Ogrodnik

by Gary Coffin

  “Here’s my theory. Carrie Leblanc executed the memory tests against a free colony accidentally. She didn’t realize that free colony members weren’t part of the ongoing memory test plan.”

  Elliot took a moment to digest the new information.

  “Events are starting to align, Jen. There are a couple of gaps we need to fill in. Is it possible to determine the ages of the mice offspring in that colony that failed the test and the ages of offspring in that colony that passed the tests?”

  “Yes, it’ll take some time, but I have the data. I can probably have it in a few hours.”

  “Good. I may not be reachable by phone, so can you email me that info when you get it?”

  “Will do.”

  Rayce led Elliot downstairs into the old stone-walled basement. At the far end of the basement was a massive, black metal door with a dial and handle in the center.

  “You have a vault in your basement?”

  “This house was built as a notary business back in the mid-1800s, and it came with a vault.”

  Rayce spun the dial a few times and pulled on the handle. The massive steel door swung open smoothly. They stepped in, and Elliot saw shelving on three walls that were sparsely populated with an assortment of paper and boxes.

  I thought we’d be walking into a weapons' locker, thought Elliot.

  Rayce closed the vault door tight behind them, and Elliot raised his eyebrows. Rayce moved to the back and pushed hard on the far wall. A sizable portion of the wall swung open slowly, much as the main vault door had.

  “The locking mechanism on the back entrance is activated when the main vault door is opened. The only way to open the hidden back entrance is to close the main door tight.”

  Rayce stepped over the foot high threshold into the hidden room and flicked on the light. The room was lined with shelving full of military paraphernalia of all types. There were dozens of handguns, knives, rifles of every size and shape and stacks of ammunition.

  “Whoa. You built a secret room just for your weapons?”

  “It was here already. This room was built when the vault was installed over 150 years ago. It was used as part of the underground railway to sneak black slaves out of the U.S. Once upon a time, there was an underground tunnel that led down to the river, but the tunnel and its exit point were filled in years ago.”

  “Where’d you get all the weapons?”

  “Let’s just say I collect weapons and military gear, and people who know me know that I collect. Over the years, I’ve managed to stockpile quite a bit.”

  Rayce threw a black, folded stack of clothing at him. “Put these on. What do you prefer for a weapon?”

  “I’ve got my Glock.”

  “Leave it in the truck. Anything that we use we’ll wipe down and leave on site. All these weapons are unregistered and cannot be traced. It’s safer that way.”

  “If you have another Glock, I’ll take it.”

  “Right there,” Rayce said pointing to a shelf of handguns as he started putting on his overalls.

  Now finished dressing, Rayce handed Elliot two bundles of hefty eye sets, night vision goggles. He was now in front of the weapons shelves inspecting items like your great aunt might inspect fruit at the local market. He picked up a short, mean looking rifle with a thick, short barrel that had seen its share of use based on the scratches and wear on its stock. He tested the action and looped it around his shoulder. He picked up a pistol that looked similar to Elliot’s Glock, but longer in the barrel, and tucked it into his waistband. Elliot watched as he moved beyond the shelving units to the wall that hung dozens of knives. Rayce reached up and chose a knife with a short, stubby blade and a T-handle. Elliot had seen these knives at the dojo; they called them push knives. Rayce held the T-handle of the knife in his fist with the blade protruding between the ring and middle fingers. It was a double-sided blade that came to a sharp point, like a short triangle on a handle. Rayce held the dagger in his fist, staring at it while he twisted it slowly in front of his face. Elliot wondered what was going through his mind.

  Rayce looked at the blade and was immediately flooded with memories of his service in Iraq. He thought about his crew, Cropper, Dan-o, and Rainman and wondered where they were now. It’d been more than twenty years since he last saw them. He fought the impulse to dredge up the memories of his last days in service but lost. He remembered climbing up out of the coolness of the cave, the hot sirocco night wind coming up off the desert floor below, blasting sand grains against his face like a thousand bee stings.

  Through his squint, he made out the two team members who were left outside to stand guard along with the unmoving form of the young boy he had left with them. The Iraqi boy, no more than thirteen years old, had his arms tied down and chest flayed open like a cadaver on a morgue table, a bloody Keffiyeh still clutched in his hand. Standing over the body were the drug-fuelled grins of Cropper and Dan-o, Cropper holding a bloodied dagger by his side, a dagger much like the one Rayce now had in his hands. Dan-o looking on with a hand resting on the butt of his gun, hoping Rayce would escalate the situation and ready for it if he did.

  The events of that day changed Rayce’s future. He used to wonder how his life would be different if that day had never happened. He was past that now. What happened, happened, and now he lived with it.

  A noise brought Rayce back to the present, and he realized that he’d zoned out and that Elliot was standing beside him watching in silence. He slid the dagger into a leg sheath and started on his way out of the secret room and back into the vault. On his way to the door he stopped, picked up an empty backpack and tossed in a handgun and two extra clips. As an afterthought, he reached to the back of the shelf and chose a small leather bundle. He caught Elliot looking at him, and he replied, “Beretta and an ankle holster.”

  “Isn’t that a bit feminine for you?” Elliot asked as they made their way back into the main vault.

  “The bag’s not for me. It’s for your partner.”

  “I like your optimism.”

  “We’re set. You drive, I’ll explain,” said Rayce.

  “No problem,” said Elliot climbing into the truck. “Before we get into the plan I gotta ask about your vault. It’s hard to imagine that someone could keep a personal armory in their basement. Where do you get all that stuff?”

  “I’m a vet, and I have vet friends, and my vet friends have friends. I put the word out many years ago that I’m interested useable, untraceable gear. So, over the years when I’m offered something I’m interested in, I add it to my stockpile. Enough question, we need to focus on our mission, what’s happening with the pilot?”

  “The pilot will be ready when we get to the helipad. He doesn’t know anything except that we’re going to jump out over the West Island. That’s all he needs to know.”

  “Good. Have you ever jumped?” asked Rayce.

  “Many times. I was Flight Sergeant in the Air Cadets.”

  “Good. We’ll be jumping tandem on a parafoil, me in front.”

  “Okay, what’s the plan?”

  “We know the mercs are sitting in that building waiting for us. The entire building is glass, so there’s no way we can get in short of using a bazooka or a tank, nor is there any way for them to target anyone approaching the building, so their only play is to have shooters up on the roof. Having shooters there effectively makes the cleared area surrounding the building a kill zone. Nothing can approach the building without being seen and shot at. The shooters would be in direct contact with a team that sits in the NOC monitoring the cameras and the motion sensors in the woods. There’s no way we could get anywhere near the bunker without them knowing about it, IF,” he emphasized, “if we come by ground.”

  “We jump out of the chopper using night silk and NVGs.” Rayce read the lack of understanding on Elliot’s face and clarified, “night silk. Nylon parafoil dyed black used for parachuting at night when stealth is needed.”

  “Go on. I get it.” />
  “On the way down, we take out the guys on the rooftop. I’ll have a silenced assault rifle with me, and as we glide in toward the roof, I’ll silence them.”

  “I’ll need both hands to shoot, so you’ll have to take us in. Can you do it?”

  “I jumped every week for two years. I can do it.”

  “This’ll be a bit more involved than jumping into an open field. It’s…”

  Elliot held up his hand and interrupted. “Rayce, I got it. Move on.”

  Rayce looked at him for a moment before replying as if seeing a side of Elliot that he hadn’t seen before. “Good.”

  “What happens if they see us on the way down?”

  “That’s where Sammy’s distraction comes in. He’ll be moving about in the woods on the southwest side but out of camera view. He’ll tie his beach balls to some trees so that every time there’s a gust of wind; the beach balls will set off the motion detectors. All of their attention will be on Sammy and the southwest woods."

  “The bunker is not far from a residential area. Won’t the cops be deployed at the first sounds of gun play?”

  “I don’t think so. Did I mention that my rifle is a Russian AS Val? It’s a silenced sniper rifle, as quiet as a sleeping snake. In any event, the last thing Biovonix wants is police involvement. My guess is that Biovonix has already sent a communiqué to the locals to say that they’ll be doing some emergency construction and to pay no attention to any loud noises. Having police in their pocket makes it even easier for them.”

  As they neared their destination, Elliot phoned Sammy.

  “Sammy, you ready?”

  “Ready as the camp whore on payday.”

  “We’re about to go up now. We’ll be jumping in ten minutes, so you can start deploying now.”

  “Aye aye, Captain.”

  Rayce parked his truck in the heliport lot, and they grabbed their gear from the truck bed and headed over to the helipad where the chopper was already warming up. Just like in the movies, Elliot and Rayce ducked their heads as they approached the open door of the Bell 407 chopper.

  The pilot sat alone up front as Rayce and Elliot readied their paraphernalia.

  Elliot handed the pilot a thick envelope as he gave instructions. “Fly over the West Island just north of Highway 40. We’ll give you a signal when we’re about to jump,” Rayce yelled at the copter pilot over the whine of the revving motor.

  The pilot replied with a thumb up as he prepared to lift off.

  On the ten minute flight over to the Biovonix location, Rayce helped Elliot into the parafoil apparatus and then had him test the NVGs. Elliot turned them on and saw the world in a pale green light that reminded him of the movie The Matrix.

  Rayce was watching closely out the window, and when they were nearing Biovonix, he opened the side door. The last preparation was for Elliot to hook their harnesses together, Rayce in front.

  The squared clearing of the Biovonix bunker came into view 2000 feet below them, and Rayce yelled at the pilot to tell him they were jumping.

  The pilot responded once more by giving the thumbs up.

  Rayce’s harness pulled Elliot out of the chopper with him as he jumped into a short stretch of free fall before deploying the parafoil. The harness snapped tight and groaned under the initial 3 g load but held fast, and in seconds, they were in a wide spiral descending toward the Biovonix building.

  Rayce turned on his NVGs and signaled Elliot to do the same. The dark of night turned pale green in Elliot’s viewer, brighter in areas of light and pale green where there was no light before.

  Elliot estimated they were at about 400 feet when Rayce pointed to the bunker roof. He saw only pale green at first, but as they neared the rooftop, he was able to identify four prone shapes on the roof. Three were on the west side of the building near the roof edge, and the other was on the adjacent south edge. He took the chute out on a wide circle to the northeast side of the bunker and aligned the chute to start the glide in at about 200 feet overhead of the west facing mercenaries. It was a one shot deal. If Rayce didn’t take out all four in the first pass, they would glide past the building and be sitting ducks for whoever was still left on the roof.

  Rayce removed his NVGs, unsnapped his rifle, took the safety off and ensured the rifle was in semi auto mode. The AS Val was a marvel of understated elegance in an assault rifle. Light and sturdy, it was designed to be stripped down to the bare essentials to conserve weight. Rayce’s model sported a 20 round magazine underneath and a short, thick barrel that employed built-in sound suppression. This particular model was specifically configured for sniper use.

  Based on the rooftop deployment of the men he had just observed, Rayce intuitively understood the optimum sequence to take out the targets. Sammy’s distraction would focus the rooftop soldiers on the wooded area nearest the building’s southwest corner. He’d take out the targets starting with the man farthest from the corner on the west side. Since all eyes would be focused on the southwest wooded area, there was no reason any of the other soldiers would be looking back behind them. He would progress through them always taking the one farthest from the southwest corner until they were all dispatched.

  Rayce waited for the slight wobble in their flight path to settle and aligned the crosshairs on the head of the third target along the west wall. He had mentally rehearsed the strategy and estimated that after the first shot, it would take him two seconds to target each subsequent soldier. It was the fourth figure that would represent the most challenge. The fourth soldier would have six seconds to realize what was happening and to do something about it. Rayce didn’t think that the fourth man would realize the first two had been taken, but it was almost a certainty that the lone shooter along the south wall would see the soldier closest to him on the west wall go down. Rayce’s strategy was predicated on firing at prone, unmoving targets. If the fourth man reacted by rolling off to one side, Rayce would have little chance of getting a clean hit. If that happened, all bets were off.

  Rayce had already calculated the elevation and distance he’d need to ensure optimal shooting time and angle. Because of the additional weight of having two jumpers on one chute, his glide ratio would only be about 1.5 to 1. That, coupled with his descent rate of about 20 feet per second, told him that to get four shots off, he’d have to take his first shot when he was 180 feet up and 200 feet away from the southwest corner. Factoring in the six seconds he estimated it would take him to target and shoot all four, he’d be almost overhead of the last soldier when he shot him.

  Elliot was looking directly over Rayce’s shoulder as he aimed and shot. The suppressed pffft sound of the silenced AS Val was louder than Elliot thought it would be, and he worried that the other soldiers would hear it. He watched through the NVGs for any signs of awareness from the rooftop shooters and saw none, but he did see the targeted soldier farthest from the corner visibly slump. The force exerted from the discharge of the sub-sonic round, although not huge, started the parafoil in a lazy sway. From what Elliot could determine, Rayce was not panicking. He held the rifle steady and waited for the lazy sway of the chute to line up the next target. Another pffft sound, another slumped soldier on the rooftop, but the second detonation exacerbated the chute wobble. Rayce still maintained composure and waited for the chute's wobble to align his sights on the next one, but his two-second estimate was blown. The chute was now no more than 30 feet above the rooftop and only 40 feet behind the shooters. They were moving fast, and he had still not fired at the third soldier. Rayce managed to squeeze off the third shot just before they passed overhead. Elliot looked back as they passed to see the third shooter fall over. The last soldier, the lone man on the south wall, had seen them and was now up on his feet and bringing his weapon to bear. The chute, with Rayce and Elliot dangling from it, was no more than 20 feet overhead and gliding away in the opposite direction. Elliot wrenched his left-hand control hard; the foil banked sharply to the left swinging its human cargo way out to the
side, so they were almost parallel to the ground and swinging round to face the lone gunman less than 30 feet directly in front of them. Rayce had already switched the AS Val to auto mode, and as their arcing trajectory brought them face to face with their adversary, Rayce pulled the trigger and emptied his clip as it fanned across the struggling merc.

  Their momentum brought them back to the roof into a controlled crash that sent the two, still harnessed together, sprawling across the graveled rooftop.

  Rayce’s immediate response was to lie still and listen for activity. He quietly loaded a new magazine into the rifle and once satisfied there was no one else coming to help, signaled Elliot to start disentangling themselves.

  “I don’t remember it happening quite like that in your plans,” said Elliot.

  “My plan was to take out the soldiers on the roof before landing on it. I’d say mission accomplished,” Rayce deadpanned.

  “I think our best bet for getting intel will be on the guys in the NOC. They will be the more senior and will know more than the others. It’s also where Yilmaz is most likely to be. Gather up the chute, and stuff it in this duffel along with the NVGs,” Rayce ordered as he took off his harnesses.

  By the time Elliot was finished filling the duffel bag, Rayce was standing by the roof door with a small device in his hand.

  “Are you going to take all day with that, partner?” The question was rhetorical.

  “Wear one of their ear sets,” he said handing over a device that hooked over top of one ear with a short mike extending down to the upper jaw.

  “I expect when we open this door, someone is going to ask why. If you hear that question, push the on/off button on the side a few times,” he said pointing to a button on the side of the unit.

  Rayce opened the door, and they both entered and started down the stairs. As expected a voice came over the earpiece.

  “Is someone coming in off the roof?”

  Elliot tapped the on/off a number of times to send a staticcy message back.

  “You’re breaking up; please repeat.”

  Elliot repeated his static response.