“Where too Kemo Sabe” Lachie said as turned the ignition key
“We go North West to the coast Tonto.” I replied
“You know Tonto in old Spanish Means Stupid right?
“If the cap fits”
ACT 33
We drove over farmlands mostly, but at times we were able to get on to snow covered road. The low farm walls were not too much of a struggle for the Snow-Cat to get over. Fortunately, due to us using a tracked vehicle we were able to travel in a relatively straight line. We talked tactics as a way of passing the time. I had managed to get hold of an out of date booklet at the house where we were staying, it was one of those books that gave photos of the coastline.
“I noticed there is some discoloured ground to the east side of the Dounreay complex the three fields to the most eastern side are not as green as the rest of the fields surrounding the site. There also appear to be two large circles on the surface. Could this be where they were dumping the official contaminated material? As I knew they claimed they had dug a single shaft into the rock and put two hundred foot of ice and concrete on top of it. Is it possible that they also dug a second hole like the first one and put the unofficial waste in there?”
“Andy you know the Government they never tell the whole truth. So I would say they probably buried twice the amount of toxic waste that they claimed.”
“Lachie there were always stories around about leaks and missing quantities and they got even worse when Dounreay became a dumping ground for the rest of worlds fissionable material”
“There is a rail line that goes right into the site and they have their own private airfield. However, there is a no fly zone except for military aircraft. And if we were to fly the chopper in it will trigger a deadly response from either RAF Kinloss or Lossiemouth and they have automatic orders to destroy any aircraft that enters that zone. There are two harbours at the foot of those cliffs. They used to refuel nuclear subs there. From the 1950’s to the 1970’s there was also a secret Naval Facility there for testing the reactors that would be used by the Royal Navy on their submarines and ships. That was the Royal Navy Vulcan Project. So there is a good chance that there is still a lot of security there, even now years later. This leaves us with only two ways in, we either come in from the sea or we somehow manage to get on to the site and go down the cliff face. Which would be your choice Hans?”
ACT 34
“Personally Andy I think the sea offers the best chance of seeing any opening at the bottom for the caves, but that would leave us exposed to any patrol boat or guards walking the perimeter. Let us have a good look during day time and then we can pull back and formulate a complete plan.”
“OK Hans we still have to get some equipment, which we have to find from somewhere.
“Andy I think there used to be a Dive Club, based in Thurso; they had a Zodiac RIB that they use to dive from. There are a lot of folks that come up in the summer and they dive on the wrecks by Scapa Flow and the Pentland Firth.”
The Scapa Flow is situated on the north east coast of Scotland. It is a large expanse of water surrounded by the Orkney Isles. It is a natural harbour providing shelter from the worst of the weather. It has been used as an anchorage since Viking times, and through both world wars. Scapa Flow is one of Europe’s premier wreck diving centres, the historic site of the scuttled German High Seas Fleet, where you’ll find seven large warships and four destroyers remains, which still lay waiting for folks to come and explore on the sea bed. It brings divers from all over the world, even though the waters surrounding it are freezing. Then, there is the Pentland Firth ‘The Merry Men of Mey’ forms off St John’s point in the west-going stream and extends as the tide increases North by North West across the firth to Tor Ness. The worst part is over a sand wave field, about three and a half miles West of Stroma. The waves formed by this race form a natural breakwater with relatively calm water to the east of it, particularly noticeable when a westerly swell is running. Tides in this area can exceed ten miles an hour. The race at the north end of Stroma, off Swelkie Point is known as ‘The Swelkie’. It extends from the point in an easterly or westerly direction depending on the tide and can be particularly violent. The whirlpool of the same name was, according to a Viking legend, caused by a sea-witch turning the mill wheels which ground the salt to keep the seas salty. The name derives from an old term, ‘Svalga’ meaning "The Swallower". The ‘Duncansby Race’ forms off Ness of Duncansby at the start of the South-East-going tidal stream. Initially extending East by North-East but wheeling gradually anti-clockwise until it extends about one-mile North-West some two and a half hours later at which point it is known as ‘The Boars of Duncansby’. During the time of the South-East stream there is additional turbulence off Duncansby Head, particularly to the East. The race temporarily ceases at the turn of the tide before forming in an East by North-East direction in the North-Westerly going tidal stream before ceasing again at the next turn of the tide. The race is particularly violent and dangerous when the tidal stream is opposed by gales in the opposite direction. During the East-going stream a race forms off Ness of Huna. This race can be particularly dangerous in an easterly or South-Easterly gale. The ‘Liddel Eddy’ forms between South Ronaldsay and Muckle Skerry in the East-going stream. A race also forms for part of the time off Old Head at the South-Easterly part of South Ronaldsay. In addition to ‘The Swelkie’, races form at both the North and South ends of Stroma and Swona. Between the races there is a calm eddy which extends down tide as the tide strengthens. The races are highly visible with overfalls and whirlpools. Large swell waves can also be present, especially in bad weather conditions. When entering or leaving the eddies. Crossing the races, even large powerful vessels can be pushed off course. Such is the demarcation between the relatively calm eddy and the fast-moving tide in the races. There are other races in the firth particularly off Brough Head. The frigid waters in this area can vary between five and ten degrees. And can incapacitate an unprotected man in just one minute and kill in less than five. Without doubt some of the most dangerous waters in the world. Making it extremely difficult, to get a small boat close to the cliffs. Even if you do get close enough to dive from a small boat. The vicious tides will tumble you in and out of the rocky shore. Race tides, whirlpools, freezing waters, sharp rocks. And there are waves of devastating power. I was not sure if any of us would even survive the swim let alone get to the underwater caves. If we were able to get the Zodiac, we would still require a bigger support vessel. Getting what we needed into place before we could even make a move in itself was going to be a difficult thing to do. So first we had to get as close to Scrabster as we could. There are many places up here where you see Snow-Cats, so getting close to the harbour with one, would not be too difficult. We parked inside an old disused barn on a run-down croft, near the village. It would seem that luck was on our side. On the Jetty slip and on a trailer was a Rigid Inflatable Zodiac boat. According to what was written it belonged to the Caithness Dive Club. It did not take too much searching to find the lock up unit that belonged to them. Nor did it take much to gain access to it but breaking a window to the rear. The entire rear of the building was obscured by a tall wooden Larch Lap fence. Diving equipment was neatly housed in cages and with suits hanging on clothing racks.
Amazingly they had not just wet suits but had the latest dry suits. They had the D1 Hybrid Dry Suits they were the world's first insulated constant volume dry suit that was tested in the Antarctic to give a perfect dry suit. They had Silicone neck and wrist seals are fixed to the suit. The neck seal is designed with a bellow in the back of the neck for easier movement of the head. A Neoprene Warm-neck with water drain valves and moulded Velcro tabs protects the silicon seals and holds a layer of warmed water around them. They also had a mesh lining that keeps you warm all over, two layers are kept apart by nylon springs like in a bed mattress that create a uniform layer of insulating air all around your body. Unrestricted Airflow from the inner lining provides a pathway for air and ensures that trapped air can escape. The mesh lining does not absorb any moisture and will keep you dry, and provides constant insulation at all depths. These suits had a 10-Butyl layer trilaminate that is abrasion proof but still very flexible. Military Grade DuPont Kevlar fibre reinforced Kneepads. These suits even came with Kevlar boots. We found sizes that would fit us, we also found Air tanks and dive weights along with underwater torches. We even found a small and portable petrol operated air compressor. There was a set of wrenches with wrist straps. But still we could not find the helmets to go with the dry suits. Lachie found a carton of masks and asked Hans.
“Will these do or is this a Darth Vader play suit?”
Hans went over and looked at the Picture on the box
“Perfect”
They were the Ocean Reef's Neptune Space Predator Full Face Dive mask is the most futuristic piece of dive gear since re-breathers. An easy crossover from normal scuba breathing system making this mask a definite part of the future of diving. The Neptune Space Predator Full Face Mask includes a state-of-the art regulator, reduced internal volume, an improved visual field and integrated surface air valve. Much more importantly was that it is compatible with a communication unit of the type we had, our Storno Radios and throat mikes. So we had Suits, Tanks and a boat. We loaded the dive gear into the Snow Cat. It was hard going in the snow which had drifted to several feet in places. By the time we had finished trekking backwards and forwards we were soaked in sweat. Next on the list was climbing equipment. I had checked the telephone directory and could not find a single shop in Caithness that sold climbing equipment. The closest was the Assynt Mountain Centre in South West Sutherlandshire. We did not have the time to go there and back. Not to mention the danger of being caught. Ropes were not a problem there was plenty of that around Scrabster, for use on the fishing boats. So unless we were able to get hold of other climbing equipment. We would have to free climb and make our own pitons which we could drive into the rock crevices. This was a back-up plan in case we could not get access from the sea. We would still need the rope to link us together if we dived. With so many variables and no solid plan to work to it was always going to be difficult. We went down the slip to the Zodiac. It was fitted with a trio of Honda 250 outboard engines. Whilst the fuel tank was full of petrol we would probably need more. After another search of the dive centre we still came up empty handed. We did find an empty twenty-five-gallon drum which we took along with the filler. We could buy some petrol. The next thing though, was to go to Keiss. The main roads were being cleared and we would require some ordinary transport. So after hiding most of our kit in the barn, we let the dogs out for a run, fed and watered them and we set out with backpacks on. We walked into Scrabster village to look for something to buy. There was nothing, so we caught a bus into town of Thurso. We found Dannets Garage and bought a beat up old Ford Transit Van for £750 cash. The salesman wanted a name and address along with proof of identity. But he said an extra £250 would make him forget about re-registering for the time being. And that he would buy the van back for £500 if we brought it back within a week. Then we went back to Scrabster and picked up the dogs along with the rest of the weapons. We also took the empty petrol cans, which we filled up at the first garage we came to. Once again paying in cash, we had all decided to throw away our credit and debit cards as they were a sure fire way of getting tracked. Lachie fitted one of the CB radios to the van and a magnetic mounted aerial. Then we set off for Keiss. The plan being, first to try and find out what happened to Rosemary? And secondly get her back if possible. I wanted to know what sort of deal Sandy McKay the skipper of the Catherine May had struck with the group from Altnabreac. We followed the Main A9 across to Miller Point and then went down the B876. This road had not been ploughed, so at times we had to force our way through snow drifts. At one point the van almost slipped into a deep ditch at the side of the road, but Lachie managed to pull it back at the last moment. We drove on and then turned left at Killimster on to the A99 back up towards Keiss. Not the most direct of routes but it was where the roads were mostly clear of snow. At Keiss we turned right at the Sinclair Bay Hotel. On to the High Street and followed it down to the harbour. Of all the Harbours that I have been to, in the Highlands of Scotland, I think this is the most beautiful. In summer with the bright yellow Whin bushes blooming on the hillsides, contrasting with the clear blue water of the harbour. Many times as a boy I had fished for Mackerel and other fish that would swim close to the shores. In winter when the wind and the high tides would mix it up, I loved to watch the power of nature, as the breakers would crash up against the harbour walls. The sea spray would be carried on the wind up and along the High street almost one hundred feet above. Where it would fall as salty rain, or be blown into your face and sting your eyes. We went down to the harbour and parked up behind a stack of creels on the edge of the dock. The Catherine May, was tied up and no one was on the deck.
“How do you want to do this?” Lachie asked
“Well I went down last time and had no problems also they seemed happy enough to see me, so perhaps I should try the same thing again. But if you could walk Kyla down one side of the harbour and Hans if you take raven down the other side. That way we will have the whole of the harbour covered. I am going to take a Sig with a suppressor attached, just because, it looks too quiet. Last time I was here Stuart was on deck working and Sandy was in the engine room.”
ACT 35
The bilge pump was running which should have meant someone was on board. I held the Sig under the back of my coat as if I had my hands clasped behind my back. Although I was a right handed person, I actually held the Sig in my left. This was something that Abdalla had taught me, just in case the person I met was unarmed and wanted to shake hands. I had a throat mike on but no earpiece. Both Lachie and Hans would be able to hear as I had set my Storno to transmit, they of course were wearing ear pieces. I walked towards the boat. The harbour still had a covering of snow on it even though there was a lot of sea spray coming over the top of the granite wall. I carefully climbed the railing and snuck a peek into the wheelhouse. Nothing there
“Wheelhouse Empty”
I tried the door to the wheelhouse, it turned easily and the door opened with a slight creak. It probably was not loud enough to allow anyone nearby hear but it sounded like a foghorn to me.
Inside it was laid out as I would have expected any of the fishing boats around here to be. GPS, Ship to Shore radio and a CB Radio under. There was a chart on the small shelf that served as a desk for the skipper. A half-finished cup of coffee, which I put my hand too. It was cold. I opened the cupboards over and looked inside, nothing of interest. I looked at the chart. It was of the waters around the Pentland Skerries Isle and Lighthouse. The only inhabitant of that, used to be a lighthouse keeper. But there were three other tiny Islands in the group that were all uninhabited. It was also a very dangerous place to take a small fishing boat. The waters around this area, is always very unpredictable, sharp rocks can easily pierce a hull and sink a boat. Over the years this stretch of water had claimed many lives and taken many ships and boats to the bottom, after smashing them on the unforgiving rocks. The list of which reads like a war memorial, although most were lost in peacetime. Why would Sandy want to risk life, limb and livelihood to fish there at this time of year? To my understanding he was an experienced skipper. I am sure the lobsters and crabs in that area were there in abundance. But the risks surely outweighed the prize. I was having a good snoop around, when my foot crunched on some broken glass that was on the floor. It was the hip flask that I had seen in Sandy’s shirt pocket, one of those half glass and half pewter things, that held about a quarter of a bottle. The Pewter part lay next to the broken shards of glass.
“We may have a problem here I whispered” Through my throat mike.
ACT 36
I changed my Sig Sauer from my left to my right and let my hand dangle next to my leg. Rather than going through the door down to the cabin below. I went out of the wheelhouse and removed my boots. Then I walked to the engine room cover. I could see both Lachie and Hans closing in from both sides of the quay. Lachlan had slipped the lead of Kyla who was walking at his heal. Hans did the same thing but Raven ran towards the boat that I was standing on. I raised my hand the way my father would to stop him, as I did not want to shout out. Raven stopped running but kept walking towards me. Carefully I slipped down into the smelly engine room. It was a mixture of fish, oil and salt water and it was not a pleasant odour, this would never make the inside of a cologne bottle. The light down here was poor and came from a single caged low wattage bulb, which over the years had been coated in soot and oil. This made it even worse than it would have been. Carefully I inched along, using my left hand now to balance. My socks and feet were wet from the moisture that always lines the inside of a working boat’s, engine room. The engine was still warm so the boat had not long been tied up. The corridor to the bunk area was barely thin enough for a man to walk, and I had to stoop a bit. I peeked inside the lounge come dining galley area. I could see that Sandy was bound up using duct tape and he had a nasty bump on his forehead. Another quick peek and it showed Stuart face down on the floor similarly bound.
“Sandy and Stuart are tied up they but seem OK other than that. I am going to check the whole boat before I give the all clear.”
I had no sooner said this than I heard a loud commotion coming from the deck above. I heard someone yell then I heard a shot and something heavy landed on the deck. I knew there was no point in shouting from here. I looked through the small porthole on the door into the galley and saw Lachie storming in from the wheelhouse above. In his hand was his own Sig Sauer with silencer attached. I pushed the door open with my back and checked that no one was coming at me from the Engine room.
“You OK? Lachie?”
“Yes Andy but….”
“Hans?”
“Andy we are both OK but you better come topside quick!”
I took out my KaBar and slit the bindings on Sandy and Stuart. Then I quickly followed Lachie back up through the wheelhouse cabin and then through its door onto the deck. Hans was on deck with his gun pressed to the temple of a man who was laid down. His trouser leg was ripped and Kyla was growling in the man’s face and he looked terrified.
“So you caught one then, Good Girl Kyla”
“Which one of you, bozos, forgot to attach his silencer until after the shooting?”
“Andy. That is not the problem.”
“Why what’s up?”
“Andy its Raven your dad’s dog, he’s been shot. This guy here was coming in behind you. Raven saw it and tore into him, before he could shoot you in the back. Andy, Raven’s dead”
“What do you mean Raven is dead?”
“He shot Raven at point blank range. Raven is gone mate”
My first reaction was to go and shoot this slime-ball in the face for what he had done. Lachie saw me move even before the thought had formulated in my own brain. He stepped between me and the man while putting his hand on my arm to stop me raising my own pistol.
“NO! Not here Not now. Help me get him below and we are going to have to move Raven’s body”
Quickly they dragged the man down into the galley of the boat. I walked over to where my father’s Great Dane, lay dead on the foredeck of the boat. His tongue hung lifeless from his open mouth. There was a pool of dark red blood under his head. My father had owned Raven, since he was a puppy. After my mother died and I had left home, Raven was my father’s companion. He was easily recognisable, standing almost forty inches at the shoulder and not a spot of white hair on him. He was as black as pitch. The dog had a wonderful temperament. He had been the epitome of the gentle giant and children loved him. My father loved him and I am sure that love was reciprocated in an honest and true way. I had absolutely no idea as to how I was going to break this sad news to my father, it would destroy him and it had all been my fault. I had only asked Lachie and Hans, to take the dogs with them, in order to legitimise their being out and walking around the harbour on a cold, wintry day. Raven had obviously sensed that I was in danger. I had never known him to ever bite anyone, he had growled at a few people over the years. People that he felt posed some kind of threat to my father or his stock. Yet he had attacked this man with his dying breath in order to save me. I knelt down beside him and the tears of the emotional pain I was feeling, welled up and fell onto and then down his shiny black coat. I put my fingers against my lips, kissed them and gently touched him on his neck then I drew a nearby tarpaulin over him. I could not carry him ashore, so we would have to take him out to sea. The bastard that did this, was going to suffer, not just for killing the dog but for taking a piece of me and destroying my dad, even if he did not know at present. I climbed down in to the galley which was getting a little crowded. All the time I stared at him, the bastard, the dog killer.
“Sandy what happened to you?”
“Two men came on to the boat this morning, they had Rosemary with them, and they told us to take them to the Outer Skerries Lighthouse. About two weeks ago they came to our house and took Rosemary. They said they wanted to use the boat without others knowing, they promised that they would return her when all this was over. But then they saw you down here the other day and said that I had told you, what was happening. As you know I did not. But they did not believe me. So they brought rosemary here. They made her watch as they slapped me about a bit and then they slapped her around they said they would cut her up if I did anything more. They forced me to take them to the Skerries. Originally they were going to put Rosemary on the smallest of the uninhabited Isles. That is the easterly Isle but the sea was too rough and the boat along with them would have gone down. So we went to the lighthouse Isle and one man took Rosemary and said he would kill her if I said anything to anyone. After that we came back here then everything went black until just now when I woke up. How’s Stuart?”
“Like you he has a good bump on his head, but he is OK. Tell me about this man, why did he come back? Apart from us that is”
“He is the one who first took Rosemary, he is supposed to be getting something which they were going to use my boat to take to the Skerries, but now my Rosemary will be killed, I wish you had not come here Andy, I really do!” Sandy stared at me with tears in his sad old eyes. He was right I had probably caused the death of his child. This was a situation that I had no control over, yet the people I cared about, friends and family were all being put in dangers way
“He is right you know, if I don't go there tonight, he will kill the stupid bitch, probably after he has had his way with her. Too bad eh” said the man
Hans backhanded the man in his mouth
“Speak another word before you are asked to, and I will gut you like a fish, and then let you watch your own intestines spill onto the deck. You won’t die right away but you will suffer an agonising and slow death. That I guarantee you.” Hans said as he held the man’s chin tightly in his hand, His other hand had pulled his KaBar out with lightning speed and was now held against then man’s belly.
“Don’t worry Sandy you have my word you will get your lass back tonight. Do you know what time you are supposed to be there?”
“He said something about come after dark, but I did not hear all of the conversation.”
“You’ll be too late as he will rape her and through her body in the sea.” The man said
Hans slid the KaBar with its laser cut edge, lightly across the man's shirt and a thin line of blood appeared. The man shut his mouth.
“Just say one more fucking word and I will cut chunks of flesh off you and feed them to my dog, and if you think the black dog you murdered was dangerous, well then you are sadly mistaken. My dog is pure breed Japanese Akita. They were bred to hunt down and kill bears. They will fight to the absolute death. She will bite then rip you to bits. Normally they rip the throat out of their prey. So just give me one fucking reason and you WILL regret it! A man of your size is not a problem to her. The Great Dane was a soft pet. She is NOT”
“We won’t be too late; I promise you Sandy”
Take your coat off and your trousers.”
The man looked worried I grabbed Kyla by the scruff of the neck and pushed her forward a few inches. She bared her teeth, her tail went down, and her heckles went up, making her look even bigger and more menacing that she already was.
“Have you checked him for weapons?”
“Even in the secret crack” Hans replied.
I know Hans was feeling guilty about Raven. I could see the pain in his eyes
“It was not your fault Hans. He was protecting his master’s son. Even if Raven had not been off the lead, he would have dragged you along and still got to that tosser. If it was anyone’s fault it was his.”
I put my gun under the man’s chin and pushed it up hard so that it was almost choking him and hissed in his ear.
“Get your clothes off now you bastard. I don't care if you take them off, or if I have to shoot you in the face and drag them off you, your choice at this point, but it’s a time sensitive option. Got it?”
ACT 37
“Andy? Lachie Just who are you? You are not in the RAF are you?” It was Sandy.
“Sandy I ask that you will trust me, that we are the good guys and just take it on good faith. We will get Rosemary back. You have my word on it. You know Lachie and me. We are from here, and we are nothing like these people. I can’t tell you what is going on, I can’t tell you much of it because I don't actually know all of it myself. However, the bits I do know I still can’t tell you, because it could put you in more danger, than you are already in. I am going to have to ask you to help us, because we need your help to get your Rosemary back. We will need you as well Stuart. That said you do have a choice, it’s just, you know the waters, you know where the dangerous currents are, we don't. So will you both help us?”
“Just try and stop me” said Stuart
“Tell me how I can help.” Sandy said
“OK Stuart. We have a white Ford Transit van over there. Lachie will give you the keys. In the back you will find a Guitar Case and three back packs, they are heavy can you fetch them here.”
“Aye I can do that” he took the keys from Lachie and set off to the dock. The man was taking his clothes off too slowly for Hans who slapped him hard on the back of the head. The man fell forward and caught his head on the side of a cupboard, resulting in a small cut on the bridge of his nose.
“Today” Hans barked at him
“How soon can you be ready to put to sea again Sandy?”
“Just need to pump some fuel from the barrels over there, and we are ready, the tide is good”
“OK can you do it please?”
“No problem” he walked out of the galley which left Hans, Lachie, Kyla and the man.
“Down to you boxers now” Lachie said
The man, who had been quite cocky ten minutes previous, was now decidedly less talkative. Now he was down to his boxers and socks. I looked him up and down. He was a big man and fit. The thin line from the cut given to him by Hans now had little rivulets of blood. But he was just one man and we were now three plus two, and a very nasty dog. He looked to be about Lachie’s build and although the hair was not quite the same colour it was not far off.
“Lachie you like the prince you are, have a new wardrobe” I said with a smile and continued
“I think at one hundred yards you could pass as his twin brother”
“Don’t think so Andy, his mother threw the best bit away, but I get where you are going with this”
“I know in Iceland they say we are progressive when it comes to matters of sexuality, but I can’t say I will be joining in with the swingers in here” Hans said with a wink to me.
I knew what he was doing he was trying to lighten the mood and I secretly thanked him for it. As the more I brooded on my father’s now dead companion, then the less control I would be able to exert over my actions.
“Funny how Icelanders think they are not good swingers, my father said your mother was” Lachie retorted.
“Girls, please not in front of our esteemed guest here in the striped boxers”
Hans snorted. Lachie smiled, Kyla growled, and the man looked worried as well he should be, more so if he knew what I had in mind for him.
“I brought your stuff on board, I have stowed it in the forward hatch, by the way which one of you is the guitarist?” asked Stuart
“He is?