Mark Young - Off the grid

With that, Geronimo drove away.

Willy reached down and picked up his bag. “And I was just getting ready to unleash my Geronimo jokes. That would have been a waste of time. I don’t think that guy’s cracked a smile since Custer’s Last Stand.”

Gerrit opened the van’s driver-side door. “Get over it, Willy. Climb inside and start working your magic.”

Still muttering, Willy opened the side door and climbed into the van and began to gag. “Phew. Someone left garbage in here. It smells like ol’ Phil forgot to flush.” Holding his nose, he pulled out his laptop and started to work.

The others climbed in, Alena sitting up front on the passenger side, and Redneck following Willy into the belly of the van. Gerrit turned in the driver’s seat and pulled aside a blackout curtain so he could see the two men. “Okay, give us an update.”

Willy set his computer on his lap and opened up programs. “I had our home-based computer system begin a search before we took off from Maryland last night. Searching all calls and communications linked to Kane that had any connection to the greater Albuquerque area.”

Gerrit nodded. “Doesn’t he run an encryption on his system to block such searches?”

“J and W Enterprises will not be trifled with, my man.”

Alena caught Gerrit’s puzzled look. “Joe and Willy Enterprises. Wasn’t Willy exceptionally creative when he came up with that name?”

“Almost as creative as Phil’s plumbing business.” Gerrit grinned. “Actually, Phil may have been a tad more creative.”

Willy scowled at Alena, ignoring Gerrit. “The name is simple and to the point, Al. Don’t need more than that in my business.” He turned the computer so the others could read it. “Kane did make a bunch of calls here to this unlisted number.” He moved the cursor over the number.

“So we don’t have the location identified?” Gerrit scanned the computer’s display.

“Oh ye of little faith.” Willy clicked on the number and dragged it to another screen. “The moron with this unlisted phone number uses a computer-based phone system. I backtracked the IP address with my own magic and traced it to a business just south of here.”

“Where is this place located?”

An aerial view from a satellite emerged on Willy’s screen. “Way ahead of you, Mr. G. Just got this live feed from one of Joe’s friends.”

Gerrit eyed him. “Who?”

“Mr. J always says, ‘don’t ask.’ How do I know?”

Irritated, Gerrit glared back. “This is serious, Willy. Whoever’s feeding this to you knows right where we are. They can track us.”

A gleam of amusement shone from Willy’s eyes. “You may have been Captain America in the Marines, but in our operation you’re still a rookie.” He glanced at Alena before continuing. “With Mr. J’s help, I’ve accessed a web of servers worldwide. Anyone tries to track one of my incoming signals is gonna have one heck of a headache. They may wind up sniffing around places like Singapore or New Guinea, thinking they will find me there. Don’t worry, Mr. G. We is well protected.”

“We are well protected, Willy,” Gerrit said, smiling.

“Yeah suh, Master G. Yeah suh.” Willy shot a grin Alena’s way.

She just laughed. “You have just been Willyized, Gerrit. Since we met, Willy earned a bachelor’s degree in literature after his computer classes, and he is working on a doctorate online. He has a better grasp of language than most of us.” She gave him a look that meant Gerrit had been played. “You just heard his Uncle Tom’s Cabin rendition. If you try to correct him, his language just gets worse.”

A broad grin met Gerrit’s stare when he turned toward Willy. “Okay, smart guy. Give me the intel on this place.”

The smile slipped away as Willy focused on the computer. “We’re here.” He slid the cursor over so it blinked on top of the Albuquerque airport. He zoomed in until their van emerged on the screen, shifting the angle so the Phil’s Plumbing logo became vividly clear.

“That’s great, Willy,” Gerrit said, “but where’s our target area?”

“Man, Joe was right. You are very impatient.” Willy shrugged and began shifting images with a few command strokes. “Here we are above the lab. I’ll just move us in closer.” Fingers sped across the keyboard as Willy entered more commands. A large, single-story building emerged, its structure spread across barren land. He narrowed the picture until they could read the company’s sign-Millennium Technologies, Inc.

Willy laughed. “I guess this company thinks they are going to be around for a while.”

“Actually, I think they are a bit arrogant using that name,” Alena said. “Remember, we are searching for evidence of Project Megiddo. For the unenlightened, Megiddo is the Hebrew word for the site where the forces of good and evil converge during end times. In fact, I could take you to that site today, if anyone’s interested.” No one responded, so she continued. “After that battle, Christ will set up His kingdom here on earth where He will reign for a millennium. Somehow, I don’t think Millennium Technologies will still be around when that happens.”

Gerrit pointed at the screen, trying to ignore Alena’s lecture. “Willy, can you zoom in on the building’s features?”

“Can a cop find a donut shop?” Willy glanced up with a challenging smirk. “Oh, sorry, Detective. Just joking.” He shifted his gaze back to the screen. “Here you go.”

Gerrit whistled as the image cleared. “This place looks like Fort Knox.” A high cyclone fence, crowned with thorny concertina wire, stretched the perimeter of the complex. It looked like a prison. Only one break in the wire where a single roadway led past a guard shack, the road broadening to create a small parking lot. All vehicular traffic could easily be searched coming and going from the only access point.

“There,” Gerrit said. “Show me the area between the guard shack and what appears to be the front entryway.” He pointed to the front of the complex.

Again, Willy’s fingers worked the keyboard. The view shifted to reveal a small parking lot in front of the entryway, with an interior cyclone fence standing between the parking lot and the rest of the complex. It appeared passengers must leave their vehicles and pass through a second sentry gate before reaching the building.

“Man, that is tight security.” Redneck leaned over Willy for a better look.

“Do you mind moving back, Hillbilly?” Willy glared up at him. “Your breath smells like a garlic factory.”

Redneck moved in closer. “Oh, come on, Mr. Geek. Let me plant one on you.”

Willy pushed him back. “I’m serious, No Neck. Give me some space.”

Gerrit grimaced. “Come on, guys. Let’s focus on the target. You two lovebirds can take this up some other time.”

Irritated, Willy peered at the scene and entered more code commands. “Okay, I’ll scan the perimeter so we can see what we’re up against.” He drew the image back so they could see the area between the inner fence and the building’s exterior.

Gerrit pointed at the upper right of the screen. “Get me a clear view of that pole. They’ve ringed the building with a series of concrete poles. I need to see what’s on them.”

Like adjusting binoculars for a closer look, the computer image expanded as a single pole emerged. A floodlight could be seen attached to the very tip of the pole. Just below the light, strapped to the pole, surveillance cameras could be seen on either side.

Gerrit drew closer, smelling a hint of garlic. “Willy’s right, R. D. You need to brush.” Willy chuckled as Gerrit peered at the surveillance equipment near the lab. “Those cameras are giving them a 360 of the area around that pole. The next pole’s cameras must pick up any dead spots the first ones missed.”