“You won’t just let me enjoy it, will you?” He laughed again.
“All right, enjoy it while you can. I’m a pessimist by nature, I guess.” Daniel had lived with that serpent too long, though he hadn’t seen it in a while. Maybe I never will again.
Vinny dragged the round motel table into the spot between the two beds, so they could sit on chairs and bedsides and all see. He had a row of portable computer stuff on a folding table on the other side of the room, and he’d printed out hardcopy photos. “Pictures of everyone’s apartments. Nothing much to see. They are either not home or staying indoors. If they take the two scientists back off the island this evening, then we can expect just Elise and one or two minders when we go in for the snatch.”
“What if some don’t leave the island? Or what if different ones come off? What if they rotate some overnight?” asked Skull.
“Does it matter?” Zeke asked. “Once we see, we’ll know something. We’ll go in with all five of us. Sorry Vinny. Wrong skill set.”
He shrugged. “No problem, man. Until I get some superhero powers too, I’d rather stay away from bullets, thank you very much.”
Spooky glared. Vinny shrugged again.
Zeke went on, “Okay, general plan. Skull will drive the boat and provide overwatch, secure our line of retreat. We’ll pull in here, into this channel, and disembark behind these scrubby trees. Spooky will take point. Then me and DJ, with Larry and Skull watching our backs. We’ll move in quiet. Here’s the objective rally point, where you post, Skull.” He pointed at a spot just inside the tree line, about fifty yards from the buildings. “Spooky, you’ll do the forward look and report back to us there. If we can’t pinpoint everyone, or anyone, we’ll enter, search and clear the buildings.
“We will try to stay quiet as long as we can. Once it’s time to enter the main building, DJ and I will breach and go in heavy. Presumably we can take more hits than you guys now, with the XH in us. Our objective is this woman, Elise Wallis.” He held up the picture. “Use your best discretion when engaging armed resistance.” He looked across the table at Daniel. “DJ, I know you want to keep this clean but I’m not going to tell people to add risk to the op just because you want to avoid hurting anyone.”
“Avoid killing anyone, you mean. Hurt them all you want; it will give me something to do,” Daniel said sardonically.
Zeke chuckled. “Either way, I hope we get in quiet, they surrender in their beds, we zip-cuff them, then get outta Dodge with our answer girl. That’s the overview. Larry, what we got?”
“I got flash-bangs for everyone, some boom-boom for me, and all sorta body armor, and a lot of other miscellaneous gear. Since we’re only moving a quarter mile or so, I suggest you carry all you want.”
Spooky snorted.
“Ev’body ‘cept you, I guess,” Larry said.
“Cannot be quiet in body armor,” replied the Vietnamese. “I will take the chance. You got NVGs?”
Larry nodded. “Yeah, I got goggles for you and anyone that wants ‘em.”
Daniel shook his head. Night vision gear was fine for certain circumstances but as soon as any shooting started or someone turned on a light, they were useless. They would be useful for Spooky for the first look-around, and for Skull on overwatch, maybe.
“Okay,” said Zeke, “Any immediate concerns?”
Spooky nodded. “Better to clear both small buildings first. Probably living quarters, separated from main building. Main building has no windows and this,” he tapped a photo, “look like NBC filter.” He meant nuclear-biological-chemical, a containment system. “See, negative pressure system to make sure nothing leak out. Maybe jail cell in there, but nobody normally want to sleep in dangerous laboratory.”
This was an unusually long monologue for Spooky, so Daniel knew he was concerned.
Zeke asked, “Anything else? All right, everyone start making your personal prep. We’ll meet back here at six, go over it in detail. I’ll order pizza.” He slapped his shrinking gut again and smiled.
-12-
Since returning to the island Elise had been unable to sleep much, or well. Most of her time was spent puttering around the lab, until the wee hours of the morning. Durgan was putting more and more pressure on her for results and the stress was keeping her on edge. He wouldn’t believe her that it simply couldn’t be done. Not by three researchers with this tiny lab.
She was glad they didn’t lock her up but Durgan constantly threatened her with the possibility. Her mind knew the threat was empty but her brain still reacted with worry.
She had the run of the facility but the ankle bracelet tracker they’d fitted kept her from even thinking about escaping. Not that she could swim very far. She didn’t even know how to drive a boat and it’s not like they left the keys lying around. No, she’d missed her best chance already.
***
Zeke’s men spent the evening going over the op plan. Then going over it again. Then again, ad nauseam. That’s the way to succeed at special ops: meticulous planning, perfect execution.
They went aboard their boat at about 2300 hours, eleven p.m. They figured it would be suspicious to go out much later than that. Skull took the conn again, threading their way among the moored and anchored boats toward the Chesapeake.
Vinny had kept watch while they went over the details, and had reported that the same four people had returned to the marina around sundown, on the boat. That meant one or two more of the shooters, and at most two civilians there, plus Elise, if their chain of reasoning was correct.
Vinny stayed in the motel room, monitoring his cyberware and the team’s tactical voice network. They were using the latest frequency-hopping radios with self-generated encryption keys. Vinny said nothing short of the National Security Agency or a full-blown signals intelligence unit would be able to even find them, much less break the encryption in time.
The team took a wide course that slowly circled Watts Island to come in from the northwest. It gave them time to do their final preparation.
Larry kept fidgeting with his mask, trying to get it fit to his satisfaction. He did the same with his body armor. He was wearing a full rig, head to ankle including the skirts, which was usual only for a full breach urban scenario. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him outfitted in a bomb suit, thought Daniel. He must have been carrying a hundred pounds of gear. Good thing they only had to move a quarter mile. Daniel prayed Larry wouldn’t fall off the boat.
The big man carried an AA-12 automatic shotgun. It took someone Larry’s size to really use one of those effectively. It could spray an awesome amount of firepower at short range. The recoil would also pound your shoulder to a pulp if you didn’t know what you were doing.
Spooky was all in black, and as they slowly wended their way toward the island he wiped camo onto his face in a tiger-stripe pattern, black and green. He repeatedly adjusted his web gear, everything carried and fastened to him, until he was satisfied. He walked fore and aft on the tiny deck, jumped up and down and then grunted, satisfied. No rattles, no clinks. He carried a suppressed P90, which was very good for a little guy like him – handy, lots of short-range firepower in a small package.
Skull was using a venerable HK91 7.62 NATO, night-scoped. Daniel had talked him out of the Barrett, because they didn’t need that kind of range, and a .50-caliber rifle bullet tended to kill with one shot to any body part – it could tear a limb right off a target. Daniel had insisted they limit casualties. The HK was also a lot handier in a general firefight, if Skull had to move from his position.
Zeke and Daniel both had their old standbys, M4 carbines. These were descended from the M-16 family that was first widely used in Vietnam. Daniel’s fit his hand like it was made for him. Old friends. The serpent stuck his nose out of his hole for the first time in a while, flicked his tongue. But Daniel had a surprise for the old snake, and anyone else who got in his way. He had a workaround for his conscience’s killing problem. Maybe.