The desert stretched endlessly in all directions, a vast expanse of sand and rock that shimmered under the heat of the midday sun. Stone stood at the edge of a ridge, his binoculars trained on the facility below—a low-slung structure of concrete and steel, its walls bristling with surveillance cameras and antennae.
Wrench moved to his side, his face slick with sweat. "That's it. That's where they've been hiding."
Stone lowered the binoculars, his jaw tight. "How many guards?"
"Hard to say. At least thirty on the perimeter. More inside." Wrench paused. "They've got a lot of firepower in there."
Elena appeared at his other side, her tablet glowing in the harsh sunlight. "I've been monitoring their communications. The others are inside. They're preparing for something."
Stone turned to h
