Foxbat by James Barrington Read Free Book Online Page B

roof back towards the lighting gantry.
    ‘Roger,’ Dekker replied. ‘Heads up, all callsigns. Watch the guards, but
     don’t fire unless you’ve no other option.’
    Wallace settled the stock of the rifle comfortably into his shoulder and aimed it along the
     left-hand side of the nearest hangar, looking out for the sentry.
    Before stepping out on to the lighting gantry, Richter checked below for the current
     positions of the guards, who still appeared totally unaware of his presence. The return trip seemed to take less time than before, and within five minutes he was crouching on the roof of the
     first hangar to make a final check all round him, before re-entering the building itself.
    He slid his legs into the gap where he’d lifted the panel, his feet locating the steel
     beam. He crouched down on it and did his best to pull the panel back into place behind him. It wasn’t a good fit, and would be obvious to anyone doing an inspection of the roof, but
     from the ground it would probably pass muster.
    Rather than crawl precariously back down the sloping roof girder, Richter decided it would be
     quicker to use his climbing rope, and go straight down to the floor of the hangar. He draped it over the main roofspar, both ends of it easily reaching the ground. He
     looped the safety strap around the beam, clipped it to his harness, and altered his position until he was lying flat across the steel spar.
    Trapping the two lengths of the dangling rope between his boots, he also gripped it firmly with
     his right hand before totally letting go of the beam itself. The safety strap immediately tugged at his harness, and he reached down and released the clip, allowing the strap to slide around
     and off the steel beam and dangle loose below him. The descent was fast and easy, Richter letting the doubled-over climbing rope slide through his gloved hands, till in seconds he was
     standing on the hangar floor.
    He tugged one end of the rope, pulling it clear of the beam, then coiled it and looped it back
     over his shoulder. He next walked over to the cherry-picker and lowered its cradle to ground level, then checked around with his torch that he wasn’t leaving anything behind him. Seeing
     nothing out of place, he crossed over to the side door he’d used to enter. At least he wouldn’t have to pick the lock this time, nor was he wasn’t going to bother relocking
     the five-lever mortise. He’d merely close the door behind him and walk away.
    Richter pressed his ear to the door and just listened for a few seconds. ‘Spook. I’m
     coming out,’ he said into the microphone, and waited for Dekker’s acknowledgement. Then he turned the handle of the Yale lock and eased the door open.
    Wallace moved the rifle across to cover the side door of the hangar, watching for Richter to
     re-emerge. He saw the doorway turn black as the door opened inwards, then a dark shape appeared and looked cautiously in both directions. The sentry wasn’t in sight, and within seconds
     the door was closed again behind him.
    But as Richter started to sprint across the open ground towards the cover of the oil drums, the
     guard suddenly stepped around the corner, then froze as he saw a running man.
    ‘Boss,’ Wallace hissed urgently.
    ‘I see him. Alpha Two – take him out.’
    Wallace shifted his aim fractionally, centring the cross-hairs on the sentry’s chest.
     Above the sight picture, he saw the Algerian open his mouth to shout as he began unslinging his AK47 assault rifle. Then Wallace squeezed the trigger. The sniper rifle bucked against his
     shoulder, but the suppressor reduced the noise to a muffled thud, and the guard tumbled backwards, the Kalashnikov falling from his lifeless hands.
    Hearing the faint noise of the shot coming from outside the boundary fence, Richter glanced
     round even as he ran. He absorbed the scene in an instant. Time was now crucial, as sooner or later one of the other guards would be bound to notice that the