Andy McNab - Payback

Danny was unrolling new sleeping bags from their plastic wrapping. ‘So how come we can use this place? And you’ve got the keys?’

Joey took another puff on his cigar. ‘While you were shopping, I went to see Sonny’s wife, Joyce. She’s a fine woman; I met Sonny through Joyce back in Nigeria a few years ago.’ He smiled and wistfully blew on the end of the smouldering cigar. ‘Yes, a fine woman. In fact, there was a time, a while back, when me and Joyce used to-’

‘Dad!’ said Elena holding up her hands. ‘This comes under the heading of “too much information”. We get the picture – you were good friends, right?’

‘That’s right – real good friends, honey. But Joyce has been struggling to keep the business going. So she’s agreed that I can take over after I’ve spent a couple of days sorting out my own situation.’ He looked at Fergus. ‘That’s where you come in.’

Fergus nodded. ‘If we get out of this, I’ll do what I can for you.’

‘I’m counting on you,’ said Joey as they watched Elena take her precious laptop from its bag.

‘Can you get online here?’ asked Fergus.

‘All I need is a hotzone.’ She saw his puzzled look. ‘There’ll be plenty around, I just have to find one I can access.’

‘Right. Well, I want to stitch my leg up while I’ve still got the strength, and you won’t want to watch. You and Danny go and see if you’ve had any more messages from our friend in the Firm. If you have, you tell her exactly what I’ve told you and no more.’

Joey threw his cigar butt onto the floor, trod on it and then stood up. ‘Think I’ll take a ride. I’m not specially keen on watching medical operations either.’ He was already on his way to the stairs. ‘I’ll go see Joyce – we’ve got a lot of catching up to do and-’

‘Wait!’ said Fergus. ‘I want you nearby; we’ll need you to drive later. Go find those things I asked you to get me, but move the car first. Park it outside the square, across the road where we can see it. And keep it there from now on – we don’t want to attract any unnecessary attention after dark.’

‘These things you want Joey to find?’ said Danny. ‘I thought we’d bought everything you wanted.’

‘Just a few extras. For defence. Come on, let’s move. Elena, what about your school?’

‘School?

‘Won’t they be worried if you don’t turn up?’

Elena shrugged. ‘I’m sixth form. Sometimes I don’t go.’

Fergus nodded. ‘I need your computer bag, and Joey, leave me your lighter.’

‘My computer bag?’

Joey looked equally bewildered. ‘My lighter? Just what sort of operation is this?’

Fergus smiled. ‘They’re for after the operation.’

The 21b-breaking-strain length of nylon fishing line was threaded through the small needle and was balanced on Fergus’s good leg. He’d pushed his tracksuit bottoms down around his ankles and now slowly eased off the last of the bloodstained dressings from the GSW to expose the entry and exit wounds.

It didn’t look good: the pus spots were getting bigger. One had burst and was oozing into the torn, scabby flesh. Fergus poured the last bottle of antiseptic liquid over the gaping wounds and doused the needle and fishing line as well. He held his breath and took the pain as the fluid attacked the exposed muscle. It wasn’t going to help much – the wounds were far too infected – but the thought that it might at least stop them from getting any worse made Fergus feel a little better.

Fergus had performed this sort of emergency operation before, in the field; but never on himself. It was going to hurt, but there was no other option: the wounds had to be stitched up if they were ever going to heal. He could worry about fighting the infection when, and if, he managed to get some proper medical attention.

He took a deep breath, clenched his teeth and pushed the needle in at the start of the exit wound, tensing his muscles to absorb the pain. The needle penetrated the top layer of skin and slid through muscle until it pierced the raw flesh on the inside of the wound. It hurt like hell, but that was a good sign – at least the muscle hadn’t gone dead and blood was still flowing around the wound.

With his left hand Fergus squeezed the two sides of the wound together, and pushed again until the needle broke through the skin on the other side. He took another breath and held it, pulled on the needle and watched as the fishing line slid through the two sides of the wound and slowly closed them together. He kept the needle held high in his right hand and his left continued to squeeze the wound together. The best way to combat the pain was to get on with it, so he moved the needle across and pushed it in again.

Gradually he stitched up the exit wound; nothing fancy or pretty, he just looped his way along, with the pain getting worse all the time. He couldn’t allow himself to pass out. He could hear Danny and Elena speaking to each other downstairs. He focused on their voices, forcing himself to try to hear what they were saying, as he watched his skin being pulled up like a small volcano, with pus oozing from the top each time he tightened the fishing line.

Finally the exit wound was stitched. It would hold for now. The entry wound was smaller: stitching it would be easier. Fergus gritted his teeth and began again.

There were plenty of firms and individuals operating their own hotzones in the area, and as Elena had told Fergus, she just had to find one that didn’t need a password for access.

She went onto her wifi network and a whole list of names appeared.

‘A lot of people are lazy,’ she said, scrolling down to the first name. ‘Either they don’t care who uses their hotzone and let anyone on, or they give it a name and then use the name as the password, so no one logging on has to remember anything different.’

But Elena’s confidence was dented slightly when she was unsuccessful with the first few names she tried. Each time she typed in a password matching the name, she was denied access.

‘Maybe they’re more security conscious around here,’ said Danny, wondering if they would have to go out and legitimately log onto a publicly accessible hotzone somewhere in the area.

‘We’ll find one,’ said Elena. ‘Just be patient.’

Before she could try the next name on the list, the metal shutter at the front of the building opened noisily and Joey appeared clutching an empty five-litre paint can. He held it up. ‘You think this will do?’

‘For what, Dad?’

Joey shrugged. ‘Don’t ask me, darling. Fergus said he wanted a paint can. Found this one in the skip outside, and the nuts and bolts he wants.’ He shook the can and the rattling sound proved to Danny and Elena that it did indeed contain pieces of metal. ‘I’ll leave this here while I go get some cardboard. There’s plenty in one of the other skips, but I got no idea where I’ll get the electric plug and lead he wants.’

Danny and Elena exchanged a look. They had no idea what Joey was talking about but they could easily solve one problem for him.

‘Dad, what is this place full of?’

Joey glanced around. ‘Fridges, darling. And freezers, and washing machines.’

‘And what have most of them got dangling from the back?’

Joey looked at the closest fridge and saw the length of electrical lead and the plug still attached to the machine. He smiled. ‘Darling, you’re a genius.’

He placed the paint can on the floor, stepped outside and rolled down the shutter, and with a shrug to Danny, Elena went back to her computer.

The next name on the list was OfficeHelp. Elena typed the name into the password box and suddenly she was online. She grinned at Danny. ‘Must be one of the firms around here. Very helpful they are too.’