Part   Nineteen   "Nightingale"

 
Saturday 29th April 2017
 

Tammy wasn't happy, not one jot.

She'd surprised herself by qualifying on the range with her handbag-sized Glock 19 but had then been reminded that she needed to re-qualify with her larger Glock 26, and the threat was that she wouldn't leave the base with it if she didn't have an up to date ticket. She'd protested in vain that her civilian qualification was only six months old, apparently the military liked to do things its own way.

At dinner, Marcus had warned Tammy there would be an early call for an exercise and that she should dress for the next day in the uniform that had been left in her room. She showered and pulled a set of fresh undies from her case, choosing a sleep tee.

It was half past two in the morning when there was a bang on her door, she woke startled.

"Lieutenant Smart, you're needed!"

"Errr, yes."

She had no idea what the emergency was but quickly dressed in the combat uniform that was folded on a chair. She had no long socks, only liners and tights, so made do before pulling on the trousers and the boots. There was another bang on the door as she was tying the knots.

"Almost ready!"

She slipped her phone, Glock 19 and her ID in pockets when walked out, a soldier was waiting. A cap went on her head, although she hadn't had a chance to do anything with her hair.

"Come with me."

She was let through a door that said 'Quartermaster'. A backpack, helmet and SA80 automatic rifle were handed to her, but before she could ask anything she was led to a waiting jeep, the soldier got into the driver's seat after directing Tammy to the rear. A female officer was waiting for her and spoke as they pulled away.

"Finally, you need to be quicker than that Lieutenant Smart."

"I have no idea what I'm doing or who you are?"

"Didn't Captain Marcus warn you to be ready for an early call?"

"Yes, but not half past bloody two, and who the hell are you?"

"If you were really a Lieutenant I would break you for insolence like that. I'm Captain Nightingale."

"Well, Captain, err, Nightingale, what am I doing here?"

"This is day two of your evaluation for Broadsword."

"Yeah, I get that bit, but why the firearm and the rest of it?"

"You'll be in a scenario with a team you don't know, doing a job you haven't prepared for."

"So I've already been bollocked for not doing research but you tell me that's exactly the plan right now."

"Yes, you won't always have the luxury of even ten minutes to read up on the job in hand."

They rode along in silence for a while. Tammy tried to see where they were going but the road wasn't lit and the headlamps weren't illuminating any signs; all she could determine was that the road was lined with trees and hedgerows with no sign of civilisation.

"So why do I have this?" She lifted the SA80 before dropping it back onto her lap.

"Standard equipment. Were you given the introduction course to the Mark 2?"

"No."

"Why didn't you say?"

"Like I had a choice?"

"Right now you shouldn't have that weapon."

"Who's idea was it that I should? We're here now so let's just say that I am familiar with the SA80."

"When?"

"Sorry, need to know. It's in my file but I bet you haven't seen it."

"I could order you to tell me?"

"Please don't try anything stupid, I'm ratty enough already as it is."

"Are you threatening me?"

Tammy carefully released the magazine but was holding the weapon so the magazine didn't appear to detach. Her right hand went to her pocket. "That's not the intention, but I have been in very difficult situations before and I react according to instinct, usually, not because of any training. That makes me a little unpredictable. Having said that, you should also know that I have a very wide range of experiences, despite my apparent young age. Given that Captain Wade didn't tell me anything about today, how do I know that I am not in jeopardy?"

"You should consider yourself on a charge for even suggesting that!"

"Not likely. Better that we turn about. I'll continue on with Captain Wade."

The Captain reached for Tammy's SA80, but she held it with one hand whilst retrieving her Glock with the other, then levelled it at Captain Nightingale.

Tammy barked, "Stop the vehicle! NOW!"

The driver was already pulling over, Tammy had noted back at the base that he hadn't a sidearm.

"You are making a big mistake." Nightingale snarled

"Really? I've no idea as to who you are or in which capacity you are acting."

Tammy's attention turned lightly to the driver. "Leave the keys, get out and wait." He did as asked.

Nightingale made a lunge and was met with the butt of Tammy's pistol to her forehead.

"That was stupid, I did warn you. Now, would be the time for explanations. What is going on?"

Captain Nightingale said nothing and stayed silent. Outside, the silence was interrupted by the sound of another vehicle approaching. Tammy suddenly remembered the incident in the West End coffee shop with Kerri, a teaspoon against the window created a diversion to give them an edge. Diverted attention was indeed deadly.

Slowly she acted as if turning to look. As suspected; her prisoner made a lunge for the SA80. Tammy let her manage to snatch it away, only to realize too late, that the magazine was in Tammy's left hand. The rifle was now simply an expensive club. Tammy leaned slightly forward, closed her right eye and fired close to the officer's head. The bullet passed through the side window only, but the shot had her desired effect. Captain Nightingale was now disoriented, deafened and flash-blinded. Quickly Tammy exited from the vehicle.

A jeep slid to a stop as Marcus bolted from it. "Hold your fire!"

Tammy glared. "WHERE the Hell have you been?"

Marcus Wade waved her toward himself. "Come back here, Tammy."

She took a hesistant look at Captain Nightingale, who had now opened her door and was leaning on the vehicle. Tammy had no answers and did not like that.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Wade asked, noting the clearly dazed officer.

"Single shot close to her head. Threat neutralized."

"Jesus! You're not safe with a weapon!"

"I haven't killed anyone, yet. I believe she is a True Freedom supporter, or similar, and she was about take me out for certain."

"Bloody hell, she's been a part of this unit for nearly a year."

"Shouldn't we check the personnel, in case any more are terrorist sympathisers?"

"You need to write this up immediately before any detail is lost and then we are going to work out how to handle it."

"What about me?"

"Indeed, what about you?"

"Shouldn't I be in shock, or something? After all, I just had an attempted kidnapping incident."

"Any normal person would be, Tammy."

"Yeah. Anyway; how come you got here and where were you?"

"I went to collect you at three for the exercise and you'd already gone. The quartermaster told me you were only a few minutes ahead so we came after you."

"Exercise?"

"It's a search and locate exercise near Thetford Forest, the rest of the team are probably there by now."

"They are? Let's go then."

"What?"

"Apparently it is training time, we should go to it."

"Are you off your head? There's a mess here to deal with, and you want to carry on as if nothing happened!"

"Right, the mess, should I just shoot her?"

Marcus stepped in close. "NO. She's on the team."

"Not according to my information."

"So, that's your justification, judge, jury and executioner?"

"Look, Marcus, I have a weapon to defend myself. That's how it'll be written, if I make a report. I'm not sorry about your officer, but it was her or me. I know I made the right choice and yet she is still alive and relatively unharmed. As it is, I wasn't even supposed to be in that vehicle at all, was I?"

"That was the designated jeep, but you should have been with me."

"So, what's the problem?"

"You're the problem, Tammy."

"How so? You said an early call, yet now you say that I was brought out before correct time. That is the vehicle I was supposed to be in, with you, yet you were not in it. In fact, you were nowhere to be seen until just now. At this moment; I am more confused as to what is going on than before I set out from home. In fact, it's starting to look like I was brought here to mop up after 6's cock-up, so don't call me 'the problem'!"

Marcus glared at her, "That is not the case here."

"Really? Just exactly who is Friend and Foe? Those are starting to blur. Kerri said that there would be agendas. Mine is simple; Stay Alive. You seem to be promoting to the contrary right now and it is not in my best interest."

"You should go back to base to be interviewed by the MPs."

"So you play by rules in the unit? Well, so did I; do you remember my personal warrant?"

"This is military, not civilian?"

"Really? The range officer didn't accept me as military, except when it suited him, and I won't accept that a Military Policeman is cleared to deal with me. Either you handle this or I'll get the local Counter-Terrorist unit involved. Meanwhile I really should be meeting the team for the exercise."

"Just like that?" Wade growled.

Tammy finally had enough. "I am not going to put up with everyone having as many ways as they want whilst setting me up as their scapegoat! 'Life isn't fair'. So be it! Not one explanation as to what is going on. Who is she? What is her objective? Why are you all over me and not her for breaking YOUR protocol? What was that saying, 'I smell a rat'? Is this where I shoot her in the knee to prompt answers?"

Marcus spoke to his driver. "Call back to Base; inform them I'll be returning. Take the Lieutenant on to Stanford and walk her to the briefing room." Marcus then turned to the driver of the other jeep. "You will drive myself and Captain Nightingale back. Captain, get in. Ride up front. Not one word from either of you!"

Tammy climbed into the jeep and was driven on, it was a very quiet half an hour through the middle of nowhere. Finally the driver pased through a security checkpoint then stopped at a building front, walked her inside to a door marked Briefing and sent her in.

"Becky?"

Tammy turned and saw a familiar face walking towards her.

"We met at a training camp, a year or two back?" He kept his voice down, across the room others could see them but not hear.

"Did we? You might have me confused with someone else?"

"No, no, I'm pretty sure? You had a boyfriend called Daniel in Newquay?"

"No." Tammy did recognise the tall Kiwi from the camp in Hythe, Kent, where she'd succumbed a flesh wound. She unconsciously rubbed her shoulder.

"Yeah, sure, Jimmy almost took your arm off when you popped out of a doorway unexpectedly."

"Look, firstly I'm not Becky and secondly I don't you shouldn't be discussing this."

"Sure Becky, or whatever your name is these days. There's more of the crowd from Hythe over there."

"Shit!"

Tammy looked across and recognised a few more, although a few were putting camoflage make-up on.

"Okay, I was there, but Becky doesn't exist, right?"

"Sure, whatever, nice to see you again. By the way, why do you have live ammo?"

"It's what I was issued with."

"You should have a blank magazine, check in your pack."

"What am I looking for?"

"A magazine with a yellow mark on the side."

"Found one."

"Good, swap it over." She did as asked.

"I don't know how that happened. Anyway, where are we?"

"This is the Stanford Training Area, haven't you been here before?"

"No."

"Then you're in for a surprise."

The Kiwi turned and raised his voice. "Attention! Change of Order; Captain Wade had been delayed so I am the ranking officer. For those who don't know me, my name is Captain Fielding. Today's mission is to find the insurgent. Please collect your briefing papers from the table over there." He pointed.

Tammy retrieved a copy, the insurgent was apparently born in Birmingham but had joined an Al Qaeda affiliated sect. He was intent on enacting revenge on any western assets. A photograph was attached and he was described as 5'10" with olive skin. He had a full beard and shoulder length hair.

"I hope you've all memorised that as I want every copy left in here. Any questions?"

There weren't any, although Tammy still wasn't sure what they were doing. A door was opened and they walked along a dimly lit corridor to a further door. The rest of the guys were putting on helmets so Tammy detached hers from her backpack and did likewise, losing her beret.

The lights were dimmed lower and then the outer door was opened, Tammy followed the dozen or so men into a village, but not one she was familiar with. As her eyes adjusted to the moonlight she saw a minaret above the single and two storey houses. Captain Fielding walked back to where Tammy was stood.

"Get out of the square and take cover!"

"Where the hell is this?"

"Just outside Kabul."

"Hang on, am I dreaming?"

"Nope. Keep your voice down, we don't want to disturb the locals."

"Locals?"

"Yes, remember that mock up in Hythe?"

"Yeah?"

"This is an Afghan village training base, complete with locals, IEDs, the lot."

"Shit!"

"Exactly."

Tammy stayed with the Captain whilst they patrolled the area, suddenly the air was full of the sound of chants.

"What's that?"

"Call to prayer, in Pushtu. It's about five o'clock."

"This is too real."

"I said you'd be surprised!"

Suddenly there was movement and the locals started to come out of the houses. Some had prayer mats so put those down and started to pray. Tammy and the Captain walked on, he suggested that she smiled and made welcoming waves.

"You're playing this for real?"

"Too bloody true, you use all the training you can get, that way you won't get any nasty shocks."

"I have no idea why I'm here, then."

"You don't have a posting?"

"I'm a civvie, although that seems to be open to discussion right now."

"There's no way a civvie would have been at Hythe, much less here."

"Yeah, it's complicated."

The Captain touched his ear. "Affirmative."

"You're needed back in the briefing room."

"Oh? Any reason why?"

"No, that was all the message said."

The Captain called one of his men over and told them to escort the female Lieutenant back from where they'd come.

She could hear muted shouts, in English, as they walked across the site. The shouts got louder but her escort kept going, ignoring the operation that was seemingly in progress. As they rounded a corner, a male stepped out in front of them, Tammy recognised the face and raised her weapon. "Down!"

The insurgent had something in his hand as he went down and Tammy hadn't had a chance to clear it. Her escort didn't want her to hang around but Tammy reached into her pack and pulled some flexicuffs out, having seen them earlier. She secured the ankles and then went for the arms. "Cover me!" Her escort grudgingly raised his weapon towards the prisoner as Tammy reached for the hands, hesitantly until she spotted the small fruit that he was carrying. Reinforcements arrived just as the insurgent was about to kick off, at least that was how Tammy read it.

"I thought you were on your way out of the training ground?"

"So did I until this gift popped up in front of me."

"Not too bad, well done."

A few minutes later she was back inside, removed her helmet and went to find a loo. Captain Wade and Colonel Sean MacTaggart were waiting for her.

"One thing I do not like in the middle of the night, young lady, is a helicopter ride across the country to deal with a mess that wasn't my own making!"

"I'm sure you've heard the interim report?"

"Yes, and you took her down without any verification or real justification!"

"In which case perhaps we should be having this conversation elsewhere, 'Uncle'."

"I know, but it's still a mess."

"It turns out I should have had blank ammo in my SA80, and not live rounds, that also needs to go into my report."

"And the MPs are waiting for you."

"No they bloody aren't, is this how you reward someone who was kidnapped by a terrorist? Treat me as the villain?"

"It's just a formality."

"Really? My guess is that they've already searched her quarters, without waiting for anyone from the Special Ops team, and have probably declared her a 100% honest officer?"

"That's not their job."

"And I bet they're not used to counter terrorism investigations?"

"That's not your concern."

"It's my arse on the line and given recent history I have every right to be careful!"

"How did the exercise go?"

"I found and detained the insurgent."

"You helped?"

"No, I found him and he had my flexicuffs around his ankles when the others turned up, I was just about to tie his wrists."

"So you found it useful?"

"Yes, although if you even suggest I fly out to Afghanistan....?"

"You wouldn't be aby use if we had a problem in the UK, plus somehow I think you wouldn't qualify to go."

"Because I'm trans?"

"No, silly girl, because you're not fit and you're not trained. We don't put untrained personnel in dangerous positions."

"Clearly you haven't read my file either!"

Sean laughed, "No, no, we'll give you all the training you need, once we're satisfied you are committed to join us and we're committed to have you in our unit. Right now an untrained operative is more dangerous than an insurgent."

"So there is a plan?"

"Yes, come on, I'll travel back with you and maybe we can sort this mess out?"

Sean walked with Tammy to a waiting helicopter, Tammy belted herself in before any of the crew could intervene.

"Be careful boys, she part owns a helicopter company!"

It wasn't a long ride back to Wattisham and, by the time they landed, the sun was up. Sean walked with Tammy down to the briefing room she'd spent the previous afternoon in.

"What's she doing here!" Tammy near exploded.

"Captain Nightingale is here to help you understand what went on today."

"Really?"

"Yes, Tammy." Her head span around to the monitor where Kerri was looking down, holding a mug of cocoa. "All is not as it may seem."

"Well, my stomach tells me it's breakfast time and my head tells me I should still be in bed. Those I can process, but not terrorist sympathisers?

Marcus wade suggested Tammy sat down. "We've put you through the mill this morning, and my apologies, but I think it worked out quite well."

"What?"

"Captain Nightingale is not a True Freedom operative or follower, she was simply following my orders to put some confusion into you. We didn't know, however, that you would have a Glock with you and we are grateful that you showed restraint."

"I was tempted to put one between her eyes."

"And that would have been a real sod to deal with."

"So it was all a ruse?"

"Yes, and you passed the test."

"Good, I'm hungry and then I'm going back to bed!"

"Oh no, you are going on the range with your Glock 26."

"I'm tired and hungry."

"Doesn't matter, sleep is a luxury you might not have in the field."

"Sod that, I'm resigning."

-------

Stanford Training Area (inc Afghan village) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Training_Area