Off the Grid (A Gerrit O'Rourke Novel) (31 page)

Joe stared at Willy’s note for a moment before deleting. Kane’s people beat them to the lab. He thought of that implication. It was not surprising that they had the senator’s house wired up since they trusted no one. So Kane knew Gerrit was alive and connected to Joe and the others.

Kane must know the gang traveled to Albuquerque based on Summers’ information. Joe leaned back, resting his head on the pillow once again, his temple beating a dull, painful rhythm. He tried to inventory all their operations, all communications, all points of possible invasion by Kane and his electronics. This has become like a
Star Wars
battle where one needs to worry about more than just linear surveillance. More than just the car tailing behind you or the person peering into your house from a parked vehicle.

Today, everything must be brought into question. When they moved in for contact with a subject or conducted surveillance, they must be worried about a spy satellite thousands of miles overhead or a flea-sized chip tracking their every move. And then they had computers to worry about, an industry that he’d spent most of his life trying to protect people from invasive electronic spying.

People have become extremely vulnerable. Since no one could ensure any privacy, the enemy could use almost anything to spy and invade another person’s private life. Even a person’s deepest thoughts or fears could be scanned and analyzed by skilled interrogators. Advanced interrogation techniques could render anyone vulnerable. What would it take to break him down? How might he be turned?

Joe closed his eyes and thought how easily he’d been frightened as they dangled him in the air, threatening to drop him onto the concrete below. He learned something about himself in that moment. That he could become a coward. He learned that fear could cripple him. Next time—and with Kane there would be a next time—he might be able to stand firm. Overcome his fear. How much could he take?

An involuntary shudder swept through him. He opened his eyes and put his hands on the keyboard. Quickly, he typed a draft of his own.

The Eagle has landed. Operation look-see about to begin.

Richard Kane met his visitor at the door of the Harrogate mansion. Others bustled with activity around them as he greeted his guest. “George, so kind of you to meet me here. Let’s go down to my office where we can enjoy some privacy.”

George Lawton shook Richard’s hand. “MI6 is always here to serve, Richard.”

He smiled and ushered the other man to the elevator. They did not speak again until reaching his office below ground. Once seated, Richard leaned on his desk, staring intently at Lawton. “Any leads on your end regarding my target?”

“This guy Joe O’Rourke?” The intelligence officer shook his head. “If the bloke came in country, he did so under our radar I’m afraid. Checked all incoming flights from the greater New York area, using facial recognition, document profiling, and travel habits. Maybe this guy didn’t come in after all. You think they deployed an invisible in this case?”

Richard raised his eyebrows. He knew what the Special Branch officer was suggesting. They may have used someone from inside England, an agent that could operate inside the UK without arousing suspicion because of their nationality of origin.

He shrugged. “Doubt it, George. When Gerrit came here for a visit, their crew left signatures to indicate they’d tracked him here. You came across some of that intelligence. Questionable documents, similar travel routes, electronic signals caught near our London safe house as well as our chat here in Harrogate. They were slick enough to cover their tracks, but it was obvious they used foreign nationals to run their operation. If they had an invisible here, my source would have known.”

“So, are you picking up any of this right now?”

Richard folded his hands and rested them on the desktop before answering. “As of last night, we began picking up signals. Someone is close and trying to search for any electronic weaknesses we have on-site.”

Lawton gave him an uneasy look. “Right now? They got someone watching you?”

Nodding, Richard eased back in his chair. “Based on the level of activity, my guess is there is only one operative. My people tell me they should have a lock on this person before the day is out.”

“And once you find this person—what then?”

“Do you really want to know, George?”

The other man’s features clouded as silence followed the question.

Richard knew George’s unspoken answer.
Kill him!

Joe studied his screen intensely. He’d picked up short bursts of electronic signals ever since he came online about an hour ago. One possible explanation was that Kane’s people were searching for any intrusive signatures, trying to determine if someone was trying to gain access to their system. His firewall and access to reverse proxy servers leading to other sites protected him from them locking down his position. He must work fast in order to get in and get out without leaving behind any more telltale signatures.

A few minutes later, he backed out and shut down his exploratory program. Senator Summers’s revelation to Gerrit about Project Megiddo had given Joe more information that even Willy and Gerrit realized. Kane’s self-replicating spyware and lightning quantum calculations might be able to find a way to track Joe’s digital trail. In order to break that link, he pulled out and shut down for short periods, scanning his system to detect any weaknesses or viruses. If his system became vulnerable, they’d be able to slip inside and corrupt or monitor his whole operation.

He had to make sure this never happened.

Joe called up another electronics mail drop and pecked out a quick message.

Target at my location may be aware I am in area. They cannot locate…if I stay vigilant. Concerned about our birds out west. Gal from Vienna spotted on-site. You have location of lab. Send them help through our ops contact. Keep them safe. Thanks.

As he hit the Save button, he hoped Beck remembered to check his messages. Joe shed himself of that concern and began to relax, knowing this man always came through. He never knew much about Beck’s background for security reasons. But he knew if the man got this message, Gerrit and the others would have their backs covered.

Beck Malloy always came through.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

A
timid knock on the motel room door forced Gerrit to sit up and clear his head. He’d just closed his eyes for a moment. The others were in their own rooms. Maybe one of them came back to give him an update.

He rose and opened the door. A maid gave him a shy smile and handed him a piece of paper. “A man…he give me this for you,
señor
. Okay?”

Gerrit sleepily nodded thanks and accepted the folded paper before closing the door. He unfolded it and read the scrawl inside:

G.

Meet me down the hall in room 34, upper level. Now! Need to bail you out again.

Jack

Semper Fi

Confused, Gerrit read the note once more. This could only be one person. Major Jack Thompson, USMC, his old commanding officer now located at SOCOM. Here? In this motel? He tensed. If the major knew he was in this room, then the guy must know about the others. As he folded up the paper, another rap on the door drew his attention. He opened the door. Alena.

“We heard a knock on the door and some voices. Everything all right?”

He showed her the note. “I think I know who this guy is. And if so, we can trust him…I think. After everything else I’ve seen, I’m just not so sure anymore.”

“Need me to go with you?”

“Nah. But alert the others. If I run into a problem, you guys jam out of here. I wish we were prepared to defend ourselves right now. That was the next thing I was trying to work out with Geronimo.”

“How did this guy know we were here?” She seemed to be thinking about that question for a moment. “Maybe Joe sent some backup. He knows Kane’s people are here.”

Gerrit shoved the note into his pocket. “That’s what I’m hoping. Best-case scenario, Joe sent in the cavalry. Worst-case scenario, Kane knows where we are.”

“But if that weasel knew where we were holed up, he would just send in his people and take us out.”

“Let me see if this is the guy I know. If not…”

Alena gave him a quick hug. “Stay safe.” And then she was gone.

He walked outside, closed and locked the door. Quietly, he walked toward the room identified in the note. The door to room thirty-four was recessed, and he couldn’t actually see the door until he was right on it. Curtains to the right of the door were closed, the window sealed up. Gerrit tried to glance at a crack between the two panels of curtains. Only darkness. Once he opened the door, anyone inside would have the advantage. It would take his eyes several seconds to adjust to the darkness once he crossed that threshold.

Major Jack Thompson always maintained tactical advantage. Gerrit smiled as he thought of his old commanding officer. Tough as nails, the major earned the respect of everyone under his command by never asking them to do something he wouldn’t do himself. Like running twenty-six miles in full battle gear as they sweated through ninety-degree weather. Or taking on a full complement of Taliban killers with a handful of men during a bitter-cold Afghan winter.

Gerrit took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He heard a deep growl inside. “Come on in, Marine.”

Smiling, he turned the knob and stepped into darkness.

“Shut the door, Marine. You want to invite Charlie?”

Gerrit closed the door. “We’re a long way from Vietnam, Major.”

A second later, a light came on. Jack Thompson stood across the room, his hardened face breaking into a grin. “Losing your touch, Lieutenant. Never let the enemy get this close to your people.”

“Never thought of you as the enemy, Major.”

“I’m a colonel now, son. Gotta keep up.”

“Congratulations, sir.”

“Stow it, Marine. They thought this old leatherneck might ride a desk for the rest of his career and quit causing them problems. In their dreams.”

“Still in Special Ops?”

He nodded. “They’ll have to drag me kicking and screaming from that post. The day they move me inside is the day I leave the Corps.”

“Never thought I’d see you retire.” Gerrit crossed over and shook hands. “Good to see you. But a little surprised that you showed up here.”

Jack smiled. “Bet you are, boy. Couldn’t believe I could get this close to you without setting off an alarm. You need to run a tighter ship.”

Gerrit turned his palms upward. “I’m running nothing right now but a look-and-see op. What brings you here, sir?”

“My man Beck Malloy tracked me down after he got a message from Joe. Yeah, I know him, too. Beck said you and the others might be running into some flack?”

Gerrit shook his head. “I keep hearing about this guy, but so far we’ve never crossed paths.”

“Better that way,” Jack said. “Need to compartmentalize these kinds of operations, much like the spooks run theirs.
Need to know
and all that.”

“So how much do you know about what we’re up against?”

“First, sit down and let me tell you a few things.”

They pulled up a couple chairs and settled in. Jack gave him a sober look. “I’ve had my eye on you ever since our first operation together. Your dad came to me and asked that I watch your back. He wouldn’t say much, except he was concerned that others might try to get to him through you.”

“My dad came to you? He never said anything about it.”

“That’s the way he wanted it. And after he died…” Jack paused for a moment. “When Tom was killed—after you returned to the States—your uncle paid me a visit with the same request. Later, he put me in contact with Beck.”

“Like I said, I’ve never met the guy.”

“Kind of a strange bird. Can’t really find much about him. Even through my connections through SOCOM. This guy’s a ghost.”

“He sent you here?”

“Your uncle, through Beck, sent me here. Small world, huh?” Jack stretched out, flexing his back. “So, give me the lowdown on your operation. How can I help?”

Gerrit laid out what they’d found to date about Millennium Technology and the security layout at the plant.

Jack saw Gerrit smiling. “What’s so funny?”

“Come down to my room, sir. I wanna introduce you to the rest of the team.”

“I hope you’re not hooked up with a bunch of hippies and fruitcakes. I’ve heard stories.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find them very interesting. Not your run-of-the-mill Marines. But I think they’ll do just fine against Charlie.”

Jack eyed him suspiciously. “Whatcha got me into, son?”

Gerrit just shook his head. “Come and see, sir. I guarantee this group won’t bore you.”