High Alert (The Project Book 14)

by Alex Lukeman

  "Is that going to delay us?" Nick asked.

  "No. Apparently this thing can fly through anything short of a major hurricane. Might not be great on the ground, though."

  "Bad weather could help," Ronnie said. "If things go south it might stop the Koreans getting their fighters up."

  The pitch of the rotors intensified. The machine lifted off the ground and tilted forward.

  They were on their way to North Korea.

  CHAPTER 37

  The vast blackness of the Sea of Japan swept by fifty feet below, lit only by a faint glow of moonlight shining through the clouds. The surface roiled with white capped waves. Looking down, it seemed to Nick that the waves were reaching out to pull them into the darkness. Gusts of wind buffeted the chopper as they flew over the dark water.

  Lamont was looking out the other side. "Really crappy out there. I'm glad we're in this nice safe helicopter and not down there in a zodiac."

  The pitch of the rotors changed. The helicopter banked sharply to the right.

  Nick said, "Check your gear. Make sure everything is squared away."

  A few minutes later, the pitch changed again.

  Valentina's voice came over the comm link.

  "Eagle One, this is Bearcat One. Prepare to deploy. Over."

  "Copy, Bearcat One. Out."

  "Showtime," Ronnie said.

  "Weapons free," Nick said. Safeties clicked off.

  The helicopter hovered and dropped to the ground. Lamont slid open the cargo door. They jumped from the aircraft and fanned out, weapons ready. Ahead of them, the Russians were piling out of their chopper.

  Valentina's voice crackled in their headsets.

  "Eagle One, this is Bearcat One. Proceed. Over."

  "Copy, Bearcat One. Out."

  The snow was holding off. The moonlight was enough to make things out in the gloom, an intermittent glow that seeped through the clouds and cast faint shadows on the carpet of snow covering the ground.

  They headed for the target. All their gear was secured against noise. The only sounds were their breathing and the soft crunch of snow under their boots.

  They reached the perimeter fence surrounding the site, a tall chain-link with loops of razor wire set along the top. Ronnie pulled a cutter from his pack and began making a hole. The Russians had their own gear and were doing the same. Thirty seconds later, Ronnie's piece fell away. He went through, followed by Selena, Lamont and Nick.

  They emerged on a low rise, giving them a vantage point looking down on the target. Nick observed the scene. The tower and launch pad were lit by powerful work lights. A diesel generator mounted on the back of a truck droned nearby. The missile that would carry the bomb into space was in place against the tower. Fuel tankers were lined up and waiting. One was already connected by a thick hose to the rocket.

  Nick estimated between twenty and thirty people moving about below, most of them in uniform.

  "They've started fueling," he said.

  "Must've been working twenty-four seven to get that sucker up," Lamont said.

  A loud, amplified voice rolled over the site with an announcement.

  "What did he say?" Nick asked Selena.

  "It's a countdown," she said. "He said sixty minutes to launch."

  "They're trying to beat the weather before the next storm rolls in," Ronnie said.

  Valentina's voice came through Nick's headset.

  "Eagle One, Bearcat One. Over."

  "Bearcat One, Eagle One. They just announced sixty minutes to launch. Over."

  "Eagle One. Proceed to assigned targets. Over."

  "Copy. Out."

  The Russians had the job of neutralizing the mobile antiaircraft units scattered about the site. Nick and his team were tasked with the missile batteries. The building that controlled the surface to air missiles was four or five hundred yards away from the lights and frantic activity surrounding the tower. A single light shone over the entry door.

  Nick's first priority was to clear that building. After that, they'd place charges on the bunkers and the missiles inside them.

  They moved toward the control center. Nick pointed at fresh footprints in the snow, leading away from the closed door. The door opened inward. Metal shutters covered a window in the front. Nick and Selena stood on one side of the door, Ronnie and Lamont on the other. Nick held up three fingers, one at a time.

  One. Two. Three.

  He reached out, pulled down the handle on the door and threw it open. A wave of heat and light poured out into the night.

  The room was about thirty feet square. To the left of the door was the main radar console. Racks of equipment were stacked on a bench along the wall. Two men in uniform sat at the bench, watching the green sweep of the radar array on a screen. They turned at the sudden opening of the door, surprise registering on their faces as Nick opened fire. The rounds blew them off their chairs and shattered the equipment on the bench.

  Selena was next into the room. She swiveled to the right, toward a third man sitting down and eating something. He dropped it and reached for a pistol on his belt. She put a three round burst into his chest. He went over backwards, the food flying. Blood began seeping through his olive drab tunic.

  No one else was in the room.

  Nick spoke into his headset.

  "Bearcat One, Eagle One. Missile control neutralized. Over."

  "Copy."

  A coal-fired stove glowed in one corner of the room. "Fire feels good," Lamont said.

  "Yeah. Let's go."

  The missiles were positioned in fixed, block shaped towers made of hardened concrete. The nearest battery was fifty yards away, three dark rectangular shapes. Each tower held a radar guided KN-06 missile, an evolution of the SAM design used in Vietnam. The second battery was on the far side of the launch platform.

  "Lamont, you and Ronnie take the battery on the other side of the tower. We'll meet you there."

  Lamont and Ronnie moved off. Nick ran with Selena to the first emplacement. It took only a few minutes to set the explosives. Nick dropped one of the remote detonators into the snow. He cursed and found it, wiped it off and placed it into the C-4.

  "Done," Selena said.

  They ran toward the second battery. When they reached it, Ronnie and Lamont were nowhere to be seen.

  "Where are they?" Selena asked.

  Nick switched to the team comm channel.

  "Eagle Two, come in. Over."

  There was no response, only static.

  "Eagle Two, respond. Over."

  "Maybe a comm glitch?" Selena said.

  "Yeah, maybe."

  He changed channels.

  "Bearcat One, this is Eagle One. Come in. Over."

  The radio link stayed silent.

  "Shit," Nick said.

  CHAPTER 38

  Stephanie came into Elizabeth's office, smiling.

  "You look like the cat that got into the cream," Elizabeth said. "What's up?"

  "Freddie thinks he's found out who sent the drone."

  Elizabeth still wasn't used to the idea that Stephanie's computer thought about anything.

  "He thinks he has? What does that mean?"

  Freddie's electronic voice boomed through the room.

  I have identified the manufacturer of the common technology used in the drone and in the video alleging a conspiracy to attack China.

  "Freddie, please lower the volume."

  Sorry, Director. The electronic voice returned to a normal level.

  "Yes?" Elizabeth said.

  I have analyzed the guidance system used in the drone. It is similar to those used in the guidance packages for American missile systems. The technology is proprietary and classified as top secret. The drone was a long distance prototype, developed by a private manufacturer. It is remotely controlled via satellite and currently under consideration for purchase by the Department of Defense.

  "Who made it?"

  The manufacturer is a company located in Northern Calif
ornia. The company is wholly owned and controlled by a man named Gregory Haltman. The electronic signature of the drone camera and the video are identical to that used in the missile guidance systems. Therefore it is logical to assume this man is responsible for sending the drone and for creating the false video. It is also logical to assume he is responsible for hiring the men who attempted to kill Nick and Selena.

  "Identifying the manufacturer is good work, Freddie, but that doesn't mean Haltman is responsible."

  The probability that Haltman is responsible is ninety-seven point four percent. He is noted for his innovative designs and obsessive secrecy. His psychological profile indicates a narcissistic personality type, controlling and introverted. It is unlikely that anyone else in his company would have access to the prototype. It could not be controlled without his knowledge.

  "Why would this man want to attack us?"

  There are two logical motives. Would you like to hear them?

  Elizabeth drummed her fingers on her desktop. "Yes, Freddie, I would."

  The first motive is that the Project is perceived as a threat to what is being planned. Eliminating Project operatives reduces the threat and the risk of possible failure.

  "Nothing new about that," Stephanie said under her breath.

  "And the second motive?"

  The second motive is personal. Haltman blames the Project for something and seeks revenge.

  "If that's the case, what does he blame us for?"

  I have insufficient data to make that determination.

  "You are certain Haltman sent the drone and produced the video?"

  Probability is ninety-seven point four percent.

  Stephanie played from habit with a half dozen gold bracelets she wore on her left arm. It was something she often did without thinking about it.

  "What do you want to do, Elizabeth?"

  "At the moment, nothing. I'm more concerned with what's happening in Korea. Haltman can wait."

  "I can try to bring them up on the comm link," Stephanie said, "but Nick wanted me to stay off-line unless it was something critical."

  "Do we have a satellite over the target?"

  "Yes. For about the next half hour."

  "Freddie."

  Yes, Director?

  "Locate the team, and show us where they are."

  The wall monitor lit with a map of North Korea, then zoomed in on the Musudan-Ri launching site. Green dots in two groups of two indicated the GPS locators for each of the team. The satellite couldn't get a direct visual through the cloud cover, but the map indicated they were all on site at the target.

  Stephanie said, "You know Nick. He'll check in when he has something to say."

  "I hate not being able to see what's happening," Elizabeth said.

  The satellite over the target is equipped with new infrared scanning technology. Would you like me to access and scan?

  "Better than nothing," Stephanie said. "Go ahead, Freddie."

  Accessing.

  Thirty seconds later the infrared scan was visible on the monitor, superimposed over the GPS markers for her team. It showed sources of heat in varying degrees of color. Some were stationary sources, structures scattered about the site. Others were mobile, indicating people. But it wasn't the stationary sources that made Elizabeth draw in her breath.

  Elizabeth and Stephanie looked at each other. Two of the GPS markers were in the midst of more than a dozen people.

  "There are too many," Stephanie said.

  CHAPTER 39

  Nick couldn't raise anyone. Tracks in the snow showed where Ronnie and Lamont had moved about as they set their charges. Nick and Selena followed the tracks away from the battery to a place where they merged with dozens more. The snow was trampled and disturbed over a wide area. Nick's scarred left ear began to itch. He reached up to scratch it. Selena saw the gesture and swore under her breath. Whenever that ear acted up, it meant trouble. She bent low as she moved, her weapon held up against her cheek with the muzzle ready.

  They climbed a small rise. Selena's hearing was better than Nick's. He'd been subjected to the sound of guns and explosions for more than twenty years. For her, it hadn't been as long. Her hearing was still intact, which meant she heard what was ahead before he did.

  Voices. Speaking Chinese.

  She held Nick back with her hand before they reached the top of the rise. She leaned close and whispered.

  "Someone's speaking Chinese up ahead."

  They heard Lamont, speaking loudly.

  "Get your damn rifle out of my face, you commie asshole."

  Nick heard a muffled thud and a grunt of pain.

  A new voice with an Asian accent said, "Shut up," That was followed by an order in Chinese.

  "What was that?" Nick asked, softly.

  "Someone in command said to shoot the prisoner if he made any more noise."

  More rapid Chinese.

  "He said to put the Americans with the others. That would explain why the Russians aren't answering."

  "How the hell did everyone get caught with their pants down? I don't believe this."

  Selena waited.

  "Okay. They don't know we're here. We don't know how many there are, but it can't be too many. We have to take them down. Follow my lead."

  He flattened himself against the ground and began crawling toward the sound of the voices. Selena dropped down next to him and kept pace. They reached the top of the rise.

  Twenty yards away, Ronnie and Lamont stood in a tight group with Major Vasiliev and six of the other Russians. Missing was Valentina. Selena felt her heart skip a beat.

  Why isn't she there?

  Four Chinese soldiers carrying QBZ-95 assault rifles guarded the group. They looked seasoned, hard.

  Those aren't regular army, Nick thought. Must be Special Forces.

  An officer and five more Chinese soldiers stood by an armored transport vehicle with Korean markings. It was big enough for the Chinese troops. It wasn't big enough to take anyone else back to China or wherever they'd come from.

  Nick had no illusions about the so-called rules of war. The Chinese were hostile. Once they were done with their prisoners, they'd kill everyone. Nick put his head next to Selena's and whispered.

  "I'm going to work my way over to the right. You take the group by the vehicle. I'll target the guards by Ronnie and the others. When I open up, shoot the officer first. Try to get them all if you can. If you can't, toss smoke and move toward me. There's ten of them and two of us but the odds are going to get better quick."

  Selena nodded and took a bead on the officer. He was telling one of his men what was going to happen to him for letting a prisoner escape.

  Valentina is out there somewhere.

  Nick sidled away. Selena's adrenaline kicked in and her mouth went dry. The end of her weapon began moving. She took deep breaths and calmed herself until the sight was steady again on the officer's torso. Her heartbeat slowed and time seemed to slow with it. Then she heard the suppressed stutter of Nick's MP-7. Time sped up again.

  She let off a three round burst. The officer slammed back into the vehicle and slid to the ground. Bright red blood spurted out over the white snow. The soldier he'd been dressing down stood in shock. She shot him and swiveled toward the others. They were moving, their training taking over. Selena shot one as rifles came up. She flattened herself as a stream of bullets passed over her head.

  At the sound of Nick's first shots, Ronnie took down one of the guards with a flying tackle. The Russians dropped to the ground. Lamont saw one of the Chinese bring up his rifle and point it his way.

  The man jerked and crumpled as Nick's rounds found him.

  Selena rolled, ejected a spent magazine and slammed in a new one. Valentina appeared out of the darkness, firing as she ran, and fell down beside her. Chinese bullets sang overhead.

  "Still two of them, sister. One is by the rear of the vehicle, one by the front."

  "Cover me," Selena said.

  "
Wait…"

  "Cover me."

  Valentina flipped to full auto and laid down suppressive fire. Selena sprang to her feet and raced for the front of the armored carrier. Valentina's shots rang off the hood. Selena came around the front bumper and shot the soldier crouching there. At the rear, the last Chinese swung toward her and fired.

  A bullet struck her in the thigh. It felt as though she'd been hit with a train. She went down, hard.

  Then everything went black.

  CHAPTER 40

  Nick kneeled next to Selena, wrapping a field bandage around her thigh. He talked to Ronnie as he worked.

  "What happened?"

  "We heard a noise. We went toward it, then those guys popped out of nowhere. It was like they were ghosts. I've never seen anything like it. They could teach us something."

  "She's coming around," Lamont said.

  Selena opened her eyes.

  "You're wounded but you're okay," Nick said. "The round went through your armor but missed the artery and the bone. It's still in there."

  "How long?"

  "Have you been out? Not long. Can you stand?"

  "I don't know."

  Ronnie and Nick helped her to her feet. Waves of pain rolled through her. She bit her lip and leaned on Nick.

  "Lamont, help her," Nick said.

  "Got you, babe," Lamont said, putting his arm around her.

  "Babe?"

  He grinned at her. She managed a smile.

  "Can you handle the pain?" Nick asked. "Morphine will knock you out."

  "I can handle it, but give me a small dose, just enough to dull it down."

  Nick took the morphine from his pack and squeezed half a dose into her thigh.

  Vasiliev and Valentina stood near.

  "We must move quickly," Vasiliev said.

  He was right. Even with suppressors on both sides, the firefight had been noisy. If they were lucky, the sound of the generator running the lights at the tower would have covered the noise.

  It started to snow, fat heavy flakes that landed and stuck.

  "Time to take out the tower." Nick said.

  Ronnie had retrieved the AT-4. The rest of the Russians had formed a circle around the others, weapons pointing out, watching for any sign the Koreans were coming.