To Snatch a Thief

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE



Skye ran into the laboratory. Bigger. Much bigger than she’d imagined; twice the size of your average gymnasium, and startlingly bright after the tunnel.

Half-packed equipment lay everywhere. She pushed past a snatcher grappling with a guard, both of them stumbling over a mound of partly filled cartons, and dived for cover behind a bench. In front of her eyes a tray of glass test tubes exploded in a blast of white fire, flinging shards of glass, like daggers, across the room.

An acrid smell of melted plastic rose from the bench, still smoking from a laser strike. She gagged catching a sickening whiff of charred flesh.

To her left she watched Smith run to the aid of Dawson struggling against two guards, pulling one of them off and punching him hard in the face.

Dawson flashed him a grin then finished the other with a stun blast. The man’s body twitched, as he lay at her feet.

Lifting her head, Skye searched for Hunter through the mayhem, but there was so much happening she couldn’t focus on any one direction. The searing heat from a stray blast scorched past her left ear. She ducked, ran bent double, crunching over broken glass, making for a sealed glass cubicle in the middle of the room. Lifeless robotic sleeves hung into its empty interior. A thrown chair narrowly missed her right shoulder as it crashed into the cubicle, and disintegrated. For a split second she caught a glimpse of Hunter parrying blows with several mercenaries, twirling back and forth as he blocked them, but a falling guard had her diving away and when she looked again, he’d gone.

While she still crouched beside the cubicle, King appeared at her elbow, breathing hard. ‘Some game, eh? Where is he?’

‘Can’t see him. Jeeze, look over there.’

Two heavies held Johansson while two more laid into him with their fists. Newman was trying to get to help him, flinging off attackers, racing forward, both weapons firing. Then, to Skye’s horror, a squat figure appeared in a doorway. In his hand he held an ugly black weapon. Raising his arm, he took careful aim. Newman had his back to him; his unprotected head in the man’s sights.

The floor was littered with bodies, weapons scattered around. Skye launched at one, then fired from the ground hitting her mark in the thigh, and had the satisfaction of seeing his shot go wide. He stumbled, then with a snarl, turned the blaster on her.

King hauled her to her feet. ‘Look out!’ Before she could move, he flung himself in front of her as the weapon fired.

The blast blew them both backwards. Skye flew through the air and crashed amongst the shattered remains of the cubicle, feeling a sharp stab as glass cut her leg. Ignoring the pain, she rolled over and began crawling on hands and knees. ‘King!’

He was lying on his back, his eyes staring up at the ceiling, a stain of bright red spreading from a hole in his chest. ‘No. No. Please, God, no.’

Dropping down beside him, she pressed her palm to the wound trying to stop the flow. With her head frantically twisting, she screamed for help. ‘Quick! Somebody help. Help me, he’s dying. Please, somebody help him.’

A snatcher ran forward, dropped to her knees at Skye’s side. ‘I saw what he did; bloody brave. Is he dead?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t feel his pulse.’

‘Let me see.’ None too gently, she pushed Skye aside ‘It’s there. Very faint, but it’s there. Give me something; that lab coat over there. Yanking it from Skye, she made a wad with the material pushing it hard on King’s chest. ‘It’s the best I can do. Stay with him, keep the pressure on that. We’ll get him to hospital as soon as we can.’

‘What was that thing? It blew the cubicle apart.’

The snatcher’s eyes went flat. ‘A RAD-XL. It’s illegal for civilians to own one. It doesn’t burn like a laser; it punches a hole through its target. They’re a government-issue military weapon.’ It was over. Everywhere she looked those heavies still on their feet were surrendering. She sat with King, cradling his head on her lap, telling him what an idiot he was as tears streamed down her face. He was too pale and the blue around his lips scared her.

‘We’re taking him out now.’ Newman touched her shoulder. ‘You should go with him; get that leg checked.’

Skye shook her head, stood as they lifted him, wiped bloody hands down her jeans. She couldn’t do anything more for King, and Hunter had disappeared. She hadn’t seen him since that one brief glimpse. ‘Where’s…’ The words died on her tongue as the techno geek from the armacar rushed up, his feet crunching on the broken glass.

‘Sir, I’ve been looking for the Lieutenant.’ He was struggling for breath. ‘But you should know we’ve traced a faint signal. A device has been activated.’

They both looked in the direction she’d last seen Hunter. A heap of guards lay on the ground, a snatcher busy handcuffing their arms behind their backs; there was no sign of him.

‘What sort of a device?’

‘We’re not sure, but the echo we’re getting… it’s some sort of timer - very sophisticated, high frequency. Sir, we think the place has been wired to blow. We’re trying to locate the source but we don’t know how much time we’ve got. You need to get out, now.’

Newman grabbed a soldier. ‘Where’s the Lieutenant?’

‘I don’t know, sir.’ His uniform was shredded on the sleeve and blood oozed from a gash across his upper arm.

Newman moved to another who, with flicks of his weapon, was herding exhausted mercenaries and technicians into a ragged line. ‘Have you seen Hunter?’

‘Not recently, sir.’

‘I did, sir, just now.’ Touching a finger to a burn on her cheek, Dawson lugged a cuffed woman forward. When she lifted her head, Skye recognised her as the receptionist she’d shown Willow‘s picture to.

‘You!’ Bedraggled, defeated, the woman shook her head. ‘Pity he didn’t finish you when he had the chance.’

But Skye wasn’t listening anymore. ‘Hunter was over by the lift,’ Dawson said. ‘Narelle Keating was here, but she slipped away when it all went off. He said he was going after her. Sir, he told me not to follow him. He’s gone into the Palace.’

Newman’s eyes went flat. Skye watched him scan the battlefield, then settle on Corporal Smith. ‘Corporal.’ Jerking his head he called him over. ‘We’ve got a possible firecracker. Get everybody out of here on the double; use those vehicles out there to start taking them up. Don’t leave any of these goons behind. Greenfield, where’s Greenfield.’

But the forensic captain and his team were already hefting boxes and carrying their precious samples out.

Everything in Skye rebelled. She grabbed Newman’s arm. ‘You’re leaving him?’

He looked at her as though she was mad. ‘We bring the whole team home, Forrester. Alive or dead, we all come home. Dawson, Johansson, get some of the others, we’ll start searching the building. Corporal, can you hack into any cameras they may have upstairs from here? They could give us a location.’

‘Not through all this reinforced concrete. From the van, yes, but it’ll take time.’

‘Do it.’

‘On my way.’ He spun on his heel, then stopped. ‘Sir, I should tell you. Captain Yao took a hit. He’s dead, sir. These people aren’t bluffing. If this is a bomb, they won’t hesitate to blow the whole building to kingdom come and to hell with anyone in it. You need to get those people out, fast.’

‘You’re too late. Nothing can stop what we’ve started. History will applaud us. Future generations will thank God that some of us had the courage to act.’ The man was bloodied and lame, his trouser leg scorched where Skye’s laser had hit him. He was handcuffed and supported between two soldiers, yet his lips twisted in a smile. ‘You’ve lost. Even now our silent death speeds across the country destroying whilst spreading hope. Tomorrow the whole world will sit up and take notice and realise it was the only solution.’

Newman merely jerked his head. ‘Take him away; he disgusts me.’

Skye wanted to scream at the delay. While this lunatic ranted, they were wasting precious time.

‘Okay, split up. Four of you take the east wing, the rest of us’ll cover the west. Once you’re out of this bunker, keep communications open.’ Dawson and Johansson sprinted for the stairs. ‘Stay!’ It was his turn to grab Skye as she whirled for the lift. ‘Don’t even think about it.’ He held on despite her struggles.’

‘Here!’ With her free hand, she pulled the jammer with its heat sensor out of her pocket where it had been all night. ‘It’s not as brilliant as all your stuff, and it won’t defuse a bomb, but it might help find him. You can’t stop me,’ Skye shot at him, as Newman’s face darkened. ‘You’re wasting time. With or without you, I’m going.’