is going to ram us,’ Gibbs said, catching a glimpse of the face of a man who had nothing to lose. He’d seen that look on the faces of countless drug-crazed gang members who threw themselves at men with machine guns carrying nothing more than a machete.

  The jolt from the collision was enough to throw Gibbs forward onto his chest. He looked up to see Rebus screaming at the top of his voice. Next to him was a pale corpse which had been thrown forward against the windscreen, dead eyes staring into the back of the van.

  ‘Jesus, he has Skink in the van with him,’ Gibbs shouted.

  Rebus rammed with the van again. Sparks flew up into the trailing van’s windscreen as it shuddered, but Gibbs was ready. He got up onto his knees and lifted the grenade out in front of him, shaking it from side to side. Rebus’s eyes widened, and he swung the van to the right, sending Skink’s body across the cab.

  ‘He is coming up on your right,’ Gibbs said and lifted the M4 to fire into the side of the vehicle.

  ‘Gotcha,’ she said and moved to the right to cut him off.

  The vans connected with the screech of metal. Gibbs was flung against the interior side wall again, and he tried to get up as Enyo steered to the right. Keeping his balance was going to be tough.

 
; ‘Don’t let him get alongside you.’

  ‘What do you think I am trying to do? Less talking and more killing.’

  ‘Where is he?’ Gibbs said, leaning forward over the passenger seat.

  The metallic clang of bullet strafing metal rang through the van as Rebus fired into the passenger door. Enyo cried out in pain. Gibbs grabbed a shotgun from a bracket on the inside of the van. Popping it through the open passenger window, he fired three blasts at the van, two smashing into the metal post of the front windscreen. The glass burst inwards forcing Rebus to brake and disappear backwards from view. Gibbs climbed back towards the back door to catch the van as it veered in behind them. No windshield. Gibbs felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. Grabbing the last grenade from the floor, he pulled the pin and lobbed it out the back. It hit the seat between Skink and Rebus and disappeared from view. Rebus’s eyes widened in panic as he leaned down to the dead man’s feet, rummaging around for it.

  The van swerved as Enyo, dodged another pothole, groaning while she leaned on the steering wheel. ‘Gibbs?’

  The spiky Mohican rose above the dashboard as Rebus searched for the grenade, leaning on the steering wheel, causing the van to drift to the left. It drove straight into a meter-deep gulley. The front wheels buried into the hole as the rear of the van lifted up. Both occupants were launched through the gaping windscreen. The van exploded, engulfing them in a yellow and black ball of fire.

  Gibbs screamed with joy. He turned to Enyo who had swerved towards a gulley, and he opened his mouth to shout, but it was too late. The nose of the van dipped in.

  Time slowed. The force of hitting the roof smashed the wind from Gibbs’s lungs as the van somersaulted over its front wheels. Like a rock in a trebuchet, he was flung out of the back door and into the air. The sensation of flying was brief as he tried to twist his body towards the ground. The distant sound of twisting metal screeched and whined all around him, then a forceful thud darkened his view.