by Rob Buckman
"You're just full of these little gems of good news,” she said in a tired voice. "I expect you'll have me climbing around in the plumbing again." Kat was rapidly reaching the end of her tether. If she didn't get a hot meal, and a bath soon, she was going to scream.
"It's not all that bad. I just have to work out a way for us to get up to that air shaft. You don't happen to have a ten foot ladder on you by any chance?" Kat laughed.
"Is that all." She wiped her face, feeling tired and spent. "Let me see. In the past few days, you've had me doing feats I never would have imagined I'd ever be capable of. I've been shot at, blown up, and gone for a bath in the river of no return. You've had me crawling about inside and outside of this damn mountain for God knows how long, like a worm inside a rotten apple." Mike could see she was working up to a first class bitch session.
"Now you want me to come up with a ten foot ladder." She took a deep breath. Working up a head of steam. "Well, great and glorious leader, I'm sorry to disappoint you but I don't have one. I do know however, what a spider feels like when you flush it down the fucking toilet. Wet, cold, miserable, covered in shit and God knows what else; on a one way journey to the sewer..." She never got to finish.
"Now that's a hell of a thought!" He muttered. "Sometimes you come up with the most wonderful ideas. Step up to the bar, and I'll buy you a drink."
"What?" She felt a little lost. It was as if two conversations were going on at once. She on the other hand was only hearing her half of one. "What are you talking about?"
"What school did you go to?"
"School? I..." This was getting weird. "Why do you want to know that?"
"It doesn't matter, I doubt if you got up to the same antics as the boys." With that cryptic remark, he sat down and began fishing items out of his bottomless pack.
"Excuse me? But, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" She said in a savage whisper.
"Keep your voice down," Mike said waving his hand at her, "you'll wake up the kids." "Plumbing Kat, plumbing." He chuckled like an idiot, dumping items out of his bag onto the floor. Exasperated Kat sat back, refusing to get entangled any further in this strange verbal exchange. She watched curiously as he undid the wrapping on what looked like thick black candles, laying them side by side on the floor.
"What are those?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Those, love of my life are plastic explosives, 303a to be precise. Marvelous stuff, doesn't go hard in the cold, and won’t melt when it gets hot, just like play dough. Here, catch!" Mike threw her a stick just for fun. Kat knew what plastic explosives were and almost missed it. For a few seconds, she did a juggling act before throwing it back. Mike didn't even bother to try and catch it, seeing her wince as it hit the floor. He chuckled at her reaction.
"Are you completely crazy?!"
"No. That stuff is harmless as play dough, we used to shave it, and make a fire to brew tea."
"Better you than me!" she said breathing a sigh of relief.
"Nothing happens until you put one of these in it." Mike held up a small tube-like object he'd taken out of a sealed tin. "This is a detonator, or cap, as some call it." He placed three of them carefully on the cleaning rag he'd laid out. Next, he cut two feet off a coil of what looked like thick orange rope and threw it to one side. Kat suspected it wasn't rope when he cut another foot off the coil and lit one end. Mike timed it as it burned.
"Good, it didn't get wet,” he said with a broad smile. "This,” he said, holding up the orange cord, "is 'det' cord and it is supposed to burn at one foot per minute, which it did."
"If you knew that already, why waste time testing it?"
"Habit, procedure, call it what you want. However, you always, and I mean always test the first foot to be sure. It could get damp or broken, or just be no damn good. When you’re playing around with explosives you don't take chances or leave anything to chance."
"Oh, I see." Even the fact that he'd explained it to her didn't make Kat feel any better.
Mike cut three, two-foot lengths off the coil and fitted and crimped a cap to each. He then gently crimped the cap half way down for luck. It was an old habit, born of long experience. No one really knew if double crimping the detonator helped it explode properly. Knowing only that un-crimped ones sometimes didn't go off.
Next, he took the stub of a pencil and pierced each stick of PE half way down the side. He then inserted the cap and fuse into the holes. Bending the fuses back, he taped them along the side, then placed the sticks together with the caps and fuses in the center. These he taped together as well, before adding the remaining three sticks around the first three, wrapping the bundle in tape. His final act was to split the end of each fuse down half an inch. That done he taped them together.
"Very neat." Kat commented, giving him a soft handclap.
"You want to do the next one?"
"You've got to be joking." A visible shudder ran up Kat's body. "No thank you." Mike smiled at her, shaking his head.
"It's easy really but I know how you feel. Only one in three people can work with explosives. Most get the jitters, or are just plain scared of the stuff." Kat decided for the tenth time that she liked his smile, and hearing him talk in that soft voice. It didn't really matter what he was saying. It was the quite confident tone she liked. He rambled on. Telling funny stories about what happened in demolition school, making it sound as if blowing up buildings and such or causing death and destruction with explosives was the most natural act in the world. At last, he completed the second bundle, laying it beside the first.
"Now what do we do, drop it on them?" Kat asked.
"Nothing so crude my love. Remember the plumbing."
"Plumbing?" he was back to that odd topic again. "What plumbing?" She asked.
"You'll see,” he said, kissing her.
"Take the bags then drop them off under the air shaft, we'll only need our weapons for this."
Puzzled, Kat did what she was asked, returning to find he'd used more of the explosive to fill the crack on each side of the opening in the wall. This time two ten foot long fuses met in the center, with what looked like a kitchen match taped between them. She had no idea why he’d placed them there, nor did he offer an explanation.
"Let’s go,” he said with a secretive smile. Whatever the reason for the explosives in the crack, she doubted the results would thrill her. Mike took off back up the tunnel, hearing Kat swearing softly behind him. As they neared the exit, he stopped, feeling Kat bump into him.
"Shhhh,” he said softly.
Muffled but close by, they could hear voices and a few moments later a group of legs walk by, legs in military clothing. Mike inched forward until he could see both ways, waiting and listening until it became quiet again. Five minutes, then ten passed before he moved again. This time climbing out and standing up, back flat against the wall, covering Kat's exit.
"Let’s go." Mike ran back up the main tunnel to the waterfall, ducking into the shadows. Kat followed and sank down beside him.
"Now what?" she asked over the roar.
"Here, take these." Mike handed her a bundle of explosives and a metal matchbox. When I give you the signal I want you to light the fuse like this." He demonstrated by holding the kitchen match against the fuse and making a striking motion with the box. This was the opposite way from normal but Kat made no comment.
"These are fuse matches. They burn slowly, so don't expect it to flare up like a normal match, it won't. They just ignite and burn very hot. If you're holding it tight to the fuses, all three should light at once. When you've done that, throw it into the whirlpool over there and run like hell back to the tunnel. Don't wait for me, just hustle your butt back to the bags, and wait."
"What are you going to be doing while I do that?" She demanded.
"I'm going to be setting the other one off behind the waterfall."
"Will you please tell me what on earth is suppose to happen?"
"You ever see what
happens when you drop a cherry bomb down a toilet and flush it?"
"No. No, I haven't. What happens?"
"You'll see."
"How is this supposed to stop them from producing drugs? I would have thought it would be better to just drop it on them."
"No way, just do as I say, and we'll be home free. Are you ready?"
"No, but that's hasn't stopped you so far." Kat had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Whatever was going to happen she knew she wasn't going to like it. Mike turned away, checking both directions. As he started to move, Kat grabbed him. "Mike please be careful. If you get killed I'll never forgive you."
He looked at her a moment. "Lady, that's dumb." Without warning, he leaned over and kissed her, finding her lips warm and inviting.
"Hold that thought." With that, he was gone.
Kat watched as he dashed the short distance to the waterfall, her heart in her mouth. With his back flat against the wall, Mike took time to examine the falls. Sure enough, there was a slight gap between the water and the rock wall, just wide enough for him to slip into. It ledge was slippery and wet and the water rushed past, inches from his face but he managed to work his way to the center. Here he found what he was looking for. A crack split the rock face, wide enough to jam the bundle of explosives into. He'd hoped for nothing more than a ledge or crevice. This was perfect. When this bundle went off it should blow the rock wall between this cavern and the lake, letting millions of gallons of water pour into the cavern. Feeling in his pocket, he pulled out a second metal matchbox and fished out a slow match. He didn't care if it got wet as the end was wax coated. He was more worried about turning his body to strike it with the box. Slowly, he turned, feeling water hit his shoulder. Not hard, but telling him that he couldn't turn any more without the water sweeping him away. It was enough, and jamming the match head into the fuse cluster, he struck it with the box. Once, twice, three times and it still didn't light. Swearing he dropped it, fishing another out. This one lit the first time, igniting the fuses. As quickly as possible he worked his way back out, taking equal care, to hurry now could be fatal.
"Now Kat!" He said clearing the waterfall and waving his hand.
The moment she saw him wave, the box hit the match head, igniting the match and fuses. She waiting a split second longer to make sure they were all three were burning before she threw the bundle into the whirlpool. It vanished instantly. A moment later she was off and running with Mike close behind. So intent on getting to the cave Kat didn't watch where she was going. The static chatter of Mike's weapon was the first warning she had of any danger. Four men came round the corner, and it was only the fact that they hadn't expected anyone that Mike managed to get off the burst of fire. Kat brought her weapon up and opened fire. Mike swiveled round, hearing shouts from the other direction. They both unloaded four magazines in each direction, killing or driving the men back.
"In! In! In!" He yelled, rock chips flying off the wall around them. His first burst had hit them hard, and two of them were down on the ground, bleeding. The other two scrambled back, both catching lead but able to return fire. Mike grabbed a quick look at his watch.
"Shit! Shit! Shit. Move it!" Kat scrambled into the opening on hands and knees, her weapon dragging on the ground, hitting her on the knees. Just then, the floor came up and hit her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. Before she could recover from the first blast, a second did the same thing.
"For Christ sake, move it!" Mike yelled as he dived into the cave, his face hitting her boots.
“Move it!”
"Quite shoving! I'm moving!"
A low rumble started, climbing up the scale to become a full-throated roar. The charge behind the waterfall had gone off first, blowing the wall away and releasing million of tons of water into the cavern. Five seconds later the second one in the whirlpool went off. By now the explosive charge was several hundred feet underground, somewhere in the plumbing of the mountain. Just like a cherry bomb in the sewers, it sent a shock wave traveling back up the pipes, ejecting a column of water that hit the roof twenty feet up. The secondary effect was that it destroyed the plumbing, completely blocking the drain. The only place the water had to go now was straight through the cavern, taking out everything in its path.
"We're not going to make it!" Mike yelled.
"Not going to make what?" Kat yelled back.
"You'll see."
They came to the crack in the floor and Mike slid to a stop and reached in his pocket for the matchbox but he was unable to find them. Kat realizing what he intended to do, fished her box out and struck the match head. It lit the first time, blue smoke spurting out of the fuses.
"Go! Go! Go!" It's lit."
"What the hell are we rushing for..."
Even as she said it, a wall of water smashed into them from behind, pushing both, choking and gagging, in its path. Each lost skin, as they cannoned off the walls and floor of the tunnel. But at last the force of the water diminished as it pushed them out into the larger tunnel. Within seconds Mike was on his feet, dragging Kat along with him until he reached the airshaft. Here he dropped Kat and plashed away up tunnel chasing the fast retreating bags swept away by the floodwaters. Kat stood up, feeling the water rising around her as she looked into the darkness. Mike came back into view, and for the first time she saw the blood streaming down his face.
"Mike you're hit."
"Yeah. I know. It's only a scalp wound." As he reached her, he stumble, falling into the water. Quickly Kat grabbed him, hauling his face out of the water.
"Mike!" She screamed. Groggily, he opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Hit harder than I thought..."
"Mike, the water’s rising. How did you expect us to get out of here?" She demanded, panic starting to rise.
"....on water....told you we needed a ladder...."
"Damn it! Make sense?"
"...walk on water....."
"Walk on water? What is that supposed to mean?" But she was talking to herself. Slowly the water rose around them as she staggered to hold him upright. "Mike! Mike. What are you talking about? How do we walk on water...." Suddenly, it dawned on her "You mean tread water!"
By now, the force of the water had diminished so it was relatively easy to stay in one place, but Mike hadn't planned on being unconscious when the time came. The only way Kat could hope to get him into the airshaft was to dump the bags and most, if not all of their equipment. She did, dumping everything except Mike's prized weapon and ammo, just in time. As the water came up to their shoulders, she found that by kicking she could keep them both float. She didn't know if she had the energy to keep it up until they reach the airshaft. Fire ran up her legs, burning and cramping, muscles screaming in agony. Mike's dead weight kept trying to slip out of her arms.
"Please Mike. Wake up!" She cried, anger starting to creep into her voice. "Damn it Mike! Wake up." She kicked harder, refusing to give into the pain. "Son of a bitch! Wake up!" Letting go with one hand; she slapped him with the other. Getting a mouth full of water for her troubles. But at last, he was starting to come round. She shook him again, yelling in his ear.
"Mike! You've got to wake up."
"God damn it Kat. You're yelling at me again, and we're not even married yet."
"Married!" Here he goes again.
"Yes."
"I don't understand, and neither do you. Wake up."
"Will you marry me?"
"Oh. For crying out loud. Can't you think of a better time to propose?"
"Not offhand." He muttered.
"I..." Just then, their heads bumped the roof.
Desperately Kat looked around. The water had pushed them down the tunnel, away from the airshaft, still rising fast. Even as Kat tried to swim back to the opening, the rising water cut it off from view. The water touched the roof in a low spot and what reflected light there was from the airshaft, vanished.
"NOT NOW! For Christ sake." She screamed into the darkness. "Not now." Desperat
ely, she swam against the flow of the water, hoping she hadn't been turned around, if so they were dead.
"Mike! Take a deep breath." She yelled, feeling him nod in response. Taking one herself she ducked under water, feeling her way along the roof, fifteen seconds, thirty seconds, an eternity.
In one last desperate scramble she felt the roof vanish and knew she'd found the airshaft. Gagging and choking, they entered the narrow opening, finding the going easier as they now had protrusions on the rock wall to hold onto. Above her she could see two iron bars set into the wall, crossing each other to form an 'X'. Kat prayed that there was enough room for them to squeeze through, reaching them just as Mike regained his senses enough to hold on.
"My ladder idea worked,” he muttered. Kat got mad.
"You self centered son of a bitch. You almost got us killed."
"It worked didn't it?"
"You might have told me what to expect."
"Thought you might chicken out if I did."
"Your damn right about that, of all the harebrained schemes I've ever heard about, this one takes the prize..." She ran out of words.
Swearing and cursing, and losing more skin they wormed their way through. It was touch and go for a few moments whether the rising water would beat them.
"You'd better hang onto me." Mike said looking at his watch.
"Something you forgot to tell me?"
"No. Something you forgot."
"What might that be?"
His '...the last explosive charge...' and the concussion hit her at the same time. Up-rushing water drove them up the shaft. And like two bugs in a fire hose when the water is turned on, they shot out of the shaft into daylight.
They missed the low wall around the airshaft with inches to spare, landing in tall grass and bracken. Even so, both had the wind knocked out of them. The first conscious event Mike was aware of, was a wet tongue licking his face. He knew it wasn't Kat, because, if she had the strength, she'd probably be choking the living shit out of him right now. That left only one other possibility, Max. He was right.
"Now how in the hell did you manage to find us?" Max just wagged his tail in answer and went over to lick Kat.