Almost as the team left the underground, the GPS signal representing the team's location appeared on the screens of the Joint Operations Center, instantly causing a chorus of exclamations.
"'Eagle' has changed its plan. Positioning shows they're approaching the prison hospital. They're safe. Great!"
Everyone in front of the screen breathed a sigh of relief. While both the SEAL Team B support team and Jack's friends had complete confidence in their respective targets, the explosion on the island was an undeniable fact.
Mason's daughter, Jade, was among them. Under Jack's guidance, the BAU team had brought her here under the pretext of confidentiality.
This wasn't to hold the girl hostage; on the contrary, if the operation failed, the Fisherman's Wharf area, closest to Alcatraz Island, was a safe zone.
"With Jack here, your father will be fine. Trust me." Emily hugged the silently weeping girl's shoulders, a confident smile on her face.
—
With a crisp click, the thick neck of a white soldier drooped, the light of life quickly fading from his eyes.
Jack was about to retreat, dragging the body back, when a confused voice suddenly rang out from the morgue. "Hahn?"
Clay, armed with an MDX508 short-barreled assault rifle, was about to fire his weapon to finish off the enemy who had peeked out when he felt a gust of wind brush past his ear. A dagger had already grazed his temple and pierced the enemy's throat.
"Don't hesitate, young man," Mason said, stepping forward quickly. Avoiding the spray of blood, he pulled out the dagger, wiped it on the corpse, and tucked it into his boot.
"When did he get it?" Clay's words trailed off, his gaze fixed on the waist of the body Jack was dragging, and he thought to himself, "What a quick hand!
" "Safe! We've found a launch pad, hidden under the skylight. No wonder the drones missed it," said Lieutenant Captain Ray Perry, speaking from the stairs leading to the second floor.
Captain Jason followed with two other men from the other side of the passage. "It's clear. Looks like they only have two guards in the morgue."
It seemed like some kind of diversionary tactic had been pulled off by accident. It was clear that General Hammer and his men were still checking for any "rats" hiding beneath the prison building, having never anticipated a break-in.
Jack grinned, but before he could say anything, Goosby, hiding around the corner behind him, leaped forward and rushed into the morgue.
He opened the refrigerator containing the bodies, and a puff of cold mist revealed two VX gas missiles stored side by side. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like we have the initiative now. Notify Eagle's Nest immediately." Captain Jason remained serious. While the primary mission had been accomplished, it was far from time to pop the champagne.
"Wait a minute," Goosby, with the help of Sonny and Clay, opened all the refrigerators. After counting them, his voice became tense again.
"There are only 12 missiles here. We still need to find the remaining three."
"Two, and there's another on the launch pad upstairs," Ray Perry said solemnly.
"It should be on the lighthouse at the northernmost part of the island. There's another launch pad hidden there," Jack said, looking at Mason. "The lighthouse is separated from here by the prison building. Is there a tunnel leading there?"
Mason's face was troubled. "Perhaps I should correct my previous statement. The tunnels on the island don't lead to everywhere. The lighthouse is built on a single rock."
"Should we just notify the Air Force to destroy the lighthouse?"
Lieutenant Captain Ray Perry's words were immediately dismissed by Goosby. "That might save San Francisco, but everyone on the island, including us and the 81 hostages, would be dead."
Jason glanced at Jack, who was lost in thought, then turned to Ray Perry and said, "Set up defenses first. Hammer will soon notice something's wrong here, and he and his men will attack to recapture the missiles."
"Luckily, this used to be a bunker. I can make good use of those narrow firing embrasures," Sonny said excitedly, patting his prized machine gun.
Jason thought for a moment before issuing orders. "Ray, notify Eagle's Nest. Clay, stay here and assist Dr. Goosby with removing the missile's fuse and seeker. Mr. Mason, please stay as well. Jack, let's go talk."
The
news from the assault team lifted the spirits of everyone in the Joint Operations Center. Thirteen of the fifteen VX missiles had been recaptured, nearly achieving the primary objective of the operation.
This isn't to say the lives of the hostages held in the prison building aren't important, but compared to the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions, the number of 81 is truly insignificant.
"Yes, even if they threaten the lives of the hostages, we can't let these missiles fall into their hands again. But I don't want to see that happen. Do you have any thoughts on this?"
Captain Jason wanted to discuss this with Jack in private.
Jack, clutching the walkie-talkie he'd retrieved from the corpse, looked solemn. "This is almost certain to happen. They won't give up so easily."
At this point, the familiar plot had completely deviated, and he couldn't predict what would happen next.
"We can only take it one step at a time. First, hold off this wave of attacks." Jack had some ideas, but the time wasn't right yet; they needed to act according to circumstances.
At that moment, a voice rang out from his intercom, "Blackbird One, this is Blackbird, answer me!"
Jack lifted the intercom to his ear, the voice clearer than ever. It seemed to be General Hammer. "Blackbird One, this is Blackbird, answer me, damn it!"
—
"Doc, how much time do you need?" He stepped softly into the morgue. Seeing Goosby clutching a bunch of large, crystal-clear "grapes," even the bravest Jack couldn't help but blink.
If any of the glass beads fell and shattered, no one in the prison hospital would survive, except for him, who escaped with the healing spell.
Although everyone was equipped with three anti-phosphating injections for emergency use, in this case, it was no different from a placebo.
Goosby's direct intracardiac injection of belladonna in the original series was indeed feasible, but only if he could escape the contamination zone.
If Jack continued to inhale VX fumes, not even the intracardiac injection, let alone Jack's continuous self-therapy, he wouldn't survive.
Goosby didn't answer, completely absorbed in his task. Clay, who was assisting him, was equally nervous, beads of sweat covering his forehead.
(End of Chapter)