"I've been saying that for years! Jesus. This is some scary shit. We have several Arab guys working here!"
"Damn right it's scary. Our mission is to make sure that important sites like this remain in operation. Keep up the good work. We'll get you those reinforcements," Daniel said.
"Let me get the gate! Park anywhere in that lot," he said and pointed at a building across the road, surrounded by a full parking lot. The guard ducked back into the security shack and activated the gate. Munoz started to drive the Cherokee away.
"One of them works in the same building!" the guard yelled.
"One of who?" Daniel said.
"One of those Arabs!"
Daniel gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up through the passenger window, visible over the top of the SUV. Munoz guided them into the parking lot, looking for an empty space. The security guard wasn't kidding about everyone being in today, which didn't surprise him. This might be the busiest day in Crystal Source's history. Daniel and the rest of the team hadn't seen a bottle of water in stock since they arrived in Scranton. As reported by news agencies, the price of most brands had nearly doubled in the past day, leading to accusations of price gouging. Daniel wondered what the American public would think about the fact that the owner of a major regional bottled water company had a direct hand in creating this frenzy.
"Good thing we left our two resident Al Qaeda lookalikes in the van," Daniel said.
The van was parked a few hundred meters down the road, tucked behind a shuttered business. Graves and Gupta would monitor local and state police channels, having already decrypted all of the P25 digital radio protocols in use within the greater Honesdale area. Disturbingly, they had picked up radio traffic indicating a significant FBI presence in Scranton. Daniel had considered sending the van west to collect data directly from the FBI, but they all agreed that the van would serve them better in a direct support role. If the situation inside the distribution center deteriorated, Fayed and Paracha might have to take control of the gate while Graves and Gupta tried to confuse responding police units.
Daniel glanced beyond the parking lot at the massive industrial buildings lining the street. The amount of activity inside the sprawling complex on a Sunday didn't surprise him given the national panic for bottled water. He had to give True America some credit for this insidiously clever plan. They had managed to prevent millions of Americans from drinking publicly sourced water and drive them right into their open arms. Another convoy of trucks passed the parking lot, headed for the open road. Two convoys in less than three minutes. Crystal Source had three distribution centers located within Honesdale city limits. The sheer volume of bottled water heading out into the population was impressive. He was willing to bet that Owen Mills had been well prepared to take advantage of this sudden windfall. Why not make a little money before you jumpstart the New Recovery?
They had considered the option of tracking down Mills first. He lived in a sprawling lakeside estate south of Honesdale. It was a tempting diversion that they couldn't afford. They had wasted enough time with Michael Brooks at the laboratory. He admitted that True America had manipulated events to drive up bottled water sales, but claimed to know nothing beyond that. It didn't matter as long as he provided them with the right distribution center. He had been willing to spend some time with Brooks to acquire this information.
Their fake FBI agent trick was unlikely to work on more than one site. If their first choice had been the wrong one, it would have taken them forever to figure it out. By then, the word would have spread to the other facilities, turning the next visit into a risky venture on several levels. Even worse, a simple phone call to the Philadelphia field office could unravel their deception with devastating results. From what Graves and Gupta gathered over state police frequencies, over fifty FBI agents had taken up residence in Scranton, including a large tactical team contingency. Brooks' information would prove to be invaluable, if the man hadn't lied. They'd soon find out.
"Jessica and I will deal with Bob Wilkins. If I get the sense that he's involved in the plot, I'm dragging him out of the office. Be ready to secure him in the back seat. I don't have a plan for this one. From what Brooks and Kemp told us, unmarked delivery vehicles have been moving in and out of this facility all night. If Wilkins isn't in on this, I can't imagine this hasn't raised some serious eyebrows in his office. He'll be able to lead us straight to the source. Keep an eye out for any interested parties. If True America is running their endgame out of this facility, they'll have eyes everywhere."
Melendez reached over the back of his seat into the rear cargo compartment and pulled out a compact polymer-constructed P90 submachine gun and handed it forward to Munoz. Designed by Fabrique Nationale, the P90 represented a revolutionary shift in the design of compact, powerful assault weapons. Weighing less than seven pounds fully loaded, the weapon's length measured just less than twenty inches. Modular in design, utilizing a unique, proprietary top-mounted magazine feed system, the P90 could be handled unhindered in the tight confines of a vehicle or building. An integrated Ring Sight system provided quick acquisition, day or night, for Fabrique National's high-velocity, armor-piercing 5.7X28mm ammunition. Melendez pulled three more P90s from the rear, along with a smaller nylon bag containing two dozen 50-round magazines for the submachine guns and suppressors.
Jessica and Daniel exited the vehicle and stood on the driver side for a minute.
"You know what to look for. If he tries to sound any kind of alarm, I need you to put that knife into action. Scare some sense into him, but keep him alive," Daniel said.
"What's your plan?" Jessica asked.
"I'm going to lay it all on him. We'll know by his reaction."
"I'll be ready."
He stared at her, taking his mind out of its mission-focused, system-processing mode for a second. He had no idea what they would face inside Bob Wilkins' office and beyond, but he could guarantee that the closer they came to the source, the more dangerous this would become. He didn't want her here. Bullets didn't show favoritism. They flew fast and straight until they hit something. Even the most unskilled, panicky shooter got lucky on occasion. Combat was all about the odds to Daniel. If you showed up, there was always a chance it could be your last appearance. There were always precautions you could take to improve your chances, but you could never fully eliminate the odds against you. The only guaranteed way to beat the odds was to avoid showing up altogether. They didn't have that option.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Jessica said, smiling.
"Be careful in there," he replied.
She flashed the black Tungsten carbide-coated blade hidden along her left wrist and raised an eyebrow. He nodded at his colleagues in the SUV and walked toward the building, glancing around casually. He didn't see anything obviously out of place, but then again, he didn't expect to see someone leaning against the side of the building smoking cigarettes and pretending to read a newspaper.
They stepped inside the building and saw the empty desk that presumably belonged to the absent receptionist. Jessica minimized the amount of noise the door made by easing it closed. The greeting room contained a green vinyl couch centered on a low coffee table, which was flanked by two similarly appointed chairs. A few particleboard bookcases lined the walls, filled with technical manuals and a few random paperback books and topped with haphazardly spaced, framed award certificates. Beyond the receptionist's simple faux mahogany desk, he could see two low, cream-colored file cabinets. A thick CRT monitor sat on the corner of the desk, next to a stainless-steel swing-arm desk lamp. Altogether, it looked like the lamp and computer monitor had been the only additions made to the reception area within the last two decades.