Scorpion's Reach, page 2
“Come on, slowcoach,” Sandy turned and shouted over her right shoulder as she approached the next bend in the road. The hills weren’t big, but they were constant, and besides the scenery to the left was the kind that if you caught a glimpse, it would stop you dead in your tracks as you tried to take it in, Joey wasn’t a religious person, but seeing this scenery was almost a spiritual experience.
The mountains weren’t tall enough to be snow-capped, but the rocky peaks surrounded by emerald green forests that hadn’t been touched by man. They cascaded down the slopes until they suddenly dropped onto beaches. Not ‘pristine white’ beaches, but messy, untouched and littered with driftwood. The things that the sea herself deposits on beaches. The kind of things that say “Man’s not been here. And he better not touch me.”
For Joey, coming from a place that’s teeming with people where you can’t see the beaches for deck chairs and stuff. Seeing such untouched beauty was stunning. He hadn’t really believed that such places still existed, but here they were, and they were everywhere on this Island.
The beaches themselves were bordered by steep cliffs on one side, and a turquoise sea on the other. The sea actually bubbled in places as the earth’s crust was so thin that it warmed the water. At one point the other day, they’d actually taken a hot bath in seawater on the beach!
There were four of them altogether; Joey and Sandy, along with Sandy’s sister Helen and her husband Kevin. A ‘good kiwi bloke’, as he loved to say. Straight after the hospital. Joey and the team had a meeting with Sir Michael who basically said, “You’re too valuable to go back to your old regiment so we’re transferring you to MI6 as soon as Joey’s well enough to carry on.”
That was it. Joey’s days in the Army were over. The days as “Bond, James Bond” as he tried to say in a pathetic Scottish accent were just beginning.
“First order of the day,” Sir Michael had continued, “Phoenix is wounded, but they’re not finished. They want blood. AND WE MEAN YOURS.” He’d looked around the room at the team. “Apparently, they want your heads served up on a silver platter and preferably severed from your bodies. They’re willing to pay a high price for them!”
“That along with the unholy political row that Iran caused,” He went on. “Means we need you folks out of the way for a while.” He shifted in his seat as he said the words. The rest of the team just looked at each other, not sure whether they liked what they heard. Moving to MI6 was a huge pay increase, and they’d get to play with a lot more ‘cool gadgets’ but the Army was all most of the team had ever wanted. Taking it away like this seemed cruel.
“Jacko,” Sir Michael continued, “You and Mac are going to Canberra. The Aussie SAS would like to learn a few things from you, officially still with the Regiment, but at my beck and call,” He didn’t even pause as he turned to Smithy, “You’re going to Burnham down in New Zealand, the Defence Force there want a sniper instructor,”
“What about us sir?” Joey’d stopped him in his tracks and was somewhat impatient.
“We’re going on Holiday,” Sandy replied, “Don’t argue!” She looked Joey in the eye. She knew he’d want to get back into the thick of things. “You need to recover some more, and besides, I haven’t said where yet. New Zealand, to see my sister and her husband,”
“Oh” was all he could say, not sure how to take the ‘meet the family’ routine.
“You’ll love it,” Sandy replied. “They’re the real outdoors people, just the kind you love.”
The road that runs around the coast of New Zealand is known as the Pacific Highway. In some places, near the big cities, it’s a wide open road. Sometimes with dual carriageways, at other times. Near the smaller places the road is just a single carriageway around the Island, and in some of the more remote places, it isn’t even a mettle road, just a gravel road. Often clinging to the cliffs with sheer drops into the ocean.
Just north of Thames, on the Coromandel peninsula, it’s a single carriageway. But go too far and she gives way to a gravel road. They were still on the single carriageway, just south of Coromandel township. A small settlement near the northern end of the peninsula, a winding road at the best of times.
The rest of them were up at the hairpin bend, admiring the view. Joey wasn’t that far behind. He could have easily kept up with them, but Sandy had explained that part of the job was not telling folks what you did, and being ‘too fit’ after a serious accident (that was the story) would kind of give the game away a little. It would have people a bit too suspicious, so he’d play along with it and was taking his time, but being called a ‘slowcoach’ was pushing it, even if it was his beloved saying it.
The other three were on the small grass verge as he got to the bend. Kevin, a born naturalist and ardent conservationist, was explaining something to the two girls. Joey couldn’t quite hear what he was saying, but he followed their gaze to the creatures frolicking in the bay. There was a group of large black and white creatures swimming and diving in the water between the islands in the bay. The closest of them was probably only about two hundred yards off the shore.
“Are they?” Joey began, and then he realised what they were watching. “That’s a pod of Orcas!” was more a statement than a question. The only time Joey had ever seen Orcas was on TV. “I thought they lived in the Arctic?”
“They do in the Arctic summer,” Kevin replied. “And in the southern Ocean in the Southern Summer. The Hauraki Gulf is a stopping off point on their journey, a kind of Whale’s refuelling station, they’re stopping off for a feed in the bay,”
They were mesmerized, watching a pod of creatures as majestic as the Orca is something special. Even in New Zealand you could spend hundreds of dollars paying to go out beyond the horizon ‘Whale watching’ and still not see a sight as amazing as twenty to thirty Orcas just feeding in the bay, what made it even more special was that just a little further away was another pod, but this one was Dolphins, and the two didn’t seem to bother each other.
“Do the Orcas feed on dolphins?” Helen asked, everyone wanted to know.
“Sometimes,” Kevin replied, “But these seem to not be bothering with the Dolphins as they tend to fight back as a group”
“Kind of a don’t screw with us then?” Joey asked cheekily. He was fascinated that the Dolphins would band together and protect each other.
“Put it this way,” Kevin replied, “If they did feed on dolphins, they wouldn’t be welcome here! The dolphins keep sharks away and they’re probably Hector’s dolphins, they’re only found in New Zealand waters,”
“Yeah,” Helen agreed. “Dolphins hunt Sharks don’t they?” she asked.
“Not just that,” Kevin continued, “but if anyone’s in danger from sharks, the dolphins will come in and attack the shark, often driving it off and saving the people.”
That bit was a bit too much, both Joey and Sandy broke out into a disbelieving smile. But neither said anything for fear of offending their hosts. Kevin saw it and jumped back in with ‘proof’ “I’ll show the articles on the net when we get back.” He spoke up, “Where people were swimming and the dolphins protected them! By the way, Orcas also think sharks are tasty!”
James Cavell was an arrogant prick and not only did he know it. He really didn’t give a damn what people thought of him, not even his boss at the Bank!
‘When you make people tons of money,’ he thought to himself often. ‘They really don’t give a toss what you’re like’ and he was making them bucket loads of cash. So he really didn’t give a damn what people thought of him.
He’d been with the Bank just two years and in that time he’d made them a whole bundle of money. If you didn’t look too closely at the clients and some of the things they got up to.
But that was ‘work’ and right now he just couldn’t care less about it. The sun was shining, the road was quiet, a gorgeous blonde in the passenger seat.
He knew she too only wanted his money. She wasn’t an ‘escort’ or whatever they called themselves, but the only thing she wanted was his dough.
Truth was that it was okay. He’d spend a little on her over the weekend, and maybe one or two more weekends. Then it’ll be the old ‘heave ho’ and find another. That’s the way he lived his life, and he loved it.
The weekend they’d got planned was a simple ‘romantic weekend’ away from the city at his place overlooking the bay north of Coromandel Township. The bay was one of the most magical ones you could imagine, with emerald islands set in turquoise seas where amazing sea life can be seen.
“Snorkelling and sex” was all that was on his mind, and not necessarily in that order. The blonde was ‘hot’ after all and well, he just might not be able to hold himself back from sampling the delights of what she was offering! The road was the last thing on his mind.
Then again, in a McLaren P1, you didn’t need to do too much thinking about the road. The car did the thinking for you.
A formula one engine accelerates you from zero to sixty miles or one hundred kilometres an hour in just under three seconds, the speed topping out at just over two hundred miles an hour making it a true ‘supercar’
The traction control system keeps the car literally glued to the road as if with superglue, and human control is just too slow so it’s all controlled by computer. Yet just enough is left to the human that it feels as if the car is under the driver’s control, making it not just a thrill to drive but a whole new amazing experience for anyone lucky enough to amass so much wealth.
The road from Auckland to the town of Thames had been reasonably busy with the cops patrolling and people keeping their speed down. Still, it had only taken about two hours for the hundred-mile trip. But most of the traffic was turning right just before there and heading to Whitianga or Whangamata. ‘Where the wannabes go’ he thought to himself.
Cavell had a place in a secluded spot right on the beach halfway between Coromandel Township and Colville. A few million dollars plus a place that, well, it was probably better that the bank didn’t know about it as they might get worried just what he was doing with the clients’ money.
The McLaren was cruising along just in second gear at the one hundred kilometres or sixty miles an hour speed limit. Frustration was beginning to show. He just wanted the chance to ‘open her up.’ That would come just after Thames, followed by hairpins and enjoyable roads as he tore along, scaring the life out of anything he would meet on that road.
They pulled up at the last set of lights in town, right next to a Porsche 911 Cayman. The other driver gave a look that clearly meant “not impressed” and revved the engine. It wasn’t even a contest. The Porsche can do a standing start to sixty in just over three seconds, the McLaren does it in two and a half. Cavell was going to have some fun at this idiot in the Porshe’s expense!
They stayed behind the Porsche until they got around the first bend. The other driver must have thought he had them beat; but on the long straight stretch, Cavell let her loose. The McLaren growled with delight, wheels spinning, she blew past the other car as if it was parked. The long face and dropped jaw on the other driver said it all. She was flying. Cavell eased off the accelerator, but she kept speeding up faster and faster as if the foot was to the floor, eating up the road like a ravenous beast devouring prey; He tried the brake, really sluggish. Something wasn’t right. They should have responded well. He tried again, even worse. Pumping the brake nothing happened, the brakes failed, and the throttle stuck open. Not good.
“Not good at all!” He was beginning to panic.
“James” Denise, the girl with him, was looking worried. “Don’t you think you should slow down?”
“I’m trying” he wanted to shout, it didn’t come out as a shout though. More like a whisper, he was concentrating so hard. He grabbed for the handbrake and began pulling, they’d reached a hundred and ten miles an hour and she was still accelerating, a slight right-hand bend fast approaching, crashing the car crossed his mind except one side was rock and the other a twenty-foot drop, neither were good options
“The accelerator’s stuck,” was all he could say. He was pumping the pedals as hard as he could, nothing was happening, “and the brakes aren’t working”
“What?” she looked across at him worriedly.
The car was doing over a hundred and twenty miles an hour now and still accelerating hard. There was no way they were going to make the hairpin that was coming up, the only hope they had was for him to try to ‘drift’ the car round the bend, but with the traction control still engaged the chances of drifting were much reduced, there were people at the bend that he was probably going to hit. There was nothing he could do about it, it was him or them, and he knew whom he’d choose. The bend was fast approaching. He swung the steering wheel hard to the right to try to make the bend, still pumping the brakes to try to get the last ounces of fluid to apply the brakes just enough to get them round the bend, there was no time to worry about what next.
The car turned and slid sideways; the McLaren was so low on the ground and the centre of balance was so low that there was no way it was going to roll. But centrifugal force took over and the car, instead of going forward, was now moving sideways; tyres squealing, rubber burning and sliding forward, but every inch forward meant a foot sideways with the crash barrier fast getting closer.
The four people at the bend were trying to dive out of the way as the passenger side of the car slammed into the crash barrier with a force that ripped the crash barrier clean off the support posts like tearing through a paper barrier and kept going; airbags deployed instantly, but the force of the impact still threw them violently sideways, almost snapping their necks.
Denise bore the full impact of the crash, the door moving back into her body and breaking every rib. Two of them punctured her left lung and a third went straight through her heart. She was killed instantly. Cavell wasn’t so lucky; he was still alive when someone found him.
The vehicle came to a stop on its roof at the bottom of the incline. Cavell wasn’t sure how long he was ‘out for’ only that when he came to, he was upside down. Held firmly in place by the four-point harness that was the vehicle seat belt, a proper racing harness similar to those used in racing cars.
There was blood on just about every surface inside the vehicle. He tried to open his eyes, but only one obeyed. A misty red scene awaited him as he tried to look around. Searing pain in his lower abdomen told him there was probably some serious internal damage. He could feel his feet, but not move them. He was trapped.
Out of his good eye, he could see Denise. She was a mess, blood covering most of her face. She was clearly dead. As he looked at her, he saw another moving around the vehicle, a man wearing all black. He didn’t get a clear view, as the man seemed to keep his face out of sight. What he saw was a very slight build that seemed to move with grace and purpose around the vehicle.
“Help” Cavell tried to shout, but all that came out was a whisper. He looked for his ‘Angel’ to see what he was doing. He felt powerful hands moving around his neck. “Checking my injuries,” he thought to himself.
His sense of relief turned to alarm as those hands grasped a firm vice-like grip on his neck and gave a violent twist, severing his spinal column at the base of the brain. The last thought he would ever have didn’t have time to form before oblivion descended forever.
Chapter 3
Joey saw or rather heard the car approaching and something just didn’t seem right. It sounded like the engine was screaming, almost like whoever the idiot was driving it. Were they trying to blow the engine? Something just didn’t sound right. He stopped and looked behind. He saw it didn’t look right either, careering round the bends at breakneck speed, then it tried to take the hairpin and drifted.
“Everyone out the way NOW!” He screamed and dived for Sandy to knock her out of the way. He’d felt the air disturbance as the car passed. Sandy was knocked into the crash barriers, but he couldn’t help that. ‘She’s gonna be pissed with me’ he thought, but there wasn’t anything he could do. He had to get her out of harm’s way!
They landed hard on the tarmac. He stayed conscious, but hurting from just about every joint in his body. The aftermath of wounds not completely healed, yet being called on again to ‘lay it on the line’ but not for Queen and country this time. “You okay?” he asked as soon as he saw movement from Sandy. She was stirring and shaking her head.
“Think so,” Sandy replied as she came round, “Apart from a whacking great headache. What about you?” she turned and looked over in his direction. He could see she wasn’t quite focusing yet. “What the hell were you doing?”
“Didn’t exactly help my healing if that’s what you mean.” He replied, “But otherwise we just about got out of the way in time,”
“What the hell happened?”
“Didn’t you see the Sportscar behind us?” he asked. “I think it was a McLaren.”
“No,” Sandy replied, “is that what it was?” she asked, pointing to where the car had gone through the barrier. They could see it, on its roof away down the bank, wheels still spinning.
“Yeah,” Joey replied, “looked like they lost control, but they were going at a hell of a speed. Bloody crazy trying to take that bend at that speed!” He’d finished checking himself for injuries and started scanning Sandy. “Anywhere you hurt?” It was important they make sure they weren’t injured before they started looking for Helen and Kevin. “Try moving your toes”
Sandy brought each leg up and set them down again. She also wiggled her toes so they could see them moving in the shoes. “Nah, nothing broken.” She replied, “Just going to have one hell of a bruise.” She went to turn over and tried to move her left arm. “Shit, that HURT,” she almost shouted as she nursed the limp arm.
Joey did a quick examination. “Could be a break or a dislocation.” He said. “Let’s get it in a sling,” He started looking for something to use.
