PRIMAL Vengeance

Chapter 9



Lascar Island, South West Pacific



Saneh's heart was pounding in her ears as she crested the ridgeline. She paused for a second to savor the cool ocean breeze that penetrated the thick jungle. In the valleys the humidity and heat were oppressive. Her clothing and equipment were drenched in sweat.

The former Iranian intelligence officer wore a lightweight belt rig. It contained four magazines for her Beretta ARX160 assault rifle, a water bottle and a pair of fragmentation grenades. She rarely wore the heavy chest rigs that the male operatives wore. Not only was she unlikely to be directly assaulting enemy objectives, but also the ballistic plates weren't designed to fit an ample chest. She preferred the comfort of a lightweight shirt. Her dark tan cargo pants were covered in mud, boots drenched from the dozen creeks she'd traversed.

She had started out at the crack of dawn, following what Bishop and the rest of the team called the 'Punisher', a fourteen kilometer obstacle course, sneaker range and endurance run. PRIMAL operators ran it regularly to keep in shape. It was one of many training activities that had been set up on the island, each one designed to challenge a different set of skills.

Saneh was a recent addition to the PRIMAL team. Formerly an agent of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the alluring operative had been recruited into the vigilante organization more by chance than plan. She had been sold out by her old organization following a mission to secure a biological weapon. Homeless, nationless, and without a friend in the world, PRIMAL offered her a second chance. She was a perfect fit for the clandestine organization; striking, audacious, ruthless, and a bit of an altruist. PRIMAL had appealed to her from day one; a renegade team of former intelligence and Special Forces operators dealing out justice to the world's worst.

Having caught her breath Saneh stepped off again. She scrambled down the narrow jungle track, her boots cutting into the slick mud, keeping her upright.

When she hit the bottom she searched for the red arrow that marked the route. It was nailed to a tree, indicating she needed to follow the creek line. The cool water was refreshing as she waded downstream. It rose up to her chest and she held the assault rifle high.

A hundred meters later, an arrow directed her out of the creek and onto the bank. She clambered up into a small clearing with a track running downhill. A buzzer sounded and she racked the action on her rifle. The sneaker range had detected her GPS transponder and activated the targets. She brought the weapon to her shoulder and started down the track.

Man-sized targets popped up randomly as she progressed, Saneh firing at them as they appeared. She moved quickly, double tapping and changing magazines on the run. Within minutes she had cleared the course, unloaded her weapon and was jogging down the track towards the ocean.

Two kilometers later the track finished and she burst out of the jungle onto a pristine white beach. The PRIMAL operatives used this part of the island as a recreational retreat. A small cluster of huts was hidden underneath a canopy of palm trees.

Saneh downed the last of her water, dumped her equipment on the deck in front of one of the huts and tore off her boots. She struggled to peel her sweat drenched t-shirt from her clammy skin. Dropping it onto a sun bed, she stepped out of her cargo pants and strode down the beach to the water in her underwear, shaking out her long, dark hair.

As she entered the water, a man appeared in the doorway of one of the huts. Bishop walked out onto the deck and watched her dive into the ocean. Dressed in blue swim shorts, a pair of aviator sunglasses covering his dark brown eyes, he was sipping from a cold glass of iced tea. He watched her for a minute before retiring to one of the two sun beds. Depositing the glass on a side table, he closed his eyes, savoring the sun on his bruised body.

"Good morning, lover." Saneh stood on the deck in her sports underwear. Water dripped from her dark hair, running down her body to pool on the deck.

Bishop looked over the top of his sunglasses, drinking in every curve of her voluptuous frame.

She parted her lips revealing a near-perfect smile. "You're looking a little less battered."

Bishop sat up and threw her a towel. "Nothing a little rest couldn't fix."

Saneh caught it deftly and started drying herself.

"Hey, Saneh."

"Yes?"

He took a deep breath. "Look, it's just..."

"Spit it out, Aden."

"OK. Well, it's just there's something I wanted to talk to you about. Something important."

She stopped drying her hair and smiled at him coyly. "What?"

"I, uh, want to talk about us. Wanted to talk about where this is going."

"I've been waiting for this, Aden."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"I've been waiting for you to bring it up." She sat down on the other sunbed and faced him. "I'm not a giddy school girl, Aden. I'm a highly trained HUMINT operative."

"I know that. I just thought..."

"You thought? Please, Aden, we both know that thinking's not your strong suit. Mr Shoot-from-the-hip?" She flashed him another smile. "Now, what did you think? That I was in love with you?"

Bishop looked up at her sheepishly. "Well, yes. I didn't want to be the only one.'"

Saneh laughed. "Of course I love you, Aden. But I'm also a realist. I know your loyalty is with the team."

"That doesn't mean—"

"Yes it does, Aden. You're an idealist with a stupidly big heart. You won't rest until you've saved every last kicked and beaten underdog that exists in the world."

"I guess we're similar like that."

Saneh smiled again. "I guess you're right. Although you do seem to get all the good missions."

It was Bishop's turn to laugh. "That's a lie and you know it. You're the one that bounces straight out of recruitment in Istanbul into an operation in the UAE."

Both operatives had been redeployed to the Emirates to help deal with a threat to PRIMAL's wealthy benefactor, Tariq Ahmed. The head of UAE intelligence was also the CEO of a significant logistics empire and the founder of PRIMAL.

"So did you."

"I had to. I wasn't about to let Tariq down, was I?"

"Nobody would let that man down; he's handsome, educated and oh so charming."

The founder of PRIMAL was renowned for being a lady's man. The Sheikh had been rather taken with Saneh and had lavished her with attention.

Bishop raised an eyebrow and Saneh continued. "You're such a little boy, Aden Bishop. A little boy that doesn't want to share his toys with anyone else."

He pretended to sulk and Saneh straddled him on the sun bed. She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "It's OK, little boy. I only have eyes for you… for now."

Bishop's hands slid up the side of her body and around her back until they reached the latch of her bra. With a flick he unsnapped it and the bra dropped from her chest. He took a second to fully appreciate her ample breasts before pulling her even closer to him, kissing her passionately.

The embrace was interrupted by the buzzing of a pager.

"Are you shitting me?" Bishop said as Saneh reached across and grabbed the communication device from the side table.

"You've been recalled to the bunker."

"Now? That'd be right."

Saneh jumped off him, scooping up her bra and slipping it back over her shoulders. She cringed as she slid the filthy cargo pants over her legs and gathered up the rest of her gear. Bishop was already inside the hut grabbing his own kit. He reappeared dressed in a t-shirt and carrying a shoulder bag.

"Here, wear this. Yours stinks." He threw her a spare t-shirt and proceeded to stuff her wet gear into the duffel bag.

"What do you think is going on?" Saneh asked as she laced her boots.

Bishop folded the stock on the ARX and strapped the shortened rifle to the side of his duffel bag. "Not sure, but if I had to guess I'd say it's got to do with the Sudan."

The two grabbed their bags and started off down a track that led from the huts to an open-sided vehicle shed.

"Mirza's been keeping an eye on the situation. Both he and Chua think its getting worse."

Bishop's partner had already been moved to Abu Dhabi where he could be closer to the action should intervention be required.

They reached the shed and threw their gear into the back of Bishop's ATV. Saneh swung into the driver's seat and started the engine.

Bishop stood next to the powerful buggy with his hands on his hips. "Is that so…?"

"It certainly is, lover boy. Now get in and I'll show you how it's done."

Saneh raced the ATV down a short track before they hit the beach. Once the tires hit the sand she unleashed the 1000 cc engine. Sand rooster tailed off the back tires as they rocketed down the beach, heading back towards the airfield.