ULTRA-X by ANDREW SCORAH (ink ebook reader txt) 📖

Route 27 Montauk 09:30

Shaun Kane sighted down the barrel of his police issue Glock G22 RTF2, taking aim at the two men standing over a third who was unconscious on the ground.
"Montauk PD,drop your weapons and get on your knees!"
It was Shaun's first day as an Officer in the Montauk Police department and the last situation he thought he would find himself in was facing down two armed gunmen. In his previous job as a Texas Ranger it had happened on quite a few occasions. He had also served time as a Navy Seal where it was a occupational hazard, but coming to the quaint fishing community that was Montauk on the south shore of Long Island. A place where the rich and shameless played in the summer months,he never expected this, Montauk just did not have a reputation for gun toting desperado's.Shaun's day had started with a welcome speech by Chief Barnard,the precinct is actually an annex of the bigger station in East Hampton with only a body of five officers to cover the whole Montauk area. Shaun had been given the area stretching from the Plaza out to the Lighthouse at Montauk point.He had been heading out to the Lighthouse that morning, the sun was shining and the sky was a bright azure indicating the day was going to be a beautiful day. Shaun had just passed Deep Hollow Ranch, where holiday makers can learn the skills of the old west, or hire horses to go trekking through the state park. Beach side residences gave way to the deep Forrest's of the state park off route 27 when he hit a deep fog bank that came out of no where, he thought it unusual on such a sunny day but he was also aware the weather could change on a dime here.

He slowed as he came adjacent to the off road parking area where hikers would leave their vehicles before exploring the park and because his window had been wound down he heard the sound of automatic fire from the parking area. That is how he came to be facing the gun men down.

The immediate reaction to his shouted command was to whirl and fire in unison, bullets spanged off the hood and starred the wind shield. Shaun retreated from his position behind the open drivers side door to the Trunk and hunkered down.His mouth was dry and his heart pounded as he considered his options, he was about fifteen feet from them and the fog surrounding them was so thick that it would be easy for them to disappear into it.Shaun could not let that happen. He fired with out aiming then moved to the passenger side of the car. Quickly looking he saw the gun men had reacted as he wanted, steadily they approached the drivers side, weapons raised in a shuffling movement, lead foot moving off rear foot following. Everything about these two screamed professional so Shaun had to time it just right. He took some coins from his pocket and threw them into the fog behind his car, the trick worked. Like robots their weapons tracked to the sound the coins made. Shaun stood up and fired twice, both shots finding their mark dropping the gunmen.

With his gun aimed at the fallen men he walked over to them and removed their weapons and checked to make doubly sure they would give him no more trouble. Next he crossed over to the man on the ground and found he was unarmed but unconscious, no doubt from the head wound he was sporting. Shaun checked for any other wounds but found none. The man was dressed in an orange jumpsuit of the type worn by prisoners but he knew of no prisons in the area and could see no reasons for a prisoner being in this area. The two gun men were dressed in jeans and hunting jackets so did not look like typical prisoner escorts. It was a mystery all right. He checked their pockets but came up empty, no ID wallets or cash.
He tried to radio Tracie on dispatch but got only static in reply, the fog which was still just as heavy must be playing havoc with the airwaves. Shaun’s main priority was the injured man but he could not leave the two dead men for civilians to stumble up on. He had no choice but to move them to their pick up truck which was parked nearby.

Once the bodies had been hidden he moved the injured man to the rear of his car and hoped it still worked after being shot up. He climbed in the drivers seat turned the key and was satisfied when it roared into life.

Thirty minutes later Shaun was back at the Precinct house on S Embassy Street and his prisoner/victim was secured in a cell being treated by the local Doctor. He had come round and Shaun was waiting in the booking office for the Doc to finish up so he could speak to him.
Chief Barnard entered the room and picked up some files off the booking desk.
“Can you get a report to me as soon as possible Shaun,” he said, “The town council will want to know a gang war is not about to start on their streets.”
“I think we can say they weren’t gang bangers, these guys were pros”
Tracie popped her head round the door.
“Call for you chief, a Jim Salazar,”she said, “says he’s with the FBI.”
“Frig, that’s all I need, for FBI read trouble, as if I ain't got enough on my plate.” He smiled at Shaun and left the room. Just then the Doc came out of the cell area and told him the prisoner was ready to speak to him.
“How does he seem doc?”
“A bit confused, scared.Reasonable way to feel under the circumstances.”
Shaun walked into cell eight to find the man sat on the bunk his arms wrapped round his chest which was pulled up to his knees. He looked up as Shaun came in.
“How you feeling’,” he said, taking out his notebook and pen.
The man stood up, he was a little shorter than Shaun’s six foot, and wiry, some would say raw boned, where as Shaun was well built.
“You have to let me go, I haven’t done anything.”
“All in good time, what’s your name?”
“Eric Cutter.” He started to pace and appeared agitated.
“I don’t want to go back, I’ve had enough of their prodding and poking.”
Shaun had no idea what he was going on about but it was clear something was scaring him.
“Eric sit down and tell me what happened to you.”
Cutter stopped pacing and looked at Shaun.
“We do not have enough time, they are coming and we are all going to be dead.”
“Your in a police station Eric and quite safe.”
He laughed, “No one is safe from them, you don’t understand.”
“Then make me, tell me who your scared of?”
Cutter was just about to answer when the chief appeared.
“Stop the interview Shaun, he’s Fed property,” Barnard said, “An escaped prisoner and it appears you killed two federal agents.”

Montauk Precinct House
Shaun was sat with the chief in his office, he had been relieved of his weapon. He could hear the click clack of a type writer in the staff area and traffic noises out side the one way window. The Chief drummed his fingers on his desk, flicking through a file on his desk.
“Not a very good start to your first day is it?”
“No way were they Feds Chief,” Shaun said ,”For a start I clearly identified my self and they just turned and fired on me.”
“We got to do it by the book Shaun, you discharged your pistol, so an investigation has to take place.”
Shaun felt as if a heavy ball was lodged in his stomach, in his mind he knew it was a righteous shooting. Federal agents would not just open fire plus they carried no identification. Something did not feel right. He looked over the Chiefs shoulder at the traffic passing by outside, it looked like this was his first and last day.
“Am I confined to this room Chief or can I go get a Coffee?”
“Just don’t leave the building,”he said not looking up from his paperwork. Shaun stood up and crossed to the door.
“Stay away from Cutter as well.”
Without a backward glance Shaun left the office. Deputy Steve Hodson was at his desk and he did not look up from the report he was finger typing as Shaun crossed the room to the stairs leading to the kitchen and rec room. Looks like I’m persona non Grata already, thought Shaun. Two years ago his mother was diagnosed with cancer so he gave up his job with the Texas rangers and moved to Montauk to take care of her, he was an only child and she had no other family after his dad died in an automobile accident. Shaun had nursed her right up till the end and after she died he felt at a loss what to do with his life until he was approached by the Chief of Police from East Hampton, his mother had been good friends with his wife. The chief said a job had come up in the Montauk PD and it was his if he wanted it. After spending two years in Montauk he had fallen in love with the area so Shaun had jumped at it, part of him now wished he had not, up until now his career in the Military and the Rangers had been unblemished and he knew full well mud sticks even if he came out of this clean.
Five minutes later he was sat on one of the battered red sofas in the rec room drinking his coffee. He ran the action over again in his mind, did he do anything wrong? No, it was totally by the book and if the same situation arose he would do exactly the same thing. He decided to ride it through, hold his head high.

The sound of smashing glass and a scream from downstairs brought him out of his thoughts. He rose and moved to the stairs just as a man in a black suit reached the top , he had a Sig Saur 226 held in both hands and it had a silencer attached. This guy ain’t here for coffee, Shaun