A small group of workers looked round at the large number of unexpected arrivals. Recognising the CEO, one broke away and walked over, blocking the way as one of the others disappeared through a door. “Hello, Mr Munster. Can I help at all? I trust everything is all right?”

  “I sincerely hope so! We’re here to review what’s going on in FTS2, so if you’d excuse us…”

  The man shoved the CEO backwards, turned and ran. At the same time, he pulled a handgun from beneath his overalls, shot wildly in the air and slammed the door shut. Everyone scattered, seeking cover behind the mass of pipes, valves and monitoring equipment.

  “Listen-up!” Laura yelled. “I only want my team, Southampton detectives and Don’s security team. Everyone else is to get out of here – now!” Laura waited a few moments as terrified people willingly obliged. “Don, arrange your men around the perimeter of these buildings – they are to report all activity without getting themselves in danger.”

  His men dispatched, Don returned to hear David protesting. “Surely we should wait for armed support. We know there are at least four of them.”

  “Actually, it’s only two; I asked my team back at the office to monitor the CCTV and there are two gunmen with eight hostages inside FTS2,” Don said.

  “That’s very helpful information. Can your team give us regular updates on what the gunmen are doing?”

  “Unfortunately not. Immediately after securing the presumed hostages, they disabled the CCTV feeds. I’ve asked for floor plans marking where the hostages are and anything else seen on the recorded footage that is not currently on plan.”

  “Drat!”

  Everyone waited to hear what Laura wanted to do next. Some of the lights had started to flicker, damaged by the wild shooting of a few minutes earlier.

  “What’s through that door?”

  “A narrow passage beneath pipework. FTS2 is directly opposite.”

  “Is it windowless, like this place?”

  “Yes, although there are monitors on the doors to see who wants entry. My pass works on the doors, as do those of my team, and I can unlock all doors remotely if you need me to.”

  “That’s good to know. Can you disable the door monitors remotely as well?”

  “No.”

  “Okay. For the moment, your pass will do. Come on.” Laura withdrew her handgun and gingerly opened the door, peering into the narrow passage before moving outside into a swirling sea mist that had enveloped the site. “Miserable,” she muttered.

  “How many doors?” she asked, glancing around.

  “Four: one on each side.”

  “And what about the coverage of the outside CCTV? Have the gunmen disabled that as well?”

  “No. My men are monitoring those feeds.”

  “Good. We must know immediately any door is opened – even if only a crack. I want someone stationed at each corner ready to warn us if anyone comes out. Everyone else, back into the other building. Rob, Don – with me please.”

  Laura then led Rob and Don to the nearest door and swiped Don’s access pass against the reader. With a click, the door naturally inched open. Before Laura could peek inside, a bullet pinged loudly off the metal frame.

  “That’s not necessary!” she called. “The building is surrounded and I’m an armed officer from MI5. We need to talk.”

  “The only thing to discuss is our safe passage. We have hostages, as you probably know. I want a four door saloon car outside in ten minutes and an assurance there won’t be any tricks or the hostages die.”

  “Yes, I am aware of the hostages,” Laura replied. “I’m not authorised to grant these requests. It will take time to obtain that authorisation.”

  “We’ll wait, but be quick about it. And no tricks – we will be taking some of the hostages with us!”

  Laura gently pulled the door shut and they withdrew back to the previous building.

  “Armed units and bomb disposal are on their way,” one of the detectives confirmed once they were inside. “Probably another fifteen to twenty minutes.”

  “And we think that there are six hostages, not eight,” one of Don’s men added. “Reviewing the footage immediately before the feeds were cut, two of the now hostages were in deep conversation with the gunmen and appeared to be tied-up willingly. The layout of the space appears as it always has been, but there are numerous barrels along one side connected to the testing pipes. Here are the images that have been taken.”

  “Thank you. Hardly a bomb-making factory,” Laura responded, flicking through the photos with Rob looking over her shoulder. “David, what do you think they are doing here?” she asked, passing him a couple of photos.

  “Hmm. Hard to say, but it could well be planting explosives.”

  “My impression as well.” The grim words hung in the silence, spreading dread as everyone within hearing glanced nervously about.

  The shrill ring of Don’s phone broke the silence. “Yes?… Okay, thanks.” Having cut the call, he turned to Laura, “The gunmen have been in touch with the security office – they want to talk again. It sounds like they could be getting impatient.”

  Repeating the previous exercise, Laura swiped the door open once again. “Where’s the car?” one of the gunmen yelled immediately. “I’m not waiting any longer.”

  “I said before…”

  There was a loud, reverberating crack of a gun shot in the building, followed by the bang of a door being slammed shut.

  “Boss! Boss!” a voice called urgently over Don’s radio.

  “Yes.”

  “A body has just been shoved out of a door! Can’t see who it is – it’s face down!”

  Laura felt bile rise in her mouth as the gunman yelled out once again. “If that doesn’t focus your attention, then another will follow in two minutes!”

  “Oh, Lord, no!” Don said under his breath. “Laura, what do you advise?”

  “Rob?”

  There are still multiple hostages, but this will be horribly dangerous! Rob nodded as he saw the desperation in Laura’s eyes, anticipating what she was going to ask.

  Seconds later, taking a radio from one of Don’s men, Laura took Rob’s hand and led him round the corner to the door opposite to where the body had been thrown from. “Are you sure? You’re really up for this?” she looked him straight in the eye.

  “Of course! Steven will lambast us, but hey! Take care.”

  “Don, where’s the shooter?”

  “Still where you last saw him.” Don was lying on the ground peeping through the narrow crack that had been left at the first door.

  “What’s it to be, agent girl?” the gunman yelled.

  As the man yelled, Laura swiped Don’s access card on the panel and hoped the click would not be heard above the gunman’s shout. Laura stood in front of the mostly closed door, holding her handgun with both hands, arms outstretched.

  “Well?!”

  Laura nodded and Rob, lying at her feet, pushed and held the door open.

  As the gunman swung round to see what the noise was, Laura had the necessary fraction of a second to adjust her stance and aim. The two exchanged shots, the gunman’s bullets slamming into the wall just inches from Laura’s head.

  “Urrgh!” the man screeched. “You’ll pay for that!”

  Laura darted through the door and behind a huge metal canister with a large number of pipes sticking out of it. Damn! Only winged him!

  Knowing that Laura would draw the two gunmen’s attention, Rob hesitated only briefly and slipped quietly through the door, heading in the opposite direction. Now it’s my turn!

  While Laura kept the two gunmen busy, trying to stop them approaching the hostages, Rob crept carefully around all of the pipes and equipment. Periodically, he caught a glimpse of the gunmen through gaps in the tangle of metalwork.

  * * *

  David had pulled the CEO to one side immediately after the first hostage had been killed and called Gurning.

  “David, what’s happening? Where’s Laura?”

  “Laura’s facing off a couple of gunmen with hostages! We have found where the chemicals are but don’t understand the intended purpose yet – it doesn’t appear to be a bomb factory.”

  “What do you mean? What do you think?”

  “We really don’t know, Steven. The thing is, at least one person has gone on the run so we need to assume that the terrorists will hear that we are on to them.”

  “Understood. I will alert the authorities for all other refineries on the presumption that whatever is intended could be now be initiated. What else can you tell me that will be helpful elsewhere?”

  “The facility in question here is the Testing and Sampling building,” David looked at the CEO, who nodded his confirmation. “Somehow, it was recommissioned without management awareness – what for, we don’t know. Barrels have been attached to the sampling pipes. Explosives have also been planted inside.”

  “Understand, I’ll get on to it. Tell Laura to be careful.”

  I wish I could, but it’s too late for that!

  * * *

  Rob peered round a large control panel, covered with knobs, buttons, gauges and small flashing lights. He saw two women and five men sitting on the ground, apparently tied together. Upon catching Rob’s eye, one of the men shook his head, warning him off – but too late.

  “There’s one over here!” a woman hostage yelled, also seeing Rob.

  Rob sprinted across the space as bullets started pinging off the pipework around him. Instinctively, Rob rolled as more bullets whined passed. Finding his feet once more Rob came face-to-face with one of the gunmen and stared down the barrel of the man’s handgun.

  He had no time to think, with a quick side-step, twist and arm-block Rob moved inside the gunman’s reach and grasped the man’s wrist just as the woman who had given his presence away raised her own gun. Rob had been unexpectedly fast, and the gunman’s instinct was still to pull the trigger. The woman was thrown backwards, collapsing on to the floor, a pool of blood growing around her.

  While Laura and the other gunman continued to trade shots, Rob had his own difficulties. The gunman kneed Rob in the groin trying to free himself. Grimacing with pain, Rob kept hold of the man’s arm, jerked forward and threw the man over his shoulder.

  “Keith! Less than five minutes!” yelled another pretend hostage who leaped up and barged past Rob, shoving him into the remaining hostages.

  Two of the gunmen fired a salvo of shots in every direction before charging out of a door, shooting one of Don’s men who had been leaning against some pipes, keeping watch. They then ran amongst the maze of pipes, seeking their escape.

  While Don immediately sprinted to the aid of his man, Rob started to release the hostages and Laura bent over the dazed gunman Rob had thrown. “What did they mean by less than five minutes?” she demanded, grabbing his shirt collar and lifting his head roughly.

  “Wait for the surprise, bitch! We’re all dead!”

  “They planted explosives!” one of the released hostages gasped, panicky.

  “Where! Show me! Rob – get David!”

  Moments later David arrived looking flustered. “David! Here and here – explosives! Just over two minutes left! Given what we know about these chemicals, you need to defuse these things, or…”

  There was no need for Laura to say anymore. David immediately moved forward to start work on the first device.

  “Rob! With me! Here!” Laura lobbed the fallen gunman’s handgun over to Rob and led him from the building as a policeman arrested the man. Dazed at the rapidity of all that was happening, Rob followed, chasing after the escaping gunmen.

  “Don, I’ve still got a radio and need your control room to tell me where those guys went,” she called, pressing the ear piece firmly into her right ear, as they ran.

  * * *

  David bent over the first explosive device, examining it carefully from different angles. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was oblivious to the former hostages hurriedly making their way from the building.

  The red digital counter blinked inexorably down, increasing David’s sense of panic as he traced his fingers along the different coloured wires. Damn! Where’s the bomb disposal squad when one needs it! … Hmm. No trembler – that’s something. Okay, let’s try…

  David snipped a wire with his pocket knife and the counter increased the speed of its countdown. Bugger! This one then! He tried another wire and the display froze at forty-seven seconds. Shit! Where’s the other… David ran across the room to the second device.

  * * *

  The swirling mist in and around the walkways’ overhead lights created an eerie glow in the cool night air. As they ran in pursuit of their quarry, both Laura and Rob were in a quandary.

  Aargh! I can’t stop now to tell Rob! But if David doesn’t do his thing, we’re all dead and I won’t have told Rob I love him! Bugger it!

  Darn it! There she is, doing what she does best – chasing the bad guys. And unless David defuses those damn things, we’ll die and Laura will be oblivious of my love!

  All further thoughts of each other quickly vanished when a hail of bullets started pinging and ricocheting off the pipes around them. They both dived for cover into the shadows behind storage crates and beneath pipes on either side of the passage.

  “Draw their attention,” hissed Rob.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just draw their attention!”

  When Laura started alternating her shots between their two adversaries, Rob clambered on top of the crates and quietly ran along the top of the pipes, losing his footing frequently on the mist-slick metal. However, he leaped from one pipe to another, like a mountain goat, in order to retain his balance.

  Damn! Rob swore, on arriving at where he thought one adversary should be – no one there! He dropped down a short way and glimpsed the two men disappearing round a corner. “They’re on the move again!” he called, climbing back to the top of the pipes again to give chase.

  Shots were traded as Laura leaped upturned crates and whatever else the gunmen could find to push over in their desperation to slow their pursuers.

  At least David must have succeeded, Laura suddenly realised, aware that time had easily ticked past the detonation time. I must tell Rob, as soon as is sensible. I can’t risk letting him go! She glanced up at Rob’s dark figure keeping pace with her on top of the pipework. “I love you,” she whispered, amazed at her thoughts given the circumstances.

  A barrage of bullets met Laura as she turned another corner in the passage, feeling the searing pain of two striking her on the arm and leg as she dived for cover. Wincing in pain she realised why their adversaries had stopped – blue flashing lights were approaching fast through the mist.

  “Don, I have no idea where we are, but the gunmen appear to be taking a stand,” she called into the radio. “I can see police lights. Get them to fix on my MI5 mobile – there’s a locator.”

  “We know exactly where you are and have already informed the armed units. Why are they taking a stand though?”

  “No idea!”

  “Watch out!” Rob suddenly yelled from above her, as one of the gunmen slipped down from some nearby pipework to make a grab for her and take her hostage – the other gunman had been a diversion!

  As the man lunged for Laura, Rob leaped from the opposite side of the passage, swung on a high-level pipe and kicked the man in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards, dropping his gun. Rob rolled and rose to face the gunman who pulled a knife from his belt. They circled each other, the man lunging this way and that, taking swipes at Rob, who ducked and blocked, eyes fixed on his adversary.

  Laura, aware that her injuries prevented her from assisting Rob, pinned the other gunman down, raining shots on to his position, first from her weapon, then from the gun dropped by Rob’s adversary when she ran out of bullets.

  Glad of his martial arts and unarmed combat training, Rob found the gunman’s desperate attempts to stab him easy to avoid. The man side-stepped and lunged at Rob’s face, the glinting steel passing millimetres from his cheek as Rob lurched backwards while swinging his right arm up at the same time. Yes! Got him! At last! Grabbing the gunman’s wrist with his right hand, Rob twisted and pulled down.

  “Aargh!”

  Kicking, the man tried to free himself, but Rob clung on, sending both sprawling on the concrete. They writhed about, the knife slashing this way and that, both grunting with the exertion. The gunman shifted his weight suddenly and rolled, coming down on top of Rob, intent on using his bulk to bring the knife down. Alert to the danger, Rob twisted once again as the man’s body descended.

  “Urgh!” the man gurgled. Rob had twisted the knife hand round and the blade sank into the man’s chest. A trickle of blood oozed from his mouth as a desperate expression of fright spread across his face.

  Rob pushed him off. “Your colleague is dead!” he yelled, breathing heavily. “Give-up! Whatever you’ve done, it’s not worth it!”

  Oh, I love him! Laura thought as she looked up at Rob, aware he was clueless she had been shot.

  A few moments later, as the beams from powerful torches cut through the misty darkness in search of the small group, the remaining gunman threw his weapon over the crates behind which he was sheltering. “Don’t shoot!”

  Aghast, Rob watched Laura limp over to the man, gun aimed steadily at his head. She’s hurt!

  “Rob! Your help, please. There are handcuffs in my pocket. Use them!”

  A few minutes later, a limping Laura preceded Rob leading the handcuffed gunman through the swirling mist towards the torches and flashing blue lights. Having handed the gunman over to the police, Laura commandeered a police car and ordered the driver to take them back to FTS2.

 

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