Blue Holes To Terror - Part 7 of 10

By 0130 hours, everyone had left Dean’s house for his or her own homes. Katie was just finishing the clean up in the kitchen when Dean returned from setting the security alarms.

“All locked up for the night,” Dean commented as she slipped behind Katie and enveloped her in a hug. “What’s your opinion of tonight’s plans?”

“I think it will work fine, but we’ll need to find that crate fast. I’m not sure how long the ruse will withstand close scrutiny.” Dean gently turned Katie around in her arms to look at her. “I know the general believes in the integrity of the Bahamian crewmembers, but a lot will depend on how convincing Lieutenant Wilson’s act is. She definitely has the looks for the part.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry too much about her acting abilities.” Dean grinned at her lover like the Cheshire cat. “She did a lot of theater work in college, and has been acting in summer stock since she was eight.”

“Really?” Emerald eyes searched the sapphire blues peering at her. “And you know this because…” Letting the sentence fade, she cocked an eyebrow at her lover.

“Because, I checked her file after the Las Vegas assignment. Major Fellows’ report on the action was very detailed and quite approving of her undercover skills. I thought it would be good information to have for future reference.” Dean returned the raised eyebrow look to her lover.

“Yes, as well as everyone else in the training group. Why? Does she bother you?”

“Nope, just as long as she doesn’t make a play for you!” Katie smiled as she tipped her head back in time to receive a very passionate kiss from Dean.

“Does that set your mind at ease?” Dean asked as her lips barely left Katie’s.

Dean obliged her lover as she placed another scorching kiss on her lips, while reaching down and lifting Katie off the floor and into her arms. She opened one eye during the kiss to make the walk to the bedroom in safety. Stepping up close to the bed, she gently laid Katie down before stretching out alongside.

“Mmm, that was nice,” Katie murmured as she stroked Dean’s cheek with her left hand.

“If you think that was nice, just wait.” Dean reached over and slowly began unbuttoning Katie’s blouse, kissing each inch of bare skin that appeared. As articles of clothing littered the bed and surrounding floor, desires were awakened, sending messages of passion and pleasure that were received and answered throughout the night.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent in preparation for the execution of the plan. Fellows, Petri, and Wilson went through the attempted rape scene several times until even Katie was convinced by the action. Dean, Katie and Bill made a few practice dives near the Navy Yard and even simulated the grueling ship boarding via a rope and grappling hook. Petri would lower this rope, while Wilson and Fellows kept the security crew occupied elsewhere. In case he couldn’t accomplish this, Bill would be carrying a small air powered gun that would be used to send a line and hook over the rail from the water. After practicing his technique, he was confident that he would be able to hit his target on Friday night. They would each carry a prototype weapon that combined the effects of a stun gun and knockout gas, and several TDSC chips. No one wanted any of the crew to get hurt during the episode, but they had to be prepared for a worst case scenario.

By Friday morning, everyone was satisfied with their role and ready to put the plan into action. The last things Dean and Katie had to do were to transport the cats to General Carlton’s for the duration and finish packing for their vacation. General Carlton had already sent the equipment to Freeport via the British Embassy, and Art had called to thank her for the ‘presents’ she sent, thus reporting their safe arrival.

Before splitting up, the entire team was flying to Miami with Major Fellows in the Lear jet he had chartered. At 1600 hours they would be landing at Miami International. Dean, Katie and Bill would be staying the night at the Airport Hilton so they could catch the 11:00 AM flight to Freeport. Fellows and his team would spend the rest of the weekend at South Beach before returning to D.C. Sergeant Major Tibbits had arranged for two plain vans to be picked up at the Hertz lot, and the rendezvous near the shipping piers was set for 2100 hours.

The dark van came screeching around the corner of the warehouse, skidding to a stop in front of the Island Queen boarding ramp. The back door of the van slammed open and a disheveled woman staggered out, fell, got to her feet and began running up the ramp screaming for help. She was followed almost immediately by a tall, older man who scrambled out of the driver’s door of the van, and a younger man from the back of the van. The younger man, slowed in his pursuit by his need to pull his jeans on, yelled after the woman.

“Hey, bitch. Get the fuck back here now, or you’re really gonna be sorry!” He was screaming at the woman who was now halfway up the gangway, waving her arms as two crew members from the Island Queen ran toward the ramp.

The older man was gaining on the woman who was almost at the end of the ramp. “Damn it, Connie. Get the fuck back here,” Fellows was yelling, as Petri finally caught up.

Once Tina hit the deck of the Island Queen, she started running toward the bow of the ship with two crewmen and Fellows close behind. Petri yelled that he would cut her off on the other side, then turned to move around the pilothouse and headed toward the stern. As he came to the opposite side of the ship, Petri checked for any other crewmen before he slipped the rope ladder out from under his jacket, attached the hook and dropped the line over the side. As soon as he checked the security of the hook, he ran toward the bow where two crewmen were in the process of restraining Fellows. As he approached, two more crewmen grabbed Petri and ‘act two’ of the diversion began.

Dean, Katie, and Bill were steadily swimming toward the Island Queen’s stern when they heard the screech of the tires and the shouting begin.

“Okay, let’s put a little more effort into this,” Dean ordered softly, directing her two partners to increase the pull of their strokes.

As they reached the area designated for boarding, Dean looked up in time to see a nylon rope ladder uncoil towards her. She reached up and grabbed the end of the rope to stop its swing. They each took off their fins and tied them to the bottom of the ladder.

“Let’s move!” Dean reached up for the first loop in the rope and began the laborious process of climbing. The rope ladder was very narrow, and foot placement took time, but the trio managed to slip over the rail in under three minutes. “Okay, remember the container we’re looking for is bright blue and numbered with a large 53F on its door. It should be midship and on the bottom row. Move out.”

They each took a different row of containers to search. Dean found the container in the second aisle she checked. Taking out her dive knife, she tapped the container with the hilt once, then followed it with two more taps before replacing the knife. By the time she had the lock picked open, Katie and Bill were at her side. Opening the container door, Dean told them to look for the crates of tin foil. After carefully opening and resealing three of the crates, Bill found the one with the package in it. They removed the package from its cavity with great caution and placed it on the floor of the container. It was sheathed in a waterproof bag, similar to the type one would use on a canoe trip to keep the gear dry.

“Can we take it out without anyone knowing?” Katie asked, as Dean extracted some TDSC chips from her belt.

“We’ll have to insert the chips.” Dean meticulously removed the waterproof carrier and found the package encased in ordinary bubble wrap. “Whatever this is, it’s pretty lightweight.”

Carefully opening the protective cushioning, the trio was surprised to see two dozen computer motherboards, each wrapped in foam envelopes.

“I wonder what these are for?” Bill commented as Katie noted the identification numbers on one of the boards. “At least the TDSC chips won’t look out of place with this stuff.”

Within ten minutes, they were back in the water swimming toward the next pier and their waiting van. The nylon ladder was safely stowed in Bill’s mesh bag, leaving no trace of their intrusion on the Island Queen to be discovered.

“Hey that was a nice touch that Tibbits added.” Bill was toweling off his hair as he came through the connecting door between their hotel rooms.

“Yeah. Having the MP’s show up and arrest Fellows and Petri on that AWOL charge was very convincing,” Dean added. “They cut it kind of close though. We barely were over the side, when the crew resumed their security patrol.”

“Good thing you remembered which container had the crate with the package.” Katie looked over at Dean and gave her a broad smile. “At least now we’ll be certain of tracking those boards.”

“Yeah, but we won’t be able to do any tracking if we don’t get some sleep so we can get to our plane on time. Lights out,” Dean ordered, causing Bill to dutifully return to his room and switch off his lights. Katie crawled under the covers, while Dean got up and doused their lights, too. Soon, the sounds of slumber were emanating from three very tired people.

“There they are!” Colleen shouted as she saw Dean and Katie come through the Customs gate. “Welcome to Freeport! Your carriage awaits!” Colleen waved her hand towards the street, indicating the snappy Toyota Pathfinder that Tracy had rented. The four women exchanged hugs as a rather shy Bill stood by quietly.

“Oh, hey guys, this is Bill Jarvis.” Katie swatted the quiet man on his abdomen with a gentle slap. “He’s a little shy at first, but he’ll get over it fast!” After introductions were made, the group gathered up their luggage and headed for the SUV.

“I think we’re in for some good weather,” Colleen commented as she pulled out chanting: “To the left, to the left.”

Tracy noted the expressions of confusion on the faces of their three passengers. “For the first couple of days we repeat that mantra to remind ourselves to drive on the left!” Tracy explained, chuckling. “After a while it gets pretty easy, and you only have to be real cautious at intersections.”

“Guess I’ll leave the driving to you, then!” Katie said laughing. “I’d probably have a wreck.”

“Nah!” Dean said patting her lover’s thigh. “You just have to learn to concentrate.”

It was a short ten-minute drive to the resort, where Tracy and Colleen owned a timeshare. Colleen drove like a veteran down the back road, as the four women and the lone man chatted about their respective flights in.

“Yeah! Pretty cool eh?” Tracy answered, turning in her seat to face her guests. “There’s daily service from Freeport to West Palm Beach on that. Takes about two hours.”

“It must really be cruising,” Dean commented, “but I prefer the thirty minute flight myself.”

After slowing to make a partial turn around a small traffic circle, Colleen sped up again, heading down divided road-lined with palm trees-that ran along the ocean. There was absolutely no traffic on this stretch of road, and soon they were turning into the resort that was located at the very end of it. There were two buildings three stories high, with one side of the apartments facing the ocean, and the other side facing the pool and intercoastal waterway. This year, they were assigned a ground floor apartment on the end of the first building. Across the road was a path leading to the private cove that the resort owned.

“Wow! This is really nice!” Katie beamed as she got out of the car, taking in the sun, palm trees, and ocean. “Is this the only resort in this area?”

“Yep. Most of this end has private housing developments. There’s one apartment complex down the road, and that one restaurant we passed. Otherwise, it’s pretty quiet and secluded here,” Tracy explained to the trio. “Hope you weren’t looking for a lot of action. If you are though, it’s only seven miles that-a-way.” She pointed back down the road they came in on. “We’ll take you on the grand tour later, but right now, let’s get you into something more appropriate for the island… like bikini’s!”

Dean looked over at her old friend and shook her head. “You lecherous old woman you!”

Tracy just grinned, shaking her head shamelessly in the affirmative and causing them all to break out in laughter. They gathered up the luggage one more time, and took it into the condo before taking a quick tour of the resort property. The back side of the complex was lush and green, with a pool begging for customers. The waterway behind the resort was clear and blue, and a variety of tropical fish could be seen swimming along the concrete sides of the man-made waterway. “No Swimming” signs were posted at various points, and a huge cabin cruiser came quickly into view to reinforce the “no swimming” in the waterway rules. The land on the opposite side of the waterway was barren of buildings, except for a marina located about five hundred yards further down on the left. The main entrance to the Grand Lucayan Waterway was off to the right. That part cut straight through the island, so boats wouldn’t have to go all the way around to get to the other side. Dean surveyed the land, marveling at the engineering that it took to build the connecting waterways.

“I can see why you like it here,” Dean said approvingly. “So where are the other guests?”

“Most of them like to go where the action is. Very few hang out here. The place isn’t full this week, or next for that matter, so it will be fairly quiet,” Colleen explained. “Except for the kids. There’s a family with four kids that is here the same time we are. They’re getting older now, and a bit quieter too, but they’re still kids doing kid things.”

They continued the walking tour around the complex, past the tennis courts, then across the road to the cove. There were a few downed trees still lying about, remnants of the hurricane that barely touched the island, but they were in the pine forest and not obstructing the beach or the cove.

“The beach actually has more sand than last year. The direction of the hurricane helped bring it in.” Tracy kept up her tour guide’s recitation as the group walked to the very opening of the Grand Lucayan Waterway. “This is the beginning of the cut-through for boats getting to the other side. I have a map back at the condo that gives you a better picture of all the interconnecting waterways. Being so close to the inlet will be an advantage for tonight.”

“Speaking of tonight, what kind of boat did you manage to line up for us?” Dean was hoping that it would be more than a three man Zodiac.

“Gee, funny you should mention that. Here comes the Lady Luck now.” Tracy pointed out towards a white speck that was heading toward the inlet. “I hope you won’t be too disappointed. It’s the best I could do with such short notice.”

Dean, Katie, and Bill kept their eyes pinned on the white yacht that was quickly approaching. As it came closer, their jaws dropped lower and lower.

“You have got to be kidding!” Bill croaked, as the yacht entered the waterway. “That baby has to be at least 50 feet long.”

“65 feet to be exact.” Tracy was really enjoying the expressions on her friends’ faces. “It’ll sleep eight and has room for a crew of two. Has a top speed of 25 knots, and is loaded with all the techno toys, too.”

“Umm, Trace, did I remember to tell you this was an unofficial op? I don’t think we can afford that beauty.” Dean’s expression was one of a deer caught in headlights. She was absolutely frozen to the spot, drinking in the lines of the graceful yacht before her.

“Yep, you certainly did, but don’t worry, this one you can afford because we have use of it for free.” Tracy waved at the captain as the boat slowed considerably. “The owner is even throwing in his crew for as long as we want. He’ll be away for a month.”

“I told you we had made a lot of friends down here. Nick Davos is a retired oilman from Texas. He was also a Navy Seal during Vietnam so we can count on the discretion of him and his crew--Tom and Tiny. They’re also ex-Seals. That’s Tom at the controls.” She waved once more as the yacht prepared for its turn into the waterway behind the resort. “Let’s head back, and we’ll introduce you.”

With the introductions over, the group returned to the condo to unpack before meeting Arthur and Ned to claim their equipment for the op.

“Hey Tracy,” Katie looked at the older woman, “how did Tiny get that nickname? He’s anything but tiny. He must be at least six foot eight and three hundred pounds.”

Tracy drove Dean and Katie to Ned’s office while Bill and Colleen stayed behind with Tom and Tiny. The office was located in downtown Freeport above the British American Bank on East Mall Drive. They pulled into the lot behind the bank and decided to take the rear entrance up to Ned’s office, so they wouldn’t arouse any curiosity or suspicion as they left with their cases of equipment. When they entered, an island woman named Corina had them sit in the outer office while she informed Ned of his visitors. Dean made a quick scan of the outer office and recognized several high tech security devices in the room, insuring the safety of the occupants. Spotting the hidden camera lens, Dean smiled into it and waved.

“I would assume, Ned and Corina,” Dean replied, still smiling. At that moment, the door to Ned’s office opened and Corina reappeared, followed by Ned and Art.

“I say, we can’t put anything over on you, eh Colonel?” Art commented as he reached over for her hand. “Welcome to Grand Bahama Island.” He turned to the local MI 6 representative and said, “Ned, two of these lovely ladies are the ones who saved my life.”

The three visitors stood exchanging handshakes and introductions, then were led into Ned’s office. The three cases of equipment were stacked in the corner of the office, still sporting their diplomatic pouch locks and papers. Ned indicated they should have a seat at the round table in the opposite corner.

“Any trouble with our equipment coming through?” Dean inquired as they sat on comfortable leather chairs around the conference table.

“Oh, no. Not at all,” Ned answered. “It came in yesterday afternoon.” Looking at the cases and the three women, he added chivalrously, “They’re quite heavy you know. I can get someone to load them up for you if you’d like.”

“Don’t bother. We loaded them ourselves so we can handle them, but thank you.”

“Well, I’m not sure what all we might need, but if we forgot anything, I’ll give you a call,” Dean replied appreciatively.

“A couple of friends of mine will be helping us out while we’re here. You may know them,” Tracy interjected. “Tom Zedos and Tiny Freeman. They work for Nick Davos.”

“Ah, yes. Of course we know them. Mr. Davos is a good friend of the Minister, and we’ve had occasion to um, use the services of Mr. Zedos and Mr. Freeman on a few sticky drug smuggling cases.” Ned looked over at Art and nodded. “Art here has an ongoing poker game with Nick whenever they meet at the casino.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.” Art reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small note pad, flipping it open. “Right now, he owes me one hundred thousand pounds.” The women raised their eyebrows at the huge amount of debt. “Of course, last year at this time,” he flipped back through a few pages, “I owed him three million pounds.” Chuckling he returned the note pad to his inside pocket. “Jolly good fun! No money exchanges, we just keep track for needling purposes.”

“Bragging rights, huh?” Dean smiled at Art’s pleased nod, then redirected the focus of the conversation. “Well, we better get this stuff to the condo. There are several items that will have to be reassembled. Thank you, Ned. Art, please say hello to Gwen for us.” They stood and walked over to the cases as Ned produced a two-wheeled dolly from his closet.

“Here, this will help.” He slipped it under the cases then gave Dean a business card. “This is my cell number. I always have it on. If you need anything, just give me a call. We have quite an impressive storehouse of equipment in the basement of this building, and if we don’t have what you need, we can get it for you.”

“Thanks,” Katie responded as she gave Art a hug. “I hope we have time to get together after this is all over.”

The older man blushed as he released Katie’s hug. “My yes. Gwennie would love to have you over to the house for tea.”

By the time they returned and stowed the equipment on the yacht, it was almost time to head out to monitor the arrival of the Island Queen. Even though the weather forecast for the night was for calm seas and a full moon, Dean wanted to be on location before sunset. Tom and Tiny had set up the stern with downriggers so anyone viewing the yacht would assume the group was out for some night fishing.

“According to the shipping charts, the Island Queen should be passing our bow about a quarter mile ahead.” Dean was looking at the nautical charts in the pilothouse and working on an estimated time of arrival. She frowned as she refigured the arrival time, and redid the figures once more. “This isn’t adding up. According to the Port Authority, the Island Queen should be arriving at 2000 hours, not 2300 hours. Let’s head out a bit and see if we can find her.”

It was about thirty minutes before they located their target on the yacht’s radar screen and made some adjustments to run a parallel course. Turning on the TDSC unit, they were able to confirm the presence of the package. As they traveled along, it soon became apparent that the ship was veering off the shipping lane and heading past the container port located on the west end of the island. Forty-five minutes later the big container ship began turning to head back towards the container port.

“Well, that explains the difference in arrival times,” Dean commented as they watched the ship turn on the radar screen. “Now why did they come out this far past the port before heading back in?”

“That’s why.” Bill was pointing at the TDSC monitor as he observed a very stationary blue dot. “They offloaded the package.”

“Where?” Katie came over to the monitor, and then checked the radar screen before checking the nautical charts. “There’s nothing out there. Do you suppose another boat picked it up?”

“Nothing showing on radar.” Dean shook her head as she rechecked the radar and TDSC screens. “Nope, it’s just stationary.” Dean turned to Tom and asked if the radar would be able to pick up small craft. Tom nodded, adding that if it were bigger than a jet ski, it would be on the scope. “Well, it just doesn’t make sense that they’d just dump it overboard. Let’s get a little closer and see what’s there.” Tom made the course adjustments and within minutes they were right on top of the blue dot.

‘I’ll be damned,” Bill commented as he searched the sea around him. “What the hell is going on here?”

Just when they were about to drop anchor and find out, Katie called out that the dot was on the move. Dean moved over to the TDSC monitor and watched the dot slowly progress toward land, while Bill and Tom did visual and radar scans for any pick up boats.

“Start recording its progress,” Dean told Katie as she walked back over to where Tom and Bill were standing. “Any visuals?”

“Well, obviously it’s been picked up by a scuba diver.” Heads nodded in agreement. “Any ideas where it might be going?”

Tom was the first to answer. “This area is noted for its underground caves.” He pointed towards the shore that was outlined by white sand. “That area of the island is the Lucayan National Park. The little island you see in front of us has one of the two known ‘wet’ entrances to this underground system of caves. To date there are over ten kilometers of mapped passages. My bet is they’re using that system to smuggle their stuff onto the island.”

“Why not just use one of the deserted waterways? Wouldn’t that be easier?” Katie asked, looking up from the monitor.

“That would work for one-time drops, but not drops on a regular basis. The risk of being caught would be too high. This way, nobody sees anything. The only reason we caught on, was because of the scanning chip,” Dean explained as she realized the uniqueness of their drops. “Where do you think they’re headed, Tom?”

“That’s a tough one. Ben’s Cave is the most well-known ‘dry’ entrance, but it’s in the National Park, so I’d rule that one out. There are two others, but they’re out in the open and they’d risk the possibility of being spotted. My guess would be that they found a new ‘blue hole’ that no one knows about.” As an afterthought he queried, “How far can you scan with this portable set up, Dean?”

“Unfortunately, not as far as we’d like. We can’t use the satellite hook up since this is an unofficial op, so we’re limited to the portable’s range, which is about one kilometer, maybe less if they go very deep.”

“That’s a real possibility. Some of these passageways are three hundred feet deep.” He was about to say something else when Katie called to them.

“Keep the tape going in case it comes up again.” Dean turned to Tom. “Can you take us closer to shore? Maybe we can pick it up again.”

“Sure thing,” he replied. He started up the engine and began a slow troll towards shore. “Best you guys get on deck near the fishing equipment, just in case you’re being watched from shore.”

Tom took the boat in as close as he could. Unfortunately the tide was out, and this area was very shallow to begin with. Just before they headed back to the Grand Lucayan Waterway, a faint blue dot started to reappear on the monitor, but was soon gone from the screen. Its last position was noted on the chart at approximately one kilometer east of the national park, and still moving toward land.

After a short rest at the condo and a quick breakfast, the trio boarded the Lady Luck and began poring over the charts. Bill and Dean spent the first hour transposing the tape-recorded course of the TDSC chip onto the ship’s charts, including its last faded sighting.

“Now what, Colonel?” Bill asked as he traced the penciled line with his finger.

“Now, we go on gut instinct,” Dean explained. “And my gut tells me they’re probably headed here.” She placed her index finger on a point on the chart.

“Makes sense,” Katie spoke up. “We know one of the packages was a piece of a radar array, and what better place to use it than on a non-operational USAF Missile Tracking Base.”

Dean went over to the portable TDSC unit and selected a handheld monitor similar to the units the training team used in Las Vegas. “Anyone interested in a little ultralight sightseeing?” Katie and Bill looked at her quizzically, and then smiled as they stood to join her. “I saw an ultralight hangar at the airport when we landed. Let’s go check it out. Katie, you’d better grab a lightweight jacket.” Dean grabbed an old long sleeved T-shirt and her wrap-around glasses before disembarking from the boat.

Leaving a request with Tom and Tiny for scuba gear, the trio picked up Tracy and Colleen and headed to the airport. They stopped at the rental agency and checked out a ‘Bahama Buggie’ for the week.

“Don’t you think it would be better to get a regular jeep?” Katie asked Dean as they left the car rental agency.

“Nah, this is much more ‘touristy’ for ventures into the brush. We’ll blend in better.”

Katie looked around the small bustling airport and noted several of the open-air buggies loaded with tourists eager to explore off road. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

Once their vehicle was delivered, Dean instructed Bill to head to the gas station and pick up a five-gallon can and fill it with premium unleaded. Then he was to meet them on the Grand Bahama Highway, ten kilometers east of the Grand Lucayan Waterway, where an unpaved road met the highway.

“Okay, just follow my lead and let me do all the talking,” Dean whispered as they entered the small hangar.

“I sure hope they have a double. I’ve never flown an ultralight.” Katie’s reply fell on deaf ears as Dean was already inside and striking up a conversation with the owner. Not wanting to interrupt, Katie wandered around the hangar inspecting the small aircraft that were in various stages of repair and maintenance. Gee, these things are really cute. Not much different than a go-cart. Wonder what it would be like to fly one. Walking over to the counter, she spied a souvenir rack and purchased two ‘Bahama Ultralights’ baseball caps, figuring they would help keep their hair out of their eyes during the upcoming flight. Dean finished the negotiations for the rental, and called over to Katie to join her.

“Here ya go, Dean.” Katie said, handing her the hot pink ball cap. “Touristy enough?”

“Nice touch, and practical.” Dean took the cap from Katie and put it on backwards, then reached up, and reversed the lime green one Katie had put on. When she got a quizzical look from Katie, she explained that the wind would take it off their heads if they wore it with the bill to the front. The two women then followed the rental agent to their waiting ultralight.

It didn’t take long for Katie to get rid of the butterflies that had congregated in her stomach, and relax enough to begin enjoying the flight. Soon, the duo was slowly making their way towards the old USAF Missile Tracking Base in a lazy serpentine path. From their moderate height of one hundred and fifty feet, they were able to see the majority of the width of the island, which was only sixteen miles at its widest point, and almost to their rendezvous point just past the Grand Lucayan Waterway. It was now 1000 hours and traffic on the east side of the waterway was non-existent. Few tourists venture to Lucayan National Park their first day on the island. Most tended to gravitate to the ‘hot’ spots of Xanadu Beach and Port Lucaya before they attempted the twenty-six mile journey to the park. Their ultralight had enough fuel to reach the tracking base, but they would need to put down and refuel to get back to the airport. Before they lifted off, they decided to make two pit stops to be on the safe side--one on the way out, and one on the way back. As they approached the rendezvous, Dean indicated to Katie with a hand signal that she was going to land. The colonel did another circle around the area, making sure there was no traffic in sight, before she came in for a landing.

“Wow! That’s really a lot of fun,” Katie exclaimed to a waiting Bill. “I never thought I would enjoy flying in an ultralight, but now I can see why people love it.”

As Bill refueled the craft, Dean went over to the dune buggy and pulled out a set of com units, the portable TDSC tracking unit, digital camera, a small back pack, and her H & K Mark 23 from the duffel bag in the backseat. She clipped the waistband holster at the small of her back before taking the other items back over to where Katie and Bill were discussing the flight. She put the tracking unit and the camera in the backpack before slipping it on. Handing a com unit to Katie, Dean told Bill they would use tack 3 for communication, and he should remain at that point unless directed otherwise.

“We’ll follow this unpaved road toward the base. If we need help, stick to this road to find us.”

“Got it.” Bill helped steady the ultralight while the two women got settled and strapped in for take-off. “Just try not to get in trouble, Colonel. I don’t feel like taking on any mercenaries today.” The entire stop took only ten minutes. They lifted off and were back at their cruising altitude before Katie spoke into her com unit.

“I see you came prepared,” Katie commented as she gently tapped the H & K in Dean’s waistband. “Expecting trouble?”

“Nope, but I like to be ready for anything. We’ll be coming up on the base in another ten minutes. Better turn on the TDSC unit now. I’m going to make two passes over the base. As we make the first pass, see if it’s registering anything and look for anything out of order. If possible, see if you can pinpoint the location of the chips. I’ll head out toward High Rock before turning for the second pass. On that pass, try to get in as many shots with the camera as you can without being obvious. I don’t want them to think we’re taking pictures of them.” Dean continued on a lazy easterly course flying toward the south coast, then back inland before turning back to the coast once more. “Try to take your shots as I make the turn back toward the coast so they’ll think we’re going for a panorama of the coastline.”

“Not a problem, Dean. The way the digital camera’s viewfinder is set up, I’ll be able to take the shots with the camera in my lap. They won’t even know I’m shooting them.”

As they finished their conversation, the old tracking base came into view. “Okay, here we go. Look like a tourist!” Dean powered down the craft a bit so their flight time over the base was extended by a few seconds.

Dean concentrated on the line of her flight, while Katie tuned in the TDSC unit and conducted a visual scan of the base. For a non-operational base, it looked to be in good shape. The fencing surrounding the base was sound and secure with no breaks in its continuity, and the undergrowth was cut back from the fence a good fifty feet. This made it very difficult for anyone to sneak up to the fence without being observed. Even the buildings seemed to be in good condition. The tarmac showed the most evidence of disuse with tufts of grass growing in the cracks, and there were several trees down on the property. Most of those were probably due to the tropical storms and hurricanes that had passed the island since the base was deactivated. An area behind the main tracking station did show signs of use, as did a smaller barracks-like building. As Dean flew nearer the main tracking building, Katie noted the small blue blip on her miniature TDSC screen.

“I have a reading on the chip. It’s in the main building.” Katie attempted to fine tune the unit to get a precise location, but the movement of the ultralight made it too difficult to accomplish.

As they headed out towards the coast and High Rock, Katie caught a glimpse of a reflection bouncing off something shiny in one of the abandoned hangar buildings. She noted the approximate location so she could snap it on the return trip over the base.

“Alpha One to Tower,” the lookout called on his com unit. “We’ve got company coming.”

“Airborne. Looks like an ultralight with two passengers. Coming in at one o’clock from my position.”

Jerry Stockton picked up his binoculars and peered out of the airfield control tower in the direction given. “I’ve got them in view. Looks like a couple of women. Probably tourists from the way they’re flying.” He turned to a second man in the tower. “Better warn Scott. We’ll need to pull everyone inside until they’re gone.” The second man hit a few keystrokes on the computer in front of him, activating a series of vibrating signals to the receiver attached to each man’s belt.

As soon as the band of mercenaries felt the signal, all work stopped, and each man secured himself from view. Jerry and his partner, Joel, continued to watch the women approach from behind the special security glass that was installed in the tower. They could see out, but not be seen. As the ultralight approached, they confirmed that it was piloted by a woman and had another female for a passenger. He watched their flight over the base and held them in his sights until they headed out in the direction of High Rock before calling over to the command post.

Joel keyed in the ‘all clear’ command as the ultralight disappeared from view. As a precaution, he next called Alpha Four, on the eastern boarder of the complex. “Tower to Alpha Four. Keep them in your sights and watch for a possible return.”

“Did anything look out of the ordinary?” Dean asked as they flew out of view of the base.

“Most of it looked pretty abandoned, but there are a few places I’ll focus on with the camera.” Katie traded the TDSC unit for the camera in Dean’s backpack. “I caught a glimpse of something in that last hangar farthest from the main building. Make sure you give me full a view of it on the return.”

“Nope. But it sure felt like someone was watching us.” Katie slung the camera strap over her head and made sure it was secure before she fastened the flap on the backpack.

“I’m going to be a bit more acrobatic on the return trip so they’ll get the idea we’re really tourists.” Dean looked over her shoulder at Katie. “Will you be all right with that?

Dean just grinned and then put the ultralight into a tight loop and a few spiraling turns. The only comment from Katie was a barely audible, “Oh, no,” and she felt Katie reach around and grab her tightly, then emit an “uuggnnhh” as Dean came out of the loop and into the spiral rolls, before steadying the flight path once more.

“When we get back, you’re gonna pay for that!” Katie relaxed her grip as Dean brought the aircraft into a more stable flight pattern.

“Aw, c’mon. That was milder than that roller coaster you made me ride last July!”

“Maybe. But that roller coaster was at least attached to the earth.” Katie shook her head and waited for her stomach to stop churning, as Dean made a wide turn over the ocean before heading back toward the base on a more meandering course.

“I’m going to fake a stall as I approach the base. That way I’ll be able to glide down lower without seeming to do it on purpose.” Dean looked over her shoulder at Katie to judge her reaction to the idea. “Don’t worry, love, we’ll come back out of it easily enough.”

“Hey, you’re the pilot. Wherever you go, I go.” Katie reached forward and gave Dean’s shoulders a squeeze.

As they came into view of the eastern edge of the building complex, Dean played with the choke to make the engine sputter. She did this three times before cutting the engine completely. The plane came down in a gentle glide, and Katie began covertly taking pictures of the surrounding complex. When they were only ten feet from landing on the tarmac, Dean switched on the engine and it came to life five feet from the concrete runway. As the engine sputtered and caught, Dean skillfully brought the ultralight back up to a comfortable altitude of 75 feet, barely clearing the hangar and control tower at the far end.

“Um, that was a little close, wasn’t it?” Katie asked as Dean continued to put a little more altitude into their flight path.

“Nah! We had plenty of room.” She grinned as she made a few half rolls from side to side as she headed back toward the rendezvous with Bill. “I just wanted to get a better look at the control tower, and that was the hangar you wanted to check out.”

“Yeah, the windows,” Dean replied. “The glass was not the usual tinted glass you find in control towers. These were made of a special surveillance glass.”

“Yep. Let’s you see out, but no one can see in.” She smiled back at Katie. “They’re definitely here. Now we have to figure out a way to get in without being noticed.” Dean gave the little ultralight more gas and returned to their former altitude of one hundred fifty feet as they pleasurably zigzagged their way back to the rendezvous point.

“That ultralight is headed back our way. Sounds like they’re having a bit of engine trouble,” the lookout responded.

Jerry and Joel watched from the tower as the ultralight started to glide down towards the tarmac of the base. “If they land, we may have to send security out to meet them,” Jerry commented. “Better warn Scott of the situation and ask him what he wants us to do.”

Joel sat at the computer and typed in the message to Scott Gentry. The reply came quickly. “Scott wants us to wait and see if they land. If they do, and can’t get back up, that’s when he wants us to send in the security team.”

The two men watched the plane slowly descend as the pilot tried restarting the engine. When the plane was five feet from the tarmac, the engine kicked in and the little ultralight began to soar upward once more.

“Okay. Tell Scott, they’ve got it going again, and they’re on their way out of the area.”

Jerry picked up his radio and called to his guard on the west side of the base to keep an eye on the light plane as it left the base.

“That was too close,” commented Joel. “We’ve never had an ultralight come right over us like that before.”

“I’m going over to the control room and talk to Scott about this. Stay here and keep an eye out while I’m gone. Let me know if they come back again.”

Jerry took the stairs down from the tower and quickly crossed the tarmac to the main control building. Entering, he passed by the technicians putting together the last of the components for the Ares Array. Scott Gentry was sitting at the console entering code into the mainframe computer.

“Scott,” Jerry called as he took a seat next to his boss, “the ultralight managed to get its engine restarted before they had to land. They’re on their way back towards Freeport.” Scott just nodded at the information, while continuing his data entries. “Do you want me and Joel to go into town to check them out?”

“Did they look unusual, or do anything suspicious?” Scott asked, turning in his seat to face his second in command.

“Not really, it just makes me nervous when something odd happens so close to a deadline.” Jerry shrugged his shoulders as he waited for a reply.

“Me, too,” he agreed. “We’re too close now to let anyone mess up this op. Go ahead with Joel out to the airport to check it out. And, Jerry, don’t do anything stupid. I’m already short one man on this op.” He turned back to the computer and began entering information.

“Got a report half an hour ago.” Scott stopped typing and turned to face Jerry again. “Our tracer found him admitted to George Washington University Hospital. According to the resident, a Dr. O’Brien, he was found outside the warehouse a couple of nights ago and is in a coma. Evidently somebody mugged him after the shipment went out. We’re still trying to get a line on Burt, but no one’s seen him since that night either.”

“Well, if he was with Rog, and they can’t find him, he’s probably floating in the Potomac feeding the crabs.” Jerry stood to leave, adding, “I’ll make sure we stay out of trouble.”

“Yeah, you do that,” Scott agreed and returned to his keyboard, intent on completing his task. “We’ve only got a few days now to test all this stuff before we put it into action.”