Chapter 11
The boat hull creaked and the oar locks groaned if Harry put too much stress on his rowing. The old boat leaked a bit but was in pretty good shape considering its age. Theodore had insisted on a wooden boat to reduce their radar signal, but the original builder would have had a difficult time adjusting to the night vision goggles and electronics his boat now carried. Harry felt renewed - actually doing something after all those hours of planning. Theodore's plan allowed him 35 minutes to approach the island giving him an arrival of 0312 local time.
Theodore had insisted on multiple data relays. A rectal probe shaped like a huge suppository was the primary locator and used a super high frequency short data burst for position reporting. Harry accepted the normal banter from his old and new friends regarding the need and technique for insertion. As always though, if Theodore said it was needed, they complied. Sitting on the hard seat rowing kept Harry aware of the probe. He concentrated hard on a nice easy rhythm, no use getting overheated. The infrared camera at the front of the boat was displayed on a monitor, they had mounted on the stern in easy view. It made rowing easier to actually be able to see where you were going and yet be able to use your whole body to row. It took Harry only a little bit to adapt to the reverse image and obtain good tracking.
On schedule they rounded the last point separating them and their target. The mansion was visible as a general outline of darkness with bright areas representing heat loss through the windows. Harry's rowing slowed and he tried to prevent any creaking from the boat hull or seats; small waves lapped against the boat. By using the wooden boat, Theodore felt they could approach within a hundred yards or so and remain undetectable. However, for a safety margin, a quarter-mile was established as their near approach point. The offshore side of the island had seemed to be the best approach with several large boulders to provide cover for Harry.
When José indicated they were at their target site, Harry stopped rowing and began completing his preparations. His weapons consisted of a ceramic knife, a toolkit, and a 9 mm Lugar which had been built out of high-strength composites. Only the firing chamber and barrel had any steel in them. The ammo used high-tech plastic cases and lead bullets with a special coating to reduce radar detection. Several pouches of plastic explosive completed his arsenal.
Theodore's plan was to have Harry disembark the boat and swim the final quarter-mile using a snorkel attached to the night vision helmet. The snorkel was designed to dissipate heat and reduce further the infrared signal. Harry was completely covered in a heavy wetsuit which should make him invisible to infrared detection equipment.
Harry began attaching the swim flippers to his feet and grimaced as they put pressure on his still raw blisters. The first major challenge was to get Harry's 260 pounds out of the boat without swamping it. In planning, it seemed easy enough to slip over the stern of the boat. The reality was not so easy. This little rowing dory was never designed to have someone of Harry's size perched on the stern. As Harry slid over the aft end, the bow of the boat pitched upward to such an extent that José grabbed onto both sides of the boat and had images of Harry sinking them. Some water shipped in over the stern as Harry slid off. But as soon as his weight transferred to the water, the stern started to rise back up out of the water. Harry held on to the boat and tried to stabilize it as José began quietly bailing the several inches of water from the boat. The microphone system in his helmet amplified the sounds and Harry could not help be concerned about the noise. He knew the sounds were amplified, but knowledge doesn't necessarily prevent the emotional reaction. When things stabilized on the boat and Harry was assured José was not going to sink, he pushed off gently.
The helmet had a built-in moving map display driven by a GPS unit. Harry simply followed the track line swimming quietly right at the surface of the lake. It was actually quite peaceful to be cruising along in the darkness of the night. Harry was now in attack mode and wasn't aware of this peacefulness. Although each kick of the flippers would rub against his blisters, Harry wasn't aware of the pain; he concentrated on the image of his position and route, which was displayed on the face shield of his helmet. As Harry approached shore, he released the flippers and crawled up between the boulders. From this point of relative protection he surveyed his route. There was a small seawall and then an expanse of grass with only an occasional shrub disturbing the open space. As he turned his head, the projected topographic map would change accordingly. He saw nothing new and decided to proceed according to their previous plan.
Harry took out the gizmo for detecting infrared laser sensors. It seemed to be nothing but a piece of wire which uncoiled from a small device like a measuring tape. Harry extended the wire fully and began moving towards the seawall. Theodore had figured they would have multiple sensors along the wall which would discriminate between birds and real targets. Harry crawled along using the probe in front like a blind person with a cane. As he approached the seawall a small flicker of light was evident along his probe. He moved even slower as he probed this defense shield. Being careful not to disrupt the first laser light, he reached over it and continued to probe. Multiple signals were evident. It seemed to be an invisible fence. Harry relaxed only a little as he contemplated his next move. Suddenly his earphones became active with José’s voice advising him, "Move the probe through a 90° arc starting at a vertical point above the first laser. It's important that you move at a constant speed."
Harry knew they were transmitting data using the rectal probe and he imagined the probe was actually warming up inside of him as it sent data. He cast aside these thoughts and carefully swung the probe through the arc requested. He counted at least a dozen individual flashes; however, they all seemed to be within the first horizontal foot. The top one was almost 6 feet high, too high to jump. There was a couple minute delay before José’s voice came back saying, "You need to set up a repeater and move through sensors number five and six, counting from the bottom. Place the detector so that both numbers five and six are showing and press the center button for two seconds. You must keep yourself between the fourth and seventh - between one and 1.8 m. You have six minutes of sensor relay power."
Harry began to experiment with his sensor trying to find the right angle so that both laser five and six were showing simultaneously. It took a few minutes for the set up and a few more minutes to stabilize his sensor using beach sand and gravel. He had visualized his foot placement over the lowest sensor. In order to accomplish this movement, he had to balance on his left foot while extending his right leg and foot through the imaginary opening in the fence. Harry took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He pushed the button for the long two count and, like one of the pantomime dancers at a circus, Harry extended his right leg through the imaginary fence. He visualized moving through a barbed wire fence and kept his torso bent horizontal as he rolled himself through the opening in very slow motion. He transferred his weight onto his right foot and continued the pantomime while slowly pulling his left leg through the opening. While still on all fours he reached under and picked up Theodore's sensor.
Harry used the sensor above himself before rising to a low crouch. He then continued his slow movement toward the building, probing first with the sensor. He had gone less than 20 feet when the sensor again detected the infrared lasers. This invisible fence had fewer strands and, by deactivating the uppermost strand, Harry was able to step over the fence. He had just swung his left leg over the fence when the speakers in his helmet picked up the sound of animals running. He was halfway over the fence and continued his move across the fence. By the time he finished rotating his torso across the fence, the animals were visible to his nightvision.
Harry had just enough time to plant himself firmly and draw his knife before the first dog was on him. The dogs weren't barking but were in full attack mode. The first dog lunged directly for his neck. Harry met the charge using his left forearm to block
the dog and his right hand to counterattack with the knife. It was a good knife and Harry was able to slice through the dog's neck before it could clamp down with its powerful jaws. The force of the dog’s lunge was enough to rock Harry back on his heels. He fought to keep from falling back into the fence.
Before Harry could completely regain his balance, the second dog was on him. It was a heavier animal. Instead of lunging for his neck, this dog went for Harry's right arm. The Kevlar covering of his wetsuit kept the dog's teeth from penetrating into his flesh, but the force of the animal’s bite was enough to paralyze Harry's arm. Harry dropped the knife. With a 60 pound vice clamped on his right arm, Harry swung his body away from the fence. He raised his arm up, lifting the heavy dog to take away the animal’s traction. With the powerful animal hanging from his arm, Harry grabbed the front of the dog's neck with his left hand. He squeezed hard, trying to cut off the blood supply to the dog's brain. The dog twisted while hanging from Harry's arm, creating enough force with its bite that Harry was sure the bone would be crushed.
Gradually the animal slipped into unconsciousness, but the jaws did not relax. Harry lowered the dog to the ground but kept his grip on its neck until he was sure the dog was truly dead. He then pried apart the jaws and began massaging his right forearm. There didn't seem to be any broken bones, but it took several minutes before he regained feeling and some strength in his right hand. His lack of movement had been noticed by José. Harry’s speakers became active asking him what the problem was. Harry responded, "A couple of silenced Dobermans. About ready to proceed."
Harry took stock of the situation. No obvious alarms had been sounded. He had moved enough that he was no longer sure of the invisible fence position. Harry debated trying to retrieve the sensor but decided he was more apt to accidentally disrupt the lasers while looking for the sensor. Since the dogs had charged, they probably were operating in a space clear of any of the infrared laser fences. Better to move forward; he had a mission to accomplish. Harry spent only a few seconds scanning for his knife and was lucky enough to find it. He moved quickly forward in a crouched position along the line the dogs had come from. Harry kept clenching and unclenching his right hand trying to restore circulation and strength. It took only a couple minutes to approach the building proper.
The initial plan was to disable the sensors on one of the doors leading into the porch and then into the house. Harry decided to explore the dog kennel first to see if an entry would lead directly to one of the lower floors. The door into the kennel was small, but once inside Harry was able to stand and consider his options. The wall separating the kennel from the house had an obvious doorway and Harry carefully probed for magnetic sensors or electrical contacts. A single magnetic sensor was present on the top of the door. His instrument gave him a relative magnetic strength, so he chose one of the magnets from his kit and stuck it on the doorframe to maintain the position of any magnetic switches. Harry hoped this high-tech magnet would also cancel any electrical signal generated if he succeeded in opening the door.
The lock itself was a simple deadbolt which Harry was able to pick fairly easily. He slowly opened the door. The vents in his helmet let in enough air that Harry could detect cooking odors. He seemed to be in some sort of pantry. He moved slowly forward and encountered another closed door. A quick check revealed no obvious sensors and no locks. Noises were evident on the other side of the door. Harry ever so gently began opening the door. He controlled his movements as if he were in the operating room working on someone's brain. Light began flooding into his area almost overwhelming the sensors in his helmet. Harry debated removing the helmet but decided he may yet need the infrared capability.
With the door now ajar about a foot, Harry peered around the corner. The door opened into a large kitchen area and at the far end someone was working. A late middle-aged black woman was adding flour to a large mixer. She was quite intent on what she was doing and the noise of the mixer would cover any sounds Harry made. There was another door almost midway between his position and the woman working. He debated his options. The easiest solution would be to simply take out the woman, but she was most certainly an innocent worker. She appeared to be concentrating hard on her baking and there was a good chance he could maneuver towards the other door without being seen.
The woman emptied the flour bag and turned toward Harry. Harry moved back behind the door but left it ajar so she would not see any movement. The sound amplification in his helmet picked up her footsteps moving his way. Harry drew his knife and stepped back into the pantry against the wall. There was no cover except for a broom leaning against the wall. He held the broom in front of his rigid frame and hoped it would be enough camouflage. The woman entered the pantry and flipped on the light switch. Harry held his breath as she walked past him and pulled another bag of flour from the shelf. She turned and walked out the door, flipping the switch off. Harry had watched her expression and she had not given any indication of alarm. He listened as she walked back to the other end of the kitchen and he could hear the flour bag being torn open.
Harry began breathing again. He should have taken her out; it would have simplified everything. Harry slowly opened the door again and peeked out. She was busy at her mixer concentrating on measuring ingredients. Harry surveyed the room again. Either exit back through the dog kennel or make his way to the other kitchen door. He moved carefully out through the door carrying the broom as portable camouflage. He slid sideways along the wall keeping his motion slow and smooth. With one eye at all times on the woman, he made his way to the doorway. As he neared the door, he could now see a bigger door on the far side of the counter where the woman was working. This would be the door leading to the dining area. He had no idea where the smaller door would lead. He visualized the blueprints which had shown the kitchen area connecting only to the dining area. Then he remembered that the garage was below the kitchen. This door may lead to a lower level.
Harry very slowly turned the knob and tried to open the door. It moved a little but became wedged. Pulling up on the knob to distort the door slightly, Harry pulled harder. The door gave way but not without a groan. The sound echoed in Harry's helmet. He glanced at the woman, but the sound must have been covered by the mixer noise because she didn't look up. Harry opened the door wide enough for him to enter. Before he could slide behind the door though, the woman turned toward him. Harry froze hiding behind his broom. The woman was obviously on autopilot; she walked to a cupboard and picked up a container of something and returned to her work without seeing Harry. Harry ever so slowly slid behind the door. He was now on a landing with the stairs leading down. He slowly closed the door behind himself to the point where it jammed. He listened but could hear no sounds other than the mixer. He realized he was still carrying the broom and he leaned it up against the wall.
Harry maneuvered down the stairway to another door, which was locked. He checked for magnetic sensors but found none. He worked on the lock and quickly picked it. Harry carefully opened the door towards himself and peered around the edge. His eyes were readjusting and the night vision compensated for the darkness. He was in an entryway of sorts with two doors leading in opposite directions. He spent a moment trying to orient himself based on the blueprints he had memorized. It seemed the door on the left should open to the garage, which meant the door on the right went somewhere else. Checking for sensors, Harry found two on the door to the right. He matched up the magnetic strength the best he could with his limited selection. The lock was much more complex, an industrial type deadbolt. Harry was getting frustrated with the lock, which refused to respond to his efforts. He stood up straight and stretched, and was reminded how much his feet hurt. He crouched back down and continued to work with his picks. Finally the cylinder released and he was able to turn the lock.
The door opened. The light came on and Harry froze. Temporarily blinded by his night
vision goggles, Harry stayed in his crouched attack position. Nothing else happened; no obvious alarms were sounded. Harry moved into the hallway and closed the door behind him without engaging the lock. He scanned quickly for a security camera and saw it in the far corner of the room. There were two doors leading out of the room; one was locked. He chose it and began working on the lock with his picks, after having first placed his magnetic sensors. It felt as if the security camera was weighing him down. If anyone was monitoring the system he would be obvious. The lock was similar to the entry lock and he succeeded fairly quickly in opening it. He stepped through the door and closed it after first inserting some tape into the latch to prevent the lock from closing automatically.
He had entered a dimly lit hallway rich with carpeting and paintings. He slipped down the hallway looking for the elevator they expected. There was a stairway leading upwards but no obvious elevator. He began checking what appeared to be closet doors and found a set that were locked. Checking for sensors, he again found they were monitored, and placed his magnets. He picked the lock and opened the door. Hidden behind the closet doors was the elevator. He used his knife to pry the doors opened enough to insert his fingers. The doors gradually yielded to his pressure and he slid his head into the opening. The night vision goggles showed the elevator shaft descending at least three stories and the elevator car sitting two stories above. It was an electric elevator with cables. Without hesitation, Harry reached across the elevator shaft and grabbed hold of the cables, pulling the rest of his body through the closing elevator doors. He balanced on the 2 inch ledge inside the elevator shaft on the edge of his foot, while he leaned across the 4 foot shaft to hold the cable.
Harry felt the cable which was pretty smooth, but he knew there would be enough small broken strands to cut through his gloves as he slid down the cable. He wrapped his right leg around the cable and was about to descend but his left foot was stuck. The door had closed on the tail of the shoelace. He tugged with his leg but the shoelace held, and the pressure on his foot brought the pain of his blisters back to his consciousness. Holding onto the cable with his left hand, he removed his knife and sliced through the shoelace. Leaving the remnant was not ideal. But then nothing in this operation was. He began lowering himself hand-over-hand down the elevator cable.
He felt the vibration of the motor starting and knew someone had activated the elevator. Suddenly he was moving downward at a rapid clip. He tried to look down, but the night vision goggles had trouble focusing with the rapid movement. He knew there would be a large pulley at the bottom and tried to position his legs away from the cable hoping to miss the structure. He had no way of knowing which way the pulley would be facing but if he was caught between the pulley and the cable he would be torn up worse than the kids who used to put their hands in the old-fashioned ringer washers. Harry only had a few seconds to wait before he struck the elevator shaft floor. Even though his powerful legs acted as shock absorbers it was a hard landing. He instinctively released his hold on the cable and tried to regain his balance. His shoulder brushed against the rapidly moving cable and his wetsuit was shredded. The Kevlar covering was enough protection that he was able to bounce back without further injury, but it was a close call.
Harry had no sooner regained his balance than the cable stopped moving and then reversed. The counterweight began moving up which meant the car was moving down. The bottom of the shaft was solid and there was no escape door. He sensed the approaching elevator car. There was little room at the bottom of the shaft and Harry had to lay curled on the floor, around the emergency bumper, as the elevator car began stopping a foot above him. He could hear voices speaking in what sounded Arabic but could not make out what they were saying. The door opened and light streaked into the elevator shaft around the door gaskets. Harry reached up and touched the bottom of the elevator car. He could easily feel the vibrations of someone getting out of the car. They left the elevator with the door open and were gone for a few minutes - which seemed much longer to Harry pinned below the elevator car. Harry's racing heart gradually slowed. When they returned, Harry was able to understand a few of the words they said. He may not have been able to make much sense of the conversation, but the unmistakable sound of an ammo clip being slammed home into an AK-47 rang loud and clear. The elevator car started ascending and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Being pinned below the elevator at the bottom of a shaft was much too much like a solitary confinement cell.
Harry wasted no time. He pried open the elevator doors and climbed out of the elevator shaft. He found himself in a moderate sized room which contained armaments ranging from 9 mm Luger pistols to shoulder mounted rocket launchers. He helped himself to an AK-47 and several clips of ammo. There were no other rooms attached, so he returned to the elevator shaft. He again pried open the doors and pulled himself into the shaft. Climbing the cable to the next floor, he stabilized himself on the narrow ledge inside the door. While hanging on to the cable with one hand, Harry used his other hand and a foot to gradually pry the door open. When he had worked both feet into the opening, he let go of the cable and forced his way through the opening. He was now in a small hallway with three doors. He gently placed his helmet against the door closest to him and could hear the sounds of equipment. The next door was quiet, but the third door had the sound of someone breathing.
Harry tried the door but it was locked. He quickly scanned for sensors and found none. His frustration grew as he used his picks on the deadbolt without success. It seemed to take forever to work the lock, though it finally opened with a loud click. Harry readied the AK-47 and waited, but the breathing stayed regular on the other side of the door. Opening the door slowly, he stuck his head into a room which was only lit by a light from the adjacent bathroom. It looked like a small motel room with a single bed. Stepping into the room he closed the door, quietly keeping the latch from engaging.
With his gun at the ready he moved to the bed. The person sleeping appeared to be Angie. But he wasn't sure because the night vision system did not allow for color or significant detail. Scanning the room for cameras, Harry saw one in each of two corners. He instantly covered the camera with a translucent sheet to blur the image. He then moved to the bed and looked closer to make sure it was his wife. He gently shook her by the shoulder saying, "Angie, wake up."
Angie was aroused from her sleep by a mechanical voice that seemed to come from Darth Vader. As she opened her eyes, she could see only the outline of Harry's helmet leaning over her. Instinctively, she went into attack mode. She landed her first kick in Harry's midsection, knocking him back a step. Her next kick was aimed for his groin. Harry had already reacted and deflected the kick as he said, "Angie, it's me! Harry."
It sounded sort of like Harry. Angie froze in her attack position and responded, "Harry?"
"Honey, it's me. Let me open this face shield."
Harry was fumbling with the latches on the face shield but Angie realized it was really him. She went from attack mode to rescued mode immediately and jumped into his arms and began crying. All Harry could do was hold her, with his right hand still clutching the AK-47. After a few minutes Harry said, "We need to get going. Do you have any clothes?"
Angie let go of Harry's neck and quickly put on some clothes. In a couple of minutes they were ready. Angie asked, "How do we get out of here?"
Harry responded, "I'm afraid the security people know something is up. It might get rough. If we can make it to the lake, there's a boat waiting for us."
Angie said, "I think we're a couple of stories below ground. They have always used an elevator to bring me back and forth. The main entry is a grand stairway. Why is this happening?"
"Brain worms."
"What are you talking about, brain worms?"
"I'll explain later. Let's try and get out of here."
Harry began cutting the sheets with his knife to create a sling. He opened
the door and with a quick look into the hallway, held the door open for Angie. Securing the door, they made their way to the elevator. He had Angie climb onto his back and rested her hips in a sling over his right shoulder. Over his left shoulder he carried the AK-47. Prying the elevator door open, Harry balanced on the slim ledge and reached across the narrow elevator shaft to grab the counterbalance cable. Carrying both their weights, he began climbing up the elevator cable trying to remember how many floors he had dropped when the elevator had activated before. Sweating profusely in his wetsuit, Harry hauled them hand-over-hand up the elevator shaft.
By his count they had one more floor to go. Resting wasn't an option, so despite the burning in his arms they continued slowly up the cable. When Harry saw the shoelace still hanging out of the door he knew where he was. He climbed a few feet further until he could rest one foot on the narrow ledge. Holding the cable with only his left hand he reached across and pried the door open enough to get his fingers through. With a firm grip on one of the elevator doors he let go of the cable and pulled himself and Angie across the gulf of the elevator shaft. They were now perched by his toes on a 2 inch ledge. He inserted his other hand into the narrow opening and began prying open the elevator doors. As soon as they were able to squeeze through the spring-loaded doors they were met by four armed guards with their rifles aimed at them. Another man held a pistol to José's head.