“Clear to engage, Dan. Update me where you want me to reposition.”
“Will do.” Before Dan quite finishes his response, he lights up the Minigun.
The amazing firepower of the gun is something to behold; it doesn’t make a fast banging noise that you may associate with machine guns, but rather an ultra-fast, loud spitting noise. And when the trigger is held down as Dan is doing now, the spitting noise almost melds into one constant hiss. Spent bullet cases and belt spill out from the bottom of the gun at an unbelievable rate, pouring out onto the hold floor all around Dan’s feet and then washing out of the open door to the ground below. Smoke too is expelled from the gun and adding to this the flashing red and green light of the tracer rounds being loaded, the whole scene becomes almost mesmerising.
The Rabids in Dan’s sights do not stand a chance, head shots almost inevitable with so many rounds being fired; even for those Rabids still wearing their army-issued helmets, there is no protection. Dan starts his attack at the front of the main cluster of Rabids and then moves his fire back deeper into them, unrelenting.
Heads explode and even bodies! Arms and legs are ripped apart and ripped from torsos. Rabids are hit backwards off their feet, which knocks over others who are also shot before they hit the ground or knock into the next one behind. They fall like dominos and this happens at a fantastic rate. The red and green tracer fire glows in the shadow of the dusk which is falling as the sun starts its retreat from the city, directing Dan's fire as it flashes into the Rabids.
Those who have a chance, try to escape, scattering away from the reach of the hailstorm of bullets; some manage to escape before they can be cut down, but not many. Dan’s face is deadly serious as he concentrates on his targets, his cheeks vibrating as the shockwaves from the gun travel up through his arms and shoulders into his neck, making his head vibrate at the same frequency while the rounds are being ejected from the Minigun.
The majority of the main cluster of the Rabids are despatched quickly, piling up in a mass of shredded flesh in the middle of the causeway. Blood starts to seep out from the edges of the pile, staining the concrete crimson as it soaks into it. The odd movement can be seen in the pile of bodies, an arm moving here, a head there, Rabids that have somehow missed a shot to the head are still moving—but they don’t move far.
The carnage that the Minigun reaps gives me a bitter-sweet feeling; it has cleared many Rabids from the grounds below which may give us a chance to see if there are any human survivors left down there, sheltered in one of the many buildings, and to see if Josh is among them. Not that we have seen any sign of human activity yet. With the amount of Rabids shot wearing Fusilier uniforms, it doesn’t bode well for finding any that haven't turned. For all I know, Josh was in the main cluster ripped down by the Minigun; again, dread ripples through my body.
Dan adapts his fire as the targets in his sights become less concentrated, the constant hiss of firing now changed to small bursts of more targeted fire. He is having to search for Rabids who are running or hiding in the shadows from the power of the Minigun.
"Take us around, Boss, nice and easy," Dan says in earnest through my earphones.
“Copy that.”
I'm just about to move the Lynx off when something catches my eye; a Rabid in a Fusilier uniform has made it onto the roof of the White Tower through the far-right side turret’s opening. The thing is running towards the Lynx along the roof's side footway. Just before I tell Dan about the new target, I look again and suddenly realise it's not moving like a Rabid.
Through my earphones, Dan's voice bursts excitedly, "We have a friendly on the roof, Boss, a friendly!"
"Yes, Dan, I see him," I return just as excitedly. "I'm moving in."
I hover sideways across from our position, keeping Dan—still firing intermittently at targets—facing towards the Tower. The soldier waves his hands above his head frantically at us, his SA80 rifle hanging across his chest. As soon as he sees we have seen him and are heading towards his position, he turns lifting his rifle to take up a covering position, his rifle pointed towards the opening he has just emerged from.
As we fly across the causeway below towards his position, he flicks his head around from time to time to check our position, and probably to check we are still coming for him. The Lynx eases across. I’m aiming to get the helicopter into the space in between the two corner turrets on the East side of the Tower, giving the rotors both above and to the rear plenty of room away from the turrets. The nose of the Lynx is about level with the end of the arched wall jutting from the Tower on this side. Dan ceases firing and guides me in as we get closer. He’s guiding me to get the hold adjacent to one of the gaps nestled in between the battlements atop the walls of the Tower, so the soldier will be able to climb through it.
“Okay, hold position,” Dan instructs.
As I hold our position, I see movement from my peripheral vision but daren’t look around. My concentration has to be on holding; my flying skills are rusty and the helicopter very close to the Tower with someone about to board.
“She’s on board, Boss; take us up.”
She? I have to admit I wasn’t expecting that. The Lynx rises and I can relax slightly as we move away from the Tower into clear air.
Looking into the hold at our new passenger, the soldier plonks herself down into one of the hold seats facing the front. Her head is down so I can only see the top of her helmet. She stays like that for a few moments as if gathering herself. Eventually, her hands rise to her helmet which she pulls off slowly to reveal short blonde hair. She is visibly panting, getting her breath back, her hands holding her helmet, lower, her elbows pivoting on her knees. Dan puts a hand on her back and leans in, asking her if she is okay?
Her back straightens and she leans back into the hold seat, still panting slightly. Her face is peppered with blood up to the line on her forehead where her helmet sat. Her blue eyes dart around the hold looking at both Dan and me, taking in her new surroundings. Dan rummages into the black holdall and takes out a bottle of water. He twists the top off and hands it to her, and she almost snatches it off him and drinks the water down greedily. Finishing drinking, she leans back into her seat, putting her head back and gulping in a large breath of air. Her head comes down with a big smile on her face. She reaches over for a headset and puts it on.
"Wow, thanks, guys. I don't know where you came from but, boy, am I glad to see you," She is still slightly breathless and there seems to be a hint of an American accent to her voice.
"We just happened to be in the area looking for pretty American women to pick up."
"You will have to excuse Dan's terrible sense of humour," I interject, "I'm Andy, what's your name, soldier?"
"Second Lieutenant Alice Ward, Sir."
"No Sirs here, Alice. Dan and I are civilians and we have been for some time. Are you okay, any injuries we need to know about?" I ask.
"No, I'm fine, tired but fine. I haven't been bitten, don't worry," Alice says quite seriously.
"That's good news, Alice. What can you tell us about what happened with your battalion here; it looks like you've had it bad?" I ask, hungry for information.
"The story is probably the same as everyone else's; we were overrun by the Zombies,” Alice starts fairly casually. “We were tasked with guarding the Tower and the bridges in this area, including London Bridge and Tower Bridge to make sure the Zombies didn’t get across into South London. I was stationed here in the Tower, guarding the walls, but the positions outside the walls were quickly inundated with hundreds of Zombies attacking. Trying to stop them crossing the bridges from this side of the river was madness and our guys outside the wall were getting slaughtered, so the Major ordered all companies to fall back to the Tower and inside the walls.”
“Did they make it back?” I ask quickly.
“No,” Alice says and my heart drops into the pit of my stomach. “The only company that had anyone make it back was the one guarding Tower Bridge; they
were close enough for us to lay down covering fire to help them. All the other companies were too far out, we could hear them trying to fight their way back, but none made it.” Alice finishes very sombrely.
“I think we know what happened next. They got over the walls and all hell broke loose,” I say to her.
“Yes,” is her only reply.
Looking to face Alice, I ask, “Alice, we are here looking for my son, he is a Fusilier and the last I heard, he was guarding Tower Bridge. Do you know if he made it back to the Tower, his name is Josh, Josh Richards?” As soon as I say his name, she looks straight at me.
“Josh was with us in the Tower!" she says with a slight look of amazement.
"Where is he, what happened in there?" My voice is anxious.
"He was on the second floor. The Zombies were piling through the main entrance and trying to get to us, up the spiral staircase. He was there covering the stairs, so many were coming up. We thought the stairs were getting blocked by all the bodies we were shooting which was just as well because we were running low on ammo. But we were attacked from behind by our own soldiers. Some had obviously been infected, it was horrible… and then all hell broke loose, they got through up the stairs, they were all over us. Me and Chris made it to the chapel and he helped me climb up through onto the third floor. But before I could help him up, they got him. I was hiding on the third floor; luckily, the stair gates to that level were locked. I was there until I heard your helicopter, then I shot the lock off the door to get onto the roof." Alice looks down at the hold floor.
"How long ago was this, Alice?"
"They broke through to the second floor at about 17:30 hours."
I look at my watch; it was about an hour and three quarters ago, maybe Josh found a place to hide too but can't get out because he is surrounded!
"When we flew past, we saw that the main entrance door was closed, Alice?” Dan points out.
"I don't know how that got closed," Alice replies. "As far as I knew, it was still open?"
"The Rabids inside might be manageable. The main door is closed. Josh could still be in there hiding," I say, thinking out loud.
"Rabids?" Alice asks.
"That’s what he calls the infected, rabid people,” Dan volunteers, "I know what you’re thinking, Boss," Dan says, directing his attention to me. "But one of us has got to fly this thing and it will be too risky for one person to go back in there on their own with no one to cover their backs!"
Silence ensues in the hold as each of us contemplates the options of the next move, but my mind calculates these options quickly and soon comes to a conclusion.
“I’m going in to see if Josh is still in there, or anyone else for that matter,” I declare into my headset microphone.
“Boss,” Dan starts as I knew he would, and as I would if the roles were reversed. “You’re going to have no cover and no one on your six. You have no idea how many Rabids are in there, it could be overrun!”
“You’re right on all counts, mate, but the main door is closed, and I think it will be manageable. I’ve got to try.”
“I see your mind is made up, Boss.”
“It is, mate, now come and take over here so I can prepare.”
Dan comes over and gets into the co-pilot’s seat as I hand over control of the Lynx to him.
As I go to get up, he grabs my arm.
“I’ll be waiting for your EVAC call and watch your back in there, Boss because I won’t be there to do it for you.”
“But I will be,” Alice’s voice comes through our earphones and we both look around to see Alice stood up, checking her kit and getting more ammo on board. She is taller than I thought, at least 5' 10".
“Alice, thanks for the offer, but I can’t let you. This is my call,” I tell her.
She looks up straight at me. “Let’s get this straight. I wasn’t asking your permission, Andy, that’s my unit and mates in there.” She has a very determined look on her face.
“Seriously…”
“Seriously what? I’m going, simple as that. Now I suggest you get your civilian ass ready if you’re coming, just don’t fuck up and freeze in there!”
Dan and I look at each other.
“She’s got you there, Boss,” Dan has a very large grin on his face.
After a second’s thought, I decide. “Okay, agreed, Alice, thanks. But follow my lead and do as I say, do you understand?”
“That depends on what experience you’ve got?” she questions.
I look at her for a second, then turn to Dan, “I’ll let you explain that to her while I get ready,” Dan’s grin is growing by the second.
Taking off my headphones and moving out of the cockpit, I start to prepare, snippets of their conversation can be heard over the din of the hold noise and I’m sure I hear Dan use the terms 'SAS' and 'Monkey' in the same sentence, as he explains my experience to Alice in a manner only Dan can.
Fully loaded with ammo, I give my Sig the once over. Then picking up my M4, I pull out the silencer from my pocket, the one I retrieved from the armoury back at Orion. I twist it onto the muzzle of the rifle. Although some accuracy and power will be lost by fitting the silencer, we want to draw as little attention as possible when we go in; the silencer will help with this greatly when inevitably the M4 will have to be used, especially in the enclosed spaces inside the Tower. I debate whether to take a pair of night vision goggles but decide against it. The sun, even though it’s going down slowly now, will provide enough light for the time we are going to be in there, which I hope won't be long. Finally, I check my radio comms with Dan.
When I'm set, I move back towards the cockpit and put my headset back on.
"When we are out, Dan, take the Lynx for a cooling run. We have been hovering a lot and the engines are on the warm side but don't stray too far," I say, half joking.
"Understood, I'll be ready when you surface."
"Are you ready, Alice?"
"Yes, Boss," she comes back to me, "I'll follow your lead."
"Not you as well. You shouldn't listen to everything this idiot tells you," I say rolling my eyes, then smiling.
Reaching out my right hand, Dan and I clasp hands, "Okay, mate, take us in!"
"Watch your backs and listen to what the Boss says, Alice."
Dan starts his approach, aiming the Lynx at the same position on the Tower that we picked Alice up from.
Chapter 18
As we approach the Tower, I swivel the Minigun back to its holding position out of the way of the door. We may need to get back on board quickly and don't want any obstacles hindering our entry. Dan is taking his approach nice and steadily. His flying skills aren’t quite as rusty as mine but they aren’t far off.
Looking at Alice, it is easy to see how nervous she is and I know exactly how she's feeling. There is also a look of determination underlying that nervousness, however; after all, it is her comrades that may still be trapped inside the Tower.
I have the utmost respect for women who choose the life of a soldier and make the grade, as it can't be an easy choice. Before they even join up, they know they are going to be in the minority and be thrown together with a bunch of young men who will usually show little respect for them as soldiers. They, more than these young men, will have the spotlight on them to prove they are capable and to earn the respect of their fellow squaddies. There will be no hiding in the main group for them.
I go over to Alice and put my hand onto her shoulder. "Stay close and watch your six Alice, pick your targets and hit head shots if you can. If not, go for legs to slow them down. We are going in nice and slowly to see if it's viable, and if not, we will fall back. We will have each other’s backs, okay?"
"I'm ready, Andy, I'm just psyching myself up."
"I know, you and me both, so let’s do this!" I say to her and slap her on the back.
Moving to the hold door, I start to help guide Dan. He does a good job of getting the Lynx into position and we are soon within reach of
the battlements. I turn to Alice and ask her if she is ready. She gives me a thumbs-up.
Stepping across the void between the Lynx and the Tower, my foot hits the top of the wall and each of my hands grips the top of the battlements either side of me. In a swift motion, I jump down onto the Tower’s roof; there is no walkway on this side.
Taking a step forward and lifting my M4 up from my chest, I immediately cover our position whilst Alice disembarks. My first line of sight is the rooftop doorway that Alice emerged from, but I scan all around the rooftop paying particular attention to the mouths of each of the doorways, built into the turrets that reach up from the four corners of the Tower.
In no time, I feel a couple of taps on my right shoulder, then Alice is next to me looking down the length of her rifle. Dan lifts the Lynx away. We don’t turn to watch him go, but we wait a moment, covering the roof with our rifles until the noise and buffeting from the helicopter has dissipated.
I move off to the right without saying a word, following the wall, my rifle pointed out in front of me, my head tucked in behind it and my legs slightly bent ready to move quickly should any threats appear, a stance that’s second nature to me. Alice moves in formation behind using the same stance. I am pleased but not surprised that she is moving sideways with her back to the wall, enabling her to cover our rear as she follows. My first impression of her is that she a very capable soldier.
Reaching the first, North East turret, Alice takes a covering position whilst I slowly move around the turret towards the doorway set into it, fully prepared to take action. Seeing the door is closed, I step onto the beginning of the walkway which runs right down the North side of the wall and check the door; it is locked. I signal to Alice and we continue along the walkway, the open door that Alice appeared from looming ever nearer directly in front of us.
Capital Falling Trilogy Box Set [Books 1-3] Page 18