DeMario and his buddies split up and moved cautiously amongst the buildings separated from the Fairchild Group shipping area by the railroad tracks and the chain link fence topped with razor wire. They each began a careful watch of three separate entrances, two of which were being heavily used by trucks hauling shipping containers in and out of the loading area.
The marine air was generating a cool mist and DeMario was glad for the warmth of the body armor. Music emanated from a band playing in the nearby microbrewery. Keying the mike of his radio, he spoke softly and efficiently. “Coastie, I have spotted an observer on top of the building supply warehouse overlooking the gate on Market Street. He is hardly moving.”
“DM, I got one over here watching the gate on Martin Luther King Way. How do we tell who they work for?
Derek, who had been listening, in keyed his mike. “They seem to know about the FBI video cameras. They are avoiding them.”
Pete joined in. “I’ve got you both beat! There seems to be a fight in progress on the building overlooking the Jefferson Street gate. Holy cow! Someone just fell from the roof.”
They then heard Derek’s voice crackle in again. “We got some of that last one on the video cameras! It looked like a three on two knife fight! It seems that some of the fighting has already started.”
DeMario’s voice came on the air. “Everything looks calm again from down here on the street level. Which side won that one?”
Pete’s voice came through. “Are you sure the ship isn’t coming through sooner than you thought? This is awfully early to start these shenanigans.”
Derek responded. “There are four ships scheduled for this dock in the next 24 hours, we have no idea which one is the target.”
Charlie keyed his mike. “Why not intercept them all before they get into port?”
All three of them could almost hear Derek sigh in the silent pause of the radio. “I already explained to you guys that our hands are tied. State Department does not want to precipitate an international incident. Plus, it would take the Coast Guard to do this, and they may have been compromised. Although, we are working on a plan B for that. Someone should go over and see if there is a body on the ground next to Jefferson Street. Maybe we can learn something.”
Pete answered. “Already on it. He is still alive but bleeding pretty badly. Is someone sending over a vehicle to pick him up?”
Derek responded. “A van with a medic should be there in less than 5 minutes. Be quick and discrete with the pickup. Look, something else has just come up. I’ll check back with you guys in 15 minutes.”