Dark Deceptions (2 page)

A specialist in CIA extractions, Drake had been with the team just over a year. Rumor had it that before A-Tac he’d been with
one of the CIA’s D units. Operations even more off the books than A-Tac. Not that the man ever talked about any of it. Hell,
Drake didn’t talk seriously about much of anything. But he got the job done, and at the end of the day, that’s all that really
mattered.

Something rustled in the bushes next to him, and Nash signaled the others as he spun, gun ready. But it was only a bird, eyes
glowing red in the moonlight. Focusing again on the barely discernible trail, he moved forward, careful to keep Tyler flanking
him on the left. She nodded toward an opening in the trees, and together they moved forward, Emmett following a pace or so
behind on the right, with Drake still bringing up the rear.

The jungle opened out on cleared space below them. Tall grass mixed in with stands of bamboo and a few straggling trees led
up to a concrete wall enclosing four buildings. Off to the left, separated from the rest of the compound by about fifty yards,
sat the array. It was small—just three dishes—but Nash had learned long ago that small packages could be just as lethal as
larger ones, and the members of Red Sword weren’t prone to wasting time with empty platitudes. They were far more interested
in terrorizing innocents under the guise of some perverted cosmic justice.

Only not for much longer.

“What have we got?” Nash whispered as he dropped to his stomach, using infrared glasses to scan the area below. “Any surprises?”

“Everything looks pretty much as we expected,” Drake’s voice echoed in his ear. “You can see the surveillance camera mounted
above the wall near the entrance. And if our intel holds true there should be additional units every fifty feet or so.”

“With a blind corner to the southwest in the back, thanks to an uprooted jackfruit tree,” Emmett added.

“What about the array?” Nash frowned as he studied the compound. He’d seen satellite photos, and rendered maps, but there
was nothing to beat firsthand observation.

“Three sixteen-foot dishes on machined counterbalanced mounts,” Tyler said, her goggles trained on the array. “Should be easy
enough to destroy. I’ve just got to get close enough to rig the explosives.”

“Don’t worry, Nash and I will get you in,” Drake assured. “Piece of cake.”

“Maybe not so much so,” Jason said, his tone grim. “I’m showing at least eight hostiles inside the compound.”

“Son of a bitch. There were only supposed to be two.”

“Sorry,” Hannah Marshall said, her voice cracking in transmission as she took the com-link from Jason. “Looks like some kind
of an impromptu meeting. I’ve got three boats moored off the pier. No way we could have predicted this.”

“So what do we do now?” Jason asked, patching through another com-link. “Abort?”

“Depends on where this little meeting is taking place,” Nash said, sorting through the alternatives. “Can you verify location?”

“Yeah. Hang on,” Jason said, his voice moving away as he shuffled through something on the other end. “I’ve got five in the
building farthest north. And two more in the guardhouse at the entrance.”

“And the eighth?” Drake barked.

“Give me a minute. He’s moving.” Silence stretched, tension building. “Looks like he’s heading back to the north building.”

“Can you confirm the location of the communications computers?”

“Little building closest to the array,” Hannah said, her voice coming in on a whisper. “The one without windows.”

“I see it.” Nash nodded, even though she was thousands of miles away. “So if our hostiles will just stay put we ought to be
able to get in and out without notice.”

“And if they don’t—well, that will only make it more of a challenge.”

“This isn’t a game, Drake.” Emmett’s tone bordered on harsh.

“Hell if it isn’t.” There was laughter in his friend’s voice, and despite himself, Nash smiled. Nothing wrong with kicking
a little Red Sword ass.

“All right then, we’re agreed. We’re going in.”

“We’ll watch your back,” Jason said.

“I don’t know…” Hannah started, only to be cut off by Tyler.

“No guts, no glory.”

“It’s not up for discussion,” Nash said, his tone brooking no argument. “We’re going in. But first we wait for the perimeter
guard to pass. If I’m marking it right, they should be showing up about now.” As if to underscore his words a jeep with two
armed men turned the corner onto the rutted road that ran in front of the compound. It continued as the guards drove in front
of the wall, slowing momentarily at the gate and then proceeding south. At the corner, the vehicle turned into the jungle,
presumably heading back toward the beach and the outer edge of the island.

“I’d say you’ve got about twenty minutes,” Jason confirmed.

“Should be more than enough time,” Drake said, swinging his utility pack over his shoulder as he rose to his feet.

“Assuming we don’t run into a welcome party,” Emmett muttered as he double-checked his gear. “Nothing like discovering a nest
of hostiles on site at the last fucking minute.”

“I heard that,” Hannah said.

“Sorry.” Emmett clearly wasn’t, but the apology seemed to placate Hannah.

“Let’s move out,” Nash said, signaling the others, falling in line with Tyler as they made their way down the hill.

“I hate to agree with Emmett, but it does seem like Hannah might have given us a heads-up a little sooner.”

“Maybe the satellite wasn’t in position. I don’t know. You know as well as I do that intel is an inexact science.” Nash shrugged.
“Point is that we know now. And with a little luck we’ll avoid an encounter altogether.”

“And if we happen to run into them?” Tyler asked.

“We’ve faced worse.”

“True enough,” she sighed. “It just seems like lately something always goes wrong.”

“Comes with the territory. Anyway, we’ll be fine. You’ll see.” Nash shifted his weapon to the other side and moved ahead,
the four of them falling into their former positions.

They managed to make their way down the incline without incident, emerging from the grass at the far southeast corner of the
enclosure. Two minutes later and they’d arrived at the fallen tree, the resulting gap in the vegetation opening the canopy
to the star-studded sky.

“The camera is definitely missing,” Drake said, pulling a climber’s rope from his pack. “Way to go, Hannah; you called it
right.”

“Hey, I aim to please.” Even long distance you could hear the smile in her voice.

“Anything on the other side we should know about?” Nash asked.

“Looks clear from here,” Jason responded. “But you’d better go quickly; I’ve got one of the front gate guards on the move.
About a hundred yards out. Heading your direction.”

“Okay, people. Let’s move,” Nash called, as Drake tossed the rope, and the grappling hook dug into the top of the wall with
a soft thunk. With a jaunty grin, Drake was up and over, Tyler following on his heels.

“You next, Emmett,” Nash said, turning slowly to survey the area, making sure they didn’t have additional company.

Emmett vaulted over the wall, and after waiting a beat, Nash turned and followed suit, straddling the barrier to remove the
rope and hook before jumping lightly to the muddy ground of the compound.

“Where’s the guard?” he barked into his earpiece.

“Moving the other way.” Despite the distance, Jason clearly sounded relieved. “For the moment you’re good to go.”

“Should we split up?” Tyler asked. “It might be more time-efficient.”

“Normally, I’d agree with you,” Nash said, “but considering the number of hostiles present I think we’re better off sticking
together.”

Tyler nodded.

“I suggest we get a move on,” Drake urged, already heading in the direction of the tiny communications building.

The heat closed around them, the still air oppressive, drops of rain spattering the ground as they walked. Nash positioned
his silenced Sig Sauer, finger on the trigger. Better to be ready. The shrouded building loomed out of the mist, and they
stopped in the shadow of a large acacia tree.

“Drake, you and Tyler stand guard while Emmett and I deal with the computers. How much time will you need once we hit the
array?”

“Seven minutes tops.” Tyler shrugged.

“All right, we’ll be out in three.”

The building was dark and surprisingly cool. A narrow hallway ran from the door to the far end, flanking a large room full
of computers that was even colder than the hall.

“The computers can’t function in this humidity, so they’ve got to control the temperature,” Emmett explained, as he opened
a small bag at his waist.

Banks of computers lined the room on both sides, LED lights blinking off and on, giving the room a hazy green glow. Emmett
pulled out a pen drive the size of a lighter, and after a brief search opened a drawer with a keyboard and inserted the drive
in the CPU above it.

The computer’s gauges lit up, moving up and down as the machine downloaded the information on the drive. Designed to immobilize
not only the computers present but anything networked to the system, the virus Jason had created was geared to reach beyond
the compound itself into the very heart of Red Sword’s technical infrastructure.

“How’s the security?” Jason’s voice crackled into the earpiece.

“Can’t tell yet,” Emmett replied. “So far they haven’t even detected the fact that we’re in the system. You getting anything?”
The plan was for Jason to remotely detonate the virus seconds before Tyler blew the array, keeping outside interference to
a minimum. However, there was always the chance that Emmett’s download would trigger some kind of inner systemic security.

“Everything seems fine,” Jason replied.

“Five more seconds,” Emmett whispered to no one in particular.

Nash held his breath, waiting for the all-clear. In truth, he’d rather face a horde of Uzi-toting hostiles than a simple bank
of enemy computers. There were just so many variables, and nothing he could do to control them. Technology had its moments,
but push come to shove, he could live without it. Hell, he never even remembered to turn on his cell phone, a shortcoming
Tyler never failed to remind him of.

As if giving voice to his concern, the room was filled with an ominous beeping sound—some kind of alarm. “What the hell?”

“I don’t know,” Emmett said, typing furiously as the screen above him scrolled through various commands. “Jason, you got anything?”

“You tripped some kind of security,” Jason answered. “Maybe the firewall.”

“Well, that much I knew. But it’s not responding to the codes you gave me. Anything you can do from your end?”

“Hang on.”

Not exactly words to instill faith. Nash pulled his gun and turned to face the door. “You guys getting this?” he asked, speaking
into his headpiece.

“It’s all quiet out here,” Drake responded. “At least so far. Nothing’s moving.”

“Keep your eyes open.” The beeping increased in intensity, lights flashing now along the bank Emmett was working on. “Jason.
We could really use some help here.”

“I’m trying.” The sound of frantic typing filled both the room and Nash’s earpiece as both men worked to stop the alarm. Nash
tightened his hand on the Sig, almost wishing for an intruder—anything to break the tension.

Then suddenly the alarm stopped.

“Got it,” Emmett said, retrieving the hard drive before pushing the drawer with the keyboard closed. “Jason, you should have
control.”

“Hannah?” Jason asked.

“We’re in,” she confirmed. “Now you guys get the hell out of there.”

“With pleasure.” Still leading with the gun, Nash made his way out of the computer room, down the hallway, and out the front
door. Drake and Tyler were standing back to back watching the pathways for signs they’d been discovered.

“Looks like I’m up,” Tyler said as they ducked low, making their way across the open ground between the compound and the array.

The rain was coming down in earnest now, providing a gray cloak that helped to obscure their progress. Still, Nash kept himself
on hyper-alert. The alarm in the computer room had to have alerted someone. Which meant that sooner or later they were bound
to have company.

They reached the array in seconds, Tyler already pulling the prerigged plastique from her backpack. She knelt at the base
of the first dish and, using duct tape, carefully secured the explosive in place.

“Do we have to connect the three of them?” Drake asked, his attention fixed on the compound behind them.

“No.” Tyler shook her head as she moved to the second dish. “They’re wireless. I’ve got a detonator.”

“And if something happens to you?”

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she said. “But worst case, Jason can trigger the charges remotely.”

Nash nodded. “How much more time?” Things were still quiet, but he had the distinct feeling the other shoe was about to drop.

“Just a couple of seconds. I need to arm them.” Using a tiny screwdriver, Tyler made an adjustment on the first device, the
small red pinprick of light on its face turning green. “One down. Any action out there?”

Clearly Tyler was having the same thoughts about impending intervention. She moved to the second device and in less than a
minute had it armed as well. But the third mechanism proved to be stubborn, the red light refusing to change to green.

Tyler let out a curse, just as a shot rang out.

“Company,” Drake called, returning fire. Emmett followed suit, the two of them moving between the gate to the array and Tyler,
who was still struggling with the third unit.

“Just leave it,” Nash said. “Better to get the hell out of here. We can blow the two you do have set.”

“It’s okay,” Tyler said. As the reticent light turned green. “I’ve got it. Let’s go.”

The four of them raced for the far wall behind the array, the shots moving closer but the gunmen still not in sight. Skidding
to a halt, Drake threw the grappling hook again and was up and over almost before it was embedded in the wall. Tyler and Emmett
followed suit while Nash kept the shooters at bay with return fire. Then after a last volley, he pulled himself over the wall,
hitting the ground on a roll.