Rising Tomorrow (Roc de Chere Book 1) by Mariana Morgan (essential reading txt) 📕

‘Half an hour at most,’ Eloise replied. ‘I also have some ideas about how to increase her capability to run the mission. Namely, I think there is enough processing space to link her with an experienced VR ops officer from a VRP I wrote for the military. That should give her Special Forces tactical experience without needing to resort to dry algorithms. I checked the VRP last night, but it would be safest if either you or Major Toscano re-checked the settings in case they need tweaking.’ She nodded respectfully at Gonzalez and Ingram in turn.

Gonzalez shot Rivas a glance as if to ask the other man what the hell had happened with Eloise, but Rivas only shrugged minutely. He had tried to get Eloise to talk last night, but the woman had clamped down. Despite his own life story being out in the open, she had refused to reciprocate and escaped into the VR world instead. He had presumed she had gone to visit her old life, to escape the pain into a familiar fantasy, but now he suspected she had done just the opposite. He made a mental note to check which military VRPs she had run, and on what settings.

‘That sounds like an excellent idea. I’ll check it out when you’re finished and Major Toscano can run a sim later. Now, any other problems with my decisions?’ Gonzalez asked, and waited long enough to make sure no one was holding anything back before he nodded. ‘Excellent. Let’s focus on the what and the how, now that the who is sorted out. We will attack at two in the morning, taking advantage of the naturally occurring deep-sleep window. With astronomical twilight breaking the cover of night at four twenty-four, we will have enough time.’

He pressed a button and a schematic of the R&D facility displayed on the holo-screen.

‘Olympus, Cassandra’s first and to this day main R&D compound, is located about sixty kilometres south-west of Turin, in what used to be northern Italy. It sits on a summit at about twelve hundred metres above sea level, a rise of almost a thousand metres from the nearby settlements.

‘The once peak-shaped summit has been flattened to provide a plateau of nearly two kilometres squared. There are permanent quarters for employees, a medical clinic, entertainment facilities and weekly food and supply shuttles. The number of employees varies between twelve and fourteen hundred. There is a school, so we should expect families in the living quarters located at the north-west edge of the plateau. Only a fraction of the employees come from the surrounding areas, so we are assuming that the majority of them, and that includes their families, are likely to be there overnight. I hope I don’t have to say out loud that civilian casualties, especially children, are strictly unacceptable.

‘To that effect we shall be landing at the east end.’ His pointer indicated a spot about two hundred metres below the plateau surrounded by rocky terrain and thick vegetation. ‘And our primary weapons will be sleeping darts.

‘We are taking two aircraft. A Hippogryph for transport, Sergeant Atkins piloting, and a Stealthy for reconnaissance and support. Major Toscano, I want you to go early in the Stealthy with Lieutenant Rivas, but once the Hippo has landed you will join us on the ground.’

For the next twenty minutes Gonzalez continued uninterrupted, explaining a plan that bore only a passing resemblance to what he and Ingram had brainstormed the night before.

***

‘Before you have your chance to ask any questions—Ms Moretti, can you point out on the schematics where the Hippogryph will land?’

Without the slightest delay the Elite woman used a laser pointer with great precision. ‘Here.’

Gonzalez nodded. ‘What resistance are we expecting?’

‘First-rate anti–corporate espionage system around the fenced perimeter, exterior and interior cams and motion and heat sensors. Possible pressure plates on approach to all doors and laser tripwires,’ Eloise said without hesitation, repeating the facts Gonzalez had outlined. If she felt uneasy being put on the spot, it didn’t show. ‘High-grade civilian surface-to-air fixed defences. Up to sixty warm bodies in the form of security guards based on the size of the barracks. Presumed up to half, most likely a third, of them on duty at any point, armed with stunners, sleeping darts and possibly live ammo. Presumed first-rate night-vision equipment and civilian nano-armour.’

Gonzalez nodded again and continued to ask Eloise a selection of questions about the plan he had laid out. The woman answered quickly, briefly and correctly. While talking, her eyes flicked leisurely from Ingram to Palmeiro, as if she were enjoying herself. She looked so delightfully calm and confident that Rivas couldn’t resist a smile, watching her performance.

When Gonzalez ended his quiz, Eloise bored her eyes into Ingram, who looked only partially mollified. Palmeiro, unaccustomed to her superior brain power, was rather suitably impressed by that point.

‘What’s next, Major?’ Eloise challenged.

‘I would start with a basic fitness test. Followed by a VR combat psych evaluation. And ending with a VR op to see if you can actually take orders,’ Ingram replied, eyes locked on the Elite, her lips in a lazy grin.

‘Fine, Major. Whatever you say,’ Eloise said, still visibly enjoying herself. Just another VRP, Eloise. Just another VRP. You own them.

‘How much time do you need, Aisha?’ Gonzalez asked. He fully intended to test Eloise to work out the exact extent to which they could rely on her, and what Ingram had outlined worked just fine for him.

‘About four to five hours,’ Ingram replied, hoping to see Eloise fidget uneasily, but the Elite woman only smiled in reply.

‘All right, we’ll sort Tilly out first,’ Gonzalez decided. ‘You can have Ms Moretti after lunch, while us mere mortals without eidetic memory study the buildings’ schematics. Captain Palmeiro, Sergeant Kizenberg, you will be working with Tilly, learning how she thinks while she teaches you about Cassandra’s security system and the interface she is proposing to use. Lieutenant Rivas will get the aircraft checked and ready. Sergeant Atkins—gear and weapons