Crystal Clear (19 page)

Patrick put a hand on Jack’s shoulder, “Don’t worry Jack I’ve got your back.  Always will.  These guys are up to some pretty serious crap, and I want to see them taken down just as much as anyone who gives a damn about their country.” 

Jack and Garrett spoke for several minutes and proceeded to outline his plan of entry.  There were air vents that ran all the way to the bottom level.  Jack would take one of those and enter through an air shaft avoiding any unnecessary contact.  He would get out the same way if nothing went wrong with Cindy in tow. 

Montgomery spoke up from the front seat, “Once you’re out, call our cell.  It’s the number Hawke gave you.  We’ll blow the charges once you’re clear.”

Jack nodded that he understood when he met her eyes in the rearview mirror. 

“We’re going to pull over soon and hike in.  We can’t chance them finding the vehicle.  Meet back here as soon as possible.”

They’d been driving for about twenty minutes, and the road became increasingly riddled with potholes that felt like they
wrenched
Jack’s spine out of place.

“Where exactly are we?” He asked.

Garrett answered, “Just outside of the White Sands Missile Base at Elephant Butte.  We’re on the right side of the lake closer to the base, it’s my guess that they set up here to ease suspicion about the vehicles coming and going at all times.  People will be used to that and think nothing of it
and
assum
e
it was just another drill.” 

Jack silently acknowledged that whoever thought of that had a stroke of brilliance.  Hiding in plain sight was one of the oldest tricks in the playbook, but it worked nine times out of ten. 

Montgomery pulled the vehicle onto a small access road and found a concealed pullout.  She parked the SUV and hopped out.  Rounding the back of the vehicle she popped the hatch and pulled out two packs.  She handed one to Garrett.  Jack and Patrick came around the back.

“Take what you need.  The smaller packs contain guns and first aid equipment.  You may need to use both.  We don’t know what shape she’s going to be in.” 

Jack noticed Montgomery wince for the first tim
e, it was a quick flash of pain
as Garrett spoke, but he caught it.

“She’s your friend, isn’t she?”

Montgomery nodded and met his gaze, “My best friend.  Get her out.  We’ll do the rest.”  Enough had been said.  It was time to retrieve Cindy.   

Cindy took her time planting a corrosive virus into the system file.  When the terrorists went to retrieve the information it would infect their main computer hard drive and destroy any information they may have retrieved.  She glanced back at the camera as she was asked and gave a nod.  They would be entering shortly. 

Cindy had worked feeling back into her hands and legs, and though she was sore from getting her ass kicked by Halverson, she was not out of the game.  She prepared herself as she heard footsteps approach her cell.  The door opened and the same man in the lab coat entered followed by Halverson.

“It appears that you’ve exceeded our expectations.  We thank you.”  The man said sarcastically as he bent over and retrieved the laptop.  “I’m sure that you and Agent Halverson have a few things to say to one another, so I’ll leave you to it.”  He left the room quickly and shut the door behind himself. 

She noted that it was not locked.  Eyeing Halverson warily, she edged behind the only weapon she had in the room, the steel chair.  Halverson advanced a smile on his face.

“You know, you disappointed me earlier when you caved so quickly.”  He circl
ed
around the room for the best position. 

Knowing the moment to escape was at hand Cindy kept her eye on Halverson.  Her usefulness was at an end, it was her time to die. 

Well
, she thought,
they can just kiss my ass
.  Looking back at the camera in the corner, Cindy was sure they were probabl
y recording this little session. T
hey would be aware when she took off.  She’d need the gun that Halverson had slung back over his shoulder.

“I still don’t understand how you can betray your team.  You’ve been with the Agency for a couple of years.  What went wrong?”  She tried to sound worried.  He seemed to buy it.

“Nothing went wrong.  I just got a better offer.  It happens.” 

Halverson eyed her warily as he laid his gun against the far wall of the cell.  Advancing closer a leer came into Halverson’s eye that she didn’t like. 

****

Jack and Patrick approached the West side of the facility.  With his combat knife clenched in his hand, he moved forward in the shadows slipping from tree to tree.  There were watchtowers on each corner of the facility and guards pacing at regular intervals along the fence.  The operation was larger than anticipated, but nothing they couldn’t handle.  Extraction
is what he
trained for.  He couldn’t think about what Cindy
went
through right now. His brain slipped into battle mode. 

Mission
. Target. R
etrieval. 

There was a stretch of tall grass between them and the perimeter.  Dropping low, he began to move through the grass trusting that Patrick would follow.  His friend may not have been a SEAL, but he was in the Army for a few years.  Something like this, he should be able to keep up. 

Occasionally glancing up at the guard towers to make sure they hadn’t been spotted, it took about ten minutes to cross the field. 
They c
rouch
ed
low next to the fence
. H
e waited for the guard to come close.  Staying still until the guard was almost upon him, Jack didn’t hesitate. 
Jack rose swiftly,
jabbed at the guard’s windpipe with one hand
,
and shoved the knife upwards between the man’s ribs with the other.  Jack caught the man as he fell.

Jack caught Patrick’s movements as the man slid into place at the fence and began to meticulously cut the mesh.  It wouldn’t take long to get inside from here as long as the spotlights coming from the towers didn’t spot them.

Waiting between bursts of light,
they
tim
ed the guards pacing the yard.
Jack and Patrick slipped through unnoticed. 
As one, they h
ead
ed
directly for the
air vents detailed in the maps. Jack
drew out the screwdriver the FIUW agents provided.  He’d need to take off the panel and enter from the top.  Jack waited as Patrick braced each corner.  Once the screws were undone, Jack pulled it back from the casing. 

Patrick carr
ied
the rope and rigging for Jack to have a smooth descent.  The hole was tight and narrow, and Jack knew that getting two up at once
would
be tricky.  Patrick took the rope off his shoulder and let it slide down the passage. The end slapped against the metal casing of the tunnel. 
Jack held his
breath.  Waiting several seconds, nothing seemed to happen.  Jack gestured down into the tunnel with his hand, grabbed t
he rope and slid into the darkness
.

****

Halverson wasn’t looking at her face.  
He took
another step
which
brought him within range of the chair.  Cindy stood, grabbed the back
,
and swung
the chair upward as hard as she could. I
t connected with his jaw, his head snapped back.  He stagge
red. S
he took another swing. 

Ducking o
ut of the way Halverson charged.
He
slamm
ed
into her already sore stomach. 

Damn that hurt
, her breath rushed
out at the impact. 

Holding her grip on the chair Cindy bashed h
im in the back
as she was propelled into the wall.  Cindy slid down, the air knocked out of her lungs.  She lo
oked around and realized she sat
next to Halverson’s gun.  He tore the chair out of her grip, no
t paying attention.
Cindy
grabbed the gun and
anchored the back against her shoulder aiming the barrel at Halverson
. She
pull
ed
the trigger.  The shot
sounded
in the tiny room. She stared as Halverson fell to the side. 

Hope the bastard’s dead
.

Tightening her grip on the gun, Cindy got up staggering toward the door.  A quick glance into the hallway revealed two guards running towards her, guns at the ready.  Taking aim she fired, both of them fell under a barrage of automatic fire. 

Damn, this was a lot easier than her training exercises.
 
Cindy r
ush
ed
down th
e hall and
came to the first door.  This facility must not have been equipped with very advanced technology, there was no keypad and the door hadn’t been bolted behind the guards that rushed in. 

She shoved her way through and noted stairs that went up.  There were several vents she was sure led to the outside to let in air.  Fighting with her own feelings of claustrophobia, Cindy could feel a cold sweat break out. 
F
ootsteps
echoed
on the stairs above her head, she took a deep breath and made her decision.

As she j
ump
ed
up on the rail
,
she could just reach one if she stretched.  Suddenly the vent moved outward, and she fell back off the railing. 
Cindy l
and
ed on the stairs. It took a moment for her
to catch her balance
. S
he glanced up, gun at the ready, and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Fancy seeing you here.”  She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her bruised face
ignoring the discomfort
. 

Jack’s eyes
glow
ed more golden than brown
with suppressed rage as his gaze took in her condition. 

She stood and brushed herself off trying not to wince, “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

He just shook his head.  Cindy glanced up at the stairwell where the sound of multiple footsteps hitting the stairs came closer.

“Let’s go.  We can get out this way,” Jack motioned for her to follow him.  Cindy placed her hands in his and let him propel her up and into the vent.  It was just wide enough for him to turn around.  When he did, she noted the line he was tied to.  It suspended from somewhere above.

“Patrick has the other end, just hold onto me.” 

She locked her hands around his neck and held on. 

Jack gave a quick two tugs to the rope and it started to retract.  He took a quick look at her face, and noticed her eyes were closed and sweat beaded on her forehead. “You okay?”

“Not bad.  Just don’t like enclosed spaces. It’s getting to be a handy thing to have you around.  I might just have to keep you.  Thanks for coming to get me.” 

Her eyes opened and Jack let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  Locking his eyes with her Jack was drawn in by the intensity of her gaze. 

“You think I’d let them hold you?  Shit Cindy, I couldn’t stand the thought of them messing with you.  It makes me want to kill them all.  You all right?” 

“Yeah, I’ll heal.  They really didn’t do much other than let Halverson beat me up.  I took care of him.  He won’t be a liability any more.”  She pictured his bloody body sprawled on the cell floor.  “He’s dead.” 

Jack took a deep breath.  He was silent the rest of the way up.  They could hear the alarms starting to sound.  The rope started to retract more quickly.  As they reached the top, Patrick tied off the rope, and helped Cindy out first.  Jack climbed out behind them.  Guards enter
ed
the yard.  Staying well out of sight of the spotlight, Cindy followed Patrick as Jack protected their backs.  They led her back out the entry
spot
where they’d gained access.  They slid through the gate.  Jack pulled the cell out of his pocket and dialed the other team. 

“We’re out.  Blow it.” 

Cindy looked at him surprised.  He answered before she could voice the question. 

“Montgomery and Garrett have rigged the place with explosives.  They’ll meet us back at the vehicle.” 

She nodded it was good to know who you could count on.  Her team hadn’t let her down.  They had only taken a few steps when Cindy felt the wind from a bullet thunk into the ground inches from where she stood. 

Rolling into the field for cover she grinned, “Looks like we are in for some fun after all.” 

Patrick tossed her the
.
45 he was carrying and pulled the semi-automatic he had slung over his shoulder
.  Jack was already firing.