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RORY HAD CHET give him a boost up into the open loading bay and he crouched low, looking over the large, open loading area. There were a number of large crates and pallets piled up, starting in a stack thirty feet away. Rory moved low, used them as cover and knelt by the right side of the stack. Straight ahead, beyond the crates, he could see a cement block wall and a set of double doors one hundred feet away. Looking off to the far left, he could see a single closed door. That door had a twelve button numeric keypad lock, which meant they couldn't go in that way. Curiosity kicked in and he checked the crate's manifest and saw it contained clothing. He dropped the manifest to the bare cement floor and listened. There was no sign of anyone. Everything was quiet. Rory looked back to the loading door and gave the go-ahead signal. Then he kept watch as the others helped each other up into the loading area.
Once they were all kneeling behind him against the crates, Rory spoke in a low voice, "There's a set of double doors about one hundred feet away on the other side of these crates. It looks to be our only way in." He looked at Skye, "Can you check the trailers of each truck? I can see a few crates are already loaded but we have to be sure no one is inside there and we get caught from behind."
Skye nodded and then moved cat-like across the cement floor to the first trailer, checking it. Then she moved inside the second, checking behind the loaded crates, and then disappeared inside the third one.
Rory checked on Donna-Lou and Chet behind him. They both looked concerned but not overly–
"Hey!"
Rory swung his head back and realized a guard, wearing a bulletproof vest, had come through the doorway with the numeric keypad lock. His submachine gun was up and pointing at Rory, Chet, and Donna-Lou in a heartbeat.
Rory brought his weapon up but he knew he had no chance....
Skye stepped out from the last trailer and fired a short burst.
Bullets ripped through the guard's throat. His mouth opened to scream but his vocal cords were gone. Falling slowly backward, his gun clanged to the floor just before he did.
Moving fast, Skye came back across the floor to the crates and pressed herself against one just behind Chet, putting the two between her and Rory as she watched in the other direction. There was silence as all four waited for an attack.
Donna-Lou was shaking and Chet put a comforting hand on her arm. But he looked scared himself.
After a few tense moments, Skye slid past Chet and Donna-Lou to Rory. "They must all be in a cafeteria or a lunchroom," she whispered.
Rory nodded, "Makes sense. Or they're just not expecting anyone to come in through the back to steal clothing crates."
Skye nodded as they both listened intently again.
The heavy breathing of Donna-Lou Haney and Chet Calhoun echoed lightly behind them.
"I'll get the body of the sight," Skye said in a low voice after a moment.
Rory nodded.
Skye turned and patted Donna-Lou on the knee and then looked at Chet, "Keep an eye out behind you while Rory watches the front."
Both nodded but looked very scared.
Skye shouldered her weapon and moved carefully across the open floor to the dead body.
Rory covered her as she moved.
Chet turned in the other direction and stood in a low crouch with his weapon up and ready.
Donna-Lou just sat with her back to a crate, still shaking at the close call.
Skye placed the guard's weapon on the dead body and then dragged it over to the nearest empty trailer, leaving a thin, dark trail from the pool of blood just outside the doorway. Leaving the body lying inside the trailer behind a crate she then moved quickly back to rejoin the others. Skye glanced at Donna-Lou and asked Rory, "You still think we should go inside?"
Donna-Lou turned her shaking head, "Please. We have to find Corry. I...I can do it."
Skye raised an eyebrow, "There will be more of them. If...when we find your son, he'll need a mother who is still alive–"
Her voice a harsh hiss, Donna-Lou said, "I said I can do it."
Nodding defeat, Skye looked at Rory, "I guess we keep going then."
"Yeah," Rory said, "but I've been thinking. That door where the guard came through has a twelve button numeric keypad lock to keep unauthorized personnel out. The double doors don't look to be locked. It makes sense that one with the lock has to be the one we should go through."
Skye gave it some thought, glancing over at the door and then nodded, "I think you're right."
"But how do we get in if we don't know the code?" Donna-Lou asked.
"Trial and error," Skye said. She turned and headed in a low crouch across the cement floor for the door.
Rory stood up, signaling to Chet and Donna-Lou to follow Skye.
Chet helped Donna-Lou to her feet but she didn't move a step, "But how long will that take?"
"Just let them do their thing," Chet whispered.
Donna-Lou's voice was harsh as she looked at Chet, "But if the double doors aren't locked, we should try that one first."
Taking her by the elbow, Chet moved her across the floor, "Just trust them. Okay?"
Shaking her head in frustration, Donna-Lou pulled her arm from Chet's grasp and glared at him briefly before heading across the floor.
Skye was kneeling in front of the locked door, looking it over as the other three knelt behind her, keeping watch. Skye pulled a small penlight out of a pocket and began examining each number on the keypad.
A frustrated Donna–Lou swiveled around on her heels, her jaw clenched, "This is ridiculous. What's she doing?"
"Figuring out which keys are being used to punch in the code," Rory said as he scanned the area for any movement.
"But –"
Rory put a finger to his lips to ask her to be quiet.
Skye looked at the keys from different angles. "Looks like 1...3...4...7 are the numbers used," she said in a low voice. "According to my understanding of permutations, we would have four...times three...times two...times one...that gives us 24 different combinations."
Chet raised his eyebrows.
Skye glanced at Rory, "Try and keep them in mind as we go through them."
Rory nodded. "Keep watch," he whispered to Chet.
Chet nodded but his hands shook as he raised his weapon to his shoulder. He scanned the loading area, trying to keep his raspy breathing down as he listened.
Skye punched in a set of numbers, repeating them as she did. They went through eleven combinations before the door clicked. Skye reached for the doorknob and turned it, pulling the door open a couple of inches.
Rory got up in a low crouch with his weapon at his shoulder. He nodded once.
Skye pulled the door open quickly.
Rory moved through quickly, weapon sweeping ahead of him. He found himself in a long hallway.
Skye held the door open with a foot and readied her own submachine gun for possible action.
Rory took a few quiet steps down the hallway. Then he made a motion for the others to follow him.
Skye motioned for the other two to move quickly through the open doorway.
Donna-Lou scrambled through the doorway, followed closely by Chet.
Skye moved quickly in behind them, closing the door softly as they began to penetrate the building, looking for the children but fully expecting to find armed guards along the way.