“Good shooting Silky, keep givin em the good news. Next room.” He kicked another door down and ran in. He almost dropped a man until he realised it was another of the team. The Lieutenant shouted. “Into the jail. Now, now, now.” Two Seals pushed the door open and ran down the corridor, a door opened to the right and a hail of bullets peppered the walls. Jogger and Silky ran in after them. More rounds flew down towards the prison guards, a man wriggled as the M4 rounds walked up him, from his groin to his head. He fell in a rag dolls twitching death. “On. Go, go.” Shouted Sargent E. They ran down the corridor, more guards came from a door to the right. She was two yards from them, they’d waited until the Seals ran by them. They were going to get them from behind, she glanced at Jogger, he looked the other way at another doorway. She lifted the Beretta 92 and fired four rounds. Crack, crack. Crack, crack. The men’s heads blew back and they slid down the wall, a trail of blood messy behind them. What she thought, I missed one. Then she saw the blood weeping out from two bloody holes he’d called his eye sockets. She’d plugged him in both of his eyes.
“Fucking show off Silky,” said Jogger.
“Two more doors,” he said. He kicked in both, threw in a thunderflash in each, ran in and fired at someone in the first room. The second room was empty. A light came from under the door of the next room. “This is it. They’re in here.” He kicked the door down and turned right, she was in right behind him and went left. For a second Silky was shocked. Crutch and Tosser were tied to two chairs and a guard stood behind them with an AK47 pointed at them. They were gagged around the mouth and wide eyed. She ducked down, lifted her Beretta and put two holes in his throat, he dropped the rifle and put his hand to his throat. She put one in the centre of his forehead, the man’s brains sprayed against the wall like a sickening mess of porridge. She ran over and untied them both.
“Thank fuck,” said Crutch.
“Here Tosser, put this on.” She handed her the belt with the holstered pistol.
“What about me Silky?” said Crutch.
“Get one of the guard’s AK’s, there’s enough of them.”
Jogger smiled. “Brit spooks. You shoot like a Goddamn Seal. Ok man.”
“Beginners luck,” Silky said. Crutch took the guard’s AK and pushed another two magazines into her pockets. A torrent of gunfire erupted from the front of the jail.
“What?” said Jogger. He ran out into the corridor, another Seal called him over.
“Get down the four of you.”
“What’s going on?” asked Crutch.
“I don’t know but that’s our fucking exit.” They kept low, moving back towards the front of the jail. Tosser raised her head up for a look. More rounds flew above their heads. A few flew past Tosser’s ears. She ducked.
“Fer fecks sake. Yee shits,” she said. “They nearly feckin shot me.”
“Keep your head down, there’s a good dickhead,” said Crutch.
She couldn’t believe her luck, they’d come in for her. She’d somehow come to the conclusion that she’d die here, a goddamn prisoner. Forgotten. Now they had come for her, but they were deep in it themselves too. She’d been saved, but the saviours were in grave danger too. What a bloody mess?
They followed Jogger to the front of the jail. Rounds blasted in at the Seals who remained crouched under the cover of the wall. They popped up occasionally and fired a few bursts if they could see a man. Most rounds found their target. The Lieutenant looked over. “That’s it, Jogger you got the pair of them?”
“Yes Sir,”
“It’s a police swat team and there’s some army guys in there too. The troops must have landed from a ship by coincidence, so they’re lending a hand.” Fire was exchanged, most incoming came off the walls most of the Seal’s fire hit a man.
“Shit. Arggghh.” A Seal was down, hit in the shoulder.
“Help Puller, he’s hit.” Jogger told the three women.
“Crutch, Tosser, help him. I’ll get myself an AK and some rounds.” Silk Purse knew what she had to do now. The back of the jail shook with a rapid series of violent blasts, dust rained down from the ceiling. Another fusillade of heavy fire hit the jail to their rear. The frontal fire intensified, the Police and troops out there were buoyed up by the arrival of heavy armour.
“Fuck,” said the Lieutenant, “That’s a heavy round. The bastards must have armour at the rear. The army’s brought up a light tank or a small artillery piece. We’re in the shit now.”
“Jogger, go and take a look at what they’ve got out there.”
“Sir.” He ran down the corridor for the rear of the building. He became aware of someone with him. He looked over his shoulder.
“Silky? What the…”
“Admit it, Jogger you need me.”
They ran on. He didn’t say it, but he was damn glad to have this fucking Brit spook with him.
The pair of them reached the rear of the building, it was clear that the impact had damaged the rear wall but hadn’t broke through it. Jogger looked for a window or similar where he could look out over the scene. “Jogger, look.” She pointed to rungs set into the wall at the right side.
“It looks like they access the roof, there’s a hatch at the top in the ceiling.”
“Yeah, good.” He started to climb the rungs, Silk purse followed. He pushed open the hatch and looked out to the rear, she squeezed up too.
Out in the factory yard was a light tank. Several troops where in the area behind cover. He pulled down his visor and switched on the night vision mode. Jogger knew it wasn’t a light tank, it was a Soviet designed BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. It was tracked and carried six or so troops with a turret on top sporting a heavy gun.
“Is it a tank Jogger?”
“No. It’s an AFV. It carries a 30mm gun. Not a tank, but hard hitting and we’ve no anti-armour weapons, didn’t think we’d be up against any.” To the rear he heard engine noise approaching. From the road another BMP-2 was turning in, entering the factory yard.
“Come on down. Now.” They climbed and slid down the ladder and ran back to the Lieutenant.
The fire from the police and troops out front was still heavy. The LT turned and saw him.
“Well?”
“Sir, it’s a BMP-2 and another is joining it. There’s a bunch of troops too.”
Damn, thought Lieutenant T. What the hell do we do now? It’s just a matter of time until the Iranians get through the rear wall, they were caught in a pincer. Come on damn it, come on.
Silk Purse didn’t want to look a fool, but she had to suggest it.
“Lieutenant, I’ve got an idea.”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
“SIR, WE’VE A FLASH message from the DOD. I’m routing it to your console,” said Lemineux.
Nathan read it.
“That took them long enough, it must have drawn blood.” He looked around his control room.
“XO, Kaminski. Let’s talk.” They walked aft to the Wardroom.
“I just got a flash message in from the REMF. It’s nice of them, three days after rounding Sri Lanka and just one hundred miles to the Gulf.
We’ve been given the green light on Plan Malacca, but it’s to be carried out off the Gulf. “
“Tell the Admiral Thank you,” said Larry, “he gave us plenty of time. At least we got the batteries fully topped off last night.”
Nathan nodded. “The rear boat still seems to be following the Pointer as though it’s us. I didn’t expect that.”
“Yes, I heard Weaps talking to the weapons CPO,” said Nikki, “Scooby’s out there now, following the ships and pretending to be us. Deputy Dawg, Ren and Stimpy are fully charged and ready.”