The Ringer

by Greg Hunt

  He had let the ringing team down in the recent striking competition. All had told him that it was not his fault but it still hurt. To have come a close second to St Mary’s was not good news. They were the chief rivals and David had been in their band. It was not like Archie to mull over this issue. He needed to pull himself together.

  Archie de-briefed the team and left them until 05:30 when they would be meeting prior to their departure at 06:00. He collected his cap and coat and, as usual, rushed out past Monica, who he blew a kiss at, just to gain a reaction. He was not disappointed by the scowl of the response, but he was sure that she had given a small, sly wink just before he swiped his card to let himself out and he walked hurriedly past the sentries at the main gate.

  Archie walked up the spiral staircase and greeted the Tower Captain and Mavis who were already in the ringing chamber. The rest of the band arrived within the next few minutes and the Tower Captain made a point of saying to everyone:

  “We all did fantastically in the striking competition and we are pleased that Portsmouth Cathedral achieved as much as we did. It is important for us to go forward from what we have achieved and look to bring the trophy back next year.”

  There was an air of calm. Everyone in the room agreed. There were nods and a “Here, here.” Then the Tower Captain called everyone to order, “Now for some ringing. Yorkshire Royal please. Archie you are involved.”

  The ringing sounded wonderful. All were inspired and Archie felt cleansed, being able to move forward again with his head held high.

  Chapter 26

  The ringing the night before had helped Archie to sleep. His bright blue, old-fashioned alarm clock with a large face and proper hands had reverberated within his tiny flat.

  He had to slam his hand down on the top of the clock between the two silver bells to stop the whirring so that it just continued to tick tock, tick tock…

  The darkness did not help to coax him into rising from his bed. It was only in the hot shower that his eyes and head and body came to life. Now was the time to prove himself, for he had been given quite an opportunity.

  It was as a teenager that he had originally proven himself. Archie had branched out into team sports. Being a natural sportsman, he ended up representing his Norfolk area, as well as his school, for hockey and cricket. He loved the games, yet never boasted or took sides. In doing so, his peers, both friends and those that knew him only vaguely, respected him and he was one of the handful at school who you knew would listen to their colleagues. He had rare non-judgemental qualities and was a natural team player, always striving to better the position of the group. It was this mental attitude and in-built sports skill which saw Archie lead the hockey firsts through to regional victory in the schools championship, in his last year at school. As Vice Captain of the cricket team he had battled to ensure their position as runners up in their regional league.

  Once at university he had been sponsored to train within specialist areas of the Navy and to continue his studies of oceanography. The hot water of the shower brought Archie back to the present, the steam condensing against the small bathroom mirror.

  Once out of the shower, he threw on his non-descript clothes and webbing, grabbed his pack and jogged round to the naval base. The whole team squeezed into the back of the pale blue transit van. None of the group had been told of their departure point for security reasons. It would be taken care of. Commander Edgar Bennett would ensure there was a smooth start to their mission.

  Since their initial training back in early autumn, all of his team had come a long way. It was now well into the ski season and the team were aware of the significant quantities of snow on the ground. Many of the group had honed their board riding and skiing at the ski slopes nearby. This had been combined with regular training sessions at the Naval gym and in the Naval sports complexes in Portsmouth.

  As each of the group boarded the light plane to take them to the identified drop zone, Archie checked their equipment was in place and that each member of his team had collated all that was required for Stage 1: Departure, Flight and Drop.

  All was present and correct. Jackie and Jo had copies of all the reconnaissance memorised in their heads as it would not do to be found with any details of this mission on them. None of them bore any markings on their clothing of any particular country, or carried any items that could be specifically traced back to the UK. James and Nick had their specialist marksmen rifles and telescopes in order that they could scout ahead. Kevin had some impressive satellite communications equipment strapped inside his arctic warfare rucksack. Archie had standard kit but also carried a hunting knife he had always used and a flare to help bring them all home. Stuart Betts sat just behind Archie, contemplating the next few hours, at least this was the impression that he gave, staring into the hold of the small plane.

  The propellers of the plane whirred into action. The body rocked forward off its blocks and proceeded to transit to the runway and into the darkness. The darkness was starting to give way to an eerie early morning light, it still not being dawn.

  The plane only needed a short runway and this airport was ideal. It was not normally used and lay tucked away from Portsea Island. Few were aware of any aircraft ever taking off or landing at this site. The location was extremely discreet and allowed the takeoff to be completed without notice or comment.

  It was cold on board the plane but the occupants were wrapped up warm in their winter survival clothing. They each had a parachute attached to their backs and were carrying out the standard checks with each other to ensure that all would go according to plan.

  Buffeted by the increasing wind, the plane started to creak and whisper and howl whilst all else was quiet. The weather forecast indicated calm conditions over the next twenty four hours before storm conditions coming in from the north. However, it appeared that the storm was coming on apace and this was not ideal. The team would have to work extremely quickly.

  The pilot nodded confirmation to Archie and raised his right hand to indicate thirty minutes until the drop zone, which was immediately relayed to the whole team. Archie was now full of adrenalin and raring to go.

  All of the planning and organisation had led up to this point. His team was aware of their rendezvous at the head of the valley, a location which provided slight cover below the Glacier de Bellecote. They would then ski over to the target valley and go into surveillance mode to gather as much information as possible before further movement and decision making.

  The plane hatch was opened and the cool air gushed in like a small rocket igniting. James and Nick, as scouts, shuffled over to the opening and awaited Archie’s signal. It was difficult for them to see anything below in the dawn. Archie also waited as he was reliant on the signal from the pilot.

  At last the pilot held his hand up and made a clear thumbs up sign to Archie. Archie clapped his left hand on Nick’s shoulder. Nick did not need to be patted twice. Off through the hatch and into the freezing cold air the two men jumped, quickly replaced at the hatch by Kevin and then Jackie and Jo, Stuart Betts and lastly Archie. The pilot provided the OK and V signals for best of British luck and Archie returned the gestures before plummeting out of the aircraft and to the ground below.

  Chapter 27

  Emma and her brothers were stone cold.

  She and her elder brother Joseph had managed to keep Sam with them, although he was slipping in and out of consciousness. His leg had been knocked out of its normal position and, whilst not medically trained, Emma and Joseph were sure that it was broken. The fact that it was lying at an odd angle when they had caught up with Sam meant that they had come to this conclusion within the first minute of looking at their younger brother.

  With only two hours prior to sunset, they had agonised as to what to do. There was no way that it would be possible to move Sam to anywhere habitable before nightfall. They had taken the difficult decision of finding somewhere as close as possible with shelter, for them all to
make it through the night. Emma or Joseph would set off for help with the light of the dawn.

  Fortunately, Emma had had an orange survival bag in her rucksack and an extra warm top. They had no other provisions. Joseph had tied one of Sam’s ski poles to his painful leg to fashion a makeshift splint. He had used the cord from his sunglasses to keep them from falling off. The splint meant that Sam would keep his leg straight and not intentionally cause himself any further harm.

  The siblings had jiggled themselves into the survival bag still close to the rocks and were wearing every item of warm clothing that each of them had brought out with them. Joseph, Emma and Sam all had gloves and hats, full salopettes covering their legs and ski jackets. Underneath the ski jackets they each just had a fleece and a base layer. Whilst relatively warm together, the sun was now low in the sky and being near the top of the glacier the temperature was soon to plunge.

  The bright orange of the survival bag would be seen from hundreds of metres away but they would not be reported missing until well after dark. Their parents knew they were all together and would expect them to have a gluwein or mulled wine in Plagne Centre prior to returning to the chalet. Emma and Joseph and Sam would not be missed until the chalet evening meal at eight o’clock. Even then, their parents thought that their children were to be skiing on all of the marked pistes within the region, and certainly not venturing off the back of the Glacier de Bellecote. It would be some search party that would find them where they were presently located.

  Emma felt the breeze on her exposed cheek. The wind was seriously picking up and she was losing body warmth, fast. This was just what they needed! It had been relatively still and calm until an hour ago and now the weather was rapidly changing. She tried to cuddle up to her brothers but there was no real warmth being emitted from them. She kept curling her gloved hands into fists and was starting to shiver uncontrollably, even though she was within the orange survival bag. Joseph felt Emma struggling to stay warm and he too was cold, colder than he had been for years. Emma was attempting to think of her student life back in Portsmouth against the current circumstances that she was in.

  Emma studied geography and lived in an all-girl student house on Kent Road in Southsea. She had been in a hall of residence in her first year and had originally made friends with the other girls on her course.

  Given that the Isle of Portsmouth is only approximately four miles long and three miles wide, she had been able to be near to her main campus. Her geography building, the library and the Student Union were all situated in the north west of Southsea. Yet Emma also wanted to be as close as possible to the beach and the fun of the waterfront. This left only a few streets for her and her friends to focus on. Their search had concentrated on the roads to the south of Southsea, close to the Common, the seafront and her campus buildings.

  They had settled for an imposing three-storey, turn of the twentieth century, terrace property with grand, high ceilings and large rooms. Whilst the communal area was small and the kitchen area a little shabby and run down, the house afforded quick access to the pebbly beach. By walking five minutes across Southsea Common, she could walk along the ramparts of Old Portsmouth around to the Harbour Entrance or wander in the other direction to Southsea Shopping Centre. It did not have all the shopping stores that she had been used to growing up in Wimbledon, South West London, but it had everything that she needed and that was all that mattered to her.

  The location had helped Emma to become extremely fit over the last year, cycling to lectures, running along the three mile waterfront and playing hockey for Portsmouth University.

  Joseph, meanwhile, was remaining strong for his sister Emma but even more so for his brother Sam, his closest friend. Joseph had started his first year at university and been accepted by Downing College, Cambridge to read English. It had been the first few months that he had ever been away from his twin brother. He had missed the daily banter and joking that he could have with Sam, and had been looking forward to this family ski holiday for the last couple of months.

  Sam had decided to stay on, living at their parents’ house in Wimbledon, and pursue a gap year. He had been working hard in many temporary jobs to build up the finances to travel later on in the year, prior to going to university through deferred entry.

  Joseph shouted at Sam to wake up. This stirred Emma too. He started humming one of the James Bond theme tunes that they both enjoyed, especially when whizzing down the slopes at high speed. Emma joined in and, at last, a whisper of a hum came from Sam.

  Each of them was reflecting that all three of them were together. Still in one piece, well Sam was almost in a couple of pieces, but just about alive and, whilst there was no chance of sleep through the night, Emma, Sam and Joseph would keep each other going until the morning.

  Emma had fallen into semi-consciousness by the early dawn so it was Joseph who heard the rasping wind being gently broken by the soft but audible hum of the light plane above. It sounded like a remote control car in his dream but no, this was real and becoming louder. He elbowed Sam, who groaned, and shook Emma awake.

  It took a couple of minutes for her to realise what the noise was, why she had been woken up, where she was and why the noise was so important for them.

  Chapter 28

  As he descended into the unknown, Archie Malcolm loved the momentary floating feeling with the air flying up past him, pushing his head up and putting pressure against every part of his body. It always seemed to batter his forehead and buffet his face and nose and mouth. An exhilarating experience.

  These feelings were second only to pulling the parachute cord and feeling, or not feeling, the deceleration. The Earth went from visibly rising up to meet Archie as fast as gravity would allow, to a sudden sensation of calm.

  He could now take in what was below him and he frowned, for this was wrong and not anywhere near the landing site that had been planned.

  The wind had picked up and must have thrown the team off course, he pondered… but the pilot should have taken the strength of the wind into his calculations. The snow covered ground and the castellated ridge adjoining a… glacier? It was becoming slightly clearer in this difficult half-light and now Archie was concerned.

  The only glacier in this immediate area was the Glacier de Bellecote and his team were supposed to be landing well below this mountain with the cover that it provided. Too late now. It appeared that Archie and the rest of his team were going to be scattered on much higher perches.

  Archie braced himself for the impact of landing. He had chosen what appeared to be a high ledge. It seemed relatively flat from the view that he had, just over the lip of the main glacier. He picked up his legs to cushion the ground that was coming up at him more quickly than usual, and the wind was determined to side swipe him off his planned landing area. Well, the wind would not win and he was going to do everything as per the textbook.

  Archie’s perfect landing allowed him to have a quick look about him prior to touch down. Whilst he had lost sight of Petty Officer Stuart Bett’s parachute, he had homed in on Jackie and Jo’s landing site which was fifty metres above him. He stowed all of his parachute material within the next five minutes. He then scrambled upwards from the ledge against the biting wind in thick powder, with skis strapped to the back of his rucksack. Archie then reported his position on his CB radio and five minutes later Jackie and Jo appeared from just above where he was standing.

  The girls reported that they had seen the scouts’ parachutes land slightly further down the mountain. Worryingly, they had lost the path of Kevin who had jumped immediately before them, and Stuart who had been just behind them, prior to opening his parachute.

  Archie reported his position for a second time and he picked up the mumbled responses from Nick and James. All was still quiet from Betts and Kevin. Archie and the girls proceeded to fasten on their skis and head further down the powdered side of the mountain.

  In the distance, there was a flash of ora
nge, partially covered in snow, and the three naval service personnel went to investigate.

  Chapter 29

  Archie strode purposefully towards the glint of orange that he thought he had seen from the snow ledge only moments earlier.

  Jo and Jackie raced to keep up, their kit appearing to dwarf their smaller frames. Why would there be any unnatural colours in this wilderness? It was important that nothing from their mission had gone astray. Archie was confident that the orange material had nothing to do with Betts or Kevin, for there had been no orange equipment as part of their apparel.

  As he approached closer he could make out that it was a winter survival bag and two heads were clearly visible. As he moved forward to within twenty metres he noticed the jagged rocks and the cliff edge.

  These people could compromise his mission, he had specific timetables and information that needed to be sourced. He had to ignore whatever position they were in and let the elements take their course. With the light starting to come up, they should be found by a rescue team during the day, if they had been reported missing.

  Archie turned away and went back to Jackie and Jo. As he did so, one of the previous two faces that had been within the survival bag had managed to stumble to his feet and was trying to shout “Help, help,” but it came out as a raspy, low voiced call. Still, it was enough to catch the attention of the three specialist troops who were hurriedly discussing their best course of action.

  Archie had decided that he would inform the authorities over his high powered radio and leave the scene with his team as quickly as they could. The young lad now stumbling over to him had other ideas. He was still calling “Help, help” but now his tone was more desperate and frantic. Archie could not stop himself and went to see what the position was with the young lad and whoever else was in the orange survival bag.