Altered Perceptions by Kenn Gordon - HTML preview

“If you are team seven, we can help you.”

“How can you help?”

“Just tell us where you are and we will bring you all in”

I kept a close eye on my watch. Hans had told me to let them have exactly two minutes this time.

“Where is Jane?”

“She is safe with us; she came in yesterday”

“Can I speak to her?”

“She is not at this location. But I can arrange for her to come to you. If you just tell us where you are?”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I know you are Team Seven. So that should tell you that I know who you are”

“I have a bit of a trust issue. As I am sure you will know.”

“Mr McPhee. That is who I am speaking with? Is it not?”

“If you know who I am why can you not tell me who you are?”

“I am sure you know why Mr McPhee.”

“No I don't, you tell me why?”

“Mr McPhee, we are going around in circles. I am trying to help you get your lives back, along with putting an end to all this.”

Rosemary who had been keeping a check on her own watch rotated her index finger. I looked down at my own watch. Time was almost up.

“I don't know you. I will only talk to someone I know. You said you have Jane. I want to speak to her.” Two minutes and five seconds. Time to end this conversation, I closed the phone, opened the back and removed my sim card. I left the battery in the phone. Rosemary took the phone, all the time being watched by Hans on one side of the van and Sandy on the other. I was sat in the front watching and the rear of the van was hard up against a wall. So we had all sides covered. Rosemary walked casually over to a large van with its back doors open. Two men were transferring boxes of fish that they had just bought at auction. They put a box of fish, into their van and then went back inside to get another. As soon as their backs were turned, Rosemary tossed my mobile phone into the back of their van. Then she took a casual walk back to our van. We drove away and found a good vantage point overlooking the harbour and with good sight of the other van. I was using one of the BAE sights to keep an eye on them. They closed the back door and got in. then they drove up from the harbour. We followed the van from Scrabster to Thurso and then down to the east coast. We were about eight or nine cars back when they eventually turned on to the A9. Then we followed them down past Helmsdale, Brora and Golspie. They were still eight cars in front of us when they turned on to the Dornoch Bridge. Cars were being directed away from it by workmen dressed in Hi-vis Jackets. The traffic was being sent on the old part of the A9 that took a much more circuitous route towards Inverness. However their van got to the junction, they were flagged through. There was no traffic coming from the other direction across the bridge. The cars in front of us were redirected to go on the old road. I kept my head down as we reached the diversion point.

“What do I do Andy?”

“We follow the main line of traffic until we can get a view of the bridge.”

We went past the diversion with the rest of the traffic. Then we pulled into a passing place. I waited for the road by us to become clear and then jumped out and let Hans out the back of the van.

“Sandy, please go and sit with Rosemary. Drive up the road for about two miles then park up. Come back here in thirty minutes.”

“OK Andy will do.”

They drove off Hans handed me my Guitar case and we both descended the hillside until we had a clear view of the Dornoch Causeway. Hans had his AS50 out and was surveying the firth below him. I opened the guitar case, and took out my AS50 with BAE scope on. The far side of the bridge was closed as was this side. The van was stopped, at a set of traffic lights in the middle of the bridge. Effectively they were the only vehicle on the bridge. I looked at both sides to see if I could see a police car or any emergency flashing lights. There were none. There were only wooden barricades with diversion signs. This did not look good. Hans fitted his suppressor to the barrel of his AS50.

“Andy it’s a trap, and not the sort that you get to walk away from. Keep an eye on the sky from all sides of the firth. Zoom out with your sight so you can cover a larger area and switch it to thermal”

“Why thermal?”

“Because I think they are going to use a missile or something like that on those innocent folks down there. They have tracked the phone and have had plenty of time to cross refer and paint it from above.”

I waited and scanned the skies. Then I saw it about a mile out and closing fast. Hans was right the thermal signature showed first on my scope.

“My ten o’clock Hans”

“Got it Andy, don't wait for me just shoot at it, I can shoot when you reload”

“I zeroed in on it and fired three shots in quick succession. Then dropped the magazine out and Hans fired his three shots and also dropped his magazine. I fired three more in semi auto mode. I don't know which one of us hit it. The reaper drone exploded in a fireball. It was a much bigger explosion that I would have expected from just an unarmed drone. I assumed that this either flew out from RAF Kinloss or RAF Lossiemouth. Even though, it was probably being controlled by someone in RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. I knew that they actually controlled the drones used in the Middle East from Waddington. Hopefully they would not have seen the shots fired at it as their cameras would have been locked onto the target on the bridge. But the result of the drone explosion had caused the roadblocks on either side of the bridge to be removed. Hopefully they would send in a ground team and discover that it was just the phone in the back of the van and let the innocent men get on with selling fish. What we knew was that the man who had called us pretending to be a friend was not. I also now suspected that they did not have Jane. This was both good and bad. Good because they had not found her, bad because they would now be looking for her as an individual rather than as part of our group. This would no doubt be reported as an unmanned practice drone that or either had a malfunction and had crashed into the Firth of Dornoch or that they had detonated it themselves after it developed some fault or other. Either way it would not be reported as a deliberate attempt, on innocent civilian’s lives, or for that matter as a deliberate attempt to kill us.

I broke and cased my rifle, after checking both sides of the now unblocked bridge, all clear. Hans broke down his rifle so that it could be carried in his backpack. We scrambled up to the edge of the road and awaited Sandy and Rosemary’s return. They arrived precisely on time but Hans and I waited a few minutes until the road was clear of traffic. Then we clambered into the back of the van and pulled the shutter down.

“Take us home please Sandy” I said through my throat mike. Then as a bit of an afterthought I said “Turn on Moray Firth Radio and listen for the News”

“OK. Andy I will do.”

“What now?” I asked Hans

“Well I do not think that was meant as a warning. They want us out of the game altogether. I don't think they want any witnesses, to all that has happened. I would say that your government want anyone who even knew about this dead. I cannot see a way out for us.”

“Hans. WE WERE THE GOOD GUYS! We stopped Marcus Brown from getting the bloody stuff. We destroyed it all so that there could be no physical evidence. We saved this country and probably a lot of our allies a great deal of embarrassment. It’s not like we saved any of the doomsday stuff. So what is the reasoning behind trying to kill us? Even if we all stuck to the same story, we would have no proof that it ever existed. We are not a threat.”

“I have to say Andy that I don't know either, other than they want loose ends tied up.”

“OK so we need a plan to first get Jane back and then I suppose, we have to draw out the folks who are trying to make us Ex Servicemen for real. We should talk it over with Abdalla and Lachie, when we get back.”

I tried to get a little rest on the way back. The continual adrenalin rushes of the past days were taking its toll on me. I was not just becoming physically tired, but I was mentally drained. We had been drawn into this thing and then sucked down an ever deeper vortex, without any end in sight.

We arrived back home without further incident, much to my relief. Kyla greeted me with her usual exuberance. All the folks wanted to know what had gone on. I needed to talk to my military brothers in arms first, and then to our civilian charges after we had at least some semblance of a game plan.

Hans and I had recited the events of the day to Lachie and Abdalla. I asked for their thoughts.

“I am glad Andy, that you followed the advice of Hans. Sounds like, they whoever the, they are. Have not been told how we saved the world.” Lachie said.

“We know it is not Marcus as he is bound to have died in the explosion. So it is either ‘The Suit’ or a third faction with military connections. It would not be the first time in history that high ranking military people have worked with civilians and other countries to steal, their own countries secrets for money or some political agenda. I have seen it happen in Kenya, where Generals sell out for a few thousand dollars. We know that this would have involved an item worth billions of dollars. People get very upset if they have lost out on that sort of payday. And on top of that they would do anything to protect their position and identity. What I am saying to you Andy and also to you Hans and Lachie. You must assume that where your security agencies were involved, that some military individuals may also have been involved. We know Marcus had access to Royal Air Force Chinook’s. Also the Reaper Drone came from a RAF base controlled by the RAF. It was also on a live fire mission within British Air Space. This sort of thing takes a lot of clout, from a very high level. We should be looking in your military for the other player.”

“Abdalla, I think that is the most I have ever heard you say.”

“That is because Mr Andy. I have not had to say much before. Your leadership up to now has kept us all safe. I think now, that it is time to fight a different kind of battle”

“Abdalla I have always respected your thoughts and deeds. So if you have any thoughts on how we can move forward. Please do so.”

“Thank you for your kindness Mr Andy. I am a soldier. I think at this point the most experienced person, and the man you should be taking advice from would be Mr Hans.”

“I agree, with Abdalla, Andy. Hans is the man to help you here.”

“Thanks Lachie, and of course Abdalla I have to agree. Hans you are an investigator. You have skills that none of us have. Can you come up with a plan?”

“I shall think on it Andy If that is alright? But we should first get Jane back.”

“OK let’s go talk with the others and let’s eat. I am starving.”

ACT 70

We ate and listened to the news on BBC Scotland. They had described it as a drone that had gone off course, which had been safely destroyed, without harm to property or life. Fortunately, the newscaster said, the bridge had been closed for repairs at the time. So whoever was perpetuating all this was able to manipulate the media. After dinner thoughts of us all, but especially to Dusty and myself, turned to getting Jane back into the fold.

“Have you been able to contact Jane yet?” Dusty asked as he sat down in one of the two armchairs. He was looking weary. Not surprising given the circumstances added to the fact that his wife had been killed and his daughter, to all intense and purposes was M.I.A.

“I am going to call her just now. If she is smart like I think she is she will have discarded her old phone and bought a new burner set. Six on the dot I called her number. It rang three times and then.

“Hello?” It was Jane’s voice

“I am going to keep this short and to the point.” I deliberately did not use her name

“OK?”

“Are you where we left you?”

“Yes”

“Every night, between now, and when we pick you up. Be at the exact spot, where we left you. Keep your sim and get another burner every time you use the phone. ONLY call us in an emergency. If I do not answer immediately, I will return your call. Got that?”

“Yes.”

“We will come to you soon. Bye”

“Bye.”

I removed my sim and broke the phone I had been using into bits. Then I opened a new burner package and set another on charge. I would not insert the sim until I needed to.

“She is safe. Now we need a plan to get her back to us, so your ideas please?”

“Well we can’t use public transport, and Dusty can’t be involved as his face is plastered all over the news. Same applies to Abdalla. So why can’t we fly in and get her?” Lachie asked

“All planes have transponders on them and tracking devices so the moment we take off, assuming we don't get caught stealing the plane, then we will hit the radar. Also landing a plane where we left Jane is impossible. We dropped her on a cliff top. So you can’t land anything but a helicopter there.”

Hans replied to Lachie.

“Not quite the sort of plane I was thinking off. I was thinking of perhaps a hang glider come Microlight type thing. Both Andy and I have a lot of Parachuting experience. Perhaps looking at something like that?”

“Great thinking, Lachie if you can start looking on the internet that would help”

“We could drive the Zodiac over to the nearest coast in the van, and try that way” Sandy said

“Or somehow she smuggles herself out?” Dusty said

“We are looking at about thirty miles each way, from where she is to mainland Scotland. Think that might be a bit much for a Para-Glider.” I said and then continued

“But it might not be too far for a Microlight. Lots of folks have them around the cliffs. Perhaps we could ‘Borrow One’ for an evening? Then just leave some cash inside for the owners? Lachie can you also search the internet for anyone who offers joy rides in a Microlight. If you look around the N.W. Coast and see what you come up with. I have told Jane to be at the spot we dropped her at every night at six. But it would have to be Hans to fly it. Do you think you could manage one of them Hans?”

“If it flies Andy, then I can fly it.”

“OK so if the worst comes to the worst we use the Zodiac, assuming we have no other options. Though I suspect that it will have been reported missing by now. They probably will not be looking in the skies for us as they know we lost the chopper.”

We worked through the night and argued the merits of using the Zodiac, against the risks involved in stealing a Microlight. Which Lachie had found a firm offering flights but it was about twenty miles inland from the closest point to point that we required. This added an extra sixty miles to the return trip, assuming that we would return it to the owners. If we did not, then they would report it stolen and it would bring the search back down on us. We could risk the Zodiac and hope we would not get caught. But we would have to cast it off of scupper it after we used it. In the end we decided to try and see if we could get the Microlight first. If that failed, we always had the fall-back plan of the Zodiac. We set out early in the morning on yet another unseasonably sunny day, Hans, Sandy, Lachie and me. It was decided that if the Zodiac was to be used then Sandy would go with Lachie, but if they managed to secure a Microlight. Then the rest of us would still go to the closest seaward point. I would provide cover to either option with an AS50. Lachie was truthful enough to say that with his shoulder injury, he felt that I would be the better choice. We got to the Field just outside. Kinlochbervie and found the hanger belonging to LiteFlight. However, there were far too many folks there with Hang Gliders and other Microlight aircraft. So we all opted for plan B which was the Zodiac. We estimated that the trip across would take about an hour and a half and about the same back give or take depending on tides and winds. As Hans would be free, I opted for him to go with Sandy as he could use the AS50. Lachie could provide back up support to me in the way of watching my back as I would be watching over the sea. We decided to find a place outside Kinlochbervie that was remote and also easy for us to get the Zodiac down to the water and that would give a good vantage point towards. Oldshoremore Beach was perfect but it would mean that they would have a slightly longer trip. The advantage was I could set up a proper Hide and there were no people around. They would be able to race the Zodiac up on to the beach. The disadvantage was that the Honda now branded Yamaha engines were heavy and we had a long walk with them from the van to the water’s edge. There was another advantage and that was there was a wooded area just up from the beach where we could stash the van. We would have to set off at four thirty at the latest. I would not call Jane before five. By which time the Zodiac would already be racing over the sea to The Butt of Lewis. They would not be showing any lights but Sandy said he would have the lighthouse on Lewis as a guide direct to the Butt. Time was chasing us down when we got to Oldshoremore Beach. We raced down to the beach with the Zodiac and then Hans. Lachie Sandy and I staggered the half mile through soft sand carrying the out board engines. We carried one engine between two and then on the last trip Hans and I carried the third engine while Lachie and Sandy carried the fuel. I could see Lachie was in great pain after helping me carry one of the outboards.

“How’s the shoulder mate?”

“I will be fine it’s just a little stiff”

I pulled his jacket aside and saw the crimson flower appearing on his t-shirt.

“Shit Lachie you have pulled the stitches again! And I don't have my full medical kit with me just dressings and superglue”

“Sorry Andy use the Super glue until we get back and just slap a dressing on top”

“I would prefer you did nothing more for a couple of weeks’ mate, but I guess we don't have much of a choice at the moment. When we get Jane back Lachie. You are on strict light duties and I mean you sit and watch TV or surf the web but nothing physical.”

We sat in the back of the Van and I patched him up as best I could with the assistance of Hans. The look on Hans’s face told me what I already knew, when he saw the wound, the start of an infection, with angry red lines tracing outwards from the wound. I said nothing to Lachie nor did Hans.

“OK Lachie all done. See if you can find a place to watch my back and a good place for me to set up I am going to help Hans fix the motors to the boat.”

“OK Mate”

Hans, Sandy and I walked across the beach. We let Sandy walk a bit in front of us.

“Andy. Lachie needs to be in hospital”

“You think I don't know that?”

“I was sure you did; don't you have any antibiotics?”

“I just have, topical antibiotics, but he needs fluids as well. We used up all the saline and glucose in my kit, at the start of all this. There is only so much medical stuff you can put in one field kit. The idea behind a field kit is you treat on the battlefield and then Evacuate to Hospital. However that is not an option for us. We send him to hospital they find him they will torture and then kill him. And we would not get far from a hospital before they caught us either. I will think of something. Best thing I can do for now is keep him close to me, so I can watch him. I will not let my friend die. Not if I can help it. Hans, not a word to anyone please.”

“OK Andy I know you two are close, just I have seen infection from gunshot wounds take a man down almost as fast as the bullet that did the damage. I am sure he is in good hands.”

“I will help you drag the boat into the water. And wish you a safe trip. Sandy will get you there and back OK. I will contact Jane in a short while.”

I waved them off, then I made my call. earlier than I was originally going to. I just prayed that Jane would answer. She did on the second ring

“I am going to keep this short and precise. Get to the beach below where you were dropped off. We are coming for you at the set time. Before you get there, find a VETS and find some Penicillin in an Injection form, this will also mean you will require some sterile water. I also need Liquid Glucose, in the form of an intravenous solution. It is for our lifelong dog that was hurt in a dogfight. Got That?

“How much”

“As much as you can get, you will have to borrow it as they will not give it to you, do you understand”

“I think so”

“It is very important or our dog might be destroyed and I need the things an addict will need to inject” almost thirty seconds

“I love you”

“I love you too” I hung up

I could not use names. I took my phone to bits and put the sim in my wallet, and then I threw the parts of the old phone into the sea after the Zodiac, which was disappearing rapidly over the waves. I jogged back up to where Lachie was. I took our equipment out from the back of the van and left them in a hollow with Lachie. Then I drove the van into the wooded area. I then went back down to where Lachie was.

“Slight change of plan mate, I want us to use the same hide, you still keep watch from behind me and I will cover the sea.”

I took my KaBar and cut lots of branches and shrubs and made a halfway decent hide with roof. Then set up my AS50 on its Bi Pod legs, checked that the mechanism was clear from sand and attached the BAE scope. Lachie had gone for overkill by attaching his advanced BAE scope to the Sig Sauer. But it allowed him infra-red capability which should mean we were not caught blind-sided. I was worried about my friend and another of the reasons that I had kept him close as one of the signs of blood poisonings is sweating and shivering. So I would know if things took a serious turn, well more serious than they had done so already. The only thing in my kit I had close to a glucose drip were glucose tablets, which I sometimes took when running long distances. So I gave Lachie them along with a Mars Bar.

“I need you to let me know if you feel sick Lachie and I need you to be honest with me.”

“I am fine mate just a bit tired, been a tough week or two.”

“Yes it has Lachie. I just hope it reaches an end soon, as I am tired of all this dangerous shit”

I kept him talking until around a quarter past seven. My ears piqued and at first I thought I was imagining it. Then I heard it for sure a pair of motor bikes or off road quad bikes racing towards where we were hidden. Lachie had heard it too and had repositioned himself, so he could look towards the sound. I had no idea if they were hostile or innocent, but it was approaching the time when Sandy and Hans would be returning, hopefully with Jane. Two dirt bikes with boys who could not have been older than thirteen on them raced right by our hide and disappeared over the sand dunes.

“Fuck me, Andy. I almost shot the little fuckers”

“Let’s hope, that they don't come back this way too soon”

Another sound blew in from the ocean. At first I thought it was just our Zodiac with the three outboard engines, racing flat out, which they were. But there was another sound. There was another boat giving chase. I turned my scope to the sea, I could see our Zodiac weaving and another RIB chasing her down fast. There were flashes of suppressed gunfire from the chase boat.

“Target their engines” Lachie shouted at me

I zoomed and fired but their boat was bouncing and weaving so I think I missed completely. The second shot must have struck one of the engines as there was trail of black smoke. I fired again and this time, fire erupted from the rear of their boat. I put a new clip in and fired three rounds directly into the front of the chase boat, which was now slowing. I could see the four men on-board trying to put out the flaming fuel. I put another full clip in and fired another three rounds into the side of her hull. The destructive force of the 50cal even at this distance was plain to see. The sides were deflating and the fibreglass rigid hull was completely shattered along one side. The men on board here did not appear to have been hit. And they were not returning fire, nor were they shooting at our Zodiac which was racing away from them and towards our beach. For good measure I fired my last clip of three 50cal rounds into the sinking vessel. This time I think I hit one man who seemed to do a backwards jump into the sea. The boat sunk. I could see the three survivors in the sea. They had no life preservers on and I knew they would not survive more than a few minutes in the sea. If we tried to save them, they would try to kill us. I was sickened by my lack of empathy towards them. Our Zodiac hit the beach full tilt and slid over the flat sand for about twenty five yards. Jane was out and running before it stopped. Hans helped Sandy out. I ran down the beach past Jane to help Hans with what we had to do next.

“Sandy, follow Jane to the edge of the sand”

I ran to Hans and tilted the out board motors up and then helped him drag the Zodiac back to the sea. It was an outgoing tide. We got it into the water, then we dropped the engines, Hans climbed on board and started the engines. Then tied off the wheel and engaged the engines and sent the Zodiac back out to sea, before diving into the water and swimming back to me.

We ran back up the beach and picked up his backpack from where he had dropped it, when the boat had come to a halt.

“Are you all OK? Where did you find the tail?”

“Yes mate we are fine. About ten minutes ago they came at us from the North. They must have been scoping out the waters around the highlands. I think these guys were SAS Andy. They were all wearing the same cap badges. Same colour as the SAS”

“More like SBS”

“SBS?”

“Yes Hans they are like the SAS only they are Special Boat Service; they are more like Navy Seals. SAS are more like Delta Force. If they are in the game against us, then the strings that are being pulled have to be by a very high up puppeteer.”

“Not good then”

“No Hans. Let’s go join the others and get the hell out of here before the SAS do come”

I got to the hide.

“We need to get to van like now, they will have called this in. and I want to be on a main road before they get here”

I could see Lachie was starting to sweat, even though it was a chilly clear night. I was really getting worried. We got to the van there was a lot more space in the back without the Zodiac. Sandy and Hans got in the front, Jane, Lachie and I got in the back. Sandy drove us out onto the main road without the use of light. When he hit the main road, he turned them on and stayed within the speed limit, meanwhile in the back.

“Jane, did you manage to get the stuff I asked for?”

“I think so, I broke into a vets and raided their store, then I ran for the beach” she put her back pack in front of me.”

I tipped it up and grabbed a Penicillin bottle and a bottle of sterile water, there were packets of syringes and a variety of needles, some of which were actually meant for horses, so were somewhat big for a human. I chose a needle of the correct size and filled the syringe with sterile water. Then I injected it into the Penicillin bottle and gave it a good shake up, after which I drew it back up in to the syringe.

“Where do you want it arse or arm?”

“You have to be shitting me Andy that stuff is for animals, not humans”

“Lachie it is the same fucking stuff, most of it starts out as human medicine that is out dated. So they sell it to vets. It’s still good just stupid laws over sell by and use by dates”

“So where do you want it?”

“Are you sure about this mate?”

“Lachie, we both know that your wound is infected, I can’t risk taking you to a hospital. If I don't do this Andy, things can go south really quick, like in a matter of hours. Do you understand?”

“Arse, in my fucking arse”

“Turn over and drop them”

“Really?”

“Yes really, I am sure Jane has seen plenty of big arses working for SIS”

He dropped his trousers and shorts revealing a little heart shaped tattoo, with an arrow through it and the same Suzanne written in script below it. I must have laughed out loud because he gave me the bird

“What?”

“Ohh nothing mate”

“Oow that fucking hurt”

“Not as much as it would in the arm, and I am sure it did not hurt as much as being shot Lachie.”

“I would rather be shot. Than be stuck with a needle.”

“As soon as we get back Lachie I am going to have to put you on a drip for a couple of days and I might have to go digging in that wound of yours. If I do, I will give you a load of pain killers that will probably put you out for a whi