"Steel door, eight inches thick. Biometric locks, as discussed. Beyond that, a room approximately ten by twelve feet. Filing cabinets along the walls, a central table, and a floor safe that requires a separate combination."
"Do we have the combination?"
"Vasquez does. I’m sure she will be all too happy to give it to us if we promise to get her and her daughter out."
"And if she doesn't?"
"Then we take what we can from the cabinets and abort."
Elliot has been quiet through most of this, but now he speaks up. "How do we get the documents out? We can't exactly carry filing cabinets through a hostile perimeter."
"We don't need to." I pull up another file. "We photograph everything. High-resolution digital capture attached to each of our vests. The originals stay where they are, Kreiss never knows we were there, and we have copies of everything."
"Until he opens the vault and notices his filing system has been disturbed."
"Which is why we're careful. Gloves at all times. Nothing moved unless it’s needed. We leave the vault exactly as we found it."
"And if he has security measures we don't know about? Hidden cameras, pressure sensors, something Vasquez isn't aware of?"
"Then we adapt. But we don't panic. The worst thing we can do is rush and make mistakes. Listen, we are the only ones who can do this. The trifecta. Made for operations harder than this."
The silence stretches. Then Jinx grins, that sharp, dangerous smile that means he's made up his mind.
"I'm in.”
Jace nods slowly. "We're in. But we do this smart. Contingencies for every scenario."
"Already built." I pull up a new file. "Exit routes, rally points, communication protocols. If we get separated, we meet here." I point to a location on the map. "A safehouse thirty kilometers south. It's stocked and secure. One of the Silent’s but it’s unused at the moment.”
I send the coordinates to their phones. "Memorize them. Then delete the file."
They glance at the screen, Jace frowns as he memorizes the number and then with a press on his phone, the file disappears. Jinx's memory is eidetic. One look is all he needs.
"Weapons?" Jace asks.
"Suppressed sidearms. Knives as backup. Nothing that makes noise unless absolutely necessary. If we have to shoot, we've already failed."
"Rules of engagement?"
"Non-lethal unless lethal becomes unavoidable. We're here to gather intelligence." I pause. "But if someone threatens Jonah or Elliot, the rules change. Protect the non-combatants at all costs."
"I'm not exactly a non-combatant," Jonah says dryly.
"You're not Foundry-trained. In a firefight, that makes you a liability. No offense."
"Some taken, but I understand."
"We leave at 2100," I say. "That gives us time to prep, eat, rest. If you run into Kreiss, knock him out and bring him with. He will make for a good interrogation."
Everyone nods. The meeting breaks up, people scattering to their various tasks. Jonah stays behind, watching me with those dark, knowing eyes.
"You're nervous," he says.
"I'm cautious."
"Same thing, coming from you." He crosses to me, slides his arms around my waist. "We're going to be okay."
"You don't know that."
