Page 60 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

"The structure itself should not present a unique challenge," Kalugal said. "It's not built as a fortified bunker. It's just a well-built underground facility, and a rather shallow underground facility at that."

Turner nodded. "That's close to ideal for us because the earth overhead traps everything in. If we breach the roof and then put an incendiary or thermobaric payload into a sealed underground room, the heat and pressure have nowhere to go. It becomes a high-pressure oven. Everything inside cooks, and keeps cooking, at temperatures nothing organic survives. The very thing that makes their headquarters invisible from the air is what will turn the room into a death trap."

Turner looked at Kian. "We need structural details from Losham. How far down the chamber sits, what it's built from, and how thick the overhead layer is. Educated guesses, if conservative enough, will suffice, as my plan is to exceed what we will reasonably need by a wide margin in terms of firepower."

"I assume that we will need large drones for this kind of firepower," Kian said. "Can you get them?"

Turner rewarded him with one of his rare smiles. "I can. I spoke with my supplier, and once you approve the number, he will procure the drones. He can get them to us in less than a month."

Kian frowned. "How did you find someone willing to sell us military-grade drones in the middle of a worldwide shortage?Everyone's buying, nobody's selling, and the ones that do sell go to governments who ordered them two years ago."

He had a feeling that Turner's supplier was fencing equipment from the military, which was highly illegal and could put Turner in trouble.

"I have my sources," Turner said.

"I don't want you to take unnecessary risks by sourcing equipment from actors that may turn on us."

Turner arched a brow. "Most of my suppliers are unsavory. Who do you think is dealing in that kind of stuff? But I can vouch for their reliability in terms of discretion and secrecy."

"Some are shadier than others." Kian crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want this to bite you or us in the ass later."

"Don't worry." Turner waved a hand in dismissal. "We are all professionals in this business. The drones are used, and they will be on loan to us. As you said, no one is selling. They are operational, capable of carrying what we need, and there's no paper trail because those deals are made inside a trusted network of players who operate on an honor system."

Kian held his gaze a moment longer, then let it go. Turner's grey-market arrangements were keeping the clan supplied, and he trusted him. "How much do they want for the lease?"

Turner pointed to a number on his yellow pad. "It's steep, but not outrageous given the shortages. Beggars and choosers and all that. I won't find a better offer. The number below is for the munitions."

Kian's breath caught for a moment. That number dwarfed the one the supplier was asking for leasing them the drones. Kianwasn't a stranger to spending big amounts, but that was a hard pill to swallow.

"That's a lot of money to secure Losham's position. The clan's money. To justify such expense, I need to make sure that the clan benefits from this operation."

They had just spent a small fortune on the EMP and on leasing a submarine and several boats. The clan had resources, but they weren't unlimited.

"I'll cover the expense," Toven offered. "I'm sure the clan will benefit from eliminating as many of the Brotherhood's top commanders as possible, so Losham can reshape the army based on what we will dictate." He smiled. "Perhaps we will turn them into a global force fighting trafficking. With that many immortal warriors at our disposal, we could eliminate that scourge once and for all."

The stunned silence that followed reflected Kian's own double-take. "You can't be serious."

Toven chuckled. "I wish I was, but no, I know it's not possible. Not right now, anyway. I was just using the most extreme future positive result to demonstrate what's possible."

Toven was probably the richest person on the face of the planet, but no one knew that because his fortune was all in gold and hidden in various depositories under a long list of names. Still, it was very generous of him to offer, and even though Kian's pride urged him to decline and say that the clan could handle it, he knew he shouldn't.

"Thank you." Kian dipped his head. "Your help is deeply appreciated."

"You're welcome." Toven inclined his head in return.

"So, do I give my supplier the go ahead?" Turner asked.

"Yes," Kian said. "There is one more issue we need to address, and that's how we hide the fact that the drones lift off from Safe Harbor. We can't let the Brotherhood figure out where we are located. Do we deploy another EMP?"

Turner shook his head. "We don't need an EMP, and I wouldn't waste one. Their air-search radar is almost certainly not restored yet. Radar arrays are among the most EMP-sensitive equipment, and they need spare parts and skilled crews to bring them back online, neither of which Losham has had the time and resources to address. He's busy keeping the lights and air-conditioning on in the resort and the air systems going in the harem."

"For now," Kian said. "But we won't be ready for another month, and by then he might have addressed the radar."

"Not likely." Turner switched to a fresh page on his pad. "The island is cut in half, and supply lines are a mess. I'd bet that radar is his last priority."

"I'm not a betting man," Onegus said. "I'd rather build contingencies around what-ifs."

"So would I. Safe Harbor's proximity to the Doomers' island is a huge advantage, but it is also a disadvantage. If anyone on that island watches a drone leave and clocks the direction, they can draw a line, cap it at whatever range they assume the platform has, and end up with a box small enough to actually search."