Free The Project 05 - The Tesla Secret by Alex Lukeman Page A

from the hangers, past the runways. An old tank, non-op, in a field. It didn't make sense. The pictures moved forward. Suddenly the tank was no longer there. The time stamp was recent.
    At first Elizabeth thought the shots were somehow out of sequence, or that the tank had disappeared during one of the periods when the satellite was out of range. She moved back and forth. One shot, the tank was there. Next, it was gone. The frames were one second apart. The tank had vanished in an impossible amount of time. The ground where it had been was disturbed, covered with a dark smear.
    What were the Russians doing out there?

CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX

    "That is really something."
    Lamont spoke for all of them. The Mafra Palace sprawled stark and white and beautiful in the moonlight. It lay 18 miles outside of Lisbon, near the Portuguese coast. The Palace was as big as a small city, one of the largest single structures in Europe. Two tall bell towers rose from the center. The full moon shone down on the promise of a king to his queen, Mary of Austria.
    Give me an heir and I will build you a palace to rival any kingdom in the world.
    She did. He had.
    The team sat in a gray Fiat van parked near a wildlife preserve next to the castle grounds. In the light of the moon, the extravagant Baroque monument to a king's ego looked like a magical vision from a fairy tale.
    Mafra had an elaborate security system to protect the priceless art and treasures inside, supplemented by a complement of guards. During the day the castle was patrolled by a full roster. At night two men watched monitors in a security center on the ground floor and took turns making rounds. The guards carried pistols. Cameras watched the grounds and galleries and halls.
    No one could approach across the lawns and gardens without triggering an alarm. All of the windows and entrances had infra-red and motion sensors. The sheer size of the place meant the camera views had to switch in ordered sequence. There were gaps in the continuous coverage.
    There hadn't been much time to prepare a plan. They'd gone over maps and old blueprints of the palace. Nick had decided to go in through the cover of the park and access the ancient sewer system under the palace. From there they would find a way into the palace itself.
    "This moon could be a problem," Nick said.
    "The light might keep the rats away," Selena said.
    "Rats?"
    "There's a legend the sewers breed giant man-eating rats that come out at night."
    "I hate rats." Ronnie looked out at the trees and paths of the park. "Doesn't seem fair."
    "What doesn't?"
    "You said man-eating. Means they won't go after you."
    Nick rolled his eyes. "Check your gear," he said.
    They got out of the van. They were dressed in black. Black jackets, black pants and gloves, black Kevlar vests, black shoes with soft soles. Black balaclavas. Ronnie carried a pack. Each had a pistol, knife, light, ammunition and a suppressed MP-5. They had earpieces and microphones. If they split up, they could stay in contact.
    "Remember the ROE," Nick said. Rules of Engagement. "The Portuguese guards are off limits. Subdue them if you have to, don't kill them. They have uniforms, they're easy to ID. No one else should be there. You see anyone else, they're one of the bad guys and fair game."
    "Got your library card with you?" Lamont said.
    "Let's go get something for Selena to read."
    They moved into the park. The gravel path crunched under their feet. The moonlight made dark pools of shadow under the trees. The night air was cool and smelled of pine and the mixed, dark scent of the zoo animals. A bird called, high, mournful sounds that sent shivers up and down her spine. She felt the adrenaline kick in and forced herself to walk calmly.
    They came to a large maintenance shed housing a pumping sub-station for the sewer system.
    Nick consulted his map of the grounds. "The entrance should be in here."
    He had the lock open in a few seconds. They stepped inside and closed the door.