The Law of Motion (Law Series) (38 page)

             
I knew Macon was going stir crazy. He'd been that way since I met him in Afghanistan. All we'd ever needed to do was tell him who the enemy was, put a weapon in his hands, and point him in the right direction. He was a strong, fighting, noble soldier, but he'd rather go in with guns blazing than to plan. I understood it, but I'd prefer a plan to stick to this time around. At least if he went, he felt like he was doing something.

             
Once Dario,  Macon and Ross were strapped in; the doors shut; and everyone was in headsets, I called in my flight. I was a simple "sightseeing trip," as far as my manifest was concerned. Flipping switches and checking gauges, I started her up.

             
I turned back to Juan, who was playing with the strings on his hoodie. "Ready, little buddy?” I asked him through the headset.

             
He nodded, his little feet kicking a bit.




             
We got back to the Gravity office and it was pandemonium. The first thing I saw was Hunter talking to my Dad, giving orders, but respectfully. “Call them in if you can, I’m going to do the same with a few guys willing to take things off the record.”

             
"I already have," my father answered. "They'll be here in the morning. What I'd like to go over is what Adrian just brought back."

             
"I'm on it, I'm on it, I’m on it!" Tink sighed exasperatedly.

             
We all snickered at her, because she came out with a large stack of photos in her arms, slapping them down in front of her on the conference table. We all gathered around so we could see as she spread them out for us.

             
"Okay, first thing," Tink started, laying out one section of the entire property in order. "This is what we're dealing with," she said, pointing to an aerial view of the mountain itself, including the woods, a small stream, and the winding road up the side. "This," she huffed, pulling the one picture away, only to replace it with several photos that, when placed together, not only took up the entire table, but showed the complete place in high definition color. "This is David's place. As you can see, it was once a vacation home for his grandparents. The smaller buildings have recently been added throughout the property, but the original buildings still stan
d

the main house, the stables, and interestingly enough...a bomb shelter."

             
"What?" I growled, looking up at her.

             
"Yeah, I thought that, too," she groaned, her face filling with a combination of sadness and anger at the mere idea that Alyssa could be underground again. "It's really a bomb shelter. The grandparents were a product of the Cold War threat, so they installed an underground shelter. It's on the original plans."

             
"Can you tell that's where Chance is, Sugar?" Jackson asked, pointing to the structure not far from the barn.

             
"No," she stated firmly with a shake of her head. "I can't, but I'll show you why."

             
Doc quickly taped the overview of the layout together, pinning it to an open space on the wall as Tink spread out another view. It was the thermal shots.

             
"This shows every warm body on that property. I count about twenty or so, give or take one or two, but I'm not far off," she said, gesturing to the house. "There's activity in the house, the barn, the out buildings, and in the fields. But see this?" she asked, looking to me and my dad, and we nodded at where her finger was pointing. "When you were flying over, I watched activity there. People go in, people come out, but I can't see them once they're inside."

             
"It's lead lined?" Victor guessed, bending closer to the picture.

             
"It would make sense," Danny piped up. "Some of those old bomb shelters were built like that, because back then, people were told that lead protected you from radiation, never mind that thermonuclear blast that hits you so fast and hot that you're ash before you blink," he said wryly, rolling his eyes. "It's expensive as hell to do, but it looks like Gramps could afford it."

             
"I hope not," Tink groaned, shaking her head, "because even if Alyssa activates that last GPS chip, I don't have a clue whether or not it will transmit through lead."

             
Kristen taped that set of shots together, putting it on the wall next to the other one so that Tink could toss out a few more pictures.

             
"Lastly, some zoomed in shots. You guys will love this," she stated, rolling her eyes. "They've got weapons hidden all over the place. Someone among them used to be military, because they've got an old machine gun here," she said, pointing to just in front of the main house. "They've got razor wire around the entire property, and they've got a cache of a bunch of shit inside that barn," she stated, looking up at me. "You flew over just right, so I was able to zoom in through the open barn doors. They've got it all...grenades, RPGs, automatic weapons, and plenty of fucking ammo."

             
"I thought these guys were non-violent," Jeff mused sarcastically as he pulled the shot of the barn closer. "I thought they were just some riff-raff group."

             
"They're stocking up for something," Cam muttered, rubbing his chin.

             
"Yeah, but what?" Dario asked no one in particular. "They have no mission, as far as I can tell."

             
"One way to find out," Jackson suggested. "We take the place, that’s the only way."

             
I sighed, picking up a picture of the guarded front gate. "They don't exactly look...organized."

             
"Maybe not," Victor mused, glancing up at the pictures on the wall, and then the ones on the table again, "but we're not giving them any time to find out just how organized they could be." He looked up at me. "Adrian, this is Miss Alyssa we're talking about, so we need to decide exactly how you want to go in."

             
"Fly," I stated firmly.

             
"They'll hear us coming, and I don't want that." Hunter denied the action looking at the new information.

             
Victor studied his face, but I could tell he was mulling shit over. Finally, he nodded. "Stealth, commando, a ground assault?"

             
Hunter nodded with a that stupid smile again. "Look how fucking close that bomb shelter is to all those weapons, all that ammunition in the barn. I can't take a chance that someone will blow it, or set some shit off. It's too close, and it could collapse if blown right. No. I'd rather walk in."

             
"How many are going with us?" Jackson asked, tracing his finger over the winding road up to the guard gate.

             
"Well," Hunter sighed, looking to Cam, "I'd like to think fourteen. That's all of us," he said, gesturing around the room, which included himself, Jeff, Danny, Dario, Macon, Jackson, Ross, Victor, my father, and myself. "Liam, you've got two coming, yes?"

             
"Yes," Dad stated with a nod. "I've called in Ned Caudwell and his brother, Harry."

             
"No shit?" I asked, my eyebrows raising up high. "Don't they run..."

             
"
A hunting shop in West Virginia, yes," my dad replied. "And they've offered to help us out with some extra weapons and ammo, not to mention the truck they're driving.”

             
"Very fucking cool," Jackson said with a grin. "Ned and Harry are great."

             
"Perfect," Hunter whispered to himself. "I've got two agents coming in...some buddies of mine...Spike and Elam. Both are excellent shots and military trained." He turned to Cam. "I'd like you on the information feed with Tink. Her, you, and Kristen here. Will you do it?"

             
Cam and Kristen were already nodding. "Definitely, because I think Tink and I can rig a few of you with cameras, so we can monitor your progress. With Kristen’s help, we should be able to get you anything you need."

             
“What about Doc?” Dario asked noticing that she was being left out.

             
Doc looked offended, “Well I’ll be storming the mountain with you all of course.”

             
“No you’re not.” I interjected shaking my head.

             
I was thankful that someone actually agreed. “Yeah, Tawny isn’t trained for anything like this.” Jeff nodded.

             
“I went in, Vi
ñ
ales.” Doc countered.

             
Kristen agreed with her. “She proved herself useful then didn’t she?”

             
“That was different baby, she stayed in the chopper. I don’t feel comfortable putting a lady in something like this,” And then he looked at Ross and amended, “with no experience.”

             
“Chance doesn’t like you guys...” I stopped because Juan was coloring and picked another word, “she doesn’t like you guys
taking out
problems.”

             
Doc scoffed. “She taught us how
to take out
problems.”

             
“Self-defense yes, hits no. She would never want things like that on your conscious” I explained, and I knew this was fact because she told me.

             
“Well I am sure that she’d make an exception.” Hunter interfered. “We’re down on men as it is, and it’s saving her life.”

             
“You don’t make that call.” I hissed at him, because he was crossing a line on everything that Chance was about.

             
This time he actually bit back at me. “I
do
make that call. She wants on, she’s on. She can pick a lock like no tomorrow, she’s knows medicine more than some doctors, and she can handle a weapon.”

             
“Then why don’t we leave you in the truck baby,” Ross suggested trying to come up with a compromise.

             
Doc shook her head. “
No
Roslyn. I’m going all the way in this time.”

             
“We could use your help Miss Tawny, but not at the expense of getting you killed.” Victor shook his head. He knew the shit wasn’t right either.

             
“Did you girls talk to her?” I asked looking to Tink and Kristen, who were watching the exchange carefully.

             
Tink looked to Doc and then to me, “We did.”

             
“And you’re
supporting
this?” Dario asked looking at Kristen.

             
Hunter sighed. “Truth is, if Kristen wasn’t needed on the info team, she would be suiting up too.”

             
“Like hell she would.” Macon snapped his deep voice angry as he looked at his wife and Hunter. “You talk about shit like this behind our backs man? Does Tiny Tink wanna go too?”

             
Tink sighed, “Don’t be ridiculous Macon; I’m far more useful on the computers and keeping communication going. But it’s nice to know you think that’s all I’m capable of.”

             
“It’s not what we mean Sugar.” Jackson clarified.

             
Tink didn’t look up from her work, “Yes it i
s
but I’ll assume that it’s from your need to protect me rather than you thinking I lack the ability to protect myself.”

             
Everyone silently broke off into their tasks, ending the argument for the time being. I tried to pay attention to anything other than Hunter, but his conversation with Doc as she leaned against the conference table just ticked me off again. He was talking her through everything that she should expect on her
first
mission. “I won’t lie to you, Tawny the gear will be pretty heavy, and will take a bit of getting used to. Not to mention you’ll be caring your medical supplies on top of that.”

             
She nodded tucking her hair behind her ear, folding her arms in front of her as she continued. “I could fit the important things into a side pouch or something. That will lighten my load.”

             
“What weapon are you best with? Have you used anything automatic?”

             
“She
isn’t
going!” I snapped before she could answer. “Or can you not hear?”

             
Hunter just sighed shaking his head. “What is the issue man?”

             
“You’re my issue.” I snapped back, unable to take all of the changes. “You can’t come in here and make changes you can’t handle.”