“That's not a lot of time to plan.” Luca folds his arms.
“But maybe that's what will make Gideon take the bait.” I chime in, “If we give too much time, it looks fishy. Making it tight, it’ll seem more likely that it's legit.”
Lucian exhales through his nose and steps back from the table.
“Alright. I'll get you access, Noah. Let's do it.”
We all nod.
“If this backfires, we're going to be in a world of trouble,” Luca says.
Of course,I'm still not allowed to go out into the field, so I'm back on overwatch. At least Maeve keeps me company. I do feel a little better abouthaving Felix and Kellan with the guys as two extra bodies rather than just me.
We don't have too much to view this time, as we can only use Ashthorne Global Security's satellite. But we have a few angles from the Guild transport vehicles and the facilities itself.
Noah hacked into whatever cameras he could, but it’s not much. Without eyes on the guys, my stomach is doing backflips.
“North perch secured,” Noah whispers. “Thermal scan clear for now.”
“South side clear.” Luca comes next. “Still no sign of movement.”
“Any word from the unit?” Jace asks.
“Tracking as planned,” Noah confirms. “The prototype is en route. ETA twelve minutes.”
My heart pounds in my chest like a war drum. This just has to work.
Noah did a good job working with the Guild's R&D team to forge the documents as if they had a breakthrough. We leaked the communications and created the false transfer, complete with security routes, encrypted logs, and backup patrols.
All we needed now, was Gideon.
“Hold. I've got heat signatures. West quadrant, four bodies, moving fast.”
“Bingo,” Luca says.
“Be careful.” I send up a prayer that it all goes according to plan.
“We're in position.” Kellan's voice comes through. “Ridge exit is blocked.”
“Got another heat signature, hanging back near the tree line. Not moving.”
“Is it Gideon?” I wipe my hands up and down my legs.
“Can't confirm. But someone is watching.”
“We don't move until we're sure,” Jace mutters.
“We need him to commit,” Luca agrees.
The first squad was now less than twenty feet from the entrance. I roll my shoulders.
“Here we go…” I sigh.
Maeve takes my hand. One operative pauses, seeming to look down at his phone.
“Come on,” Maeve whispers.
He turns, straight toward the spot where our tracking beacon was planted.
