“Montauk Point.”
“That’s only some fifty miles from here,” said Diesel. “Bloch, where’s our transport?”
“En route,” said Shepard. “You’ll be picked up in twenty minutes.”
“That’s not soon enough,” said Morgan. “That time could make the difference between catching him and letting him walk free.”
“Well, what the hell other choice do we have?” asked Bishop.
Morgan looked around, and then the answer became crystal clear. “The chopper,” he said. “We’re taking the chopper.”
CHAPTER 31
Long Island coast, January 29
The helicopter sped along over black water, with Diesel in the pilot’s seat and Morgan riding shotgun, with Rogue, Spartan, and Bishop taking up three of the five seats in the back. The chopper was a Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk. Cousin to the Black Hawk helicopter, the Seahawk was a multipurpose military aircraft. Morgan had flown them before, and he recognized the displays and controls in front of him, but Diesel was the better pilot, so Morgan let him take care of the flying. Bloch briefed them over the comm as they glided over the black water, toward the distant lights at Montauk Point.
“It’s an underground facility, in every sense of the word,” she said. “It’s top secret, with only very, very few high-clearance personnel who know about it.”
“How come you know so much about it?” asked Spartan.
Bloch ignored the question. “It’s also literally underground, with the entrance at the old Camp Hero naval base. Shepard’s working on getting maps and floor plans. There’s a possibility that you’ll need to blow some doors open. Diesel, do you have explosives in your pack?”
“Never leave home without them,” said Diesel.
“Good,” said Bloch. “Have them at the ready.”
“What are we going to find there?” asked Morgan.
“Activities in the base involve advanced research,” said Bloch. “Any information beyond that is above all of your pay grades.”
“Oh, great,” said Spartan. “Chemical weapons?”
“That’s classified.”
“Bloch, we need to know what we’re up against here,” said Morgan.
“My hands are tied, Cobra,” she said.
“What if one of us dies because your hands are tied?”
“The outside door to the base is steel and fifteen inches thick,” she continued right past his question, “which, according to automated security systems, has been breached. That means that the internal security doors have locked down. That’s going to slow down Novokoff and his team, which is good news for us.”
“The hostiles seem to have disabled external communication,” Shepard broke in, “so we don’t have eyes and ears inside as of yet. Diesel, you still have that security bypass in your pack?”
“Got it right here,” he said.
“Good. Install it on the mainframe, and I’ll be able to tap into the facility. The mainframe room is on the first floor down, so that should be the first order of business. Your comms are powerful enough to work up to a hundred feet underground, so we shouldn’t have a problem maintaining contact. Once Diesel gets that device set up, I can clear the way for you.”
They had been approaching land for a few minutes, and now their destination loomed near. Morgan could clearly make out the satellite dish, illuminated in the darkness, like a beacon, a lighthouse giving them their heading. “Coming up on the target,” said Diesel. “Everyone, get ready for a rough landing. We don’t know what we’re going to find down there, but my guess is that it won’t be a welcoming committee.”
Diesel brought them nearer to the clearing around the facility. There were two men in black down there, each with a MAC-10 in his hand. They sent a hail of bullets, and Morgan heard dull metallic thuds as the bullets hit the side of the helicopter. A red light began flashing inside, and the chopper bucked. Spartan slid open the side door, and a violent gust of wind filled the helicopter. They began to shoot off the side of the chopper. The men ran for cover.
“Bringing her down now!” shouted Diesel. The chopper descended, heaving and bucking, and finally touched the ground.
“Move out!” shouted Bishop. They streamed out of the side as Morgan and Diesel kicked open their respective doors.
“Got visual, in the tree line,” said Rogue.
“Cobra, Diesel, flank,” said Bishop. “Rogue, see if you can get a visual on them. Spartan, cover fire.”
Morgan ran to the right of the chopper while Spartan shot a hail of bullets toward the trees. There was return fire, and Morgan heard a bullet buzz right past his ear.