Red Hawk Rising

in the back of the car with the handcuffed person between them. The driver was ordered to go to RAF Handwell. Nothing was said until they arrived at the main gate. Hamilton indicated for Andy to get out and he did the same. Out of the car, Hamilton explained that they had been tapping all the telephone calls at the Argonaut Industries security office since Andy’s little escapade. The calls intercepted today alerted them to the planned hit.
Andy thanked him and then said, “That man Anderson was watching me on the train. What was that all about?”
Hamilton responded, “Apparently you are a marked man. We received a tip from overseas that you had been somewhat zealous in a previous assignment and the enemy wanted payback. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for your sake.”
Andy smiled rather wryly. “Well, thanks. I guess this incident tonight never happened.”
“Correct,” replied Hamilton. “Take care. We’re a long way from finished. Safe travelling tomorrow.” He shook hands and got into the car and it drove off. Andy sighed and turned and went in through the gate, showing his I.D. to the guard as he went through.

CHAPTER 5
The next morning (Saturday 24th) Andy packed his gear ready to leave. Mike walked across to the mess with him for breakfast. “You got back without any trouble I see.”
 Andy grinned and said, “No worries. What did you expect?”
 Mike grinned back and replied, “Well, you might have been picked up by a nice looking blonde!” Andy just smiled. “Sheila was really impressed with you. She thinks you’re great and no doubt she will be trying to match-make next time you are over.”
 “It was a great evening,” replied Andy. “You are a lucky guy. You’d better marry her. I think Sheila’s great.” Mike seemed to grow an inch taller at the remark.
 “Yes, it’s heading that way.” They went in and had breakfast. After breakfast both men headed for the office, Andy to pick up his travel documents before leaving. As he was signing for them, the officer in command of detachment came out of his office and told Corporal Hill that a car was going into the city and would drop him off at the railway station. He gave him an envelope and told him to sign for it.
 “Give this to Flying Officer Goodhew when you arrive at Wensley Electronics. He is the officer i/c Radar. I know you won’t lose it. The team is working today so you will be taken straight to Wensley Electronics. There will be a driver to pick you up at the movements office at Newcastle Station.” Andy signed for the envelope and put it inside his tunic. It would be safe there.
A driver came into the office and the officer pointed to Andy. “Drop Corporal Hill off at Piccadilly Station before going on with your other errands.” The driver nodded. Corporal Andy Hill thanked them and said he would be in touch; then he went out to the car.
At Piccadilly Station, Andy headed for the ticket office and changed his travel warrant for a ticket. He checked on the time of the train to York, where he would change for a train to Newcastle, and headed for the newsagent to buy a paper. As he came out, he saw a familiar face — it was his previous protector from MI5. The man shook his head slightly and Andy understood. No doubt he would be on Andy’s train and nearby, if not in the same compartment. Ten minutes later, the train came in and Andy boarded it near the front. He found a compartment with no seats reserved and took a seat with his back to the engine. The train pulled out and Andy relaxed with the newspaper.
Back in Manchester city, Major Garasov was receiving a report from one of his agents. Apparently the four men who had gone to eliminate Corporal Hill had not reported in, nor had it been possible to contact them. Garasov asked why there had been four and not just two as he had ordered. The man shrugged his shoulders and said, “That’s how they wanted to work it. They thought four would be able to cover any situation.” Apparently, the team that had been recruited for the job were not Russian nationals or even local agents. Garasov felt that if something had gone wrong then it would be difficult to trace it back to the Russian Consulate. The men had been paid a third of the money upfront and if they did not appear to collect the rest then he would have to assume that things had gone wrong. That would mean that Corporal Hill was still alive and a threat. The next attempt would need to be by a trained professional.
Hamilton was contemplating his next move. Last night’s attack on Corporal Hill had put a different complexion on things. Two of the assailants were dead and the other two had already been transferred south to a secure location for interrogation. The bodies of the deceased were in a special morgue, undergoing checks, and the van was safely hidden and being stripped down. He was beginning to understand why Hill was not popular with the other side. The man was lethal, even without a weapon. The question was — who had ordered the elimination of Hill and was it connected with the present situation at Argonaut Industries?” That was important to know. He knew the Russians would like Hill out of the way. If the tapped call was a relayed message from the Russians, as he suspected, then the people involved may have been a convenient connection to arrange the ‘hit’. Either way, they may have to move and close off the leak rather than feed dummy information. It was also time for him to move on to the next contractor. The next most sensitive piece of equipment was