The Edge Of Justice

The Edge Of Justice Chapter 20

Her voice softened, barely audible as twenty Marines and I trudged along the path. “I've both seen and been subjected to worse, Christian.”

“I know,' I said softly, threading my way much more carefully through the brush. “Just be sure not to distract me while I'm working.”

“Ghost,” the Marine in front of me whispered. “Katrina wants you at the front.”

I nodded and moved past him, coming to the front of the line. Katrina waited just over the ridge on one knee, a map of the region spread out on the ground in front of her, while a Marine shone a small light down on the map. I knelt next to her, and she pointed out a spot just to the west of where I gathered our position was.

“This is my sight-line here. I'll take three of the Marines, including my spotter, and set up a hide on that ridge. I'll have good over-watch position for you until you enter the cave network. Once you're in there though, the only thing I'll be able to do is make sure no one comes up on your ass.”

I nodded. “And the other eleven Marines will be doing what exactly?”

“Taking up positions to guard your escape should you find your family in there. You'll probably need to ex-fil quickly if they're in there, so you'll have cover from both them and me once you get out into the open air.”

“So I'm taking seventeen Marines up there with me?”

“Yes and no,” Blaster interjected. “The ones staying outside will drop off the line at strategic points along the path leading to the entrance, all of them able to cover our escape if we need it. Once we're back outside, if we've got heat on our tail they'll provide cover fire as we book it back down the path.”

I nodded again, turning toward the mountain across the small valley. The caves were halfway up the mountain, about a mile up a small path carved into the mountainside itself. Supposedly wide enough for three men to walk abreast, it shouldn't be a problem to hurry along the path to the thick wooden doors that led into the interior of the mountain. There were cells carved into the mountainside every hundred feet or so, each of them with a small room that the intel told me contained a bed, chamber pot, and a fireplace, each with one window looking out into the valley. Of the numerous alcoves, only ten had lights burning. I knew that didn't mean there were only ten men to deal with, as is was late, and if there were others, they were probably sleeping.

Deciding to give my contacts a try, I pulled them from the breast pocket of my D-23 and slipped them into my eyes, blinking back the burning sensation. Blinking in the pattern Wight had shown me, my vision zoomed in, cutting off my peripheral vision and dizzying me slightly. I could now see armed guards patrolling the walkways, armed with what looked like sub-machine guns, a few of them conversing around the doorway into the caves. More walked the pathway, smoking cigarettes and loitering in the doorways to the cells

A question came to mind and I turned back to Katrina after blinking the contacts back their normal magnification. “What do they have in terms of a security system?”

Katrina raised an eyebrow and repeated my question aloud, and a moment later Stacey's voice crackled in my ear. “These kinds of questions can be posed to me, you know. It's why I'm here.”

“Forgive me for not being used to being a spook.”

“I shall do no such thing,” she laughed. Her tone became serious when she spoke again. “The only security I can see is the physical kind that spits bullets. Remember though, this is supposedly a training camp for people like you, which means that these aren't just your normal guards. There's a good possibility that there are good fighters in there, especially ones who are willing to die for whatever cause he's made them believe in.”