INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1) Page 22

  "Agent Smith?" The surprise in Hart's voice was evident. "I didn't know this was one of your teams. I should have realized that when I got stonewalled in DC. Next time, if you want to give me some heads up, I won't give your team such a hard time."

  "Don't worry about it, Sonja." Agent Smith let a hint of amusement show in his voice. "If it would have been necessary, I'd have had Timothy call you. As it is, I believe you can have your MRAP back today."

  Agent Hart's SUV followed the shuttle out on the tarmac toward the hangar where they had parked the War Wagon.

  As they approached, Six realized that there was an even bigger armored truck, all in black, parked next to their MRAP. He turned around to face his electronics specialist. "What the hell is that? Just what did you ask for, Spooky?" he asked.

  Behind him, Spooky laughed. "Boss, I told you I was requisitioning a new War Wagon. Call it Version 2.0, but this thing should really rock and work for all of our missions. According to Norbert, if we like it, it will be sent wherever we go. She is not the most subtle beast, and she should be perfectly decked out inside."

  A small contingent of armed DHS tactical agents surrounded the vehicles. Two of them also stood by the stairwell to the C-17. The department's Citation X was parked next to the C-17, and it, too, had its own guard.

  The shuttle driver dropped them off by the two large MRAPs. His mouth gaped open, but he was smart enough to leave before he asked anything that he would later regret.

  Hart's SUV pulled up beside them, and she and her team got out of the vehicle as they stared at the second truck.

  Hart stammered a little. "When I got the call to come get our truck, I thought you guys were leaving." She pointed to the new truck and asked, "What the hell is this monstrosity?"

  The new truck was a larger, beefier, blockier version of their previous truck. Built on an International Harvester platform, the Navistar Maxxpro Plus was one of the most used MRAPs in Iraq and Afghanistan. This model stood ten feet tall and was painted a deep matte black. Outfitted with emergency lights in the grill and on the exterior, the top was also ringed with small lamps that pointed outward. A large floodlight that was capable of rotating 360 degrees was mounted in each corner of the roof. The only markings on it were small decals on each door with the DHS logo and the words "Department of Homeland Security." Perched on the roof was a small cluster of antennas that include radio, satellite, and a few whose use was only known to Spooky.

  The front driver and passenger doors and the rear loading stairs made entry and exit easier than their previous truck. Boomer opened the driver's door and climbed up into the massive vehicle with ease. As she looked at the instrument cluster, she noticed a few switches that were cryptically marked, but a toggle switch on the control cluster between Boomer and the front passenger marked "Rear Hatch" caught her eye.

  She flipped the switch to the "Down" position.

  At the rear of the vehicle, a small hiss the pneumatic seal opening was barely audible. The rear hatch lowered with a hydraulic whine. A thin sliver of light from the back turned into daylight as the rear ramp lowered and turned into a short set of stairs.

  Spooky was the first to climb the stairs, lugging his electronics behind him. He quickly walked over to the seat in front of the electronics station. As he sat down, the lights and panels lit up around him. Plugging his laptop into the waiting ports, the electronics specialist put on a headset. A voice prompt echoed in his ear and on the screen and told him to identify himself.

  He pulled the microphone close and said, "Identify. Agent Spooky. Alpha One."

  The screens around him hummed to life. He glanced down and realized that his forearm computer had also synchronized with the system. He grinned began to type away as he whistled a theme that Boomer later recognized as belonging to a show about other federal agents that looked for monsters and aliens.

  The team's sniper was the next one to board the new truck. Once he was in the MRAP, he popped the top hatch of the truck, just to get a feel for it. The hatch itself was slightly wider than the one in the roof of their previous truck, and this one added several features that would allow him to be a much more effective shooter from the top of the vehicle. He dropped back down and sat in the surprisingly comfortable seat. He noticed the five point harness attached to each seat and caught Spooky's eye.

  God lifted the seat buckle and asked, "Was this your idea?"

  Spooky just grinned.

  God nodded and said, "Good thinking." He then reached up and clipped both his sniper rifle and his carbine to the interior of the roof by the turret hatch. The custom brackets would be perfect for his firearms for secure storage and easy access for the sniper.

  Heavy climbed inside the cabin of the MRAP and grinned. It was marginally larger inside, and the big man didn't feel quite so compressed. He leaned over and popped the latches on a bin marked "Heavy - Weapons and Ammunition." Inside was his favorite machine gun, the SAW, and nestled next to it was a smaller, futuristic-looking rifle. Unlatching the gun, he pulled it out and laughed. His booming laughter made Ghost stick his head inside the back and look at the big gunner.

  The hunter looked at Heavy and said, "What's up, big man?"

  Heavy grinned and said, "Christmas came mighty early this year. Looks like I get a new toy."

  Heavy held a black rifle that bore a slight resemblance to the other team members' M4 carbines. The black polymer stock and forearm of the Auto Assault-12 belied the weapon's roots as a hunting shotgun. Capable of feeding from an eight round magazine or a 32-round drum magazine, the fully automatic assault shotgun could spit out 12GA shotgun rounds at the rate of one round every 0.2 seconds, an effective cyclic rate of 300 rounds per minute. Advanced recoil reduction design meant that the recoil from the full-power shotgun was less than other modern rifles that shot far smaller rounds.

  Boomer turned around and noticed the shotgun in Heavy's hands.

  "No fair!" she complained. "I want a new shotgun. That one probably has less recoil than my Mossburg."

  Heavy looked over and flipped open the latches for the container marked with the name of the EOD specialist. He smiled back at the driver and said, "No worries, Boomer. You have a shiny new toy as well. It looks like Norbert's loaded us up with lots of mags and drums as well."

  Boomer smiled and turned back around as Ghost began to climb up into the MRAP. He found a long bundle placed in his storage bin, . The bundle contained with a note from Norbert that read, "This might help you in your hunt this time. I believe it belonged to a relative of yours."

  Inside the bundle was a cane that appeared to be made from very old wood. The years of handling had soaked oils deep into the gnarled cane and created a patina that only came from time. A silver head extended from the top of the well-worn shaft. There was a silver band on both sides of the joint where the head met the cane. As Ghost placed both of his hands upon the ancient gnarled wood, several runes appeared in glowing white along the cane's form.

  Ghost grasped the handle in his right hand and the shaft in his left. With a slight twist and pull, he separated the head from the shaft. Inside this beautiful old cane was a slim, rapier-like blade attached to the handle to form a sword. As he drew the blade partially, the sword recognized that he was family and emitted a soft white glow before it faded to shiny metal.

  Outside the new War Wagon, Six talked with the DHS SAC from the Denver office.

  "Agent Hart, I hate to leave things for you to clean up, but you need to be aware of a couple of prisoners that we have down in the county jail in Trinidad," explained Six.

  Hart looked from Six to Smith and back. "You arrested someone? Who? What do I need to do about it?" Hart asked Six.

  Six tried to figure out how much Hart should be told.

  "We have the acting mayor and the county coroner in custody in a holding cell in the county jail," Six began. "They are currently charged with assault on a federal officer. If our mission is successful, we will take care of their final dispositi
on. However, if our mission happens to fail, you will need to coordinate with Agent Smith's office for final disposition. If you could send a couple of agents that you trust down there today and relieve the deputies currently watching them, I would appreciate it.

  "Your team will immediately know if we are successful, as the prisoners will likely be going absolutely batcrap crazy. If that's the case, we'll be back to take care of them as soon as we can," Six concluded.

  Agent Hart looked at the commander of this weird mix of agents that now included a sheriff's deputy from the county they were just in. She nodded and managed to sound inconvenienced and obliging at the same time.

  "Alright, I'll send some folks down there. You better deal with this. I don't want this to wash back on me or my team," said Hart.

  Six smiled tightly and then agreed. "We will," he said. "There is currently a team from the FBI HRT in town as well. They know DHS is in charge. Have your agents use them if necessary."

  Again Hart nodded. "Anything else I need to know?"

  Six gave a small laugh. "One last thing. The top speed on your little MRAP is limited to just over ninety-five miles per hour. According to our pilot, er... driver, it gets a little dicey to handle at that speed."

  Six turned away as the Denver agent's mouth opened while she processed that news. She couldn't believe anyone would be crazy or dumb enough to go ninety in an MRAP.

  Six shook hands with Agent Smith and Gretchen as they walked toward their waiting Citation. Smith motioned for the captain of the airplane to begin the preflight check and turned to the team leader.

  "The C-17 stays here until you guys are done. It will transport you and the truck back to the shop when you are done. Keep me appraised. Good luck, and kill that creature."

  Six saluted as Smith and Gretchen climbed the stairs. He turned and quickly walked back over to the waiting War Wagon, v2. He opened the side door and climbed into the passenger seat. As he fastened his seat belt, he gazed at the laptop station and row of gauges and instruments in front of him. He turned and saw Doc and Do-Right climb into the truck through the rear ramp.

  Boomer looked over her shoulder and asked if everyone was present. After she received a chorus of "Here" and "Present”—and a lone "I'm not here," from Spooky—she flipped the switch. The rear hatch whined up and closed with a solid thunk.

  As Six closed his door, Boomer reached down and turned the key in the ignition. The massive 435 horsepower Cummins Diesel engine fired up smoothly. Engaging the transmission, she turned to Six and asked, "Alright, boss, where are we going?"

  24

  BREACH

  DIVIDE, COLORADO.

  Approximately twenty-five miles west of Colorado Springs on State Route 24 lies the little town of Divide, Colorado. Settled in the 1880s, the town sits on the north slope of Pike's Peak, and is home to 127 people. The beautiful mountain views and the unique geography that has water run-offs in all cardinal directions draw visitors to, and through, this quiet little town.

  Almost an hour and twenty minutes after leaving the Pueblo Memorial Airport, a large black MRAP bearing DHS markings rolled into the parking lot of the lone grocery store in town. The driver found a spot toward the back of the lot and turned off the engine.

  Furious typing and the opening of latches in the back broke the silence.

  Six turned around from the front passenger's seat and said, "Spooky, do you have eyes on the target yet?"

  Spooky nodded without glancing up. "Yeah, boss. The satellite came online about five minutes ago. I'm targeting the area now for visual recon. And mirroring to your laptop... now."

  Six looked at the display in front of him and nodded.

  "Alright folks," Six began. "It's just after 3pm so daylight will keep the vamps inside. And there are no signs of any guards outside. We are about three and a half miles from the turn-off to the silo. This is an abandoned Atlas-F silo. We believe we can get in. You know our objectives. First, figure out what the master and the mad scientist are doing, then stop it. Then kill them. Second, save the equipment because we might need it. Third, take out the bunker and anything in it.

  "That second priority means that we have to be very careful of where we shoot and what we shoot it with. Heavy and Boomer, that means try not to use the pretty little FRAG-12 grenades for your new toys. In fact, be extra careful with your new toys, period."

  Ghost nodded at his boss and asked, "What's the protocol? How are we going in?"

  Six looked at Spooky and said, "You're not going to like this." Spooky just stared as he began to get an idea of what his boss was going to say.

  He looked at the rest of the team. "Everyone goes in. Ghost, you and I are on point, and Heavy will back us up. Doc and Do-Right will flank Spooky behind us, and Boomer and God will bring up the rear. You guys will watch our back."

  Spooky was almost apoplectic when he said, "What the hell, boss? I'm not leaving this truck. I'm your electronics guy, not the shoot-em-up guy. That's your job."

  Six looked directly at the young analyst. "I need you along for your electronics expertise," Six reassured Spooky. "There is no telling when we're going to come across a lock that needs a code or a computer that needs to be cracked. In this case, you are vital to this mission. I'm putting you in the middle to protect you."

  Spooky's eyes were wide, and he shook his head, making his wild hair fly. "I don't know anything about breaking codes on locks or anything like that. I won't be of any help."

  Six consulted his computer. "According to the stores listed on this truck, in your pouch is something called an 'Electronic Lock Kit' and a special set of cables to use for your wrist computer. Both of them were placed in your bin by Norbert."

  Spooky opened the bin at his side. "Frak me. There is a kit in here. I don't know whether to thank Norbert or to kick his butt when we get back."

  Six smiled and asked if everyone understood the mission. He received a chorus of nods.

  "If we have to split up," Six continued, "the fire teams will be the following: Alpha Team will be myself, Ghost, Spooky, and Do-Right; Doc will lead Beta Team, consisting of Boomer, God, and Heavy. Load up with plenty of ammo. Take some stun and frag grenades if you're comfortable with them. Keep in mind that this is a giant steel trap. Ricochets and fragments will suck, so watch your fire and choose carefully. Use the tactical throat microphones for your radios. That will allow you to talk at a lower voice and still be heard. They can be keyed just by touching the sensor at your throat.

  "When we reach the end of the access road that leads back to the silo, Boomer will stop and everyone but Doc, God, and Spooky will bail out."

  The team leader pointed at his sniper. "God, you are up through the turret for the approach. Heavy, Do-Right, Ghost, and I will ride on the outside for rapid deployment. Boomer will drive us up to the silo and will block the drive leading back to the main road."

  The team leader received a round of upraised thumbs, and he nodded to his explosives expert. Boomer fired up the truck and moved down the road until she spotted the small over-grown trail that led off to the left where the GPS said it should. She pulled into the car path, and stopped. She flipped the switch to drop the rear hatch as Six climbed out the passenger door. The passenger door slammed shut as the rear ramp dropped fully. Sitting about a foot and a half off the ground, the bottom stair easily cleared the weeds.

  God popped open the turret and sat up through the opening, shouldering his M4 carbine. On the passenger's side of the vehicle, Ghost jumped up and grabbed the handhold just behind the front door, his carbine held loosely in his right hand. Having shed the heavy outer armor and BDUs, Ghost had instead opted for his original hunting outfit, including his long black leather duster and hat. Heavy jumped up next to the lanky hunter. The big man grinned as he slammed a drum magazine into his new AA-12 and charged the bolt.

  On the driver's side, Six mounted up next to the window, holding his carbine in his left hand. Do-Right climbed up behind his boss and held his own p
ersonal AR-15 in his hand. Six looked over the former deputy and noticed that the deputy had taken the time to change into the standard black tactical uniform and armor that Gretchen had brought from headquarters.

  Six nodded his approval. "Those BDUs look good on you," he said to the deputy.

  He turned and rapped on the glass, giving the signal to his driver to move forward.

  Boomer flipped the switch to close the rear hatch as the big vehicle started to lumber forward. Careful to maintain an even track and relatively slow speed, the explosives expert was very mindful of her exterior passengers. About three hundred yards down the access path, there was a fenced off clearing amongst the trees to her right with a small, squat building marking the entrance to the silo. Pulling up and blocking the gated entrance, she brought the truck to a halt and shut it down, mindful of taking the keys with her. She flipped the ramp release, and the back ramp dropped, allowing God, Doc, and Spooky to exit the vehicle.

  Boomer waited until they had exited, and then she raised the ramp again, sealing the back against intrusion. She climbed in the back and got her new AA-12 out of her weapons bin and grabbed several drums and a couple magazines of Norbert's special ammunition. She purposefully left the mini grenades in the truck. After reaching up to check that the top hatch was shut, the demolitions specialist grabbed her pack containing some explosives and grenades and climbed out the driver's door, locking it behind her.

  The team moved into formation. They carefully watched all around them as they approached the seemingly abandoned silo entrance in front of them. Ghost opened the gates with a loud creak, and it was only then that he realized that the forest around them was absolutely still and quiet. It was unnatural and confirmed to the veteran hunter that there were monsters in this area.

  The team cautiously approached the entrance to the silo. The heavy steel door showed some signs of use, but the gleaming oil on the hinges revealed a hint that the "rusty abandoned look" might be just for show.