Covert Ops

by T. R. Cameron

  The tech nodded. “We have a good signal. Most of the stuff from downstairs collected by the bugs Sloan distributed is garbage. Petty nonsense, really, although some of it is really disgusting. We should consider burning the building down with them in it.” Her boss looked to see if she was kidding and couldn’t tell. “The feed from the office, though? That’s gold.”

  “Do tell.”

  “They’re after the Prince of Plunder.”

  Diana and Cara spoke at the same time with the same palpable level of surprise. “What?”

  “Yep. In addition to causing trouble wherever they can, they’ve found the damn pirate and the witch wants him.”

  “For another big event like the jailbreak?” Cara sounded angry. Again. She sounds angry a lot lately.

  Kayleigh shook her head. “I guess you might call it a big event, especially if you happen to be the Prince. She wants him dead.”

  The words jerked Diana’s attention back to the issue at hand. “Well, that’s no good. We need to have a chat with him.”

  Her second-in-command growled. “At the very least. In a dark room. Involving a lead pipe. He definitely needs to live until I can—we can—have some quality time with him.”

  Kayleigh slid a tablet across the table. It spun into perfect alignment in front of the two agents. On it was an image of the exterior of an industrial building. “He’s basically in a castle. They’re sequestered in this factory, which is both still active and as dangerous as hell.” A slideshow launched and short clips played showing robotic welders, autonomous forklifts, and a variety of other pieces of equipment that could easily be turned into threats.

  Cara folded her arms and tilted her chin defiantly. “Then we storm the damn castle, rip the gates down, and pull him out of there by his scrawny little pirate beard.”

  Diana laughed. “While I have absolutely no issue with the sentiment, that could be easier said than done.”

  Kayleigh tapped her watch. “And don’t forget, time is ticking. It might take them a week to get ready, or they might move tonight. There’s no telling with that group of morons.”

  Cara gave her boss a pointed look. “Yeah, when your boss is insane, things can be unpredictable.”

  She replied with a single-finger salute and turned back to the tech. “Okay, what can you and Deacon do for us?”

  The blonde shrugged. “We can get blueprints, of course. We can scan the area to make sure there’s nothing obvious that might cause trouble. We can try to hack the computer system, but it’s likely that the place is actually a number of separate systems. Most of them are and that becomes a little more problematic. Once we’re in, Alfred can assist.”

  Diana tapped her fingers together, deep in thought. It was clear they’d have to do something, but the conservative part of her wondered if they could catch him in transit or on a job, rather than face every defense he might have put in their way.

  Cara rapped her knuckles on the table. “Hello, Earth to Sheen, come in, space cadet.”

  She scowled. To hell with it. This is what we do. “Get the team together. We go in tonight. Be ready to roll at midnight and we can strike during the very early morning lull. All hands on deck for this one, other than Sloan.”

  Kayleigh nodded. “About that…do you think it’s time to pull him out?”

  “He’s too valuable where he is.” Diana sighed. If we get a sign that they’re suspicious, we’ll do it. Until then, leave him in place. Give him a warning about tonight, though.” An email would find its way to his inbox with coded language to alert him to be extra vigilant.

  “Okay.” Her tone suggested that it was not even close to okay, but they all knew that the need for inside information was paramount.

  “We’re doing all we can at the moment to keep him safe, correct?”

  She nodded.

  “He’s a professional. He knows the risks. More importantly, he knows how to read people. He would tell us that he’ll know when the time is right to leave.”

  Neither woman responded. Kayleigh clearly had issues with the notion that her technology put Sloan at risk, even though it hadn’t been her decision to use it. Cara wore her focused look that she got when a fight was ahead, but several hours too early. Diana shook her head and stood. She thought she should say something to reassure them and get them back on track, but nothing came. This thing needs to go right, or people will start letting their emotions overcome their logic. She headed to the core to begin planning.

  Chapter Twelve

  Diana managed a nap between completing her individual planning session and the set time for gathering in the core. When the clock struck midnight, she splashed water on her face and shook off the drowsiness. She took the elevator down to the basement and walked slowly toward her assembled team. Pride welled inside her at the sight of all of them gathered and clearly ready to take on any challenge.

  They exchanged jibes and insults, and even Rath was in on the action in his role as judge. Seeing him happy always bolstered her spirits. During moments of great introspection, she wondered if the universe hadn’t put them together deliberately to fill a need that neither of them knew existed. Most women get boyfriends. Me, I get a troll. She laughed inwardly. I definitely have the better deal. No offense, Bryant.

  The group fell silent as she approached and mirth gave way to focus. She nodded her approval and stepped beside the display table. The technicians stood on one side of it and the remainder of the team gathered on the other sides. Rath had pulled a chair up to stand on. It was almost a little crowded—a positive sign for her branch of ARES. She cleared her throat. “As I’m sure you already know, it’s time for some payback. Tonight, we capture the Prince of Plunder, who was a thorn in our side even before he played such a pivotal role in the breakout from the Cube.” She raised a hand toward the techs. “Kayleigh and Deacon, spell it out for us.”

  The blonde spoke while her partner manipulated the display. They worked together seamlessly as if they’d been co-conspirators for years rather than weeks. From a satellite view of the site, their visual perspective zoomed to the access road that led from the nearby streets to the location and rolled slowly along it. “The factory is in reclaimed space from a steel mill, which is good for them and bad for us. County records show that when they cleared the old buildings and constructed this one, they were quite optimistic about how many other factories would locate in close proximity. They claimed five, minimum. It turns out the real number was ‘nobody likes you,’ and this is the only building in the area.”

  Anik nodded. “Damn. Not good for a stealth approach.”

  Cara sounded doubtful. “Chopper?”

  Kayleigh shook her head. “Again, no cover. If they saw you coming and had even a single shoulder-mounted rocket…well, Deacon and I would be really lonely.”

  “Stealth chopper?”

  Diana rolled her eyes at her second-in-command. “We don’t have one of those at the moment, I’m afraid. I’m not sure anyone does.”

  The newest agent spoke up, his deep voice soft in the confined space. “There are some out there, but none we can get in time for this. And getting permission would be a nightmare.”

  The tech jumped into the silence. “So, basically, we have to assume the enemy will be aware that we’re coming from the moment the SUVs appear on the access road. They’ll have between twenty and thirty seconds to prepare while you drive up, assuming you drive like you stole them.”

  “While I don’t personally enjoy crawling through the woods and such, would an approach on foot make more sense?” Tony was clearly reluctant to share his suggestion.

  Deacon shook his head and waved to activate a multicolored overlay on the map. “As you can see, the location is well-equipped with sensors—many sensors.” Each variety was a different color, and the projected detection ranges and directions were mapped. There wasn’t a single approach that wasn’t fully covered. “Before you ask, yes, we could knock them out with the stun drone we’ve gotten op
erational. But that’s not a great plan, either. It doesn’t guarantee secrecy, and it might set off more active countermeasures.”

  Diana’s eyes widened at the revelation that they now had an armed drone. Before she could comment on it, Kayleigh took the floor. “We will use the drone, though. We’ll run it ahead of the vehicles to either fry or trip the defenses along the road. Deacon has found a way to configure the stunner to impersonate a ground vehicle. Assuming it survives, it will be tasked to assist with any escapees.”

  Cara growled. “There won’t be any.”

  Rath grinned at the woman. “Slippy pirate is slippy.” The combination of the Pittsburgh word for “slippery” and the general image of a buccaneer in such a state was enough to draw laughter from everyone around the table.

  The agent in charge nodded. “Hope for the best, plan for the worst. The drone will be our backup plan for runners. Rath will be the main plan.” The troll looked at her, and she grinned at him. “You’re the only one of us who can fly, so it has to be you.” He gave her a fangy grin and a thumbs-up.

  “The regular drones will arrive on site as soon as you deploy, of course.” Kayleigh clarified. “They’ll be spotters if anyone does make a run for it. They’ve already verified that there’s no underground exit from the space. So, if someone does try to escape, we’ll be able to see them with the thermal sights on the drone. We’ve also outfitted one to launch Rath’s invisible tracers if things go really awry.”

  Anik laughed. “You two are very productive. You seem to complement each other well.” Diana didn’t miss the irritated look Cara threw at him, and she resolved that after they apprehended the Prince, she’d get over her resistance and force the woman to tell her what was going on. Everything that’s going on.

  The techs exchanged smiles, then focused again on the display table. A pair of SUVs appeared and hurtled along the access road. One stopped at the front, and the other veered around the side of the building to head toward the back. Deacon was apologetic. “We modeled it for two teams, a guess as to what you’d want. We can change the model easily though.”

  Diana shook her head. “Two teams make sense since there are two main entrances. Agreed?”

  Everyone nodded, and Cara spoke. “Yep. Two teams. I call Hank.”

  “Well, since my primary choice will be on top of the building doing his Batman impersonation, I guess I’ll go with Tony.”

  Rath grinned. “Bat-Troll.”

  “I stand corrected. So, we’re set.”

  Anik frowned. “Hey. Over here. Can you see me? Have I achieved invisibility?”

  Diana raised a hand to the techs. “Deacon, would you explain to our resident demolitions man what he’ll be doing?”

  The tech nodded, and the table zoomed in to a ground view of the building and rotated slowly around it. “See all those doors? We need to stop them from being doors.”

  Anik rubbed his palms together. “Now you’re talking. Blow them in?”

  Diana shook her head. “No, seal them up. Welding rig.”

  He sighed. “Boring.”

  “But essential.”

  “But boring.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, if you finish quickly, you can come in and join the fun.”

  He smiled. “Good deal. But I get to be on Hank and Cara’s team.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He frowned, not exactly sure what she meant by that, and she turned to the techs again. “Let’s see if we can get through the rest without any more interruptions from the peanut gallery, shall we?”

  Kayleigh gestured, and Deacon adjusted the controls to zoom into the building itself. The roof vanished and the floor plan appeared. “Okay, so…the place is a functioning factory, mainly robotic. You’ll have welders working, loads of steel being moved from place to place, autonomous forklifts and other vehicles, and possibly even actual robots wandering about. It’s damn high-tech.” She sounded jealous or at least desirous of similar equipment for her own use. “Long story short, it’s not a great place to fight. Far too much cover, tons of hot hardware around to mess with thermal sighting, and the ever-present possibility that one of the robots is actually a Terminator.”

  Tony nodded dramatically, his arms folded. “Exactly like I’ve been saying.”

  Diana sighed. “Okay, it’ll suck. Is there anything you can do about that, smarty-pants tech types?”

  Deacon laughed. “Yes. We’ll have a few new toys for you to deploy that will enable us to be of some assistance during the op. But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re basically taking on an enemy in their stronghold.”

  She clapped. “That’s something we’re good at. They won’t know what hit them. Let’s get geared up, people.”

  Hank sidled up to her as they relocated to the equipping area. “You know, if we had a large vehicle—say a semi—and put changeable skins on it, we could possibly roll right up without freaking them out.”

  Diana frowned and folded her arms. “And what do you think would be inside this vehicle?”

  The big man grinned. “Probably some equipment—lockers, that kind of thing.”

  “Cara told you to say that.”

  He laughed. “No, but her opinions are very clear on the matter. The thing is, we could most likely do a basic version of it with off-the-rack parts. It wouldn’t be too difficult. A month or so, and I could have it rolling.”

  She sighed. “Okay, it’s on the table. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.” They separated and headed for different sections of the equipping area. Diana alternated between getting herself set up and helping Rath into his patrol gear. She bent close and whispered, “You stay safe, you hear me?”

  He grinned at her. “I will if you will.”

  “Deal.” She gave him a high-five that was more a mid-five for her and finished strapping her armor pieces on. That secure, she retrieved magazines from the locker, loaded her carbine and pistol with anti-magic ammo, and divided her backups between that and standard bullets. She had slipped the last in when Cara stepped beside her and spoke softly, avoiding eye contact with her gaze fixed ahead.

  “Listen, boss, I get rules and all. But we’re invading a damn metalworking factory. There’ll be a ton of stuff around that they can use as shields. Plus, there are no innocents to get in the way. If ever there was a time that armor-piercing ammo was called for, this is it.”

  Diana frowned while she considered the suggestion. On the one hand were the rules. On the other, Cara was right, and it was never bad to have an edge. She sighed. “Okay. Two mags each for you and me—one pistol and one rifle. But be careful. Those things can punch through our vests as easily as they can an enemy’s cover. If you shoot our new guy, we might find it hard to replace him.”

  The woman laughed and sounded a little like her normal self. She grabbed the magazines with the red stripes, handed two to her boss, and retained two for herself. Her gaze was still lowered as she walked away. Diana shook her head and banished the worry from her mind. Later. She slipped the mags into the slots on her belt that would require the most effort to retrieve them from to ensure that she didn’t accidentally load them.

  She turned, ready to tell everyone to head to the cars, but was interrupted by Deacon who rushed over with a case in each hand. Both were roughly three times as wide as a standard briefcase. They looked heavy, based on the way he lurched toward her. “Toys. Get them inside and plan to spend a minute or two deploying them. We’ll give you instructions then.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Anything fun?”

  He grinned. “Well, we think so. But they won’t make anything go boom, so you probably won’t.”

  “Hey, no stereotyping. We’re quite cerebral.”

  “Sure, sure. When you’re ready to help us build the next one, you let me know.”

  She laughed. “Well, maybe not that cerebral.”

  He turned, dashed away with a wave, and headed to his workspace above. This was their first run with both techs,
and they had decided he would work out of the lab while Kayleigh took her regular place in the core. Diana had no idea what they planned as far as a division of responsibilities but was sure they’d operate in the best way possible.

  She gazed at her team, all fully outfitted and waiting for her command, and realized she was completely confident in each of her agents individually—and even more so when they were together. Whatever comes, we can handle it. She grinned at them. “You people rock. I couldn’t ask for better sisters and brothers in arms. Let’s go capture ourselves a pirate.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cara swung the wheel hard to stay on the road as the SUVs barreled toward the factory. The chain-link fence had offered no resistance to her vehicle when she’d simply powered through it, and they assumed that the enemies inside were now aware of the incoming assault. After some deliberation, the team had brought three cars. She and Hank were in the first, the second held Diana, Tony, and Rath, and Anik was alone in the third. Kayleigh had checked to make sure Sloan wasn’t nearby, but his phone showed him in the Remembrance faction warehouse, as usual. At least we don’t have that to worry about. Which, of course, leaves only about two thousand other things.

  She shook her head, but the growling in her mind wouldn’t be dislodged. Ever since the events at the Cube, a growing part of her brain had stabbed continually at her and tried to break her down. No matter what, she wouldn’t give into it but couldn’t deny that a definitive win would have a positive impact on her mood.

  Hank yelled a warning, and she wrenched the wheel again to avoid a duck, of all things, that waddled serenely across the road. She wasn’t sure who she wanted to shoot first—the animal for causing the trouble or him for deciding it would be better to risk both their lives than to hit it. She muttered threats at both and pressed harder on the accelerator to skid around the final corner that led to the back opening into the facility.

  Her partner was out his door before the SUV had stopped moving, and she joined him a few seconds later. They retrieved heavy weapons from the trunk. She strapped her carbine over her chest and snatched up a pair of flashbangs to carry while the newest ARES agent attached his rifle and selected a large shotgun. Tony had made the choice on that weapon for the team. He’d selected the Kalashnikov KS-12T for its semi-auto firing and ten-shot magazine but frequently and loudly expressed his desire for a custom version. Diana had explained that until they had a gunsmith in-house, he’d need to use off-the-rack gear. Hank held the big weapon in one hand as he stuck a backup magazine into his belt, then nodded his readiness.