Dillon stood by her side, the screens were linked to cameras and what he was watching made a shiver run up his spine, and then all the way down again. Outside of the tunnel entrance a close combat fight was taking place between at least a dozen of Ezra’s security guards and Assassins, who out-numbered them by two to one. “Shit. We have to get out of here — fast…” Tatiana and Dillon both heard Ezra’s voice in their earpiece and the message was simple — it was time to leave the party.
They had exactly sixty seconds, before the Electro Magnetic Impulse went off.
All of the computers started to shut down and the stark white lighting turned to red. Dillon led the way to the escape panel, and into the escape chute.
They stopped just behind the doorway, Dillon listening intently for any sounds outside in the main tunnel. And then the devil himself started banging on the metal door. They were using a large calibre Gatlin gun in the tunnel outside, to smash through the door. He pushed the button that Ezra had shown him to initiate a full lockdown, then jumped into the brake seat of the sled, and motioned Tatiana to also get in. “No time to lose, Tats — they’re knocking at the door.”
I hope this thing works,” she muttered, getting into the forward seat of the sled.
Dillon released the brake and the sled started to ease forward. A moment later; and they were hurtling down through the tiny tunnel towards the exit at the base of the cliffs.
The sled ran noisily on its mono-rail track, all the time picking up speed as it descended the one thousand two hundred feet to sea level. Dillon fought with the brake around the bends, and let the bullet shaped toboggan run free on the straights, moments later they shot out of the tunnel in a shower of sparks; Dillon applied full brakes, slowing to a halt into a cavernous area where two other escape sleds had already been abandoned.
They stopped just behind the other sleds and wasted no time in finding cover behind a stack of heavy looking wooden crates near to the entrance. Dillon leaned against the rough-hewn wall, bathed in sunlight. The salt air from the sea smelled good, Tatiana found it hard to believe that they had just left a place where a raging battle was taking place, and that her life hung in the balance, suspended by a delicate thread of fate.
Her gaze searched the cavern and the entrance that appeared to lead out to a small cove, all the time she was searching for Assassins.
Searching for the deadly killers… How many of them were left? And did they know about Ezra’s escape chute?
They both felt the tremor as the Electro-Magnetic pulse was setoff. And then calm…
Dillon tapped Tatiana on the shoulder, “You ready to move out?”
“We don’t know if they’re out there.” Tats pointed out through the entrance.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Dillon said, the Glock firmly gripped in his left hand.
They moved forward, keeping low, and edging their way slowly until they had a clear view of the cove. Dillon’s gaze snapped round to the left and came to settle on a twenty-three foot inflatable rib. Fast, with a shallow keel, making it the ideal craft for shallow water. But the best part was that it was deliciously close with its nose pulled partly up onto the shingle beach.
The worst part was that between them and the boat — there was absolutely no cover…
“Come on,” said Dillon. “You see the rib?”
Tatiana looked along the beach. “Yes,” she said softly.
“I need you to run. Do you think you can do that?” “Yes.”
She took a final look up and down the beach. The cliffs above were totally blind to their angle of view, they could only hope that there were no Assassins waiting for them…
Dillon and Tatiana stepped out and away from the sanctuary.
They ran.
It took an eternity…
With each step their bodies screamed at them — protesting for all the relentless punishment meted out to them over the last few days.
Half way across the beach, Tatiana looked back inside the cavern and spotted two Assassins’ jumping off one of the escape sleds. They moved so quick, effortlessly. She turned and threw herself down onto the shingle, flattened belly down, held the Uzi tight into her shoulder; looked down the sights, and fired a continuous burst. Bullets slammed into the cliff-side, spraying small chunks of rock and debris everywhere. The two Assassins split up; running like Gazelles, changing direction in the blink of an eye to evade the rain of bullets being directed at them, Uzi’s firing on automatic. Bullets kicked up shingle at Tatiana’s heels as she ran towards the shoreline.
Dillon was stood in the prow of the rib, the Glock held in both hands and pointing straight at Tatiana as she ran towards him. She knew exactly what he expected of her, and she reacted accordingly, lunging forward and rolling over on the shingle. It only took two bullets, each finding their target with lethal effect, and stopping the Assassins — dead.
Tatiana stood up, and straightening her clothing, let her gaze drift around the immediate beach area and then up towards the cliff top high above them in search of more Assassins.
Dillon shouted across to Tatiana to get into the rib. Once she was on-board, Dillon opened up the throttle and powered at full speed out of the cove, towards open water.
“You okay, Dillon?”
Dillon looked round, smiled weakly at Tatiana, and then increased the speed — the twin Volvo Penta outboards at the stern of the craft roared and the props bit harder into the water. They headed straight out to the deep water of the Caldera, Dillon looked behind and spotted two fast moving power craft heading directly for them. He looked at Tatiana, and said over the noise of the engines, “I’m afraid we’re not out of the woods yet. We’ve got company.” Tatiana’s head snapped round, the two power racers were gaining on them, fast
— too fast for her liking…
The rib raced forward at full throttle. Every now and then, Dillon looked over his shoulder at his pursuers, who were still gaining on them. He turned to Tatiana and shouted, “Take a look in that locker. See if there’s a flare gun inside.” Tatiana knelt down and pulled open the locker door, reaching in she rummaged around and finally pulled out the flare gun and a box of cartridges. Dillon swapped positions and let Tatiana take over control, telling her to head straight for the islands of Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni, and then make a course for the sound between them.
Dillon found four one-gallon fuel cans stowed under the starboard passenger seat, lifted two of them out onto the deck, and went to work on them. He looked up over the rib’s rail and saw that they were still there — hammering along, keeping pace… “Hell, don’t they ever give up?”
Tatiana urged the rib on; the pursuing crafts — whatever they were — they were incredibly powerful. They didn’t gain, but they were not going away, either. They sped along in the sunlight, a foaming white wake trailing behind them, and deep blue water all around them.
“Talk to me, Dillon. What have you got in mind?” Tatiana shouted, adding, “They’re still behind us and closing in, you know.”
“Just keep the throttles open and the pointy-end aiming straight for the water between those two islands.”
Moments later they were racing through the sound between the islands, sheer volcanic cliffs flashing by on both sides, rising up to meet the cloudless blue sky high above them.
At the narrowest point, Dillon randomly threw two of the fuel cans overboard, keeping the other two. He instructed Tatiana to kill the speed; stood in the stern and fired a flare at each of the cans — igniting them one at a time in a spectacular series of explosions, and within seconds the surface of the water was ablaze.
“Tats, I want you to lay flat on the deck, and whatever happens — stay there.” He manoeuvred the rib around so that they were partially hidden under the overhang of the cliff, and he had a clear view of the channel.