The encrypted secure-comms terminal on the corner of the heavy steel desk let out a sharp, digital double-chirp, breaking the heavy quiet of the sub-level office. Static hissed for a split second before the commander's voice cut through the speaker, crisp, disciplined, and carrying clear across the room.
“Yeah, boss. I believe I'm actually looking at this hole right now. I'll be up there double time.”
The carrier wave clicked off, leaving a low hum of residual static hanging in the chilled air of the operations vault.
Billy slowly lifted his hands off the mechanical keyboard, pushing back his executive chair an inch before turning his head to look dead at me. The harsh blue glare from the architectural wireframe models cast sharp shadows across his face.
I didn't say anything for a second, just let out a low whistle through my teeth as I pushed off the edge of the steel-reinforced planning table. A slow, approving grin spread across my face.
"Hell yeah," I said, my voice dropping into an easy, appreciative chuckle. "Look at that. Someone actually knows how to do his job in this damn facility. This guy's thorough, dog. I like that."
Billy shook his head, running a hand over the stubble on his jaw. A faint, grudging smirk finally cut through the tactical stress etched into his features as he reached out and grabbed a fresh, red-tabbed tactical binder off the rack.
"Don't let it go to his ego, Daniel," Billy muttered, tossing the binder onto the center of the desk with a dull thud. "The man missed a legacy Cold War insertion vector during his initial sector sweep. He’s just lucky he caught the back-end telemetry before I had him transferred to nuclear waste detail in the Mojave."
"Hey, cut the man some slack," I replied, stepping closer and tapping my knuckle against the edge of the desk. "Nobody maps out unrecorded legacy conduits unless they're actively working the ground. He secured the perimeter, processed the LZ, and followed the physical indicators right to the blind spot. That's textbook reconnaissance, dog. He reads the terrain."
Billy let out a dry breath, acknowledging the point with a tight nod as he pulled open the binder to the sector four schematics.
"Fine. Technical proficiency noted," Billy said, checking his watch as the heavy reinforced elevator chimes echoed faintly down the sub-level corridor. "Which is good, because we're going to need every ounce of that proficiency in about thirty seconds. The commander's about to walk through that door, and we need to map out the extraction choke points before whoever dropped that hit squad realizes their ghost line has been compromised."