As the Rockwell 690 lifted into the air, Modeen heard a vehicle roll to a stop alongside the van, and then a deep voice drawled, ‘Give you a lift, pretty lady?’
She couldn’t see his dark eyes, or the crooked smile behind his helmet and goggles, but she’d recognise that gravelly voice anywhere.
‘Sure.’ Stepping down from the van, she strode around the Hawkei to the passenger’s side and climbed in. As soon as she was on board, Wolf stomped on the accelerator. Eyeing his wet clothes and torn webbing, she frowned. ‘What happened to you?’
He gave an indignant huff. ‘Snipers don’t spend every mission just lyin’ around you know.’ When he tilted his helmet toward the water tank, she saw the wooden platform still burning in the distance.
‘Oh.’ She leaned closer to gaze at him. ‘You okay?’
‘I’ll live,’ came the gruff reply.
Straightening in her seat, she put a hand to her comms button and broadcast, ‘Bugs, Spook. Sit-rep.’
Bugs was the first to respond this time. ‘I’m on the rim of the open cut. The perps have sandbags set up about ten metres inside the decline portal. Reckon they’re dug-in like ticks.’
And when Spooky announced, ‘Can’t see anything else moving around the mine site from up here,’ Modeen studied the thermal image streaming to her goggles.
The opening of the portal appeared dark and cold, while further back toward the rehab vegetation, a brighter, circular heat signature caught her eye.
A vent shaft?
Instructing Wolf to pull over as they drove past the admin building, she jumped out as the Hawkei rolled to a stop. Before closing the passenger door, she said, ‘Give Bugs a hand to cover the portal. I’m going to join Spook.’
She was about to close the door when he called, ‘Jo.’ Turning, she gazed expectantly at him, unaware that beneath the helmet his face was working, as he tried to decide whether to go with his impulse or ignore it.
His impulse was to suggest she wait for backup, but would he be saying that as her teammate or her husband? He thought back to when they were in the ADF. As SAS squad members they were the backup for others, and their motto was Who Dares Wins, not Play It Safe. The very idea of Special Forces soldiers hanging back in case things got hairy was ludicrous.
And yet....
In the end he said nothing. They simply stared at each other for a meaningful moment, before she gave a perceptive dip of her head and broke off. He watched her jog away, sighed, and put the Hawkei into gear to make for the open cut.
At her approach, Spooky turned to face her. ‘I gotta say, Modeen, I’m blown away by these optics. They are in-credible.’
‘Yes, they’re good gear. And have given us the edge in this mission.’ She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Say, you’re not still in mode five, are you?’ At his self-conscious, ‘Nah,’ she gave a firm nod.
‘You know,’ he said, ‘I’m surprised Munro gifted us such top-notch gear.’
‘We did do him some favours, so he must’ve felt he owed us.’ She moved off, gesturing for him to follow. ‘Though he did it so readily, I’m wondering if the tech wasn’t as new as we assumed. Maybe another reason he was so generous with it was because they already have something better.’
‘Yeah well, he is CIA....’ Spooky increased his stride to walk alongside her. ‘So, where are we going?’
‘There should be a vent shaft around here....’ She checked the thermal image and pointed to a low concrete cylinder ahead. ‘There.’
As they drew closer, they saw the cylinder’s galvanised one-point-four-metre-diameter mesh cap had been removed and pushed to one side. From the base of a grappling hook anchored to the rim, a white knotted nylon rope dangled into the shaft, its end disappearing into the dimness.
‘Okay, Spook. I’ll cover you and then follow you down.’
He had already slung his rifle as though pre-empting her order. After straddling the edge of the concrete cylinder, he grasped the rope and began to shinny down it. Modeen held her rifle at the ready until the tension eased on the rope. Slinging the rifle, she followed him into the cylinder.
He was standing guard as she reached the bottom. The air whistled past them, a constant flow up and out through the ventilation shaft. Pointing to a spent grappling hook launcher lying discarded a few metres away, he squatted to study the ground and murmured, ‘One person exited this way.’
‘How long ago?’ she whispered.
He scooped up the pneumatic launcher and bent his head to inspect it. Powered by compressed air, its chamber was cold. ‘Within the last fifteen minutes, I’d reckon.’ Gazing back up the vent shaft, he added, ‘Wouldn’t have been “old mate” with the Stinger. His tracks came in from the North. Do you want me to go up again and track whoever it was?’
‘No.’ Modeen checked the thermal image streaming to her headset again.
No other heat signatures.
‘Whoever it was, they know how to cover their tracks.’ She put a hand to her comms. ‘Wolf, Bugs, stay sharp. There could be a hostile on the loose we haven’t accounted for.’ At Wolf’s, ‘Roger. Bugs and I will keep a vigil,’ she and Spooky moved off through the narrow side tunnel, rifles at the ready.
With their enhanced night vision slicing through the darkness, they soon came to the main decline and ascended the ramp. Ahead, after following the tunnel to the right, they glimpsed the front grille and then the bonnet of a white Volvo semi. After a brief pause to cast a significant glance at Spooky, Modeen led the way, staying low and hugging the inside wall as they approached the truck. After pausing again to check their surroundings and listen for any hint of trouble, she used the truck’s handrails to lift herself onto the side step. From that perch she craned her neck to peer inside the cab.
Both it and the rear sleeping compartment were empty.
Dropping to the ground again, she headed for the rear container section, where the view ahead was partially blocked by another black van. Ten metres ahead of the van, she could clearly see the outline of the portal and a metre-high wall of sandbags. In front of it, a group of Commandos crouched or knelt, weapons at the ready, clearly waiting in ambush.
Waving a hand at Spooky to indicate they should stay low, she moved to the rear of the container and found its doors pulled back and locked open.
She took a turkey peak inside and saw the Valkyrie, packed nose-first and snug in the compact space. Whispering to Spooky, ‘Stay close,’ she lined up behind the black van, using it to mask their advance.
Using quick hand signals, she sent Spooky down the left side of the van while she went to the right. Keeping her rifle at the ready, Modeen reached in through the driver’s side window of the van, flicked on the headlights, and switched them to high beam.
The five Commandos with their backs to the intruders, had been using their night vision goggles to scan for any movement outside the portal. When the headlights flashed on, they swore loudly and whirled around, hands raised to their goggles trying to keep out the harsh light.
When Modeen yelled, ‘DROP YOUR WEAPONS!’ one of the Commandos slid his M4 carbine down the sandbag.
Blat! Blat!
The quick bursts from Modeen’s rifle sent up tufts of sand right at the man’s feet, as Spooky shouted from the other side of the van, ‘DROP ’EM AND PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE ’EM!’
After a moment of indecisive shuffling, the Commandos began yanking down their night vision optics. As Modeen stepped in front of the van, rifle aimed at the group, they squinted at her through the fingers of their raised hands.
‘It’s over,’ she said firmly. ‘We have freed the hostages and neutralised the rest of your unit.’
‘Over?’ a voice called from the far left of the group. ‘It’s not over until I say it is.’ A defiant hand rose in the air.
A hand holding a dead-man’s switch.
‘If I let go of this switch,’ the man snarled with a note of triumph, ‘all of us, and your precious drone, get blown to hell.’
‘It is over,’ Modeen said flatly. ‘The rest of your team is gone and you have no hostages to bargain with. So put the detonator down. We don’t want any further bloodshed.’
The man’s hand remained steady, hovering in the air above his head. ‘We’ve got the drone, lady. And if you don’t give us passage out of here, I’ll release the switch.’
‘In half an hour this place will be surrounded,’ she said calmly. ‘And believe me, the authorities would rather blow up the drone and us along with it, than see it fall into the wrong hands.’
While she was speaking, the Commando had risen to his feet and was sneering at her. ‘You said we have no hostages, but you’re wrong about that. You’re our hostages, you and your mate there. So if you’re smart you’ll put your weapons down.’
‘Not going to happen,’ she said crisply. ‘We aren’t hostages. We’re expendable assets, like when we were in the military. You know how it goes. As long as the job’s done, the powers-that-be don’t give a shit if soldiers like us—all of us here—live or die. We did our duty and how did the ADF treat us? By allowing us to be accused of war crimes when we were only following orders, and then trying to strip us of our medals.’ She paused when Wolf’s voice came through the comms.
‘What’s going on? We see lights in the portal.’ At her bark of, ‘Hold your positions,’ he responded, ‘Roger. Be advised, we have choppers inbound. ETA fifteen minutes.’
She took a step closer to address the Commando holding aloft the detonator. ‘You’re in control now. Have a look at your men. Their lives are in your hands.’ When he flashed a sideways glance at his four comrades, she went on. ‘Nobody else has to die today. Don’t give the powers-that-be the satisfaction of knowing you did their work for them. Don’t let this,’ and she swept her rifle to indicate their surroundings, ‘all be for nothing.’
‘It is all for nothing,’ the man replied, ‘unless we get out of here.’
‘Not true. You’ve certainly got their attention, and from this point on they’ll be forced to look into the poor treatment of returned servicemen. So don’t throw away your life and the lives of your men.’ Seeing his raised hand grow unsteady, she said calmly, ‘There are only two ways this is going down. Either you surrender to us and we all walk out of here, or you release that switch and we all die. Think about it, soldier. Compared to death, prison is a better option.’
‘Not for us.’
‘No? You’ve survived active service but can’t handle prison? You do realise how cushy the cells are these days; how much more comfortable than those the Army made us endure.’
Behind her, Spooky stepped forward to level his rifle at the group. ‘I’ve got them covered, Modeen. Get yourself out of here.’
‘Nobody gets out!’ the lead Commando yelled. Moving his head to the side, he peered at the truck.
‘I’m not going anywhere, Spook.’ After removing her helmet, Modeen took another step closer to the group of Commandos. ‘Whoever it was, back there,’ and she tilted her head at the semi, ‘has done a runner. Used a grappling hook to escape out the ventilator shaft.’
That revelation had the group sharing anxious gazes and shifting on their feet. The lead Commando continued eyeing her suspiciously, but she saw doubt creep into his surly expression as one the men near him growled, ‘Reed, that slimy bastard! He was supposed to be covering our backs.’
‘So in this situation you are the CO.’ Indicating the others in the group with another sweep of her rifle, she said, ‘Their lives are in your hands. So ask yourself, is it worth dying for? Reed obviously didn’t think so. He’s gone, leaving you guys to face the music. Don’t give up on yourselves the way he gave up on you.’
The tense silence that followed was interrupted by the sound of approaching choppers from above.
Two days later ...
A visibly relieved Jack Pender strode into the mission briefing room at NatSec’s Perth HQ and took a seat at the head of the table. Once settled, he swept a glance around the room at Modeen and the other Queensland team members, and nodded a greeting.
‘I could be forgiven for thinking I’m back in Queensland,’ he said, surprising them with his jovial tone. Then he grew serious. ‘Thank you for your service. This team has once more done me, and our country, proud.’ He waited for their smiling murmurs to die down before continuing. ‘Rosenberg has the Valkyrie back in his care, Morris has had his notes and laptop returned, and although the CIA came up empty in China, this incident has prompted them to tighten physical and cyber security at all their facilities.’ Turning to face Modeen, he gestured for her to take the chair.
‘Well done, team.’ She graced them with a proud smile before saying grimly, ‘However, while the rest of the Commandos were taken into custody, Hunter Reed remains at large. Spook?’
Spooky sat forward. ‘I tracked him north, toward Kakadu, before his trail went cold. The Army and Northern Territory authorities were put on alert and have been conducting sweeps of Reed’s last known location, but as yet he remains on the run.’
‘No surprises there,’ Ben cut in. ‘Reed was his Commando unit’s point man. He knows how to cover his tracks, even from you, Spook.’ Leaning forward, Ben rested his elbows on the table. ‘So, when are we going after him?’
‘You are going on a week’s R and R,’ Modeen said quickly. ‘You have a daughter who wants ... needs ... to see her father, remember?’
He slumped back in his chair but nodded reluctant agreement.
‘We were lucky it ended the way it did,’ Spooky mused aloud, ‘and that “old mate” with the dead man’s switch saw the light.’ He sighed and eyed the group. ‘What makes elite soldiers like them turn bad, when there are worthwhile options they could take after leaving the military?’
‘They don’t get the support they need,’ Ben muttered darkly. ‘I hope those in command of the ADF take note. They need to stand up for and support their troops, instead of letting them be thrown to the dogs.’ He released an audible breath and dragged rough fingers through his hair. ‘That could’ve been me too. I could’ve gone off the rails, but I was lucky, I had you guys to look out for me.’
‘We all have our black moments,’ Modeen said matter-of-factly. ‘And I’m sure Jack will make sure that useful insight reaches the right ears. Now, on a brighter note, Mark and Mei have proven themselves valuable members of NatSec, and our team. And until Jack puts together a permanent WA team, they’ve been invited to stay on and head up the Perth branch.’
‘Hey yeah. Where are Mark and Mei?’ Wolf asked.
‘They’ll be along later,’ she replied. ‘After they complete the errand I sent them on.’
As he and Bugs exited the briefing room at the conclusion of the debrief, Spooky stopped and slapped his forehead. Whirling around, he waited for Modeen to walk up beside them and said ruefully, ‘I forgot about Joel. He’s still there, where we left him.’
She put a mollifying hand on his arm. ‘Been taken care of, Spook.’
He watched her walk away and then turned to Bugs. ‘Hey, buddy. You know when you and Modeen were tracking the prince in Afghanistan....’
With a drawn-out, ‘Yeah,’ Bugs eyed him warily.
‘You were both wearing Munro’s high tech fatigues and helmets, right?’
‘Yeah, so?’
‘So ... did you ever switch your optics to mode five?’
Bugs’ head twitched, and then he flashed his trademark toothy grin. ‘In this case, little buddy,’ and he thumped Spooky on the shoulder, ‘what happened in Afghanistan, stays in Afghanistan.’
Residential household, Perth, Western Australia.
As the roller door clanked and groaned open, both Mark’s and Mei’s eyes widened at the sight of the elderly man, wearing a concerned expression, standing with a twelve-gauge, double-barrel shotgun resting across an elbow.
A frowning Mark asked, ‘Were you expecting trouble?’
‘Not really,’ Albert said in his thick Austrian accent, ‘but one can never be too careful.’
‘Of course.’
‘But zere is one problem.’
‘Oh?’
‘I show you. Come wis me.’
A short time later in the underground bunker, Mark leaned as hard as he could into the big man’s broad, flabby back and yelled, ‘Pull, pull!’
Above them in the stairwell, Mei had her hands locked on Joel’s and was heaving him toward her with everything she had.
From where he and Elfriede stood watching the performance, Albert clicked his tongue and joined a red-faced Mark in shoving his obese guest forward.
When Joel’s girth finally folded through the doorway, he ballooned into the stairwell like a giant human doona. While Mark and Mei collapsed in fits of laughter, Albert managed to keep to his feet.
Turning to his wife he said in mock severity, ‘I told you, Freide. Too much strudel.’
# # #
If you’ve enjoyed reading Modeen: Insurrection, I hope you’ll consider posting a review on your retailer’s site, and/or on BookBub and Goodreads.
And keep an eye out for Modeen’s next exciting adventure.
FHJ