BLOOD RETRIBUTION

by Blake Hudson

  Knox spotted Harris as he signalled that the deck from their location had been cleared.

  “All teams check in,” Harris called over the comms, and the two teams members all checked in one by one.

  “Bourbon one, clear inside the ship, Whisky one, find the bounty.” Carter spoke over the comms from the patrolling N-3 chopper above, both Knox and Harris signed off ‘copy’ and gave each other a head nod as they both led their teams away.

  “Take cover! Threat from above!” Carter screamed over the comms, as the teams unquestioningly dived for cover where they could find it.

  Up on the bridge castle of the ship, a group of mercenaries were setting up a tripod mounted heavy gauge machine gun, as one of them fired a shoulder mounted RPG at the team. They all watched it as the rockets downward projection came at them in what felt like slow motion. The two nearest SAS men it was directed at ran and jumped for cover. They narrowly escaped its blast as the anti-tank weapon blew a hole in the deck and nearest container, sending a hail storm of shrapnel through the air, catching one of the team across his arm.

  “We need air support!” Knox called over the comms.

  “Copy that, Whisky one,” Carter replied as the N-3 swung around and came in on the blind side of the group of mercenaries. Knox and his men kept cover as the mounted machine gun let rip, the high calibre bullets drilling holes and bouncing all over the deck. Carter sat at the open door of the N-3 and fired his own RPG at the group of mercenaries. And with a direct hit, it blew the target and large area of the bridge to smithereens, sending one of the covered mercs in flames over the edge backwards.

  To the cheers of the SAS men, Knox lay down a printout onto a make do surface, and ran his index finger down the list of container locations that had been highlighted by Rose. He established the nearest suspected container and directed the team to it over the sound of muffled gunfire and flash grenade explosions, as Harris and his team entered the ship.

  “Cover me!” Knox shouted as he reached the first container. He was handed a pair of bolt cutters to break the Klicker K2 bolt seal, once cut, it allowed him to open the cam lock system to gain access inside the container.

  “Stand back…” Knox said as he waited for his team to move within a safe distance, he opened the locking system with a twist and shunt and the door was free of the cam locks. He mentally counted to three, pulled the heavy steel door wide open as he took cover behind it.

  “Sir, it’s empty!” One of his team called out.

  “What the hell, did I get the wrong number or location?” Knox said as he looked into the dark empty space, then looked at its location and back at the printout. Everything lined up, a container ship would never sail with empty containers.

  “Eye in the sky, negative on the first container, moving to next target." Knox got on the comes to Carter, before leading his team again to the next suspected container.

  “Whisky one, Bourbon one pinned down, repeat pinned down,” Harris called over the intercom.

  “Bourbon one, what is your location, over?” Knox replied to Harris.

  “Two decks down near the mess hall, six or eight combatants dug in," Harris said to the sound of gunfire and shouting. Knox looked at the blueprints to the ship on the tactical tablet.

  “Bourbon one, hold targets, Whisky one coming to support," Knox reassured.

  “Copy, Whisky one. Out.” Harris acknowledged before getting back to the firefight. Knox turned to his eight-man SAS team and split them six to two, after giving the six-man team instructions on how to find the containers. He then instructed the other two to follow him. He had a plan but he just hoped they could execute it soon enough.

  Making his way over the top of Harris’ position two decks above the mess hall, Knox’s plan was to come at the mercenaries from the rear. As they entered a stairwell, Knox led the way and instantly heard and saw down between the rails, armed men running up the stairs from two floors below. As they made their way up, Knox did something instinctively and not in the SAS training handbook.

  He knew they didn’t have time to get bogged down in a stairwell gun fight. So, he pulled a pin from his flash grenade, and with perfect timing, he dropped it over between the rails. It landed in the direct path of the mercenaries and it bounced twice on the steps in front of the surprised leading merc. Then with an eardrum busting bang, the flash grenade blew before the men could have time to dive for cover. Knox had started running down the stairs as soon as he had dropped the grenade, arriving just moments after the blast, fired concentrated bursts of rapid fire at the mercenaries lay prostrate on the stairs. His two SAS back up men rushed down and surveyed the aftermath as they double checked the mercenaries were dead, then looked at Knox.

  “You crazy bastard!” said the first SAS man.

  “I have never seen anything like that before, and I don’t want to ever see it again. I thought you had lost the plot, Sir,” the second said.

  “What’s your names lads, and don’t give me any of the nick and call names crap," Knox said to both with a slightly unnerving look in his eyes.

  “I’m Conor, and he is Will, Sir.” said Conor the Irishman of the two.

  “Well Conor and Will, if you ever see me try to do something like that again… don’t let me,” Knox said as he winked at them both, then reloaded and turned to carry on down the stairwell.

  When they reached the deck level of the mess hall, Conor and Will took point on the entrance and threw a flash grenade into the hallway leading off the stairwell.

  “Whisky one calling Bourbon one, over." Knox radioed into Harris.

  “Bourbon one, receiving.,” a stressed Harris answered.

  “Bourbon one we are on your level, one-hundred metres in front of you, we will engage the enemy from behind their lines. Over." Knox said over an interference laced connection, Harris could only just make out what Knox had said before his attention was drawn by one of his team taking a shot to the arm.

  Conor and Will entered the smoke-filled hallway, one body moaned on the floor nullified by the shock of the flash grenade. Will put two shots in his head and carried on sweeping the hall with Conor. Knox followed as he guarded the rear. Making good ground Conor and Will flawlessly take out the oncoming enemy threat who couldn't match the skill set of the elite trained men.

  Knox passed a door that was first checked by Conor and found to be to be locked when he passed it. The door smashed open as Knox passed, by the force of a 300lb beast of a man who instantly tackled Knox to the wall. Gripping Knox’s assault rifle the animal ripped it out of his hands sending it flying down the hallway floor. Conor and Will couldn’t get a clear shot as the asshole that tussled with Knox bounced from one wall to the next down the narrow hallway. The heavy breathing colossus punched at Knox’s head, who ducked just in time to hear the knuckles break on the hand as it hit the steel wall. Knox didn’t like going to ground but he had no choice when the asshole pinned Knox by the throat and leant his face into Knox and said something in Sudanese Arabic.

  “Kuring bakal ngahakan haté anjeun.” (I will eat your heart)

  Knox snarled back before suddenly punching his arms up then with a firm grip on his hidden blade, he brought both hands down, brutally hitting the elbow joint of his attacker’s arm breaking the grip of his throat. Knox then sent a flurry of strikes and punches, with the blade still in hand, that was almost too fast to see. He targeted the neck, arm pit and abdomen of the massive guy and silence fell as the Sudanese giant stood staring into Knox’s eyes as a look of realisation swept over his face. Blood began to pour from the neck and torso of his giant assailant as he dropped to his knees. Knox then ran the blade of the knife in his hand across his opponent’s throat in one swift and unforgiving move. He simply walked away and picked up his gun as the animal bled out.

  “I didn’t even see you use that blade.,” Conor said in astonishment to Knox as he walked up to him, passing the Sudanese giant that was now slumped, still kneeling, w
ith his chin on his chest and as dead as they come.

  “A knife as a weapon is to be felt, not seen," Knox replied as he wiped the blood off the blade on his thigh.

  “You used it to break his grip on your throat?" Will said who looked puzzled.

  “Yes, I brought it down hard into the inside elbow joint. It’s an effective break, do they not teach that move in Hereford now?” Knox said with a smirk as he knew they didn’t, the last instructor who taught it was retired off early.

  “Brutal.,” Conor said in awe, as they regrouped and began moving to Harris’ position again.

  They had five mercenaries that were pinning Harris and his team down in their sight.

  “Bourbon one, we have a clean line of sight of the enemy. Take cover, over,” Knox said over the intercom.

  “Copy Whisky one, ready when you are,” Harris said in reply then ordered his team to hold fire and take cover. The five mercenaries continued to fire for a brief time, then visibly looked confused at one another as they didn’t understand why their adversaries had stopped fighting. Knox, Conor and Will sent in a flash grenade and after the explosion stormed in and mercilessly neutralised all five men.

  The room sounded off to the calls of ‘Clear!’ as both teams met over the fallen bodies of their enemies.

  “It’s good to see you, Major," Knox said to Harris who looked like his patience had been tested.

  “Not as good as it is to see you, Captain. Thank you,” Harris said as he shook hands with Knox.

  “Captain, Captain, over.” came over the intercom, it was one of the six-man SAS team Knox had ordered to find the arms, drugs and money.

  “Receiving, go ahead over,” Knox said as he looked at Harris and mouthed the words ‘they have found them.’

  “You need to get up on deck Sir, over.” the team member said with a note of urgency in his tone.

  “You have found the goods? Over.” Knox questioned.

  “Like I said Captain you need to come and see this.”

  Knox and Harris instructed the team to confirm that there were no more threats on board as they left for the deck. Once on deck they could see the six SAS men stood next to a container, they were holding their hands up, as if to say ‘stop don’t move’ as they stood looking into the container.

  “Sirs, look at this.” they said to Knox and Harris as they made their way over.

  “The weapons?” Harris asked as both he and Knox looked around the big open door. Their eyes adjusted to the darkness and then Knox pulled a small torch from his belt and shone it into the container taking in the heart-breaking sight. Twenty to twenty-five young almost skeleton-like girls, weak and barely able to stand through malnutrition, sat and lay in the stench of their own urine and excrement.

  Knox had to hold his hand over his mouth and nose as it was too much for him to bear. And then irate mumbles and bangs echoed in the container. One of the girls lay near the back kicked her legs into the air and banged her feet down on the rough wood panel floor. She achieved her aim and gained Knox's attention.

  There, lay before Knox, was Isabella.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Corpse

  Knox ran over to Isabella and scooped her up in his arms, taking her out of the container and into the smoky haze where he could finally take a large breath to try and rid the stench from his airways. As he set her down he drew his blood-stained knife which made Isabella’s eyes almost pop out at the sight of it. He cut through her tight bonds and exposed her broken sore skin as he slowly pulled the dried blood encrusted hemp rope. Isabella winced as her eyes teared up and she wrapped her arms around Knox. Then she quietly sobbed with her body jerking as she battled to control her emotions but lost.

  “You’re okay, you’re safe now, Isabella look at me,” Knox said in a soft comforting tone as he gently held her, she gripped onto him squeezing as hard as she could but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

  “Isabella, no one is going to hurt you now, I promise,” Knox said as he lifted her chin with his hand so that their eyes met. Knox with his dark intensity and Isabella’s tearful make-up blackened, with sadness.

  “I thought… they were going to… kill me.” Isabella managed to stutter out before totally breaking down as she buried her face once more into Knox’s shoulder. He held the back of her head as he looked to his men.

  “Don’t just stand there, help those women!” Knox demanded with a deep-felt anger, and just as the team jumped into action an echoing ringtone came from inside the container. Everyone except Isabella looked around to the direction of the sound, a sound that amplified as it rung.

  One of the team ran into the container and found a basic mobile phone gaffer taped to a dark corner of the container. He quickly brought it to Knox who opened the flip phone and held it to his ear saying nothing.

  “Always the hero, Lucas.” An electronically disguised voice spoke but still, Knox said nothing.

  “Come now Lucas, you haven’t turned shy, have you? Speak.” Even with the disguised voice, Knox could hear the contemptuous tone, but still, he said nothing.

  “You are no fun Lucas, I was looking forward to a little repartee. Shame, I find it makes the next part a little easier.” Knox listened to the disturbed voice and it sent a chill down his spine as that gut feeling screamed at him from inside.

  “If you’re not going to play ball then I will cut to the chase,” the voice said with annoyance.

  “Finally, you say something worth hearing and responding to. I was getting bored,” Knox said as he gritted his teeth.

  “So, the hero speaks, do you know who I am? Well, at least what those who fear me call me?”

  “Can’t say I really give a shit what the fuck they call you, so, get to the fucking point already!” Knox said his frustration growing.

  “Lucas, you are so impatient but have it your way. I have rigged the ship to blow, enough to send it and everything on it into an inferno even Hell would struggle to match,” the robotic voice taunted with an almost joyous overtone.

  “There are women on board, you fucking coward! Why don’t you come meet me here and I will show you Hell!” Knox said as he couldn’t hold it back. Harris took the phone from Knox’s hand and held it out switching it to speaker phone.

  “Language Lucas, is that any way to talk to the man holding a detonator switch?” the voice said. Harris looked to Knox and Isabella’s head shot up and glared at them.

  “So, there is a bomb, get on with it!” Knox snapped as he held Isabella tight as she wriggled and squirmed, he put his hand firmly over Isabella’s month as she was about to scream.

  “You have a choice Lucas, save the girls, your men and yourself…” the voice said before it paused.

  “Or stay on the ship and die with the other poor souls locked away somewhere,” the voice said before erupting into laughter. Harris took hold of Isabella and handed the phone back to Knox.

  “You are bluffing!?” Knox said in a questioning unsure manner, Harris shook his head in disbelief, then moved into action signalling the men to round up the girls as he rushed over to them with Isabella.

  “If you think so Lucas, then be the half-assed hero and save only those you can see.”

  “Don’t do this! Just tell me, are there more girls on this ship!?” Knox demanded.

  “Tick tock Captain, you have ten minutes,” said the voice as sirens sounded and red lights flashed around the ship as its warning system activated.

  “Name? Tell me your fucking name?!” Knox shouted.

  “The clock is ticking down Captain, do you have time for this?” mocked the voice.

  “I like to know the names of the cowards I kill when looking them in the eyes as they die!” snarled Knox with a hate reserved for the men he despised with every cell in his body.

  “El Toro…” he said with a deep haunting voice as the disguise had been turned off, followed by the line cutting dead.

  “Ey
e in the sky, we need immediate evac, over!” Knox declared speaking directly into his comms.

  “Copy Whisky one, ETA the highest container point two minutes, over,” Carter responded instantly.

  “Eye, ship rigged to blow ten-minute count down. We have female civilians on board for evac,” Knox replied as Harris and the rest of the team cut free the women’s bonds as they gathered the frightened women together.