First Response

BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT (5.20 p.m.)

Sergeant Hawkins was studying the handle on the emergency exit at the rear of the coach when his mobile phone rang. It was Captain Murray. ‘How’s it going, Jim?’

‘I wish I could be more optimistic, boss, but this is a bloody nightmare.’

‘Keep at it, Jim. There’s still a chance we can negotiate this to a peaceful ending.’

‘Suicide bombers tend not to negotiate, in my experience,’ said Hawkins. ‘They’re usually in a rush to get to their seventy-two virgins.’

‘I hear you, but this whole thing has been weird from the start. Anyway, two things you need to know. The coach should be arriving close to eighteen thirty hours so you really need to be getting the practice coach out by eighteen thirty hours. And until we know for sure that we’re going in, keep your men behind the sandbags.’

‘That would be the royal “we”, would it, boss?’

Murray chuckled. ‘Believe me, Jim, I’d much rather be there than here, trust me. The good news is that Terry McMullen will be driving the coach. That will give you an edge, but you’re not going to be able to communicate with him before he gets there so we’ve locked in his contribution. At the first sign that the coach is being boarded, he’ll take out the terrorist directly behind him. And the one behind him. Then he’ll play it by ear.’

‘Please don’t tell me he’s wearing his lucky hat?’

‘Hey, whatever makes him happy. Anyway, keep on doing what you’re doing. Just make sure the hangar is clear by six thirty.’

‘What about the negotiations, boss? Are they sending a negotiator down?’

‘There’ll be a negotiating team on site but at the moment they’ll be told to keep away from the hangar. The negotiations, such as they are, have so far been handled through the SOR here and it looks as if that’s going to continue.’

‘And one more thing, boss. A few of the lads aren’t that happy about the camera.’

‘Not much I can do about it, Jim,’ said Murray. ‘The cops need to be able to see what’s going on.’

‘They just don’t want it plastered all over YouTube. If we end up slotting the bastards, there’ll be others out for revenge.’

‘I’ll make sure the video doesn’t get out,’ said the captain. ‘But to be on the safe side, do whatever you have to do to conceal your identities. And, Jim, be bloody careful, okay? We need to get the hostages out but it could very easily go tits up.’

‘I hear you, boss.’