Read Online Return Fire (Sam Archer ) by Tom Barber - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tom Barber
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down a short corridor parallel to the car park, entering the Operations floor.
Up ahead on the right was the tech area, a hub of desks, computers, screens and expensive equipment where the analyst team resided. A series of monitors were mounted on the walls, a large centred widescreen dominating the space amongst a series of smaller ones. To the newcomers’ left through an open door and overlooking the car park was the Briefing Room where the ten-man task force normally gathered, using it as their rec space between operations. Right then Archer saw it was empty, all of the task force apart from Chalky and Fox taking part in the raid at Stanovich’s address in Brixton.
To their immediate right was Cobb’s office, a room walled with reinforced bulletproof glass which oversaw the tech area, but at that moment he wasn’t inside. Directly ahead, Archer saw his old boss standing with the analysts, his back to the newly-arrived team and as yet unaware of their presence. Just turned forty one, six foot two inches tall and Director of the ARU, Cobb looked as he always had, smartly dressed in a sharp dark suit and wearing polished black shoes, his dark brown hair expensively cut and combed neatly back.
Although he had his back to the newcomers, Archer immediately registered Cobb’s tense body language. Everyone in the room was focused on the main television screen and were watching it so intently that none of them noticed the newcomers arrive.
Archer’s eyes immediately flicked up to the screen.
The images were an aerial view from a chopper, hovering above a council estate tower block.
And one of the apartments was on fire.
*
‘It was a trap,’ the lead analyst Nikki said moments later. ‘And we walked right into it.’
The newcomers had moved forward into the tech area, Cobb realising they’d arrived; he shook hands with Shepherd quickly, nodding to the others, but immediately returned his attention to the screen, no time right now for extended welcomes. Standing beside Shepherd and Cobb, Archer made eye contact with Nikki; a slender, dark-haired thirty year old wearing a slim pair of glasses over her nose. She managed the briefest of smiles as their eyes met but looked just about as worried as Archer had ever seen her.
‘A trap?’ Chalky said. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Stanovich was waiting inside for them,’ Nikki said. ‘When the guys were all in the apartment, the entire place blew.’
‘Was Vargas inside?’ Archer asked.
‘We don’t know.’
As Chalky stared at her, everyone else looked at the screen; below the footage of the burning apartment was a gut-churning headline.
Breaking: Large explosion at Brixton council estate. Members of counter-terrorist police team feared dead.
‘Casualties?’ Fox asked.
‘All,’ Nikki said. ‘And two fatalities.’
‘Who?’ Chalky asked quickly.
‘Mason and Spitz,’ Cobb said quietly.
Staring at his boss, Chalky didn’t reply. Beside him, Fox and Archer were just as stunned as he was. They’d each known Mason and Spitz for a long time; Chalky and Fox had left them in the Briefing Room before they’d headed to the airport.
Now they were gone.
‘Wait a moment,’ Shepherd said, confused and looking at the news report. ‘Stanovich was inside when it blew?’
Nikki nodded. ‘But listen to this.’
She tapped a few keys and playback of the raid soun ded around the Operations area. It was normal procedure to record the radio chatter and exchanges on raids and armed entries so there was no confusion during the debriefs and filling out of reports; it was also insurance in case their procedure was challenged later.
The moment the recording started, the room became completely silent.
‘ Police!’ they all heard. ‘Get down!’
There was a flurry of activity, the sound of pounding feet and doors being breached, orders being shouted.
‘Get your hands up and get down on the ground!’ a voice shouted.
Porter, Archer instantly thought.
A gentle
Up ahead on the right was the tech area, a hub of desks, computers, screens and expensive equipment where the analyst team resided. A series of monitors were mounted on the walls, a large centred widescreen dominating the space amongst a series of smaller ones. To the newcomers’ left through an open door and overlooking the car park was the Briefing Room where the ten-man task force normally gathered, using it as their rec space between operations. Right then Archer saw it was empty, all of the task force apart from Chalky and Fox taking part in the raid at Stanovich’s address in Brixton.
To their immediate right was Cobb’s office, a room walled with reinforced bulletproof glass which oversaw the tech area, but at that moment he wasn’t inside. Directly ahead, Archer saw his old boss standing with the analysts, his back to the newly-arrived team and as yet unaware of their presence. Just turned forty one, six foot two inches tall and Director of the ARU, Cobb looked as he always had, smartly dressed in a sharp dark suit and wearing polished black shoes, his dark brown hair expensively cut and combed neatly back.
Although he had his back to the newcomers, Archer immediately registered Cobb’s tense body language. Everyone in the room was focused on the main television screen and were watching it so intently that none of them noticed the newcomers arrive.
Archer’s eyes immediately flicked up to the screen.
The images were an aerial view from a chopper, hovering above a council estate tower block.
And one of the apartments was on fire.
*
‘It was a trap,’ the lead analyst Nikki said moments later. ‘And we walked right into it.’
The newcomers had moved forward into the tech area, Cobb realising they’d arrived; he shook hands with Shepherd quickly, nodding to the others, but immediately returned his attention to the screen, no time right now for extended welcomes. Standing beside Shepherd and Cobb, Archer made eye contact with Nikki; a slender, dark-haired thirty year old wearing a slim pair of glasses over her nose. She managed the briefest of smiles as their eyes met but looked just about as worried as Archer had ever seen her.
‘A trap?’ Chalky said. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Stanovich was waiting inside for them,’ Nikki said. ‘When the guys were all in the apartment, the entire place blew.’
‘Was Vargas inside?’ Archer asked.
‘We don’t know.’
As Chalky stared at her, everyone else looked at the screen; below the footage of the burning apartment was a gut-churning headline.
Breaking: Large explosion at Brixton council estate. Members of counter-terrorist police team feared dead.
‘Casualties?’ Fox asked.
‘All,’ Nikki said. ‘And two fatalities.’
‘Who?’ Chalky asked quickly.
‘Mason and Spitz,’ Cobb said quietly.
Staring at his boss, Chalky didn’t reply. Beside him, Fox and Archer were just as stunned as he was. They’d each known Mason and Spitz for a long time; Chalky and Fox had left them in the Briefing Room before they’d headed to the airport.
Now they were gone.
‘Wait a moment,’ Shepherd said, confused and looking at the news report. ‘Stanovich was inside when it blew?’
Nikki nodded. ‘But listen to this.’
She tapped a few keys and playback of the raid soun ded around the Operations area. It was normal procedure to record the radio chatter and exchanges on raids and armed entries so there was no confusion during the debriefs and filling out of reports; it was also insurance in case their procedure was challenged later.
The moment the recording started, the room became completely silent.
‘ Police!’ they all heard. ‘Get down!’
There was a flurry of activity, the sound of pounding feet and doors being breached, orders being shouted.
‘Get your hands up and get down on the ground!’ a voice shouted.
Porter, Archer instantly thought.
A gentle
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