by Hatchett
Joel had decided to go to Battersea and drop everyone off because it would be far quicker than travelling to Heathrow. The amount of people on the roof meant that there would need to be four or five journeys and in view of the building’s instability, the sooner they could get the people off the better.
On his second run, he had tried to persuade Samata and the soldiers to get onboard, but Samata refused to leave before all the others had gone before her.
Joel lifted off at Battersea and set off on his third run. The people he had offloaded on his two journeys had been taken into the hotel at Battersea by Gina and her reception committee and Gina would make sure they were given somewhere to rest and plenty of food and water.
“Joel, you there?” came Andy’s voice through his earpiece.
“Here Andy,” Joel confirmed.
“This is my last journey,” Andy advised. “There’s just a small group left.”
“Better take them to Heathrow,” Joel suggested. “I think Battersea is getting a bit full now.”
“Will do,” Andy acknowledged, and gave the order to his pilot.
Joel stood patiently near the ramp’s controls, waiting for his pilot to confirm when they were nearly there.
“Approaching the target,” came through his earpiece, and Joel hit the button for the ramp to descend.
The pilot brought the Chinook in high over the Green Park Estate until he was almost past the Eastern wall, then brought the heli into a hover and gradually began losing height.
Joel could see about fifty or sixty people still on the roof, waiting to be picked up. As he began to relax there came a massive crash and the roof, which had been getting closer and closer to him with each passing second, suddenly dropped away from him towards the ground.
Joel looked on in horror as the people on the roof went down with it. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion; he somehow managed to pick out Samata’s face, which seemed inexplicably serene as she dropped away from him. He noticed Tim and his other colleagues next to her; they were reflexively reaching out, looking to grab hold of something to prevent their free-fall. But, there was nothing to grab onto, and nothing Joel could do about it.
The building collapsed, sounding like another bomb going off before a huge cloud of dust rose up into the sky to replace the building that had once stood there.
“What the fuck was that?” the pilot asked over his headset.
Joel paused and wiped away a tear that had formed in his eye. “The building’s just gone down.”
“Did we get them?” the pilot asked, with misplaced hope and fearing the worst. He knew the Chinook hadn’t been in place long enough for anyone to board, but it didn’t stop him asking the stupid question.
“No mate, we didn’t,” came Joel’s soft reply.
The Chinook continued to hover as Joel continued to look down, waiting for the dust to settle or be blown away.
“Joel, this is Daniel, did I just hear what I thought I heard?” Daniel had made some excuses to his group and left the bar, certain that the others had their comms turned off.
“Yes Daniel,” Joel replied. “I’m afraid to say the building has collapsed. I’m just waiting to see if there are any survivors, but I’m not holding my breath.”
“Shit, man,” Daniel swore. “How many were left?”
“Fifty or sixty I’d guess.”
“What about Samata and the guards?”
“They insisted on being the last to leave.”
“Oh, shit!” Daniel exclaimed. “How long ‘til you know for sure?”
“Not long, mate, not long. Take us down,” he ordered the pilot.
The pilot took the Chinook lower, the powerful downdraft creating more dust but also pushing it out of the way.
When the Chinook was about twenty metres above the ground, the pilot brought it into a hover and Joel switched on a high-powered spotlight and began combing the area. All he could see was broken concrete and the odd personal effect. He couldn’t see any bodies, and despite hoping that someone would jump up and start waving their hands to attract attention, it just didn’t happen.
As the Chinook hovered over the rubble and Joel continued his search, he began to see zombies crawling around the area. He couldn’t believe that anyone could have survived that fall and he was kidding himself if he thought they could. He had been in a similar situation in the past, so he knew it was useless. But, at the same time, miracles happened, and unless you found the bodies, how did you know for sure? ‘Stop it!’ he scolded himself, wiping away another tear. He knew he was falling into the ‘miracle trap’ where the mind refused to accept reality and believed that something impossible was suddenly possible. Joel shook his head as if to clear it and continued searching. His head was telling him it was a waste of time, yet his heart was telling him there was still a chance.
His thoughts were broken by a crackling in his earpiece.
“Joel? It’s Jack. Issy is on her way with two teams in the Lynx heli’s. She’ll be there in a few minutes to search on the ground, so you better come back.”
“Roger Jack, on my way,” Joel replied, taking one last look around before ordering the Chinook pilot to return to Heathrow.
As the Chinook rose and Joel pressed the button to raise the ramp, he saw the two Lynx’s approaching fast.
“Good luck Issy. Be careful, the building doesn’t look stable and there’s a load of munchers already circling the area.”
“Thanks Joel,” Issy replied, “I’ve got it.”
The Lynx’s came into hover about ten metres above the rubble. Ropes appeared and the six soldiers onboard each heli quickly descended and spread out, taking great care not to dislodge any concrete or twist an ankle on the uneven terrain.
All the soldiers were dirty and were soon covered in concrete dust. Flashlights criss-crossed the area as they tried to find any sign of life. A couple of the more determined zombies managed to get close to them, crawling over concrete boulders and collapsed walls, but their efforts were wasted with a swift stab to the head.
The two teams spent half an hour searching and listening but came away with nothing but a broken ankle and cut arm for one soldier who had inadvertently stepped on a piece of concrete which moved under his weight.
The teams re-boarded the Lynx heli’s for the short trip back to Heathrow.
Daniel had been standing in the shadows of the Outer Ward, leaning against the wall and listening in to the search commentary, his heart getting heavier with each passing second as his prayers went unanswered. He knew that he now had the unenviable job of updating the others, but especially Isaac and Zak, who were bound to take this very hard.
Daniel took a deep breath and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. He stood away from the wall and began a slow walk back towards the bar.
58
Day 13 – 22:15
The George & Dragon, Hounslow
Mamba walked through the front door of the pub, followed by Ayla and with Ahmed bringing up the rear.
The pub was lit by one of the battery-operated lanterns and Basir was sitting on one of the bench seats with a drink in his hand.
“You took your time,” he observed, “the bombs went off ages ago.”
Mamba smiled widely as he approached Basir, his hand out ready to shake the other man’s hand. “We stayed to watch the fireworks, mate. Them bombs ya made were fuckin’ brilliant!”
“I know,” Basir agreed, shaking Mamba’s outstretched hand. “I do know what I’m doing.”
“A couple didn’t go off,” Mamba noted.
“What?” Basir asked, with a frown. “Must’ve been mishandled then. Nothing wrong with the bombs.”
“Don’t worry, man. It was Ahmed’s fault anyway.”
“What do you mean it was my fault?” Ahmed asked from behind Mamba, with a big frown across his face.
“Did ya or didn’t ya help make the bombs?” Mamba asked, turning to face him.
“Yeah. So?” Ahmed cha
llenged.
“Well, ya must’ve done it wrong,” Mamba advised. “But don’t worry Ahmed, I’m not blamin’ ya.”
“Yes, ya are!”
“Well, yeah, I am, but it don’t matter.”
“It does fuckin’ matter,” Ahmed hissed.
“Calm down, calm down!” Mamba mimicked the infamous scouse accent and pose, with both arms out in front of him, hands pushing downwards for effect.
“Don’t take the piss, Mamba,” Ahmed warned. “If ya hadn’t noticed – and ya obviously hadn’t ‘cos ya had ya cock buried most of the time we was there – all the bombs on our side went off. A couple of bombs on the other side didn’t.”
Mamba thought about it. “Yer right!” Then he thought about it some more, “I did have my cock buried for a lot of the time!”
“Ah, excuse me?” Ayla interrupted. “I am here you know?”
Mamba looked to Ayla, “Only speakin’ the truth, babe.”
“That’d be a first for you,” she retorted.
“Get us a drink, Ahmed,” Mamba ordered.
“Get yer own fuckin’ drink!” Ahmed shot back as he went to help himself to a drink and then went to sit as far away from Mamba as possible.
“Could be a long evenin’,” Mamba suggested as he made his way towards the bar, “watcha havin’ babe?” he called out over his shoulder.
“I’ll have a beer, please, and will you stop calling me babe? My name is Ayla in case you’d forgotten.”
“Of course, babe,” Mamba replied.
59
Day 14 – 09:00
Heathrow Terminal 3, Security Briefing Room
The Leaders sat around the conference table, looking exhausted. Everyone had a mug of coffee and were struggling to keep their eyes open. It had been a long night with just a couple of hours of sleep, but at least Heathrow and the Tower were secure. A lot more work would be required that day to fully repair the destruction caused by Mamba.
Jack tapped the table for order, not that there was much talking going on. Most of the Leaders were staring vacantly at the table or the wall opposite, lost in their own thoughts.
“I guess the first thing to mention is that despite Joel and Andy’s heroics last night, we suffered the sad loss of poor Samata and another fifty to sixty people at the Green Park Estate. As you all know, the building has collapsed and all the people we managed to save were ferried to Battersea and here at Heathrow.
“Yes,” Sarah started, “I’m working to sort out where they want to stay. Some will stay here, some will stay at Battersea and some will move to the Tower.”
Sarah had flown back from Manchester airport the previous evening with Bear, Irish and their team.
“I suppose I should note quickly that Manchester airport is secure, and we’ve left a small group of guards there for the time being,” she added. “I guess the Manchester project is on hold for the time being, until we get everything down here back to normal.”
“I think that’s a sensible conclusion,” Jack advised. “Daniel?”
Daniel’s head had been resting on his chest and he looked up to see everyone looking in his direction. He drew in a deep breath before starting. “As you know, the Tower was also attacked last night, although it was more of an attack on the cordon rather than the Tower itself. They obviously weren’t aware of the hotel because this wasn’t targeted and got away with only minimal damage to some windows. We’ll have to secure the area far better now and learn some lessons, and of course, we’ve got to rebuild the cordon and re-think how we’re going to guard the place.”
Daniel paused, looked down at the table, then continued, “As you also know, in amongst the deaths at the Green Park Estate, we lost Samata and some of our soldiers. Samata was a very brave woman who stepped up to look after the Estate the best she could and there was nothing she could have done to prevent what happened. She and the soldiers insisted on being the last to leave and unfortunately time ran out. I gave the bad news to Isaac and Zak, and word has now spread to other friends and family. There will be a memorial service in the chapel at the Tower this afternoon at 4pm.”
“We’ll be there,” Jack advised, “and we’ll make sure that all people at the various sites who want to attend can do so. How are the boys.”
“As you would expect, they’re distraught, blaming themselves for not insisting that Samata move to the Tower – you know she had the opportunity to move but didn’t want to leave her home and her people. They know that it is all down to Mamba and they want his blood.”
“I’m not sure it would be a good idea involving them in the hunt,” the Major advised. “They won’t be thinking straight, and if we are to get him, then we will need to think and act clearly and decisively. He’s obviously not stupid.”
“I’m leading the hunt,” Issy advised, “and I agree with the Major. They can’t come with me. I don’t need two hot heads who might do something stupid at the wrong time. But, I will promise that I’ll try and capture him alive, so he can answer for his actions.”
“What’s your plans, Issy?” the Major asked.
“Sarah, Gina, Andy and Joel will stay here and coordinate people, repairs et cetera. The electricians and engineers will need to get replacement CCTV up and working, we need to get a strong cordon fifteen metres or so beyond the perimeter fence, so we can see anyone approaching. We need to set up CCTV at the Tower, Battersea, the hotel and Downing Street. I just thank God that none of the bombs were planted near the main fuel stores or we’d really be in the shit. We definitely need a wider cordon around there and more guards. Joel, I could do with those additional Panthers and tanks you keep promising me. Luckily, Mamba’s not as clever as he thinks he is. So, lots to do. Dave, Sean, Travis and Daniel will do the same at the Tower and the hotel. Bear and Irish will be with me.”
“What are you going to do?” Jack asked.
“Find the bastard, even if I have to bomb the whole of London,” Issy replied. “Tom, I need to speak to you after the meeting.”
Tom Williams had been sitting quietly at the end of the table, listening to what was being planned. “No problem, Issy,” he replied.
“While we’re on Tom,” Jack started, “is there anything you want to say?”
“The general update can wait. There’s not much to report in any case, but as you know, our CCTV capability around the airport is now limited to the buildings and their surrounding area. We have no eyes on the perimeter at the moment, so I would suggest we place more guards until it’s fixed.”
“What about outside capabilities?” Jack asked.
“We’ve only got the satellite, but as you know, we’re limited as to what we can do with it, especially if it’s cloudy. The team have been trying to pick up on unusual activity, but so far we’ve found nothing.”
“Forget that,” Issy ordered. “This was what I was going to say after the meeting, but I might as well say it now. We didn’t find them on the way here so it’s highly unlikely we’ll find them on the way back. They know we’re looking for them and they know how to avoid detection. I want the satellite focused on that estate in Dalston. I want to know who’s there, what they are doing, if they are moving around, anything you can find out about them.”
“No problem, I’ll get the team onto it straightaway.” Tom stood and left the room.
“OK, anyone have any questions?” Jack asked.
There were shakes of the head then Jack declared the meeting over and the Leaders got up and left to attend to their duties.
Issy, Bear and Irish headed for the armoury to get ready and work out their plan of action.
60
Day 14 – 09:15
The George & Dragon, Hounslow
Mamba looked down at Ayla who was lying naked on the bed with her head propped up with a couple of pillows. He marvelled at her body and her energy and couldn’t believe his luck.
Ayla started running her hands over her body seductively, but Mamba was having none of it. “Much as I’d
like to sort ya out again, we need ta move.”
“Spoilsport,” Ayla replied, still rubbing her body and beginning to writhe on the bed.
“Cut it out, woman! We ain’t got the time,” Mamba replied, ‘or the energy’ he was thinking to himself.
“You sure I can’t tempt you?” Ayla asked, slipping a finger into her mouth and sucking gently on it. As Mamba didn’t move, she rolled onto her front and raised her hips. “Now?”
“Yer the devil!” Mamba exclaimed, feeling himself becoming aroused, “but we gotta go!”
“Maybe I need to find someone who can keep up with me,” Ayla suggested.
“I can keep up with ya girl, jus’ not now!” With that, Mamba went into the en-suite and slammed the door.
Ayla flopped onto her back with a sigh. She then hopped off the bed and began to get dressed. She really wasn’t looking forwards to the long walk ahead of them.
*****
Once they were all downstairs and packed, Mamba led them to the door.
“Ya all know the drill by now, so don’t do anythin’ stupid. Ya know where yer goin’, so see ya there later.”
With that, Mamba stepped onto the pavement and headed towards the city. The others left at different intervals, heading in the same direction.
Luckily for all of them the cloud was light and patchy, with the sun breaking through in places. The last thing they needed was rain.
61
Day 14 – 09:45
Heathrow Terminal 3
Issy climbed aboard one of the two Lynx heli’s with Irish and another four soldiers as Bear climbed aboard the second Lynx with a further five soldiers. She made sure they were all wearing their helmets with the cameras switched on, so that everything would be recorded.
The Lynx’s lifted off and swung around to head towards the city, closely followed by two of the Apache attack heli’s.