Chapter 24

It was a simple but reckless plan. Bertie had very little time so he had to throw something together quickly. He had all the things that he needed. He had been preparing for an attack, although until now he did not know what his target was going to be. Now he was headed to Wiltshire with a very specific aim in mind.

His private project had been to construct a bomb. He had experimented over the last two years and he had found the right mix of chemicals and other ingredients which would cause an explosion. Bertie had then looked at how he would package his deadly mixture in a way which could be transported and then add to the damage when it was detonated. He had invented a nail bomb

The group he went to meet were aware of the army base and had made observations of the security. The base had not been earmarked for a specific mission when they were recruited, but because it was in their area the sleeper agents had checked it out. Soldiers walked around the perimeter, but they were not exactly on high alert.

The nearest the troops had got to an incursion was when a sheep had strayed onto their land and had become tangled in the fence. Who was going to break into a base which held dozens of armed men? The local farmers had shotguns which meant that maybe three people within a 50 miles radius were armed. The threat level was considered low.

The isolated spot where it was situated gave a panoramic view of the countryside and those within were confident that they would see anyone who approached. Spotlights were used at night to dissuade anybody from trying to reach the fence. There were long periods however when no one was looking out to see who might be trying to get in. The sentries could not watch everywhere all the time.

Bertie crept closer to the base with his five rebels. The area next to the fence was illuminated and this proved to be a, double edged sword. It should make it difficult to get close, but it actually helped them see where the sentries were. A spot on the fence was chosen and a young lad scurried to it carrying the bomb. He lit the fuse and made a rapid retreat.

The blast was spectacular. It spat its vicious cargo for yards catching two soldiers who were making their rounds. They were alive but had multiple injuries. The sentry hut near the fence was on fire. Everyone on the inside was running to the place where the bomb had gone off. On the other side of the base Bertie and his group were already through the perimeter heading for their target.

A surprised guard stationed outside of the store saw the attackers too late. He did not get the chance to fire his weapon. A large farmworker had hit him around the head with a club and he was now unconscious on the floor. A smaller detonation took out the lock on the door and they were in. In front of them was the prize. Canisters of gas.

"Grab those masks. Put them on. Right, start putting those into the sacks. Be careful, they're dangerous."

Bertie was grinning at his rebel friends. He couldn't believe how easy this was. The OWG had been completely off guard. The sacks that they had brought with them were stuffed with as many as they could carry. They were back out onto the darkness of the moors within five minutes of the explosion.

As anticipated the other sentries had all headed for the sound of the noise. It was the middle of the night so the other personnel, including all of the officers, were asleep. Hammering on the door to the commander's quarters, a private risked censure, but could do nothing else.

The captain was up and in the process of putting on his trousers.

"What the hell is going on out there, man."

"There's been an explosion, sir. People are hurt, there's a fire."

"What's being done?"

"Some of the men are putting out the fire. Some are helping the injured. There's no one in charge, though."

"Alright, I'm on my way. Get out, I'm getting dressed."

Without orders to the contrary, the priorities were the injured men and putting out the fire. When they finally did a check of the base, they found the guard out cold and the ransacked store.

The base commander was shocked at the raid and knew that it should never have happened. They had been under the illusion that no one would dare to attack an OWG army base. The sentries were perfunctory at best and were left to their own devices. Not a single soldier above the rank of Lance Corporal was on duty. They had literally been caught napping.

"As the captain picked up the phone to call into his superiors, he was already trying to think of an excuse. His family were high up in the echelons of the leadership class, so he should be able to resign without disgrace. If he could blame someone else, he would.

The scientists had been summoned and were inspecting the contents of the store. They gave the unwelcome and frightening news that 28 canisters and six gas masks were missing. Someone had known about the gas and had designed the attack so that they could get their hands on it.

The secrets of the armed forces had been leaked by someone and the consequences were dreadful. The fact that people outside of the MOD knew about the gas was bad enough and now they had their hands on it as well. A call was placed to the minister and all hell was let loose. A thorough review of security at all bases was just one of the things that happened as a result of Bertie's scheme.

The sacks containing the canisters had found their way onto lorries and were transported to a number of locations. The army and police checked the farms and homes in the immediate area, but they found nothing. They had no clue about who would be capable of planning and carrying out this type of enterprise.

The OWG was on high alert, but they were still not expecting another attack. Meetings had been held with selected personnel and investigations launched, but not a lot of people knew what had happened. The development of the gas was known to only a handful of the government and they still did not want to talk about it to anyone else.

Small rebellions and a bit of unrest, were all that the police or army had faced. The government was waking up to the fact that they were not prepared for an audacious attack like the one at the base. Those that knew about the gas being tested on the soldiers, were starting to wonder if they had gone too far. Those with a conscience did anyway. There were quite a few of the government that were not bothered by such things. They were only interested in keeping power at any cost.

A few days after the raid when the party was in full swing, the guests were blissfully unaware that anything was wrong. Even the man from the MOD did not have a high enough clearance to know what had actually been taken. He knew that there had been an audacious raid and that something dangerous had gone missing but nothing else.

Bertie had learned about the party from Dan who had never imagined that he would be putting anyone in danger by mentioning it. A number of government personnel would be there and that made it the perfect place to strike. If Dan was killed too, so be it. He would be collateral damage.

The sight of Dan and Serena kissing should not have affected Bertie, he was above such things. He had found himself irritated and upset though and it had contributed to his plan to hit the party. He knew that he would effectively ruin any alliance with the leadership group, but that was not a problem. They were a bunch of weedy pacifists and would not be able to do what needed to be done.

He had thrown the canister into the room himself. Sadly, Bertie could not hang around for long to see the effects of his handiwork, but he had heard some screams as he fled and that made him smile. What he had done would not be reported in the OWG's newspaper, but something somewhere would slip out. A major incident in the town with deaths and injuries could not be entirely covered up.

There would have been domestic servants at the house for the party and they would talk to their friends. Slowly the grapevine would disseminate the information and he would learn what had happened. He wondered how Serena would feel when she learned that Dan had died.