“Turn your cameras on. Then check your gear one more time while we wait for OVERWATCH to do their thing,” said Rich over the net.
There wasn’t much to check. Rich wanted them going in light for maximum stealth and maneuverability. His gear consisted of a basic plate carrier with front and back armor inserts, four double-rifle magazine pouches giving him eight spare magazines for his HK416 A5 5.56-millimeter rifle. No knife. No pistol. No first aid kit. Comms worked. Night vision worked. Helmet was tight. He activated the side-mounted camera and mumbled, “Good to go.”
Marnie elbowed him, and a quick glance told him he should at least pretend to pat himself down—which he did. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. No words required.
“RIFFRAFF, this is OVERWATCH. East-to-west surveillance run found the camp, which is shaped like an X. In the middle of the X, we spotted five Olive Garden–size buildings and what looks to be an Olympic-size pool, which is empty. I know the restaurant thing is an odd comparison, but that’s all I could think of. Olive Garden or Applebee’s.”
“We get the picture,” said Rich.
“Copy. The middle space with the buildings and pool is mostly open, in the shape of a square, with a few big trees in between the buildings. The structures look to be one story. The cabins are arranged in three rows along each branch, extending outward from the center square to form the X shape. You’re looking at four branches of cabins. Does that make sense?”
Three rows? How many cabins in each row? The camp sounded significantly larger than what would be necessary to host the seventy-three families his mother had uncovered. Even if the actual number was double.
“Yes. Keep sending,” said Rich.
“We spotted a few dozen human heat signatures in the center, at least half of them gathered around two firepits. S’mores with Stalin. We also have a few people walking around the southwest branch of the X. I suspect that’s the active housing branch, because we got no hits in the other three branches of cabins.”
“How many cabins per row in each branch?” asked Rich, clearly on the same page as Devin.
“It’s really hard to tell. The tree canopy is thick, and they built the cabins right among the trees. Before we make a few more passes, I’d estimate twenty. Minimum.”
Marnie elbowed him again before whispering, “That’s way more than your mother found.”
He nodded. “Two hundred and forty at the low end. More than three times the number, if my math is right.”
The threat was far more extensive and potentially damaging than they had originally thought. The stakes for this mission had just been raised.
“Did I hear you correctly? Twenty?” asked Rich.
“Minimum. It might be bigger. I’m sending you waypoint coordinates for the tip of the northeast branch of the X. Looks like your best bet will be to start there and determine how you want to approach the center. The active housing area is on the opposite side of the X, so you should be able to get fairly close to the larger structures without running the risk of detection. We’ll send updates with every surveillance pass.”
“What is your blind time?” asked Rich.
“Six minutes once we pass the camp. Two for the climb and boogie at max speed. Four on the glide back down. I could climb higher and spiral around the camp, but it’s a nightmare to use the camera manually that way. It would be hard to provide real-time data if you got jammed up down there. It’s your call.”
“Let’s stick with the steady passes,” said Rich. “Got your waypoint. We’re moving out.”
With that, Rich stood and signaled for the team to form up. He’d briefed them on the formation, which he’d called a modified squad column. Devin got the gist of it. Marnie understood what he meant right away. Every new Marine officer spent their first seven months learning infantry basics before they moved on to their specialty within the Marine Corps, including pilots.
He waited next to her as the first two groups of three moved out, each group spaced about fifteen yards apart. When it was time for them to set off, Mike took the lead, Devin and Marnie spacing out a bit along his flanks. Mike had pulled babysitting duty. Hopefully it would prove to be an easy gig. Devin snapped a stick with his right foot, stopping the entire formation.
“Step slowly and lightly, Devin,” whispered Mike over the radio. “We’re in no hurry.”
Mike was going to earn his money tonight.
CHAPTER 44
Marnie Young moved deliberately, frequently scanning the forest along her right flank and constantly recalculating a few variables. The first was cover. As the team crept closer to the cabins, she became more aware of the threat axis to the southwest, which forced a running evaluation of the best tree to use to block incoming gunfire—in the event of an ambush. The second variable was Devin.