The door opened and steps descended, allowing the Baba Yaga group to disembark. Bobby quickly made his way down the steps and practically jogged to the other side of the hangar.
“Yeah, I’m doing good. So happy you asked,” Roger quipped as he fell into step behind him.
“I knew you’d be good.” Bobby pulled open the doors of the metal locker and began rifling through the contents.
“What’s the rush?” Roger stepped aside as Bobby tugged the parachute out and began to inspect it. “What is that for?”
“This is my ticket into Langley.”
Gregg walked past the duo and slid into his chair, plugging his laptop in as he wheeled back and forth across his workspace. “I’ll be up in thirty and I’ll tax their system for as long as I can.”
“I need more than a ten-second window,” Bobby grunted as he tugged at the harnesses.
“I’m working on it big guy, but I can only give you what I can give you.”
“What the hell are you planning, Bobby?” Roger stepped between him and the table, pressing his finger to the larger man’s chest. “I want a real explanation, too. None of that, ‘I can’t tell you in case we’re caught’ bullshit, either.”
Bobby glared at the man then caught Jay on the edge of his periphery. Jay gave him a slight shrug and a nod. With a long sigh, Bobby pulled Roger aside. “I’m parachuting onto the rooftop. It’s the only way to get access to the proper computer systems.”
Roger’s eyes bulged. “I thought…but…she said that you guys had an ‘in.’”
Bobby’s brows furrowed in confusion. “She who?”
“Jay’s wife. She said that you just needed help for your exit and…wait…parachute?”
Bobby gave him a lopsided smile. “We’re sending in repair techs to fix what Slippy is doing to their systems right now. The techs will have access to the security systems, but the servers are locked down. That means somebody has got to access the upper levels and use their computers to open all of these documents you pulled for us.”
“That I pulled…” Roger’s mind raced. “From the classified network in Oklahoma City.” He snapped his fingers. “So those documents were useful?”
Bobby shrugged and began to pull on the coveralls, zipping them up. “Judging from the titles, we think so. We just can’t open them.”
“So get a decryption key.”
“Not that simple,” Gregg hollered at the pair, a pencil clenched in his teeth. “Stand alone, air gapped, non-networked. The only way to open those documents are on their home computers.”
“So find somebody who works there that can—”
“No time.” Bobby scooted past him and grabbed more gear from the locker. “We need these documents opened now.”
“Now, tomorrow…what’s the difference?”
Gregg looked up and pulled the pencil from his teeth. “You got a source that works there that will do this for us? Because I don’t.” He stood from his workspace and studied Roger. “I’ve been trying to get somebody on the inside for years.”
Roger sighed and his shoulders slumped as he shook his head. “No. I don’t.”
“Then I go in.” Bobby pushed past him and checked the altimeter on his wrist.
“I’m still not following you, though. How will you get out?”
Bobby motioned to Deric and Jim. “Those two are gearing up to answer a service call that Slippy has already intercepted. They’ll go in and do whatever, buying me time to decrypt the documents and get screenshots. Then we’ll all walk out together.”
“Two goes in, three goes out.” Roger hiked a brow at him. “You really think they’re that stupid?”
Bobby tugged the belt around his waist and snapped it into place. “I certainly hope so.”
“You know you’re not walking out of there, right?” Roger began to pace, his hands waving as he spoke. “Even if you got out of the building, they’ll notify security and they’ll seal the exits. The guards have guns, ya know.”
“We know,” Deric and Jim both said as they continued loading gear into the box van. “We got an idea that may help.”
“Let me guess, you’re going to walk in a blow up doll in coveralls, deflate it and have Bridger take its place when you leave?”
Deric turned to Jim and grinned at him. “You think that would work?”
Jim shrugged. “I’m game if you are.”
“Come on guys!” Roger was nearing panic mode when Bobby placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Calm down. We got this.” He glanced at Jay, who gave him a thumbs up. “If everything goes as planned, this time tomorrow you’ll be well on your way to having your life back.”
Roger fell into the chair and tried to steady his hands. “I don’t like this.”
“What’s to like?” Bobby made a circular motion with his hand and Viktor nodded. He pulled open the door of the small jump plane and began the pre-flight checks. “As long as Viktor doesn’t crash us on the way, we’re golden.”
Jay approached Roger and sat down across from him. “This is nothing. We’ve pulled far stupider things with much less planning and got away with it.” He motioned behind Roger. “I’ve got Ryan and Marcus gearing up to provide support. Deric and Jim will get him out and off of the property, no problem. I’ve also got Steve standing by with an exit vehicle that should get them out of the area without raising any brows.”
Roger groaned. “Why do I sense a very large ‘but’ at the end of your statement?”
Jay smiled and patted the man’s shoulder. “No ‘buts’ about it. We’re covered.” Jay raised his voice, obviously directing his next comment to Bobby. “As long as Bridger can stick the landing and get his big ass below decks while the sensors are down, there shouldn’t be a hitch.”
“You’re welcome to go in my place, Wolf.”
“Sorry Bridger, but this is your shit storm. We’re just support staff.”
Somewhere Above Langely, VA
“CROSSWINDS ARE at twenty knots.” Viktor Teplov’s voice came across the headphones over
