“The initial action plan, drawn up to complete this mission, is for the team to chopper in after Operation Denial is well underway, to retake the city and—using it as a diversion—to slip in, complete the mission and be back here quick-time.
“So, Captain do you want to rethink your position?”
Images, of Josh marching into London flash through my mind and my stomach drops to the floor. Both Josh and I know full well what will be waiting for the poor souls that try to re-enter the city. The Colonel is right about one thing at least, to expect heavy losses; God only knows how many Rabids there are in the city now, in London, with its population of eight million plus. I wouldn’t like to guess.
My mind races, trying to outmanoeuvre the Colonel. The thought of leaving Emily behind again frightens me and her reaction will be awful. This time, it will be me and Josh leaving her. The Colonel has made it clear the only way for Josh to not be in that ‘first wave’, is if I have him reassigned to my team.
I can feel the tension around the table as the anticipation rises; they wait for my reaction. Dan, beside me, keeps quiet for a moment. He knows me well enough to give me time to think without trying to give me his thoughts and distracting me at a time like this. I value Dan’s input above all others in this type of situation and he knows it. He will give me his take when the time is right and plans will change and adapt with his input—or the plan could be scrapped completely and we’ll go with his, which wouldn’t be the first time.
After what seems like an hour but is no more than a couple of minutes, I come to my conclusion.
“Colonel, I’ll accept the mission on the conditions that I have control. And that when it’s complete, we, including my son, are free to leave… and that my daughter is kept securely here with Catherine Hamilton and Stacey Jones, who arrived with my daughter—until I get back. Oh, and I will need to see them before we get underway.”
A satisfied look crossed Colonel Reed's face. He knew he had a winning hand before this charade even started. I had no other option but to accept, since no matter how easy the Colonel tried to make the mission sound, it was either that or allow my son to march to a fate worse than death, and he knew it.
Josh would kill me himself if he knew I was making deals to get him off the front line, that is for certain, but so be it. Josh is a proud soldier, but I am his father and he will always be under my protection.
“And what about you, Atkins?” The Colonel turns to Dan.
“I’m in,” Dan says without hesitation.
“There was no way out of that one, Boss, he had you by the testicles.” Dan turns, talking quietly into my ear.
“Agreed,” Colonel Reed says, triumphantly.
The Colonel makes the mission to retrieve the safe sound so easy, but he, as well as I, know that any mission, even the ones that look so simple on paper, can go sideways at any moment.
My time in the Special Forces taught me all too well that no matter how good the mission plan is or how many backup plans there are, how much preparation you make and how many times the mission is rehearsed, it can all go to shit before the first boot even hits the ground. Mission intelligence is wrong, the weather changes, engines fail, weapons jam or somebody just fucks up; there are too many variables to predict with any certainty how a mission will play out. Even the most meticulously prepared mission plan can go seriously wrong at any moment and then if you are too far in to pull out, you just have to go in as hard and as fast as you can and trust in your training, your team and the luck they bring.
Lieutenant Winters, who took me to the briefing with the Colonel earlier this morning, appears out of nowhere at Colonel Reed's side but slightly back, and waits patiently as if he knows he is about to be called upon by the Colonel at any moment.
Colonel Reed’s face changes; he knows he has won this little battle with me and has already moved on, feeling no compulsion to gloat. The look of satisfaction he had when he had won has been replaced by his game face. I expect he has also seen a change in my face, my initial look of anger and frustration at losing, replaced by a look of concentration and determination. There is absolutely no point in dwelling on this loss, as my training and experience have taught me that, and it is gone, I’ve already picked myself up and moved on too; my concentration now is on winning the next battle.
Chapter 7
Lieutenant Winters continues to stand back from Colonel Reed, as if he is apprehensive of approaching the inner circle of the officers gathered around the tactical table. I am not even sure that the Colonel knows that Winters is there.
“Winters,” the Colonel says abruptly without looking behind himself. I should have known that Colonel Reed had Lieutenant Winters exactly where he wanted him, too.
“Yes Sir,” the Lieutenant replies without hesitation.
“Captain Richards has a mission he needs to prepare for. See that he gets everything he needs, then report back to me with the mission details,” the Colonel orders, still without looking around.
“Yes, Sir.” Lieutenant Winters responds, whilst standing to attention.
“Captain Richards,” the Colonel says to me. “That
