Read Matt Drake 11 - The Ghost Ships of Arizona for Free Online Page B

camouflage completed by ski-masks. They had noticed the new team’s arrival and were now training weapons upon them.
    Drake ducked behind their SUV as gunfire rang out, finding himself staring up at the stars all of a sudden.
    “Covering crew,” Smyth said next to him.
    Drake nodded. “The main gang are already inside.”
    “But what are they targeting?” Dahl put in.
    “Haven’t the foggiest,” Drake said thickly. “I’ll ask the first man who doesn’t try to kill me.”
    Smyth nodded. “We ready?”
    Drake shook his head at the man’s enthusiasm, surveying the scene from across the vehicle’s front end. Hayden and Kinimaka were out of sight and creeping around the far side of the car park. Drake waited.
    Hayden rose and opened fire with her brand new Sig Sauer MPX gas-operated sub-machine gun. Drake knew from the recent round of emails that it housed the world’s first fully closed and rotating bolt system, designed to enhance the safety of its user. The SPEAR team—among other frontline teams—were the first to use it in the US.
    Guinea pigs almost, Drake thought. Exactly what we need right now.
    Hayden used the front and rear flip-up sights to hone in on her target and then sprayed the gaggle of mercenaries. Kinimaka moved fast at her side. Drake watched men collapse, falling back against the shattered wall and disappearing through. As the survivors turned their sights towards Hayden, Drake rose and opened fire. The Sig felt good in his hands, smooth and well-engineered, imparting increasing confidence with every bullet that left the chamber. It took only a few moments for him to require a mag change and then he was halfway across the car park. Now in line with their aggressors he could see beyond and into the substation itself. The tidings weren’t good.
    Beyond the gravel path that bordered the interior he stared through the tangle of seemingly misshaped pylons. Some were listing, almost destroyed. Was this their goal then? Destroy the station’s capabilities, or at least one particular transformer or grid?
    Maybe. This wasn’t the time.
    Dahl squeezed past on the right. The Swede was totally focused, sprinting toward the next car and squeezing off bullets on semi-auto. Drake took a last look through the gap in the wall—the area was well lit. He was shocked to see the size of the mercenary contingent already converging on the main offices, a veritable swarm of unconscionable killers.
    Beauregard’s information had been correct. Which posed the nasty little question—who the hell was that guy working for?
    Drake would never trust a double-agent. If they’d turned once they could do so again. The real reason they turned the first time was all a prospective new handler needed to explore.
    The Yorkshireman played backup to Dahl for a while, running and covering and pinning the enemy down. At last they cleared the breach in the wall and met up with Hayden.
    “You see how many are inside?” she asked.
    “Dozens,” Drake said. “I lost count.”
    Dahl bashed the head in of a man who suddenly rose beside them.
    “Fucking zombie,” Smyth growled.
    Drake looked back to their transport. Inside, Karin, Lauren and Yorgi were monitoring the comms. “You guys hear anything?”
    “You have major backup on the way,” Lauren said, probably talking for Karin who would be collating the information. “But it’s still fifteen minutes out. Maybe a few cops here in five, but that’s as good as it gets. The FBI are en route too.”
    Drake shook his head. “These pricks will be vamoosed by then.”
    “Contact from inside the substation suggests they are trying to defend.”
    “No,” Hayden said. “Tell the staff and security men to stand down and hide as best they can. This ain’t worth their lives and the mercenaries are tooled up to the max. We’re gonna try to slow them down.”
    “Understood.”
    Drake climbed over what was left of the wall first, much to Dahl’s annoyance. The Swede quickly