by Cara Carnes
His body tightened as the compound’s bustling interior came into view. A row of armed vehicles surrounded four large flatbed trailers. Shock stilled his movements as massive cone-shaped missile tips came into view.
What the fuck?
“Those weren’t there before,” Addy said.
“We spotted the flatbeds rolling in, though. I guess we know what was inside the buildings now,” Johnny said.
Jesse respected the hell out of Addy’s team. They reminded him a lot of his own. A couple of them had even been in Hive with her. The two teams had worked together on a lot of missions—so much so it felt as though they were one seamless unit.
“Carlito’s domicile is a quarter klick northwest of the Carlisle Industries compound,” Zoey said. “Heat signatures indicate sixteen souls, ten of them armed. Two-story structure with a secondary one-level building in the back with four guards in sentry positions. I’m thinking that’s our target.”
“Moving into position,” Gage said.
That’d leave Addy’s and Jesse’s teams to assist with exfil of the girl if needed. But he’d already realized their objective had just changed. Carlisle Industries had missiles. Given that Carlisle had stolen biochemical concepts of some sort from Rhea and schematics for Bree’s energy source, the threat was too high for them to not gather as much intel as they could while here.
Sol and Johnny were in sniping positions within the canopy overhead. The remainder of the two teams would control the perimeter while Jesse and Levi penetrated the compound. The two of them moved undetected around the patrols thanks to the drones, which were functioning without issue.
“Three enemy drones have been detected overhead. Standby for intercept,” Cord said.
Jesse crouched in position and waited as little brother did whatever geeks did to take down unwanted drones.
“You’re greenlit. We’ve gotten control of their security feeds,” Vi said. “Z, I’ll need your help looping the feeds. Hand what you’re doing off to Cord.”
“Erm, HERA is pulling up identifications for all the men loading the truck. They’re affiliated with a terrorist cell operating out of Russia. There’re enough alphabet soup flags on these guys to drown us,” Zoey commented.
Jesse scaled the ten-foot chain-link fence along the forested edge to the southeast of the compound. He tumbled into a roll as Levi followed him up and over.
“We’re in,” Jesse said. He unshouldered his backpack and pulled out the crawlers they’d brought along. The ground-based drones would sweep through the area and retrieve what data they could via their wireless tech—a new addition Bree had assured him worked because she’d field-tested it at The Arsenal. He activated the first one and set it on a trajectory path for the flatbed trucks.
The geek squad back at The Arsenal would handle their movements so he and Levi could focus on breaking into the buildings undetected. They navigated their way toward the nearest building and slid between the exterior wall and a stack of crates. The protective cover wasn’t ideal, but better than the alternative.
“I’ll override the bio-entry system, but there are two guards on either side of the door. You’ll need to take them out and use their clothing. From what I can see, their internal security operates off a chipping system. Everyone has an established perimeter and access level for their individual chips. Anyone who deviates from their zones…” Vi paused. “Shit. They’ve got detonation collars on all the personnel inside.”
Images from the compound’s security feed filled the display on Jesse’s headgear. The view flickered a few times.
“We have intermittent interference,” Bree said. “It appears to be a modified EM pulse of some sort. I’m reprogramming HERA, but coms could go down for a bit.”
A bit. Great. Jesse looked over at Levi, who grinned and shook his head.
“Interior security relies heavily on the chips. Once you’re inside and have the guard’s gear on, move along the walls as much as possible. We want to use the electronic readers you both have to copy all hard drives you find. Photograph or scan any schematics or other papers that seem important, including whiteboards and the like. Formulas. Anything geeky,” Vi said. “I’ve overridden the locks. You’re greenlit for entry.”
Levi entered first. Jesse attacked the guard on the right while Levi took out the other one. They dragged both into the small room on the side of the entry. It took only a couple minutes to strip and don their gear. They left the guards restrained, blindfolded, and gagged.
Jesse and Levi each dispatched another crawler as they entered the large, warehouse-style structure. The bulk of the building was open within the middle. Offices spanned along the exterior walls of a second floor, which bordered the open-mouthed area with a narrow walkway. Guards patrolled along the upper corridor.
He needed to get up there.
They made their way into the first office. Though the sun had begun to set, the building still bustled with activity. The visual display from the surveillance cameras filled Jesse’s headgear once again. People working on the first floor wore underwear only. Thick, red and yellow collars engulfed their necks. Rage rolled through Jesse when he saw little boys and girls along the back wall, all in small white shorts and nothing else but the thick collars. They worked an assembly line of some sort that ended with vials of liquid packed into a crate.
“We need a vial,” Rhea said.
Jesse clicked his understanding with a punch of the com button and let his mind process the how for a moment as they swept the first office. Levi pulled out one of the many small plug-ins Zoey had given them. If the computers were networked, she could hack into the mainframe from any computer. Nothing was ever that simple, though, so they were prepared to locate every computer they could.
The headgear flickered. Then died.
Jesse stifled a curse.
They’d get HERA back online soon enough. His mind wandered to Ellie’s question from earlier. Her fear had been palpable, a sour and horrid thing he still felt bone deep. But she’d kept it together.
He snapped images with the digital camera he had. Very little of value was in the room, though.
They continued on along the right wall where a narrow set of stairs wound up to the second floor. Jesse signaled for Levi to continue along the bottom floor while he took the top.
The first few offices were vacant and easily searched. He removed hard drives from the computers and snapped images of all the walls and any paperwork he found. The longer a search took, the higher the risk of capture.
A small shaft of light emanated from the back corner office. Jesse took out the nearest patrol guard and continued into the room with his weapon drawn. A woman with waist-length black hair in a thick braid sat at a long counter riddled with microscopes and assorted lab equipment. Rats ran in a wall-length glass enclosure along the left wall. Small monkeys jumped up and down in cages along the back wall.
The woman wore a bright blue bra thin enough for him to see her hard nipples underneath. The lace panties did little to conceal her. The thick red and yellow band around her neck blinked and flashed every few seconds—an item he hadn’t noted on the other workers from the headgear display. Cold air from a vent overhead fell directly on her, but her full attention was on whatever she worked on.
Jesse prowled closer, careful to remain as far against the wall as possible. He halted and positioned himself immediately in front of the woman. Crouched mere feet from her position with weapon drawn, he waited a couple seconds for her to notice his presence. Her eyes flashed wide, but she didn’t scream or cry out as he’d expected.
Her eyes darted to the left. He tracked the movement but remained silent as her attention returned to him. Intelligence resonated within her gaze. Her lower lip trembled as moisture pooled in her eyes.
Help me.
The mouthed plea left Jesse stunned. What the fuck had they stumbled across?
He breathed a sigh of relief when HERA came back online.
“Statu
s?” Vi asked.
One by one everyone flagged themselves in with their personal devices. Jesse waited until everyone else had checked in to bypass the expected non-verbal response. “Need your help.”
He gave the women on the other end of the line a moment to focus on the images his headgear provided. The woman continued the work she’d been doing, but her gaze flicked to him and the camera in the corner every few seconds. With slow, deliberate steps he approached the woman and lowered his weapon. Wide, terrified, coal-black eyes watched his progression.
“It’s okay. I’m here to help.”
“American.” Not a question. A fact stated with a low but southern-accented voice.
“American,” he affirmed. “Quillery, I need the collar off to extract her.”
“Fallon’s here. We need a better view of it. I’ve located the security files for each one, but I’m not sure which is hers. We need to make sure there’s not a tripwire on it. Even if I deactivate it, there’s a chance it’ll still go off.”
Jesse wasn’t leaving the woman behind. She trembled as she stood beside the stool. He approached and made sure the headgear got a full visual of the device.
“There’ll be a clasp on the back somewhere. You’ll need to clip the red wire first, then the blue,” Fallon’s deep voice boomed over the com. “These are Russian chokers.”
And the guys near the trucks were Russian.
Fuck.
Jesse clipped the wires as instructed and removed the collar from the woman, who’d maintained her terrified silence. “I’m Jesse. We’re going to get you out of here. What’s your name?”
“Nikki. Nikki Everly.” She motioned toward a pile of paperwork on the side of the area she’d been sitting at. “You’ll want to get that.”
Jesse shoved the papers into his pack and shouldered it. “We’ll get you some clothes in a minute. What’s the easiest way for me to get computer access to their systems here?”
“Over there. That’s the workflow coordinator. It hooks this sector with the others and feeds everything to the overseer,” she whispered. “I don’t know the password. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me.”
“We aren’t leaving without you,” he said.
The woman nodded. “And the others?”
Fuck. “How many?”
“Ten, maybe twelve. We came together for course credit. They work a different shift. I haven’t seen them in weeks,” Nikki said as she swiped at tears on her face.
“Where are you kept?”
“The house up the road.”
“On it,” Gage said. “We’ll need backup at this location.”
Three double-clicks sounded on the line. Jesse trusted the operatives to coordinate the details for the house operation. “Let’s go.”
The woman froze. “You weren’t here for us.”
“No.”
“Why are you here?” The woman cocked her head. “You knew about Carlisle?”
Jesse remained silent. Rescued hostages tended to be more difficult to manage if they were civilians. Few had questions. The woman stayed out of the way as he put the device into the computer’s USB port.
He removed the exterior shirt from the uniform he wore and handed it to the woman. “Put this on. We’ll find something more suitable later.”
Jesse shouldered his pack, unholstered his weapon, and headed toward the door. The woman latched onto his belt loop without needing instructions. He froze.
“Nikki and ten others disappeared seven weeks ago,” Zoey said. “Media coverage has been extensive on the east coast, but not in our area. Her older sister is FBI.”
That explained how she knew to stay out of his line of fire. Jesse filed away the information and hoped to hell they’d figure out a way to get everyone out. He dispatched another two crawlers and guided the woman back down the stairs.
“You’re clear for exit. The crawlers will get what they can,” Vi said. “Let’s get her out.”
Ellie hated feeling useless. She’d brought caffeine and snacks for her friends, who’d been sequestered in the operations theater all day. The clock ticked into the midnight hour as Ellie sat beside Rhea and listened to the rescue operation. It’d started for one little girl and had uncovered a secret facility with missiles, strange compounds, and a group of kidnapped college kids.
“This is my fault,” Rhea said. “I should’ve realized he’d stolen from us.”
“That’s not on you,” Fallon growled as he turned and looked down at her. “None of this is on you. Get your shit together before they land because we’ll want to know what those chemical compounds are before the FBI or some other government agency seizes them.”
The woman glared at the man but remained silent. Ellie took her friend’s hand and squeezed. Bree, Zoey, and Cord were navigating the floor drones, or whatever they called them, around the compound and gathering what intel they could. The small devices could fly high enough to perch on tabletops and counters, which made it possible to photograph and access electronic equipment.
“You are all amazing,” she said. “What you can do.”
Watching them in action helped her feel better about Jesse being out there.
He was deep within forested terrain in Cuba and surrounded by heavily armed men—some of which were affiliated with a ruthless Russian crime syndicate. Ellie wished she could ignore the chatter between Vi, Zoey, Cord, and Bree as they worked.
“Come on. Let’s go check on my mom. Sara was there with the baby. I’m sure she’d like to get some rest,” Ellie said.
Vi looked over her shoulder and mouthed a thank you as Ellie guided Rhea out of the operations theater and toward the cottage. Exhaustion plagued Ellie, but she was determined to help her friend. She’d never seen the brilliant scientist so upset.
“We’ll get it back,” Ellie promised, using the term “we” loosely since she couldn’t help, aside from offering comfort and food.
“They’ll never forgive me for all the mistakes I’ve made,” Rhea whispered.
Ellie assumed the they were Mary, Vi, and Bree. The four brilliant women had gone to MIT together. Mary and Vi had graduated before they were old enough to drive. “You are their friend first and foremost. Nothing will ever change that.”
A lone lamp was on in the living room when they entered. Ariana was crawling around on the floor, hellbent for the kitchen. Sara was asleep on the sofa. Rhea headed the curious baby off while Ellie slipped in to check on her mother.
The colostomy bag was empty and the area well-cleaned. The sheets were clean, and a fresh pine scent filled the room, rather than the sickness she’d constantly smelled at the rental.
“Ellie-belly,” her mom whispered.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Ellie ran a hand along her mom’s forehead and smoothed her hair out. Someone had brushed it. “How are you?”
“Better. I had a rough go a few hours ago. That nice man came and gave me something.”
Logan. The doctor had a way of slipping in and checking on her mom. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you get ready for bed.”
“Rebecca told me what was happening. Are they out?”
Out. Her mom knew about the rescue op. Ellie wasn’t sure her mother needed particulars. “There were some problems, but they’re good at what they do.”
“I was wrong about him. He’s a good man. They all are.”
Ellie smiled.
“It does my heart good seeing you with him, Ellie-belly. I stole too many years from you with this cancer.”
“I love you, Mom. I wouldn’t change a thing, even if I could.” She kissed her mom’s cheek. “It’s you and me. We can do anything.”
Her mom squeezed her hand. “Love you, Ellie-belly. Get some rest. Don’t worry about me.”
But she would. She slipped back into the living room and found Rhea curled up in the recliner. Asleep.
Ellie peeked into the second bedroom and found Ariana sleeping. How did such a sweet little girl come about from
such a violent act? She’d have a good life. Ellie and everyone else at The Arsenal would make sure of it. Sara wouldn’t ever be without whatever help she needed.
Exhausted, Ellie went to her room, closed the door, and sat on the bed. Although Jesse had been gone for almost a day, she hadn’t had the courage to begin reading the journals she’d found on her bed shortly after he’d left. He must’ve left them there while she was helping her mom shower.
She was worried about what was on the CDs and other evidence the FBI had finally delivered to The Arsenal earlier in the day, but everyone was busy saving people in Cuba. Phil was behind bars and no longer a threat.
She kicked off her shoes and crawled into the bed. There wouldn’t be any sleep tonight, not with Jesse and so many others in Cuba rescuing girls and doing other commando stuff. She picked up the first of the journals and began to read.
The obnoxious ring wouldn’t stop. Ellie blinked the sleepy haze away and grabbed her cellphone. What if it was Jesse?
He’s in Cuba, idiot. Remember? He wouldn’t be calling you.
“Hello?” Ellie used the silence to recall where she was. Asleep in the cottage. The late afternoon sun struck the draperies across the room. The room was in darkness otherwise. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
“Call your dogs off,” the voice warned. “Things could get very embarrassing for you otherwise, Ellie.”
Herman Perskins. Phil’s father had always made Ellie apprehensive. She squeezed her eyes shut and ignored the chill running through her body. “It’s not a good idea to call and threaten me.”
“They’re stirring up a hornets’ nest you’d best not kick over, little girl. I let you crawl away from my son with your dignity. Don’t make me get ugly.”
Ellie could practically see the man’s reddening face—one of the many things Phil had inherited from his father. His temper had been the ultimate gift, however. “Ugly? You don’t think spreading lies about me being a druggie was ugly?”