Sentinel Five (The Redaction Chronicles Book 2) (24 page)

'Old' Bill Hodges was crouched in the bushes, the snow was falling heavily now, and he watched the scene that lay before him in amazement. It was like a scene from a movie. Actually, it was like a scene from a movie he'd seen the year before, 'Zulu', about the battle for Rorke's Drift as the horde of Zulu warriors kept attacking and attacking, no matter how many of them were shot down by the British.

That was what he was seeing now, albeit in a more vivid form. A seemingly endless line of black clad guards rushed from the adjacent building to the pagoda, some making it a few feet before they were taken down by the sniper, hidden somewhere on the hillside behind him, while others managed to find some kind of cover, possibly even firing a few shots into the surrounding wilderness, before giving away their positions and being killed by the sniper. So far, Hodges had counted eighteen bodies sprawled about the compound, the majority of them with bullet holes in their heads. He grinned. That little girl was extremely good with a rifle.

His orders were to wait until there were no more guards left, once the sniper had her kill quota, and then stand and quickly make his way across to the steps leading to the pagoda. The sniper would be his protector once he crossed open ground, covering his back. Then he would plant his explosives on each of the four corner supports of the building. The plan was to bring the whole building down and then watch it burn. All the wood that made up the structure would make the conflagration inevitable. His four devices, his 'Whizz-Bangs' as he called them, consisted of enough plastic explosives to bring down a small suburban street. All were set with a pre-programmed timer. He settled in the bushes and waited for a few moments more, before standing and running out across the snowy killing ground as fast as his aging legs would carry him. He ran, slipping in the blood-soaked snow several times, but he made it. He was still a tough old soldier, even if civilian life had softened him slightly.

He packed the first device into the support column nearest the lake surrounding the pagoda. In the distance, he could hear the occasional sound of long distance gunfire, as Miko took down any straggling targets. He carefully negotiated the perimeter of the building, always ready and alert in case a hidden enemy jumped out at him, ready to slit his throat. Ten minutes later he'd planted his charges in the remaining three support columns; on the last one he was extra cautious to ensure there weren't any assassins waiting for him by the guard house annex. With the last charge set and the timer clicked to 'On' he began to cross the killing ground again, returning to his rendezvous point in the bushes. He glanced once more at his watch before he settled himself deep into the safety of the darkened bushes. At best, the team inside the pagoda had thirty minutes to get clear and get to safety before the explosives detonated and destroyed the building. He turned in the direction of the sniper's perch up on the hillside, giving Miko a thumbs up signal. He knew she would see him through the scope and understand that he'd completed his part of the mission.

He never heard the arrow. In truth, he was still breathing heavily from all the running and the action of the past thirty minutes, so his heart was almost beating out of his body and the blood was rushing in his ears. He was only aware of the shocking impact into his chest, the thump that rocked him forward, causing him to drop his weapon onto the ground. And then he started to fall…

* * *

The
Shinobi
assassin, Toshu Goto approached his victim. In his black
Shinobi Shozoko
costume, hooded and silent, he resembled a wraith of darkness, blending into the trees. He lowered his bow, strapped it across his back and silently drew his
Ninjato
to finish off the old man.

His orders from the
Karasu
had been clear. He was to infiltrate himself into the grounds and remain silent until the British team arrived. He'd watched three of the men escape inside the pagoda.
Good, the
Karasu
and his fellow
Shinobi
could deal with them.
He would have the honour of taking this old man's head. Toshu Goto guessed that the man dying in front of him was older than his comrades, perhaps by a good twenty years. Obviously an old warrior, even
gaijin
should be afforded some respect. Goto would make this old man's death both quick and honourable.

He stepped forward and steadied his sword, reversing it so that the tip was pointing downwards. He picked a vulnerable spot on the old man in front of him; the base of the neck. Goto raised the sword straight up and then thrust downwards with all his strength. The sword buried itself to the hilt in the neck of his victim. Goto felt the flesh tremble – a shudder, nothing more – then he retracted the blade. The whole murder had taken less than five seconds. There was no need to push the man forward with his shoe; he'd simply slumped onto the snowy ground, the blood from the fatal neck wound running out onto the snow around him.

The
Shinobi
silently replaced the sword in the scabbard attached to his back and crouched down to search the body of the man he'd just killed. Perhaps there was some kind of useful intelligence? Maybe information the
Karasu
could use against his enemies? He hoped so. To gain the favour of the legendary Raven, his master, was Toshu Goto's greatest pleasure. He knew that somewhere out in the darkness – he wasn't sure where – was a sniper. Soon he would have to track and kill the man who had shot down so many soldiers of the clan this night. The sniper was obviously a man of great skill, judging by the number of bodies strewn in the courtyard of the pagoda. But here in the bushes, Toshu Goto judged that he was safe from enemy fire. He was invincible, he was deadly, and he was the Raven's master
Shinobi
.

* * *

Miko had watched as Hodges had given the signal that the explosives were in place and primed.

She'd picked her sniper's nest well. It gave her a clear view of the whole courtyard. To her best count, she'd taken twenty-five heads this night. Her uncle would have been proud of her shooting. Not of the killing, but of the marksmanship he'd instructed her in. Now her job was to protect the other members of the team until the explosives blew the pagoda apart. She returned her attention to where Hodges was sitting crouched in the bushes.

She could see him panting, out of breath. Then what appeared to be a large stick burst out of his chest and stopped, halfway along the wooden shaft. She saw the surprise on Hodges face, a wince of pain and then he fell forward onto his knees, placing his hands out in front of him, palms down, onto the snowy ground. Blood poured from his chest. She inhaled deeply to calm herself and closely scrutinised the scene of death through her scope. And… yes… there he was… a faint movement of shadow, deep in the undergrowth. Dark clothed and a glint of moonlight off something metallic, perhaps a sword. Miko knew instantly that she couldn't shoot from this angle, there was no definite shot, no clear target. She also knew the shadow killer who had taken Hodges might be gone at any second, disappearing back into the darkness from where he'd come. She glanced up from the rifle, scanning for a better shooting position… her eyes tracking to her left. She found one; a jutting promontory a dozen yards or so further up the rocky side of the hill.

Miko got up from her position, stretched out her aching muscles and ran. She ran against the clock, cradling her beloved Arisaka like a baby, her legs pumping.

“
I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear. I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear.
”

She ran almost blindly in the darkness, slipping twice on the snowy rocks but recovering her steps at the last second. Finally, she glanced over to her left and saw that she had a direct line of sight to where Bill Hodges' body lay. Miko dropped down to her knees, lying prone, and then settled the rifle into her shoulder again.

“
I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear. I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear.
”

She took a breath, determined to slow her heart rate and then looked once again through the scope and caught sight of the black clad assassin, his sword raised ready to plunge into the dying body of Bill Hodges. Through the scope, and because of the distance involved, the execution was like watching a silent movie. The killer raised the sword up, tip pointing to the ground, and thrust downwards. The sharp steel cut into Hodges like a hot knife running through butter and just as quickly, it was retracted and resheathed.

High in her perch on the hill, Miko watched as the assassin bent down and started to search Hodges' body. Now was her time, she knew that every second counted, before the killer melted back into the darkness of the forest. She eased back the bolt on the rifle and checked the bullet was seated properly. Then she centred the crosshairs of the scope on the dark mass of the man's head. She exhaled slowly, eye to the scope, rifle butt to the shoulder and finger imperceptibly touching the trigger.

“
I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear. I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear.
”

She paused… then fired.

There was a moment of nothingness, and for a brief second she thought she'd missed. Then… there it was! A crimson red halo of blood as the bullet smashed out the front of the assassin's face and dropped him to the ground in a lifeless lump. It was another target down. Another head for the little Japanese sniper. Another piece of her revenge.

“
I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear. I will not be afraid… I will conquer my fear.
”

The lock came away easily, one blast with the Remington's solid rounds and it shattered. Crane took the steps first and pushed up and away at the hatch. It swung upwards and slammed onto the floor above, letting in more light. They climbed the wooden steps to the next level of the pagoda, their footsteps heavy after the horror of the attack on the previous level and they both knew combat fatigue was setting in.

The room was of a similar size, style and design as its predecessors on the lower levels, with heavy wood and traditionally-panelled windows and sliding doors. It was sparsely furnished, only a few simple vases on shelves and a curtain at the far end covered a small window which barely let in any light, giving this level an air of dark broodiness. There were wooden support columns dotted around the structure and the floor was covered in its entirety with a thick
tatami
matt, made of straw. Oil lamps gave off an eerie glow of reds and oranges and the smell of jasmine subtly filled the room. The darkness ruled the rest of the room, except for one small pocket of light in its centre, lit by a small candle illuminating the gross figure who sat staring straight at them. Taru Hokku sat in the light, resembling a resplendent Buddha. He was naked, except for his traditional white
mawashi
, the loincloth-like garment of the expert Sumo wrestler. He was alert and his muscles flexed constantly, preparing for the inevitable battle to come.

Gorilla and Crane split off and slowly, cautiously, approached the large Japanese man in a pincer movement, weapons up and ready. Lang had already paid the ultimate price for assuming they'd merely entered a darkened room on the previous level and not having his weapon ready… something which had cost him his head.
There was something not quite right about the whole scene,
thought Gorilla. It wasn't just that Hokku was relaxed and in control, nor was it the way the room was lit so that all the attention was focused upon the large Sumo wrestler, no something else… and then he sniffed, took in a deep breath and knew instantly what it was; animals. He smelled animals…

* * *

“You did well to get inside our operation. Very professional, very clever, but it will do you no good. You will never leave the
Karasu's
Dojo alive. You must know that?” asked Hokku evenly.

We'll see about that sunshine,
thought Gorilla. He knew a Dojo was the name of a Japanese martial arts training hall. But this place was something different. It reeked of death and he guessed it was the place where the Raven and his assassins honed their killing skills. “Where is he, Nakata? Upstairs I guess, hiding, guarding his virus?”

“Ahhh… you are well informed about our
Oyabun
and the
Kyonshi
he intends to create! Oh, what an assassin you would have made for us, Mr. Grant, able to penetrate into the heart of the enemy and kill him. If only your calling had been true to the clan, oh, we could have accomplished great things.”

“The name's Gorilla.”

Hokku looked confused. “I do not understand?”

“I told you once that only my friends and enemies call me Gorilla… you've now earned that right,” snarled Gorilla.

“As a friend?” asked Hokku, with wry humour.

“No,” replied Gorilla coldly. Both Gorilla and Crane had their Remington's trained on the large Japanese killer; really, they could have ended it there and then. But something held their fingers back on the triggers, something that pricked the senses of each of them. They watched as Hokku leaned forward and touched the floor before him with two hands and then jumped to his feet, landing in a crouch. He stretched out his legs and clapped his hands together in the ritual of the wrestler. His size and strength was even more impressive close up. Gorilla suspected those hands could crush bricks.

Hokku stood before them, ready in a fighting pose, his face a mask of concentration as he regarded the two gunmen before him. He smiled. “You think I am a fool, Gorilla, to stand before you unarmed and naked. I am no fool and I am not unarmed…”

It was then that they leaped from the darkness, vicious things, animals of power! They had speed and aggression, but worse than that, they had teeth…

* * *

The three Japanese Tosa fighting dogs sprang forward from the hidden depths of the room. Their teeth were bared and they were ready to attack anything that threatened their master, the giant Hokku. They were big and powerful, and in the brief moment when one ran at him, Gorilla was aware of the muscles rippling underneath the animal's fur. He managed to bring the Remington up in a snap and blasted off a round that decapitated the dog when it jumped to rip out his throat. The wet spray of its blood streaked his face and torso as the body of the dog slapped onto the floor in front of him. He risked a quick glance over to where Crane had been standing and saw that the Special Forces man had been knocked to the ground, his weapon dislodged, with one dog at his weapon arm and the other pinning him to the ground by his throat. There was a faint squelching noise, as if someone was ripping out the guts of a fish, and then blood was pumping freely from Crane's throat.

Gorilla turned the Remington and snapped out two blasts, killing both the dogs, the force of the rounds picking their bodies up and throwing them against the wall with a satisfying crunch. The whole incident had taken seconds… probably less, but it had been more than enough time for Hokku to close the distance between them and reach out with his huge killing hands, ready to pummel and crush Gorilla. Hokku knocked the Remington from his hands with an
atemi
strike, sending it scattering across the matted floor. Then, like a child picking up a teddy bear, he lifted Gorilla up in an underarm bear hug and instantly began to squeeze, squashing the smaller man's body in his powerful arms.

Gorilla felt the pressure, the power, of Hokku's arms, an exhalation of air spewed out of his lungs, and his ribs started to cave in from the pressure. And all the while, this giant killer was grinning maniacally inches from his face, which was a mask of sweat and bared teeth. Gorilla did the only thing he could – he punched. He brought his arms up and with as much power as he could muster, sent out right and left crosses, striking at the man's nose, jaw… just about bloody anywhere… desperate to make him stop his crushing. He might as well have saved his energy for all the good it did, the blows just bounced off and Hokku carried on grinning and crushing.
The eyes, go for the fucking eyes, Jack,
he thought. But the bigger man, seemingly sensing Gorilla's next play simply burrowed his head in his victim's chest… and still the pressure increased. Gorilla could feel the last of the air escaping his lungs and knew his ribs would start to snap soon. He had to do something if he wanted to survive the next few moments… he had to… think of… something…

Then he knew.

He couldn't reach the guns in the holsters on his hip and underneath his armpit; but if he stretched his body upwards, even just a few inches, he might be able to lean back and reach into his back pocket. The back pocket which held his ever-faithful cut-throat razor. He sucked in the last gasp of air he could manage and stretched backwards, pushing his right hand deep into the rear pocket of his trousers… and relief swept over him when the cold metal connected with his hand and he pulled it free. He swung his body back upwards – Christ, the pain in his ribs was fucking killing him, this bastard was determined to pulverise his internal organs. He heard the crack as one of his ribs gave way and knew it was now or never. He flicked open the razor blade one-handed, grabbed hold of the top of Hokku's head and then very carefully, probably too carefully for a man in his current precarious position, he lay the shiny blade gently along the side of the giant's neck.

The brachial artery runs along the side of the neck and Gorilla knew the cut would need to be deep to be effective. He pressed down and pulled the razor's edge back at the same time, in one smooth and deep motion. The blood instantly began spurting upwards and outwards, like a high pressure fountain and the giant Japanese man roared in shock. At once, he released his grip and Gorilla was left to fall to the ground. He dropped in a heap, right next to the Remington. Looking up, sucking breath in past the agony of the broken rib, he saw Hokku, both hands to the wound, trying to hold the blood back and failing. The giant man was fast going into shock and the colour drained from his face as the blood emptied from his body, but even now he was still trying his best, lurching towards the little
gaijin
who had bested him.

Gorilla was taking no chances, injured himself and exhausted, he knew he couldn't survive another unarmed encounter. He reached over to snatch up the Remington and from a kneeling position, aimed the weapon at Hokku's massive frame. He didn't know what the next load in the chamber was, and he didn't care… he just needed to stop this monster. He pulled the trigger and the solid load split Hokku's head clear in half. The body fell backwards, crashing onto the mat. Gorilla stood and stared, wondering if that was it. Hokku's head looked as if it had been split with a sledgehammer, his face pulverised. There was still a sign of faint breathing coming from the giant, but Gorilla knew it would soon be over for him. He checked the breech of the Remington. Empty. The last round had managed to save his life. He turned to look at Crane. The Special Forces man was dead, with wounds like that, there was no coming back.

Gorilla pressed his fingers against his ribs, wincing at the pain from the one that was fractured, but satisfied to discover it seemed to be the only one. And then he stumbled towards the back of the room, where one final set of stairs awaited him. There was no door in place to stop him this time. It was almost welcoming, in fact. It seemed he was being given free access to the upper level, the most secret inner sanctum and he slowly began to climb up into the Raven's presence. He felt he'd earned it, had paid for it in blood.