Red Hawk Rising

to the North Shields Fish Quay as quickly as possible. Iain Hamilton was driving a Wolseley sedan with a supercharged engine and he accelerated rapidly up the A1. “We need to stop them before they get to Darlington. My guess is they will ditch the car there and get alternative transport,” he said.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to hold that man,” said Andy. “I’ll make sure next time.”
“It happens, Andy.” Just as he said it, he caught sight of the Consul overtaking a lorry. “They’re in our sights. We should be able to get them,” said Hamilton. Within a mile they had overtaken all the other vehicles and were closing rapidly on the Consul.
“Iain, give me your handgun,” said Andy. “I’ll shoot out a tyre.” Hamilton said nothing but gave him a surprised look and put his hand inside his jacket and withdrew his handgun. Andy took it, weighed it in the palm of hand to feel the balance, and then wound down the window. He put his arm and head out of the window. Holding the gun in his left hand, he held the forearm with his right hand to steady it and took aim. Aiming at the nearside rear tyre, he squeezed the trigger. The bullet hit the rear of the car and before the driver could react Andy adjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger again. There was a puff on the tyre as it struck and suddenly the tyre went flat and started to shred. The Consul slewed slightly to the left and sparks started to fly up. Suddenly, there was a sheet of flame as petrol vapour ignited. The first bullet must have hit the fuel tank. The Consul screeched to a standstill on the side of the road and the two occupants evacuated as the tank blew up and the rear of the car was all flames.
Hamilton pulled up nearby. “Andy, keep the gun and go after him!” Andy nodded and quickly got out of the car. Vasiliy had jumped the ditch and over the fence and was heading across the field towards some woodland. Andy went after him. Hamilton put the car in gear and went after the Consul driver. He had run down the road. Vehicles were pulling up on either side of the road. Hamilton pulled alongside the Consul driver and forced him off the road. Pulling up, he pulled a second handgun from under the dashboard and got out of the car. Yelling to the man to stop, he warned he would shoot. The man stopped and put his hands up. Hamilton walked up and handcuffed him and led him back to the car.
Andy sprinted across the field after Vasiliy and was gradually catching up with him. Hearing the footsteps, Vasiliy turned and increased his efforts. Andy did the same. He shortened the gap even more. They were only a few yards from the woods when Andy yelled for him to stop or be shot. Vasiliy’s response was to draw a handgun and turn and fire. Andy saw the gun come up and went sideways in a roll. That gave Vasiliy time to reach the wood and go into it.
Back at the car, Iain Hamilton radioed in for help. Two minutes later the clanging of a police car bell was heard coming down the highway. It pulled up and Iain walked over and presented his identification to the policemen and asked them to deal with the traffic and call the fire brigade. The sound of a shot made everyone turn and look towards the wood. They were just in time to see Vasiliy disappearing into the wood with Andy not far behind him. Back to the car and the radio again. The enemy was armed and that made the whole situation more dangerous.
Andy entered the edge of the wood and took cover behind a tree and listened. He sensed the direction of movement of his opponent and angled away from his point of entry into the wood. The man, whoever he was, would want to exit as far away from the road as possible. The trees and vegetation were fairly dense but not bad enough to impede movement. The wood sloped up to the brow of a hill and then down the other side. This person, now a fugitive, would want to emerge on the other side below the brow of the hill. Andy decide to move toward the outer edge of the wood and circle to the other side, away from the road. If he figured correctly, the fugitive would emerge somewhere along that side. Andy guessed he would also move through the wood cautiously which meant Andy would have a chance of getting ahead even if it was further for him to go. Toward the outer edge, there was little undergrowth and Andy could move much more quickly and quietly. Vasiliy was doing as Andy had calculated, moving cautiously through the wood, pausing and listening for any sounds of pursuit and looking for his pursuer. To Vasiliy’s ears, the sound of pursuit faded but he remained cautious. He would need to get clear of the wood and well away and then find a place to hide until dark. They now knew he was armed and he was sure that there would be a manhunt. Getting back to the trawler would not be easy. He carried no documents but would easily pass for an Englishman. As he was reflecting on these things, Vasiliy came to the edge of the wood. He paused in its cover and surveyed the scene. A drystone wall formed the boundary of the wood on this side. About fifty metres to his left another drystone wall went off at right-angles down the hill and again about seventy-five metres to his right. It was late September and the fields were stubble. The harvests were in so there was no cover in that way. At the bottom of the slope was