Page 85 of Forbidden Moon
“Uh, I have a delivery for... Perdy. I don’t usually make this run, so what’s the deal here?”
The man’s nerves made more sense now, as delivering to the Preserve involved an unfamiliar protocol. Troy explained.
“Once we get you cleared, we’ll raise the gates. This road ends in a parking lot, and you’ll see a building on the right with a row of tall windows. Somebody from the kitchen staff will meet you there. Give me a minute, and you’ll be on your way.”
Troy did a mental checklist on his way back to the guardhouse, hoping he got it right. He looked over the clipboard instructions one more time while Doogie made a quick call to the kitchen. Perdy got on the line, confirmed the order, and instructed him to let the truck pass. He gave Troy a thumbs up, who stepped out to wave it through as the gates went up. They watched until the truck disappeared around the first bend in the road. Doogie shrugged.
“That wasn’t too complicated. I wonder if we’ll have any other surprises.”
Troy gave him a coy smile.
“Be careful what you wish for, big guy.”
####
IN THE CAB, THE QUEASYdriver released a gusty sigh and purposely reduced speed. A red indicator light on the dash flickered on and off, going dark after the truck's back door closed again, followed by two knocks. He increased speed and glanced in his side mirrors but saw nothing. These guys, whoever they were, seemed to know what they were doing. He wasn’t paid to ask questions, but who would bother sneaking into a nudist colony? Oh, well. All he needed to do was make the delivery, get out of here, and collect his reward.
####
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
Robyn hissed angrily as she detected yet another intruder, the second in the last five minutes.
“Additional contact! Single intruder approaching The Village from the north!”
Artem sent the only drone available to take a look and confirmed before making the call.
“White team. Intercept single intruder north of The Village. Assume he is armed.
“Copy, base. Moving in now.”
Keeping her eyes glued to the various screens, Robyn vented her frustration.
“Where are these guys coming from? They’ve never gotten this close to the central compound before!”
Ben walked in as Oscar activated the level one alert. Those inside were to stay put and lock the doors. Anyone outside was to run for the nearest building and remain there until given the all-clear. Artem maintained his vigil while giving Ben a quick update.
“Orange team has their man and is holding him. White team is still in pursuit. We need to figure out how and when they got in here before...”
A series of beeps alerted them to another contact, and both Artem and Robyn scrambled to locate it. There! Another guy in camo, making his way towards the rear of the Eastside Apartments.
“Green team. Intercept required east of the apartments. Single contact. Approach with caution.”
“Green team acknowledges. On our way.”
Ben growled, worried how many more there might be.
“Where the hell are these jokers coming from? Why didn’t anyone detect them farther out?”
Oscar rushed in with an update.
“Our scouts traced their movements to the entry road. Four distinct human scents that appeared out of nowhere, all headed in this direction.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed.
“Wait. The entry road? Nobody’s been in or out except the delivery truck... shit! Oscar, don’t let the driver go anywhere! It’s the only way they could have gotten this far without being seen.”
Robyn swore as one of her screens revealed another shadowy figure weaving in and out between parked cars—right outside the building.
