Chronicles of Revenge

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sue had a friend take her to Heathrow on his Honda Fire blade telling him she was running late and was sure that if anyone was tailing her that she’d know, that’s if they could keep up with Paul an ex motor bike racer he really knew hold to make the thing fly. The ride was frightening and at the same time exciting she’d never been that fast through London ever and was now regretting using the excuse she was late.

Sue opened her eyes just as they were hurtling between two big Lorries and quickly shut them again, there helmets had two way radios and she could hear Paul listening to Motor heads Ace of Spades and the record had just got to part where Lemmy says “Who wants to live forever.” She pulled the cable out of her helmet thinking “maybe not forever but I’d like to get to the airport before I die.” Sue decided to not open her eyes again until they had stopped; how long the white knuckle ride lasted she didn’t know and was so glad when it was over.

Paul nudged her “Wake up Sue we’re here” she got off the bike swearing she’d never ride one again...well not with Paul anyway.

“Thanks Paul I owe you”

“Nah it was fun how about we do it again sometime?”

“Sure I’ll call you” she lied. Stretching Sue took her back pack slipped it over her back and headed for the terminal. This was the first time she’d ever tried to get on a plane with a fake passport and hoped it would be the last how do people live their lives like this she wondered.

Sue made her way straight to the check in desk trying to look as normal as she could, not that it mattered Featherstone had already had all the airports manned just in case she tried to leave, the agent soon spotted her and called it in.

Her destination was now logged and Featherstone had men waiting at Delhi airport before she even got on the plane. To her amazement she went thru without any problems, the passport Wilson had given her was a very good fake or was it.

The flight was uneventful unless you call lots of screaming kids normal, Sue kept watch to see if anyone was paying her more attention than they should be. “Paranoid that’s what you are girl paranoid” she told herself and with good reason as she had failed to spotted the woman four rows back was an MI5 agent.

Upon her arrival Sue headed for the exit going down the escalators the large copper discs and huge hands on the left hand wall made her smile as did the whole of the new airport the last time she had been in Delhi the airport was an old ramshackle affair. Passing two armed soldiers she headed for the exit before she got there Sue spotted an Indian man standing there holding a sign with her passport name on it.

Wilson had given her a password and told her the reply to expect, the Indian man had the sign in the correct hand and blinked twice as she approached. “Warrior” she said and he replied “Wolf”

There was one more check for her to make, she put out her had to shake his and there it was a small tattoo of a crescent moon. “Please follow me Miss Young” Sue set off with the mystery man outside the air was dense and humid, it was hot very hot it remind Sue of a time when she was a child and her mother had opened the oven door and the heat flooded over her making her gasp.

The walk to the car was a short one Sue was impressed her car was a Toyota Land Cruiser her guide now asked her if he should drive to the outskirts of the city as it was a difficult drive for someone who had never driven here before. Sue agreed and would soon regret her decision if she thought the ride to Heathrow on Paul’s bike was scary then this trip was positively petrifying, her guide stopped somewhere outside of the city and got out handing her the keys.

Sue climbed in looked at the map noticing that the route was not direct but headed off the main drag at times must be to hinder anyone following her she thought.

Adjusting the seat and mirrors she switched on the aircon fired up the engine and set off, getting out of Delhi had made London seem like a Sunday drive. The only reason for going through the city must be to protect her from being tailed, it was mad Sue believed that Indian driving licences are brought at any corner shop.

The Sat Nav had already been pre programmed although according to the map she was heading to Dhaurehra in the Uttar Pradesh area. The journey should take around eight hours none stop but with the off road route she was not sure, plugging in her I pod Sue drove on sing feeling happy and at the same time excited.

Abhay Chopra was sitting outside his house in the shade enjoying his family, all of his eleven grandchildren were here with his two daughters and their husbands and they had just finished a fantastic meal that had been prepared by his wife Yema. There house was situated just outside of Shahabad and was typical of the region except his was built of concrete blocks instead of mud bricks, the render was well maintained and painted white to help keep the house cool.

Abhay was sixty years old and at over six feet tall a big man for the region even at he’s age he still had a fairly good physic with a long grey bushy beard and a face that was dark due to the amount of time he’d spent in the sun over the years, it had more lines then waterloo station.

One of the small boys ran up to him wanting to be thrown into the air Abhay obliged the boy screamed with delight, “Again again” the old man smiled he loved being around his family they meant so much to him, more than life it’s self as he was about to find out.

Taking the mobile out of his coat hanging next to him Abhay read the text again then looked at his family smiling wondering if this would be the last time he ever saw them. He gave the boy one more throw before getting up and going out to his workshop.

From up in the rafters he took down a long canvas bag laying it on the bench undoing the brass buckles and took out the clothe unwrapping the rifle that it contained. Abhay started to dismantle the rifle laying it out neatly before he started checking and cleaning every part, taking from the shelf a small tin of oil he poured some onto a clothe and rubbed each part before reassembling the rifle.

Next he went to a hidden compartment in his bench and withdrew a small old cardboard box along with two five round magazines, these were also cleaned and oiled before he started to load the rounds from the box in to the magazine.

The door opened and Yema walked in holding the mobile phone and she had an accusing look on her face “And what’s this?” she said holding the mobile up

Abhay glanced at it then carried on loading the rounds “what’s this I have asked you Abhay?”

“A mobile you know that” her voice sharpened and her face hardened

“And what are you doing with it; it’s not yours so where did it come from?”

“It was given to me last week at the market by an old army friend”

“And what are doing with your old rifle?” Yema had read the text message and knew what he was going to do and was about to try and stop him, the favour now being called in was over thirty years old and he had no right to ask her husband to risk his life, no right at all.

“You’re not going Abhay we have a family now what about them” her voice was stern and full of fear.

“I gave my word of honour”

“I care about you and my family not your word of honour”

Abhay exploded “DO NOT QUESTION MY HONOUR...I am a man of honour and an honourable man the debit will be paid”

Yema was taken aback he had never shouted at her ever, in fact she had so much freedom far more than any other woman in the village. Many of her friends were regularly beaten Abhay had never even raised his voice to her let alone his hand in all of the thirty eight years they had been married.

Yema now spoke with an apologetic tone in her voice. “I was not questioning your honour, I never would Abhay you are the most honourable man I know...I just do not want to lose you”

“I gave him my word and if costs my life to repay the debit then let it be so”

“And the children and grand children what about them”

Abhay’s look hardened as did his voice. “We would not have them if t was not for Matt North you know that, you was there or have you forgotten”

Yema sighed she knew he was right without Matt’s help they would not have the family they had, but why now. Abhay had gone back to preparing his rifle he hated himself for speaking to Yema like he did and even now he just wanted to hug her and tell her all would be alright, but he didn’t know that for sure only time would tell.

“I’ll go and prepare some food and drink for the journey” Yema left the workshop, Abhay checked the telescopic scope then packed everything neatly back into the canvas bag and slung it over his shoulder.

At the front of the house Abhay slotted the rifle onto the side of the step through Honda motorbike and kick started it, Yema came out with a white clothe inside was the food and drink going to the first saddle bag she found it full of sacking material and went around to the other one putting the package in and doing up the old buckle.

Without saying a word Yema jumped onto the rear seat sitting side saddle as was the way in these parts.

“What are you doing woman get off”

“No I’m coming with you”

“No you’re not now get off” Yema put her arm around Abhay’s waist.

“I said I’m coming and I intend to” Abhay glared at her in the mirror.

“Do as I command woman”

“No Abhay if you’re going to die then so am I, you are my world, my husband, the father of my children, my lover and my best friend. There is no life for me if you die so we will do this together.”

Abhay’s eyes softened in the mirror and to reinforce her statement Yema gripped him harder around the waist. “Come on or we’ll be late husband.” Abhay smiled as he pulled away, he had chosen well very well no matter what his late father had said.

The bike chugged away bellowing smoke as it did, Abhay thought about their first meeting it was in the market as he was returning from leave in the army. The trader who had thrown her to the ground received a hard punch to the face and sat there looking sorry for himself, Abhay helped her up and something clicked in his heart he knew she was the one and he had to have her.

The problem was he came from a higher social class than Yema a lot higher and his father forbad his son to have anything to do with “The low class slut” he’d said. Abhay had knocked him down for the comment then left swearing he would never return if his wife to be was not allowed at their house.

Their wedding was going to be a low key affair with Abhay’s family not coming and Yema’s afraid to upset such a powerful family. On the day Abhay’s father and three cousins arrived to either talk him out of the wedding or forcibly stop it. Abhay wiped a tear from his eye as he remembered the day it was the last time he saw his father alive, when the talking failed they had tried to forcibly take him away not knowing he had trained with the British SAS and was now an extremely dangerous man.

The fight that ensued left his father and three cousins blooded and beaten, as they carried his father away he was unaware that he would never see him again.

The Honda hit a rut bouncing him back to the job in hand; it took nearly two hours riding to reach the place that Abhay had scouted a few days earlier, which gave him time to set the ambush. A good hunter has patience and he had lots of it. Yema watched as he set the sacking from the bikes saddle bag over some rocks using smaller ones to hold it down, the colour match was almost perfect and now they had nice shaded area completely out of sight.

Yema took the food and drink setting it down in the shade of the sacking Abhay joined her, “Yema I am sorry for shouting at you...I was just upset”