From all the calculations on the wall, Marco had been working on that proper sequence, trying to figure out the numbers to the combination.
Unfortunately, Gray realized something too late.
You only got one guess at the combination.
And he got it wrong.
A loud boom shook the ground under his feet. The floor suddenly dropped from under him. He grabbed for the cross and hooked his fingers onto the crossbar. Looking over a shoulder as he hung, he watched the back half of the chamber floor rise up. The entire floor was tilting—tipping away from the only exit.
The others screamed and scrambled to brace themselves.
The stone lid slid off the sarcophagus, skittered across the tilted floor, and toppled into the gaping hole under Gray’s feet. His flashlight had already rolled into the pit. Its shine revealed a bottom covered in vicious bronze spikes, all pointed up.
The stone lid crashed and shattered against them.
Behind Gray, the floor continued to tip, going vertical, trying to dump everyone below.
Wallace and Rachel had managed to get behind the sarcophagus and brace themselves. The coffin remained in place, anchored to the floor. Seichan couldn’t reach the refuge in time. She went sliding toward the pit.
Rachel lunged out with an arm and caught the back of her jacket as she slid past. She pulled Seichan close enough so the woman could grab the edge of the sarcophagus.
Rachel continued to hold her. At the precarious moment, each woman depended on the other for her life.
As the floor tilted to full vertical, Seichan hung like Gray.
But Gray had no one holding him.
His fingers slipped, and he plummeted toward the spikes.
22
October 13, 1:13 P.M.
Svalbard, Norway
The warhead detonated on schedule.
Even hidden behind two steel doors and walls of bedrock, Painter felt the blast as if a giant had his hands over his ears, trying to crush his skull. And yet he still heard the other two seed banks’ air locks blow. From the concussive sound of it, the same giant had stamped his foot and crushed the other chambers flat.
Crouched beside their air lock, Painter heard the outer door give way and slam into the inner one with a resounding clang. But the last door held. The overpressure in the air lock had been enough to hold off the sudden blast wave.
Painter touched the steel door with relief. Its surface was warm, heated by the thermobaric’s secondary flash fire.
The lights had also been snuffed out by the blast. But the group had prepared for that. Flashlights had been passed out, and they flickered on across the chamber like candles in the dark.
“We made it,” Senator Gorman said at his side.
His voice sounded tinny to Painter’s strained ears. The others began picking themselves up off the floor. Cries of relief, even a few nervous laughs, spread through the assembled guests and workers.
Painter hated to be the bearer of the bad news, but they had no time for false hope.
He stood up and lifted his arm. “Quiet!” he called out and gained everyone’s attention. “We’re not out of here yet! We still don’t know if the explosion was enough to break through the wall of ice trapping us down here. If we’re still stuck, rescue could take days.”
Painter motioned to the vault’s maintenance engineer for confirmation. He lived up here. He knew the terrain and the archipelago’s resources.
“It could take well over a week,” he said. “And that’s if the road is still open.”
That was doubtful, considering the missile barrage Painter had heard. But he kept that to himself. The news was bad enough already. And he had more to deliver.
Painter pointed to the door. “The firestorm will have burned away most of the available oxygen and turned the air toxic out there. Even if the exit is open, these lower levels will still be choked with bad air. We’re in the only safe pocket down here. But it will only last for a couple of days, maybe three.”
The engineer looked like he was going to shorten that projection, but Painter stemmed that with a hand on his arm. Painter also avoided telling the group the real reason for his haste.
Whoever attacked could come back.
The crowd had gone completely quiet as the sobering news sank in.
Karlsen finally spoke from the edge of the crowd. These were mostly his guests. “So what do we do?”
“Someone has to go out there. To check the door. If it’s open, they’re going to have to make a long run through a toxic soup. Someone needs to get out and bring back help. The rest will stay here where it’s safe for the moment.”
“Who’s going to go out there?” Senator Gorman asked.
Painter lifted his hand. “I am.”
Karlsen stepped forward. “Not alone you’re not. I’ll go with you. You may need an extra pair of hands.”
He was right. Painter didn’t know what he might encounter out there. There could be a partial cave-in, a tangle of damaged equipment. It might take a couple of people to move an obstacle. But he eyed Karlsen with skepticism. He was not a young man.
Karlsen read the doubt in his face. “I ran a half marathon two months ago. I jog daily. I won’t hold you back.”
The senator joined him. “Then I’m going, too.”
Clearly Gorman was not letting the murderer of his son out of his sight. And truth be told, Painter didn’t want to either. He had a slew of questions for the man, questions that might prove vital to avoiding an ecological disaster.
Still, he preferred both men to stay here.
But Karlsen raised a point that Painter couldn’t counter. He gestured toward the door. “It’s not up for debate. Whether you like it or not, you can’t stop me from following you. I’m going.”
Gorman stood shoulder to shoulder with the man on this matter. “We’re both going.”
Painter didn’t have time to argue. He had no authority to have Karlsen handcuffed to one of the racks. In fact, Karlsen had more supporters here than Painter did.
“Then let’s go.” Painter took one of the flashlights. He used a canteen to wet some scarves and wrap their lower faces, covering mouths and noses. “Try to hold your breath as much as possible.”
They nodded.
The engineer had also secured sets of safety goggles to protect their eyes from the sting of the heated, smoky air.
They were as prepared as they could be.
Once ready, Painter stood by the door. He left the maintenance engineer in charge. If they failed, the man had the knowledge to keep the others safe for as long as possible.
“When I open the door, the pressure is now higher in here than out there. It will suck away some of the oxygen. So close this as soon as we leave and don’t open it unless we come knocking. If the way is blocked, we’ll be right back. If not, pray for the best.”
“I’ve not stopped praying since I saw that bomb,” the engineer said with a weak grin.
Painter clapped him on the shoulder and turned to Gorman and Karlsen. “Ready?” he asked.
He got two nods.
Painter turned to the engineer. “Open it.” Then to his two companions. “Take a deep breath.”
The door cracked open with a disturbing hissing of escaping air and a wash of incredible heat. Painter dashed through it and into the dark tunnel. It was like diving into a sauna. But this steam burned the skin with more than just heat. Painter felt the chemical sting. The air out here was worse than he had imagined.
He heard the other men pounding behind him.
Once Painter rounded out of the seed bank passageway and into the main tunnel, he flicked off his flashlight. He held his breath both literally and figuratively.
Had the entrance been blown open?
He stared ahead into the pitch-black tunnel. He saw no evidence of any light shining back. The tunnel was a straight run. if the way was open, even a little light should stand out like a beacon.
His feet began to s
low.
It hadn’t worked. They were still trapped in this poisonous well.
But after a few more blind steps, his eyes adjusted more fully to the darkness as the flashlight’s dazzle faded. It wasn’t much, but far up the tunnel a meager glow shone back through the smoky darkness.
He let slip a small sigh of relief, allowing precious air to escape his lungs.
As hope ignited inside him, he flicked on his light and ran faster. He didn’t know if Gorman or Karlsen had seen the promising glow, but they knew the plan. If there hadn’t been any sign of light, they were supposed to head back. Since Painter continued, they knew what that meant.
They all sped faster, running through the ruined catering area. Tables were overturned and slammed into the tunnel’s end. Anything plastic had melted. The line of ice sculptures had been vaporized. Anything combustible had been set on fire, but the consumption of oxygen by the thermobaric charge had just as quickly smothered the fires.
Residual smoke still hung dead in the air, but the farther they ran, the less dense it grew. A fine black powder covered everything, a by-product of the flash of fluorinated aluminum.
They ran onward.
Painter was forced to take his first breath. He pressed the damp scarf to his nose and sucked in a gulp of air. It stank of burned rubber and stung like acid. He didn’t know how much oxygen was still in the air, but he kept running. The higher he got, the cleaner the air would be—especially with the ice plug broken away.
He reached about the halfway point, only another seventy-five yards to go. He could now see a faint glow even with his flashlight on. It drew him forward. But the more he was forced to breathe, the more the tunnel began to waver, shimmering a bit before his watering eyes. His lungs burned. His skin itched all over.
Still he did not slow.
He glanced behind him and saw the other two men falling behind. Senator Gorman looked the worst, weaving on his feet. Karlsen had a grip on his elbow and kept him steady, propelling the senator along.
Painter slowed to help. He needed both men alive.
But Karlsen waved an arm angrily at him, his command clear.
Keep going.
Painter realized he was right. He had to get out of this toxic soup, clear his head. If necessary, he could come back for them. With no other choice, he sped toward the glow and the promise of fresh air.
Finally the blast door appeared, bathed in a bluish glow. A few brighter spots stung Painter’s eyes. But as he ran forward, his heart sank.
It can’t be…
The door was still blocked.
The glow was only daylight diffusing through the ice. The blast had failed to free them. Painter ran toward the exit anyway. There was nowhere else to go. As he drew closer, he realized that some of the brighter spots in the wall were chinks in the blockage.
Hope surged again and was enough to propel him to the doorway. He crossed to one of those chinks, pressed his face against it, and sucked in air. If nothing else, it was deliciously cool. He took several breaths. His head immediately began clearing, the fogginess shredding away.
He turned and saw Karlsen and Gorman about fifteen yards away. Karlsen was now half-carrying the senator. Painter shoved off the wall of ice and hurried back. He supported Gorman’s other side.
Together, they hobbled the rest of the way to the door. Painter got both men breathing through cracks in the wall, then found a third spot higher up. As he sucked air, he realized that the ice wall wasn’t covered in black soot. This was new ice. The blast must have unplugged the entrance—but a secondary avalanche had tumbled back over it, resealing them in.
But the ice wouldn’t be as thick.
Painter put an eye to the crack. He could see out.
Near the top of the door, the blockage was less than two feet thick, made up of a jumble of blocks. They were large, but with time, they might be able to dig themselves out.
Still, Painter sensed they didn’t have much time. No telling when another avalanche might surge down from above and seal them in tighter.
As if hearing this thought, Painter heard a rumble.
He felt the ice shiver under his cheek.
Oh, no …
1:20 P.M.
From across the valley, Monk had watched the explosion. The noise was like a thunderclap inside his head. Startled, deafened, he was knocked on his butt in the snow.
Creed and the two Norwegians fared no better.
A massive eruption of ice and flames had burst out of the buried seed vault. An oily blackness roiled up into the sky.
As if offended, the storm clouds suddenly opened. Snow fell thickly. One second it wasn’t snowing, the next, heavy windblown flakes filled the air. It worsened to a whiteout condition in a matter of half a minute. But before the curtain dropped, Monk saw that the explosion had exposed the concrete bunker—at least for a few seconds. A moment later, a second avalanche had slid and tumbled over the entrance.
Was anyone still alive in there?
A pair of gunshots echoed, coming from the lower mountain. Monk could no longer see the trundling force of mercenaries, but they were still coming, still cleaning house.
If anyone had survived that underground blast, they wouldn’t be alive for long.
Monk had only one choice.
It took Creed’s help, but he finally convinced the Norwegians.
1:21 P.M.
As the rumble grew and the ice shook, Painter prayed the avalanche wouldn’t be a large one. But the rumbling grew in volume.
Then, out of the blanket of snow and wind, a Sno-Cat shot into view, rising up from below. It did not slow and sped straight at them.
“Get back!” Painter yelled.
He shoved Gorman away from the doorway, then grabbed Karlsen by the hood of his parka and flung them both bodily away from the wall of ice.
And not a second too soon.
The heavy vehicle struck the blocked doorway. Its front treads rode up the ice wall. The bumper cracked into the top half of the doorway. Ice blocks shattered into the tunnel and slid away.
The Sno-Cat backed up, likely readying itself for a second run.
Painter dashed forward. The bumper had broken a hole large enough for Painter to slide his body through. Diving into the jagged gap, he clawed and elbowed his way through the door.
The Sno-Cat suddenly halted its retreat.
The passenger door popped open. A familiar figure leaned out.
“Director Crowe?” Monk said, his face raw with relief.
“Monk … you are a sight for sore eyes.” And Painter’s eyes were sore—bloodshot and inflamed.
“I get that a lot,” Monk said. “But we should get moving.”
Painter turned. Karlsen clambered out of the hole, followed by the senator. “There are more people locked up down below.”
“And that’s where they should stay.” Monk hopped out, reached back inside, and came out with an armload of rifles. “Can you shoot?” he asked the other two men.
Both Gorman and Karlsen nodded.
“Good, because we need as much firepower as we can muster.”
“Why?” Painter asked.
Before Monk could answer, the distant grumble of a heavy engine echoed out of the storm.
“We’ve got company coming.”
Painter joined Monk over at the Sno-Cat and took a rifle. He noted that the vehicle held only one man, a Norwegian soldier. He searched around.
“Where’s Creed?” Painter asked.
“Left with this soldier’s buddy on our snowmobiles. They’ve gone for help.”
Painter hoped they made it back in time with the cavalry. He assessed the group left to defend the fort. One vehicle and four men.
The Alamo had better odds … and look how that turned out.
23
October 13, 1:32 P.M.
Bardsey Island, Wales
Rachel almost dropped Seichan when she saw Gray fall from his perch. He slid down the face of the cross and
caught himself on the tri-spiral bas-relief that decorated the lower leg of the cross.
He scrambled for a moment, then laced his fingers over the top of the symbol sticking out. Would it hold his weight or break away?
The same worry must have crossed his mind. He kept his body from moving too much. His boots hung over a twenty-foot drop into a pit lined by spikes.
But Gray wasn’t the only one threatened.
Rachel slid across the upended side of the sarcophagus. “Hold my legs!” she shouted back to Wallace.
The professor shared her perch on the stone coffin. He clung as precariously as she did. He grabbed her ankles and helped stabilize her.
It gave Rachel some slight reassurance but not much.
She hung over the side of the sarcophagus. She had a grip on Seichan’s jacket. The woman who poisoned her clung with only her fingertips to the edge of the coffin.
Neither of them could hold out much longer.
A small quake shuddered through the chamber. The apparatus was ancient. Triggering it must have upset whatever fragile balance had been established over the centuries. She pictured the ruins of the tower above. It might all come down.
Another shake rattled through the tilted floor. From inside the sarcophagus, Malachy’s Bible tumbled out. It fell into the pit and was speared through the middle, impaled on one of the spikes.
Wallace groaned at the loss, but they had more immediate concerns.
Bobbled by the quaking, Seichan lost her grip. She fell without making a sound, as if she expected it, deserved it. One of Rachel’s hands lost its grip, but her other fist remained twisted in Seichan’s coat.
She stopped the woman’s plunge with a wrench of her shoulder. But the weight dragged her over the edge of the sarcophagus. Only Wallace’s grip on her ankles stopped them both from a deadly plunge.
Rachel’s upper body hung upside down, her hips and legs remaining atop the coffin, pinned by Wallace. It was hard to breathe. Seichan dangled below, hanging from her coat. Her only sign of fear was how tightly she clutched that coat to her neck with both hands.
The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel Page 30