After three hours of many incorrect GPS calculations and misguided directions, from the locals, he arrived at Mount Walker, Puget Sound. A beautiful area of northwest America. Extremely rugged with steep mountains, large Douglas-fir forests and immense waterways. The sign post indicated only one road led up the mountain.
Wade was aware a wealthy person selecting such a remote and well-protected area would have only one access road and it would be well guarded. Hiding the car. He made his way around to the lake side of the mountain, opposite side to the road. As the most rugged and difficult terrain it would also be the least protected. He spent the next two hours searching and disabling early warning detection devices.
Throughout the remaining daylight hours, he observed the fortress like facility suspended on the eastern side of the mountain overlooking Puget Sound, two thousand feet below. Under the cover of darkness, he climbed the mountain rock face and reached the monolithic overhanging concrete slab that formed the floor of the building. Using his night vision goggles (NVG) he made his way through the sub floor area. It was utilised as the service area for the air conditioning units, standby generator, lift motor control room, cold storage and wine cellar. At the furthest end he found the stairs and was about to take his first step when he noticed, through the NVG, that the steps had been rigged with pressure pads. Disabling the pads, he was then confronted with the handrail wired to heat sensor detectors.
Wade thought the owner of the building was using every means possible to stop intruders. Swinging his grappling hook over the highest point of the handrail he pulled himself up the inside of the stairwell. Ensuring not to touch the handrail he flipped himself over and stood beside the door. Deactivating the switch sensor, disabling the CCTV activation contact; he slowly opened the door.
The entry was into a thirty car garage. Walking between luxury Mercedes, Ferraris and Bentleys he also found an armour plated Hummer and two fully armed Chenowth Scorpion Desert Patrol Vehicles (DPV), normally associated with the US Navy SEALS. Quickly skirting the remaining vehicles, he stepped into a hallway that acted as a service port from the main building.
Destroying the lights, he made his way deeper into the building, where he found storage rooms, workers sleeping quarters and armouries. Hand on the door handle he heard voices inside. Three males. Softly knocking and standing to the left, an Asian male, dressed in military clothing, stepped into the corridor. Wade easily slipped the garrotte around his neck and pulled him away from the door. Slowly lowering the body and removing his NVG, he lay on the floor, leant into the doorway and with two silenced .45 rounds from his H&K SOCOM pistol shot out the lights. Within seconds the remaining two occupants burst through the door. Wade grabbed the second fleeing occupant from behind. His left hand around his neck and under his chin, Wade pulled back and up. The man’s forward projection and Wade’s strength and whiplash motion snapped his neck. As he dropped him he fired a single pinpoint accurate head shot at the first.
Dragging all three bodies into the room he became aware it was a communications and control centre. There was a table with three chairs and three screens per chair. Above the table were a further eight wall mounted screens. Wade noticed most were fixed cameras except for two on the wall. One was external and appeared to be moving above the buildings on wire support lines but the other was dedicated to following a person. He saw it didn’t show the persons face but did show where the person was located, at any time, within the building. It also showed the path this person had taken.
Studying the screens and the maps laid out on the table, he set about determining his location and trying to find Samantha Cooper. Whilst fiddling with the control knob he suddenly heard a male voice and appearing on a screen was a man and woman, seated, facing each other.
The man was of European appearance, short greying hair, a round face covered in frown lines, and dark brown recessed eyes. Pastel cream Mao collar shirt and a small gold cross on a thin wide gold chain around his neck. He was holding a pair of reading glasses in his left hand and had a notepad and pen in his right. He was intently watching the woman as he spoke.
“Now Roxy, tell me what happened last night?” asked the man.
“Barney was rude to Cindy,” replied the middle aged woman in a slow, nearly retarded childlike speech.
“And where was Barney when he said this?” asked the man again, in his strong northern European accent.
“He was on the box, being rude. Where do you think he was!” she exclaimed looking down between her legs.
Wade saw she had a small doll and was nervously fidgeting with it as she spoke. He also noticed she talked to the doll not looking up and talking to the man. He realised the man was a doctor, most likely a psychiatrist, and the woman his patient.
“Has Barney said sorry to Cindy yet?” asked the doctor.
“No,” came the barely audible reply.
“Sorry Roxy. I couldn’t hear you,” asked the doctor again.
Without warning the woman sprung out of the chair and threw the doll across the room into the burning fireplace. Yelling as she stood, “What the hell are we doing here? We have work to do,” she said as she started pacing around the room.
Wade heard the voice had become clear, concise, authoritarian and very manly.
“Please Troy, sit down and let’s discuss this?” asked the doctor, appearing nervous.
Walking back to her chair the woman sat down but this time with much more control and confidence.
“Doc, I respect you trying to help but I need to get control of things. I can’t have any more mistakes. Losing the plant in Djibouti was bad enough but then also Doksal and Daniel. I need to get rid of this blasted soldier and his girlfriend and focus on Bart,” replied the woman.
“Troy, I know you are struggling with Roxy and Samantha getting in the way of your plans but you need to settle down. We can work our way through this,” stated the doctor.
“I pay you a lot of money so why can’t you get rid of these two,” responded the woman once again becoming agitated and annoyed.
Pausing and staring at the doctor, with incredible intensity, she continued. “It took me a long time, and plenty of hard work, to get the family fortune and then get rid of my father. So you start delivering some of those psychiatry skills or your little family secret will be made public and we both know what that means.”
Wade’s study of psychology helped him realise what was going on. Samantha Cooper had multiple personalities. The two women, Roxy a child state and Samantha a middle aged recluse, were being dominated by Troy, the strong minded, intelligent, business oriented, arrogant, cruel, power hungry male. He also now realised that Cooper was part of the Grey Wolves splinter group after she had mentioned Djibouti, Doksal and Daniel.
Part of Wade’s previous mission had involved destroying a plant in the capital of Djibouti, killing Doksal the leader of the group and then hunting down and killing Vice President Daniel Cooper who was the hidden financier and ultimately the one to gain the most.
He determined Cooper’s current location, removed a USB flash drive that was labelled ‘CCTV files’, destroyed all the CCTV system and any associated security alarms.
Mount Walker
Wade moved silently through the building, like a spider crossing its web, avoiding staff members and security personnel, until he came upon a door with the nametag ‘Roxy’. About to open the door, he noticed the handle appeared to have never been touched and a finger print scanner adjacent. Searching he found there was a small alarm activation contact at the base of the door. Removing a matchbox size piece of foil from his carry pack he slid it across the alarm; thus ensuring the circuit was not broken when he opened the door.
The buildings security and surveillance system was state of the art. Wade knew there would be a backup or failsafe option protecting the room. Searching the hallway, he found the six inch by two foot sheet of material that was blended to match the floor covering. Picking up the sheet the reverse was lined with a reflective foil and millions of what appeared as