topographic view revealed the vertical terrain of the mountain.
“It’ll do.” Wiley said. “A couple of buildings will add to the challenge but an approach and departure can be accomplished.”
“E. W.?” Bentley interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
“Scott, I have two prototype gliders that are rigged for this type of night time op. Infrared heads-up displays and a silent electric motor for self-launch capability. You can fly in, locate and rescue your asset, and fly out. No one will ever know you’re there…or even been there for that matter.”
“Kind of ballsy, don’t you think?” Jake asked. “And who exactly is going to fly the gliders?”
“It’s been a long time, but I’ve flown a glider before.” Kaplan said. “I’m sure it’ll come back to me.”
“Okay, for the record, I’m not flying with Gregg.” Jake said. “Who’s going to fly the other one?”
Wiley ignored Jake. “Scott, I can have Jake and the two gliders in Aden by tomorrow evening. We’ll arrive shortly after dark. The gliders will be ready within a couple of hours after we arrive. I’ll need you to make arrangements for two tow planes at Aden. George and I can work out the details of mission planning.”
“Alright E.W. I’ll take care of it.” Bentley said. “Gregg, we’ll be in touch soon so wait for instructions. Jake, control yourself, do I make myself clear?”
Jake paused. He knew the number one priority was to rescue Isabella. “Yes sir, I promise.”
Wiley interrupted. “Jake will be fine, Scott. You have my word.”
The monitor blinked then went blank.
Jake looked at Wiley. “How did you think of all that stuff so fast?”
“Fifty years in the business. That’s where experience trumps youth.” Wiley pushed up his glasses, swiped his hair, and smiled. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
CHAPTER 19
W ILEY PRESSED THE intercom button, “Have Kyli meet us in the RF lab.”
“RF lab?” Jake asked.
“Radio frequency. How soon we forget.”
“That was fast thinking.” Jake said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet, junior.” Wiley smiled. He opened the door. “I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.”
The RF lab was a side room with Plexiglas walls adjacent to the main electronics lab floor. One wall was a showcase of gadgets MEtech had created. On the top shelf was a device Wiley called the spook radio . A device that monitored as wide a frequency band as possible targeting only signals of interest, which allowed the operator to identify and track the signals while remaining anonymous.
Kyli arrived at the RF lab door the same time as Jake and Wiley. She slid her key card through the reader, opened the door, and entered the lab. Jake followed. Wiley was speaking to someone in the electronics lab when the door closed—another soundproof room.
“I assume you’ll be leaving soon.” Kyli said.
“I think so. I don’t really know yet.” Jake smiled. “I guess I’m not part of the fraternity yet so I haven’t been given the key to Wiley’s cryptic communication.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll catch on soon enough.”
Moments later the door clicked and Wiley entered. He walked over to the showcase wall, removed a box, and laid five items on a table in the center of the room. “Kyli, I need you to bring Jake up to speed on the RTI. When he’s got it, bundle it in the backpack. We’re taking it with us tomorrow. I’ll be in my office. After you finish, you can take him back to his hotel. Why don’t you show Jake around town tonight but make sure he gets in early, tomorrow’s a long day.”
Wiley turned and left before Jake could verbalize the questions formulating in his mind.
“This must be big.” Kyli said.
“Why is that?”
“We haven’t used the advanced RTI in the field. We’ve done dozens of tests under different scenarios but never a live mission. It’s still in the experimental stage so this is very exciting. You get to
“It’ll do.” Wiley said. “A couple of buildings will add to the challenge but an approach and departure can be accomplished.”
“E. W.?” Bentley interrupted. “What are you talking about?”
“Scott, I have two prototype gliders that are rigged for this type of night time op. Infrared heads-up displays and a silent electric motor for self-launch capability. You can fly in, locate and rescue your asset, and fly out. No one will ever know you’re there…or even been there for that matter.”
“Kind of ballsy, don’t you think?” Jake asked. “And who exactly is going to fly the gliders?”
“It’s been a long time, but I’ve flown a glider before.” Kaplan said. “I’m sure it’ll come back to me.”
“Okay, for the record, I’m not flying with Gregg.” Jake said. “Who’s going to fly the other one?”
Wiley ignored Jake. “Scott, I can have Jake and the two gliders in Aden by tomorrow evening. We’ll arrive shortly after dark. The gliders will be ready within a couple of hours after we arrive. I’ll need you to make arrangements for two tow planes at Aden. George and I can work out the details of mission planning.”
“Alright E.W. I’ll take care of it.” Bentley said. “Gregg, we’ll be in touch soon so wait for instructions. Jake, control yourself, do I make myself clear?”
Jake paused. He knew the number one priority was to rescue Isabella. “Yes sir, I promise.”
Wiley interrupted. “Jake will be fine, Scott. You have my word.”
The monitor blinked then went blank.
Jake looked at Wiley. “How did you think of all that stuff so fast?”
“Fifty years in the business. That’s where experience trumps youth.” Wiley pushed up his glasses, swiped his hair, and smiled. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
CHAPTER 19
W ILEY PRESSED THE intercom button, “Have Kyli meet us in the RF lab.”
“RF lab?” Jake asked.
“Radio frequency. How soon we forget.”
“That was fast thinking.” Jake said.
“You haven’t seen anything yet, junior.” Wiley smiled. He opened the door. “I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve.”
The RF lab was a side room with Plexiglas walls adjacent to the main electronics lab floor. One wall was a showcase of gadgets MEtech had created. On the top shelf was a device Wiley called the spook radio . A device that monitored as wide a frequency band as possible targeting only signals of interest, which allowed the operator to identify and track the signals while remaining anonymous.
Kyli arrived at the RF lab door the same time as Jake and Wiley. She slid her key card through the reader, opened the door, and entered the lab. Jake followed. Wiley was speaking to someone in the electronics lab when the door closed—another soundproof room.
“I assume you’ll be leaving soon.” Kyli said.
“I think so. I don’t really know yet.” Jake smiled. “I guess I’m not part of the fraternity yet so I haven’t been given the key to Wiley’s cryptic communication.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll catch on soon enough.”
Moments later the door clicked and Wiley entered. He walked over to the showcase wall, removed a box, and laid five items on a table in the center of the room. “Kyli, I need you to bring Jake up to speed on the RTI. When he’s got it, bundle it in the backpack. We’re taking it with us tomorrow. I’ll be in my office. After you finish, you can take him back to his hotel. Why don’t you show Jake around town tonight but make sure he gets in early, tomorrow’s a long day.”
Wiley turned and left before Jake could verbalize the questions formulating in his mind.
“This must be big.” Kyli said.
“Why is that?”
“We haven’t used the advanced RTI in the field. We’ve done dozens of tests under different scenarios but never a live mission. It’s still in the experimental stage so this is very exciting. You get to
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