Page 73 of Undercover Infidel
21
CON
Iwatched Lex through the darkness of our room, her face illuminated by the glow of her tablet as she analyzed the data we’d gathered. Neither of us had found sleep after discovering Bennett’s deception and McLaren’s suspicious knowledge of Orlov’s systems. Despite the exhaustion weighing on my limbs, my mind refused to quiet.
An alert from Kestrel appeared on my phone.No word on Nightingale. Chatter suggests full-scale demo eleven hundred tomorrow. Multiple hostiles to attend.
I raised my head, and my eyes met Lex’s. “It’s on.”
“When?”
I read Kestrel’s message aloud.
“We need to move on this immediately,” said Lex.
“Agreed.” I pushed myself off the bed where I’d been reviewing surveillance images. “Let’s gather the team.”
We found Tag in the kitchen, cleaning his weapon.
“Time to earn our keep,” I told him. “Confirmed intelligence on Orlov’s demonstration. Tomorrow morning.”
His brow furrowed. “Copy that. I’ll wake Renegade and Archon.”
Within twenty minutes, our makeshift command center buzzed with activity. Bennett arrived last, his complexion ashen, the bandage on his shoulder spotted with fresh blood. Despite his injury from yesterday’s mission, determination blazed in his eyes.
McLaren took one look at him and shook her head. “Malcolm, you need medical attention?—”
“I’m fine,” he spat, though his labored breathing suggested otherwise.
Lex stood beside me when I spread the facility schematics across the central table, drawing the team’s attention to our target. “Everyone clear on their positions?” I surveyed the faces around me. Tag’s expression remained stoic, while Renegade and Archon acknowledged my question with “yes, sirs.”
“We have a tight window,” I continued, marking the entry points on the digital map. “After that, Labyrinth goes from theoretical threat to active weapon.”
“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” Lex added, her voice steady despite the pressurecrushing down on us all. “If Orlov completes this demonstration, there’s no putting this technology back in the box.”
Bennett shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wincing as the movement disturbed his wound.
“Malcolm, I’m pulling you from the op,” Lex said before I had the chance to say it myself.
“The hell you are,” he snapped. “You can’t go in there without me. I made sure of it.”
“What in the bloody hell does that mean?” I barked.
“I told you there were things you weren’t privy to. Either you take me with you, or you’ll have no way to stop the demonstration.”
“I’ll see to it this ends your career,” Lex seethed.
Bennett’s expression was chilling. “It’s already over, Dr. Sterling.”
“We can’t risk it,” warned McLaren. “We need to stop Orlov at all costs. Whether Malcolm is bluffing or not isn’t something to chance.”
“Fine,” I relented, knowing further argument would waste precious time. I turned to Bennett. “You’re with Archon on the east approach. Minimal resistance expected there.”
Bennett’s eyes narrowed, but he offered no protest.
I outlined the final plan and assigned positions. “Tag and Renegade, you’ll take the south entrance. Lex and I will approach from the west—likely the heaviest resistance, but also the most direct path to the demonstration area.”
“What about me?” McLaren asked.
