by Alex Archer
He nodded. “No sweat.”
Zach approached Dave first.
But as he came in, Dave suddenly exploded, lashing out with a punch and a kick that caught Zach right in the stomach. “Run, Annja!” he shouted.
As Annja moved she heard a gunshot. She felt something hard slam into the back of her head.
And everything went dark.
36
“Wake up, Annja.”
She opened her eyes and squinted at the light. Her head throbbed. Again. If this keeps up, she thought, I’m going to have to get steel plates embedded over my skull.
Her hands were bound behind her. She was also tied down to a number of wooden crates that reduced her mobility even more. Annja took a few shallow breaths and looked around.
Dave’s body lay nearby, a large pool of blood spreading out and seeping into the dark ground. “You killed him?” she cried.
Zach shrugged. “He left us no choice. If it’s any consolation, he was going to die anyway, soon enough. Maybe it’s better he went this way.”
“So you’ve added killing a federal agent to your list of crimes now. Very impressive,” Annja spit out.
“Actually, it was me,” Mitch said, “but whatever.”
Zach checked the ropes holding Annja down. “Chuck does such good work with knots. I don’t imagine you’ll be escaping from these anytime soon. Certainly not before this whole mountain explodes and comes down on top of you.”
Annja frowned. “I never thought I’d have to kill a friend before, Zach. But you’ve certainly proved yourself worthy of being the first.”
Mitch chuckled. “She’s got quite the mouth, doesn’t she?”
Zach stepped away from Annja. “If you can somehow manage to free yourself in the next few minutes, I’ll be more than happy to hand myself over without complaint. How’s that sound?”
“Like you’re lying again,” Annja said.
Zach smiled. “Well, you’re right. But I do have a responsibility to spend all of my newfound money. So forgive me for not following through.”
Chuck stood and came walking over. “It’s done,” he said.
“All of it?” Zach asked.
“Yeah. How much time do you want to put on the clock?”
Zach checked his watch. “It’ll take us some time to get the Sno-Cats started up. And I don’t want to risk any problems given this damned weather.”
“What about the colonel’s body?” Mitch asked.
“It’s being stored out behind the mess shelter. There’s no security on it, so it shouldn’t be a problem just getting it right onto the back of a cat.”
Mitch stowed his pistol. “I can get that and head over to the cats. Once I get one primed, it shouldn’t take but a minute to roll on out of here.”
“We’ll need two,” Zach said. “Plus the tow hitch for the generator.”
Annja laughed bitterly. “Yeah, you guys are going to be low profile towing that thing back to McMurdo. You going to kill everyone who happens to see you pulling that thing behind your convoy?”
“Only if we have to,” Zach said. “But once we get to the harbor, it won’t matter. It’s going on board a freighter registered out of Liberia and no one will even know about it once it’s safely stowed.”
Annja shook her head. “What about the ice floes blocking the harbor?”
Mitch paused before leaving. “Nothing that a good couple of portable charges can’t break up.”
“Somehow, I doubt the marshal will appreciate you mining the harbor.”
Mitch grinned. “Oh, didn’t you hear? Poor Marshal Dunning and his deputy are dead. Terrible accident, really. Guess they weren’t paying attention to things and wound up dead from carbon-monoxide poisoning. I hear some replacements are flying in when weather permits. Of course, we’ll be long gone by then.”
Annja watched him leave and then turned to Zach. She had to find a way to stop him. “It’s not too late, you know. You can still change this,” she said gently.
“And why would I want to?” he asked.
“To do the right thing?”
Zach laughed. “Doing the right thing is exactly why I’m in this position right now. You ever notice how the worst people in the world—the liars, crooks and cheats—are always the ones that gain the most? And that the naïve fools who try to live an honorable life are the ones who have to skimp and save and live paycheck to paycheck. Why is that?”
“I don’t know,” Annja said.
“Exactly. All around there are these idiots telling you to have faith that things will work out in the end. Wrong. Things don’t work out in the end. You die a miserable fool who spent his whole life wishing and hoping—all for nothing. That’s not how I’m going to spend my life. Not a chance. I’m doing this because I can get away with it and live to spend a god-awful amount of money.”
Annja tried her hands, but the knots were indeed tight. “Were you ever promised an easy path, Zach? Did God come down and tell you it was going to be easy? Did he renege on that promise?”
“If there was a God, why would he make so many people struggle and suffer? You ever think of that? Why would he permit these other scumbags to have all the money they needed and more and yet never see fit to give some to the good folks who actually deserve an easier life?”
Annja shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Two for two,” Zach said. “You aren’t exactly convincing me to give up my plan here.”
“You’re going to kill an awful lot of people,” she said.
“Yes. I am.”
Chuck walked past Annja. “You’re wasting your breath. If I were you, I’d spend more time trying to find God and see if he’s going to help you get out of those knots.”
Annja eyed him. “You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are.”
“Nothing comedic about it,’ he said. “You’re dying soon. I was actually trying to redirect your focus so you could make peace with that fact.”
Annja tried to head-butt him but he jumped back out of the way, laughing. “Wow, she is a tough one.”
Annja smirked. “A killer who does public-service announcements. That’s refreshing.”
Chuck glanced at Zach. “How much time?”
Zach chewed his lip. “Thirty minutes. That should be enough time.”
“You sure?”
Zach nodded. “Do it.”
Chuck walked to the detonator and Annja watched him as he punched in the time until the explosives detonated. Annja needed them to clear out if she was going to get out of this and warn the camp.
“So that’s it, then,” she said to Zach.
He nodded. “I wish it could have been different, Annja. But I won’t lose sleep over this.”
“I know it,” she said sadly.
“Goodbye.” He turned to Chuck. “Let’s go.”
Annja watched them leave the cavern. As soon as they cleared the entrance, she immediately closed her eyes. It was tough reaching the sword with her hands bound.
But she was sure she could do it.
In her mind’s eye, she reached out with her hands and wrapped them around the hilt. She visualized the sword being in her hands so strongly that she could feel it against her skin even before she opened her eyes again.
The sword was behind her, its blade touching the first of the knots. It cleaved through them easily and Annja had to be careful she didn’t drop the sword by accident. The sound of that could carry and bring Zach and Chuck back.
She leaned forward and cut the ropes binding her to the boxes.
She took a breath and rushed to the detonator near the explosives. The digital readout blinked as the scrolling numbers flew past as it counted down from thirty minutes.
She knew nothing about deactivating bombs. She had only basic skill with making them, and that had come from long talks with friends over lots of beer. Her mind was hazy when it came to actually doing it for real. Someone in camp would have to know how to deal with this.
> Hawk!
The demolitions guy who had attempted to disarm Annja’s computer might be able to handle the job. If she could get to him without being seen.
She had to try.
Annja turned and raced out of the cavern. With the sword held before her, its energy rushed through her, making her feel powerful and capable of stopping Zach and his goons.
At the fork, she turned and kept going. Ahead of her, she could see the lit shelter by the entrance. She had no doubt that if Zach, Chuck or Mitch saw her, they would simply open fire on her and then try to escape.
Annja knew she needed Garin. No one would listen to her unless Major Braden ordered it.
She paused by the door leading outside and waited until she felt it was safe to proceed. She ducked out and instantly felt the blast of frigid wind slam into her. At the same time, all the lights in the camp were extinguished.
Annja rushed through the snow toward Garin’s shelter. At the door, she banged on it and then tore it open. An emergency lantern hung near the door, and Annja turned it on.
Garin lay slumped on his bed, a giant welt on the side of his head. His shelter had been thoroughly ransacked.
Annja slapped his face. “Wake up!” she urged him.
He moved sluggishly, groaning as he did so. “Annja?”
“You’ve got to pull it together. It’s Zach who is behind this. Dave’s dead down in the caves and he’s not the only one.”
Garin’s eyes fluttered open.
“There’s a bomb rigged to explode in less than thirty minutes. It’s going to bring down the entire mountain on top of us unless we can get it deactivated. But I don’t know how to do that.”
Garin was mumbling. “They came in here. Too many of them to stop them. They nailed me before I knew what hit me. Hard hit, that guy. Bastard.”
“Garin. You’ve got to pull it together,” Annja said.
Garin frowned and tried to sit up. Annja helped him into a sitting position and he pointed. “You really think you should be running around here with that thing? Some of those soldiers might shoot you just for seeing that.”
Annja nodded. “All right, fine.” She closed her eyes and willed the sword back to the other where. When she opened them, Garin was smiling at her.
“I never get tired of seeing that,” he said.
“We don’t have time for this, Garin. I need Hawk,” she said.
“Right. The demolitions guy.”
“Yes. He can dismantle the bomb,” Annja said.
Garin shook his head. “He couldn’t do squat with your computer. What makes you think he can deactivate the bomb?”
“He’s the only one. You’ve got to make him try. He won’t listen to me if I ask him.”
Garin nodded. “Help me to my feet.”
Annja got her arms around him and helped him up. Garin struggled into his parka and then led them outdoors. As they came outside, Annja looked behind his shelter. “They’ve already got the generator,” she said. “That’s why all the lights are out.”
Garin looked. “How did they manage that so fast?”
“Zach had a plan. And two capable men with him. They knew what they were doing and how long it would take to carry it out. We’ve got to stop them.”
Annja nudged him through the cold night. “We need Hawk first, though. We can always catch up with Zach. Right now, the lives of everyone in camp depend on us stopping that bomb.”
Garin pointed. “Steer me over there to that shelter.”
Annja helped him walk. The wind tore at them both, and Annja had to grunt and push her way through the bitter blasts to reach the shelter. She yanked on the door and then Garin stepped through to the other side, which was illuminated by several emergency lanterns. Annja could see they were in a barracks. Garin removed his hood. “Where’s Sergeant Hawk?” he called out.
“Here.”
Garin nodded. “Get your gear and your crew, Sergeant. I’ve got a job for you.”
“A job, sir?”
“Yes. Earlier today, you weren’t able to disarm the laptop bomb.”
“That’s right, sir. Bombs aren’t my specialty.”
Garin laid a hand on his shoulder. “Well, they are now. Because there’s a bomb down at the dig site. And if you can’t figure out how to deactivate it, the mountain is coming down on top of all of us in this camp. We’ll all be dead.”
37
Annja stepped out of the shelter and watched as Hawk and his team ran toward the entrance to the dig site wearing headlamps. She wished them luck. They were going to need it.
Garin came up behind her. “How much time do they have?”
“No more than twenty minutes. At the most. Then this whole place is going to be leveled.”
“Look!”
Annja spun and looked in the direction that Garin pointed. She saw the bright headlights of Sno-Cats coming out of the parking area. One of them had a tow platform on its back, and she could make out the tarp covering what must have been the nuclear generator.
“They’re already leaving!”
Garin put a hand on her shoulder. “Forget them for right now. Let’s make sure everyone gets out of here first.”
“You’re right, we’ve got to get people out of here.”
Annja moved from shelter to shelter telling the soldiers to get packed. Most of them didn’t believe her until Garin addressed them and told them it was not a drill. They started moving quickly after that.
“Forget anything that is not immediately necessary for your survival,” Garin said. “Team up on the Sno-Cats and plot your course back to McMurdo. We need to evacuate the area as soon as possible.”
There wasn’t a lot left to do. Garin looked at Annja. “We need to reserve a few Sno-Cats for us and for Hawk and his team.”
“You take care of that and I’ll head down to see how they’re doing,” Annja said.
Garin nodded and rushed off.
Annja checked her watch.
Fifteen minutes.
Maybe.
She hustled back to the entrance to the dig site, grabbed a headlamp and ran down to the cavern. Operating with the light from emergency lanterns and their headlamps, Hawk and two of his men had the detonator box open, but they didn’t look happy at all.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
Hawk frowned. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Annja sighed. “This wasn’t done by me. Or the bomb earlier today. I’m telling you guys I have nothing to do with this. You’ve got to believe me!”
Hawk looked at her intently. “Yeah, all right. That job on the computer wasn’t the kind of thing I’d expect you to be able to do anyway. No offense.”
“None taken,” Annja said.
“Come here and look at this,” the soldier said.
Annja walked over and knelt next to him. Hawk had an insulated set of tools with him that he used to prod several parts of the detonator. “Here’s the problem. Whoever built this knew what they were doing. It’s got three redundant backup switches. If we clip one of them, the others will fire anyway. We’ll be blown apart.”
“Can’t you cut them all?” she asked.
“We’d have to cut them at the same time,” Hawk said. “And we don’t have enough people.”
“You do now,” Annja said. “I can be one of the cutters.”
Hawk eyed her. “You understand what you’re saying? If we screw this up, the bomb will blow even if the countdown hasn’t reached zero yet.”
Annja took a breath. “Hang on. Let me run back and make sure the camp is as evacuated as it’s going to get. Don’t touch anything until I get back.”
Hawk smirked. “Like we would.”
Annja ran back and found Garin standing by the entrance directing Sno-Cats out of the parking area. “How long until everyone’s gone?”
He shrugged. “Five minutes. I’ve got two Sno-Cats held in reserve for us to go as soon as you give the word.”
Annja nodded. “Y
ou’d better go, then.”
“What?”
“I’m staying to help Hawk and his team. The bomb has three redundant switches or something. They have to be cut at the same time or else the bomb will blow.”
Garin shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Annja. You can’t stay.”
“I have to.”
“You could die.”
She nodded. “Maybe.”
Garin frowned. “And you’re willing to do it anyway?”
Annja tried to smile, but somehow it didn’t come out the way she hoped it would. “I feel like I owe it to Colonel Thomson and Dave. So their deaths aren’t in vain.”
Garn shook his head. “You weren’t responsible for their deaths, Annja.”
“We’re running out of time,” she said. “Take the Sno-Cat and go. You’ve got to catch up with Zach and stop him from selling that nuclear generator.”
Garin shook his head. “No. You go. I’ll stay behind.”
Annja looked at him. “What are you talking about? I just said that I was fine with it.”
“Annja.” Garin stared at her. “I won’t die.”
“You don’t know that you can take a blast like that. There’s enough explosive down there to demolish a mountain. I’m not so sure even you could survive that. And I don’t believe you want to take a chance.”
“What about you? What about what you have yet to accomplish with the sword?”
Annja frowned. “What do you mean?”
Garin had to shout over the roar of the howling wind now. “Haven’t you ever thought about it? Don’t you realize this is why your life keeps plunging you into these crazy situations?”
Annja shrugged. “What are you getting at?”
“This is why the sword picked you, Annja. Your sense of self-sacrifice. It knew you’d be the only one willing to die so others could live. This is why you get wrapped up in these adventures. You’re supposed to. There’s evil in the world and you’re one of the few who has the courage to face it. And defeat it.”
Annja thought about what Garin was saying. Maybe he was right.
“But that doesn’t give me the right to back out now just because there’s a chance I might die,” she reasoned.