“Come on,” Sam said, looking back over her shoulder at the mayhem tearing through the camp. “We have to get out of here, while all hell’s still breaking loose outside.”
Jen nodded and stood, ready to follow Sam wherever she went.
Making their way to the open door, Sam quickly scanned around for any hostiles. Seeing none looking their way, she told Cardinal that she had Jen and was on their way back to his location. Waving for Jen to follow, Sam jogged back the way she came with Jen following close behind her.
Cardinal followed the women through his scope. He knew it would take them a good half-minute to make it back to the hole in the fence, but once there they would be under the cover of the rocks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bloodied guard stumble out from behind a building. Seeing Sam, the guard went to raise his rifle to fire. Cardinal aimed dead center on the man’s chest and pulled back on the trigger. The guard never knew what hit him as his body was cut in two.
At the hole in the fence, Sam guarded Jen as she made her way through the opening. Sam then dove through the gap, rolled over her shoulder, and came up on one knee. Feeling satisfied that things had so far gone to plan, Sam took the lead and quickly led Jen into the safety of the low ground.
42
Their plan was rapidly falling apart, thought Alexandra Romanov as she watched the black smoke from the destroyed police helicopters float, like an escaping genie, ever higher into the sky. What had begun as a day that would see her father propelled into power now looked to be in danger of failing. The sound of firing swept the camp as Chang’s men fought back against their unseen attackers. Still, if we can detonate the bombs, then something could be salvaged from the debacle, thought Alexandra.
Grabbing Teplov by the arm, Alexandra pulled him towards her. “Leave Colonel Chang and his men to deal with the infiltrators. We need to place the bombs without delay,” she said decisively.
Teplov nodded, snatched up his Motorola, and quickly told Chang to find and destroy their attackers, no matter the cost. Without another thought, he turned his back on the men he had left to die while they rushed to place the bombs. With a wave of Teplov’s hand, everyone climbed back on their ATVs. Taking a quick look over his shoulder to make sure that they were ready, Teplov turned to his driver and told him to drive.
With a dull roar from the lead ATV’s engine, the vehicle began to slowly crawl forward. Within seconds, the two vehicles and their deadly cargoes disappeared from sight into the long gloomy tunnel.
Mitchell felt the vehicle pick up speed as it descended deeper into the volcano as if heading down towards the pits of hell itself. The tunnel became cooler and darker the farther they travelled from the light at the entrance of the tunnel. Tugging at his restraint, Mitchell’s wrist had become a slick, bloody mess from the painful twisting and turning he had subjected his hand to. If he had another ten minutes perhaps he could do it, but Mitchell knew that he probably did not have the time. Turning his head back towards his guard, Mitchell tried lifting his bloodied arm. “Hey you, you got a bandage or something?” he said, trying to get his guard’s attention.
The bored-looking man turned his head, smiled at Mitchell’s dilemma and dismissively spat on the passing ground.
So much for that, thought Mitchell. Looking at the bomb, he saw that it was secured to the trailer by several wide canvas straps. Reaching over with his good hand, Mitchell started to pull at the nearest strap to him.
“Hey, you! Stop that!” bellowed the guard with a strong Scandinavian accent.
“Screw you,” replied Mitchell, still pulling and twisting the strap, trying to get it to loosen.
Jackson ignored the gun battle going on behind him as Cardinal, from his position atop the tower, dropped anyone foolish enough to stick their head out in the open. Taking a deep breath, he walked calmly towards the entrance of the tunnel. Most of Chang’s men had learned their lesson and had moved under cover, forming up into fire teams. It would not be long before they figured out where Cardinal was and made a move against him. As much as he wanted to help, Sam and Cardinal would have to deal with the mercenaries by themselves. Right now, he had to save Ryan and stop the nukes from being detonated. Stepping inside the darkened tunnel, Jackson saw a thug sitting on a four-wheeled ATV, a cigarette hanging from his lips; his weapon lay across his legs, while he dug around in his jacket looking for his lighter. Walking over to the guard, Jackson waved at the man to get his attention. The guard simply nodded in greeting. He was too busy looking for his lighter to realize that Jackson was not one of them. With one powerful punch, Jackson sent the luckless guard tumbling off the ATV and up against the far rocky wall, coming to rest in a heap on the tunnel floor. Grabbing the man’s rifle, Jackson threw it into the back of the ATV and jumped onto the four-wheeled vehicle. Turning it on, he quickly changed gears, turned it around, and charged off down the tunnel.
The ATVs separated. Teplov and his vehicle turned down the left-hand tunnel while Mitchell’s went right. Helplessly, Mitchell watched what was happening. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he frantically tugged at his restraint. Time was running out.
“Quit it,” ordered the guard, his voice growing loud and agitated.
“Come over here and make me,” taunted Mitchell, trying his best to piss the man off.
With a loud huff, the thug pulled himself up and warily stepped over onto the bomb trailer. “I said stop that,” said the guard threateningly. “I was told to keep you alive until we reach the bomb site, but no one told me that you couldn’t be hurt.” The guard he raised his rifle, aiming at Mitchell’s bloody arm.
Mitchell took one quick look past the guard; he could see that everyone else was still looking forward and not paying the slightest bit of attention to what was going on behind them.
The guard carefully edged forward until he towered over Mitchell. “Hold still, and I’ll try to only put one hole in you,” said the thug with an evil grin on his face.
Mitchell knew he only had one chance. In a flash he shot out his legs, sweeping the legs of the guard out from underneath him. With his arms flailing about, trying to grab onto something, the large guard tumbled down onto the trailer. Instantly bringing his right leg up, Mitchell rammed it as hard as he could into the stunned man’s face. Blood flew as the man’s nose shattered. Mitchell’s heart was racing. Quickly peering past the man, he was relieved to see that no one had heard a thing over the sound of the ATV’s powerful engine vibrating off the tunnel walls. Scurrying on his rear a little bit closer to the wounded guard, Mitchell wrapped his legs around the man’s throat and, like a boa constrictor, started to squeeze the life out of the guard. The shocked guard struggled to break Mitchell’s hold, but he didn’t stand a chance. It was only a matter of seconds before he would black out and die.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. “Günter!” shouted one of the guards on the ATV. Scrambling to his feet, the guard tried to raise his weapon when his head snapped back, a bloody hole in the center of it.
A loud crack echoed down the tunnel.
Turning to look back over his shoulder, Mitchell saw a bright headlight racing towards him. A moment later, Mitchell could not believe his eyes as Jackson sped past him, one hand on the ATV’s handlebar, the other holding out an assault rifle as he fired a short burst into the body of another guard, sending him tumbling over the side of the ATV.