Part 19 (1/2)
”Yes,” Preston agreed as they arrived at the elevator. He pushed the b.u.t.ton, tapping his feet anxiously as he heard the car moving up to meet them.
”We can't go in there alone,” Jack said. ”Not this time. This is probably it.”
”We couldn't even if we wanted to. The DEA will be all over this one,” Preston replied. ”You saw them at the factory last night. Those agents were avoiding me like the plague. They're going to s.n.a.t.c.h this thing up. If we're lucky, they'll let us tag along.”
”Yeah,” Jack offered with a chuckle as the elevator opened in front of them. Stepping through the doors, he continued, ”At least we'll get a chance to use the SWAT team.”
”Alright, ladies,” the team leader said to the a.s.sembled crowd, loudly enough to rattle Preston's ears. The room had been virtually silent as they had approached from the other side of the door. Inside, the SWAT team had been discussing mission specifics at normal volume. When they entered, the leader had made everyone stand, not unlike a drill sergeant, possibly trying to impress or intimidate the two of them. Now, the room was filled with about a dozen SWAT members and the two detectives, staring awkwardly at one another. ”This is gonna be a clean job,” he continued. ”I like to make sure everything goes according to plan.” The last of his words were directed at Preston and Jack.
The leader of the SWAT team was a weathered man, tough and heartless as the job required. He wore a thin five o'clock shadow, dark like his hair. He was built like a tank, but Preston had faced worse, especially within the last few weeks.
The entirety of the SWAT team was standing, each member having already studied the schematics of the building the detectives had provided to them beforehand.
They had gathered in one of the adjoining rooms to the station garage where the off duty cruisers were parked in the lower level. Outside, the truck was ready to go, sitting quietly before the raid which was to take place in a matter of minutes. Police cars were parked in the outer s.p.a.ces, allowing the truck to sit undisturbed in the center of the lot.
The target was only a fifteen minute drive from the station, operating with enough audacity to send a sliver of anger across Preston's face. He'd been expecting this drug trafficker to be the worst he'd faced yet. Now, it was clear that Wrath was bold as well.
Preston was beginning to get nervous. A full day had pa.s.sed since he'd infiltrated Sloth's factory only to find the one person he'd shared a connection with in the better part of two years had turned out to be one of his mortal enemies. In the shower that morning, he'd found some dried blood on his neck which he'd previously missed after scrubbing himself down the night before. There was no way to tell who it belonged to, Sloth or himself, before he'd washed it away forcefully.
The wounds on his face were starting to heal. The swelling had slowly gone down over the course of the last day. Through pure exhaustion, he'd managed to get six hours of sleep the night before. It was the most rest he'd been able to catch all at once in over a week.
Argosi and his mistress had provided descriptions of Wrath to the sketch artist. The images couldn't have been more different. With low expectations, Preston had searched through the database in an attempt to find a match, but gave up rather quickly.
”I hope you're ready for this, partner,” Jack said softly, hoping he didn't interfere with the orders being given to the team. The SWAT continued to go over schematics and prep their weapons, virtually ignoring the two of them.
Preston nodded in response, still keeping one ear on the SWAT leader. He needed a little inspiration himself.
”Inside,” the leader continued, ”we expect to find the main production site of this drug that has been polluting the street for the last four months. I'm glad this day is here. I'm glad I get to be a part of it,” he shouted with a military style enthusiasm. ”Are you, ladies?”
”Yes, sir!” They all shouted in unison. Their response was more informal than Preston would have expected. Rather than rigid military style discipline, each man answered with a comfortable tone, albeit at the same time. The men standing to the side of them were trusted colleagues. Some had been working together for years.
”d.a.m.n right,” he said with a smile.
Jack and Preston stood to the side, taking in the atmosphere. The first two factories, while successful, had come at a cost. There would be backup this time. Regardless of the remaining sins, Envy and Wrath, Preston would be there no matter what was waiting for them in the next facility. He also knew that Greed and l.u.s.t were still a problem. Sidelined for the moment, still locked in Argosi's mansion, the detectives had relented and kept them under guard as opposed to bringing them in. They had supplied a lot of information, some of it corroborated by Jason, but Preston could tell they were still hiding something. Whatever it was, Preston needed to make sure they stayed alive long enough to spill it. And you call me the Detective.
Preston could see a twinge of nervousness in his partner's face as he kept an eye on the SWAT team. It took a few moments for Preston to realize that only a few weeks ago he would have been just as anxious. He supposed that being through the two other factories and the alley near the hospital had desensitized him to the point of virtual comfort with the situation.
Still, the detective was aware of his own mortality now more than ever. With each factory, he'd come closer to death. If the trend continued, then he might not be coming back at all. Instead of pus.h.i.+ng such a depressing thought from his mind, Preston held on to it, wondering if such a state of cognizance would help him through the coming raid.
”All right, move out,” the leader yelled.
Chapter 17.
Preston and Jack sat inside the squad car as they watched the building from a distance. The SWAT team had already filed out, standing in formation as they prepared to begin their a.s.sault.
Jack had driven most of the way in silence, with the radio on at a barely audible volume. Aside from the SWAT truck, Agent Wilson had come along for the ride but, thankfully, had driven separately. In all, there were three vehicles that had driven in with the sirens off.
The factory was located in a similar industrial park as Gluttony's had been. Although not as accessible by the highway like the other, it was well connected, close to the heart of the city. Even now, as he looked up through the winds.h.i.+eld, Preston could see they were almost surrounded by skysc.r.a.pers, hovering over them like a mountain range of gla.s.s and steel.
Fortunately, it also offered more cover in the form of low lying buildings dotting the immediate vicinity. More than a full day had pa.s.sed since Preston had used Jason's maps to locate the supposed facility. The building had been under constant and discrete surveillance. During that time, it didn't appear as if there had been much activity. No trucks of any kind had come or gone. However, the night before, it was reported that there had been lights coming from inside.
They were far enough back from the building to see it without being seen, or so they hoped. Being that it was the weekend, most of the surrounding businesses wouldn't be getting in the way. However, Preston a.s.sumed that because all the cell phones confiscated from Sloth hadn't received any messages, it was likely that the dealers hadn't been notified that her records were compromised. He began silently rea.s.suring himself that the plan may actually go off without a hitch.
Although still being investigated, Sloth's facility had turned out to be a monitoring station for Particle N research. On the roof of the small office building, several instruments used primarily by meteorologists had been discovered in operation. Furthermore, additional mechanisms were present, which until now had never been seen before.
Such devices had been used to track the Particle N using the confiscated wind maps. However, several still hadn't been identified fully. McGovern had said that if similar devices were present at the next facility, it may explain why Particle N is surrounding the building.
It didn't matter. There would be time for McGovern to sort through all of it later.
It was now two in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to roast the air. The heat welling up from the asphalt caused wavy distortions in Preston's vision as he stared forward through the winds.h.i.+eld. The windows were down, allowing them to hear the m.u.f.fled sounds of the team as they prepared for their a.s.sault. Every few seconds a cartridge was loaded or the sounds of a vest being snapped on filled the car from outside.
Preston could almost hear the Detective laughing inside him. He leaned in and turned the heater on.
”Jesus,” Jack muttered, slightly on edge. ”It's eighty-five degrees out there. Give me a break.”
”Sorry,” Preston said, instantly realizing he was already burning up. Despite the temperature, he was wearing his usual wrinkled blazer and long pants.
He placed The Twist on the dashboard of the car, seeing the blue liquid flow down the circular incline.
”Not much else to figure out at this point,” Jack said, seeing Preston stare deeply at the trinket. ”Why did you even bring that thing anyway?”
”I think I may start bringing it everywhere,” he replied. ”You never know when you'll need something like this.”
”Well, I hope that once we're inside that place, you won't feel the need to turn that thing over every time you see a guy with a gun, thinking about whether or not to shoot him.”
”Oh, don't worry,” Preston joked. ”I'd never let him shoot me.”
”I wasn't talking about you,” Jack said with a chuckle. ”What if they have the gun pointed at me?”
”Well, maybe I'd look at it for a little while. Shooting someone is a big decision that requires a lot of thought. I couldn't enter into that lightly, no more than a minute-guaranteed.”
They both shared a slightly nervous laugh as Preston took the Twist off the dashboard and placed it in his coat pocket. His hand began to shake at the last moment, concealed from Jack by the fabric.
”We're almost at the end of the yellow brick road,” Jack said rea.s.suringly as he switched the AC on without rolling up the windows. Looking forward at the team, he continued, ”Pretty soon we'll meet the wizard.”
”It's not the wizard I'm worried about,” Preston offered. ”It's the witch.”
”Can this really be it?” Jack said, never taking his eyes off the scene unfolding in front of the car. The SWAT team had finished preparing. They began signaling to each other silently, moving out as they advanced toward the facility, concealed between buildings and spa.r.s.e trees.
”G.o.d, I hope so,” Preston replied distantly, his attention now also focused ahead.
Agent Wilson's car had been sitting beside them since they pulled up. Shooting a quick glance his way, Preston could see he was also arming himself for battle. The man's suit coat was off, replaced by a bulletproof vest. Preston and Jack were already wearing theirs under their clothes.
Despite confronting Sloth individually without the approval of the DEA, Preston had reluctantly been allowed to accompany them on the raid. Even now, Agent Wilson threw him an unflattering look from the window of his car.
”You realize,” Jack continued, ”if Envy and Wrath are in there, not only do we bring this plague to an end, but medical science could get a huge boost.”