Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
Sapphire Angel and Conner crouched among a copse of trees, about one hundred yards from WarTech's perimeter fence. The foliage would have provided poor cover during daylight, but in the dark of the early morning hours it would suffice. They had been in this position for only five minutes, after surveying other points around the perimeter for the last hour.
"What do you see?" Sapphire Angel asked. Conner held a pair of night vision binoculars to his eyes as he scanned the facility.
"Just like the other sections of the fence," he replied. "Cameras everywhere along the fence. But there's one area ahead and to our right with a slightly bigger gap. If I jam one camera, you should be able to take a direct line from there to the back loading dock and stay out of sight of the other cameras."
"You're sure?"
"Pretty sure. If I had my gear from back home, I'd be one-hundred percent certain, but this is the best stuff I could find on a few hours' notice. And if we had my gear, I could communicate with you while you're in there."
She shook her head. "Too risky. They might detect the transmission."
She wished he had his own gear — or, better yet, Stanley's gear — but the equipment they had assembled from around town over the last few hours should be enough. She only needed to make it to the loading dock she had seen during her tour, which led into the rest of the building.
"We can't wait any longer," she said. "I need to do this before sunrise. Hit the camera — the one near the gap — with the jammer."
"Are you sure? This is crazy."
"I'll just be looking around. During my visit, I noticed there were no surveillance cameras inside, or at least in the areas I visited. I'm guessing it's because of the sensitive nature of the work they do — they can't afford to have it captured on video. So the hard part will be breaching the perimeter. Once I do that, and get inside, I should be able to get in and out without them realizing it."
"What about getting to the upper levels?" he asked. "You mentioned a fingerprint sensor at the elevator."
"I'll find a way. There have to be stairs, right?"
"Probably with the same kind of sensor."
"If I need to, I'll find someone and force them to use the sensor."
"You sound too overconfident for my liking. Overconfidence can lead to carelessness. Do you think your eagerness to find Eric might be clouding your judgment?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter," the superheroine replied. "I have to take some chances, Conner, and nobody has been able to stop me anyway. I took down an entire bar full of men two days ago. WarTech could have a squad of guards waiting in there, and I'd still be okay."
"I don't—"
"Just jam the camera signal!" she said, jumping to her feet.
Conner swore under his breath, but a moment later said, "It's done. It's jammed for about twenty seconds."
The costumed heroine barely heard Conner's words. She closed the distance to the fence in a blur, and leapt over it like a pole-vaulter might leap a bar, except she didn't have a pole. She touched down on the other side and rushed in a straight line toward the loading dock.
Although open to the night air, the dock seemed deserted. She slowed as she approached and crept forward toward it, expecting someone to come out of hiding at any moment. But the place was empty. The crane she had seen on her tour stood still, like a prop on a deserted movie set, with crates filling up much of the rest of the area.
With a flex of her legs, Sapphire Angel sprang up onto the concrete floor of the loading dock and weaved between the crates. Her eyes scanned the area until she found what she needed. She made her way across the dock to the computer terminal on the far wall. She reached into her boot and pulled out a small thumb drive, which she stuck into a USB slot on the back of the computer. A few hours earlier she had installed a special tool from Stanley onto the thumb drive, which he hoped would give him access to the WarTech computer network.
Sapphire Angel scanned the area again, considering the best way to reach the upper levels of the facility. She didn't like the idea of wandering aimlessly, looking for a stairwell which might use the same sensor as the elevator. She might have no choice but to take a prisoner to use the sensor. That might get sloppy. The heroine glanced down at the desk and, as if her thoughts had summoned it, she spotted a rectangular plastic card with the words, "Elevator Card" written in marker on the front.
A smile came to her face as elation filled her. Did she dare hope the card might bypass the need for a fingerprint in the elevator? She picked up the card and moved toward the door to her right. Sapphire Angel opened the door and scanned her surroundings, spotting the elevator down the hall to her left. The hall was silent and, as she remembered it, contained no cameras. Still she paused, taking an extra moment to make sure she was alone, before stepping into the hall and creeping to the elevator doors.
When she reached the doors, she held up the card, but paused. She lowered the card to her side with a shake of her head. This was too easy. What were the chances someone would leave such an item laying about? Slim. What were the chances there would be no other security measures here? Also slim. Conner's words came to her. Do you think your eagerness to find Eric might be clouding your judgment? She wouldn't make the mistake of rushing blindly into danger, even if she was confident in her dominance.
As she considered the alternative — finding a stairwell — she sensed movement behind her. She spun, but not in time. A hand flashed toward her, striking her shoulder and spinning her into the wall to the right of the elevator. As she gained her bearings, she leveled her eyes and saw the man in front of her. The man in black, from her fight in the hotel. The man who had kidnapped Eric.
Other links:
Sapphire Angel, Superheroine (Book 1)
Power Play (Book 2)
Deconstruction (this book - Book 3)
MANTIS?! That can't be how it ends.....guess things are heating up now! A part of me stiII thinks of Conner as being a IittIe overbearing and protective---he is her Iover, after aII---but at the same time, we wouldn't have had nearIy as easy of a time breaching WarTech if it weren't for him. The camera jamming, the additionaI set of eyes keeping tabs on the perimeter.....it was aII him.
You're doing a very good job making me thoroughIy anaIyze Conner's character; and Sapphire's, too, to an extent. Like.....is Conner in the right for caring about Sapphire's safety and disIiking the fact that she reguIarIy puts herseIf in dangerous situations, or is he mostIy being nothing but a roadbIock in her objectives? And at the same time, is Sapphire being impatient in rushing in so quickIy, or does she genuineIy have a pIan to take care of things? Those with power do have the obIigation to use it responsibIy, but not using it at aII and remaining a simpIe bystander is aImost just as bad.
She HAS technicaIIy Iost before---Raven Tristan, the battIe with Mantis at the hoteI (kind of), the fight at Lanigan's bar (initiaIIy)---so I'm kind of on the fence about the whoIe thing. ThankfuIIy, it doesn't seem Iike he knocked her out right away, so she couId have a chance to recover and fight back. StiII, it's kind of weird knowing that the next chapter after this one wiII be the Iast for a bit. If you end that one on a cIiffhanger, I don't know what I wouId do after that.
I'II swing by again on Thursday to see how this concIudes for the time being! My money's on Mantis (and VaIik as weII---I think he's stiII somewhere in the faciIity, too.....?) successfuIIy detaining her and getting what they need out of her before she fights back. If she defeats both of them before they can even do anything, though, that'd be impressive, too!