First Response

LAMBETH CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMAND CENTRE (5.27 p.m.)

‘What just happened there?’ asked Gillard, who was watching the screen showing the Sky News feed from the news crew outside the Fulham post office. The coach was pulling away, flanked by police motorcyclists.

‘It looked like the hostage was freaking out,’ said Kamran. ‘Hardly surprising, considering the stress she’s under.’

The Sky News feed was replaced by an overhead view from one of the Met’s helicopters showing the police van en route to Biggin Hill.

‘I just hope everyone stays calm,’ said Gillard. ‘At least until we get them to the airport.’

‘Sir, we have a feed from the hangar now,’ Lumley called, from the Gold Command suite. ‘It’s only black and white and there’s no sound but the picture’s clear.’

Kamran and Gillard walked back to the sergeant’s station. The feed was on his left-hand screen. The camera had been put up near the roof and was looking down at the centre of the hangar, focused on a coach that was a match to the one that was picking up the bombers and their hostages. ‘Make sure we have everything recorded, in duplicate, if possible,’ said Gillard. Murray appeared at the door to the suite and Gillard waved him over. ‘You might like to see this, Alex,’ he said. ‘Your guys are rehearsing taking the coach.’

As the captain joined them, three SAS troopers ran up to the front of the vehicle and two approached the rear. Unlike the coach that was being used to collect the bombers and the hostages, the windows were clear and they could see a single figure sitting in the driver’s seat.

‘That’s Jim Hawkins,’ said Murray. ‘He’s a sergeant.’

The two men at the rear of the coach had the door open and they charged inside, holding handguns. At the exact moment they entered the coach, the first of the three troopers at the front launched himself up the stairs. The driver stood up, twisted and aimed a gun down the coach. Almost immediately the second and third troopers piled in. They were all waving handguns. Then they stopped. Murray was frowning. ‘Two and a half seconds,’ he said. ‘It’s good but it’s not good enough.’

The troopers filed out of the coach. The two at the back closed the door, then moved out of view. Sergeant Hawkins sat down again.

‘Do you think it’s doable?’ asked Kamran. ‘Can they shoot all the bombers quickly enough?’

Murray screwed up his face. ‘Hand on heart, I don’t see how it’s possible,’ he said. ‘You have to take out all nine before any of them has time to press the trigger.’

‘What about snipers shooting through the windows?’

‘When they’re blacked out? They’d be guessing. And if they missed they’d risk hitting the hostages.’

‘Is there anything else we can do?’ asked Kamran.

‘You can hope they just surrender,’ said Murray. ‘Because if we have to storm the coach…’ He shrugged and left the sentence unfinished.

‘What about those night-vision goggles you guys sometimes use?’ asked Waterman. ‘Wouldn’t they work?’

Murray shook his head. ‘The passive ones wouldn’t see through the blacked-out windows, and the infrared type wouldn’t work because glass is very effective at blocking infrared. Why? What were you thinking?’

‘Shooting through the windows, maybe. If you could see where everyone was you could shoot through the glass.’

‘It wouldn’t work,’ said the SAS captain. ‘Our only way in is through the two doors, unfortunately. Hopefully the lads can shave some more time off it.’

Gillard focused on the screen showing the feed from the helicopter. The van had almost reached the main gates of Biggin Hill airport.

‘Sergeant Lumley, can you get the TV news feeds up on screens? Let’s see what Shahid can see.’

Within seconds two screens on the main wall began showing feeds from Sky News and BBC News. Sky was showing a view from its own helicopter, at an angle because they had been forbidden to enter Biggin Hill airspace. The BBC was showing a shot of the road outside the prison. The flashing blue lights of the motorcycles leading the way were visible in the distance. Across the bottom of the BBC screen was a scrolling headline: ‘FREED ISIS PRISONERS ARRIVING AT BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT.’

‘Strictly speaking, they haven’t been freed,’ said Kamran. ‘Just moved.’

‘Hopefully, it’ll satisfy Shahid,’ said Gillard. ‘I really don’t want them out of the van, even under armed guard.’

The picture being transmitted by Sky changed to show a view similar to the BBC’s. Six motorcyclists flashed by, then a police armed-response vehicle, the prison transport van, another ARV and more motorcycles. Bringing up the rear were two black SUVs with darkened windows. ‘Please tell me they’re your men, Alex,’ Kamran said.

Murray laughed. ‘Yeah, they’re Sass.’

The convoy drove straight into the airport and a pole barrier came down behind them.

Both TV feeds now had reporters talking to the camera, explaining what had just happened.

Kamran glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘We made it with half an hour to spare. How are we getting on with the pick-ups?’ he asked Lumley.

‘Three on board,’ said the sergeant. ‘En route to Kensington to collect number four.’