Off the Grid (A Gerrit O'Rourke Novel)

by Young, Mark

  “You going solo?” Concern crept into Beck’s voice. “At least let me set up a contact to cover your backside overseas.”

  “I’ll be okay. And I have a contact there if I run into trouble. I’m more worried about our boy and the crew heading for New Mexico. The target had to have heard Gerrit’s conversation with the senator. I would bet he already put a hit team together to intercept them once they land.”

  “That’s a high probability, Joe. Our agents found wiretaps in the senator’s house. What do you want to do about it?”

  A jet roared overhead, drowning out any conversation. Joe waited until the aircraft passed and its blast abated. “Contact our guy at SOCOM. Tell him his favorite Marine is heading into trouble. He and his crew need eyes on their backs without raising any flags with the brass. Keep this covert. Can’t let the public know the military is involved.”

  “Communications will be a one-way street with our contact, Joe. Gerrit cannot be given access to military data. His security clearance with Special Operations Command became inactive when he decommissioned.”

  “Yeah, but his clearance can be reactivated quickly by the Bureau if people like yourself push it. Besides, our contact would never let a security clearance get in the way of protecting Gerrit. They go way back.”

  Beck hesitated. “With Gerrit being a person of interest in connection to the Seattle murders and now the senator’s death, I couldn’t get that through the Bureau even with the president’s help. At least not without raising a lot of eyebrows.”

  “Okay. Then let our friend with Special Ops handle it from his end like all the others.”

  “Off the grid?”

  “Exactly. It’s the safest way for all of us to function right now.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Joe killed the connection and tossed the phone after making sure its memory had been wiped clean. Time to pack a bag and visit the enemy’s lair.

  Richard Kane heard the backblast of jet engines as Collette came on the phone line. “You in Albuquerque?”

  “Just arrived, Richard. Any updates?”

  “I just learned that the team split up. Joe O’Rourke has designated Gerrit to take the rest of the team to your location and find the lab.”

  “And Joe?”

  “He’ll be heading to my location in Harrogate. I’ll handle him on my end. You just find and kill that team. I don’t want them getting anywhere near that lab. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly,” Collette said with confidence. “They won’t leave the city.”

  He cut the connection. His informant came through again. And if Collette failed, he had a backup. The informant would kill everyone on the team.

  Chapter 39

  Albuquerque, New Mexico

  Dry winds and high altitude cleared Gerrit’s head as the team exited the plane. A burly man hailed him from across the tarmac. Officer Geronimo Sanchez. Joe’s description of Geronimo was dead on. Alena, Willy, and Redneck hung back near the plane while Gerrit approached the cop.

  Gerrit stuck out a hand. Geronimo, leaning against his car, arms folded, seemed to ignore the gesture.

  “Thought you guys would never get here. You ready?”

  Taken aback, Gerrit nodded and motioned for the others to join.

  Geronimo reached into his car and popped open the trunk. “Throw your things in the back and let’s get a move on.” The man was all business. “I’ve set up everything, just the way Joe asked.”

  Willy was the first to arrive. “So, Geronimo, how did you get that name?”

  Gerrit hunched his shoulders. “Leave the man alone, Willy. He’s trying to help us.”

  Geronimo whirled around to face Gerrit. “Stop right there, partner.” The cop held up a hand. “No names. Understood? What I don’t know, I can’t be expected to give up. I’m doing a favor for an old friend. No questions asked. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Gerrit nodded and the others piled into the car.

  Geronimo waited until everyone was settled, then punched the accelerator. He wheeled around a terminal and shot away from the airport as if he could not wait to get rid of them. A five-minute ride found them in a large public parking lot. “Here’s your new ride.” He screeched to a stop alongside a white van with tinted windows.

  Willy groaned as they piled out of the car. A magnetized decal slapped on the side of the van read Phil’s Plumbing: Let us flush your problems away—Cheap and Fast.

  “You gotta be kidding,” Willy said. “We’re going to run around town pretending to be a bunch of plumbers? This is sooo uncool. Fly in on a fancy business jet and drive out in a plumbing rig that promises to flush our problems away. Give me a break. The ad sucks.”

  “Well, excuse me, pal.” Geronimo glowered at Willy before turning to Gerrit. “It was the only undercover I could snag at a moment’s notice. Only the hookers working our hotels know about this vehicle. We used it for a sting operation a few weeks back. I suspect your targets are a step above hookers, so this ride should work.”

  Geronimo leaned out the driver’s window. “Give me a call when you’re ready to blow town. Park it right here, and leave the keys in the ignition.” He handed Gerrit a sealed business envelope. Gerrit grasped it and felt metal objects inside.

  “Keys to a safe house and the address are inside.” Geronimo started to roll up the window, then stopped. “You’ve got my number. Give me a jingle if you run into any trouble. Otherwise—we never met.”

  With that, Geronimo drove away.

  Willy reached down and picked up his bag. “And I was just getting ready to unleash my Geronimo jokes. That would have been a waste of time. I don’t think that guy’s cracked a smile since Custer’s Last Stand.”

  Gerrit opened the van’s driver-side door. “Get over it, Willy. Climb inside and start working your magic.”

  Still muttering, Willy opened the side door and climbed into the van and began to gag. “Phew. Someone left garbage in here. It smells like ol’ Phil forgot to flush.” Holding his nose, he pulled out his laptop and started to work.

  The others climbed in, Alena sitting up front on the passenger side, and Redneck following Willy into the belly of the van. Gerrit turned in the driver’s seat and pulled aside a blackout curtain so he could see the two men. “Okay, give us an update.”

  Willy set his computer on his lap and opened up programs. “I had our home-based computer system begin a search before we took off from Maryland last night. Searching all calls and communications linked to Kane that had any connection to the greater Albuquerque area.”

  Gerrit nodded. “Doesn’t he run an encryption on his system to block such searches?”

  “J and W Enterprises will not be trifled with, my man.”

  Alena caught Gerrit’s puzzled look. “Joe and Willy Enterprises. Wasn’t Willy exceptionally creative when he came up with that name?”

  “Almost as creative as Phil’s plumbing business.” Gerrit grinned. “Actually, Phil may have been a tad more creative.”

  Willy scowled at Alena, ignoring Gerrit. “The name is simple and to the point, Al. Don’t need more than that in my business.” He turned the computer so the others could read it. “Kane did make a bunch of calls here to this unlisted number.” He moved the cursor over the number.

  “So we don’t have the location identified?” Gerrit scanned the computer’s display.

  “Oh ye of little faith.” Willy clicked on the number and dragged it to another screen. “The moron with this unlisted phone number uses a computer-based phone system. I backtracked the IP address with my own magic and traced it to a business just south of here.”

  “Where is this place located?”

  An aerial view from a satellite emerged on Willy’s screen. “Way ahead of you, Mr. G. Just got this live feed from one of Joe’s friends.”

  Gerrit eyed him. “Who?”

  “Mr. J always says, ‘don’t ask.’ How do I know?”

  Irritated, Gerrit glared back
. “This is serious, Willy. Whoever’s feeding this to you knows right where we are. They can track us.”

  A gleam of amusement shone from Willy’s eyes. “You may have been Captain America in the Marines, but in our operation you’re still a rookie.” He glanced at Alena before continuing. “With Mr. J’s help, I’ve accessed a web of servers worldwide. Anyone tries to track one of my incoming signals is gonna have one heck of a headache. They may wind up sniffing around places like Singapore or New Guinea, thinking they will find me there. Don’t worry, Mr. G. We is well protected.”

  “We are well protected, Willy,” Gerrit said, smiling.

  “Yeah suh, Master G. Yeah suh.” Willy shot a grin Alena’s way.

  She just laughed. “You have just been Willyized, Gerrit. Since we met, Willy earned a bachelor’s degree in literature after his computer classes, and he is working on a doctorate online. He has a better grasp of language than most of us.” She gave him a look that meant Gerrit had been played. “You just heard his Uncle Tom’s Cabin rendition. If you try to correct him, his language just gets worse.”

  A broad grin met Gerrit’s stare when he turned toward Willy. “Okay, smart guy. Give me the intel on this place.”

  The smile slipped away as Willy focused on the computer. “We’re here.” He slid the cursor over so it blinked on top of the Albuquerque airport. He zoomed in until their van emerged on the screen, shifting the angle so the Phil’s Plumbing logo became vividly clear.

  “That’s great, Willy,” Gerrit said, “but where’s our target area?”

  “Man, Joe was right. You are very impatient.” Willy shrugged and began shifting images with a few command strokes. “Here we are above the lab. I’ll just move us in closer.” Fingers sped across the keyboard as Willy entered more commands. A large, single-story building emerged, its structure spread across barren land. He narrowed the picture until they could read the company’s sign—Millennium Technologies, Inc.

  Willy laughed. “I guess this company thinks they are going to be around for a while.”

  “Actually, I think they are a bit arrogant using that name,” Alena said. “Remember, we are searching for evidence of Project Megiddo. For the unenlightened, Megiddo is the Hebrew word for the site where the forces of good and evil converge during end times. In fact, I could take you to that site today, if anyone’s interested.” No one responded, so she continued. “After that battle, Christ will set up His kingdom here on earth where He will reign for a millennium. Somehow, I don’t think Millennium Technologies will still be around when that happens.”

  Gerrit pointed at the screen, trying to ignore Alena’s lecture. “Willy, can you zoom in on the building’s features?”

  “Can a cop find a donut shop?” Willy glanced up with a challenging smirk. “Oh, sorry, Detective. Just joking.” He shifted his gaze back to the screen. “Here you go.”

  Gerrit whistled as the image cleared. “This place looks like Fort Knox.” A high cyclone fence, crowned with thorny concertina wire, stretched the perimeter of the complex. It looked like a prison. Only one break in the wire where a single roadway led past a guard shack, the road broadening to create a small parking lot. All vehicular traffic could easily be searched coming and going from the only access point.

  “There,” Gerrit said. “Show me the area between the guard shack and what appears to be the front entryway.” He pointed to the front of the complex.

  Again, Willy’s fingers worked the keyboard. The view shifted to reveal a small parking lot in front of the entryway, with an interior cyclone fence standing between the parking lot and the rest of the complex. It appeared passengers must leave their vehicles and pass through a second sentry gate before reaching the building.

  “Man, that is tight security.” Redneck leaned over Willy for a better look.

  “Do you mind moving back, Hillbilly?” Willy glared up at him. “Your breath smells like a garlic factory.”

  Redneck moved in closer. “Oh, come on, Mr. Geek. Let me plant one on you.”

  Willy pushed him back. “I’m serious, No Neck. Give me some space.”

  Gerrit grimaced. “Come on, guys. Let’s focus on the target. You two lovebirds can take this up some other time.”

  Irritated, Willy peered at the scene and entered more code commands. “Okay, I’ll scan the perimeter so we can see what we’re up against.” He drew the image back so they could see the area between the inner fence and the building’s exterior.

  Gerrit pointed at the upper right of the screen. “Get me a clear view of that pole. They’ve ringed the building with a series of concrete poles. I need to see what’s on them.”

  Like adjusting binoculars for a closer look, the computer image expanded as a single pole emerged. A floodlight could be seen attached to the very tip of the pole. Just below the light, strapped to the pole, surveillance cameras could be seen on either side.

  Gerrit drew closer, smelling a hint of garlic. “Willy’s right, R. D. You need to brush.” Willy chuckled as Gerrit peered at the surveillance equipment near the lab. “Those cameras are giving them a 360 of the area around that pole. The next pole’s cameras must pick up any dead spots the first ones missed.”

  “Do you want to see what they can see?” Willy smirked at him.

  “You can get into their system?”

  “Does a bear—”

  “Skip the jokes, Willy. Can you get me a look inside?”

  “Can a—?” Willy stopped midsentence when he saw Gerrit’s expression. “Sure thing, Mr. G.”

  A few minutes later, Willy handed the laptop to Gerrit. “Here ya go. Search away. See the camera stations listed along the top? Just point and click. If you hover over the site number, a window will appear to show you what you will be looking at and the location of the camera.”

  “Say I want to go to the plant manager’s office.”

  Willy reached over and moved the mouse to a midpoint. “Looks like they’re divided between interior and exterior locations. The interior are placed in geographical order. Here, start at this point.”

  Gerrit watched as the first web cam popped up on the screen. It was a hallway in which he could rotate the view as needed. He manipulated the controls until the lens rested on a door identified as leading to the office of Security Management.

  “While I poke around on this screen, I have a job for you and Redneck.” Gerrit crawled back to where the two men sat. “Alena, take the driver’s seat. Start looking for a car rental agency. There should be one near the airport.”

  He turned to the guys. “We need to pick up two chase cars to go with this van. Alena can stay here with me, and you two split up after renting the cars and go solo. Willy, you have the handhelds handy? Everybody pick one up and stay in contact.”

  Alena slid over and started the engine.

  Gerrit continued. “Now, while she’s looking for a rental place, Willy, you help search this plant for weaknesses we can exploit.”

  They began scanning the entire structure, searching each office before continuing to the next. Gerrit turned to Willy. “How can you do this? I mean some people have a problem just getting online while they’re traveling. Here, you’re accessing the plant’s interior security.”

  Willy gave him a sly smile. “I can get inside just about any security system while miles away.” He motioned to a portable server he’d stashed in back. “That is J & W Enterprises’ own special creation. A mobile server that only needs a power source and provides wireless access to any nearby network. Once we’re hooked up, I target any place anywhere in the world. Cool, huh?”

  “Yeah. But how do you gain access to this plant, for example? Their system must be self-contained. No hard wires to the outside.”

  “It’s the beauty of wireless, baby.” Willy seemed to jump around in place with enthusiasm. “Mr. J. and I figured out how to piggyback on any wireless connections, even though they’re only transmitted to on-site locations. With our special contacts, we can have a satellite list
ening station zero in on a specific location, amplify the wireless signals, and transmit those signals back to us. We scan them until we lock into their system network, feeding back whatever we want to see. Just like now.”

  Gerrit smiled. “Amazing. And you can do this from any location in the world?”

  “As long as we connect with the satellite as it is rotating above the target. Impossible if the satellite is on the other side of the globe. Then we need to shift to another eye-in-the-sky orbiting in direct range to the target.”

  “And who are these sources?”

  Willy shook his head. “You’re gonna have to ask Mr. J for those. He just gives me the coordinates to access when needed. He keeps all the contacts to himself in case one of us gets captured.”

  “What if Mr.…Joe gets snatched?”

  “Then we’re up a creek without a paddle.”

  Gerrit turned back to the screen. He thought of Joe on his way to England. He realized the weakness in their network. If something happened to his uncle, he and the others would be left without any contacts. More important, they would not know who to trust. Joe only left him one name. Beck Malloy.

  Gerrit focused on the target, trying to shake the thought from his mind.

  Chapter 40

  A white-coated lab rat kept sneaking glimpses of Collette as she moved around the room, a man who could only dream of getting close to a woman like her—under any circumstances. She smiled to herself as she eyed him in the glass of one of the blank screens. Men are so weak. She learned early to use their weaknesses to her advantage. It had served her well.

  “Now, you’re sure there is no way outsiders can invade this room with surveillance equipment. I don’t want them to catch me visiting this plant and I need to monitor whether we have any electronic intrusions here.”

  The lab rat looked at her, his face reddening. Her glare probably made the guy believe she could read his dirty thoughts. “I’m sure this is safe, miss…”

  “I need you guys to be able to tell me if anyone—anyone—tries to invade our security system. Let me know immediately.”