‘What?’ they jointly exclaimed.
‘It’s the working prototype for the Seven’s time machine. Doctor Uhlemann showed it to me. While I’m not a scientist, I’m fairly certain that it will work!’
‘Provided you have the Vril force to power it.’ Cædmon nodded at the crystal matrix. ‘Which will be impossible to create without a functioning generator.’
‘The crystal matrix is just one way to generate the Vril force,’ Kate countered. ‘What if there are multiple ways to create it?’
Cædmon turned to the commando. ‘She has a valid point.’
‘Okay,’ McGuire said, persuaded. ‘I’ve got enough pipe bombs to destroy both the Vril Generator and this CTC device. Where’s the time machine located?’
‘Upstairs on the third floor. The laboratory is two doors down from the library.’
‘Gotcha.’
Kate’s brows suddenly knitted together. ‘But you’re not going to be able to get into the lab.’
‘Why not!?’ Both Cædmon and McGuire again exclaimed in unison.
‘The door to the laboratory is secured with a biometric device. It requires a fingerprint scan to unlock the door. And Doctor Uhlemann is no longer –’
‘Which finger?’ the commando interjected.
‘Right index.’
‘Then I’d better retrieve my KA-BAR knife.’ Without a backward glance, McGuire charged over to the door that led to the maintenance engineering room, propping it open with a chair.
Belatedly realizing what the commando intended to do, Kate’s eyes opened wide, a horrified expression on her face. ‘Oh, my God! We can’t let him –’
‘I can assure you that Doctor Uhlemann won’t feel a thing.’ Moreover, the bastard has it coming.
A few moments later, McGuire returned to the viewing chamber, his Go Bag slung over his shoulder and a business-like knife gripped in his right hand. ‘This is the plan: I’ll toss three bombs through the partition then run upstairs to the third floor. I’ll wait to enter the lab until the two of you are clear and free of the mezzanine.’
Kate placed a hand on McGuire’s chest. ‘Finn, please be –’
‘Don’t worry, Katie. I’ll be just fine,’ he said reassuringly. ‘I’m doing what I was put on this earth to do. Improvise, utilize, then haul ass.’ His lips curved in a cocky grin. ‘It’s what I do best.’
‘Second best,’ Kate whispered. Going up on her tiptoes, she lovingly kissed him full on the lips.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, McGuire pulled her close. Suddenly feeling like an unwanted intruder, Cædmon discreetly turned his head.
‘Aisquith’s a stand-up guy. He’ll get you out of here,’ McGuire said a few moments later.
Her grey-blue eyes glistening with unshed tears, Kate rushed out of the viewing chamber. Just as Cædmon was about to follow her, McGuire grabbed hold of his left arm, preventing him from leaving.
‘You get her out of here safely or you die trying.’
Cædmon put a hand on the other man’s shoulder. ‘You have my word.’
‘If I don’t make it out alive, I want you to take care of Kate,’ McGuire told him in a gruff, emotion-laden voice. ‘And if you don’t, I will seriously haunt your ass.’
‘Consider it done.’
McGuire smiled, visibly relieved. ‘Good. Now get the hell out of here. I got work to do.’
87
Cædmon yanked open the door at the top of the steps, motioning for Kate to precede him.
‘Ladies first,’ he said, his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile.
Kate wasn’t fooled for a minute – he was in a tremendous amount of pain. The bandage on his head was completely saturated with blood and his right jacket sleeve had a large bloody splotch. She had no idea how Cædmon had come by his wounds, but it was obvious that he needed immediate medical attention.
Free and clear of the stairwell, the two of them sprinted across the low-lit mezzanine. Two shadows charging through the penumbra.
Heart pounding, Kate pushed herself to keep up with Cædmon’s long-legged stride. Although the temperature inside the atrium was downright frigid, she was heated from the exertion. Stress, combined with lack of food and sleep, was sapping what little energy she had left. To prevent herself from stumbling, she focused on keeping her arms and legs coordinated.
Worried that Finn might run into trouble, she spared a quick glance over her shoulder. She hoped to God that Dr Uhlemann’s associates didn’t send armed reinforcements to ambush him. She didn’t know a lot about pipe bombs other than the fact that they were incredibly volatile and dangerous to handle. If he got caught in a firefight, it might trigger an unintended explosion.
As if to prove that very point, a loud blast suddenly thundered in the level below them, Kate feeling the reverberations in her spinal column. A few seconds later, a second bomb detonated. And then a third.
‘Excellent!’ Cædmon exclaimed. ‘McGuire has ignited the first three bombs.’
A few moments later, they arrived at the exit door, both of them slightly out of breath.
‘Bloody hell! Who puts a security lock on both sides of the door?’ Cædmon gestured to the numeric pad affixed to the right side of the door jamb. ‘Luckily, I have the access code.’
He keyed in a six-digit number.
‘Damn … I must have mis-keyed.’ He tried again, slower this time.
When nothing happened, Kate asked the obvious question. ‘Why isn’t the door unlocking?’
‘I have no idea. Not to fear.’ Cædmon absently patted her arm. ‘I have two other codes. I’m sure one of them will work.’
Despite his assurance, she literally crossed her fingers as she watched him carefully key in a second numeric code.
Six attempts later, Cædmon turned to her and delivered the bad news. ‘It would appear that we’re locked in.’
Kate gasped. Swayed. Saw spots in front of her eyes.
They were trapped inside the facility!
88
Like he was a launched ballistic missile, Finn charged out of the third-floor stairwell, hung a Louie, and ran towards the library.
‘The laboratory is two doors down from the library.’
‘Two Doors Down’ – one of his favourite Dolly Parton songs.
Finn smiled, everything going according to plan. Soon it would all be over. And when he’d completed the mission, he planned on sweeping little Katie right off her feet.
His smile widened. He wasn’t supposed to let his emotions flare during a mission. But what the hell? This was his last op. Once he cleared himself of the murder charges, he was going to put in for a transfer to Fort Bragg. Get himself a cushy position as a Delta Force training instructor. And while he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, he was feeling pretty confident that Kate would sign up for the move.
Arriving at the second door, Finn peered at the mezzanine below – Aisquith and Kate were already at the exit, about to make good their escape. Perfect.
Ripping open the flap on his cargo pants, he removed Uhlemann’s severed index finger, using the hem of his T-shirt to wipe off the excess blood. That done, he placed the fleshy tip on to the biometric reader.
A white light flared. An instant later, the bolt on the door popped open.
‘In like Finn,’ he chortled, riding a little happy high. He flung the butchered finger aside and opened the door. ‘I love it when the op goes without a hitch.’
Stepping across the threshold, he hit the light switch. A row of fluorescent bulbs washed the laboratory in antiseptic bright light.
‘There it is, the Flux Capacitor.’ But unlike the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future movie, this was the real deal. Not some contrived Hollywood invention.