less willing to risk his life in battle. He has children to live for."
"You're expecting a battle?"
"This cult is extremely paranoid and aggressive," Joseph said. "There could be violence. Is that a problem? Are you afraid?"
"No. Are we done prying into my personal life? Let me see some of the intelligence you promised."
Joseph wore a large backpack. He shrugged it off, took out a sheaf of papers, and handed them to Aaron. He flipped through the stack and saw they were aerial photographs of the cult compound with enough resolution to show fine details. There were about forty buildings of various sizes grouped into distinct clusters. The largest stood in the exact center, separated from all the others.
"What is this place?" Aaron pointed at the central building.
Galina leaned over to look. "The temple where the cult performs its ceremonies, but we're more interested in this building." She touched a square structure.
"You want me to check it out?"
"Exactly. Get inside and look around. Take some pictures. That's all we need from you."
"What about Brittany Waters?"
"The women's dormitory section is over here." She circled a cluster of buildings with her finger.
"How do I find her?" Aaron said.
"I'm trying to explain. We have some very small cameras with radio transmitters. If you hide them near the dormitories, we can observe from the safety of our surveillance van. Within a day we'll know if your girl is there."
"Are you coming in with me?"
"No." Joseph shook his head. "We'll create a distraction on the other side of the compound so the guards will be elsewhere."
"I see. In other words, I'm taking all the risks."
"It's less of a risk than going in without a distraction. We're doing you a favor. You want to rescue the girl, don't you?"
Aaron took a deep breath. The argument was sound even if he didn't like the conclusions. "I assume this operation will happen at night."
"That's right." Joseph nodded. "We'll loan you some top grade night vision gear. Meet us at this spot at 11 PM sharp. Take the aerial photos with you. Memorize the location of every building, so you can move in the darkness without getting lost. We'll see you tonight."
He and Galina turned and walked off into the thick woods. Aaron was left to wonder how soon he would regret his decision to ally with them. He wasn't even sure why he had agreed to do it at all. The only obvious answer was a woman with fiery red hair who fascinated him.
Chapter Two
The night was perfect for covert operations. A blanket of clouds covered the moon. The air was warm and humid, but a steady breeze cooled Aaron's sweaty skin. Despite the darkness, he could see clearly with the night vision goggles Joseph had given him. The cult compound appeared bright green to Aaron's eyes, every detail in crisp focus.
In fact, the goggles produced such a brilliant image that Aaron was suspicious. Only elite military forces were entitled to such sophisticated gear. Joseph had handed over the goggles with seeming indifference to the fact they probably had cost thousands of dollars, if one could purchase them at all.
Aaron crept forward to the fence and snipped it with a pair of wire cutters. He made a hole just big enough to crawl through. He dashed to the nearest building and hid behind a dumpster. The stench of rotting garbage made him wince. Several guards waving around flashlights patrolled the grounds, and the beams looked like green lasers to Aaron. None were close to his hiding spot.
He took a walkie-talkie from his pocket and whispered, "I'm inside."
Galina's voice answered, "We're ready to set off the fireworks."
"Not yet. Hold for my signal."
He waited for a gap in the patrols, then jogged across open ground to a group of three long buildings arranged side-by-side. Supposedly, this section was the women's dormitory, but all of the windows were frosted and dark, so he had no way to confirm that fact. The walls of the buildings were made of heavy wooden planks nailed
"You're expecting a battle?"
"This cult is extremely paranoid and aggressive," Joseph said. "There could be violence. Is that a problem? Are you afraid?"
"No. Are we done prying into my personal life? Let me see some of the intelligence you promised."
Joseph wore a large backpack. He shrugged it off, took out a sheaf of papers, and handed them to Aaron. He flipped through the stack and saw they were aerial photographs of the cult compound with enough resolution to show fine details. There were about forty buildings of various sizes grouped into distinct clusters. The largest stood in the exact center, separated from all the others.
"What is this place?" Aaron pointed at the central building.
Galina leaned over to look. "The temple where the cult performs its ceremonies, but we're more interested in this building." She touched a square structure.
"You want me to check it out?"
"Exactly. Get inside and look around. Take some pictures. That's all we need from you."
"What about Brittany Waters?"
"The women's dormitory section is over here." She circled a cluster of buildings with her finger.
"How do I find her?" Aaron said.
"I'm trying to explain. We have some very small cameras with radio transmitters. If you hide them near the dormitories, we can observe from the safety of our surveillance van. Within a day we'll know if your girl is there."
"Are you coming in with me?"
"No." Joseph shook his head. "We'll create a distraction on the other side of the compound so the guards will be elsewhere."
"I see. In other words, I'm taking all the risks."
"It's less of a risk than going in without a distraction. We're doing you a favor. You want to rescue the girl, don't you?"
Aaron took a deep breath. The argument was sound even if he didn't like the conclusions. "I assume this operation will happen at night."
"That's right." Joseph nodded. "We'll loan you some top grade night vision gear. Meet us at this spot at 11 PM sharp. Take the aerial photos with you. Memorize the location of every building, so you can move in the darkness without getting lost. We'll see you tonight."
He and Galina turned and walked off into the thick woods. Aaron was left to wonder how soon he would regret his decision to ally with them. He wasn't even sure why he had agreed to do it at all. The only obvious answer was a woman with fiery red hair who fascinated him.
Chapter Two
The night was perfect for covert operations. A blanket of clouds covered the moon. The air was warm and humid, but a steady breeze cooled Aaron's sweaty skin. Despite the darkness, he could see clearly with the night vision goggles Joseph had given him. The cult compound appeared bright green to Aaron's eyes, every detail in crisp focus.
In fact, the goggles produced such a brilliant image that Aaron was suspicious. Only elite military forces were entitled to such sophisticated gear. Joseph had handed over the goggles with seeming indifference to the fact they probably had cost thousands of dollars, if one could purchase them at all.
Aaron crept forward to the fence and snipped it with a pair of wire cutters. He made a hole just big enough to crawl through. He dashed to the nearest building and hid behind a dumpster. The stench of rotting garbage made him wince. Several guards waving around flashlights patrolled the grounds, and the beams looked like green lasers to Aaron. None were close to his hiding spot.
He took a walkie-talkie from his pocket and whispered, "I'm inside."
Galina's voice answered, "We're ready to set off the fireworks."
"Not yet. Hold for my signal."
He waited for a gap in the patrols, then jogged across open ground to a group of three long buildings arranged side-by-side. Supposedly, this section was the women's dormitory, but all of the windows were frosted and dark, so he had no way to confirm that fact. The walls of the buildings were made of heavy wooden planks nailed
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