Matthew Dunn - Spycatcher

“Bravo. Nothing.”

“Charlie. Have him. Nearly there.”

Will dropped even lower to the ground and scanned left and right of the bridge. He saw Soroush walking on the East Drive path and a jogger trotting close behind him. The jogger would be Charlie. The spy turned onto the Gapstow Bridge, but the jogger didn’t follow him.

Will pressed the number three on his cell phone. “I see you.”

A voice came back immediately. “I know. I’m going three hundred meters north and will then set my position. Our man should now be covered by Bravo.”

Will raised a hand and unnecessarily pressed the Bluetooth device harder against his ear. It seemed longer, but in seven seconds Will heard another voice.

“Bravo. Yes, I see him. Walking across the thing. No. Now stationary in the center of the bridge. He’s in position and waiting.”

Will raised his binoculars and looked. Bravo was right. Will’s agent was standing on Gapstow Bridge. He knew that the foot crossing was approximately twenty-five meters long, and Soroush had followed his instructions by stopping in the center of the bridge facing the pond to the south.

“Where are you, Bravo?” Will continued to scan either side of the bridge.

“Where I should be. One hundred meters northwest of the bridge. This is where I stay put.”

“Alpha?”

“Sixty meters from our man, by Wollman Rink.”

Will looked at his watch and exhaled. Everything was in place. His team had now set a perimeter around his spy by positioning themselves to the north, the northwest, and the northeast of Central Park’s Gapstow Bridge. From his own position near the southern tip of the pond, he looked toward Soroush. He could easily see the man’s face. Soroush looked calm and still.

Will eased himself up a little and spoke into the Bluetooth as he did so. “Okay, one minute and counting.”

Will examined Soroush again. The man was leaning on the bridge, obviously pretending to watch the rain on the water beneath him. There was a slight smile on his face. Will checked the time again and then spoke into his phone.

“All right, men. Any moment now.”

He forced himself to breathe and ignored the pain in his eyes from pressing the binoculars too hard against them. He kept scanning the bridge and its surroundings. “Anything?”

A few seconds passed before each of his team members replied with the same word: “Nothing.”

Within his peripheral vision, he spotted movement and turned slightly to see an elderly woman walking a dog on an adjacent path. He instinctively moved back into heavier cover, even though he knew that the woman could not see him. The dog walker moved past, and Will continued his surveillance. Soroush was no longer leaning and was now casually looking in either direction along the bridge.

“Charlie. I’m in position three hundred meters to the northeast of the pond. I might have something.”

Will immediately swung his binoculars toward Charlie’s location. He widened his eyes and focused his mind on the Bluetooth earpiece.

Charlie spoke again, and his words were rapid but controlled. “Yes, something. Two men.”

Will waited, not daring to speak. A screech of bird calls suddenly rose from the water before him, and he silently cursed the interruption to his focus. He looked quickly at Soroush, but the man was still alone on the bridge. Will turned back to look in Charlie’s direction.

“They’re at a stop.” Charlie’s voice was slower this time. “Fifty meters north of me, meaning three hundred and fifty meters from the bridge.”

Will instantly responded. “Your assessment?”

“It’s them.” Charlie went quiet for a moment. “I’m sure it’s them. But they’re waiting, and that’s bad.”

Will lowered his binoculars. He felt his pulse rate increase, but he ignored the natural reaction to the adrenaline release within his body. He put the binoculars up to his eyes again and this time looked to the northwest. “Alpha? Bravo?”

Alpha spoke first. “Four hostiles moving across my vision.”

Bravo then came onto the phone line. His voice was hushed. “Another five coming straight at me.”

“Damn it.” Will thought rapidly. Such a large number of hostiles suggested that they were a snatch squad, which meant that most likely they had a driver and vehicle waiting somewhere nearby.

Alpha spoke. “Mine have stopped.”

“So have mine,” added Bravo.

Will frowned. “Can they see either of you yet?”

“Don’t think so.”

“No.”

Will was about to speak, but Bravo beat him to it. “Two of mine are peeling off and heading southwest. The remaining three are still static.”

Will cursed again. “They must have a vehicle ready for them near Central Park South or Fifth Avenue. The two men heading southwest around the pond are moving into position to secure the team and the target’s extraction point.” He put his binoculars into a coat pocket and inhaled deeply. “These are my instructions. Alpha and Bravo: Put warning shots down against your hostiles and then move back to the west end of the bridge. Under no circumstances must either of you let them get onto the bridge. Charlie: Eliminate your two men, then move directly to Soroush. Get him off the bridge and head east with him out of the park. I’ll take care of the two hostiles heading my way.” He checked his watch. “And, gentlemen, we have a maximum of two minutes to get this done before this place is swarming with local law enforcement officers. Time starts now.”

Will turned in the direction of his two oncoming targets. His route to them would be under continuous tree cover, and he estimated that they would be nearly three hundred meters away from him. From his right overcoat pocket he withdrew a Heckler amp; Koch Mark 23 handgun. He walked quickly ahead, scrutinizing each gap between trees while at the same time focusing on anything that might come through his cell phone’s earpiece. Within a hundred and forty meters he came to the westernmost point of the pond and then turned to face north. His targets would now be very close.

Will heard four or five rapid bangs from across the pond and then a voice in his ear. “Charlie. Done. I’ll be at the bridge in sixty seconds.” Charlie had successfully taken out the two Iranian intelligence officers.

More shots then, coming from the north. Alpha and Bravo had also begun their controlled withdrawal to the bridge. Will bent his knees slightly and moved forward with his gun now clasped in both hands. He saw them. Two hostiles were running but seemed oblivious to the fact that they might be heading toward danger. When one of them finally spotted Will, he stopped and shouted. Will shot him in the head and then immediately adjusted his angle and fired twice into the other man’s torso. He sprinted up to the prone bodies and fired again into each man’s skull.

“Am on the bridge waiting for Bravo.” This was Alpha.

Will spoke loudly. “Bravo, get on that bridge.” He heard no response. “Bravo?” He ran onward and heard almost continuous gunfire ahead of him.

“Charlie. I’m also on bridge and moving to get-” For a second the line went quiet. Then Charlie came back on the air. He was shouting. “Alpha’s down! Multiples ahead! Have to engage!”

“Shit, no! Get Soroush out!” Will yelled, in a full sprint to the fight. Gunfire continued, becoming louder, and within seconds Will saw the bridge. And then he saw Charlie collapse. Four Iranians were about to step unopposed onto the bridge.

Will could easily see Soroush now. And Soroush could plainly see him. The man stared at him for what seemed like minutes but it was probably only a second. He shook his head very slightly.

Save yourself. I am lost to you now.