Recoil Read online

  Sam turned the wheel to keep the diamond formation as Frankenstein headed for the gates in the perimeter wall. The mansion behind it was all shutters and fancy brickwork; the sort of thing you see on a posh wine label.

  We still had three hundred metres or so to go when the wagon on the left flank came to a halt and put down covering fire with their GPMG.

  The rest of us drove hard and fast towards the opening gates.

  I screamed to Sam, over the protesting engine, ‘We’ll cover them in!’

  He cut left as the other two wagons thundered through the gates and into the safety of the compound. He stopped level with the corner of the wall, facing the threat further down the road, and threw the gearstick into neutral. The wagon that had been giving covering fire took its cue and charged towards the gate.

  Sam leaned over the sat-comms case and supported the link as I loosed off a slow double-tap into each of the vehicles, aiming at the driver’s side of the windscreen. Each time I squeezed the trigger, rounds disappeared into the left of the feed tray, empty cases tumbled out underneath and disintegrated link was spat out from the right. The whole lot rattled as it bounced off my Reeboks into the footwell.

  Soon I wasn’t the only one firing. Empty cases from Standish’s AK bounced off my back. Then there was a whole lot more from the compound. The pickups stopped in their tracks.

  Frankenstein and Davy were just visible above the perimeter wall. Fuck knows what they were standing on, but they were getting the rounds down and that was all that mattered. Just in time, too. The gun oil in my GPMG was so hot it was smoking. What little was left of the black Parkerization coating the metalwork was starting to peel off the barrel.

  Sam had already dropped the link and I’d put the safety catch on when Standish yelled, ‘Come on, let’s go! Let’s go! They’re covering us,’ as if we didn’t know what to do.

  Return fire from the pickups blasted chunks of rendering out of the compound wall. Bending low in his seat, Sam pulled hard to turn and get us heading towards the gate. Standish lay flat behind us now, clutching wherever he could to stop himself bouncing off the back, not a single hair out of place.

  The guys on the wall took the incoming rounds to try to give us cover. As we neared the gates I could finally see what was left of the hacked-apart body. The wagons had run over a severed arm and leg, both still partly wrapped in green uniform, and they now lay crushed in the dark, blood-soaked sand.

  The wagon screamed through the gates and jerked to a stop, just feet from the building. The gates were slammed behind us by a couple of scared black faces in green fatigues.

  Frankenstein was on the back of his Renault, firing over the eight-foot wall.

  The moment our wagon stopped, he took control.

  ‘Davy!’ He pointed at the pair of soldiers who’d closed the gates and were now jabbering at each other in fright. ‘Give those fuckers a big mug of shut-the-fuck-up and check the Mercs for fuel.’ He pointed at the other gunner. ‘Take that fucking thing and get up on the roof. Sam – you run the shop up there.’ He turned to Standish. ‘You –’ he indicated the house ’– get in there and find whoever’s running this gangfuck. Make sure the stuff is OK.’

  Then it was my turn. ‘What are you standing around for? Get that fucking gun on the roof! Go! Go!’

  I heaved the GPMG from the cab by the carry handle, grabbed all the link I had, and ran.

  Davy had already gone to the Mercs to check their fuel levels. ‘Oi, Gary! No good, they’re diesel!’

  7

  There was more than fifty pounds of link pulling down on my neck and banging against my legs as I ran through the front door; four long belts of about a hundred rounds each.

  Straight from the blinding sunlight, and with the mansion’s shutters closed, it was almost pitch black inside. I ripped off my sun-gigs and clenched one of the arms between my teeth. I’d need them again before too long.

  It took my eyes several seconds to adjust. Eventually I made out Standish with several black soldiers, standing like bouncers around a waist-high pile of small wooden crates. Three white women were in a huddle behind, one in her twenties, two with grey hair. They were all dressed like extras from Out of Africa, in the uniform of khaki shirt and trousers that all British civil servants seemed to wear out here. The youngest one appeared to be trying to reassure the other two, who looked up at me like a pair of pleading Labradors.

  Fuck ’em, they weren’t my concern for now.

  Ahead of me was a wide, sweeping staircase, bare wood, no carpet. I took the stairs two at a time, the link rattling against my legs. I reached a landing and turned left. A cast-iron spiral staircase in the far corner led to an open doorway a floor up, through which sunlight streamed. I could hear the other gun firing from the roof. The spiral was tight and narrow and it was almost impossible to keep the scalding gun metal off my skin as I climbed. The stairs rose slightly proud of the roof terrace, and the doorway was covered with a canopy. I pushed the gun out on to the concrete slab floor, shielding my eyes from the glare.

  Sam was spotting for the gunner.

  ‘On!’

  There was a burst of GPMG fire. Sam and his gunner had positioned themselves to face the threat from the road.

  ‘Go left!’

  Then another.

  ‘On!’

  I tightened my grip on my gun and held the link against my body. I kept low, dragging the gun across the terrace to the corner on their left, above where we’d given covering fire from the wagon.

  My throat was as dry as the rest of me was wet with sweat.

  The parapet was only a metre high. It was probably designed to do no more than stop the Belgian plantation owners sliding off the edge when they took time to enjoy the sight of their indentured labour bent double in the heat as they slaved across the valley below.

  I folded down the bipod, clicked it into position, and rested it on the brick ridge. I dropped on to both knees behind it – I’d worry about the pain later.

  Sam’s gunner loosed off another short burst. Cordite caught in the back of my throat as smoke curled from his muzzle and the sides of the feed tray.

  There were shouts in the compound below. Standish was going ape-shit at the government soldiers who’d deserted the boxes and seemed to want to get out of the gates and run. They’d definitely had enough of this gig, and had failed to realize that leaving here wouldn’t make their lives any easier.

  Another black guy ran out of the house and started screaming at them. It didn’t take a genius to spot that he was the main man around here – tribal scars were slashed across both his cheeks, and he had enough decorations on his chest to cover a Christmas tree.

  Standish shot out a hand and they shook as the boys slunk back to their positions.

  Sam’s man put another couple of quick bursts into the clouds of dust on the valley floor. More vehicles were on the move. Three or four small figures jumped from one about 250 away. Two hefted RPG launchers that seemed almost taller than they were; the others each had an armful of grenades. They disappeared behind some moth-eaten bushes, which wasn’t the most tactical move they could have made. The stupid fuckers obviously didn’t know the difference between cover from fire – a nice five-foot-thick lump of concrete that’ll stop most things short of a nuclear attack – and cover from view.

  A cloud of grey smoke erupted from behind the foliage.

  ‘Incoming!’

  The sustainer motor kicked in and the RPG round screamed towards us.

  We all hit the slabs, though we needn’t have bothered. The round went as high as the guy who’d fired it probably was, and self-detonated way past the house.

  Every man and his dog chewed on ghat leaves round here; even the goats got fucked up on the stuff. They could sometimes take five or six rounds pumped into them before the message finally got to their brain that they weren’t Superman. On the plus side, nine out of ten times they were so out of it rounds flew everywhere but at the target.
/>   With the sights at 300, I aimed low at the bushes, still shrouded in grey smoke.

  I gave a double-tap, then again, and again.

  I didn’t see sand kick up from weapon strike around the scrub. That was good: it meant the rounds had gone where they were supposed to.

  Sure enough, only one body made a run for it. I followed him. I wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light or the rebels were recruiting pygmies, but he didn’t cast much of a shadow. My foresight slowly passed his feet from behind, and as it got about three body widths ahead, I fired a longer, six-round burst. Rounds plucked at the sand around him, and he went down.

  More shouting. I looked down into the compound again. Frankenstein was getting Davy and some others to relieve the government troops of their RPG launchers and rounds.

  Standish exited the building, followed closely by the youngest of the women I’d seen by the crates. Her shiny brown hair was drawn back from her face in a ponytail, and you didn’t have to be on the ghat to spot that she was very attractive; it wasn’t difficult to see why Standish was interested.

  Frankenstein turned, covered with sweat, his hair plastered to his head. ‘Change of plan. Get on to the fleet. Tell them there’s too many oiks out there. We need support – now!’

  ‘But they can’t make it, Gary. We’re too far away.’

  ‘Tell them I want some fast jets up there covering our arses, and I want some of those refuelling Sea Knights up in the fucking air too. Like I said – now!’

  Standish nodded as he caught Gary’s drift. The marines had the Sea Knight, a heli that looked like a baby Chinook. Its insides could be filled with a rubber fuel bladder to make it a mobile filling station. If they could make it to the coast, why not position a couple for the Seahawks and Cobra gunships to fill up at en route?

  It was a good idea. I wondered how long it would take Standish to claim it as his own.

  8

  The three-quarter moon would be up soon.

  Gary and Davy came to relieve us. We exchanged weapons; Sam and I now both had an AK and three spare mags. We staggered down the spiral staircase and out into the courtyard.

  Sam fetched some water and we got it down us. The purification tablets gave it a chlorine taint and it was lukewarm, but after a month I’d got used to the taste.

  Four RPGs were loosed off at us in one salvo, and one landed just the other side of the wall. Sand showered down on us after the explosion, but no one was hurt.

  Standish still manned the sat comms with the girl beside him.

  I could just see Frankenstein’s silhouette in the gloom as he leaned over the parapet. ‘Anything from that fucking fleet, or what?’

  Standish shook his head.

  ‘OK, get up here and relieve Davy.’

  The girl watched Standish jump from the wagon, then gazed at Frankenstein as he barked more orders.

  ‘You –’ he pointed at me ‘– you stag on the comms. Soon as you hear a squeak out of the Yanks, give me a shout, OK?’

  I jumped on to the back of the wagon and held out a very grimy hand. ‘I’m Nick.’

  She shook it and smiled. ‘Annabel.’

  A burst of small-arms fire kicked off in the distance and red tracer floated across the sky above us. Her face was tense in the glow of the sat-comms’ display. ‘Why is that man on the roof – Gary, is it? Why is he the one giving orders? I thought Miles was in command . . .’

  ‘He is, in a way . . .’ I knew better than to explain that it was because Standish was even more of a dickhead than most time-serving ruperts, and Gazza knew exactly what he was doing. ‘But things are run differently in the Regiment. Officers have to pass Selection like everyone else, but they only do a three-year tour. There isn’t time for them to learn patrol skills, so in a situation like this the troop senior takes over.’

  ‘What rank is Gary?’

  ‘Staff sergeant. But there are others here who could do it just as well.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’m the new boy. My job description is, sit up, shut up and learn.‘ I smiled. ‘Where are the other two?’

  ‘Alice and Helen? Inside. They’ve been very kind to me, taken me under their wing. Their tours are up in a few weeks. They should be going home to their families. Not out here, like this.’

  Alice and Helen came out of the house, looking around wildly, desperation etched on their faces. They looked like the Queen and Princess Margaret on speed.

  ‘Over here,’ Annabel called. ‘On the truck.’

  The royal sisters ran towards us, Margaret in the lead. ‘Annabel, thank God. What’s happening? Are we going to get out?’

  Both sets of eyes were just inches above the wagon’s flatbed, looking even more like pleading Labradors than the last time I’d seen them. Margaret’s brimmed with tears. She pulled some photographs from her waistcoat and shoved them towards me. I found myself looking at two proud parents displaying an overwrapped baby to the camera. ‘My first granddaughter. I haven’t even seen her. We will get out of here, won’t we?’

  How the fuck did I know? ‘Yes, of course. The fleet are on their way and they’ll get us out. Not a problem.’

  She took the pictures back, giving the group a loving look before they went into her pocket. Annabel was busy nodding at them both. ‘These men have it all under control. We’re getting out. Soon.’

  Margaret grabbed my arm. ‘Thank you. Thank all of you.’

  The Queen put an arm round her and led her back to the house.

  ‘How come the three of you got mixed up with the convoy?’

  Annabel did her best to give me a smile. ‘It makes the president feel important, keeps him happy. Alice and Helen enjoy the trips – it’s a nice break from routine.’

  ‘You do a lot of these?’

  ‘Every month.’

  ‘What’s it in aid of? What’s in the boxes?’

  She smiled again. ‘Now that would be telling, wouldn’t it? Let’s just say it’s important for us to help the president.’

  A crackly ‘Hello? Hello?’ leaked from the sat comms. The accent certainly wasn’t American.

  I picked up the handset. ‘Hello, this is Nick. Who are you?’

  ‘The high commissioner. Where’s Miles?’

  I turned to Annabel. ‘Go get Gary.’

  She jumped from the wagon. Whoever was on the roof gun let off a long burst, which seemed to provoke a big commotion in the house. It sounded like the soldiers were agitated, and the general’s rants were right off the Richter scale. Annabel shouted above them for Gary.

  ‘The boss is coming.’ I spoke into the handset. ‘Wait out.’ I liked ordering high commissioners about.

  The next thing I heard was Frankenstein getting bollocked by the general as they came out into the courtyard together. The Zaïrean’s sweat-soaked face glinted in the moonlight.

  Frankenstein took the phone from me and shoved a finger into his spare ear. ‘It’s Gary. What the fuck’s happening?’

  He listened for several seconds, his jaw clenched with frustration, then piled on the sarcasm. ‘Yes, he may be, in your fucking head. But out here I do front-of-house and he polishes things up in the kitchen. So what the fuck’s happening?’

  He listened some more, then finally cut away, almost throwing the handset back at me. ‘For fuck’s sake! The fleet’s not close enough yet for the helis, and there are no fast jets because there’s no fucking political clearance. But our wonderful high commissioner is doing all he can, bless him.’

  Annabel opened her mouth to stick up for her boss, then wisely had second thoughts as Gary stormed back into the building.

  9

  He’d been gone no more than five minutes when I heard the rattle of small-arms fire and the distant sound of two RPGs cracking off. Seconds later they smashed into the side of the house.

  The pressure waves hurled me to the ground. My ears were still ringing as I staggered to my feet in a cloud of sand and mortar dust.

  It w
as impossible to tell where they’d hit.

  There was silence for the next two or three seconds while everyone came to their senses, then Davy screamed, ‘Man down! Man down!’ from above us.

  I grabbed a torch and a bag of field dressings from the footwell of the wagon and ran back into the house. The dust was just settling. I flicked the beam round the room. The royal sisters, and what looked like four of the soldiers, lay motionless on the floor, their shattered limbs at crazy angles. The walls were splattered with blood. Margaret had a neat hole in her chest where the shaped charge from one of the grenades had punched its way through her, on its way to fucking up everyone else.

  I barged through the confusion and screams. I was sweating big-time as I climbed the spiral staircase on to the roof.

  Gary was lying on his back, his blood-drenched face pale and shiny in the moonlight. He wasn’t moving and his eyes were wide open. I leaned over him, knowing immediately that there was nothing I could do. He was totalled. A round had hit him in the throat and smashed its way out through his neck, taking the vertebrae and his spinal column with it. He must have dropped like liquid.

  I caught a glimpse of Standish: he wasn’t trying too hard to conceal his delight at being the only one left alive.

  ‘What the fuck?’ Davy shoved him backwards. ‘You think that’s funny, yeah?’

  Standish lost his smirk and his eyes blazed. ‘What do you think you’re doing? I’m in command here.’

  Davy was about to give him the good news with his fist and size nines when Sam jumped between them. ‘Stop! Save it for that lot out there.’

  A loud metallic scrape announced the opening of the main gates. The general screamed at the backs of his remaining soldiers as they legged it into the darkness.

  I grabbed my AK and got into a fire position, aiming at the shadows as they melted into the darkness. If these guys were changing sides, they needed to be stopped now. I readied myself to shoot, but my blood-soaked hands slipped on the stock. ‘We dropping them?’

  Standish sparked up from behind. His time had come. ‘Yes, do it. Take them.’