23. Chapter 23 #2
Stomach full, Raz sat in the van’s front passenger seat.
Kate was driving as Sajani, her Illusion already in place.
He kept thinking Kate sat across from him in a curly burgundy wig until she turned, and an unfamiliar face stared back at him.
Caige rested in the backseat while Lewis and Sid waited on the Osprey for further instructions from the Micron Ears each of them wore.
Raz’s heart pumped from adrenaline. The tall gate blocking off the naval base was once a dreaded start to his workday.
And now it marked the beginning of an illegal adventure.
Matsuda had a deal with the US Navy for them to use a submarine search and rescue training exercise to replace workers and equipment on the I-402.
Kate had to impersonate Sajani and gain access to the submarine, so Caige and Raz could swap out equipment, or, in their case, Lucifer’s Bell.
All this was intel Kate had garnered from Sajani.
After Kate made it through the gate, Raz guided Kate to the ocean, familiar with the base from when he was a Navy SEAL.
Kate’s exhaustion weighed on his mind like a worrying bag of bricks.
They still had a few hours left before they even made it to the submarine.
His heart hammered, knowing the mission depended on her ability to maintain the tiring Illusion.
Kate drove down a road leading to docks lined with naval ships.
Each one was impressive, but their destination lay at the end.
They approached the rendezvous area, where six people stood on the last long cement dock.
Four of them wore the Navy’s camo uniforms, while two others wore civilian clothing.
A large two-story carrier dwarfed the small tugboat beside it.
The two matched in drab gray color design, but the tugboat appeared more like a high-powered speedboat with a huge stern end.
It had a yellow crane set up on the back with a caged mini sub of matching color perched in the center.
The rescue sub was the one they’d be taking down to Matsuda’s secret submarine.
“The man with two stars on his collar is the admiral,” Raz said, mouth feeling dry.
“Thanks.” She drove into a spot a uniformed man directed her toward. She parked and glanced in the rearview mirror.
Caige changed his Influence to match the face of the guard whose ID badge he wore—peppered hair and a tall, imposing build. Raz looked similar enough to the other guard with his trimmed beard, so it wasn’t an issue.
“We got this.” She opened her door and stepped out as the taller Indian woman with bronze skin and curly burgundy hair—Sajani. Raz and Caige followed.
“Good morning, Admiral Glick,” she greeted the man as she and Sajani had practiced.
“Running late this morning, Miss Reedy?” It was more of a statement than a question from the man who appeared years older than the others.
From their badges, Raz spotted them as master-at-arms. The fact that Navy police were here when it was a civilian-run vessel made Raz think Matsuda had everyone in his pockets to make sure this went off without a hitch.
He kept his breathing long and calm to steady himself.
She offered a polite grin. “Sorry about that. Gear is in the trunk.”
“We will do a quick inspection and get you guys going,” Glick said. “Cook, Philpot, get to it.”
Two lower-ranked men walked to the vehicle.
Kate opened the trunk with the fob. “Sounds good.”
A woman officer frisked Kate while Philpot did Caige and Raz, allowing Raz a breather from his dragon’s jealousy. Though a ball of nerves lodged itself in his throat. Most came from the link, but missions always had him on edge. And this was no different.
“All clear,” Cook said after opening the container to reveal equipment with wires and a monitor on wheels.
They gave Kate’s backpack the same efficient search and gave it to her.
Kate had never mentioned what Sajani did while onboard the submarine, but from Sid’s research, Sajani was a medical doctor trained in emergency medicine.
The team assumed she provided medical care for the crew.
Matsuda allowed a few personnel at a time on the sub and rotated the workers and supplies quarterly.
“I’ll hand them off to you then,” Admiral Glick said, turning to a civilian clad in dark coveralls and an oil-greased long-sleeved shirt. “Good luck with your exercise.”
The civilian, Raz assumed was Larry, the captain of the ship, scratched his scraggly gray beard. “Thank you, sir.”
The admiral left with the other sailors.
“Well, better go.” Larry heaved a sigh from his burly stomach. His steady glare at Raz and Caige showed his dislike of the two who guarded Sajani. “How are you doing today, Sajani?”
“Wishing it were a little warmer,” Kate said, rubbing her arms over her weatherproof coat.
A swift breeze brought a chill to Raz’s back under his black-leather jacket.
Larry chuckled and waved her forward. “Let’s get you on the ship, then.”
As they followed Larry, Kate swayed, bumping into Raz’s shoulder. His muscles tightened with the need to help steady her, but he resisted.
Hang in there, Kate.