Two blocks from the subterranean complex; second entrance
The moon was bright as the Ford Excursion pulled up to the curb. The doors opened and four men piled out, each with a small shoulder pack and dressed in black.
Jess Contreras, also in black with her hair braided and tightly pulled back, stepped out of the shadows and away from the dark wall where she had been waiting. She chose this specific location and time due to very few pedestrians walking about at this hour and it was a strategic blind spot from the soldiers guarding the entrance. Earlier, she had observed Ed and the pretty blonde enter the alleyway in the rain. The fact that he was there undoubtedly meant that they were wasting no time deciphering what was underground.
The four men continued single-file to the corner where she stood. When the first man, who was their leader, reached her, the other three stopped just short of him and stood next to the old building, blending into the dark brick wall. She reached out her hand and he handed her a small silenced submachine gun.
She silently motioned for them to follow her to the next corner one block away. When she reached the spot, she waved for the others to crouch down and the lead man stepped up next to her. “Your orders?” he asked, in his sharp, deep voice.
She pulled out a small device, brought it up to her eye and looked through it. The alley had two concrete barriers, intended to block vehicles. From her position she counted two guards patrolling in the alleyway and didn’t see anyone else. Directly around the corner was a military Humvee and an armored vehicle parked along the sidewalk. The Humvee had two passengers, both in the front seat. The armored vehicle looked to be sealed. If the alarm sounded, the soldiers could be out of the Humvee and into the alley in three seconds and the armored vehicle marshaled into action right after that.
After she assessed the situation, she stepped to the side and nodded to the leader.
He then motioned for his men to step forward. He pointed to the vehicles and quietly gave one of his men orders. The man looked carefully at the Humvee and then crossed the street.
The leader then motioned for another man to approach. He pointed to the two guards in the alleyway. The man too took a good look, nodded, and slowly began walking towards the guards, staying in the dark shadows.
Jess then turned to the leader and the remaining other man, motioned for them to follow her, and they reversed course and headed back down the way they had come. They made it to the next corner, turned, and worked their way in the direction of the alleyway. Being still one block away, she found a dark section of sidewalk and dropped to one knee.
After a few seconds, Jess crossed the street with the two men directly behind her. She could now see the parked armored vehicles and began walking towards it. As she got closer to the opening of the alley, she could see a dark shadow crawling up to the driver’s door of the Humvee. In one split second, the shadow stood up and quickly opened the door. She could see two flashes of light emanate from inside the cabin and the passengers slumped over. The shadow closed the door and approached the armored vehicle. He would toss a deadly chemical gas grenade into a small opening in the front, instantly killing the crew inside.
In just seconds, the job was finished and the dark shadow backed away from the vehicles and approached the corner of the alley.
Jess now continued the final distance to the corner. She paused and slowly glanced around the edge and saw the two guards were gone. She now brought up her weapon and motioned for the men to follow. Quickly she made it to the small section leading to the window. The man the leader sent was kneeling in front of it, waiting. The two guards she had spotted earlier were lying flat on the ground to the side of the window, barely visible in the dark.
She knelt down next to the window and looked inside. She saw the hole and a light inside, but no other guard. She climbed inside and lowered herself. The other men followed her inside. Meanwhile, the other two men were eliminating the guards and neutralizing the vehicles at the opposite alley entrance.
Jess saw a ladder, crawled over to it, and looked down. At first, there were no sounds but suddenly she could hear footsteps. She raised her gun and continued listening. The footsteps had a pattern. They would be light, then heavy, as if the person was walking in a short back-and-forth pattern. She waited until the sounds of the steps lightened and quickly scaled down the ladder. Directly ahead, the silhouette of an armed guard was just turning around in front of an open rock wall with a light aimed at it. She raised her gun and pulled the trigger halfway, releasing one bullet. The silenced bullet entered the forehead and the guard buckled, his face hitting the dirt hard.
Jess pointed to the small bricked opening leading to the shaft and motioned for the other men to continue the assault.