Crossing the Line (25 page)

T
he walk over to Simmonds's office had pushed my nerves. Strangely, Simmonds didn't seem surprised to see us.

“We have a plan,” I said.

He looked back and forth at the two of us, his eyes resting on Travis for half a second longer. “Okay,” he said. “Let's hear it.”

We sat across from him, leaning eagerly over his desk. “I'm going back into KATO,” I said.

“And I'm leading her rescue team,” Travis said.

“You're suspended,” Simmonds said.

“I have more experience with KATO than any other agent in this place,” Travis said. “When this is over, you can order me to move back on campus and monitor me around the clock if you want, but there's no way I'm staying behind on this.”

Simmonds tapped a pen on the top of his desk. “Let's just hear this plan of yours before we get ahead of ourselves.” As I started to talk, he listened, intrigued, and then began taking notes.

“I'm going to do everything I can to destroy the missile or the hovercrafts—or both. I'll do my best to shut their operation down enough to delay them, and bring back hard evidence that you can pass on to another agency.” I was sure I sounded more confident than
I felt, but that was fine. I needed him to believe I could do this.

“And if you can't shut it down?” Simmonds asked.

“Then at the very least, I'll get information on their plan and some evidence,” I said. “And I'll see what I can find out about Eliza and Dr. Foster, since they're the keys to this. Once we have that, we can figure out a way to use that to our advantage.”

Simmonds gave away nothing as he studied us. “Elton, as the self-proclaimed leader of the rescue team, who did you have in mind for this mission?”

“Cody, Nikki, and Rachel.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Really? You think that'll work out?”

“They've come around,” he said, giving me a sympathetic look. “And I wouldn't risk this with anyone else.”

I wasn't sure I agreed, but I trusted him, so I nodded anyway.

“What's your timetable?” Simmonds asked.

Travis deferred to me.

“KATO didn't say how long they'd need me,” I said. “But—” I hesitated, afraid if I said too much it would squash the whole mission.

“Joss, what is it?” Travis asked.

I glanced at him. “If I'm in there for more than a day, they're going to try to give me Gerex.”

Travis's eyes hardened, and I was afraid he was going to back out. “How can you be sure you'll have that much time?”

“Because I'll tell them I shot up right before they got me. They won't suspect I'm lying to avoid an injection. The only reason they'd give me one early is as a reward, and they're not going to hand those out yet. Not if they're in the middle of their big plan. Rewards will
come after.” I looked from Simmonds to Travis. “Trust me. I know what I'm talking about.”

“How are you supposed to get to them?” Simmonds asked.

“They're going to stage a kidnapping. Once I get in touch with them, they'll give me the details.”

Travis was still, thinking for a moment. Then he nodded. “You've got twenty-three hours from the moment they take you to do what you can, then we're coming in. It'll look like a rescue operation, because it
will
be one, only you'll know we're on our way. And we'll do our best to disrupt their plans while we're there.”

I relaxed slightly. “Okay.”

“Can you put all of us on a decoy mission to get us closer to North Korea?” Travis asked. “It'll give her more time inside.”

“We can arrange that,” Simmonds said, then turned to me. “I know you're familiar with the facility.”

“Oh yeah,” I said. “I know my way around every part of KATO. I can do this.” My insides were twisting themselves into knots so big I was surprised I couldn't feel them through my skin, but the more I told myself I could pull this off, the more I started to believe it.

Simmonds considered us. “If you can get your team in and out of KATO, I'll arrange for a safe house and we'll come up with an extraction plan.”

“You're signing off?” I asked, my heart pounding both out of fear and eagerness. “On both of us?”

Simmonds nodded a fraction. “I am. But, Elton, don't think you're off the hook.”

“Of course not, sir,” Travis said. “When do we leave?”

“I'll work on a mission profile and have you dispatched to
southeastern Russia within the next six hours.”

“I'll contact KATO and let them know they'll have an opportunity,” I said.

“Mission folders will be sent to you once they're fully prepared,” Simmonds said. I looked to the mission map. We weren't the only active assignment, but I was sure we were the most important. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

I thought for a moment. “If we end up using tech support, I want Sam Lewis on comms.”

Simmonds's eyebrows knitted. “Walter is our best tech, and Sam's only a student.”

“I realize that,” I said. “But Walter doesn't hide how much he hates me. And I can't be worried about him while I'm inside KATO.”

He turned to Travis, still not convinced.

Travis shrugged. “She trusts Sam.”

Simmonds nodded in concession. “I'll allow it. But he won't have full control, and he will be monitored closely. He may just be the person relaying information.”

“All I care about is getting the intel I need as easily as possible.”

Simmonds nodded. “That's something I can agree to.” He closed his notebook. “Elton, you can assemble your team. I'll have Sam meet you in the prep lab.”

I thanked him and led the way out of the room.

 • • • 

I walked briskly down the hall, my pace quickening as the list of things we had to do before we left got longer and longer.

“We need to go over the facility,” I said. “If you're coming in,
you'll need to know the layout. We also need to go over their intruder protocol. And there are some backdoor ways in that you should know about. We need satellite photos—”

“Whoa.” Travis took my arm and pulled me over to the side of the hall. “Slow down.”

“We don't have time,” I said. “There's so much we have to go over if we're going to pull this off without getting caught. There are blueprints you need to see, security measures you need to know how to avoid, and all of this depends on them not having changed anything too drastically—”

He put his hand on my mouth to shut me up. “Stop talking,” he said, then held it there for another moment, driving home his point.

“Okay.” He lowered his arm to hold my shoulders. “Now, are you sure you're going to be okay with this?”

I shook my head and tried to step around him. “That's not important. There are other things—”

“It
is
important!” He tightened his grip, and it was enough to keep me in place. “When are you going to get that?”

I looked up at him evenly. “I don't need you to take care of me. I've had a lot of practice doing it on my own.”

He stared down at me, holding my gaze. “Well, right now, you're doing a really shitty job.”

There was a fire in his eyes that finally made me pause. I took in a long breath through my nose and blew it out through my mouth. Then I nodded. “Okay.”

“Now. Let's try this again.” He let go of me and crossed his arms. “We're going into KATO. A place that held you captive for ten years.
Are you going to be okay with that?”

I had a yes sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed it. “I don't know.” My voice broke. “Yes. I need to be.”

“I'm not leaving you there,” he said. “We'll make the rescue look good. They'll never know it was staged.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, willing his words to be true.

“You'll have surprise on your side,” he said. “They underestimated you. They never even considered the possibility that you could be strong enough to stand on your own.”

“Right.” I nodded. “You're right.”

He smiled. “I know.”

“But there's something I need from you,” I said.

“Name it.”

“I know you're leading the team, but I need to be in charge until they take me.” I bit my lip. “I need to make sure you know everything I need you to know, and I need everyone else to listen to me.”

“Done,” he said. “And they will.”

I breathed through my nose, gathering my strength, then nodded. “Okay,” I said. “We should get to work.”

 • • • 

Sam was already in the mission prep room by the time we got there, bouncing around wide-eyed. He didn't look at all like he had just been dragged out of bed. “What did you do to get me this gig?” he asked. I moved from computer to computer, starting them up. Sam was right behind me every step. “No one at my level has
ever
had point on something like this!”

“You don't have point,” I said. “You're just the person I'd rather talk to.”

He gave me a self-assured look. “If I've got the comm, I've got point.”

I smiled. “But you're not really in charge. You have to run everything through the tech team.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “How did you get me in on this?”

I turned to face him. “I asked for you. You've never questioned me. And the last time I had operational support on a mission I didn't completely trust the information I was getting. I can't afford to second-guess anything here.”

“Because it's KATO?” he asked; his eyes got just a little bit bigger.

I tensed and held his gaze for a moment. “I need to trust the person I'm talking to.”

He nodded, his expression serious. “I'll get you what you need.” He spoke with more confidence than someone in his position should. I had a feeling he would take out anyone who tried to get in his way. “What do you need from me now?”

“Get together any kind of satellite footage you can. I need to see a current view of North Korea before we land.”

He opened his laptop. “I'm on it.”

We were waiting for the others to arrive. Simmonds was supposed to meet with the three of them when they got in, then send them to us. I took the time to get in touch with KATO, telling them they'd have the perfect opportunity to get me in Russia.

It was another fifteen minutes before the prep room door opened, and Nikki, Rachel, and Cody came in.

“Shh,” Cody said. “I'm not awake enough for the two of you.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Now who's being a noodle?”

“Hey, I am
not
a noodle.” He glared at her. “
I
made it up. I get to
determine if I'm a noodle, so I'm not.”

“Of course,” Rachel said. “You always change the rules so they work for you.”

“I'm not changing the rules.” He was bordering on whining. “These
are
the rules.”

“Have you guys been briefed?” Travis asked, interrupting them.

“Yes,” Cody said, jumping at the chance to change the subject. “We've got a fake mission to Russia to cover our real mission in North Korea.” Then he turned to me. “Where do we start?”

I was almost startled by how direct and pointed he was with me, but I got over it quickly. “How much do you already know about KATO?” I asked.

Travis crossed the room and started typing on a computer. “Here's everything we have on their facilities,” he said, sending a map of North Korea to one of the three monitors that hung on the wall in front of us. “According to our intel, this”—he pointed the cursor to a spot outside of Pyongyang—“is their headquarters.”

I took the mouse from him and zoomed in on the capital and the area surrounding it. “Most of the facility is underground.” I studied the map for a moment. “I can't get a good shot of the entrances from this.”

Travis's eyes flicked up to me. “Is this where they kept you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. They wanted my division as far underground as they could get us.”

“Sam.” Travis kept his attention on me even while he talked to Sam. “Can you get images of the suburbs to the west of Pyongyang and send them to Cody's computer?”

Cody nodded and sat down at a computer right behind him.

“Sure.” Sam's fingers were already moving across the keyboard. “Give me a second.”

I fidgeted with a pencil on the table.

“They're on your screen,” Sam said.

Cody sent the picture to the second monitor. “So, how do we get in?”

“There are four different secured entrances.” I took over at Cody's computer and pointed out the four houses staggered about a quarter mile away from the edge of the field.

“Underground tunnel?” Nikki guessed.

“Exactly,” I said. “But I know another way in.” I panned out again. “There are three ventilation shafts at different points on the edge of the field. They're designed for an emergency evacuation of essential personnel. I know where two of them are.”

Nikki raised an eyebrow. “How did you find them?”

I didn't look at her. “I did some snooping. Overheard a few conversations.”

“You got away with that?” Rachel asked. It was the first time she had ever said something to me that wasn't meant to be cruel. But I could still hear an edge to her voice.

I kept my eyes on the map. “No.” I felt all of them look at me and forced a smirk. “But they didn't realize how much I heard.”

Travis shifted so he was in my range of vision. He shot me a harsh look, and his mouth formed a thin line.

“What else do we need to know?” Nikki asked, pushing things along before anyone could ask questions.

“Are there blueprints of the interior?” I asked. Travis, still tense, went back to his computer and pulled up schematics for both levels
of the complex within seconds. I was pretty sure these were the plans I had given Simmonds when I arrived. “There are two floors,” I said. “The upper level is operations and the lower is training.”