Red North!
Page 47
CHAPTER 39
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On his way to the airport, Pete picked up his satellite phone and dialed a number.? The signal bounced it off a satellite and back down to the team leader, somewhere in the hills behind the plant.? "Red Two, this is Mother.? Copy?"
Some static, then he heard a quiet voice say, "This is Red Two, Mother.? On line and in position."
"Red Two.? Do you have eyes on the prize?"
"Copy that.? Count six bad guys, weapons and gear.? Looks well organized.? Military gear.? On the small ridge just northeast of the plant, as expected."?
Pete had his team deployed just above the position they thought the bad guys would opt for.? If the bad guys had the report Nick had put together, it stood to reason Jansen had his guys there too.? Nick and Pete assumed Jansen would have his boys begin their assault from close to the station.? They had to assume Jansen had the means to divert security personnel's attention away from his people at a specified time.?
Pete had moved their guys into place earlier in the evening, just after the sun set, fast-roping down from a stealth helo a few klicks back and humping it in from there.? It was a nasty trip with lots of thickets and steep hills.? But it was the best way in if they wanted to remain undetected.? Nick's team members were all ex-SF; and while moving around in this dense underbrush wasn't easy, it was achievable.?
They were now dug in up hill and behind Jansen's team.? With night scopes, weapons, explosives, and flash-bangs, they were ready.? Unlike Jansen's team, they didn't need to bring heavy explosives with them.? They were a kill squad and were prepared to move fast and light.
"Red Two.? Change of plans.? Take your go order directly from Red One.? Repeat, await go order from Red One, and then execute as arranged."? Pete was supposed to be the one controlling the team in the field, but he now had to get to Orange County.? Nick was Red One and would have to give them the go order-if he survived what he was going to attempt to do.
"Copy that, Mother.? Red Two out."? Then silence.??
A marine layer was hanging just off the coast, coming in.? Red Two knew fog would make the mission more hazardous.? It'd be harder to see, and the cold, wet fog would make things slippery.? He was hoping this would go down before that happened.
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