The Hard Core

by Allen Manning

  “You’re sure about this?” Travis asked.

  “About ninety percent sure,” Parker said. “Faust is building a base in the southern portion of the Rockies.”

  “A base for what, exactly?” John asked.

  “We don’t know yet, but it looks like they’re still building the main structure,” Parker said.

  “It’s for training soldiers,” Millie said, sitting backward on a chair, resting her chin on her hands.

  “How can you tell?” Chance asked.

  “Look at this part,” John said, pointing to the large open area on one side of the base. “She’s right.”

  “That could be for parking vehicles or something,” Travis said. “Maybe it’s part of the motor pool or something.”

  “Those are lanes for shooting drills,” John said. “Look at the berms. It’s facing away from any high traffic areas, into the mountains.”

  “There’s also a track surrounding the base,” Millie said. “And I’m guessing that sizeable bare spot is going to be for an obstacle course or something similar.

  “Yeah. They’ve most likely got a gym inside,” Roland said. “It’s set up almost exactly like the base I went to when I trained at INSEC. Except much larger.”

  “So what is this place?” Travis asked Roland.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never heard anything about some remote base in the Rocky Mountains,” he replied.

  “What are we supposed to do with all of this information?” Chance asked. “I thought we were looking for Hawke’s team to get the files.”

  “We’re going to break into that base,” John said. “According to the communications that Parker and Millie found, Owen is supposed to be running that place once it’s active. With everything falling apart around him, Faust and his buddies will probably be hiding out there.”

  Chance looked around at the others. “Is he serious? We’re supposed to just pack up and fly to the Rockies and knock on the door, hoping to find what we need there?”

  “Hawke is a dead end. We have to hit that base.” John said.

  “I’m with Chance. I think we should be tracking Captain Hawke down,” Roland said. “What is that place even used for?”

  “Construction started over a year ago. After Silver Creek, Faust fast-tracked its completion,” Travis said, reading the information off of a printed report. “The CARR Group is using it for transporting and training inmates that are signing up to join INSEC.”

  “Do they seriously think no one would notice a bunch of prisons in the Southwestern states feeding bodies to a private defense contractor?” Parker asked.

  “They’re branching out,” John said. “Faust has landed some lucrative contracts for immigration detention facilities.”

  “No one would notice people coming from those places,” Millie said.

  CHAPTER

  26

  Detective Chance Hunter leaned against the hood of his car. “I don’t see how storming some base full of mercenaries is the better play, when we can track down four people.”

  John stared at the polished floor, his arms folded across his chest. “We have no idea where Hawke is. He may be preparing for us to hunt him down.”

  “I know he’s still here in Detroit. I can feel it. It’s like he’s taunting us,” Chance said. “I can make some calls and get some help to find them.”

  “Faust is the primary target,” John said. “We can’t let that madman run loose. I know how you feel, but we have to focus on that base.”

  “Look at the odds, though. If what Chambers is saying about this Nine Millie girl is true, then we’ve already evened the numbers. Four against four.” Chance paced back and forth in front of his Camaro.

  “We can’t ask Roland to risk his life. He’s here to help us take down Faust and the CARR Group,” John said.

  “Man, you know he would say yes if we asked,” Chance said.

  “That’s not the point,” John said. “Our primary objective is to keep him alive and healthy to build our case.”

  “You’ve still got some vendetta against anyone involved with the Four Serpents.” Chance closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. “How do you even know Faust is at that base?”

  “He’s there,” John said. “I know his kind.”

  Parker came in carrying a laptop. Travis and Millie followed him a moment later.

  “Where’s Ty?” Parker asked.

  “He crashed a while ago,” John said.

  “Probably from all that sugar he ate when he got here,” Chance added.

  “You didn’t notice how peaceful and quiet it’s been?” Millie asked.

  “Is this the mission planning party?” Roland asked, coming into the dedicated warehouse space from the back room. “So what are have we decided? Are we tracking down Hawke?”

  “Sorry, kid, I tried. Stone is on some personal crusade to get Faust,” Chance said.

  “Hawke is the wrong play,” John said. “He’s too dangerous, and if we focus on the strike team, we’ll lose Kingston and Blythe.”

  “There’s no way that they know that we’ve got the plans for Faust’s mountain base either,” Travis said. “We zig when they’re expecting us to zag.”

  “What do we know about Captain Hawke anyway?” Millie asked.

  John looked to his right. “Parker?”

  “Right.” He opened the laptop and placed it on the hood of John’s truck. “Captain Donovan Hawke. Twenty-two years old, probably the youngest captain in International Security’s ranks, given how new the organization is. He is the team leader of a special operations squad, consisting of three other members.”

  “Twenty-two? I take it he’s not one of the recruits from Silver Creek.” Chance said.

  “Correct,” Parker said. “His background is somewhat of a mystery, really. His file focuses more on his training and specialization. He’s an expert in hand to hand combat, including wrestling and jiu-jitsu. Also listed as an expert in most small arms. His specialty is battlefield tactics.”

  “Sounds like he’s been training for this since he was a kid,” John said.

  “I think he was,” Millie said, closing her eyes and dipping her chin.

  The rest of the team exchanged glances before responding.

  “How do you know that?” Parker asked.

  “He might be one of the Greeks,” she said. “Assets trained by The Order to build an army loyal only to them. Everything about his resume fits the story.”

  “Wow, now I’ve got, like, a million more questions,” Roland said. “Who are the Greeks? What is the Order? How big is this army?”

  “That’s only three questions,” Chance said.

  Travis held his hand up to wave away any further questions. “Sounds like the floor is yours, Millie. I think we’re going to need to know more about who else may be involved before we continue planning this mission.”

  Millie nodded. “The Order is a group created by some very powerful people. The top of the organization is Rebecca Flair.”

  Parker and John looked at each other at the mention of one of the names on their persons of interest list.

  “They set up operations in poorer areas where they know they can get away with kidnapping children,” Millie said, her eyes reddening. “The kids are brainwashed and trained to obey. They’re taught how to fight, pushed to strengthen and condition their bodies.”

  “Child soldiers. That’s sick,” Chance said.

  “Once the children reach a certain age, they are evaluated and categorized into three distinct groups,” Millie said. “Alphas, Betas, and Gammas.”

  “The Greeks,” Travis muttered.

  “Like some twisted fraternity,” Chance added.

  “Or sorority,” John said, looking at Millie. “You were part of that too, weren’t you? You’re one of the Greeks?”

  Millie pursed her lips. “Yes. Designated as a Gamma.”

  “What do these different groups mean?” Travis asked. “And where does that put Hawk
e?”

  “He’s a Beta asset,” Millie said. “Experts in conventional warfare, trained to be familiar with all small arms and a few heavy weapons. The man is dangerous.”

  “What about the rest of his team?” Roland asked. “Are we about to square up with an entire crew of super soldiers?”

  Millie skimmed the information on Parker’s screen before shaking her head. “No, it’s just Hawke.”

  “How can you tell?” Travis asked.

  “If they were all Beta assets, they would be around the same age. Or the oldest member would be the leader,” she said.

  “Those people are dangerous,” Chance said. “That’s all the more reason we need to track them down.”

  “Quite the opposite, actually,” Travis said. “That is definitely not the type of crew you want to hunt down in an urban environment. The risk of casualties is far too great.”

  “We won’t need to find them,” John said.

  Chance looked over at him. “Why do you say that?”

  “Hawke is a professional soldier,” John said. “Once we hit that base, he’ll come to us.”

  CHAPTER

  27

  John finished his shower and got dressed before the others woke up. The team decided to get some sleep while Travis made a few calls. John poured a cup of freshly brewed coffee and took a sip as he placed the carafe onto the base.

  “Can I get a cup of that?” Travis asked, buttoning up his shirt.

  “Certainly.” John grabbed another mug and filled it. “It’s your house, after all.”

  “Thanks,” Travis said with a smile.

  Chance came into the small kitchen, nodded to the others and grabbed a bottle of water from the countertop, downing half of it in one chug. He draped a small towel around his neck and leaned against the counter. “What time is it?”

  “Ten after Six,” John said. “Is everyone else still asleep?”

  Chance shrugged. “Don’t know. I was just out running. I saw Millie out there doing some yoga or Tai Chi when I left, but she’s gone now.”

  “How’s Roland?” Travis asked.

  “I think this is the first real, good night’s sleep he’s had in a while,” John said. “Seems the thought of being so close to finishing this has helped him relax.”

  Parker shuffled his feet as he came in to join them. He raked his fingers through messed up hair struggling to open his eyes as he made his way to the coffee maker.

  “How are you guys always up so early?” he asked.

  “Discipline,” John said. “We’re going to get together in the workspace to discuss the plan, so do what you need to do to get your mind in the game.”

  Parker nodded, scratching his head again. John and Travis left, on their way to prepare for the meeting.

  “I’ll catch up with you in a bit. I’m going to grab a shower first,” Chance said.

  “Your guys worked pretty fast to get us this information overnight,” John said, holding the door open for Travis.

  “I’ve got connections,” he said with a smile.

  “CIA?”

  “And Homeland Security,” Travis said.

  “I suppose it should concern me how fast they can bring satellites into position to watch people,” John said.

  “I know Parker had done equally disconcerting stuff when you were after Pryce Windham,” Travis said.

  “You know so much about us, but I know almost nothing about you,” John said. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

  “When this is over, you and I can have a long talk. I’ll answer as many questions as I am able to.”

  Travis sat at the desk and logged into his laptop, pulling up the data his connections sent him earlier that morning. John crossed his arms and leaned against the cubicle wall.

  “My guys even went the extra step of labeling a few key elements in these satellite photos,” Travis said, bringing up the main image.

  John let out a low whistle. “That looks like a fortress, not a training compound. What are those red boxes highlighting?”

  “Full package of surveillance,” Travis said. “Radar, lidar, infrared, the whole shebang.”

  “What’s lidar?” Millie asked.

  Travis ducked his head and shrugged his shoulders, startled by the unexpected voice. “Christ, girl. You’re like a ghost. Why don’t you announce yourself next time?”

  “I was already in here when you two walked in,” she said. “Not my fault you didn’t notice.”

  John’s mouth pulled up in a half smile as he looked at Travis. “She’s got some real skill.”

  “To answer your question, lidar is like radar, but it uses lasers, instead of radio waves,” Travis said.

  “It’s mostly used for measuring the distance to a target,” John said. “Useful when you’ve got stuff like this.” He pointed to the blue rectangles positioned along the rooftops of the base’s buildings.

  “Are those anti-aircraft defenses?” Millie asked. “What are we getting ourselves into again?”

  “I feel it’s my duty to inform you that you don’t have to go on this mission,” Travis said. “You’ve been more than helpful, getting the hard drive that let us find this place.”

  “Well, seeing as how our goals are somewhat aligned, I would be foolish to pass this opportunity up,” Millie said, handing Travis a folded sheet of paper. “But I’ve got a few things I’ll need for this undertaking.”

  Travis looked at the list on the page, chuckling. He handed the sheet to John, letting him see what she had written down.

  “This is an oddly specific list.” John glanced at Travis. “I think I want one of these too,” he said, pointing to the first item.

  * * *

  Parker, Chance, and Roland joined the others. Travis hooked up a projector, making it easier for the team to see the images projected on one of the walls. He brought up the satellite image marked up by his contacts, showing the base’s defenses.

  Looking down at the printed report, Parker asked, “How are we supposed to get by all of this? I mean, it looks like the main roads coming in from the Northwest and the South are covered.”

  “And they’ll see a chopper coming in from a mile away,” Chance said.

  “Once they do, those anti-air defenses are going to open up,” Millie said.

  “Hey, what did I miss?” Ty asked.

  Chance slapped the report onto Ty’s chest. “Where have you been?”

  “I just woke up.”

  “With all of your hair in place?” Millie asked.

  “I found a mirror before walking in here,” Ty said. “I’m not a wild animal.”

  “He’s not going in with us, is he?” Chance asked.

  “I think we can rule that possibility out,” Travis said. “His skill set won’t be of much use trying to sneak into a remote mountain base.”

  “Don’t count me out that quickly,” Ty said. “What are we talking about, though?”

  “Stay focused, everyone.” John walked in front of the projected image. “This is serious. If we can’t figure out a way to get inside the perimeter Faust’s men will chew us up before we reach the front door.”

  “This image shows the surveillance system’s projected coverage,” Travis said, switching to the next photo.

  “Our best bet is to come in here.” John pointed to a small path branching off the main road. “We approach from the mountains and take these sentries out.”

  “Over the mountains? That’s going to take hours,” Millie said. She looked at the others. “Maybe even a full day.”

  “And what’s the next step once we take those guards out after a full day of hiking?” Chance asked.

  “If we successfully get past this checkpoint, we can work our way along this hill here,” John said, tracing a route with his finger. “From here, we’ll have to stage an assault to get inside.”

  “That’s almost a hundred meters, over open terrain,” Chance said. “If they’ve got machine guns, we’re going to get cut to
ribbons.”

  “We have to strike fast. There are plenty of positions for cover,” John said, indicating the construction supplies and equipment peppering the area.

  “Is that stuff even there still?” Roland asked.

  “These photographs are from yesterday,” Travis said. “There is a high probability that everything will still be in place.”

  “If we make our approach through the mountains, a lot of that stuff could have moved around over the day we spend hiking,” Chance said. “This plan feels awfully aggressive. I mean, there are only three of us.”

  “Four,” Roland said. “I’m going with you guys.”

  Travis pinched the tip of his tongue between his top teeth and lower lip, looking at the others.

  “Is that a good idea?” Chance asked.

  After a brief pause, John spoke. “He’s got training. Probably more than most of the people we’ll be facing in there.”

  “This is a CARR Group facility,” Travis said. “Any opposition will most likely be security forces and construction workers.”

  “But it’s intended to train soldiers for INSEC,” Chance said. “That place could be infested with mercs.”

  “Chance is right,” Millie said. “A full-on assault isn’t going to work. Our objective is to reach the main facility without the enemy detecting us until it’s too late. If we’re caught in a firefight, they will be in a fortified position. We don’t have the strength or supplies to win that battle.”

  “They’ll wear us out and grind us down,” Chance said.

  John stepped back and crossed his arms. “I’m open to suggestions. That’s why we’re here, right?”

  “What are you proposing, Millie?” Travis asked.

  “We run John’s plan all the way up to here,” she said, pointing to the sentry's checkpoint. “From there, someone sneaks in and shuts down the surveillance here.” Millie pointed to one of the infrared scanners.

  “With that down, we can approach unseen all the way to the building,” John said. “Nice. But who can slip by their defenses that far in?”

  “That’s kind of my specialty,” Millie said.