Truthseekers (15 page)

David assisted Stacey and along with Rocko they headed up the passageway and around the corner. The light was dim, yet they still never turned to see the
fallen soldiers. David was keen to move on fast. Although the thought of people dying repulsed his natural soul at one level, he couldn’t help but be even more attracted by Abbey. In fact this hot girl, with a gun, who actually was prepared to use it and who’d saved all their lives with a smile, downright turned him on. They came to a key-coded door and next to it was another alcove. They took rest in the alcove and waited.

Abbey reached the situation room and all was quiet. She did, however, pick up a little bit of rustling, so with her weapon fully cocked she entered the room swiftly.

“Whoa, Miss Bec, it’s only me Zachariah!”

A startled Zachariah was leaning over a lifeless body.

“Oh Zachariah, I’m so pleased to see you. I thought you might not have heard them.” She ran up and hugged him. Zachariah was much more than a servant. He was a military man as well, having served with Abbey’s father. The two had become friends and Zachariah took it upon himself to run the house and look after Miss Bec, a task that he’d enjoyed since she was a child.

“Is he…?” Abbey nodded at the soldier missing fingers slumped on the floor, as she released her hug.

“Yes, Miss. He was unconscious. It was for the better. He would be useless to them and bitter with us.”

Abbey noticed the awkward position of his head in relation to his spine.

“How did you know they had got through the perimeter?” she enquired.

“I’m an old hand, Miss, I felt something was wrong, so I used the signaller to signal our head guard and didn’t receive a reply. I simply hid in the pantry roof as one of the safe places until I knew they had found this room and heard the explosion. Then I quietly slipped down, armed myself and found this soldier.”

Abbey looked at him and took the black man’s hand.

“Did you manage to get a message away?”

“Yes Miss, I did. Even before I got in the hideaway. The Eagle is aware.”

“Oh good Zachariah. I wouldn’t want to be another of this group outside now. The Eagle will be pissed.”

Both people simply smiled knowingly at each other.

“Go, Miss, ensure your friends are safe. I will call some people and have this mess cleaned up shortly.”

Abbey turned and ran back to the screen, stopping one minute to review the carnage of blood and death in her cinema room. She treasured Zachariah, who was always dependable. As she ran back down the corridor to the others, in her mind she laughed. Anyone who was outside was going to wish they weren’t.

17

In the dim early morning light some 400 metres above Abbey’s home, the Eagle, a.k.a. Major Peter Beckingsale a.k.a. Dad to Abbey had set up his position. A few years earlier he had moved out of the big home where Abbey lived, which he felt was pretentious, to a smaller home higher up on the mountain. When he had got Zachariah’s call he was awake, with his eyes shut. He too had a sixth sense for trouble. He had woken a half hour before and was contemplating getting up. Knowing his daughter as he did he was sure she would use the passageway. He could not get down to the house that fast, but his own balcony overlooked most of the land around the house and he had set up his Mauser long-range sniper rifle in his usual best time. Clearly he saw two targets both almost 400 metres below.

On the road above the house and 100 metres down the road was a black van. The back window was open and through his night scope he could see the barrel of a precision sniper weapon similar to his, almost invisible to any unknowing individual. That would be cover for the other sniper. He scanned the area and he knew it well. There were only two or three positions an armed man could take if he wanted to shoot at people guarding the property. It took only a few seconds and he saw it. The man was well concealed to almost anyone’s eyes except the Eagle’s, lying flat on a stone peering over a ridge that exposed the whole exterior of the property. It was good position for a sniper thought the Eagle, as no one from below would be able to get a shot to score in that position and the second sniper in the van seemed to have anything on the street or surrounds covered. They were never expecting attack from above. After all this was a high-class residential beach suburb in a major city.

The Eagle made a slight adjustment to his scope. He judged the morning offshore breeze as slightly greater than normal and he knew these winds well. The shot itself wasn’t difficult for that rifle with that user, especially with the man lying prostate on a rock. He was almost tempted to put a ricochet off the rock into him first just to make it interesting. He didn’t and with one pull of the trigger the mighty gun splattered the sniper’s head as if it was a pumpkin.

He immediately pivoted back toward the van. Whilst his silencer ensured the second adversary didn’t hear him, he knew the man in the van would immediately know what had happened and swing to shoot.

In the van there were two men. The sniper was a highly skilled expert and yet he had a hitchhiker. Sitting in the driver’s seat frustrated, angry and injured was John. The blonde muscular assassin was sporting a deep cut across his cheek from Abbey’s strike with the crossbow on the back of the shark boat. After Abbey’s Aikido move on the shark boat John’s momentum and the slippery deck had seen him fall overboard. He was wedged between the rear of the shark cage and rear of the boat. It was a precarious position. Sharks had engulfed Jack and the sea was
red with blood. If he had gone where they could get him he also would have been taken. His ankle was twisted and almost broken in the fall and entanglement. He was lucky to be just far enough from the props that he wasn’t caught up in those and he could hardly breath. The sea was churning, yet John’s personal expertise and resolve were with him.

As the boat had moved forward, slowly at first due to the weight on the anchor chain, he had to make a decision: The sharks or the woman. He chose the sharks. The boat was moving away from the blood of Jack. Although he was just metres away, they were shredding what was left of Jack and the boat disguised him. He instantly went beneath the cage hanging on for dear life. An excellent swimmer, he could hold his breath for nearly two minutes, and drawing his knife he cut away some rope and buoyancy and as the boat pulled away he let out the rope connecting him to the boat. He dodged the propellers, even though he was struggling to see in their wash, and when Abbey had looked over the back he had just disappeared beneath the cage and she couldn’t see him in the churn. He hung on for several minutes until he could not take it any more, his lungs bursting, and surfaced just for an instant behind the boat. The sharks were gone. And he breathed in the cold morning air and dived back below the surface holding on until the boat picked up a speed that would make it impossible for him to do so. He then let go and taking a buoyancy balloon he had cut free he began the long swim back to shore. He had to wait and nursing his ankle and his pride he finally checked in and had only just heard about the hit on the house. He made sure he had been picked up on the way.

The Eagle turned his Mauser to the van. He had to estimate where the sniper would position himself as the sniper’s rifle barrel was now scanning for the shooter. He pumped three shots into the van. Three loud metal slaps, like a hammer against the side of the van rocked it. The Eagle saw the barrel slump. Mission complete.

In the front of the van John could not believe what was going on. He had seen the first sniper’s head explode like a pumpkin through his military binoculars he was using to view below, and within an instant the
same adversary killed the man behind him. He didn’t know where this enemy was, but he knew death.

John gunned the motor of the van and floored the pedal. Above him the Eagle, realising there was now more than one in the van, turned aim to the position of the driver. There was no hiding for John. The tall blond man knew the shells would easily pierce the van and come seeking him. He floored the van and swerved it wildly.

Above him the Eagle never panicked. He simply took aim at where he felt the driver would be and countered for the direction and swerves of the van and started pumping shots at the van. Inside it seemed like everything again had slowed down. John had experienced near-death in the ocean in the last couple of days, yet this amazed even him. He swore he saw shells stop in mid air in front of his eyes. They took out the windscreen, the next almost destroyed the wheel and then in quick succession one came straight across him and grazed his right leg before exploding through the floor. The heat exploded inside him. Not done yet, he intuitively wrenched the wheel and another shot came straight across his cheek, its searing heat scarring him on the opposite side to the cut from the bow. He lost the first twenty or more layers of skin and was lucky not to lose the end of his nose and then the shooting stopped.

Above him the Eagle cursed. The van although only having gone about fifty or so metres was now partly obscured by a home. He could no longer fire without endangering others and he really could not get a decent shot in. He only hoped he had caused a serious injury. He scoped the area again, but all was quiet, no movement to be seen anywhere. Some lights were going on below where some people had woken to the squealing of the tires of the van. A headless man lay dead on a rock. The Eagle looked skywards. It would be dawn in a little under half an hour. He packed his rifle and went inside and put the kettle on. He knew his daughter would want some good strong coffee and a hug. He also looked down. Maybe he should put on something else except his underwear as well. He was likely to have visitors.

18

Abbey had met the team at the door in the passage. After punching in some numbers she took them through it. Behind the door Abbey switched on the lights. There was nothing in front of them except a long stairway. It weaved up inside part of the mountain, most of the steps actually cut out of the stunning quartz crystal rock that surrounds the Cape Town region.

After they had settled into the stair climb David said:

“These people are pretty well equipped. We are onto something even bigger than we thought. Abbey where are you taking us? Do you own the whole damn mountain?”

“In a way I guess we do. But it’s worth the climb. The coffee on the top is some of the best in this part of the world.”

“Coffee…” retorted Rocko “You couldn’t
do some cold pizza too could you. I’m starving.”

The whole group erupted in laughter. Trust Rocko to bring his basic human needs into an extreme situation.

Abbey made sure everyone’s phones were off and batteries and Sims out, just in case there was a back up to try and find them. She doubted that, however. These types were freelancers and rarely travelled with more than just a platoon of good men.

As they neared the top, their legs and knees burning from the climb, they saw natural light pouring through the entrance. At the top step they literally stepped through a reverse wall mirror that was open and in front of them was a man holding a pot of hot coffee wearing a bathrobe.

“Ok – who has milk? I’m afraid I’m out of it.”

“Dad,” chirped Abbey and gave him a big hug. “Meet my friends, David, Rocko and Stacey. Guys, meet my dad, Major Peter Beckingsale, better known as The Eagle.”

The Eagle was in his late fifties. He had a chiselled face, almost Greek looking in many ways. David could see he had spent a lot of time outside. He was still muscular, strong, had a welcoming and heart-warming smile, the hint of a moustache and whilst his hair was white he still had most of it. After putting down the coffee, David and Rocko shook his hand. He eyeballed both of them in a way of letting them know that he loved them and welcomed them but that he was in charge. David felt the Eagle’s crush. What a handshake, he thought. This guy must have crushed jugulars in between his little fingers. Rocko, feeling the pressure tried him out, so the Eagle just applied more, and so did Rocko, smiling. The Eagle applied even more, as did Rocko, still smiling.

“Come on, son,” the Eagle smiled. “You are looking weak – let me fix you something to eat although I warn you, I might only have some cold pizza in the fridge.” Rocko threw his other arm around the Eagle and hugged him. “Man – you are the most hospitable guy I have ever met.” Laughter ensued.

Then the Eagle turned his eye to Stacey. With her nose still showing the signs of her fall he simply smiled at her saying. “Wow – look at you. Such a pretty little thing. Wow!” Stacey felt herself blush and simply held out her hand. “Why thank you Mr Eagle… I mean Mr Bec.”

After coffee and sharing some cold pizza the Eagle was on the phone to Zachariah.

“He’s got everything at your house under control Abbey. Your place is almost clean, plus they cleaned up some mess on a rock above the house. They have been through these guys’ IDs and fingerprints and matched a couple. They are mercenaries all right. A team from Mozambique. Talented, the leader an Australian, very good soldier. That little room of ours and that hall came in handy again.”

The Eagle surveyed his guests. It was true that his house was a modest home compared to Abbey’s yet it was one of two that he stayed on that overlooked the Bec mansion. When he was in town he liked to make sure he had connections with his daughter if she or her brother ever needed him, and this time they did.

“Do you know how many men I have killed, Mr Clark?” the Eagle said after fairly eyeballing David.

“Oh come on, Dad. It’s not the time to do the protective father speech. He’s done that since I was fifteen years old.” Abbey stared at her father.

“Hmmn…” said the Eagle. “She likes you. She would normally enjoy that game almost as much as me. I’ll give you one thing. There is something different about you lot. I know this is the little miss who helped my son, so I’m glad we could help you. Don’t worry about the damage. It’s a small price to pay for your safety. Tell me Mr Clark, what do you need?”

David smiled and looked across the table.

“Well, we need to get out of Africa and stop bringing your family into danger for one thing.”