Red Hawk Rising

bag and the man turned his newspaper to the back page and started doing the crossword puzzle. There was a slamming of carriage doors by the porter and a whistle blew, a release of the brakes and hissing of steam from the locomotive and the train shuddered as tractive power was engaged. The train moved slowly out of the station and gradually gathered speed. Andy started to relax and got a book out of his bag and settled down to read. After a couple of minutes, a man walked past, looking into each compartment. Andy heard the noise of the door to the next carriage opening and shutting as the man went through. Three minutes later he came back, paused briefly outside their compartment and he moved on.
Passing out of the Sheffield suburbs, the train started to climb the Pennines. Soon it entered the tunnel from Totley to Upper Padley and he became cautious. The lights of the carriage flickered on quickly and there was the echoing sound of the train rushing through the tunnel as though desperate to get to the other side. The couple carried on stolidly with their activities, the woman’s knitting needles clicking away and her husband making occasional grunts as he struggled with letters and clues. The train came out of the tunnel with a roar, and daylight streamed into the carriage while smoke and steam were whisked away from the carriage windows to become part of the rural sky. Andy watched the rural scene as the train climbed the Pennine Hills. He noticed Win Hill to the north-east of the line, rising to about fifteen hundred feet. The compartment door slid open and the man who had passed earlier asked if they minded him sitting in the compartment. He had no luggage. Everyone shook their heads and he sat down in a middle seat facing across to Andy. The train passed Lose Hill and roared toward the Edale Tunnel. The man tensed up and Andy became alert. If the carriage lights didn’t come on as they should it could be the signal for someone to attempt something. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed for some reason that he hadn’t yet worked out. The carriage lights failed to come on and the carriage was plunged into an inky blackness. Andy rose and turned on the balls of his feet, lifted his arms in a defensive move ready for action. He heard a slight movement from across the compartment and waited. He felt an arm brush his and just at that moment the lights came on. The two men looked at each other and before they could act there was an exclamation from the lady, “Well, I never! What are you two doing?” They turned and looked in her direction and saw two startled faces looking at them both. The two men moved back to their seats and sat down, feeling somewhat sheepish. The train roared out of the tunnel and everyone relaxed. They were on the down slopes of the Pennines now and heading towards Stockport-Edgeley and Manchester.
As the train pulled into Manchester Piccadilly Station, the couple grabbed their bags and headed out of the compartment. Andy looked at the man across the compartment and indicated for him to go first. The man smiled grimly and got to his feet and headed out of the compartment. Andy picked his bag off the rack and followed him out. On the station concourse, he looked for the suburban network platforms and the time of a train to Hollinlane. He had about ten minutes to wait so he got himself a drink of milk and then headed for the platform. The man from the compartment was sitting on a seat in the concourse, ostensibly reading a newspaper but seemed to be watching movements in the station. Andy presented his ticket to the porter on the platform gate and moved through the barrier onto the platform. The train pulled up at the platform. It was electric. The suburban network of Manchester had been electrified as had the main line down to London. Andy waited and then headed for a compartment in which he saw several persons. He found a seat between two ladies, smiled an apology at them and sat down. The man from the compartment in the train to Manchester walked past, looking at compartments as he went. Andy caught his eye and the man quickly turned his head away. The train moved off smoothly and quietly with rapid acceleration, as these trains are wont to do. The suburban stations came and went and then he noticed Heald Green — next stop Hollinlane. It had taken the best part of the day to get here. As he got off the train at Hollinlane, Andy looked around him. A familiar face was leaning out of a compartment window in the next carriage. He would know that Andy was heading for RAF Handwell, a former maintenance unit. He would also know that it was due for closure in the not too distant future. Andy went through the barrier and headed out of the station. Seeing a taxi at the stand, he climbed in and gave the driver his destination. He didn’t bother to look around this time but Andy wondered why the interest in him, unless someone on the other side knew about his ‘special duties’. That would be a real concern. It was a quick trip and the driver pulled up outside the gate. Andy gave him the fare and a generous tip as it was a short ride. He presented his identification and orders at the gatehouse and the RAF policeman pointed out where he should go. Walking into the administration building, he walked down the corridor to the 28 JSTU sign and entered a general office. Corporal Hill introduced himself to the Senior Aircraftman (SAC) on the desk, who said that the Corporal Admin. was out for a few minutes. The