“Glad you’re onboard.” Bobby clicked off and Roger stared at his phone.
“Why do I even bother?”
Karachi, Pakistan
“ROGER’S WITH US.” Bobby tucked the phone into his pocket then turned his attention to the chain linked fence surrounding the compound. “You certain about the security here?”
Muhammed nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the compound. “The Humvees are located in that green building.” Bobby followed the outstretched hand and noted the large metal structure.
“Eyes on the structure. Third one in from the south.”
“Copy that.” Deric’s voice sounded static filled through the coms.
“How often does security make their rounds?” Bobby asked as he slammed a magazine into the well.
“At the top of each hour.” Muhammed turned and slumped behind the tree they used for cover.
Bobby glared at him. “That only gives us twenty minutes. That’s cutting it pretty damned close.”
Muhammed shrugged. “I used to check on them to ensure they were doing their jobs. We can either wait for them to pass or go now.”
Bobby keyed the coms again. “Your call. We can sit and wait to buy more time or we can go now.”
“We go now,” Jay responded. “We’re half way through the fence. If the patrols come by while we’re here, we’ll wait them out inside.”
“Copy that,” Bobby growled into the lip mic. “Move it.” He shoved Muhammed toward the fence and the pair shimmied under a low spot. “Why you couldn’t have brought your damned keys is beyond me.”
Muhammed practically whined as Bobby pushed him toward the target building. “I did not expect to be coming here. Besides, I do not maintain such things. I have people who do that for me.”
“Not anymore.” Bobby practically dragged him to the green metal building and checked the steel entrance door. “Locked.”
Jay appeared near the corner of the building and Deric approached from across the open expanse with Jim in tow. “Any of you boys bring a lock pick with you?”
Jim smiled as he opened his pack and withdrew a snap gun. He gripped the tensioner with his teeth while he loaded the tip of the gun. The men stood at either side of the doorway as he slipped the tension tool into the keyway then fed the snap gun in.
“That will never work. These are high end security locks. They are the best of the—” Muhammed was cut off midsentence as Jim twisted the tensioner and unlocked the door.
The men all filed inside and Muhammed pointed to the rear of the building. “Under those tarps.”
Jay grabbed one of the tarps and pulled it back. He glanced at Deric, who smiled broadly. “Somebody tell me that we have ammo for those thirties.”
Muhammed sighed heavily and pointed to a stack of crates. “Over there.”
Jay grabbed a crate of ammunition and pushed it into the rear of the Humvee. “Load up, fellas. We’re on the move.”
Bobby tugged at the other tarp and eyed the second Humvee. “This one looks like it caught the tail end of an IED.”
Muhammed nodded. “We pieced it together with parts from another such vehicle.”
“Made one out of two, did ya?” Bobby pulled open the door and slipped in behind the wheel. “How long have they been sitting?”
“They should start.” Muhammed crossed his fingers and offered a quick prayer. He sighed in relief when the diesel engine belched to life.
Jim positioned himself by the door. “We got company.” He slowly pulled the crack in the door shut and peered out of the small window. “They’re making a slow perimeter check.”
Muhammed nodded. “As long as nothing appears amiss, they should continue on their—”
“They’re entering the compound.” Jim cursed under his breath. He glanced back at Muhammed. “So much for a quick drive by.”
Jay ground his teeth as he marched to the door. “They probably assume that all of the goods are up for grabs if the whole world is looking for him.”
Deric loaded the machine gun mounted to the roof of the first Humvee and smiled at Jay. “Shoot our way out? Please?”
Jay groaned and glanced at Muhammed. “Tell me they don’t have radios.”
Muhammed shrugged. “They may. Most certainly they will have cell phones.”
“Of course they do.” Jay turned and made a motion with his hand. “Load up. We’ll go over the top of them if we have to.”
Jim tossed a crate of ammunition in the rear of the second Humvee and began loading the machine gun. “This would be a whole lot easier if we already had uniforms.”
Muhammed groaned as he stepped up into the back seat of the first vehicle. “No you don’t.” Jay pulled him out and pushed him toward the roll away door. “You get to open the gates of hell when we give you the word.”
“B-but…I could be shot. They have weapons. I have none and—”
“We have weapons.” Jay pointed to the mounted machine guns then hefted his rifle. “Trust me, they’ll be more worried about us than you. Once we neutralize them, we’ll pick you up.”
Muhammed swallowed hard and stood beside the doorway, ready to hit the button that would raise the large metal doors.
Bobby gave Jay a nod then pressed the starter button on his Humvee. The desert tan armored transport belched black smoke before the engine revved down and idled. Jay got behind the wheel of the other Humvee then pointed to Muhammed, who slammed his fist into the button then stepped away.
Both vehicles charged out of the building and into the brilliant Pakistani sun in a cloud of black smoke. Muhammed ducked inside and away from the choking exhaust as gunfire erupted just feet away.
Langley, VA
AGENT DARREN CHESTERFIELD paced nervously in his office as the minutes ticked by. He would constantly click the mouse on his computer to refresh the webpage, praying that somebody had located Baba Yaga and Bobby Bridger.
A light knock at his
