Chapter 36

They arrived at the berth where the Falcon was moored and found a night watchman at the top of the gangplank. He was waiting for the last of the crew and the passengers to join the ship. They were expected within the hour. The next favourable tide was at 5am and everyone was to be on board an hour before then.

Finally, they were in the right place at the right time to intercept Bertie. The man on duty told them that there were five passengers, a woman and four men. Dan felt his heart flip as he thought about Serena. She must be the woman who was with them. He had almost asked if the girl had red hair, but he realised that he was not supposed to know her. Somehow, he had to stop her being arrested along with the rest of the gang.

Ryan decided that they would try to make the arrest without a gun fight or at least with as little violence as was possible. Bertie was trying to escape and would be on alert. He and his accomplices could be armed in some way and they would definitely have the gas with them. He wanted them to be subdued as rapidly as possible. The ship's captain was summoned so that a plan could be made.

A whistle rang out through the half-light and Ryan turned to look back across the dock. It was a warning from one of his men who he had deployed to keep watch. The person obviously couldn't call out and advertise their presence, so they had signalled that something was happening. The soldiers melted into the background behind vehicles, pallets of goods and the cranes which were used for loading, on Ryan's command.

Daniel was shoved up the gangplank by Ryan and made to crouch down behind the crates which were already aboard. They all waited for what seemed like an age before three men approached the ship. The captain confirmed that they were crew and they were ushered onto the ship and then out of sight.

There was time for the colonel to leave the ship and communicate with his troops. They all relaxed for a moment, but when another whistle went up they were back to readiness. This time it would be Bertie and his colleagues who were heading for the ship. As they came around the corner Bertie was striding ahead. Behind him were his two main thugs, who were carrying large sacks, and trailing were another two men who were dragging Serena towards their transport.

Dan had caught sight from his hiding place of the approach of Bertie and his gang. Serena was not happy about being put on a ship which would take her out of the country and possibly across the Atlantic. She was struggling more as they got nearer to the gangplank. Once they got her aboard her fate would be sealed.

He did not know what Bertie had seen, but Dan could tell that he had become aware that something was not right. Bertie slowed and looked around before reaching to his waistband and then pulling out a gun. He said one word "Sack" and a thug stepped forward presenting an opened sack to his boss. Bertie took out a gas mask and then a canister.

The rebel's companions scrambled for their own masks as they anticipated Bertie's use of the gas. Serena nearly got away in the confusion but was tripped and dragged back by her ankle. A mask was tossed on the ground next to her and she grabbed it ready to put it on. Time seemed to stop as everyone was poised ready for action.

There must have been some sort of signal or command which Dan was not aware of. Shots began to ring out and two of the gang slumped to the floor. Bertie screamed with anger and fired his gun in different directions whilst running for cover. One of the big men was hit in the leg and was hobbling after his boss. He had become an easy target and was hit with a hail of bullets.

Serena was laid flat on the floor hoping that the shots would go over her. She could not risk looking around to see what was happening to Bertie and the others. She lay with her hands over her head and hoped that she would come out alive. Bertie would have only been interested in saving himself, she thought as she saw the man who had tripped her lying dead beside her.

The girl was out in the open and three of the men were dead. The other large thug was injured and was slumped by a crate. He would be taking no further part in the battle. Bertie had found some cover and was reloading his pistol. He still had one gas canister with him but the rest were in the sacks near Serena.

He took drastic action and fired his gun at the sacks on the floor. A couple of the pressurised cans exploded and the gas was released. Serena clamped the mask to her face as the new threat erupted around her. There was silence as everyone waited for the gas to disperse. Silence, but people were moving.

The gas was a diversion. It was never going to have much effect being used in the open, but it had made the soldiers hang back. Bertie took the chance to move into a maze of crates and boxes which were stacked along the dockside. He still had a gun and he still had a canister. He was not going to give up easily.

Dan wanted to move from his hiding place for a number of reasons. He felt side lined and a bit cowardly hiding on the ship when the action was taking place on the dockside. Serena was in danger lying on the ground with bullets flying around her and he needed to get to her. Bertie was out of sight and might be in the process of escaping.

He wanted to get involved in the fight, but he was not stupid. Dan knew that getting off the ship meant walking down the gangplank which would leave him horribly exposed. He could see the soldiers moving towards the area where they thought Bertie was and he spotted Ryan directing them.

One of the troops had told Serena to stay where she was and she could do nothing other than comply. She was surrounded by dead bodies, gas canisters and armed men. Everyone paused listening for some sound which would indicate exactly where their target was. Dan heard nothing, but someone did because they began to move again.

The soldiers were spreading out around the crates hopefully cutting off any means of escape. Dan weighed up the situation and calculated that there was no direct line of sight from where Bertie was now hiding to the gangplank. He ducked down low as he ran to it just in case and made a rapid descent to the dockside.

Serena heard footsteps and then looked around to see Dan crouched beside her. It would have been wonderful to have anybody arrive to rescue her but to find it was Dan made her sob with relief.

His hand rested on her back and he said "Fancy seeing you here."

Her sob turned into a laugh and she managed a smile.

All of Ryan's men had gas masks, but they did not want to put them on until the last moment. Their view was restricted once the masks were on and the search would be tricky enough without a further impediment. They all knew, however, that Bertie would not hesitate to use the gas if he was cornered.

Everyone realised that Bertie was trapped within the maze of crates. He could not exit onto the dockside and that left only one alternative. If Bertie wanted to escape, he had to go into the sea. This was not a good choice for him as it was fraught with problems. The drop from the dock into cold water, the ships crowded close, the flotsam in the water and the fact that the soldiers would be shooting at him from the moment they heard the splash.

Bertie did not want to be captured. He did not want to die either, but if that was the alternative, he would take it. He was not going to wait for the soldiers to come for him. He could hear them moving and knew that it would be only minutes until he was discovered. The water was his only option so he ran and leapt over the side hitting the cold sea a second later.

There was not much light, but the soldiers ran to the water's edge and shot at the ripples which had been caused by Bertie's jump. Ryan ordered a pause and they waited to see if they could spot him in the murky sea. The water was still. The troops spread out along the piers to see if Bertie had swum out further, but there was still no sign of him.

The soldiers scanned the water for the next hour. As the dawn broke their job became easier, but there was no trace of Bertie. The chances were that he had drowned or had been shot then drowned. Ryan would have been much happier had there been a body. In the following days it might float to the surface or be washed up somewhere along the coast.

Dan and Serena were aboard the ship whose departure had been delayed by the search. The captain had arranged for them to have hot tea and they were most grateful. They had spent the last half hour looking over the side into the sea wondering where Bertie was. They both hoped that he had died.

She was amazed that Dan had ended up assisting the army. He gave a brief rundown of what had happened to him since Bertie's attempt on his life. It was important to get their stories straight because Serena would no doubt be questioned at some point. She was not at risk of being shot anymore, but that did not mean that she was out of danger.

"What's going to happen to me now?"

"You were being dragged to the ship. It's obvious that you didn't want to take part in whatever Bertie was planning, or go with him to America. If they ask, say that you had once been romantically involved with him, but had ended it when you found out that he was a rebel. He wasn't happy and kidnapped you and tried to take you with him.

The last of Bertie's thugs has died of his wounds, so there is no one left to contradict your story, or testify to you being a part of the rebel movement. The bruises on your arms where you've been dragged around are further proof of your story about being a prisoner."

For now, she was with Dan, her hand in his, whilst the search for Bertie went on.

The half-light became daylight and the dock was filling up with people and vehicles. The cranes were in operation lifting goods onto ships and the captain of The Falcon was eager to catch the next tide. He worked for the OWG and had a deadline to meet. Dan and Serena disembarked and joined the troops who were preparing for departure.

The local police were now at the port and they would patrol and keep watch for the rest of the day. The captains of ships moored by the dock were instructed to check that they did not have any stowaways on board. Some of the ships were huge and having to search them was tedious and time consuming. They would of course notify Ryan if a body was found.