Ocean Blue (Sea Lab Book 1)

CHAPTER 36

From a tree covered embankment, Jake waited for the right opportunity to present itself. Sarah knelt beside him, observing the long line of vehicles being admitted through the main gate. Near the entrance, a guard stood by a car with a rifle strung over his shoulder, checking a passenger's identification while another man did the same with the driver. Security was being taken to the extreme, which made their daring stunt even more dangerous.

Jake felt confident they'd get in with good fortune, but he found it difficult to kill the two hours it took for the sun to set and for night to fall. When the last of the incoming cars rounded a curve, he thought they might be out of luck, but after a few minutes, an Ocean Blue tanker truck came into view and braked to a stop.

"That's our ticket in." He placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Let's go."

When Jake informed her about his plan to get inside the compound, she expressed reservations about the idea. Sarah became convinced when he pointed out that hitching a ride on top of a semi-truck was the best way to get in without being detected or shot at. Two similar rigs rolled through the gate earlier, and the guards hadn't mounted the rear ladder to check the top of the shiny tanks on either of those trucks. He assured her they wouldn't change their method of inspection this late in the evening.

Jake led the way down the slope through the grove of trees overgrown with weeds and briars. They ducked beneath low branches and side stepped thorny bushes. Broken limbs littered the ground, some of them small enough to crack under foot. They found a suitable spot to kneel several feet from the edge of the woods so they could see the back of the semi without giving away their position.

A shadow cloaked the ladder in darkness. It was the perfect opportunity, but at the last second, when Jake considered the possibilities of getting caught, his confidence turned to shaky nerves and a queasiness in the pit of his stomach. He touched Sarah's wrist. A guard disappeared around the front of the truck, the long barrel of his rifle propped over his shoulder, the last image he saw. His hand squeezed tighter.

"You having doubts?"

"No," Jake said.

"Reminds me of the way you looked back at Paradise Island."

"I didn't—what are you talking about?"

"Our night dive?"

"That was diff—"

Before he could spit out another word, Sarah jerked free from his grasp and burst into a sprint across the short stretch of open field.

Jake hesitated and then raced after her.

They were vulnerable while they shot through the grass, but the seconds flew by and they melted into the darkness behind the truck. There were no shouts to stop or other noises to suggest the guards had spotted them, but urgency still compelled Jake to move faster.

Sarah hustled up the ladder, and once she was almost to the top, he started the climb.

The truck crept forward as Sarah steadied herself on top of the tank. With a hand on her back, Jake prodded her on. They crawled to the middle of the trailer and laid flat on their stomachs, their bodies concealed by a pair of rails that ran the length of the tank on both sides.

It soon came time for the semi to pass through the gate. Two guards communicated to one another as they inspected the underbelly of the truck. The men spoke with animated Australian accents. The inspection process seemed to take longer than with the other tankers.

"I heard something," a guard said. "I'm checking the top of the truck to be safe."

The man's boots clanked up the ladder, ascended a few rungs. Jake glanced back, expecting a pair of beady eyes to appear at any second. His white knuckled grip tightened on the outer rails. He felt short of breath. He wished he was closer to the end so he could plant his shoe on the man's face the moment he came into view.

"Come on, mate," the other guard said. "Get your rump down here and open the gate. We have a schedule to keep."

"But I... okay... I'm on my way." The understudy slid down the ladder to the asphalt and rounded the semi.

Jake sighed as they rolled forward and entered the compound.

From their limited vantage point, he watched as the gate closed behind them and the truck's diesel engine rumbled toward the southwest end of the property. Jake peeked over the railing and found Zanderthal's limo still parked near the side entrance of the colossal central facility. Floodlights bathed the arena-like structure. In fact, the entire compound looked like a small city aglow, hidden by the mountains and thick forests that encompassed it. The elevated road leading to the quarry was the only place to see it.

The tanker truck circled around to the backside of the primary hub and stopped in front of two large buildings. The first of the three rigs pulled through an open garage door and idled inside the cavernous interior of a warehouse. Jake assumed it was having its contents emptied or was being filled with some unknown gas or liquid. The second truck waited its turn while their tanker was last in line.

"This might be a good time to hit the ground," he whispered. "It won't be long before our ride enters that building."

"What about the guards?"

"When it's clear, we'll make a run for it. The building next door might be a good starting point. It doesn't look as busy as the others, so it's possible we could get inside."

They wiggled and wormed their bodies around, and inched toward the rear of the truck. Gingerly, Jake peeped over the end for a check on the guard situation. As soon as the pavement below came into view, he jerked his head back, wild eyes staring back at Sarah.

He rushed a finger to his lips as a warning and then held up two digits.

Sarah got the drift. Two guards with a pair of guns.

Nice. The knot in Jake's stomach twisted tighter. This was going to be a doozy.