“I should say. I’ll have to give him a major ‘atta boy’ next time I see him. But I assume there’s more. What else?”
“Once again, Edmund. He was talking to Alana about the potential for hacking into satellite telemetry to capture either NSA close-ups of the GPS coordinates of the Great Library. Or maybe just some nice pics from Google Earth. She said that would be easy, but why just get photos when we can call up a super-secret spy satellite with thermal imaging capability to take some photos as it passes over Arizona. That way we can get some real-time idea of the activity at that specific location at different times of the day and week. Nobody needs to go there; we’ll let our fingers do the walking. Even Edmund was surprised at what Alana could do.”
“So,” said Misti, “Can I assume you got some spy porn? Something juicy, something tasty?”
“We did indeed,” said Cindy. “How do you like your porn? Pics or vids or both?”
“You have close ups?”
“We do.”
“Let’s see them.”
Rod took out his photo file while Cindy brought up the video on her laptop.
“Alana gave us a handy dandy colorization program synced to the wavelength of the Gens thermal coloring, so we could spot our targets more easily. Says the NSA gave her a bonus for that little twist. Says staff had lots of trouble distinguishing the nuances of color patterns quickly. This saves time. You get the picture.”
Misti asked, “When did she do all this? I don’t remember her telling me about it.”
“Me neither. And I see her working every day. Even days off.”
“Noki knew,” said Cindy, adding to the fun of the moment.
“The parents are always the last to know. You know? The kids grow up so fast.”
Rod started again, “So here’s what we have. Seems like a mix of Gens, though we don’t know if they’re transformed or not. One shot seems to show one of them repelling down the side of the canyon face. Cindy has video of six or seven of them disappearing into a thicket, then vanishing completely out of sight. We assume that means there are at least two entrances. Here’s a map of the area, along with a topo of what the terrain looks like. As you can see, there’s one way in and one way out. Once inside the perimeter of the entrances, you can easily get trapped. There are two sides leading directly to the bottom of the canyon, and only one direction out. That direction always has ten or twelve individuals spaced evenly, guarding twenty-four hours a day. Shaped like a baseball diamond. I think you see the dilemma for getting in, taking a quick peek, and then getting out. Not going to happen. So, the best we can do for now is set you up on the other side of the Canyon, so you can monitor the situation on the other side, looking for opportunities. You’ll have two teams with you, four each plus one in command. That’s the assignment. Maybe you can see why we didn’t think it was the best use of your skills.”
“What’s the activity on the opposite side where we’ll be?”
“Minimal, but not zero. They seem to show up from time to time, unannounced, and sweep the area. Nothing scheduled though. Seems pretty random.”
“No problem. We’ll still do it,” Misti said. “Send us everything you have, and there may be a few items we need. But we’re ready to go whenever you say.”
“OK then. Give me the list of toys you will need, then we’ll arrange transportation to the site. We’ll drop you some distance away with your teams, then you can hike in. Dad will brief you on objectives, so you should share your thoughts on tactics when you talk. After that, you’re on your own.”
Cindy looked at her two siblings, “Are you sure you still want to do this? Seems unnecessary.”
“No way. It’ll be fun.”
Chapter 5
The drop zone was two miles from the coordinates identifying the location of Base Camp Alpha, a somewhat pretentious designation for two small camp sites a few hundred yards apart, and only two small field teams. BCA was, in turn, five miles from the target area, a spit of dense undergrowth a quarter of a mile deep, and half a mile long on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The target area was chosen because it was located directly opposite what was believed to be the location of the Great Library of the Gens Collective, boxed, crated and transported to the United States before the beginning of the American entry into World War II.
The photos and video of the area collected from had been obtained from various private and spy satellites by Alana McCarthy at the request of Adam and Edward St. James. Countries contributing to the collection included the United States, the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China and several nations in the European Union. Permission being a formality to be dispensed with, Alana proceeded to retarget and repurpose the satellites to get the best available intelligence on activity in the area.
Private companies from around the world, using their own satellites for mapping, weather, and various, and sundry other commercial activities, were likewise co-opted for her use. Permission from them would’ve been both time consuming and costly; the team, mostly Adam and Misti, didn’t have the time or the patience to wade through the formalities. More than one would’ve declined the offer of payment and, almost all, the requisite permissions anyway, so permission was simply inferred from their shoddy security practices that were easily hacked by Alana.
The helicopter, having delivered its human cargo, and the fifty pounds of gear encased in each of their military style back packs, took off with a scheduled return in two weeks. It would remain on standby at a small private airfield north of Flagstaff not far from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in case of an emergency. The pilot had no idea what kind of emergency could develop for a bunch of ex-military campers and hikers, but he had worked for Edward St. James on numerous occasions and knew better than to inquire too deeply. The bonus he would earn from not being nosey would pay for his kids’ education at the Sinclair Preparatory School in Scottsdale, Arizona where they were now enrolled.
Dr. Edward St. James was widely thought to be somewhere between a sociopath, and a mild psychopath, but that was none of his concern. Edward had never asked him to do anything even remotely illegal; indeed, most tasks only involved showing up on time, and doing exactly as ordered and keeping quiet afterward. The pilot was ex-military, so these requirements were no hardship at all.
Two field teams hand-picked by Edward St. James and Octavio Moreno had been deployed two weeks earlier to drill and recon the area, and ready themselves for the arrival of Adam and Misti St. James. Their task was to spy on the activity, if any, on the opposite side of the Canyon, determine the likelihood that a team or teams could penetrate the Gens perimeter, if one existed, and take photographic evidence of the area and the Gens, if around, using various cameras designed, and specially made by Maria Suarez to detect any number of scientific phenomena, and environmental conditions in which Edward was interested. They were to assess and evaluate the security measures employed by the Gens, but not to engage them in any way. Neither were they to harass, annoy or attack the Gens or any other individuals in the area for any reason.
They were solely to observe, and defend themselves, but only if attacked. Since Adam had an agreement with Paulo Fortizi to not kill him, and his colleagues, he, in return, he would show them the same courtesy.
No killing; that was the agreement.
Adam didn’t believe Paulo for a second but, then, maybe he was wrong about how lethal the Gens Collective really were. He did believe that Paulo would personally do him in if given half a chance, but then Adam would probably do the same to him if the opportunity arose. The most recent data from the Library and the Book of Gensarii suggested that Paulo and Enzo Fortizi were both quite deadly and without much compassion for the many humans they had terminated over the years. Adam suspected they were playing a deadly game of delay for some unknown reason and terminating Adam and his connection to the Library would buy them the most amount of time. They were only partially correct, but Adam had no desire
to field test his hypothesis.
Adam and Misti collected their packs and started the two-mile hike to the BCA, allotting fifteen minutes a mile with and still having them arrive in camp in early morning. They would attempt to arrive quietly, but not in full stealth, testing the perimeter security of the two teams. Ten men, all ex-military and veterans of recent Middle East conflicts, were expected to be formidable in keeping the perimeter safe and free of unwanted, unexpected visitors.
The man in charge of the expedition was Adam and Misti’s cousin and veteran of the Princeton adventure with Rod and Cindy, Octavio Moreno. He would head Field Team One, while his friend and fellow veteran, Martin Jacobs would lead Field Team Two. Adam was sure, and Misti was positive, that there would be several team members strategically placed around BCA keeping watch. Just for the fun of it, they decided to delay their arrival, circle around the camp, and arrive at camp from the Canyon side. As they passed through the narrow gap between two large boulders leading down to the base camp from the south, they were less than shocked to find Octavio perched on one of the boulders waiting for them, eating an energy bar.
“What took you so long? I thought you should’ve been here, you know, minutes ago.” He laughed, knowing that Adam would’ve walked straight in, but Misti’s MO was quite different. She had a rep for stealth, and she never minded trying to embarrass the boys. Octavio had asked himself what small test he might devise to test the perimeter defense. Entry from this direction was what he came up with too.
“Octavio. You little rascal, how did you…”
“Oh, I just asked myself what cousin Misti would do if I was her, and I came up with what I thought were a couple of pretty solid male embarrassing options. I took the one I liked best, and here I am. Cousin Nestor and cousin Freddy took the other two and I left cousins Danny and Felipe back with team two in camp.”
“You have four other cousins with us?”
“Hell yes. Full employment for the Eight Families, courtesy Uncle Edward. You do know Uncle Edward, don’t you? Both of you?”
“In passing,” said Adam.
“Don’t recall him,” said Misti. “But I recall my little cousin Octavio. When did you get … so huge?”
“Right after your wedding. Apparently, you don’t remember me being there. I’m hurt.”
“Don’t be. I remember you, just not you being little Octavio Moreno. There were fifteen hundred guests, you know.”
“On the other hand, cousin Adam remembered me. Didn’t you, cuz?”
“I did, but then I keep track of everyone, just like Uncle Edward. Names, faces, ages, military service, you know the basics of the Eight Families. You and the cousins in attendance here are all ex-military, and all with excellent service records. And you, Little O, had a good, but boring job when Dad talked to you. Now here you are. And a veteran of Princeton with cousin Rod and cousin Cindy. That’s New Jersey, which by all accounts is at least as dangerous as Fallujah.”
“C’mon now it was Princeton. USA. I’d say that Barrows Bay is at least as dangerous as Fallujah, maybe more given you guys reside there with Uncle Edward and cousins Rod and Cindy. Wouldn’t you?”
“C’mon cousin. Take us in and introduce us around. We have a week before we start surveilling the targets, so we need to get familiar with both teams and get our plans in line.”
***
The confab with ten men in two teams took place in the area designated as the campsite for Team One. The campsite for Team Two was about a half a mile away, and both sites were well hidden and off the beaten track. The area was wild, heavily treed and covered with dense brush. Movement in and out of the target area along the rim of the Canyon wouldn’t be easy. However, some evidence of human activity was indicated both leading into the target area and along the Rim. The campsites were near the two main paths into the target area through a somewhat open, but very boulderer and rocky terrain. From a single vantage point each path could easily be monitored. Access to the North Rim from along the Rim in each direction was possible and, given the terrain, the presence of the two teams would be difficult to eyeball.
They met in a clearing. Team One, led by former Army Ranger Captain Octavio Moreno consisted of four additional military veterans from the Eight Families, recruited either by Edward St. James or by Octavio himself. They were all ‘cousins’ and had known each other, as well as Adam and Misti, all their lives. They had all seen Adam in action and had been present at the incident in the Park when Adam went after the teen who had attacked Misti as a child. It left an indelible impression on each of them and was the foundation of their interest in and respect for the St. James men.
They were family and they were dangerous. What wasn’t to like?
The brothers Paz, Nestor and Danny, were twins and who always wore a broad smile on their faces. They joined the army right after graduation from high school and served several tours of duty in Iraq together. Manny Diaz and Felipe Ortega were best friends growing up and, like their cousins, had joined the military together right after high school graduation to serve their country.
Both Edward and Adam had stayed in touch with each of them and their families while the boys were serving abroad. When asked to join this team, all were more than happy to come aboard.
Team Two was led by former Army Ranger Captain Martin Jacobs and consisted of four additional veterans that had served with both Octavio and Jacobs in recent war zones and who had served honorably and with distinction.
Charlie Bent, Eric Bitters, Nelson Cartago and John Apple had all served with both Octavio Moreno and Martin Jacobs at different times in the four years they were stationed in Iraq. Each of the soldiers knew the others, had fought together and relied upon each other. Their trust and loyalty to one another was without question and their chain of command clear.
After the basic introductions, they got down to business.
Adam began, “Our job is to monitor the activities and movements of the individuals on the other side of the Canyon, to assess their security situation and to determine whether it’s feasible to access their facility from the outside, and if so, where and how. We are not to engage with any of them and we are to avoid contact and discovery if at all possible. However, we have reason to believe that they patrol this side of the Canyon at times to prevent exactly what we are trying to do.”
The men watched Adam, who then continued.
“We have reason to believe they’re armed, dangerous and will have no qualms killing or capturing us, and it will be most unpleasant if any of us are detained. These are dangerous people, involved in activities we believe pose a danger, to not only the United States but, to the world at large. They have not come to the attention of US authorities, so far, but they have with us. While we’re not acting in concert with either the federal or state authorities, we have been provided resources by each. There’s considerable danger in undertaking this assignment so if any of you are unwilling to place your lives in danger should consider leaving now.”
Bitters, a no-nonsense soldier from Alabama asked, “What’s the nature of the threat? Can we at least know that?”
“We believe they’re involved in bio warfare research and this facility contains information about the location and numbers of the personnel involved. There are other facilities around the world; eventually we will attempt to ascertain those locations and penetrate those facilities.”
“Why don’t the feds take them down?”
“No tangible proof and the fear that they may go deeper underground if confronted prematurely. We need to monitor and assess. Whatever direct action will be taken will be taken later, possibly by us, possibly by others. The situation is delicate and requires, above all, stealth.”
“They’re terrorists then?”
“Yes, just not in the most traditional sense of the word. Their beliefs are neither religious nor political. This is an entirely new brand of terrorism and it is their intention is to reshape the world as they
wish it to be, and to radically reduce the overall population of the planet. By any means possible.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because they wish to control the planet. This sect is well funded, with clear goals and well-established hierarchy. And that hierarchy is both capable and lethal. They have been at this for quite a while and are highly motivated. They haven’t had the capacity to effect change on a grand scale until now.”
All the men looked on with interest.
“We have a week before we want to get into place and begin the surveillance. We need to train with each other and get familiar with some specialized equipment and tactics ahead of our go date. Octavio and I will be using the equipment on Team One. Misti, together with one or more members of Team Two, will be training and handling those same duties. Let’s go over the plan for training and the assignment now, then break away for individual and joint exercises over the next week.”
The men of Team Two were less than excited about getting stuck with the girl. This had been anticipated by Team One, and by both Adam and Misti. She would have to prove herself, and right away, before any further progress could be made.
Chapter 6
Misti announced, “I’ll join Team Two immediately, and get settled with them at the other camp site. I’m sure they have a million questions about my readiness and I’d like to answer them all.”
Jacobs was unfazed by the announcement but was cautious about making a hasty decision about the girl on the team. Octavio had assured him that she was well trained and able to handle her end of any assignment, no matter what it was. With the lives and safety of himself and his team at stake, he wasn’t in the mood to take Octavio’s word for that or anything else.
Jacobs said, “Perhaps we should start out with a full pack hike to determine physical conditioning and endurance. Any objections?”
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