Jacob ripped the page from the book and folded it together with the schematic. He gave the office another quick sweep and stepped outside, moving around James and kneeling low beside him.
“Find what you were looking for?” James asked.
Jacob held up the folded papers to the bearded Marine and nodded. James pointed to the lieutenant and waved him over. Marks ran from the small place of cover where they were held up near the gate then moved in and knelt down with the two men. Jacob opened the folded pages, showing Marks the chemical list and its spot on the small diagram. Marks grinned. “Good work. James, find us a patrol base.”
Not waiting for Marks to leave, James stood back up. “Any suggestions, factory boy?” James asked.
Jacob shrugged and shook his head. “Something open and easy to access; maybe a loading dock?”
James grinned and moved across the open ground to the side of the first large steel wall. He paused, waiting for Jacob to fall in behind him. Then he stepped off, moving slowly while staying close to the edge of the building. When he moved up on a corner, he would pause the group trailing behind then step away and slowly round it before bringing Jacob along with him. The building was flanked with high grass that transitioned to blacktop as they moved around to the backside of the structure.
Ahead were two large, overhead doors with a fireproof man-door between them. Beyond this wall, they could see a large loading dock then the tank farm where the dioxins should be located. James continued patrolling forward until he was at the small, steel entry door. He checked the handle and found it locked. James unclipped his rifle from his vest and leaned it against the building as he squatted down. Examining the lock, he let out a grunt then dug back into his cargo pocket for the lock kit.
Jacob moved closer and knelt beside him. He aimed out with his rifle while occasionally looking back at the rest of the team lined up on the wall, including the retriever that lay in the tall grass next to Jesse. James worked on the lock, cursing to himself.
“So if you can pick locks, why did you shoot up the door yesterday?” Jacob asked.
James shook his head and twisted the small tool. When he felt the lock give, he reached for the door handle and pulled down, releasing the latch. “Cause we didn’t have the time… and sometimes I like to break shit.”
He lifted his rifle with his right hand, keeping his left on the door latch. Jacob turned around, waving for the others to move up.
When they were all stacked on the door, James powered on a bright light at the end of his rifle and swept into the building with the others close behind him. Jacob moved through the door, detecting the musty smells of standing water and wet concrete. James’s light cut through the dark room, deep into the structure, revealing tall, steel girders and beams. Stacked plastic drums, covered in shrink-wrap, sat on wooden pallets. An electric fork-lift rested idle, still plugged into a wall.
A life-sized, cardboard figure of a man greeted them with a cartoonish display, showing how to wear an apron, safety glasses, and gloves. Beyond this was a large walled-off area. James moved up to the corner of the structure then rolled inside, panning the area with his light before moving back out and declaring it clear. “Looks like a break area; dining tables, microwaves, that sort of thing,” James said.
Rogers closed the steel door, cutting off the only light source and causing them to depend on James’ flashlight. Rogers snapped several chem lights and dropped them on the floor, hanging another at the entrance to the break area. Marks passed into the room with the others following. When Jacob entered and sat at a table he looked down and saw the dog was still with them, sticking close to Jesse’s side. As soon as Jesse sat at one of the tables, the dog jumped up and sat in an empty chair next him.
Glass shattered and Jacob looked up to see James using the back of his KA-BAR to access a vending machine. He reached in then tossed small bags of chips and candy bars onto a lunch table. James sat at the table and sparked the dog’s attention when he ripped open a bag of chips. The Lab approached the man and sat by his boot.
“What is it with this dog?” James laughed and then leaned down to stroke the dog’s head.
“Oh, you mean Duke? He’s our mascot,” Jesse said.
“Hell, no. You fed it, and now you went and named it,” James said, trying to sound tough. He stopped petting the dog, causing Duke to look up at him and press his wet nose against his arm. James grinned and continued to pet the dog. “Well, guess he’s a member of the Assassins now.” James opened the bag of chips and set it on the floor for Duke.
Jacob walked away from the table and looked out of the break area into the warehouse, factory, or whatever it was. He looked at his watch, amazed at how fast the time passed. He overheard Marks talking about the plan to recover the dioxin and asking for ideas on how to gather a sample. Marks slid out the yellow envelope and set it on the table. Jacob turned and moved back to the group.
Marks used his knife cut the envelope open. The paper inside explained how to treat the chemical and included two small test strips to verify that whatever they found was concentrated enough for what they needed. Stephens lifted the little plastic pouch that contained the strips. “Looks like standard test strips. Says they turn blue if the shit's good
