Siege by Chris Ryan

Author:Chris Ryan [Ryan, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781471407260
Publisher: Bonnier Publishing Fiction
Published: 2018-08-31T07:23:57+00:00

12

Covert Comms

Green Thunder was losing height. Everyone in the chopper was on edge. Including the Watchers.

There was a judder as the Chinook’s landing gear hit something solid. Max checked his watch: it was 11:15. The tailgate opened, letting in the bright morning light. For a moment, Max was confused. He could see rooftops and a vast cityscape. It was almost as though they were still flying. When Hector shouted at them to disembark, however, he realised they must have landed on the top of a tall building. Somehow that made him feel even more anxious.

Woody and Angel were already on their feet, carrying their flight case down the tailgate. Max and the others unclipped themselves. He, Jack, Abby, Lukas and Sami moved towards the tailgate. Ash hung back awkwardly. Max tried to move with purpose, hoping that it would give him more confidence. He was the first out of the chopper.

This rooftop landing zone was the highest point around. Max had never been to London before, but he identified the River Thames glittering in the sunlight. In the few seconds he had to look around, he saw landmarks he recognised from TV – the Houses of Parliament. St Paul’s Cathedral. The Shard. Up here, there was no sense of movement down below, of anyone hurrying. He knew it was just a trick of the height. They were truly in the heart of the city.

The sky was clear but the wind was high. It wasn’t simply the downdraught from the Chinook. The top of this building was buffeted from all sides. Max felt unsteady. He heard someone shout, ‘Get off the landing zone!’ Wind howled in his ears as he followed the instruction. He ran after Woody and Angel, who were carrying their flight case to the top of a stairwell at one edge of the building. The others followed. They descended several stone steps and went through a heavy metal door into the top floor of the building. Two military men were waiting for them at an open lift. Max, Woody, Angel and the other recruits crowded in. A minute later Hector joined them. There was no sign of Ash and nobody asked where he was. Max thought he could hear Green Thunder taking off, however. He figured Ash was still inside.

The lift took them to the ground floor in tense silence. The doors slid open on a large reception area that had evidently been cleared of any members of the public. There were glass windows on all sides, but they were blocked on the outside by six-foot-high screens. Beyond them, Max could see the blue neon flash of police lights. There was a distant sound of sirens.

Four people were waiting for them – three men and a woman. The woman took Abby and Angel to one side, out of sight. The men started to hand out casual clothes to the remaining boys.

‘Get out of your camouflage gear,’ one of them shouted. ‘But don’t start getting into these clothes yet.’

Max gave the others a sidelong glance.

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