The Z Contingency

Chapter 75

"Alright everyone. Agent Davis scanned the nearest office building with the thermal imager." Simon stated. "He reports that only one person is in there, but he's not certain who. We believe that it's Natalie, because the figure has been motionless in a seated position for some time."

"Could she be dead?" Gary's tone conveyed the sense of dread that he was feeling.

"No," Agent Davis reassured. "The heat patterns show that she is still alive."

"Let's go rescue her then. What are we waiting for?" demanded Gary.

"We will, but we need to be cautious. He's still in the area and there's no telling what he may have prepared for us. You can follow Agent Sanchez and me, and the other agents will..." Simon abruptly stopped to answer his ringing phone. After a brief, one-sided conversation, with Simon mostly muttering acknowledgments, he continued, "They've located Norman. He was spotted through the window of the building at the far end of the main yard, about fifty yards to the north of this office building."

"Great," said Gary. "You go take care of him, and I'll go get Natalie."

"Agent Sanchez will accompany you. Good luck." Simon then turned to the rest of the group, and called out "The rest of you should stick close to Agent Sanchez and Gary. The other agents and I are going to the other end of the yard to apprehend the man who kidnapped Natalie. Even though he is not in the same building, you still need to be careful."

"Noted," acknowledged Gary.

Simon turned toward one of his agents, took the proffered tablet he was holding, and pulled up a satellite view map of the area. Using his finger he scrolled and then enlarged the image. After staring at it for a moment, Gary realized it must be the junkyard. "Gather around everyone," called Simon. He pointed to a spot on the map. "We are here, just southeast of the main yard of the recycling center. There are two buildings in the main yard, this office building to the south is where Natalie is being held. The building to the north is where Norman is currently."

"What's the other building?" asked Tyler.

"It appears to be a workshop of sorts," replied Agent Davis.

Simon hid his annoyance at Tyler's interruption, and continued. "After you rescue Natalie, proceed north about two hundred and fifty yards across this site." He scrolled and zoomed in on one of the buildings. "There's a large warehouse there. From where you'll be coming from, it will look like a blank wall. There is an entrance hidden near the middle of that south wall. Agent Sanchez will lead you to the exact location. We will meet you there as soon as we complete our mission."

"The secure facility is in a warehouse?" asked Tyler.

"No. As Agent Sanchez told you earlier, that entrance leads to an underground hallway, about a mile long, that leads to the secure facility." Simon then turned to the other agents. "We're going to surround the building." Pointing to several agents in turn, he continued, "I want you, you, and you to take up positions in front, at the south entrance of the building." Then pointing to the remaining agents, he finished with, "The rest of you follow me around the building and take up positions in the back. We will go in on my signal." Simon and the other agents quietly slipped away from the group into the maze, splitting into two groups as they left.

Agent Sanchez turned back to address the remaining group of people, most of whom had now formed close bonds during the travels since escaping the hospital in Ocoee. Amanda clung closely to Gary. Sensing that Gary would insist on leading, and that Amanda would not leave his side, she addressed them first. "You two stay right behind me, and be careful. There's no telling what kinds of traps he may have in there." Then she turned to the rest of the group. "The rest of you follow farther back, don't stray, and try to keep out of sight."

As Gary and Agent Sanchez got closer to the office building where Natalie was held, they could see in the distance the rusted skeletons of vehicles that had long given up their usefulness as modes of transportation. The piles of junk closer to the office were large household appliances. From the vantage point shared by Gary and the frightened young girl, it looked like junk was laid out in the yard almost up to the back wall of the building.

Agent Sanchez led the group up to the front of the building, to avoid the possibility of being seen by Norman from the workshop building, part of which was visible between piles of junk. She walked gingerly up to the door, and inspected it for tripwires or other signs of booby traps. Satisfied that there were none, she opened the door, holding her breath. Turning to the others, she said, "Amanda, you and the others stay outside. Gary and I are going to bring Natalie back."

After seeing Amanda nod in agreement, Sanchez and Gary entered the building to find Natalie bound and gagged in an office chair at the rear of the building. Gary rushed over to her, and was about to start untying her, when Agent Sanchez sternly, but quietly, called out. "Stop! I can see wires under the chair. She must be sitting on a pressure switch."

Gary turned to Natalie, and saw the back of her head nodding vigorously in agreement. Slowly, and gently, he removed the gag from her mouth. "Thank goodness you listened, Gary. There's a note in front of me that says I'm sitting on a bomb."

"Yeah, I think I'm getting better at that." Gary agreed. "Listening, that is." Then turning to Agent Sanchez, he asked, "What do you know about bombs?"

"I'm not an expert, but I do know something about defusing them. Step back, and let me see." She pulled out a small LED flashlight and shined the beam under the desk, following the wires from Natalie's seat. Letting out a clear sigh of relief, she said, "It's a simple circuit. There doesn't appear to be any logic circuitry to this bomb. I can defuse it." She crawled under the desk with the flashlight clenched between her teeth. After only a few minutes, she re-emerged, smiling. "All done. We can get her out of here, and head to the rendezvous point at the warehouse."

Gary untied Natalie, and started helping her to her feet. "Can you stand? Do you need to lean against me?" he asked.

"Just for a moment," Natalie replied, wincing as the blood started to circulate through her legs again. She followed Agent Sanchez back out the front door, with Gary supporting her. Norman's choke hold had left her with a headache and feeling dizzy.

"Alright everybody. Natalie's safe. Now let's get out of here." Sanchez said as she exited the building. "We have to head in that direction," pointing north toward the rear of the building. "That means that Norman could possibly see us, so we need to keep quiet as we walk along the edge of the yard to the left."

The group proceeded in the direction of the warehouse, when someone whispered, "Look! The agents are moving in on Norman." The group had covered the fifty yards between the office building where Natalie had been held captive, and the workshop where Norman was, and were now almost at the second building. They could see three agents moving toward the south-facing door. They could also see another agent circling away from them toward the door on the opposite side of the building.

As the group quietly moved past the workshop building, they could soon see the other agents converging on the door on the north entrance of the building. One agent had opened the door and entered, with a second agent following, while Simon was still navigating around a large pile of refrigerators and freezers, gesturing for them to hold back.

"We've got you surrounded!" the group could hear one of the agents shouting inside. "Put your hands on your head, and slowly lie face down on the ground." They saw Simon curse, and start to run toward the door, with his gun drawn. Just as he was about to pass the last refrigerator sitting next to the entrance, a huge explosion demolished the building, tossing everyone like matchsticks.