‘I’m sorry to hear you say that.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I got a lead that you can’t pursue. At least not yet.’
‘Meaning what?’
‘Meaning exactly what you think I mean.’
Dial read between the lines. ‘Jesus, Jon, I don’t like this one bit.’
‘I know you don’t, but this is the way it has to be.’
Dial groaned. ‘The cop in me wants to hang up right now before I hear another word. The friend in me wants to help you out in any way possible.’
‘I’m cool with either. Do what you have to do.’
‘I haven’t hung up yet.’
Payne smiled. ‘In that case, I need some pictures.’
‘Pictures? Of what?’
‘Of all the missing scientists — the ones who weren’t killed in Stockholm.’
‘Why? Did you find more bodies?’
‘Just the opposite. I got confirmation that they’re still alive. They’re being forced to work at a second lab. We know where, and we’re going after them.’
‘Is Sahlberg there?’
‘Doubtful. But Berglund is.’
‘Wait! Berglund’s alive?’
‘As of yesterday, yes.’
‘Jon, you don’t have to do this. There are professionals who can handle this. Give me an hour, and I can round up the top men in the Czech police.’
‘No offense, Nick, but you won’t find a SWAT or rescue team that can do the job that DJ and I can do. We specialize in this kind of thing. Quick, clean and effective.’
‘And no red tape,’ Dial reiterated.
‘Now you’re getting it,’ Payne replied.
‘Jon, I’ll send you everything I have. Pictures and names of the scientists we believe were working in Stockholm and a three-dimensional mock-up of the facility that some of the tech guys put together. If the scientists are studying the same things, maybe the layouts of their laboratories are identical too. It will give you an idea of what you might find there. Which levels house the equipment, the test animals, that sort of thing.’
‘That’ll help.’
‘If you think of anything else, just say the word.’
Payne nodded. ‘I’ll call you when we’re done.’
58
In the early twentieth century, the forests outside Rakovnik were an ideal location for a military installation. The territory was far enough removed from the social, economic and bureaucratic center of Prague that its inhabitants could operate without fear of interference. Those in command in this remote area governed autonomously, without the oversight of central command. As such, the atrocities committed there throughout the years went largely unnoticed.
It wasn’t until after World War II and the end of the Cold War that many of the stories surrounding the facility began to surface. By then, the complex was an abandoned mess of crumbling brick and overgrown courtyards. To most, it was little more than a reminder of a bygone era. A period in history that was better left forgotten.
The locals saw it as an eyesore.
Zidane saw it as an opportunity.
He realized that the thick, sturdy walls could be resurrected to their former glory with only a fraction of the investment required to build them from scratch. He saw a self-sufficient compound with its own electrical and water treatment plants. Perhaps most importantly, he saw acres of undeveloped land on all sides of the grounds, a buffer zone that ensured privacy.
The former military settlement deep in the woods was far from prying eyes, yet it was close enough to Rakovnik — and the services enjoyed by its more than fifteen thousand residents — to entice those scientists who insisted they couldn’t leave the comforts of civilization.
It was the perfect place for a laboratory.
A lab to study whatever he wanted.
In the waning light, Jones stared at the facility through a pair of high-powered binoculars. He noted that only a single story was visible above the ground. The rest of the structure had been dug into the earth. Rumor had it there were tunnels that went for miles.
Although Payne had been the leader of the MANIACs, it was Jones who had a special gift for tactics. As such, the assault had been his to plan. He had chosen dusk not because of the fading light. That logic was sound if they were fighting out in the open, but today’s battle would take place inside. Instead, the decision to proceed at this hour was based upon Masseri’s note that most of the guards would be eating dinner. Jones wanted to take full advantage of any edge he could find, and having his opponents gathered in one place was a good start.
To aid their cause, Berglund had provided a description of the security measures used at the facility. There were no cameras or booby traps — nothing that would provide a record of the men and women who worked there or expose the true nature of the building. As such, the main deterrent the team had to overcome was a series of locks.
The front entrance and interior doorways were secured by magnetic locks that could be temporarily disabled with the swipe of a keycard. Fortunately, Berglund had stolen one of the cards from an unsuspecting guard and had smuggled it to Masseri, who in turn had made multiple copies and placed them in the folder he had given to Payne.
Of course, Payne had no way of knowing if they would actually work until his ass was on the line and he was standing outside the compound’s front door.
He took a deep breath and swiped the card.
The door opened with a soft click.
‘Main breach,’ Payne whispered as he entered the building. The mic in his ear relayed the news to all the members of his team.
‘Copy,’ came the reply, ‘on your go.’
As much as they hated the thought of involving Dial or the Czech police in the assault, Payne and Jones had no qualms about bringing in outside help. To strengthen their numbers, they had turned to the vast network of former commandos now living abroad.
Men they had met in battle.
Men they could trust.
Two phone calls later, they had successfully recruited three men to help. Each was ex-special forces, and each lived within an hour of Prague. In fact, two of them were roommates. Though none of them were ex-MANIACs, they had been stationed with Payne and Jones in the Middle East and had heard stories about their exploits. The chance to help them out and to shoot some bad guys was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
The soldier who lived alone — a demolition expert in the Navy SEALs — was known to his peers as Rapture. His call sign was given to him because of his ability to create end-of-days-type carnage. His main responsibility was to level the electrical substation on Payne’s order.
Rapture could do that in his sleep.
When the time was right, they hoped to use the loss of power to their advantage. The problem with the strategy was the possibility that the power outage would render the magnetic locks inoperable. If the interruption unlocked the doors, everything would be fine. But if the doors were stuck in the locked position, they would need another way to open them.
Enter Hulk and Rhino, two hard-partying ex-Marines who could bulldoze their way through anything in their path. Though they were known as human battering rams, they were also good with knives and guns. Their main job was to evacuate the innocent scientists. If they happened to kill some guards along the way, so be it.
That being said, if anyone was going to get hurt, Payne and Jones wanted to make sure they were first in line to take a bullet. That was why they planned to handle the riskiest part of the mission personally. Their job was to find and eliminate Hendrik Cole.
Payne led the men down the first corridor of the building, peeking into every room but finding nothing but empty offices. They had no way of knowing if these were an elaborate ruse to fool visitors, but it was clear that whoever worked there had gone home for the night.