Night Unbound(120)

Actually, she didn’t know where Seth was. But, based on the two days Zach had spent walking in the shoes of the Immortal Guardians’ leader, she assumed he was taking care of some emergency.
The front door opened.
Chris Reordon strode in, his usual battered briefcase in one hand and what looked almost like a rifle carrying case gripped in the other.
Darnell rose and crossed to take the rifle case.
“Thanks.” Chris nodded a greeting to everyone and joined all of them in the dining room. “Is David with Ami?”
“Yes.” Darnell set the case on the table across from Lisette and Zach, who occupied two chairs near the end beside Seth’s empty seat.
Chris dropped his heavy briefcase on the floor with a thump and reached for the rifle case.
Wondering what it contained, Lisette watched him flip the latches and open it.
Long rolls of paper the size of posters were stacked on top of each other inside, along with wooden sticks she watched him assemble into some sort of display easel.
While Chris positioned the easel on Lisette’s side of the table near Seth’s chair, Darnell left the room. He returned a moment later, carrying a large corkboard he leaned against the nearest wall.
When Chris nodded, Darnell phoned Seth and let him know they were ready.
Seth appeared at Zach’s elbow seconds later.
David entered from the hallway, his expression telling them there was still no change in Ami’s condition. Face somber, he seated himself at the head of the table.
Seth took the seat at Zach and Lisette’s end and adjusted his chair a bit so he could see whatever Chris intended to show them on the easel.
Immortals and Seconds shifted their seats.
Chris removed a poster from the rifle case and began sliding off the rubber bands that kept it tightly rolled. “All of you probably know by now that Cliff tagged a vampire with a tracking device.”
Lisette was pleased to see the young vampire included in their meeting again.
“Well, last night we hit pay dirt. The vamp finally led us home.”
Those who knew that Zach had had to tag another vampire remained silent, wanting Cliff to have his moment.
Chris placed the large corkboard on the easel, then unrolled the paper and fastened the corners to the corkboard with thumbtacks. “This is where he led us.”
When he stepped back, Lisette felt her heart drop into her stomach.
“Tell me that isn’t what I think it is,” Roland gritted.
“It’s a mercenary compound,” Chris announced, inciting a new round of swearing. “Or rather it’s part of a mercenary compound.” He grabbed another poster roll, stripped off the rubber bands, and attached it atop the first.
Lisette stared.
“Shhhhhit!” Ethan exclaimed.
The satellite image provided them with a faintly blurry bird’s-eye view of an enormous compound, encompassing she-didn’t-know-how-many acres, with multiple buildings.
Warehouses. Hangars. Training fields.
“Is that a runway?” Sheldon asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes. And a helipad.” Chris bent and removed a file from his briefcase, along with a handful of thumbtacks he dropped with a clatter onto the table. One by one, he tacked up eight-and-a-half by eleven-inch satellite images. “I called in aid from damned near every contact to get these. There’s a runway. Airplanes. Military helicopters. Civilian helicopters. Tanks. Humvees. Armored personnel carriers. Various and assorted other kick-ass vehicles. Warehouses. We believe these two buildings here house the soldiers. We estimate each is at least forty-thousand square feet.”
“Shit!” someone else—Stan’s Second, Alexei?—exclaimed.
“There are dozens of firing ranges that rival those down at network headquarters in size and sophistication. A breeching range.”
“What’s a breeching range?” Lisette interrupted.
“Doors—indoor and outdoor—and iron fences soldiers use to practice breeching buildings. There’s also a tactical driving track. Small town and maritime mock-ups. This is the main building here. Aside from jumping the razor wire-topped fence or entering by plane or helicopter, there is only one way in or out. This road here. And, naturally, it’s heavily guarded. It’s also probably outfitted with bear claws to keep unauthorized vehicles out.”#p#分页标题#e#
“How big is the compound?” Darnell asked.
“Roughly four thousand acres.”
Stunned silence took the room.
“Exactly,” Chris said. “These guys are who Donald and Nelson aspired to be. These guys are doing their damnedest to give the big guns a run for their money.”
Seth studied the pictures. “Are they affiliated in any way with the government?”
“We haven’t gotten that far, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they’ve landed government contracts.”