Designated (Book 2): Designated Quarantined
Page 39
Lifeless blue eyes watched as Ridgmont tried to rise, thick congealed lines of mucus-infused gore dripping from his shattered face like string from a kitten's claws, the soft whimpering mewl worming its way past the twisted remnants of Ridgmont's lips as he attempted to rise. Lifting his foot, Baker kicked Ridgmont's hands away from him, watching as the man's own weight carried him face first into the floor.
Lifting his boot once again, he brought the heel crashing down upon the weak helpless fingers of Ridgmont's left hand.
He wanted to smile as the man cried out as his finger bones shattered beneath his boot. He wanted to laugh as he watched the shards of Ridgmont's shattered digits slice through the soft flesh of his hand. He wanted to roar with delight as he listened to pained and pleading cries emanating from the man beneath him.
However, he couldn't. Nothing would come forth. No notes of triumph. No sounds of delighted retribution would ever leave him. All that had been good in Baker's dwindling world had vanished with the blonde angel now lying broken and beaten in the arms of his friend. All that was left for him was vengeance—cold and emotionless justice in a world gone mad, so he raised his boot again and sent it sailing down onto Ridgmont's left knee. Again and again, he pounded the joint to dust as the man beneath him pleaded for clemency from a deaf court and its silent executioner.
His arms snapped down and dragged the beaten man to his feet, hurling him once more into the wall. A red cloying smear of Ridgmont's blood marked its passage down his face as he collapsed to the floor. Baker fell to his knees atop the trembling and quivering mess below him.
With a cold, merciless gaze alighting on the battered face below him, he let his fists rise and fall, his shoulders driving them downwards pummelling the frail form into submission. Over and over they rose and fell like pistons in an engine, their speed increasing with every revolution as he watched the blood arc through the air, splattering across his face… the floor… the walls. Slowly, he dragged the life from the man so bent on revenge, he had eked it out on the souls of the two people in this world Derek would gladly give all for.
Images of her flashed through his mind as he continued to pound out his broken fury into the mass of pulped fleshed beneath him. Her smiling face bathed in the setting summer sun as they wound their way through the golden fields of the French farmlands, the look of stunned joy as she gazed upon the diamond ring encircling her finger the day Derek proposed.
The sight of her walking towards him, the white silk dress hugging her slim form as he gazed upon her glowing visage on their wedding day, the sweat-stained and tired look of pride on her face as she held their new-born daughter.
That last memory gave him pause, his arms locking in place as he thought of their daughter growing up without a mother's love, without the all-forgiving warmth of her mother's arms to comfort her or hold her close while her daddy was away. Something inside Baker snapped, breaking away completely as he held that image in his mind—the smiling face of his wife and the small fragile form of his new-born daughter enshrouded in the soft towelling blanket as she was slowly rocked to sleep and how close he had come to losing it all.
Baker's arms dove down mercilessly, his tears flowing free as he snapped his head forwards, smashing his forehead into Ridgmont's face. He felt the bones of the man's nose splinter and vanish as he crushed it into a paste of powdered bone and pulped flesh. Driving his thumbs into Ridgmont's eye sockets, Derek pushed slowly, ploughing deeper and deeper into the putrid, filth-filled orbs, pulverising them into a mass of puss and slime as he curled his fingers round the sides of Ridgmont's skull and pulled.
Ridgmont screamed, blood pulsing from his eyes and nose as Baker clawed at the sides of his face, Derek's fingers tearing into the pulverised skin that framed the man's cranium, nails tore at bone, scrapping through cartilage and muscle with a savage lust for vengeance. He tore the flesh from his skull as his thumbs began to bore through the back of Ridgmont's eye sockets.
Then as soon as it had arrived, it was gone. Baker pushed himself up and away, the tangled mess of blood and flesh repulsing him as he staggered towards the door, the silent corridors carrying him through the cold, lifeless hospital. Derek's eyes shifted in and out of focus as he bounced off the wall, his weight dragging him around the corner as he stumbled into the cavernous atrium, the jumbled mass of overturned seats and smashed tables ensnaring his every step as he fell through the open doorway.
Cold seared through him as he sank to his knees. The cold brick paving beneath him bathed his battered skin as he slumped, exhausted and weary to the floor as blood began to pour from his scalp.
Derek's eyes drifted in and out of focus as he watched them approach, their grasping black-coloured hands snatching at him as they lifted him from the floor, bright flashes of orange filling the sky as he felt himself rise from the uncaring stone. A flash of red silk snatched at his eyes as a calm accented voice filled his ears.
'We have you, my friend; we have you, rest easy.'
The Teams
Team One
Derek Baker: Aged 38, 6 foot 3 inches, bald (partially shaven), often has a full beard—a habit from spending long operational periods in Arabic and Middle Eastern countries.
Blue eyes, missing his left ear. Has the SBS sword tattooed onto his forearm
Royal Marines Commando and SBS operative
Commander of Broadhead and assault team one leader Unflinching, pragmatic, and unerringly loyal, he will go above and beyond to complete his mission, no matter the cost to himself.
Richard 'Splinter' Sharp: Aged 30, 6 foot exactly, close-cut hair (shaven to within a millimetre of his scalp)
Paratrooper and SAS operative
Second in command of team one
Multi-skilled operative, marksman and guerrilla warfare specialist. Self-assured, confident and slightly cocky, he is not afraid to bend the rules to achieve his goals but will always let reason and sound judgment guide him above all else.
Dean Roberts: Aged 26
Royal Marines Commando and SBS operative
Skilled soldier and Marksman and demolitions specialist
Quiet and observant, he will go beyond the limits for a friend even if it means giving his life to save theirs.
Charles Hooper: Aged 27
Infantry soldier and SAS operative
Skilled soldier and tracker
Outspoken and loyal, a well-adjusted team player and valued member of team one.
Damien Colins: Aged 24
Royal Marines commando
Mountain warfare specialist and close quarters battle and light support specialist
Trained as a martial artist from a very young age and took his training through when training as a Marines commando.
Like all commandos, he is as blunt as a brick when it comes to honesty and is not afraid to back up his assertions with whatever means is deemed necessary.
Sam Fisher: Aged 25
Irish Guards
P Company and Pathfinder group attached
Highly opinionated and rough spoken, he is proud of his heritage and his family's long-standing connection to the Irish Guards and served and qualified in the same regimental areas and expertise as his father.
Nicholas Mariani: Aged 25
Irish Guards
Light support specialist
Soft spoken and reserved, he keeps to himself and can be seen as a little aloof by the men he serves with but is not one to shy away from combat and will always bring to bear all he can give.
Team Two
John Davies: Aged 29
1st Regiment the Rifles and SAS Operative
Team Two commander
Tattoo of the both regimental badges on his right shoulder blade
Highly trained and proficient killer with a deep moral compass, will go above and beyond the call of duty to achieve what he thinks is the right and most morally clean outcome.
Chris Jones: Aged 23
Princess of Wales Royal Regiment
Team Two second in command
Darkly sarcastic and regularly speaks his mind, regardless of whom it upsets.
Rory Hamilton: Aged 25
Princess of Wales Royal Regiment
Light Support Specialist
James Clarkenwell: Aged 27
Infantry soldier SAS operative
Maximilian (Max) Reiley: Aged 26
Royal Marines Commando
David Baxter: Aged 27
Royal Marines Commando
Light support specialist
Team Three
Andre Patterson: Aged 29
Team Leader
Scots Guards
Highly Intelligent with a wit to match.
Uncompromising in all aspects and carries it through to the battlefield.
Ibrahim "Token" Kweku: Aged 31
Team Three second in command
Drone and explosives specialist
Dean King: Aged 30
1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment
Spotter/Sniper
Carter Lucas: Aged 27
1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment
Spotter/Sniper
Dominic Walters
Mercian Regiment
Light Support Specialist
Carl Sooker
Royal Welsh
Light Support Specialist
Derrek Carlstook
Royal Signals
Simeon Carruthers
The Rifles
Spotter/Sniper
Charlie Hampson
The Rifles
Spotter/Sniper
Team Four
Rufus Shaw: Aged 26
Team Commander
Grenadier Guards
Highly Intelligent and clean spoken with an innate grasp of field tactics
Charles Kane
Second in Command
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
Miles Pepper
Royal Anglian Regiment
Spotter/Sniper
Michael Faux
Royal Anglian Regiment
Spotter/Sniper
Simeon Stepps
Yorkshire Regiment
Light Support Specialist
Leroy Stoors
Duke of Lancaster's Regiment
Light Support Specialist
Marcus Bridgewater
Black Watch
Kenny Wilding
Black Watch
Spotter/sniper
Dean Movington
Black Watch
Spotter/Sniper
Rapid Reaction Team
By the nature of its insertion method, all team members are active Paratroopers.
Kevin Woodwrow
Team Leader
Five foot Ten
Black Hair
Short spoken and blunt
Honest to a fault and not afraid to call a situation as he sees it, which at times has caused minor friction between him and the other team commanders.
Richard Kerr
RRT Second in Command
Five Foot Eight
Blonde
Affable and easy going
Dominic Williams
Scott Sheperd
Light Support Specialist
James Clarkson
Light Support Specialist
Robert Brooks
Light Support Specialist
Air Wing
All members of the air wing are fully qualified pilots of both Rotary and Jet aircraft.
Jenniffer Lincruster
Brown Hair
Brown eyes
Soft spoken and honest
Qualified translator
Carla Westing
Blonde
Blue eyes
Flirty and outspoken
Part of the TRiM teams and qualified translator
Notable Civilians.
Janet Baker
Derek's wife and certified doctor of Medicine
Kevin Newcroft
Janet's Staff nurse and long-time friend
Jimmy O'Hara
Hospital Maintenance technician
Russian Members.
Fadei Bogatir
Andrey Gervasii
American Members
Sergeant Alexander "Rook" Richards
Corporal Jonathan "Hawk" Stabbler
* * *
[1] Carl's final story and fate revealed in
DESIGNATED DECLASSIFIED: The Kinkade file
[1] Tony's story continues in DESIGNATED DECLASSIFIED: One Last Hurrah.
[2] Continued in Designated: DECLASSIFIED: Yellow Brick Road.