“Make it ten,” Warden ordered.“I don’t think this can wait until six-thirty.”
The call ended and Gunnar accelerated.
“So much for a leisurely breakfast,” Bryn muttered, stuffing half a sandwich into his mouth.
“Eat fast,” Gunnar advised.“I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need all the energy we can get.”
The industrial district loomed ahead, a patchwork of warehouses and manufacturing plants.
“There—” Gunnar pointed.“Northeast corner.”
Bryn swallowed the last of his sandwich, crumpling the wrapper.“Doesn’t look like much.”It was a nondescript concrete building with security lights illuminating its perimeter.
“That’s the point,” Giles remarked from the backseat.“Anonymity is essential for operations like this.”
Police vehicles were gathered a block away, positioned out of the line of sight of any cameras to avoid detection.Gunnar pulled alongside them then cut the engine.
“Showtime,” he said.“Ike Reynolds is in charge of the op.I know him.Good man.”
Captain Reynolds met them as they exited the SUV, his expression grim.He shook Gunnar’s hand before acknowledging Bryn and Giles with a curt nod.
“Glad you made it,” Reynolds said.“Things have gotten weird.Thermal imaging initially showed twenty-seven distinct heat signatures inside.Most concentrated in what appears to be the main production floor, with a few scattered in what we believe are office spaces.”
“Movement patterns?”Gunnar asked.
“That’s the strange part.They aren’t moving.We thought maybe the heat was from machines at first, but the signatures are definitely human.We also detected unusual power consumption.Whatever they’re doing in there, its drawing serious electricity.”
“What’s the entry plan?”Giles asked.
Reynolds led them to the hood of his car where a schematic was spread out.“The building has four access points—main entrance here, loading dock on the east side, fire exit on the west, and what appears to be a staff entrance in the back.”He jabbed his finger at each location.“We’ll hit all four simultaneously.”
“Any intel on armed personnel?”Gunnar asked.
“Can’t confirm, but we’re proceeding as if they’re hostile.”
“Russo doesn’t hire rent-a-cops,” Gunnar pointed out.“If there’s security, they’ll be professional.Ex-military, most likely.”
Reynolds eyed him.“My people know what they’re walking into.”
Bryn studied the schematic, visualizing the layout.“Any basement levels?”
“None that we can detect, but the building plans filed with the city are twenty years old.Plenty of time for unauthorized modifications.”
“Where do you want us positioned?”Gunnar asked.
“Stay with me in the primary strike team,” Reynolds replied.“I need your eyes on whatever we find in there.”
A tactical officer approached, radio in hand.“Sir, perimeter teams are in position.SWAT is ready on your mark.”
Reynolds checked his watch.“We move in five.Get your people in position.”
As the officer hurried away, Reynolds turned back to them.“Last chance to back out.Once this starts, it’s going to move fast.”
“We’re in,” Gunnar confirmed without hesitation.
“Good.”
They followed Reynolds to the tactical van where his team was making final preparations.Officers in black body armor checked weapons and communications equipment, expressions grim.
