Insurgency Read online

  Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre, Germany

  The cell door opened and a middle aged man dressed in a tweed suit entered. He gestured at the table where Black sat and asked in a polished English accent. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Be my guest.” Who are you he thought?

  The visitor sat and placed a shopping bag by the side of the table. As if reading Black’s mind he spoke. “I am Professor Adam Thurlbeck of Detachment V.”

  Black smirked. “V as in vampire?”

  “That’s right. Would you care for a drink?” Without waiting for a reply Thurlbeck removed a thermos flask and two tin mugs from the bag, unscrewed the top and poured. He handed a mug to Black. “Best drink whilst it’s warm, always tastes better.”

  Black noticed his visitor’s hair was too dark for a man of his age. He peered into the mug; the content was a dark red. He didn’t need to ask what it was.

  “Cheers.” Thurlbeck held up his mug in a mock salute before drinking. “Ah that’s better.”

  Black cautiously followed suit. As the blood slipped down his throat he felt bolts of electricity course through his veins.

  “Would you like some more?” Thurlbeck asked. “The flask holds three mugs, one is enough for me.”

  Black nodded and the Englishman poured. When Black had finished he met Thurlbeck’s gaze and asked. “Vampire?”

  “Yes I am but not like you; I’m not allowed to tan.” Thurlbeck laughed at his own wit. “You really are something you know, somewhat of an anomaly. It’s a bit like going for a swim and coming face to face with a mermaid.”

  “Are you saying I smell of fish?”

  It took a second before Thurlbeck understood the joke. “You are funny. Yes, you could do with a wash.”

  “So who are you?”

  “Well I’m a scientist, and a vampire.”

  “I seem to be meeting a lot of them.”

  “Really? Oh. My job is to attempt to understand what we are and how our abilities can be harnessed.”

  “For what?To kill people?”

  “To help humanity dear boy, but this does inevitably involve ‘killing’ somewhere along the line.”

  “Wait, are you saying that I am not human?”

  “Ah, I’m glad you asked that. We look and feel the same as a human but what sustains us is different. In that sense we could be classified as non-human.”

  “Because we eat differently?”

  “Yes.”

  “So is a vegetarian considered a non-human then?”

  “No, not in my book. Refusing to eat meat is just not natural.”

  Black licked his lips and tasted blood. “So you are not military then?”

  “Not since my youth, and believe you and me that was a very long time ago. But I do work for your government.”

  “Look professor, I’m sure you are a great guy and a perfect party guest but can you tell me what you want from me? I’ve had enough of being cooped up.”

  “What I want from you Brad is for you to show me what you can do. I want to know what you are capable of. Then I want to see if I can duplicate it in a controlled environment with a test subject.”

  “You want me to be a lab-rat?”

  “I wouldn’t put it like that, but if we are being candid then yes.”

  “Hudson said that if I was useful I’d be working for him.”

  “Quite. After studying you we may be able to put you back in the field.”

  “Doing what exactly?”

  The Englishman smiled. “Part of the job is hunting and eliminating terrorists.”

  Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

  The blood was tepid but the temperature did not matter. Krasnov felt as though he was falling from a great height as the rushing sound in his head intensified. Then there was a bolt of pain and he opened his eyes.

  “It has been a long time, Hadama.” Hakim thrust the flask into the Ukrainian’s unsteady hands. “I knew I would find you here.”

  “You?”

  “Who else would know of this place?”

  “You have not aged.”

  “You have.”

  “If you live in this warzone; Hadama or not you will age!”

  “What are you doing here?” Krasnov emptied the flask.

  “I came to destroy them.”

  “As did I.”

  “Where is Dratshev?”

  “I do not know exactly. He and four others escaped from this place.”

  Hakim helped Krasnov to his feet. “Then our work is not done.”

  “I believe it is.”

  Hakim scowled. “What are you talking about Krasnov?”

  “Dratshev was injured; I shot him with silver rounds. He is in need of medical attention.”

  “Can it not just be dug out?”

  “No. All the shards must be retrieved. He will also need new blood.”

  Hakim thought for a moment. “He has his helicopter?”

  “Yes. He will make for a medical centre. The nearest one is the ISAF base at Tarin Kowt.”

  Hakim shook his head. “Even Dratshev would not dare enter another coalition base!”

  “He is a wounded animal and as such has a heightened sense of self-preservation. He will go there and seek treatment.”

  “I know the location.”

  “But they will not arrive. Their helicopter is rigged to explode. I have placed a silver laden incendiary device in the cockpit and a second in the passenger area. They will be destroyed in the air and fall to the earth as dust.” Krasnov imagined the scene in his head. First the IED in the cockpit would explode, joined a millisecond later by the second erupting in the passenger bay of the Black Hawk. Two white fireballs would then race towards the centre of the bird before meeting and incinerating everything.

  There was a silence as the pair of soldiers stood, eye to eye. Their war was over. They had started as enemies, had then been forced to work together and now...

  Krasnov decided to again clear the air. “I am sorry about your family.”

  Hakim’s eyes narrowed. “You had no choice; I understand that more now than ever before.”

  Vaha had a smile on his face as he tugged at the collective and fought the ferocious Afghan wind. As the Black Hawk flew under radar level it shook like a giant’s plaything. They skirted a compound and all but hit a roof as a tremendous gust attempted to ground them. Vaha knew that no one else had the ability to fly like him, not even America’s famed ‘Night Stalkers’ of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. They had state of the art equipment, computers and NVGs but he had real night vision, reaction times quicker than any human and of course no fear of flying to his death. They were not far from Tarin Kowt and Vaha was enjoying the irony of their anticipated arrival at yet another ISAF base. In the back Dratshev was unconscious even though both Ghost and Kirill had bled for him. His wounds were seeping as the silver prevented any regeneration or clotting. The one thing on the face of the earth that elicited anything resembling an emotion in Kirill was Dratshev. The ancient vampire had saved Kirill over eight-hundred years before from the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan at the Battle of the Kalka River. The Mongols had defeated the Rus Army, forcing them to surrender. The Mongols then massacred every last man until only Kirill remained. As the Mongols encircled him a man stepped forward and spoke in Russian. The man was Dratshev. With a speed that none of the warriors could believe Dratshev disarmed Kirill before piercing his neck with razor sharp fangs. It was the last time Kirill had lost a fight and tonight he would not lose the fight to save Dratshev.

  Helmand Province, Afghanistan

  For the second time in her career Paige Turner was being made to leave Afghanistan. She and Raymond were passengers on a noisy RAF transport plane that would deposit them back in the UK. Around them servicemen chatted animatedly, eager to get home and see their loved ones and glad to be alive. They seemed immune to the rough-ride caused by the high winds and turbulence which sent the Hercules crashing up and down like a y
acht in a stormy sea. As the plane lurched to the left Turner nudged Raymond, who had fallen asleep and was snoring.

  “W…what?”

  “You were snoring.”

  “For god’s sake Paige. You woke me up to tell me I was snoring?”

  “You don’t deny it?”

  “Paige, I don’t care. Just let me sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep like this, thinking that the plane is going to be shaken apart at any moment or fly into a mountain.”

  “The chances of us crashing are minimal Paige. Planes just don’t fall out of the sky.”

  Turner grunted as Raymond closed his eyes. “This is bollocks.”

  Raymond rubbed his face and sighed wearily. “What is?”

  She gestured around them “This. We’re being sent home like naughty school kids.”

  “We’ve finished our assignment; we were due to fly back any day, anyway.”

  “No. This is Matthers’ doing. He wanted us out of his way. He’s hiding something Dave and I need to find out what it is.”

  “From up here? Come on; think about it, he’s actually done us a favour. We were the last civvies to leave Firebase Python. Just think how much our stories are worth!”

  “I’m not in this for the money.”

  “I am. I need a new car.”

  “Something happened back there, something that they are trying to cover up.”

  “Some secrets should stay secret.”

  “A-ha. So you agree; Matthers was keeping something from us?”

  “It’s Op-sec. If he tells us he breaks operational security. Whatever it is he may or may not be hiding, may or may not be harmful to ISAF if it gets into the hands of the Taliban.”

  “Bollocks, that’s all I’ve got to say. Bollocks and bollocks to the lot of it.”

  Raymond put his hand on her knee. “When we get home I’ll buy you a drink, a real drink and we can forget all about Matthers and his secrets. Agreed?”

  Turner removed his hand. “As long as it is only a drink.”

  Raymond sighed. “How long can you continue to resist me?”

  “For as long as you are married. Now shut your eyes and don’t bloody snore.”

  Turner shut her own eyes but sleep would not come. There was a story and something inside her told her that she must not let it be covered up. How she would follow it or where it would lead she did not know.

  Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

  The shaking in the Black Hawk intensified as the buffeting of the wind increased. Ghost was used to ‘hairy’ helo rides but this was something else. The weather and Vaha’s skill as a pilot seemed to be bending the laws of physics. Ghost had no idea how they were still in the air. A sudden loss of height caused him to lose his grip and fall sideways. His back struck a black box which came loose from the fuselage. As Ghost pushed himself back into his position he froze. A thin wire was now protruding from the box. He moved towards it and his eyes widened.

  “Jesus Christ!”

  Kirill looked up. “What?”

  As Ghost turned his head he heard an explosion from the cockpit and threw himself in the opposite direction at Dratshev and the door. A millisecond later a white fireball tore into the cabin. Flames engulfed every interior surface. The Black Hawk plummeted and smashed into ground. There was a moment of calm as the rotors came to a stop in the sand and then the fuel ignited followed by a much larger explosion from the cabin which all but tore the bird apart. Flames licked the ground and surrounding vegetation.

  Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre, Germany

  Hudson swallowed the strong coffee and pointed at the file on the desk in front of him. “That the report?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “Take a look for yourself, it’s all very impressive.”

  Hudson rolled his eyes. “Just give me an overview Adam.”

  “As you wish.” Thurlbeck opened the file and took out the top page. “Well, he is the fastest and the strongest subject we have ever tested. The attributes that got him into Delta have been vastly improved by his vampiric state. In short he makes an Olympic athlete look like a couch potato.”

  “Adam you are a funny man but that’s a good analogy. Ok so we know that physically he is A+.”

  “I’d say AAA+.”

  “Whatever, he’s physically fit etc.” Hudson tapped the side of his head with his forefinger. “But how is he mentally? If we let this vampire loose how do I know he won’t go on some kind of killing spree?”

  Thurlbeck remained calm; he was used to Hudson’s lack of tact. “When was the last time you saw me kill anyone?”

  “You are different.”

  “In what way? I am a vampire; I must drink human blood in order to function.”

  “But you are not a trained killer.”

  Thurlbeck’s eyes hardened. “I am six hundred years older than you, I may not have picked up a gun in a while, but I know how to use one.”

  “Adam, sometimes I also find you very irritating. You know what I mean. You are a ‘good guy’ ok? What about Black, is he?”

  “In my opinion? Yes he is. When he was sired he seems to have not taken on any of the primordial vampiric tendencies, like some of the others we have seen. In fact he seems quite human, quite super-human.”

  “So he is good to go?”

  “You mean into the field?”

  “Yes.”

  “He is too valuable to our research, if he was to get killed or if he fell into the wrong hands it would be a disaster.”

  “Adam, if we followed that logic we’d never deploy drones or stealth fighters or I’d never get to take my 1955 Merc out for a burn.”

  “Colin, he is not a machine.”

  “Adam he is no longer a man. He’s a weapon, and we have to deploy him.”

  Epilogue: Tarin Kowt, Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan

  The wreckage was still smouldering as the Mounted Reconnaissance Troop of the US Army’s 14th Cavalry Regiment arrived at the crash site in their Stryker armoured personnel carriers. The turret gunners on the 0.50 cals did a sweep with NVGs as the men in the first vehicle debussed and formed a perimeter whilst the group in the second made for the charred Black Hawk. The helo had come down almost on top of the highway leading south to the regional centre of Kandahar. It was Tarin Kowt’s only road to the outside world and ISAF forces had been subjected frequently to Taliban attack on the exposed route. Lieutenant Jimmy Novak took his trained medic looked for signs of any survivors. In the pre-dawn light the air was still cold but even so he was sweating under his body armour as something inside him said that this was not a normal crash site. Using a flashlight they peered inside the carcass of the Black Hawk and saw only the charred remains of the pilot in the cockpit and one other in the back. Novak squinted, he could not be sure but in the torchlight he thought he saw a body a few meters away from the helo. It was not long before they discovered a total of three bodies which had miraculously been thrown clear on impact. One was wearing US fatigues.

  “Bag em and put em in the Strykers. There’s nothing else we can do here.”

  A private gave Novak a strange look. “You want us to travel back to the base with a body at our feet?”

  “What is it Gaynor, you afraid of ghosts?”

  The young private shook his head. “No, Lt.”

  “Good then get em in the back. We ain’t leaving em here to become trophies for the Talibs. They are Americans and deserve to get a chance to be taken home. We’ll put em in the morgue and let the doc look at em.”

  With the bodies loaded aboard, the two Strykers headed back to Camp Holland as the first fiery fingers of dawn appeared on the horizon.

  ***

  A Message from Alex Shaw

  Dear Reader,

  Let me thank you for purchasing this book. As an Indie author it is you the reader who determines if my work is a success or falls flat. In deciding to try a new genre I have taken a chance that not many traditional authors are eith
er willing or permitted to do. If you are a reader of my Aidan Snow thrillers then you will have seen that Delta Force Vampire: Insurgency is somewhat different. I have attempted to keep the authenticity of location and realism of characters and issues whilst adding an element of horror. In short I have tried to entertain and thrill. I therefore hope that you have been entertained and thrilled!

  This book is planned as the start of a new series but do not worry if you are missing Aidan Snow, his third novel ‘The Dangerous Deadly Elite’ will be available in early 2013.

  Please let me know any comments, ideas or questions you have. One question I get asked a lot is ‘what happens next?’ Why not tell me? I would be extremely happy to hear your feedback either via Facebook, Twitter or email: [email protected]

  Thank you for reading and supporting my writing.

  Alex

  Praise for Alex Shaw

  ‘He won’t be stopped now. The book will become popular among Kyiv’s expats; some of them will even recognize themselves.’ Kyiv Post on ‘Hetman’.

  ‘A strong aspect of HETMAN is Shaw’s knowledge of Ukraine & Special Forces operations. The character of Bull felt real on the page, you don't get better than that.’

  2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

  ‘With the world in financial turmoil and the Middle East aflame, fans of this genre will find COLD BLACK timely and entertaining.’

  2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

  ‘Something has clicked with audiences as Shaw’s books frequently hit

  #1 on International Kindle charts.’ What’s On Kyiv

  ***

  Also by Alex Shaw

  HETMAN

  A Special Forces Thriller introducing a reluctant hero, former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow.

  Attacked by an unknown adversary, Framed for two assassinations, Hunted by the Ukrainian Security Service, the life of former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow has been destroyed.

  Teaching at an international school in Ukraine, former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow has laid the nightmares of his past to rest. But when after ten years Snow meets again the man who put a gun to his head and ended his military career his past becomes very real. Told by the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) that his would be tormenter is dead Snow tries to forget...