by James Flynn
“What do you mean explode?” Luke grabbed her.
“Beltrano and Vittorio … this whole facility is rigged to explode once the experiment is cleared and verified.” Chung Su was breathless.
“Chung Su, that link …” he pointed at the screen. “Was that a link to Iran?”
She stared at him, then nodded.
“What for?” he asked.
“They are feeding the data back. They did it, Luke, they have created a particle from neutrinos that could power the world for eternity, Vittorio showed me, it’s real.”
“A particle that can power the world?” He was trying to focus.
Chung Su nodded. “They have a particle that emits pure energy at incredible volumes. And they can create it from neutrinos.”
“An unlimited energy source?” Luke spoke to himself.
“Yes … they did it, Luke. The data is being fed back to a replica laboratory in Iran.” Luke was stunned. He had thought the underground facility was the end game, but it now made sense, why Beltrano had been taking so many overt risks. They will have what they need after tonight to replicate the experiment on their own soil. If they had somehow replicated the whole thing without Western sources knowing … an unlimited energy source. It would be the end of Western civilisation. Luke looked back to the now-smoking screen. “Is this the only link? We have less than ten minutes before CERN fires the neutrinos. We have to stop it!” He took control.
The talk of CERN seemed to drag Chung Su back. “That was just a visual link, and not the data link …”
“If we destroy all of this can we stop the experiment?” Luke motioned at all the equipment around them.
“No … no, this is just monitoring equipment. It won’t stop anything.”
“Where is Beltrano?”
Chung Su shook her head. “They are brothers … Vittorio and Beltrano.”
Brothers … Luke felt the weight of everything squeezing the time away. Brothers. It became abundantly clear that the deception had been absolute. Vittorio had not disappeared, he had locked himself down here, out of sight. The pangs of familiarity he had been experiencing … brothers.
“How do we stop it, Chung Su? How?” Luke shouted.
Chung Su fought to regain control over her emotions. There was clarity. Everything had to be stopped. The venomous destruction and pain that had been caused was a small precursor to the suffering at large that would be unleashed. She turned to the door, then back to Luke, speaking with purpose. “Get out. You have to go.”
Luke felt the hairs rise on his neck. “Chung Su, show me how I can stop it … now!”
“No … you must go, I have to do it …” Chung Su did not know where the courage had come from. She felt a twisted sense of responsibility for the destruction that would follow. “I have to set this right … I have to.”
The thousands of feet of solid earth and rock that stood above them formed in Luke’s mind. Blowing up the laboratory was an effective way to bury what they had done; no doubt CERN officials would put it down to a horrible accident. And Beltrano would slip away undetected back to Iran. They have thought of everything.
Luke looked at Chung Su. He knew she would not leave the laboratory on her own, and in truth he needed her. Perhaps they would both die below the earth.
He swung his bag around as he spoke. “You can’t do it alone. Beltrano is still around and he will give his life to make sure we do not disrupt anything, plus there are armed men running around. Do you know how to stop this?”
“I think so, yes … it is simple, if we can disrupt the magnetics then everything else falls apart. Everything revolves around that.”
“And if the lab explodes?” Luke dreaded the answer.
Chung Su shrugged. Luke pulled out the remaining electromagnetic device with its timer set on fifteen seconds. “Take this …”
Chung Su was reluctant.
“Take it!” Luke ordered. “When we get to where we can stop the magnets, just press the red button and place it down. It’s our only hope.”
Chung Su looked at it and nodded.
Luke put his arm on Chung Su’s shoulder and noticed the time: 6.54 p.m.
“Do you know where we need to go?” Luke asked.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s move.” Luke led her by the arm back out into the wailing alarms.
97.
Chung Su led them down the tunnel; they ran alongside each other, the siren rolling in their ears. The doors to the decontamination chamber were open now. Chung Su took them through the small ante-chamber and out into the glorious, industrial-looking central chamber. Luke’s eyes did not know what to take in first, the sheer array of machinery or the frenetic pace of the technicians dotted around the room. The room was beating to the soundtrack of sirens and shouts.
Chung Su headed to the railing. “They are all in danger, we need to get them out, they will die!” She had to shout over the noise.
“A lot more people will die if we don’t stop this … they aren’t our concern.” There wasn’t time to be sensitive.
“There,” Chung Su shouted, pointing down to a platform far over to their right. Some thirty feet below a man and a woman dressed in protective suits and red hats were frantically working.
“Is that the control point for the magnets?”
Chung Su nodded. The magnetic field set-up related to the delivery of neutrinos was an area she knew well.
Just as they were both about to set off at a run, the cacophony of noise was pierced by the familiar sound of gunshots, and then the clang of bullets deflecting off metal. There was nowhere for them to go, they were trapped. Luke turned back towards the door and dropped to one knee, bringing the Uzi up and unleashing a volley of bullets at the armed men now flooding through.
“Go, go … you need to get down to the platform,” Luke shouted at Chung Su as he threw the rope towards her. But Chung Su was not listening. She was sprawled on the floor ten feet away, her face white, her hands clutching her stomach. Luke saw the blood seeping from the wound.
He turned back to his attackers. They could not all occupy the walkway so they were coming two at a time; he counted ten in total. Luke flicked the Uzi to single shot, the air of defeat building around him. He let training and survival instinct take over.
The front gunman released a hail of automatic fire. The man was a poor shot but Luke felt the displaced air as the bullets flew close to his body. He let off one round, hitting the man in the shoulder; he screamed in pain. Luke let off another bullet at the second man in the column; it struck in the chest and the man disappeared over the railing, screaming as he fell. He turned to see Chung Su. She had not moved. The blood was now pooling around her. He felt helpless. Everything had been lost. He looked at her, sympathy in his eyes and she held his gaze for a moment. The same fire and drive that he had first encountered were still there. He made a painful decision. He turned back to the attackers, unleashing another round of fire. He missed but he only wanted to keep them penned back. He snatched up the rope, threw it over the railing and secured it loosely. A pain erupted on the top of his shoulder and it rocked him back onto his haunches.
He had been hit.
He fired back in single shots, keeping the men ducked low. A bullet had torn off the top of his left shoulder, but it was a flesh wound and the bullet had passed straight through. He placed the Uzi into his left hand, turned it back to fully automatic, then without hesitation he threw himself over the railing, feeling the rope dig into his right glove as it unfurled and hit its maximum length. His arm was almost pulled out of its socket but the momentum had the desired effect, Luke swung hard up under the grated walkway. He could see the armed men’s darkened outlines. He raised the Uzi and emptied the magazine up into the shadows. The screams could be heard above all other noise, and blood spewed down onto Luke as he hung above the chamber floor.
No gunfire was returned. Luke had emptied the magazine, and the bullets had ripped up through men’s groin
s and legs, felling all of them. Luke could now hear the technicians far below shouting and screaming. He could not make out all of the words but it was clear a wave of fear was passing through the compound. Luke threw the Uzi away.
With great effort he began hauling himself back up the rope, not looking down at the fresh air between him and the floor below. His injured shoulder was bleeding, and each pull brought a stabbing pain. He made it to back up to the railing and with a big effort he pulled himself over onto the walkway, his chest heaving up and down as he lay on the metal.
A new siren started up. It was a different tone; Luke looked over towards the magnetic cylinders, behind them a red sign flashed.
Magnets on.
They had failed.
***
The force of the gunshot had been so powerful it had taken her off of her feet. At first Chung Su was not sure what had caused it, but with the blood pouring from her stomach it became obvious. It was not so much pain she felt as an acute numbing sensation that spread across her gut. She began to shiver with shock. She saw Luke opening fire, and the men returning it.
It is over …
There were too many men. Luke would soon be dead. She gritted her teeth through a shot of pain, her hands stained red from holding the wound. All Chung Su could picture was the outpouring of hatred and hurt that would result from the spectacle that was about to unfold.
Her mind went to the science, the only stable element in her life … life … that word seemed to mock her. She knew the reactor would now be primed, the reaction imminent. Just before the neutrinos would be projected from CERN the explosion would be triggered, and from there the world would be changed forever ... an unstoppable cyclical molecular alteration.
Something in her, some voice from deep within urged her to look over at the magnet control platform. It was behind to her right. As she looked below, a lifetime of obedience, drive and achievement flashed before her eyes, and a feeling of guilt washed over her.
The world is not ready …
A round of bullets whipped past. She saw Luke was looking at her.
The world is not ready …
The human race held an unquenchable thirst for power; it knew only domination. She knew from her own country that it would never change. Chung Su could not add to such grotesque motives. She wanted to rectify the naivety of her life.
She dropped one hand away from the wound; the blood was still seeping, and it had pooled on her lap. She leant onto one side and began dragging herself along the walkway. The men were no longer interested in her. Luke had their attention. Lying next to her was the black device Luke had given her. The digits still showed fifteen.
Just press the red button.
The time rolled on … 6.58.40 p.m.
Down on the platform, the man and woman were still working, now glancing up at the walkway every few seconds.
With each strained movement, Chung Su edged closer. Her mind was becoming foggy, blood was being lost. Tears filled her eyes. She was not afraid, she was determined and the thought of what Vittorio had done filled her with sadness.
Vittorio …
6.59.10 p.m.
But now she could put a stop to it all. Images of her homeland came thick and fast, the southern province, her mother, the bustling repression of Pyongyang, the laboratory she had helped create, her colleagues, and the grotesque military man who had been her harbinger of death.
Her vision blurred, but she carried on. Gunshots were erupting behind her and she expected a fatal blow to strike at any moment.
And then she was there. She pressed her face against the metal, and through the grate she saw the two people working below on the platform. There was no more pain, everything was so clear.
6.59.30 p.m.
The blare of a new siren started up. The red light flashing was nothing but a blur. She groaned out in pain as she rolled onto her back, and the groan turned to a scream as she reached up her hand and gripped the railing. Somehow she managed to lift herself to her feet. She had to lean against the railing to remain balanced. Her hand was trembling as she lifted the device; she struggled to focus on the digital display.
Press the red button.
Chung Su pressed down with a bloodied finger, and the timer started. She knew what had to be done. She closed her eyes, and rolled over the railing.
6.59.48 p.m.
6.59.49 p.m.
6.59.50 p.m.
She was a little girl again, the fresh countryside all around, a strong wind blowing across her face, a feeling of peace within.
As she fell to the platform below, Chung Su gave herself to the world in a way she had never felt possible.
6.59.55 p.m.
98.
Luke stared out at the cavernous room. There was a giant rumbling coming from deep within the earth. The black hole in the middle of the floor seemed to be coming to life. Then the deep rumble turned into a very powerful tremor that caused the metal walkway to shake.
The nuclear bomb.
He knew it was all fully contained, but he could feel the awesome power. Then somewhere to his right a cry went up. The next minute the red sign shut off and a crackling of electric sounded below. Luke jolted to attention; he stood up and saw the sparks and steam rising from the platform.
Chung Su …
There was panic amongst the technicians on the platform, and Luke saw what was causing them distress. He saw the legs of a body, and recognised the trainers borrowed from Brun. He was surprised by the emotion that rose in him.
The male on the platform began waving his arms at some other technicians down on floor level. He was furiously shaking his head. Luke checked his watch, it was 7.01 p.m,
Did she do it?
Then the man began screaming in Italian; the words were unmistakable. It didn’t work … it failed, it failed!
Luke felt a new rush of adrenaline. She did it. He was far from safe; there was still a range of explosives in the walls of the facility. Luke knew the explosives would be timed to give Vittorio, Beltrano and the Iranians time to exit the laboratory. He leant over the railings and screamed in English, “Get out! Exit the laboratory now, and fast! Go, go!” He then repeated it in Italian, French and German.
Most of the personnel just stared at him, scared and confused. Luke was torn. He did not want to see innocent people die but nothing is more important than the mission. Luke needed to escape with the information he had. It was something bigger than any one life.
I need to get out. He shouted once more at the personnel and this time some started running out. The platform was still steaming; he took one last look at Chung Su’s body before turning and running.
He jumped the bodies on the walkway, trailing their blood through the ante-chamber, and tore out into the concrete tunnel. He discarded the bag, and tucked the knife into his pocket, running as fast as his body would carry him. His leg ached and his shoulder was throbbing.
Luke tore past the control room where he had killed Vittorio, and he had gone no more than ten steps past when he heard a raging scream behind.
“You will die,” the voice bellowed. Beltrano had appeared in the tunnel, a ball of rage. Tears stained his cheeks. Luke examined his extremities for weapons; he saw none. “You killed him! You have disobeyed God’s will! And you will die … Mr Reid.” Beltrano snarled the last words.
“It’s over, Beltrano. Your brother is dead … Chung Su is dead … it’s over.”
“My brother is dead because you killed him! I am ready to die, Mr Reid … but are you? This whole place is going to disappear. But what we are fighting for will live on.” Beltrano looked crazed.
Luke tried to calm his voice. “You failed, Beltrano.”
“You sabotaged everything.” Beltrano zeroed in on Luke. “We will both die down here, Mr Reid.”
“What have you done, Beltrano?” Luke began backing up the tunnel, already knowing the answer.
Beltrano smiled. “It was no longer necessary for us to escap
e … We will be engulfed by righteous flames.”
Luke knew what that meant. Beltrano had reset the explosive timers. “How long have we got?”
“Not long enough …” Beltrano said ominously.
“You would kill yourself?” Luke asked.
“Absolutely. I am going to a better place … but you? Where are you going? You can no longer deny us, Mr Reid. We are here; we are the foundation of the new world. I will gladly die to see the West burn … but first, you!” Beltrano started for him. He was screaming, so crazed that he was going to attack Luke with his bare hands.
Luke shot his hand into his pocket, Beltrano clattered into him and they both fell back. As Luke crashed onto the floor he felt the blade sink deep into Beltrano’s gut. An eruption of Beltrano’s spittle hit Luke in the face, and his dark-ringed eyes were wide with the shock of the blade in his belly.
Luke pushed him off unceremoniously, and left him to slip away from life in a deep crimson pool of his own blood.
***
Panic was an emotion that could severely inhibit rational thought, and Group 9 set their training to eliminate such emotion. But as Luke ran down the tunnel heading back toward the ladder room he was struggling to fight the panic.
Assess, adapt and act.
He abandoned the idea of looking for another exit. He had no idea how much time he had before he was engulfed in flames and his body was buried forever, so he headed to where he knew.
He was breathing hard as he finally reached the small orange Plexiglas room where he had tied up green lamp and armchair. They were no longer there. Luke passed the orange room and flung open the door to the ladder chamber. Vase was sat against the wall, blue LEDs lighting his face. He stood and backed away as Luke entered.
“Get out!” Luke bellowed.
The man ran off.
Luke began his climb; his shoulder was in agony, but the adrenaline kept him travelling up. His mind was running through each reverse step he now had to negotiate to get out.
Have I made the wrong choice?
He had to get back into the large fan area, climb back into the narrow tunnel, then climb up and out of the ventilation shaft. He thanked whichever God was listening for leaving the ropes in place. Not for the first time since entering the laboratory, he felt death tapping on his shoulder.