*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
BY ONLINE AUTHORS
Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2085468-Time
Printer Friendly Page Tell A Friend
No ratings.
by valder
Rated: 13+ · Book · Fantasy · #2085468
breakout from installation
         Tom Daniels crouched quietly, watching three furtive figures position themselves in a shadow drenched corner of the spacious courtyard. The figures, his team, melted into the night. The Moon, hidden behind a thick, low ceiling of ominous storm clouds conspired to conceal the team's activities. A light rain and thunder in the distance, helped to drown out any sound.

         Tom hoped the bite of the approaching storm would hold until his team entered the installation. Unforeseen adverse conditions at inopportune times often conspired to foil even the best laid plans. This particular night, conditions were favorable, if not ideal. The cloud cover and a steady breeze kept the shadows moving and the sway of trees that populated the courtyard made it difficult to distinguish normal night sounds from the ones that will get you noticed. Once again the dark figures detached from the shadows and moved silently across the compound, where again Tom watched them fade from sight.

         He marveled at the expertise at which his men accomplished their task. Garrett Cain, Tom's second in command was a friend and a valuable member of a team that had seen wartime combat and many black ops missions in the fourteen years they had known one another. When a circumstance seemed destined for failure, Garrett displayed an uncanny ability to snatch success from the jaws of defeat.

         Once the pair left the Special Forces, Garrett joined Tom in a private security venture and for the last six years had been exclusively retained by a wealthy business owner, providing security for various interests and the occasional clandestine mission, such as this very one on which they were currently engaged. A clap of thunder roused Tom from his memories and back to the task at hand.

         While Garrett was concealed in the thicket, two men detached from the shadows and moved silently to once again melt into the surrounding blackness. A moment later, Garrett made the same silent journey and disappeared.

         The two men moving with Garrett were fairly new to the team. They'd joined at Garrett's recommendation and had since proven to be highly capable and followed orders without question. Tom now, like Garrett did initially, considered them invaluable to his team.

         The two men, Gavin and Scott McCloud, were brothers from Perth in western Australia. The brothers endeared themselves to Garrett during a joint U.S. - Australia task force mission in Afghanistan when at great personal risk to themselves came across a severely wounded man being overrun by enemy forces. Scott, a trained field medic, while in the midst of a fierce firefight, noticed a man in a United States uniform lying wounded and moved him to relative safety, albeit temporarily. Scott field dressed a severe gunshot wound that had damaged Garrett's femoral artery, and would've resulted in death from blood loss in only a few more minutes. Gavin kept the enemy at bay while Scott attended to Garrett's injury. The brothers kept him safe and alive for thirteen hours until a rescue team could extract them. Over the next eleven months, Scott and Gavin kept in close contact with Garrett and even were on hand to assist with his convalescence. Garrett found out later that the brothers had delayed leaving Afghanistan until he was out of danger and well on the road to recovery. When Garrett rotated back to the U.S., the brothers had shown up at Walter Reed and announced their intention to move to the U.S. and Garrett immediately recommended Scott and Gavin to Tom for adding them to the team and vouched for both. That recommendation was all Tom needed.

         Tom watched the three move once again from one part of the compound into the shadow of the building that was the destination.

         It would take a few minutes for Gavin to hack into the camera grid that would loop the feed to whomever may be watching.

         Tom pulled back the Velcro cover that cut any potential reflection of light and noted that it was almost time to signal the final member of his team. He refastened the Velcro, took out his radio and keyed in a series of clicks. Not Morse, but a code that he and Garrett had mastered and subsequently taught to each team member.



         Kate Garner was a fiery redhead who gathered the teams more delicate intelligence and could lull a cobra to sleep if the need arose. The behind the scenes work was often the most critical. Her feminine attributes opened doors as opposed to smashing doors down, figuratively speaking. While a soft touch rather than a heavy hand was sometimes necessary, as she like to point out she was someone who could take care of herself. She was not someone that needed protection, a lesson Gavin had learned after two men got rough as the team was winding down in a local bar, and they weren't taking no for an answer. Gavin leapt to Kate's defense. Kate suggested he stand down and when he didn't she pushed him over a table and beat the two men bloody and Gavin stared on in disbelief. Much to Kate's chagrin, it only served to make Gavin appreciate her even more. He smiled as she dressed him down while the other members of the team sat there barely suppressing laughter

         Kate's radio made a series of klicks and she responded in kind. She was almost ready.

         While Kate rarely went in with the team, this time Tom had agreed that Kate's talents would prove useful in this operation. Kate got her way for the most part, but placing her in danger, was not something Tom had given much thought. While she lobbied to go in with the team on a more regular basis, it was usually futile. This operation, as it was planned, would provide her with an opportunity and in the end Tom agreed that she should be relatively safe.

         Lightning flashed fairly close by and a thunderous clap seconds later. Tom thought that Scott must have about jumped out of his skin, with that one. He had a severe lightning phobia. Tom looked up as another flash lit the area.

         Just then a signal from Garrett could be heard in Tom's earpiece. The loop was ready to be connected at Tom's order and they were standing by.

         The drizzle had stopped, but the wind seemed to be picking up. The storm was definitely not ready to move away.

         Once again Tom checked his chrono. Only a moment now. Just as this thought was complete a guard came into view at the south end of the courtyard, a light flaring to life, briefly highlighting the man's face.

         Ok, that's one. Where was the other? The second guard's position must be pinpointed before his team could cross the expanse of the open courtyard. While the compounds cameras would not now be an issue, but if they were discovered by a guard, it would take only moments to radio for help.

         As Tom waited for the second guard to reveal himself, he thought again what obstacles were still to be overcome. A guard stationed at the first floor lobby had bank of monitors controlling a network of rotating cameras and could completely survey the compound and various rooms and hallways inside the building. A signal From Tom and Gavin would complete the circuit that would loop the cameras, inside and out and give the team anonymity

         In the weeks leading up to the operation, Gavin had caused the cameras to malfunction with an annoying static. He'd fashioned a device that would cause the electrical interference and had stationed Scott in the forest surrounding the installation to foment the disruption. The team intercepted the resulting call for help and Garrett and Gavin responded the rectify the problem dressed as technicians from the company who'd installed the system. From then it was simple to rig the system to allow the cameras to be manipulated when the time came to begin the operation. A few clicks in Scott's earpiece signaled that, at the push of a button, the installation's cameras were fixed and the repair crew was showered with adulation.

         The recording device hidden next to the camera that covered the area of the courtyard the team would have to traverse recorded a fairly severe thunder storm only a few nights later. It would become the looped recording that would serve to conceal the team.

         Three weeks passed before a storm threatened the area again. When it appeared that the conditions would be favorable the team finalized their plans and set out to accomplish the task they had planned for so carefully/
This book is currently empty.
Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/books/item_id/2085468-Time