“Very good, Sergeant, that is the back-up plan in case the electronics thing doesn’t work. I want your full attention and concentration on cracking the electronics, so study the schematics, draw it up on paper and imagine the steps in your head, whatever it takes to get it printed into your brain, understood?”
“Yes Sir,” he says vigorously.
“Lance Corporal Watts,” I call.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Have you used a plasma cutter before?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good, are you familiar with the one you will be using?”
“I don’t know until it arrives, Sir.”
“Well, when it gets here, I want you to familiarise yourself with it. You are tasked with cutting the safe free if needed. I want you to ensure it is working, so practice with it, find something to test it on; cut the axles through on one of the vehicles outside if you need to, just make sure it works, as we can’t afford any surprises, understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” Watts says over-enthusiastically.
“Carry on,” I tell them and leave them to their work.
The other Special Forces men are double-checking their kit and getting what they need over by the roller shutter door, ready to load onto the Lynx. There isn’t that much kit to load, most of it staying in piles on the floor of the hangar. We are flying in on a short mission so it is mainly only combat equipment, firearms basically, and there is no need for provisions or sleeping gear, etc.
Josh and Alice have finished checking the equipment that was here when we arrived at the hangar. They have identified what equipment we will need and what is surplus to requirements, also. I go over to check how they have done.
“Good job you two, there is enough firepower here to start a small war,” I say looking around the equipment.
“It’s not far off,” Josh says. “How are you feeling about this mission, Dad?”
I notice Josh call me Dad; he could be looking for some fatherly reassurance, and I guess he and Alice both are. They are both young and quite green, and the action they went through yesterday was their first real experience of battle. It takes time to sink in and come to terms with. I know that very well.
“I’m confident; we have an achievable goal, a top-notch team and Dan.” My joke has the desired effect by lifting the mood slightly. “Are you two okay with your mission roles?”
“I am, Andy,” Alice says, “the mission comes first, and you need your best people on the ground. I understand that we will cover your backs, won’t we Josh?”
“Yes Dad, I’m good with it. You have got to concentrate on the mission and I would be a distraction down there for you. Alice is right, you can count on us,” Josh says and then taking me by surprise, he comes and gives me a man hug. “You’ve got this, Dad,” he tells me into my ear, and I squeeze him tighter.
“Thanks, Champ,” I tell him as we release. “I wasn’t expecting that,” I say pointing to the new men with my eyes.
“They know you’re my Dad, I was speaking to them earlier and they were asking about you, so I told them. They ribbed me a bit, but only banter, they seem good lads.”
“Yes, they do,” I agree. “Right, the transport will be landing anytime now, so let’s get the roller shutter open.”
“Boss, can I have a word?” Dan says, he is sitting with Lieutenant Winters.
“I’ll do the roller shutter,” Josh volunteers.
I tell him thanks as I go over to Dan and the Lieutenant.
“What’s up?”
“The weather the Colonel mentioned, it looks like it’s going to be bad and I mean really bad. The forecast says thunder and lightning and storm-force winds for the London area,” Dan tells me with a stern look on his face, knowing the implications for the mission.
“Time?”
“Still estimated for 1600 hours, but that’s an estimate, it could come in earlier?”
“Bloody hellfire!” I curse our luck and turn away from the two men to think.
I hear the motor of the roller shutter start up; it freewheels for a second until the slack is taken up and the lifting starts; it knocks constantly then as each separate slat starts to lift, and it then whines all the way up until it comes to a juddering halt at the top.
A weather forecast as bad as this has serious ramifications for any mission, and many I have been involved in have been bumped to the next day or cancelled completely because of such a forecast. To make matters worse, we are flying in and that can’t be changed; there is no option to adapt and drive in instead for obvious reasons, and this mission cannot be cancelled, so I don’t need the Colonel to tell me that. Suddenly, Josh and Alice staying on the helicopters isn’t looking so secure. Fucking Hell!
“Okay, we are still a go,” I tell the two men, urgently. “We will go as soon as we are ready. We can still get in and out before the weather comes in, agreed?”
“Yes, Boss, agreed, it's tight but do-able.”
“What’s the ETA on the Lynx?” I ask the Lieutenant.
“Inbound, Captain, two or three minutes.”
“Okay, good,” I say trying to sound positive. “And the other equipment we need?”
“All the equipment is loaded onto the Lynx,” the Lieutenant informs me.
“Very good. Dan, inform the men please, no mistakes, but we need to go as soon as we are ready, briefing as soon as the pilots arrive.” Dan gets up and heads off to inform the men.
“Anything else we need to know?” I ask the Lieutenant.
“I have set up communications, Captain, I will oversee the mission from here, I have secured our own channel so we are set at my end, and I have nothing else to report.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Josh and Alice are over by the roller shutter, basking in the fickle sun, watching for the helicopters approach. I walk over to them.
“Everything okay?” Josh asks.
“Storms are
