After six hours, Kaplan grew impatient. He knew eventually the man would succumb to this technique but some prisoners had lasted over forty hours before they talked. The luxury of time was not something he could afford. The clock was ticking and he knew the longer it took to find Hunt, the greater the odds she would not be alive.
Kaplan cleared the room except for Chase and ordered Chase to guard the prisoner while he left the room.
Ten minutes later Kaplan returned with an eight-foot board and a backpack. He and Chase tied the man to the board, feet first then hands. Chase wedged something under one end of the board elevating the man’s feet slightly above his head. When the prisoner was secure, Kaplan reached into his backpack and pulled out a roll of cellophane.
“Sir. You can’t do—“ Chase started to object.
“I can and I will Captain.” Kaplan interrupted. “There are too many lives at stake here. This man knows something. Without that information people will die. What this man knows can save those lives.”
Chase said nothing.
Kaplan wrapped the man’s head in cellophane and grabbed the water bucket. “Last chance asshole.”
The man laid stoic. He began to chant.
Kaplan started pouring water over the man. Water quickly worked its way under the cellophane and licked at the man’s head. The man’s gag reflex kicked in. He bucked against the board, bulging eyes revealed his fear of drowning.
After thirty-three seconds the man begged for mercy. Kaplan was impressed; the average was fourteen, even though on rare occasions a few al Qaeda terrorists had been known to last nearly two and a half minutes.
Kaplan cut the cellophane away from the man’s head. “Ready to talk now?”
CHAPTER 18
“Mr. Wiley said you had a full day in store for me, what will we be doing?” Jake asked.
“All work I see.” Kyli said. “We’ll get to everything in due time. Mr. Wiley wanted me to show you around the classified electronics lab first.”
“I thought we already did a walk-through.”
“Nope. That was the assembly area. There’s a secure room where high-priority items are housed.”
Before they left for lunch, Kyli removed her lab coat and hung it on a hook by the lab door. She wore a black dress, cut slightly above the knee with black pumps, a classy yet professional look. A smile never left her face. Full of non-stop energy, she stirred something in Jake he hadn’t felt in a long time — feelings he thought were dead. It gave him a glimmer of hope that he could have a life after Beth. But still, there was the anger. Yet now the anger was mixed with feelings of betrayal of his love for Beth and a newfound excitement he felt when he was with Kyli.
Kyli’s cell phone beeped announcing the arrival of an incoming text message. “It seems,” she said. “You’ve got a video conference to sit in on. Mr. Wiley will be here in a few minutes. Follow me.”
“Where to now?”
“The conference room, where else?”
Less than five minutes later, Wiley entered the room. “Kyli, Jake and I need a few minutes.”
Kyli walked to the door. “I’ll be in the bio lab if you need me.” She winked at Jake.
Jake tried not to react. Stay focused. He followed Wiley’s lead and sat down.
Without speaking, Wiley walked over to a podium and started typing on a computer. A fifty-inch monitor mounted on the wall lit up. Speakers on the wall crackled then three figures appeared on the split-screen monitor — Bentley and Fontaine on one side, Gregg Kaplan on the other.
“What’s up, Scott?” Wiley sat next to Jake and spoke into the three-winged audio device in the middle of the oval conference table.
Bentley was the first to speak. “Good and bad news to report. The good news is we’ve located Isabella Hunt. Jake, Mr. Wiley has agreed to assist me on this mission, which includes having you help rescue Isabella. Something you said you wanted to do.”
“Yes, sir. Very much.” Jake said.
“We’ve put together an extraction plan but due to terrain, some logistic issues, along with the political unrest in the region, this will have to be a night op with no chance for detection. Gentlemen, this is a hostile country so this mission is silent in, silent out. We can’t afford any blowback. The United States will disavow any involvement. This is totally unsanctioned, if anyone gets caught, they’re on their own.”
“I hope that was the bad news too.” Jake said.
“I’m afraid not, Jake.” Bentley glanced at Fontaine then back at his camera. “Gregg will brief you on the bad news. Go ahead, Gregg.”
“We located and detained one of the locals who knew about Isabella and the al Qaeda cell here in Yemen.” Kaplan paused. “After some…enhanced interrogation, we’ve learned that the cell has already left Yemen and is enroute to Western Europe. We don’t know where but apparently Isabella does. That’s why it’s imperative we rescue her ASAP before al Qaeda attacks and a lot of people die.”
“George.” Bentley said. “You take it from here.”
“According to Gregg’s source, Isabella is being held in the Hajjah Palace.” Fontaine and Bentley disappeared from the screen and a satellite view of Hajjah appeared. “The palace is here.” A circle electronically drew around a building.
“As you can see, the palace is surrounded by a rock wall and the front gate is well guarded twenty-four hours a day.”
The screen rotated and a topographic view of the area popped up. “Our problem is that there is literally no level ground in Hajjah. It is built on a mountain.”
The view expanded outward. “The highway passes at the base of mountain leaving only one road in and out of town.”
“That confirms what our inside source told us.” Kaplan said. “She volunteered to assist us with our infiltration.”
“As you can see here,” Fontaine continued. “With all the roadblocks and checkpoints along the highway, access or exit by vehicle is out of the question. With all the political turmoil in the region, we’ve determined that our only option is to drop you in from overhead. You’ll have to locate, extract Isabella, and escape on foot undetected.”
Bentley and Fontaine reappeared on the screen.
“What if she’s injured and unable to travel on foot?” Jake asked. “We can’t just leave her there.”
“We can’t take that risk.” Kaplan said. “Figure something else out, I’m not leaving her there.”
“George?” Wiley spoke for the first time since the conference call started. “There might be another way.”
“If you have an idea, I’d like to hear it.” Bentley said.
“Is there any place in town that’s remotely level, like a large parking area or a field? I only need four or five-hundred feet.” Wiley asked.
“There is one area where kids play kick ball or soccer games. It’s about fifty feet wide and maybe, repeat, maybe four hundred feet long. It isn’t totally level, it has a gentle slope toward the edge of the mountain.” Fontaine brought up the satellite image again and electronically circled the area. “It’s a dark area at night, no lights at all.”
“Can you zoom in, George?” Wiley asked.
“Sure.” The image zoomed in closer. “How’s that?”
“Good. Now tilt the topo so I can get an idea about the side of the hill.” Wiley said.
The image rotated. The topographic view revealed the vertical terrain of the mountain.
“It’ll do.” Wiley said. “A couple of buildings will add to the challenge but an approach and departure can be accomplished.”
“E. W.?” Bentley interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
“Scott, I have two prototype gliders that are rigged for this type of night time op. Infrared heads-up displays and a silent electric motor for self-launch capability. You can fly in, locate and rescue your asset, and fly out. No one will ever know you’re there…or even been there for that matter.”