to like what lay ahead of us, but it might give our
pursuers pause and I hoped they'd think we'd gone another way.
The passage was beyond a service door, which was locked. Rafe
and Maye managed to kick the steel door down, since we didn't have a key and it
didn't have a keypad. The small, square room was for maintenance workers
only—containing a six-foot, round airshaft in the floor, with a huge fan
whirling inside the shaft. Why did I take them that way?
Beyond the airshaft lay another door that hadn't been used in
a very long time. It led to the abandoned site once known as the Chancery Lane
deep shelter and Kingsway telephone exchange.
"We have to cross the shaft and get to that other
door," I shouted over the noise of the fan and pointing at the door
beyond. "Rafe, we need the door placed over the shaft so we can cross, then
we need to carry it through that other door when Auggie and the guard get
here."
"His name is Dave," the PM said.
"Dave and Auggie," I corrected myself.
"I'll make sure it happens," Rafe nodded.
Carefully, he and Kevin lifted the door and laid it across the
shaft. Blocking the air caused newly created winds to swirl about us, lifting
my skirts and attempting to blow my dress over my head. Grabbing expensive
fabric, I tied it in a makeshift knot so I wouldn't endanger myself or the
others.
The door barely fit over the shaft, and the PM's second guard
made the first trip to test its safety before allowing the PM across.
The Secretary came next, with Ken, Dalton and Maye close
behind. I could hear running footsteps in the hall outside by that time.
"Go, Corinne," Rafe urged.
I pulled Kevin with me, and halfway across the door, with
forced air whipping hair and clothing, I heard muted gunshots outside.
Hurry, Auggie , I thought at him before Kevin leapt off
the door, sending it scraping across the opening and almost dislodging it with
me still on it.
Rafe shouted before grabbing the door and keeping it from
sliding off the shaft. I fell to my knees and teetered for a moment on the
door's edge, almost coming face to face with whirling fan blades.
August ran in, supporting a bleeding Dave—he had a shoulder
wound where an enemy's bullet had hit its mark. Standing as quickly as I could,
I took two steps and almost fell off the end of the door, leaving it empty for
the others to cross.
Dave had managed to kill two of our pursuers, but he'd been
wounded in the process. It didn't matter that two were dead; more were on the
way. Dave had to be helped across the chasm by Rafe and August—he'd already
lost a lot of blood and was far too unsteady on his own.
"Maye, we need this door down, too," I gasped for
breath as I came to a stop at the second door.
"We'll get it," Kevin and Ken said together. I moved
aside to allow them room. In unison, they kicked, sending a not-so-heavy door crashing
into a round tunnel beyond.
"I hope you know where you're going," the PM said.
"I have no working knowledge of these tunnels."
"I think she knows," Rafe said, grabbing my arm and
pulling me through the door. "Buck up, cabbage. We need you to get us out
of this. We still have eight behind us, and they're armed to the teeth."
I took off, Rafe beside me, with the others following. Ken
dropped back to help August support Dave; we didn't have time to stop and give
the poor man first aid. At least the wound was in his right shoulder, but it had
to hurt and he was bleeding badly. Ken had a hand over the wound, attempting to
slow the blood loss.
"This is a nightmare," I panted as I ran. I hoped we
could get through the tunnels without the enemy sighting us well enough to take
more shots. "This way," I called, turning to the right and running
through another tunnel.
The tunnels were round and sturdily built, with regular,
curved steel ribs supporting the structure. A rumble over our heads sent a
ripple through the group, until we realized it was a tube train rolling past.
One of those tunnels lay above us at some
pursuers pause and I hoped they'd think we'd gone another way.
The passage was beyond a service door, which was locked. Rafe
and Maye managed to kick the steel door down, since we didn't have a key and it
didn't have a keypad. The small, square room was for maintenance workers
only—containing a six-foot, round airshaft in the floor, with a huge fan
whirling inside the shaft. Why did I take them that way?
Beyond the airshaft lay another door that hadn't been used in
a very long time. It led to the abandoned site once known as the Chancery Lane
deep shelter and Kingsway telephone exchange.
"We have to cross the shaft and get to that other
door," I shouted over the noise of the fan and pointing at the door
beyond. "Rafe, we need the door placed over the shaft so we can cross, then
we need to carry it through that other door when Auggie and the guard get
here."
"His name is Dave," the PM said.
"Dave and Auggie," I corrected myself.
"I'll make sure it happens," Rafe nodded.
Carefully, he and Kevin lifted the door and laid it across the
shaft. Blocking the air caused newly created winds to swirl about us, lifting
my skirts and attempting to blow my dress over my head. Grabbing expensive
fabric, I tied it in a makeshift knot so I wouldn't endanger myself or the
others.
The door barely fit over the shaft, and the PM's second guard
made the first trip to test its safety before allowing the PM across.
The Secretary came next, with Ken, Dalton and Maye close
behind. I could hear running footsteps in the hall outside by that time.
"Go, Corinne," Rafe urged.
I pulled Kevin with me, and halfway across the door, with
forced air whipping hair and clothing, I heard muted gunshots outside.
Hurry, Auggie , I thought at him before Kevin leapt off
the door, sending it scraping across the opening and almost dislodging it with
me still on it.
Rafe shouted before grabbing the door and keeping it from
sliding off the shaft. I fell to my knees and teetered for a moment on the
door's edge, almost coming face to face with whirling fan blades.
August ran in, supporting a bleeding Dave—he had a shoulder
wound where an enemy's bullet had hit its mark. Standing as quickly as I could,
I took two steps and almost fell off the end of the door, leaving it empty for
the others to cross.
Dave had managed to kill two of our pursuers, but he'd been
wounded in the process. It didn't matter that two were dead; more were on the
way. Dave had to be helped across the chasm by Rafe and August—he'd already
lost a lot of blood and was far too unsteady on his own.
"Maye, we need this door down, too," I gasped for
breath as I came to a stop at the second door.
"We'll get it," Kevin and Ken said together. I moved
aside to allow them room. In unison, they kicked, sending a not-so-heavy door crashing
into a round tunnel beyond.
"I hope you know where you're going," the PM said.
"I have no working knowledge of these tunnels."
"I think she knows," Rafe said, grabbing my arm and
pulling me through the door. "Buck up, cabbage. We need you to get us out
of this. We still have eight behind us, and they're armed to the teeth."
I took off, Rafe beside me, with the others following. Ken
dropped back to help August support Dave; we didn't have time to stop and give
the poor man first aid. At least the wound was in his right shoulder, but it had
to hurt and he was bleeding badly. Ken had a hand over the wound, attempting to
slow the blood loss.
"This is a nightmare," I panted as I ran. I hoped we
could get through the tunnels without the enemy sighting us well enough to take
more shots. "This way," I called, turning to the right and running
through another tunnel.
The tunnels were round and sturdily built, with regular,
curved steel ribs supporting the structure. A rumble over our heads sent a
ripple through the group, until we realized it was a tube train rolling past.
One of those tunnels lay above us at some
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