Page 49 of France Face-Off
Striker nodded. “I get that. I’m just glad Ace sent someone to assist me on this mission. What do we have to work with?”
“You’re already set with comm. I’ve been listening in on Lucie’s sitrep. In the trunk, we have everything we might need, including weapons, camouflage, C-4, duct tape and zip ties. Like Ace said, we can’t go in shooting everything that moves. We’re to get in, extract our target and get out with as little commotion as we can manage. From what we understand, the facility is rigged with an extensive video surveillance system. Lucie’s working to shut that down before we arrive. Apparently, their transfer system has been compromised, and the flow of natural gas has come to a complete halt.”
“Then they’ll have all hands on deck. That should make it more difficult to get inside.”
Griff nodded. “We just have to get past the gate guards. Once inside, we can use the C-4 to handle any door locks.” He reached behind the seat, pulled out a handgun and passed it to Striker. “In case you have no other choice.”
Striker inspected the weapon in the light from the dash. The 9 mm Glock was a pistol he was familiar with. The magazine was loaded and ready to go.
Griff handed Striker a couple of extra loaded magazines.
“How far is this place?” Striker asked.
“About twenty minutes. It’s located on the coast. We can park a mile away and go in on foot or take our chances and drive right up to the gate. The car will get their attention.”
“Let’s do a combination of the two alternatives. I don’t want to waste time going in on foot. You can let me out a few yards ahead of the gate. While you distract the guard with the Ferrari, I’ll take him out.” He held up his hands. “Let me rephrase. I’ll subdue him. You can be ready with the duct tape and zip ties.”
Griff grinned. “Deal. It pays to show up in a cool car.”
Thankfully, darkness had descended on northern Germany, giving them the concealment they’d need to infiltrate the facility.
A couple of miles from their destination, Griff pulled the sports car off the road, popped the trunk and got out. They pulled on black coveralls with multiple pockets located on the sleeves and pant legs. They had a choice of camouflage sticks to blacken their faces or ski masks. Both men chose the camo sticks and quickly painted their faces and hands so that they wouldn’t stand out in the darkness. They added black body armor vests and stuffed what they needed into the pockets on the vests and in the coveralls.
“How did Lucie get her hands on C-4 and detonators?” Striker asked.
“She didn’t. Dmytro makes this kind of magic. Having worked as a mercenary, the man knows people all over Europe,” Griff responded. “If you ask, his canned response is that he has contacts. Legal or otherwise, he gets the job done.”
Striker shoved a small brick of the clay-like explosives into his vest along with a detonator and trigger device. He clipped a smoke grenade to a loop and stuffed the extra magazines for the handgun into an easily accessible pocket. After staring longingly at a submachine gun and an AR-15 rifle equipped with sights, he passed over those for duct tape, zip ties and a Ka-Bar knife.
Once they were set, they climbed back into the Ferrari and drove to within a couple of hundred yards of the facility.
The cellphone interface in the Ferrari rang. Griff pressed the button to receive the call. “Video surveillance system has been disengaged,” Lucie reported.
“Good,” Griff said. “We’re going in.”
Griff slowed enough for Striker to jump out, and then continued to the gate, moving slowly enough that Striker could catch up quickly.
Striker jogged along, checking his equipment for noise and securing anything that might alert the guard to his approach. Thankfully, the rumble of the sports car’s engine helped to mask whatever noise his equipment might make. He swung wide of the road, crossed through a field and eased up to the guard shack at the gate as Griff slowed the Ferrari to a stop.
The guard stepped out.
Griff whispered into Striker’s earbud. “Only one guard.”
As the guard addressed Griff, Striker eased up behind him and grabbed him in a headlock, applying enough pressure to cut off the man’s air long enough for him to pass out, but not to kill the man. He checked for a pulse. The guy would live. Before the guard could fully recover, Striker secured the man’s wrists and ankles with zip ties and slapped a length of duct tape over his mouth. Then he dragged him behind the guard shack and left him lying on the ground. The entire effort took less than three minutes.
While he secured the guard, Griff opened the gate and drove the Ferrari through it.
Striker climbed into the Ferrari, and Griff drove toward the blip on the handheld tracking device. The closer they came to the blinking dot, the faster Striker’s heart beat.
No one stepped out to stop them as they neared a building at the center of the massive facility.
Griff parked the Ferrari to the side of the building next to other vehicles and out of sight of the main entrance.
Both men climbed out and found a side door that was likely used as an emergency exit and was otherwise barred as an entry point.
It would work perfectly for their entrance into the building. Based on the tracking device, Alex was somewhere inside.
Griff pulled off a section of the C-4 and weighed it in his hand. As a Navy SEAL, they’d worked with explosives enough to know how much to use to breach a lock versus how much was needed to blow the building apart. He pressed the C-4 against the locking mechanism on the door.
