Grant and Adler knew they were too exposed. The light had a range of nearly a hundred yards. Their only chance was to make it back to the stairwell. The chopper was nearly two hundred yards away, the light aimed at the field directly behind the two buildings. Taking off at the same time, the two raced across the roof, squeezing through the partially open door. Adler grabbed the door knob. He hoped that by using his forward momentum it would help pull the door closed behind him, but it jammed. Grant reached around him, and the two of them asserted all their effort, pulling on the knob. A shaft of light started to penetrate the open space just as the door slammed shut. Again in pitch black surroundings, they waited, directing their eyes overhead, unable to see, but listening to the noise above them as the chopper continued to hover.
Several seconds later, the repetitive noise changed direction. Grant and Adler followed the sound, moving their heads to the right. Gradually, they were listening to silence. Once back outside, they took a quick glance toward the horizon, still able to see the beam of light reaching down to earth as if on a quest.
Adler pulled the Starlighter from the rucksack, as Grant was removing a black object that resembled a long tube. It was about eighteen inches in length, had a wire running from the handle to an earpiece, and the opposite end had a ‘sight.’ A collapsible dish opened around the mike in order to capture more sound. The directional microphone, known as a "shotgun mike" was highly sensitive. Adler once said that the powerful microphone could pick up a gnat's fart.
Grant started to fit the earpiece into his ear when Adler nudged him and whispered, "One sentry, six o'clock."
Grant reached for the scope then leaned over the edge of the wall, aimed it at the alley directly below, and spotted a man standing in the middle of the dark alley. He wore a heavy jacket, and had an Uzi slung over his shoulder. A tiny flame suddenly glowed in the darkness, as a match was brought close to the tip of a cigarette. The small light flickered a moment before being extinguished, then the burned matchstick was dropped to the ground. A puff of cigarette smoke drifted into the air before the sentry turned and started meandering toward the vacant lot.
Grant nodded then handed the scope back to Adler. Once the small earpiece was snugly in his ear, he aimed the head of the shotgun mike toward the opposite building. Starting at the top floor, he moved it in a back and forth pattern, trying to cover every floor, every apartment. He leaned against the wall, keeping his eyes closed, allowing him total concentration on the sounds filtering through the earpiece. Minutes later, he stopped his arm motion and tilted his head.
Adler detected that Grant heard something significant, and he lowered the scope, waiting for confirmation.
Pressing his index finger against the earpiece, Grant heard what appeared to be whimpering, immediately followed by a female voice attempting to quiet a child. He whispered, "Live bodies. Kids, one female."
Adler's face broke out in a wide grin. He motioned with a thumb's up then asked, "Location?" Grant held up two fingers. Adler pressed the scope against his eye, moving the sight along the fire escape, zeroing in on a window that didn't have a trace of light filtering through it. He stepped back and ran behind Grant, heading for the rear of the building about forty feet away. First he made sure the sentry was still in the alley then he leaned over the wall as far as he could and checked every angle of the two buildings.
Beyond the rear of both buildings was an area covering approximately one hundred acres. Adler steadied the scope then moved the sight methodically back and forth, scanning the acreage they crossed earlier to reach their objective. They had made their way through piles of rubble and debris scattered across ground. Most of the rubble consisted of large chunks of concrete, broken sections of rusted pipe, window glass, and even pieces of furniture, making it obvious another building had once occupied the site. There was little chance the average East Berlin citizen would wander into this neighborhood. All Grant and Adler had to worry about was an occasional patrol… or another flyover by a chopper.
Adler hurried back to Grant, who still had the microphone aimed at the second floor across the alley. "Anything?"
“At least one male,” Grant replied. He pulled the earpiece from his ear, handing it and the microphone to Adler, who was on one knee, storing the scope in the rucksack. "Let's move," Grant said.
Once Adler had the rucksack secured on his back, they headed for the door leading from the roof. Securing it behind them, they immediately reached for the pen-like flashlights, the tiny beams guiding their way down the steep stairs. Staying on the top landing, they knelt down and gripped the flashlights between their teeth before they proceeded to check the equipment. Grant opened his chest vest and examined the roll of det cord, blocks of C4, and chemical pencils. Adler put a new clip into both his and Grant's .45 then tightened the silencers. They each carried five additional clips in their vests, one MK6 CS vial of tear gas, a set of lock picks, along with phony passports and “haul ass” money sealed in plastic. They sealed the chest vests and removed the flashlights from their mouths.
"Ready?" Grant asked, as he checked his knife, secured in the leg strap.
"Let's do it!"
All their planning, down to the most minute detail, was about to culminate. The flashlights were extinguished and slipped into their pockets for easy access. With weapons drawn, Adler partially opened the door, sliding his body through, then taking cover behind it as Grant exited, quietly closing it. He gave Adler a signal, and they both made a dash across the front of the building then turned the corner, running full bore across compacted dirt, heading for the rear. Their black clothes made them blend into the darkness, becoming shadows themselves.
Adler poked his head around the back corner. He gave Grant the "all clear" then they cautiously followed the building toward the alley. Once they reached the end of the wall, they paused, listening for anything that would tell them the sentry's location. While they were on the roof, Adler had timed how long it took for the German to make one pass around the entire building. But they couldn't depend on that. If he was smart, the sentry would vary his routine and maybe even use the fire escape to check the roof.
Detecting a slight odor, Adler turned his head and signaled it was a cigarette. Grant nodded, partially opened his vest and felt around inside. He pulled out a thin telescoping rod with a three inch round mirror attached to the end then handed it to Adler. Slowly extending the rod past the corner, Adler adjusted its angle as he stared into the mirror. He withdrew it, handed it back to Grant then gave a thumb's down. But the smell of cigarette smoke still lingered. Adler slid his back down the wall, getting himself into a low crouch. His eyes searched the ground, finally spotting a cigarette butt about seven feet away. He pointed for Grant to see.
Goddammit, Grant thought. They were wasting time!
Suddenly, a sound made them all but melt into the wall. They strained their ears, trying to pinpoint the location and identify the sound. Grant pressed on the throat mike, barely whispering, "Fire escape."
Adler nodded, taking a quick look around the corner. He signaled with a thumb's up then held up three fingers, indicating the second floor then pointed down with his index finger. The sentry was on his way back down to ground level.
The German had stopped on the second landing of the fire escape, his ear pressed against a window. He finally started down the metal steps, facing toward the front of the building. Adler cautiously ran across the alley, taking cover behind the building. He could hardly see Grant from that angle, but it didn’t matter. They knew what had to happen next.