remembered. After the way things had ended in Brazil, and especially after her own departure from the institute, she’d sadly guessed that she would never see him again. Certainly not in a situation like this.
He dropped down and began digging into his backpack.
“I was telling you to get down, before the explosion,” he said.
“Suddenly it makes sense.”
A new set of alarms began ringing and she guessed that the incursion had been detected.
“We need to get moving,” she said.
The old man and the woman were standing around her; Yuri was tugging on her sleeve.
“Where do we get out?” the old man said.
“At the front of the room,” Hawker said. “By the gunports. Go across the rocks and swim to the south; you’ll have the current and the tide with you. But go now if you want to make it.”
The two prisoners moved quickly and disappeared.
Hawker looked around. “I thought you said there were seven.”
She pointed to the cell across the corridor. Zhou and the other man she’d beaten cowered there.
“What happened to them?”
“We had a little disagreement,” she said. “They’re kind of my bitches now.”
“Someone’s got to be king of the yard,” he said. “I should have figured it would be you.”
“Yeah,” she said, glad to be talking with him, but thinking they could catch up later. “Can we get the hell out of here?”
“Not just yet.” He looked at Yuri. “Grab the kid.”
“You know about him?”
“He’s part of the deal,” Hawker said. “Sort of.”
There was something in his voice that concerned her, but before she could say anything, Hawker moved to the gate that separated them from the elevator. He stuck a shaped charge of C-4 to the lock and stepped back.
Yuri began to yell. It was unintelligible wailing, but he covered one ear with a hand and pointed toward the elevator.
“Look out!” she shouted.
The elevator doors flew open and a wave of darts came streaking through the air, trailing wires back to some riflelike Taser device. Danielle ducked behind the wall but saw one hit Hawker and his body stiffen, and her immediate thought was,
This can’t be happening again
.
CHAPTER 18
H awker felt the sting of the dart hitting his body but he was already moving for cover and even as his muscles wrenched tight he fell behind the stone wall, his chest scraping against it and thus ripping the prong of the Taser out.
Spared the full burst of electricity, he still writhed in pain from the half second of shock.
He rolled over, angry at himself. He’d been waiting for security to come down in the elevator; in fact, he’d been counting on it. But the occupants of the car had doused any light inside it and the screaming Russian kid had distracted him.
He shook his head to clear it and looked around. Danielle was pulling the child into safety behind her with one hand and grabbing the carbine rifle he’d dropped. As she fired down the hall, a man screamed in agony at the far end.
“One down,” Danielle shouted.
A second wave of darts came flying in, which Hawker deflected with his backpack.
He pressed the detonator switch and the C-4 on thegate exploded, flinging it open and taking out the second guard.
Before they could rejoice, a third guard opened fire.
Bullets ricocheted around the brig and Hawker pulled a grenade from inside his pack. While Danielle fired back, he tossed the grenade.
The concussion knocked the remaining attacker down and Hawker ran to the man’s position, ripping the Taser-like weapon from his belt and using it on him. The five-second ride left the man writhing on the floor and Hawker guessed he would no longer be a problem.
He looked toward the elevator. A racket of the competing alarms poured down through the elevator shaft and in through the hole he’d blown in the wall. Out on the rocks, beams of light were playing through the smoke. Shouting could be heard.
It would take a minute or so for any guards to scale down from above,
He dropped down and began digging into his backpack.
“I was telling you to get down, before the explosion,” he said.
“Suddenly it makes sense.”
A new set of alarms began ringing and she guessed that the incursion had been detected.
“We need to get moving,” she said.
The old man and the woman were standing around her; Yuri was tugging on her sleeve.
“Where do we get out?” the old man said.
“At the front of the room,” Hawker said. “By the gunports. Go across the rocks and swim to the south; you’ll have the current and the tide with you. But go now if you want to make it.”
The two prisoners moved quickly and disappeared.
Hawker looked around. “I thought you said there were seven.”
She pointed to the cell across the corridor. Zhou and the other man she’d beaten cowered there.
“What happened to them?”
“We had a little disagreement,” she said. “They’re kind of my bitches now.”
“Someone’s got to be king of the yard,” he said. “I should have figured it would be you.”
“Yeah,” she said, glad to be talking with him, but thinking they could catch up later. “Can we get the hell out of here?”
“Not just yet.” He looked at Yuri. “Grab the kid.”
“You know about him?”
“He’s part of the deal,” Hawker said. “Sort of.”
There was something in his voice that concerned her, but before she could say anything, Hawker moved to the gate that separated them from the elevator. He stuck a shaped charge of C-4 to the lock and stepped back.
Yuri began to yell. It was unintelligible wailing, but he covered one ear with a hand and pointed toward the elevator.
“Look out!” she shouted.
The elevator doors flew open and a wave of darts came streaking through the air, trailing wires back to some riflelike Taser device. Danielle ducked behind the wall but saw one hit Hawker and his body stiffen, and her immediate thought was,
This can’t be happening again
.
CHAPTER 18
H awker felt the sting of the dart hitting his body but he was already moving for cover and even as his muscles wrenched tight he fell behind the stone wall, his chest scraping against it and thus ripping the prong of the Taser out.
Spared the full burst of electricity, he still writhed in pain from the half second of shock.
He rolled over, angry at himself. He’d been waiting for security to come down in the elevator; in fact, he’d been counting on it. But the occupants of the car had doused any light inside it and the screaming Russian kid had distracted him.
He shook his head to clear it and looked around. Danielle was pulling the child into safety behind her with one hand and grabbing the carbine rifle he’d dropped. As she fired down the hall, a man screamed in agony at the far end.
“One down,” Danielle shouted.
A second wave of darts came flying in, which Hawker deflected with his backpack.
He pressed the detonator switch and the C-4 on thegate exploded, flinging it open and taking out the second guard.
Before they could rejoice, a third guard opened fire.
Bullets ricocheted around the brig and Hawker pulled a grenade from inside his pack. While Danielle fired back, he tossed the grenade.
The concussion knocked the remaining attacker down and Hawker ran to the man’s position, ripping the Taser-like weapon from his belt and using it on him. The five-second ride left the man writhing on the floor and Hawker guessed he would no longer be a problem.
He looked toward the elevator. A racket of the competing alarms poured down through the elevator shaft and in through the hole he’d blown in the wall. Out on the rocks, beams of light were playing through the smoke. Shouting could be heard.
It would take a minute or so for any guards to scale down from above,
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