Dispatches (19 page)

“The first gate is open. We’re heading through. Any new developments out front?” Alex asked, stepping through the gate opening.

“Negative,” said Charlie. “It’s dark and quiet.”

“Perfect. Let’s hope it stays that way,” said Alex, waving Ryan forward. “I don’t know how far this road goes into the forest. Hopefully not too far. It’s even darker in here.”

“We’re ready if you need us,” said Charlie.

“Sounds good. Fingers crossed, guys,” said Alex.

“And toes,” Charlie added.

Alex crossed behind the SUV and jumped in the front passenger seat, sticking his rifle through the open window. Ryan kept his head forward, watching the road in front of them through the NVGs.

“Anything?” asked Alex.

“Has to be a turn up there somewhere. I’ve got a wall of trees across the road in the distance,” said Ryan.

“That’s kind of what I figured,” said Alex. “Last thing they need is someone staring down the road at a bunch of warehouses.”

“Just like our property in Limerick,” said Ryan.

“Yeah,” said Alex, remembering the nearly perfect sanctuary they were forced to leave. He adjusted his rifle, pushing the vertical fore grip against the side mirror and bracing the adjustable stock in his shoulder. “Take it slow. Fifteen miles per hour. Call out anything you see.”

The SUV eased forward, its tires crackling over frequent pinecones and small branches. Every sound hit Alex’s ears like a gunshot, causing him to reconsider his plan to approach the storage site perimeter by vehicle. He dismissed the thoughts as paranoia, the crunching sounds reinforcing his assessment that the road hadn’t been used in months.

Alex peered into the thickening darkness ahead of the vehicle, unable to distinguish the road from the forest less than a hundred feet away.

“Definitely a left turn coming up,” said Ryan.

“Got it,” said Alex. “Do you need any IR illumination?”

“No. Looks like a gradual turn. Maybe two hundred feet away,” said Ryan.

Alex activated his radio. “Coming up on a left turn. I’m guessing about a thousand feet from the gate. I’ll throw a chemlight onto the road to mark the turn, just in case I need you to approach without lights.”

“Roger,” said Charlie. “Standing by.”

Alex removed a chemlight from one of the pouches on his vest and waited for the turn. He spotted the turn in the last vestiges of dark blue light and cracked the green chemlight, holding it outside of the SUV so it wouldn’t obscure Ryan’s windshield view. When he felt the vehicle turn, Alex dropped the glow stick, leaving the marker behind.

“Can you see the chemlight?” Alex asked.

“Affirmative. Green chemlight on the road,” Charlie replied. “Looks like a straight shot all the way to the turn. We could see your brake lights the whole way.”

“Yeah. No surprises so far,” said Alex, staring ahead as the SUV straightened out of the turn.

“I have a tall fence line coming up in maybe five hundred feet. I’m pretty sure there’s a gate, but it’s still a little hazy. No lights at all coming from beyond the gate,” said Ryan.

“Good. Take us about a hundred feet out from the fence. I’ll recon the site on foot, from the forest,” said Alex, switching over to his headset.

“We have another gate coming up,” said Alex. “The site looks dark.”

“Copy,” said Charlie.

Alex asked Ryan, “Still nothing past the fence?”

“Totally dark,” said Ryan. “And definitely a second gate. I can see a keypad box on the left side.”

Alex could detect the empty space between the opaque pines flanking the road, but little beyond that. The early night sky was unwilling to lend any illumination to the scene beyond the windshield. The SUV slowed, coming to a halt in the murkiness.

“We’re about a hundred feet out,” said Ryan.

“Shut her down for now,” said Alex. “And I’ll need the NVGs.”

Ryan stopped the engine, pulling the keys out of the ignition. Alex opened the door and checked his gear while Ryan unstrapped the night-vision goggles.

“I’ll stick pretty close to the road until I get closer to the gate,” said Alex. “I want you in the woods—listening.”

“We could use another pair of NVGs,” said Ryan.

“We’ll make sure to grab a few once we get inside,” said Alex. “Among other things.”

“I thought we had a strict shopping list?”

“If we find something we need in the same warehouse, we’re taking it,” said Alex.

“What about a Humvee?” Ryan asked, handing over the NVGs.

“I’m pretty sure they can GPS track high-end items like that, though we might consider borrowing one to transport more food.”

Alex tightened the NVGs over his black watch cap and adjusted the straps until the goggles aligned with his eyes when flipped down.

“Stay out of sight, and stay on your radio,” he instructed.

“Be careful, Dad.”

Alex walked in front of the SUV and watched his son melt into the pine trees next to him.

“Charlie, I’m approaching the gate on foot. Get ready to move out,” said Alex.

“We’re ready. Still quiet up here,” said Charlie.

“Roger. I’ll be in touch shortly.”

Alex walked briskly along the right shoulder of the road, studying the scene beyond the fence. The single-lane road formed a boulevard between two rows of warehouses. From this distance, he could see warehouses lining each side of the road. The green image faded after he counted six similarly sized structures on each side. As he closed the gap to the fence, another series of warehouses materialized in the green murk. He also noticed a twenty-foot clearing between the fence and the forest on the left side of the road. Although he couldn’t see it, Alex assumed the same clear space existed on the right side of the road, forming a twenty-foot buffer around the perimeter of the fence.

The buffer made sense from a security standpoint. It prevented intruders from reaching the fence unobserved, and it sometimes signaled the presence of an electrified fence. He couldn’t imagine any way in which the facility could power an electric fence without an outside electricity source, but he’d keep it in mind on the approach.

Alex pushed through the stiff pine boughs next to the road and broke into the untamed forest, immediately regretting the decision. Branches scraped his legs and arms, snagging his rifle and knocking his night-vision goggles askew. This wasn’t going to work. Whoever built the facility must have planted additional pines in the forest surrounding the site. He’d never seen a more tightly packed pine forest. It was nearly impassible, and any advantage he might gain from trying to observe the facility from a concealed position would be eliminated by the noise he’d make breaking through the branches. He backed out of the trees and kneeled next to the road.

“Everything all right up there?” Ryan called.

“Affirmative,” said Alex. “The forest is too thick for a quiet approach. I’ll wake up half of the state moving ten feet.”

“I was about to call you about that,” said Ryan.

“I’ll approach along the road. Seems quiet enough. I’m seeing several warehouses past the fence.”

Charlie responded, “Sounds like we’re in business.”

“Give me a few minutes to make sure we’re alone,” said Alex, focusing on the fence.

He passed the keypad on the other side of the road and crouched at the edge of the gap, listening for the telltale hum of an electric fence. Nothing. The fence looked fairly standard for a security perimeter. Chain link, eight to ten feet tall, topped with razor wire. Staring down the long length of the fence to the right of the gate, the tall, matted grass separating the trees from the fence looked undisturbed. If the fence had been electrified at one point, he would expect to see a few lumps, big or small, on the ground outside of the fence.

Turning his attention to the facility, he saw the entry road split left after the front gate, connecting to an additional boulevard of structures. He counted nine warehouse fronts on each side of the center thoroughfare. Eighteen on each road, assuming the number was the same on the unobserved row. Thirty-six in total. He sure as shit hoped the food was in one of the first warehouses, or they were in for a long night.

“I’m looking at the entire facility. We have two interior roads lined with nine massive warehouses on each side. Night vision isn’t registering any light sources inside the complex,” said Alex.

“We could be here all night searching thirty-six warehouses,” said Ed.

“We’ll have to split up and search,” said Alex. “I’m going to open the perimeter gate. Ed, bring the Jeep and trailer down. I think we’re good to go.”

“Copy that. We’re on our way. Is it all right to use lights?” said Charlie.

“Wait until you reach the turn,” said Alex. “See you in a few minutes. Ryan, bring up the BMW.”

Alex crossed the street and flipped his night-vision goggles up. Using a small flashlight to read his notebook, he entered the same code on the keypad. The fence gate sprang to life, retracting along its metal track. He tensed, half expecting klaxon alarms to sound and bright lights to flood the perimeter. Instead, the small city of two-story-high, corrugated warehouses stood dark and silent against the thin clanging of the gate. The SUV pulled next to him.

“Go ahead and hit the lights,” said Alex.

A moment later, the center boulevard was awash in the SUV’s high beams, exposing a sterile concourse flanked by gray buildings. The vast sea of faded asphalt looked pristine. Untouched. He could barely believe places like this existed, waiting for a “Category Five” disaster. The whole concept still seemed wild, almost unfathomable—until last August.

“Holy shit,” mumbled Ryan. “We should just move everyone here. Tell Colonel Grady we’ll keep an eye on it for him.”

“I’d be lying if I told you the thought didn’t just cross my mind,” said Alex, gawking at the buildings.

It could work, if Governor Dague didn’t stumble upon the codes to open the former 3
^rd
Battalion commanding officer’s secure pod.

What are the chances of that, if she hasn’t already figured it out?

Even if she searched the commanding officer’s house and found the document-sized safe, only the battalion’s commanding officer knew the code. He might have been required to transfer the pod and sealed codes to the unit’s executive officer prior to leaving the state on vacation. Alex had no idea what type of protocol was in play here, and it didn’t matter. Even the slightest risk of discovery wasn’t worth taking. They would stick to the plan. He hopped on the SUV’s driver’s side running board and gripped the roof rack.

“Pull between the first pair of warehouses,” said Alex. “Time to go shopping.”

Alex jumped to the pavement when Ryan stopped the vehicle between two towering storage bay doors. Beams of light struck the face of the warehouse next to the SUV, grabbing Alex’s attention. Two headlights appeared on the access road. Probably the Jeep.
Alex didn’t like
probably
.

“Charlie, did you just make the turn?” Alex signaled for Ryan to stay in the SUV.

“That’s us,” said Charlie. “Did you think someone got through us?”

“Just being cautious.”

“Or a little paranoid. We’re in the clear, man…holy smokes that’s a big place,” said Charlie.

“You’re only seeing half of it,” said Alex. “Pull up behind us until we figure out the best way to proceed. We’re going to take a look in one of the warehouses. Get a feel for the general layout.”

“Can’t wait to go shopping,” said Charlie. “Looks like thirty Costcos put together.”

“This is better than Costco,” said Alex. “More like Cabela’s, for Special Forces.”

“I hope so. We need some more night vision.”

“See you in a minute,” said Alex, turning to Ryan. “I want you wearing your helmet.”

“Dad, I don’t need the helmet out here,” Ryan protested.

“Just do me a favor and wear it. I’d wear one too if we had extras,” said Alex. “Never know what’s out there.”

“All right,” said Ryan, killing the engine and reaching behind the seat for the ballistic helmet.

Alex and Ryan jogged to the warehouse on the passenger side of the SUV and approached the smaller entrance to the right of the massive rolling steel door. A covered keypad greeted them where the doorknob should be. Alex pulled the crumpled notepad out of one of his cargo pockets and flipped on the flashlight, punching a new fifteen-digit code into the keypad. He paused before hitting the # key.

“Stay at the door and watch our six when I go inside,” said Alex, pressing the final key.

The door clicked, opening inward several inches. Alex pushed the door gently, illuminating a sliver of the pitch-black warehouse with his flashlight. A short buzz sounded inside the building, causing Alex to douse the flashlight and raise his rifle. He aimed through the dark two-foot crack, waiting for more input. A hollow, jolting sound echoed from the interior, immediately followed by the steady, industrial hum of a generator. Bright lights replaced the darkness beyond the partially closed door, clunking as they activated row by row, back to front.

“I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Alex.

“What does that even mean?” asked Ryan.

“I have no idea,” said Alex, pushing the door open.

He couldn’t see it at first. Alex took several steps into the well-lit warehouse, his mind simply refusing to acknowledge the obvious. He squinted like it was an optical illusion until it finally registered.

There’s nothing here. Oh, fuck!

“Turn the car around. I want it facing the gate,” said Alex.

Ryan aimed his rifle in the direction of the other warehouses on the road. “What’s going on?”

“It’s empty. I’m checking the one on the other side. If it’s empty, we’re getting the fuck out of here.”

Alex sprinted past the SUV, ignoring Charlie, who was yelling something from the approaching Jeep. He punched the code into the keypad and kicked the door after it opened, directing his flashlight inside. A bare concrete floor and rows of empty industrial-sized shelves stared back at him.

Motherfucker.

Grady had used them
.
He was back on the asphalt before the warehouse’s generator started, running toward Ed’s Jeep.