Both Eddie and the Dhajani were taken by surprise, though the Yorkshireman’s shock was tinged with fear as his cover disappeared. He burst out from behind the shrinking case and sprinted for a taller one a few metres away. His attacker swept the Glock after him—
Bullets seared past as Eddie hurled himself headlong behind the new cabinet – then the gunfire stopped. The Dhajani had burned through his ammunition. He immediately ejected the empty magazine, reaching into his clothing for a replacement.
Eddie looked for better cover. But he was too far from the vault entrance to reach it before the man reloaded, and the holes into which the cases were descending were closing one by one as metal hatches slid across them—
There was a moment between their clearing the floor and the openings being sealed – and a neighbouring case was just vanishing into the vault. He sprang at it as the gunman fired again. More rounds tearing at his heels, he rolled into the hole and fell a couple of feet to thud down on the cabinet’s top. The hatch sliced into place above him.
He dropped to the vault floor. The rest of the cabinets were lowering around him. The chamber was lined with deposit boxes, places for paranoid passengers to leave their valuables during the voyage – but what instantly drew his eye was something conspicuously out of place. A large metal briefcase sat near the entrance. The spearhead; it had to be.
The heavy door was closing again, Nina’s override itself overridden by the new alarms. He ran for it—
A thud behind. The Dhajani had ridden down on a different cabinet.
Eddie snatched up the case without breaking stride. The door was two feet of solid steel, slowly but relentlessly swinging shut. The gap was narrow, and shrinking fast.
He dived through the opening as the gunman raised his weapon—
The Yorkshireman’s right knee hit the frame’s edge – but he was clear, landing heavily at the foot of the stairs as a deafening fusillade of gunfire clanged against the barrier behind him. Then the noise was abruptly cut off as the door slammed.
Nina ran to him. ‘Eddie!’
‘I’m okay,’ he assured her breathlessly, standing. ‘And I got the spearhead. At least, I hope I did. Be annoying if it’s just six hundred million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds.’
‘I’ll assume that’s a movie reference and move on,’ she said. ‘We need to get out of here before more of Alula’s people arrive. Can you run?’
He followed her up the stairs. ‘I’ll bloody have to, won’t I? So what are we doing with this?’
Nina checked nobody else had reached the gallery before running for the exit. ‘We need to get it as far from land as possible, so we’ll take a speedboat from the marina.’
‘You know somebody’ll have to drive the boat, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, I do,’ she said grimly. ‘And the list of choices is exactly two names long.’
Alula watched the monitors, seething, as the American and her husband disappeared from frame. ‘They have the spearhead! Find them, kill them! Get it back!’
The images changed, switching to cameras near the exhibition hall. Nina and Eddie flitted from screen to screen. Al-Asim relayed their position to their three remaining hunters.
Alula turned to him. ‘I want to talk to my pilot.’ He changed the walkie-talkie’s channel, then handed it to her. ‘Get the helicopter ready to take off,’ she commanded. ‘I will be leaving soon.’ The pilot confirmed, then she returned the radio. ‘I want you to make sure the ship stays on course for Bahrain. Nothing must stop it.’
It took a moment for her words to sink in, and when they did, shock dawned on al-Asim’s face. ‘You . . . you don’t want me to come with you?’
‘Hashim, you . . .’ She looked down, voice softening. ‘You are the only man I trust in this world. I trust you to see this through. It’s the only way to save our country.’ Her eyes came back up to meet his, almost pleading. ‘Please. You must do this. For me.’
‘Your Majesty . . . Alula,’ he said quietly. One hand reached out and squeezed hers; she did not resist. ‘If you want me to finish this for you, you know I will. I have always been there to do whatever you needed.’
‘You have, I know. And I will always be grateful.’
‘But there’s no other way?’
‘I wish there was,’ she said, sadness clear. ‘But I know you won’t let anyone defeat us. Not my brother, not the Americans, not this ship’s crew . . . and definitely not Nina Wilde.’
‘I will not,’ he said. ‘You have my word. But there is something I must tell you before you go. I . . .’ He took a deep breath. ‘I lo—’
‘I know, Hashim,’ Alula whispered, closing her hand around his. ‘I know.’
They stood still, looking into each other’s eyes, then al-Asim straightened, drawing away. ‘Nobody will stop you, Your Majesty. You will take the throne of Dhajan, and you will save our country. It has been . . .’ He swallowed before continuing. ‘It has been the greatest honour a man could have to serve you.’
‘Thank you. For everything.’
As she turned to leave, al-Asim spoke again. ‘Your Majesty, please let me take you to the helicopter. I have to be sure you leave the ship safely.’
‘I need you here,’ she told him, indicating the screens. ‘You have to guide your men to the spearhead – and make sure the ship stays on course. I will be all right.’ A hint of a smile. ‘I am not a girl any more, Hashim.’
‘I know, Your Majesty. Then . . . goodbye, and good luck. May God protect you.’ He bowed his head.
‘And you.’ A brief but respectful nod of her own, then she left the bridge.
‘Anyone following us?’ Nina asked as she and Eddie reached a lounge area towards the Pacifia’s stern. One wall was taken up by a 3-D screen. The sandy coast of Bahrain rolled past upon it, the image almost hyperreal.
‘Don’t see anyone,’ he said, looking back. ‘Let’s check we’ve actually got the spearhead.’
He laid the case upon a sofa and opened it. ‘I’d say that’s a yes,’ Nina said, narrowing her eyes against the shimmering light within the Atlantean crystal. Its colour had changed, lurid purples and blues and reds erupting amidst the intense white glow. ‘Damn, I think that’s definitely stage three.’
‘Better get it to a boat—’ He broke off as the view changed to an angle astern. Even though the Atlantia had fallen some way behind, the crippled liner still dominated the image. Smoke poured from its hull, a few lifeboats making hasty retreats. As the couple watched, an explosion blasted out a section of the ship’s side, debris spinning into the sea.
‘Oh my God,’ said Nina, appalled. ‘I hope everyone got off in time.’
Eddie counted. ‘I can see four lifeboats, and there might be more behind—’
He was silenced again, this time in stunned shock, as fireballs erupted along the ship’s length. The entire enormous vessel jumped, over a quarter of a million tonnes of metal leaping higher in the water as shock waves slammed against the inside of its hull—
Then the Atlantia blew apart.
47
Even deep inside the Pacifia, the force of the Atlantia’s destruction reached Nina and Eddie, the whole ship quivering as if feeling its sister’s death. They stared in silence at the liner’s burning hulk, then the view changed again. The new camera was near the bridge, looking over the bow. ‘Shit, we’re getting closer to Bahrain,’ said Eddie, seeing the artificial headland marking the harbour’s southern entrance. He shut the case, about to set off again.
‘Wait, wait!’ Nina cried. She pointed. ‘Look!’
A helicopter was on the landing pad. It was starting to power up, the rotor blades turning lazily. ‘It’s the Emir’s,’ said Eddie, recognising the royal coat of arms. ‘Well, Alula’s now.’
‘Exactly! It’s Alula’s – which means she hasn’t left yet! But she’s about to.’
‘That’s assuming she even came aboard.’
‘You think she’d trust anyone else to look after the s
pearhead? But she’s bugging out now that it’s in its final stage – so if we can get to the chopper before it takes off . . .’
He realised where she was leading. ‘We’d get the spearhead clear a lot faster than any boat.’ A look at the screen. ‘It’ll take a couple of minutes to get the rotors up to speed – and it’s still got cables holding it down. We can make it!’
They ran back the way they had come. ‘The pad’s on Deck 8,’ said Nina, ‘so we need to go up three decks, then head forward.’ They found an access stairwell and pounded up it.
‘Where are they going?’ al-Asim demanded. He had been directing his forces to intercept Wilde and Chase at the marina, which seemed their most likely destination, but they had now apparently changed their plan.
‘They’ve gone up to . . . Deck 7,’ Ingels told him, spotting the Arab’s targets on another screen. ‘Looks like they’re heading for the bow.’
Al-Asim didn’t catch the significance of his statement, instead growling commands into his radio. ‘They’re on Deck 7, going towards the front of the ship.’ He watched the monitors for a moment. ‘They’re going into the shopping mall. Jakeem, you’re closest – get them!’
Eddie and Nina ran through the mall’s entrance. The shopping complex was all but identical to that on the Atlantia. Considering the chaos, it was unsurprisingly sparsely populated – though there were still a few people milling around, as if even imminent disaster could not tear them away from shopping.
‘The chopper hasn’t taken off,’ said Nina, catching a view of the bow on a screen. ‘We can still hijack it.’
‘What’s with this “we”?’ Eddie asked. ‘If we both die, Macy’ll be an orphan! I’ll do it.’
‘Why are you so keen on the possible suicide mission?’
‘I’m the only one who can fly the bloody helicopter!’
‘You had three lessons!’ she objected. ‘Eight years ago. And on the last one, you crashed into Trump Tower!’
‘All right, so I’m not exactly Stringfellow Hawke— Oh fuck!’
He grabbed Nina and dived with her into the toy shop as one of Alula’s men ran towards them. The handful of people in the mall screamed as he opened up with his Glock, shattering the store’s windows.
‘Get behind that!’ Eddie yelled, pointing at a heavy display case. Nina reached its cover as he scrambled behind a free-standing shelf unit. The gunman fired another burst. Stuffed toys exploded above the Yorkshireman, showering him with the fluffy innards of Mickey Mouse and the PAW Patrol. He dropped the case, then kept moving as the shelves splintered, more toys cascading over him. One landed hard on his head. ‘You’re taking the piss, right?’ he said as he saw it was a Jason Mach action figure.
The gunfire stopped. Eddie glanced out to see the Dhajani slapping in a new magazine. He looked for anything he could use to his advantage. There was a large cabinet of expensive drones and remote-controlled vehicles nearby, the wooden base of which would give him concealment, maybe even some protection against bullets. If he reached it unseen, he might be able to catch their attacker off guard—
The crunch of boots on glass warned him that his plan had already failed. He had expected the man to come through the shop’s door, giving him the couple of seconds needed to reach the cabinet, but instead he had taken a short cut through a smashed window.
Eddie hunched down as the footsteps drew closer, but he knew he would be seen any second—
‘Hey!’
Nina’s shout rang across the shop as she popped up, arm drawn back to throw something—
She hurled it as the Dhajani agent whipped around – and took a replica trikan to his face. The toy was only plastic, but it was still hefty enough to jar his senses, however momentarily.
The Englishman took that moment and ran with it, literally, ploughing into the shelf unit and lifting it as if making a tackle. He charged at the gunman. The Glock snapped back around, but Eddie was already on him.
Toys flew everywhere as they crashed together, the Dhajani stumbling backwards. Bullets blazed wildly from his gun – then he tripped over the window frame and fell on his back, Eddie and the shelves landing heavily on top of him.
The winded agent looked up – to see the Yorkshireman’s fist rushing at his face. The impact was considerably harder than Nina’s trikan. ‘Night-night, fucko,’ Eddie growled as the Dhajani slumped.
He collected the Glock, quickly checking the magazine as Nina retrieved the case. Less than half full, about a dozen rounds remaining. There wasn’t time to pull the shelves clear and root through the Dhajani’s clothing for extra mags; instead, he switched the fire selector to single-shot. If any more of Alula’s goons arrived, he would just have to aim well.
‘I’m okay,’ he said, pre-empting Nina’s inevitable question. ‘We’ve got to keep going.’
They set off again. ‘How many more of them do you think there are?’ she asked.
‘How many arseholes can you fit in a helicopter? At least the crew aren’t trying to stop us as well.’
‘I doubt they’d willingly let themselves get blown up— Oh crap!’
Another Dhajani agent appeared at the top of an escalator to the atrium. The pair hurriedly swerved into a perfume store, Eddie sending a couple of shots at him before he could fire. The man hared down the escalator after them.
He was not alone, another of al-Asim’s team following. The first man reached the bottom and dropped behind one of the water features along the mall’s centreline, opening fire on the store. More glass shattered, the windows joined by bottles of fragrances as bullets hit them.
Eddie and Nina ducked behind a display. ‘Shit, we’re pinned,’ he said, then flinched as a perfume bottle blew apart, spraying him with Chanel.
Nina recoiled; the scent was pungent in such high concentration. ‘God!’ she gasped. ‘It’s like that time in Beverly Hills all over again.’
‘At least we’re not in a limo that’s on fire,’ Eddie said – then an idea came to him. ‘That cloth there, give it to me!’ She tugged a silk handkerchief from a nearby table and passed it to him. ‘If you see ’em, take a shot.’ He gave her the gun, then pulled a larger perfume bottle from the display.
‘A shot of vodka would go down fine about now.’ She unleashed two suppressing rounds at the first man as he peered over the water feature, forcing him down.
Eddie soaked the handkerchief Nina had given him in perfume, then stuffed it into the neck of the bottle. ‘Okay, give me the gun. Hope this works . . .’
He took the Glock, positioning the gun’s muzzle beneath the dripping fabric – then fired.
The bullet smacked against a wall, but he wasn’t concerned about its target – rather its flash. It caught the alcohol-soaked handkerchief . . . and ignited it.
Nina hurriedly pulled back. Eddie winced as hairs singed on the back of his hand, then lobbed the bottle. It arced over the water feature to smash on the marble floor beyond.
Perfume splashed out – and caught fire. Liquid flame sluiced over the first gunman’s legs. He screamed, leaping up in panic. An alarm sounded, valve heads in the ceiling gushing out a dense fog of tiny water droplets.
The Dhajani did not wait for the fire suppression system to take effect. Instead he threw himself into the water feature. A splash, followed by a rush of smoke, then he slumped into the shallow pool, moaning.
The second man fired another burst. Eddie pushed Nina back as bullets blew more bottles to pieces. Their attacker moved for a better angle – stopping beneath a large and gaudy golden chandelier.
Eddie snapped up his Glock, locking on to the base of its stem as the gunman rose to attack again—
The Yorkshireman fired first.
He pulled the trigger so rapidly, the shots sounded fully automatic. The rounds ripped into the gold-plated support rod. The chandelier broke from the ceiling – and fell.
The Dhajani looked up – and the heavy chandelier smashed down on his head, knocking him cold.
‘Li
ghts out,’ Eddie said, standing. ‘Let’s go before any more arrive.’
He and Nina ran from the shop. The escalator’s foot was now almost completely obscured by the mist from the HI-FOG fire suppression system, which had already choked out the flames from the pungent Molotov. They traversed the haze and charged up the moving stairway to the atrium.
Eddie had his gun ready as they reached the top, but saw only fearful passengers. ‘Maybe that was the last of them,’ Nina suggested hopefully.
‘Someone must still be on the bridge, or the crew would’ve stopped the ship by now,’ he replied as they ran forward. ‘If Alula’s leaving, that means they’re going to sail right into the US base. The navy’ll do whatever they need to stop it – which means trying to blow us out of the water.’
‘But there are ten thousand people on the ship!’
‘They’ll still do it – especially as we’ve told ’em there’s a bomb aboard.’ They reached the atrium’s forward end and entered the superstructure. The elevators to the bridge were not far away – giving him an idea. ‘Hold on a sec.’
‘What is it?’
‘Change of plan. Here.’ He gave her the gun. ‘Take that, and the spearhead – get to the chopper and make sure it doesn’t take off.’
‘How?’
‘Gun, the pilot, his head – put ’em all together and you’ll come up with something!’ He grinned as she gave him an irked frown. ‘If I’m not at the pad in four minutes, force the pilot to take you out over the Gulf until you’re far enough from land to drop the spearhead. If you fly north-east at full speed for ten minutes, that should do – it’ll have to do. Then turn around and get as far away as you can.’
‘What if Alula’s in the chopper?’
‘Shoot her before she shoots you! I’ll get to the bridge and try to stop the ship.’
Nina looked at the gun. ‘I don’t like this plan.’
‘Me neither, but it’s the only one we’ve got.’ He ran for the lifts. ‘Four minutes. I’ll see you down there!’
‘Goddammit, Eddie!’ she shouted after him, before reluctantly turning for the helipad.
The Spear of Atlantis (Wilde/Chase 14) Page 50