Drop Zone

by Amanda Carlson

  “Fuel a little less than a fifth,” Lee said. “It’s burning quickly.”

  “We’re right on target,” Harmony said. “Fifty-two seconds.”

  Mina held her breath. She was certain everyone else in the room was doing the same.

  “Now!” Lee shouted.

  “Done,” Harmony confirmed. “Bye-bye, satellite. The system has ruptured.”

  On-screen, Currency Reigns stopped moving abruptly.

  Then it began to drop.

  Chapter 18

  “Destination 476 will be reached in one minute,” the sim intoned.

  They were all on board a military combat supply shuttle. Along with Sergeant Collins, five other soldiers had joined them. By the looks of them, they were an elite team. None of them made eye contact. No one said a word. They wore specialized equipment, full headgear, face shields, and weapons. The cargo area was loaded with tools and equipment to get the stable heart off the beach so it could be transferred into the craft and back to the base.

  “Don’t land yet,” Harmony said hurriedly from her position hunched over her compucase. “We should wait here until the heart reaches the beach. Just to be safe. I know we said we were going to land, but I changed my mind. Those hackers were on top of us when we were inside the system. I don’t think they can change the trajectory, but we can’t take that chance.”

  “Agreed,” Lee said. “It just came through the atmosphere.” He squinted down at his screen. “Its glides have been enacted. It’s slowing. We’re right on track. But just in case something throws it off course, we shouldn’t be on the ground. Have the craft hover over the water two kilometers north of the island. If anything, it will veer south at its current trajectory.”

  Sergeant Collins looked to Mina for confirmation. She was the lead, so it was up to her.

  “Feel free to take orders from either of them,” Mina instructed. “They’re the ones in charge until that thing hits the ground, and it’s faster that way.”

  “Destination change, verification 013275,” Sergeant Collins ordered as he stuck his finger in the helix. “Head two kilometers north of destination. Hover twenty meters above the ocean until I give new orders.”

  “Destination change confirmed,” the sim replied. “Awaiting orders.”

  There was a slight tug as the drone repositioned itself, reversing backward at a quick clip. There was a lot of reversing going on today.

  “From this angle, we should be able to see it land out the front window,” Harmony said. “Or at least streak by.”

  “It will hit Earth in four minutes, thirty-eight seconds,” Lee confirmed. “It’s already slowing, coming in at a speed of seventy kilometers per hour, but will slow significantly once its sensors detect the ground within a thousand feet. It will land at about forty-three kilometers per hour. The impact will be fairly intense. It will make a significant hole and sink into the sand.” He glanced up. “I hadn’t really thought about that. Sand is much softer than soil.”

  “It won’t be a problem,” Sergeant Collins replied. “We have equipment that can latch on to it and fly it out if we need to. Even if it’s buried, we can get to it. It will just take a little longer.”

  “We don’t have longer,” Harmony murmured, her gaze fixated on her screen. “By my estimation, other interested parties will land here six minutes, three seconds after it touches down. That means we have to have it out in three.”

  “Three is more than enough time. My team has been prepped for this mission. We’re aware of the terrain,” Sergeant Collins said, completely undaunted. “This is not the first time we’ve retrieved something like this.” That was cryptic. “We have everything we need in the back. Whoever shows up, if we’re lingering, will identify us as military and think twice. If anyone opens fire on us, they are fair game. Each one of us is equipped with a mini barrel laser, two heavy artillery hydro-bombs, and a few other classified pieces of tech that are capable of taking out a drone at a hundred meters. Not only that, this shuttle is equipped with integrated firing lasers that can be voice-activated through my cuff.” He held up his wrist to display a very complicated military-grade cuff that was three times larger than anything civilians or federal agents wore. It looked complex.

  “Okay, then,” Harmony said.

  Sergeant Collins allowed for a tiny grin. “We have your back. It’s what we do. My team is elite force. We’re used to doing things quickly. In and out is our specialty.”

  “Impact in sixty seconds,” Lee said.

  All eyes were positioned out the front window. The low hum of the shuttle was the only thing making any sound. The drone was a lot quieter than anything civilians used.

  A minute later, a large black streak came shooting down in front of them.

  “That’s a go,” Sergeant Collins ordered. “Set down ten meters from unidentified object. Scan from visual three seconds ago, avoid the water. Full speed.”

  The drone shot forward. Everyone was rocked back in their seats. It wasn’t g-force, but it was close.

  “Object identified as space debris from scan,” the sim said. “Setting down in ten seconds.”

  Mina glanced out the window. Blue ocean was all she could see from her vantage point. “Myself, Agent Poston, Colonel Kramer, and ex-marshal Webb are going to exit the drone to make sure the debris is the stable heart, then we’re back in. Harmony and Agent Adams, make sure you keep the Syndicate’s people from erasing what’s on that heart.”

  “We’re on it,” Harmony said. “They won’t get in. It’s already repowering and emitting a tiny signal. I’m locked on it. Our proximity helps in this case. The signal is so weak it’s not projecting very far. That gives us a huge advantage.”

  “Don your headgear,” Mina instructed her team, strapping on the helmet Sergeant Collins had provided her with. It had a large reflective surface on the top. Any satellite imagery taken from above would show them as walking, flashing dots.

  All of the soldiers wore similar helmets.

  The drone set down, and all four doors opened automatically.

  Everyone but Harmony and Lee streamed out, four of the soldiers circling back to the cargo space to shoulder bags of equipment.

  They all jogged to the stable heart. It was so close it took less than five seconds.

  “We did it!” Kaylee exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, but we brought a satellite down to Earth. Well, technically not us, because we’re not that talented. But as a team, we did it!”

  Two of the soldiers immediately got down on their knees. The stable heart had made a small crater, but the top was exposed. One of them reached out with a gloved hand, hovering it a meter over the heart. “Temperature reading five hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Bring in the coolant.”

  Another soldier rushed in wearing a pack consisting of two cylinders connected to a hose and a nozzle he held with both hands. He sprayed the entire thing down. A hissing noise issued from it.

  “It’ll be touchable in seven seconds,” Sergeant Collins said. “Probably wasn’t hot enough to make glass, but there might be some under there. These things have a protective coating that burns up on reentry, cooling them down. It’s helpful.” He waved a couple of his men through. They carried what looked to be mini saucers, and another soldier had a remote control in his hands. “Wipe off the foam and connect the wings. We’re on the clock. I want that thing inside the shuttle in the next thirty seconds. Then we’re out of here in the next ten.”

  Mina made a motion circling her arm. “Let’s get back in the shuttle. We could have company very soon. We need to be ready to fly.”

  Vince nodded as they all began to walk back. “They’ve got things well taken care of here.”

  “Yes, they do,” Norm said. “This is a highly trained operation. It’s a pleasure to watch.”

  It really was.

  A trained team i
n action, working in unison, nobody speaking unless they absolutely had to. It was also clear they had gathered up one of these stable hearts before. Maybe they’d been involved in the past government missions Lee had cited, but maybe they had participated in different ones. They would never know. Sergeant Collins certainly wasn’t going to tell them about it, and Mina certainly wasn’t going to ask.

  Once back in the drone, she checked in with Harmony and Lee. “Tell me you blocked access and that thing is going to be full of data when it gets on board.”

  “We’re working on it,” Lee said. “So far so good. We expected them to try to access it the moment it came back online and provided a signal. And they have. Harmony had already written some excellent code to block. It’s going to appear as another system error.”

  “Yep,” Harmony added. “It’s keeping them from latching on to the signal. So far, it’s working. But those hackers won’t let up. There’s a chance they can get around my block. So Karmaseeker’s writing new code to trip them up, attributing it to the blips with the landing. Indicating some of the internal structure was damaged. As soon as we get the heart open, and the core data is outside of that three-meter-thick graphene firewall, we can transfer it onto our comps. Then we have copies that can’t be destroyed.”

  Mina glanced anxiously out the door to where the soldiers were working on getting the stable heart out of the sand. They’d attached over a dozen wings to it, but so far it hadn’t risen out of the hole. She checked her cuff. They were already a minute in. There was a chance Sergeant Collins would miss his prediction.

  Vince settled a hand on Mina’s wrist. “They’ll get it in here on time. Sergeant Collins is probably right about the glass. There may have been some fusion in the sand below, making it sticky. But like he said, they’re used to completing successful missions like this.”

  A shout sounded from outside. The stable heart was making its way up and out of the sand.

  “Those have to be heavy-duty wings. My goodness,” Kaylee said. “Those things look so tiny compared to that huge mass.”

  “We use those in France as well,” Vince said. “They’re made of a very strong synthetic mixed with the metal, and the adhesive melds right onto whatever metal it’s working on and becomes part of the unit. Very efficient and very powerful.”

  “Here it comes,” Norm said. “Right on schedule.”

  “Uh-oh,” Harmony said. “We’ve got company. I set up a perimeter scan using the stable heart as the guide. Incoming in less than two minutes. Can’t tell what it is, but it’s moving fast.”

  Mina went to the door and shouted, “Company in two!”

  Sergeant Collins held up his wrist. “I’m aware. It will be loaded in the next twenty seconds. We will be in the air in the next three. Still on schedule.”

  Several of the soldiers jogged back to the drone, clearing a space for the heart.

  It was surreal to see an object that large floating through the air. The soldier who was manning the remote was talented. Everything went smoothly, and the stable heart was positioned onto a metal block that would keep it in place. After it was settled inside, several soldiers hopped into the cargo area to keep watch over it.

  Sergeant Collins got back inside, issuing orders quickly. “Destination home base, full power, stealth mode, report any signal interruptions.” The doors closed instantly, and the drone took off smoothly a second later.

  They went vertically twenty meters, then shot forward faster than Mina had known was capable for any civilian drone.

  “Destination confirmed,” the sim said. “Signal pings reported. Access denied.”

  Before Sergeant Collins could report that whoever was on their way to get the stable heart had tried to ping the craft to figure out who they were, Harmony said, “That’s a pretty good firewall you’ve got on this thing, Sergeant Collins. I’m impressed. You must have some good hackers on the payroll.”

  “Only the best,” he replied confidently.

  Harmony giggled. “When the best goes up against the best and rebuffs the best, only one will be left standing. And guess what? That’s us.”

  Chapter 19

  Director McAllister was waiting on the tarmac when they landed. “Have you secured the stable heart?” he asked.

  “We have,” Mina replied as she moved forward to greet him.

  “Excellent work.”

  “Thank you, sir. All the accolades go to Agent Adams and Ms. Biggins on this. Without them, none of this would’ve been achievable. Thanks to the efficient work by Sergeant Collins and his team, we got it out in record time and, I believe, stayed under the radar. The Syndicate came in close and was able to detect a military shuttle. They tried to take a closer look but were rebuffed.”

  McAllister glanced around. “Where is everyone else?”

  “They’re remaining inside the shuttle. Harmony and Agent Adams can’t risk breaking the connection they have established to the stable heart. I believe the elite team is going to try to open it in the back. But I haven’t been apprised as of yet.”

  There was movement happening around the shuttle.

  The back end was lofted, and a few of the soldiers were pulling out equipment. Sergeant Collins was issuing orders. When he caught sight of Director McAllister, he stood at attention and saluted. “Welcome to the base, sir,” Sergeant Collins addressed Mina’s boss. “The mission was a success. We’re going to open this up in the next two. If all goes well, the data core should be exposed shortly.”

  Kaylee disembarked and walked up to them. “The Syndicate hackers are not giving up,” she informed Mina and McAllister. “Harmony and Agent Adams are on it, but they’re working hard. If the hackers break through, the information will be lost. None of us are going to rest easy until that thing is opened and duplicated.”

  Mina led the way, and the three of them boarded the shuttle.

  Lee glanced up. “Welcome aboard, sir. These Syndicate hackers are aggressive, but we have it under control.”

  A buzzing sound came from the back as some sort of saw was powered up.

  “They’re trying to infiltrate our blocks every way under the sun,” Harmony said. “The key is to trick them into thinking they should go down one path, but it’s really the other one that holds the key. Then you keep changing it up. Everything on their end is reading as a system failure. If they knew we were in here, things would look very different.”

  Vince stood, reaching out his hand. McAllister shook it. “Thank you for giving me the warning and assisting in my quick departure from France. I owe you some explanations and will give them to you shortly.”

  “There’s no hurry,” McAllister replied. “Tomorrow is soon enough. If all goes well with this today, I’ll have you and Agent Kane come to my office first thing in the morning for a detailed, confidential debriefing.”

  “Sounds good,” Vince said.

  The cargo area was partially visible from inside the shuttle. Mina could see soldiers working, but she didn’t have a visual on everything that was happening.

  “I’m going to step outside,” she said, “so I can see what’s happening. If any trouble arises with the hackers, let me know.”

  “We will accompany you,” McAllister said.

  Kaylee, McAllister, Norm, and Vince followed Mina outside and around the craft.

  The soldiers had already lasered through a few centimeters of the stable heart’s outer layer. “We’re not going to use a laser all the way through,” Sergeant Collins explained. “If we do, we risk damage to the data core. We’re going to switch soon to a diamond-tipped saw, the kind they used back in the day. We have several with different widths and thicknesses. We’re working efficiently. It will be open soon.”

  They were making progress, but Mina was still worried. If the Syndicate hackers got through, the entire mission would be lost. Waterbury would get away with his c
rimes, only to commit more. The Syndicate would be free, and wiser in the future. They would definitely secure their other satellites, possibly putting kill switches inside to wipe out data.

  This was a one-time opportunity.

  They watched as the team switched out the laser and brought in the saw.

  It made a high-pitched grinding noise as it began to rip through the heavy-duty graphene.

  Mina almost didn’t hear the yelp from inside. She held up her hand. “Cut the saw,” she commanded.

  Sergeant Collins reiterated, “You heard the agent, cut the saw!”

  Everything went silent.

  From inside the shuttle, Harmony was saying something.

  “What is it?” Mina called.

  “I’m picking up on a booby-trap that may be inside. We didn’t notice it before. We weren’t supposed to. I just stumbled on it now when I was looking at something else.”

  “I see it, too,” Lee said. “I think…it’s a bomb.”

  Sergeant Collins reacted quickly. He lofted both hands. “Everybody set down your tools and back up.” His soldiers complied immediately, each of them moving three meters away. “You two must disembark from the shuttle. This is my jurisdiction now, and I’m tasked with keeping everyone on this base safe. This supersedes the lead.” He glanced at Mina.

  “We will defer to you on this, of course,” Mina agreed. “Our number one priority is to keep everyone safe.”

  “We need a bomb squad here immediately,” Sergeant Collins said. “Leavy, report to Colonel Braxton and bring in the crew we have on base.”

  Leavy saluted and turned on his heel to complete the task.

  Mina rushed to the side of the shuttle and boarded. “I need you two off immediately.”

  “We want off of this thing, too,” Harmony said. “But we can’t risk severing our connection. The transition has to be seamless, no blips. If we lose contact, we set off whatever’s inside. We’re connected to the stable heart, but we don’t have the password. If the connection breaks, it ignites.” She gazed up at Mina, fear in her eyes. “I’m so sorry I didn’t see it immediately. This is something that we should’ve figured out ahead of time. Not thinking there might be booby-traps was negligent. If they couldn’t retrieve the stable heart themselves, this was their fail-safe.”