The Rescue(96)

“Can you get closeup pictures of their faces?”

“Not without breaking the track on target one,” said JANA.

“How quickly can you take the pictures?”

“A few seconds. I just need to zoom in,” said JANA. “But if target one pulls into a tree-covered driveway, we run the risk of losing it.”

“Can you identify a stretch of road where that’s unlikely?”

“Stand by,” said the operator.

“Where’s Vale?” said Reeves, nudging Kincaid, who asked Vale for her location.

“Just turned left on Mulholland,” said Kincaid.

Reeves studied the map displayed on his tablet, gauging the distance from the intersection to the overlook.

“Tell Vale that Gunther just pulled off Mulholland at a scenic overlook a little more than a mile from the turn she just took. There’s a dirt parking lot right off Mulholland with room for about a dozen vehicles, if I remember correctly. If there’s room, I want her to stop at the overlook and pretend she’s there for the view. When Gunther looks like he’s leaving, I want her to get ahead of them on Mulholland. We might be able to use her to slow them down at the right moment to let Murphy slip away.”

While Kincaid passed his order along, JANA’S sensor operator responded.

“Target one will hit a good stretch in about a minute. I can get the closeup and get back to her.”

“Let’s go ahead and do that,” said Reeves. “One of my trailing units is a mile from the overlook. I’ve ordered her to park and keep an eye on them while you reacquire target one.”

“Copy. I’ll let you know when I’m switching between targets.”

Less than a minute later, Reeves and Kincaid arrived at the intersection of Beverly Glen Boulevard and Mulholland Drive, barely squeaking through the intersection on a yellow light. They had only driven a few hundred yards east on Mulholland before JANA’S sensor operator spoke excitedly over the satellite phone.

“Targets two and three just gave birth to target four!” he said.

“Say again?” said Reeves, glancing at Kincaid with a puzzled look.

“They hand launched a drone when I zoomed in to get some high-res footage. Unbelievable! Did it right in front of a dozen or more civilians,” said the operator.

“What kind of drone?”

“RQ-12 Wasp from what I could tell,” said the operator. “Probably the solar model.”

“What are we looking at in terms of capabilities?”

“Flight endurance of ninety minutes on a sunny day like today. High-res cameras capable of thermal imaging,” said the operator. “Maximum speed forty miles per hour. Cruising speed around thirty.”

“Basically, you’re telling me they are not going to lose target one.”

“Unless target one turns off Mulholland in the next fifteen seconds or so, I’d say that’s a safe bet,” said the operator. “Target four is climbing and banking east.”

“Can they sit at the overlook and control the drone?”

“The RQ-12 link has a hard range of five kilometers, which is why they’re getting back in their vehicles. They’ll follow target one at a safe distance and observe from the vehicles. The ground control station is handheld. Smaller than a laptop.”

Reeves elbowed Kincaid. “Where’s Vale?”

“Coming up on the overlook.”

“Have her keep going,” said Reeves. “Gunther launched a military-grade drone. They’re packing up and driving out. Just tell her to drive the speed limit and wait for instructions.”

While Kincaid passed the word to Vale, Reeves analyzed the situation. Gunther’s team was on equal footing now, until JANA departed, leaving Reeves blind. He figured if Gunther planned on moving against Mackenzie immediately, he’d do it while he had drone coverage. Reeves needed JANA to stay airborne for at least another hour. Once the drone was out of the picture, he could figure out a way to approach Mackenzie’s hideout and warn her that she had bigger problems than the FBI. He couldn’t do that with the Wasp overhead.

“Target four just overflew target one,” said the operator. “There’s no doubt they acquired that target.”

“Understood,” said Reeves, an idea hitting him. “Hey. Can you contact Tori Breene directly?”

“I can,” said the operator.

“I’m going to call her and ask that JANA remains on station until they recover the drone,” said Reeves. “I don’t feel comfortable with target one under aerial surveillance. I can’t approach without possibly setting off a dangerous chain reaction. I was hoping you might call her first and let her know about the drone. It might convince her to extend your trip.”

“I’ll call her right now. I don’t know who these people are, but that’s military technology. There’s something seriously off here.”

“That’s an understatement,” said Reeves. “I owe you one. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said. “Ms. Breene isn’t exactly a pushover.”

“Not at all. Let me know how it goes.”

“Stand by.”

Stand by. That was pretty much the extent of his authority right now. Stand by and watch.