Mark Young - Off the grid

“You’ll get your chance,” Gerrit said. “They’re going to be watching that roadway for anyone posing a threat to them. Based upon our operation in Albuquerque, they also expect trouble from the air. But a boat-this is where I think they’re most vulnerable. We can hoof in from this inlet to the east,” he pointed to spot on the map near the water’s edge, “and make our way up to the compound. I’d bet they don’t even have any ground sensors in place. Just roving security because of the huge area to cover and a perimeter fence.”

With one hand on the wheel, Alena leaned over and studied the map for a few moments. “How are the three of us going to slip past security? We don’t know how many bodies they have on the ground.”

“If everything goes as planned, we’ll manage.” Gerrit began to lay out their approach. Everything hinged on Beck’s contact on the outside. Before they left the marina, Gerrit called that number and gave the contact their radio-frequency numbers. The contact promised they’d be standing by with reinforcements when the time came.

“A twenty-minute response once they get my call.” If they didn’t get the call, Gerrit and the others would be in a world of hurt. No reason to share this fact with his team. He would make the call-no matter what happened.

“Right now, we have the element of surprise.” He pointed the bow toward the shoreline, hugging the coastline as closely as possible.

Richard slammed his fist on the desk. He just received an updated message that Gerrit and the others were closer than he thought.

This time, he must put them down hard. End their stupid antics once and for all. Anytime now, reinforcements Richard called in would be arriving on a secluded airfield about twenty miles away. He wanted to handle this whole matter quietly, but now Gerrit somehow commandeered reinforcements and escalated the situation.

Quiet extermination was no longer an option. This would be a major firefight, and he intended to win.

This could not come at a worse time. In a few hours, Stuart and the others expected Project Megiddo to be in full swing. Every target on Richard’s list was going to be hit, a full blast from Megiddo’s invasive launch. Data and decryption programs would be flooding their computers from around the world.

Imagine such awesome power. The President of the United States, for example, would be at Richard’s beck and call. Absolute power in every country, in every situation-all at his fingertips. Richard and his people were so close to victory, adrenaline rushed through his body.

Now this! Gerrit and his pathetic group of losers.

Search-and-destroy teams had been deployed along the coastline just as dusk set. Any vessel approaching their safety perimeter would be boarded and dealt with extreme prejudice.

Shoot to kill! That was his order. No more traps. No more prisoners. He needed them dead.

Now.

“Gerrit, you gotta read this. Beck just sent it in.” Willy’s voice raised an octave. “We’ve got major problems.”

Leaving Alena at the wheel, Gerrit scrambled over to where Willy sat in the forward cabin. “What now?”

“Here.” Willy pointed at his computer screen. “Beck knew that darkness would set in before we got set up. The satellites wouldn’t do us any good in the dark, at least the close-in images we needed.”

“Okay. Tell me what I’m looking at.”

Willy clicked on the image. “This is a video feed Beck’s people got just a few minutes ago. They sent a drone to sweep the area with a thermal-imaging scan.”

Gerrit leaned closer and Willy clicked the feed. Kane’s darkened compound suddenly had small specks of heat spreading outward like tiny ants. “More security?”

Willy nodded. “Tons of ’em. It’s like they suddenly crawled out of the ground and started spreading all over the property. Look at this!” He pointed along the shoreline.

Heat signatures showed a number of four-man teams sweeping the water’s edge, east and west. At least two teams approached the site where he’d selected to hit land. “They know we’re coming.”

“You think?” Willy scoffed. “They’re coming right for us. And we haven’t even gotten close yet.”

“So, how did they get tipped off? They have some kind of trace on us? Some kind of surveillance you missed?”

Willy shrugged, looking defeated. “Beats the living daylights out of me.”

“Not what I wanted to hear, Willy. Right now, our eyes and ears just went blind and deaf.” He took a deep breath. No use hammering Willy over what already happened. “I’ve got another idea. I hope you guys are ready to use a little muscle. You’re going to need it.”

It was a waste of a good boat, but he had no other choice. Gerrit ordered them to gather their equipment and store it in the Zodiac they had tethered alongside. Once they passed Kane’s complex, Gerrit killed the engine and let the craft drift in the current. After the other two climbed in the rubber boat, he untied the rope and leaped into it, letting the cabin cruiser drift away in the darkness.

Alena and Gerrit grabbed the paddles and guided the craft to shore. They struggled to fight their way toward the shoreline against a strong undercurrent. It took almost thirty minutes. Once on land, they faced their next biggest obstacle-sheer cliffs rising straight up for more than a hundred feet.

“Listen up,” Gerrit whispered. “I’m going to make my way up the cliff first. Once I reach the summit, I’ll anchor the rope and lower it down to you. Alena, make sure Willy has his carabineer properly connected and show him how to break his fall using the rope.”

“My fall?” Willy hissed. “I’m not planning on falling, man.”

Gerrit moved closer. “I just want you to know how to use the rope-in case you slip-to stop your descent. I’m going to send down a second rope around your chest, to give you added support as you climb.” I’m going to be pulling you up that cliff, Willy, So just shut up.

Alena leaned close and whispered. “You be careful, Gerrit. You have to free climb that rock with no ropes and a full backpack.” She glanced upward. “You are the one I’m worried about.”

Her breath, close to him, felt warm on his skin in the cool night air. He drew back, almost as a reflex. “Just be ready to move when I get Willy topside. We’ll be sitting in an exposed area, no cover all the way to the first building that I can see.”

She nodded and moved away, helping Willy slip into his climbing harness.

Gerrit slung the coiled rope and his H amp;K assault rifle over his shoulder and began his ascent. Although steep, basalt rock formations offered good handholds and jutting edges provided a solid foundation for toe holes as he climbed. But the climb was slow, as he made sure the rock beneath him would hold before he ventured farther. The crashing water beneath him started to diminish as he gained height. Midway, his arms started to shake from the weight of his backpack and ropes, and he rested for a few minutes before continuing. He hugged the rock and looked up. It seemed like he would be climbing forever.

He started upward again, trying to ignore the muscles in his arms and neck tightening with strain and exhaustion. He had to push on. Everything depended on him reaching the top. Resting again, he gazed out over the water. A full moon climbed into the dark sky, a finger of silver light cutting a path across the water toward his direction. The sight might be enjoyable if his body didn’t hurt so much.

He pushed on until he finally reached the top. Grasping the edge of the cliff, he raised himself until Kane’s complex loomed in sight. Only a few yards away, several boulders lay together, offering limited cover. Beyond the rocks he saw the main structure to his right, and to his left, a heliport that could accommodate several choppers at a time.