Wally nodded. “I believe so, yes.”
“Okay, then,” she looked at Ali, “let’s go.”
As if on cue, three other armed individuals joined Ali, two male and one female. Even though the woman was much smaller than her counterparts, Zahra knew she must have been a fierce combatant to be included in a mission as dangerous as this one. The rifle she cradled was nearly as long as she was tall.
Ali finished the introductions.
“And this is Rabia.”
Zahra recognized the weapon she held. “McMillan TAC-338, right? You any good with it?”
“She’s the best,” Ali replied. “No one’s hands are steadier, and no one’s eyes are keener.”
“How do you know what kind of rifle that is?” George asked.
“It’s what Chris Kyle used — the famous American sniper.”
“Ah, yes!” one of Ali’s men shouted cheerfully. “Bradley Cooper!” He smiled, happy with himself. “Doug? Where is Doug?”
Zahra didn’t know where to start. The local had smashed two of Cooper’s iconic movies together, and Zahra was too tired to correct him. “Yeah, him…”
Rabia didn’t comment. She didn’t utter a single word, in fact. Zahra wasn’t even sure the woman was breathing. Her face was indifferent, like stone, in fact. The precision shooter’s eyes were ice — cold and calculating. Zahra had known several people like Rabia. They lived and breathed their craft. Zahra did too, but she also knew that you needed to have a little fun along the way, or you would turn into, well, Rabia.
Even though this was technically Zahra’s operation, she allowed Ali to lead the way. He was the real expert here — in this world. Zahra was more of the supervisor here. She was well-rounded in many facets of life, but guerilla warfare wasn’t one of those areas. Once they were on location, Zahra would take over.
They clopped up the stairs of the hidden entryway and returned through the false container’s doors. George and Wally brought up the rear of the group, and when they each set foot on the concrete floor, a massive explosion rocked the grounds outside of the compound.
Pandemonium ensued.
Alarms blared, nearly drowning out the sounds of additional explosions and the sudden roar of gunfire. The battle that Zahra had felt coming was here. As one, everyone lifted their various weapons and charged forward toward the conflict. Even George was rushing onward, though keeping back a little. The academic was only armed with a nine-millimeter pistol, refusing to carry anything else.
Not that it would have done him much good, Zahra thought. Her father was a liability, as it were. Giving the man an assault rifle would have been a horrible idea.
She pointed at him but looked and shouted at Wally. The elder Badawi snapped his attention to her. “Take care of Dad!”
He nodded and grabbed George’s arm, dragging him away. Three of Wally’s men followed the pair closely, keeping a vigil watch for intruders.
“Zahra!”
She skidded to a halt. “Go, Dad! I’ll be fine!”
Wally nearly yanked her father out of his shoes before pulling him toward the bunker storehouse. It would act as the two men’s fallout shelter. The description was fitting too. The world outside resembled that of life itself coming to an end. Even while still inside the core SSC building, Zahra could hear the groan of metal. It slowed everyone to a light jog — but not Zahra. She picked up her pace and swiftly rejoined the others near the front door. She had fallen behind them while checking on her father. Ali gripped the metal sliding door handle with two hands, but hesitated. Like Zahra, he was unsure of what he’d see on the other side.
He drew it open. The heavy door moved to the right. It was just in time to see one of the enormous gantry cranes lean out toward the Suez. One of its support legs was smoldering and badly damaged. Then, they all watched as it buckled and gave out like that of a prize fighter who’d taken one-too-many headshots.
The multi-million dollar display of mechanical ingenuity tilted out over the Suez and crashed into the water with authority. Two good-sized container ships were annihilated in the process, and a third was upturned. Zahra spotted men leaping from the trio of ill-fated watercrafts, just moments before they were sunk.
Bullets whizzed by Zahra, compelling her and the others not to dawdle. She shadowed Ali and Rabia, taking comfort in knowing the entire team was still intact. Cork and two others were bringing up the rear, letting loose with sporadic gunfire. Zahra had yet to pull the trigger, but she figured that moment would come soon.
“Down!” Ali yelled, diving behind a row of double-stacked steel barrels.
The gong-like impacts of bullets on metal alluded to their contents. Nothing. The barrels were empty but would still provide them with ample cover.
For now.
Chapter 70
Zahra
“We need to move!” Rabia yelled. It was the first time Zahra had heard the woman speak.
“Cover us,” Ali ordered. The sniper nodded, and hefted her immense rifle, jamming its stock deep into her shoulder. She quickly lined up her target through a long black scope with Razor HD printed on its side. Zahra spied Rabia’s shoulders relaxing as if what she was doing was child's play. Then, she took the shot.
The three-and-a-half-inch long .338 Lapua Magnum round exited the rifle’s elongated barrel, traveling at nearly three times the speed of sound. It meant that the guy who received the .338 in the chest was dead — as well as missing a sizable chunk of his sternum — long before anyone near him heard the shot.
“Go!” Rabia shouted, moving off to the right.
Ali motioned for everyone to follow him around the opposite side.
“What about her?” Zahra asked.
“Who, Rabia?” Ali asked. “Never mind her! She can take care of herself!” He ran across a void of emptiness before concealing himself behind a pair of parked vans. Zahra slid in beside him, banging into the rear quarter panel harder than she intended. It didn’t matter, though. There was too much noise for anyone to have heard it.
Ali leaned in close to her so she could hear what he was about to say. “You should feel sorry for the people shooting at her instead!”
A second and third shot rang out. Zahra couldn’t see their victims. She couldn’t she Rabia either. She’d have to trust in the sniper’s abilities. Ali had faith that the woman would be fine on her own. And Zahra didn't have time to worry about it. Ali didn’t stay put for long. He slithered out of cover, forcing Zahra to turn away from the action and run along behind him.
Another bone-jarring explosion rocked the SSC. This time, it belonged to the second gantry crane. The Scales of Anubis had come to play. Instead of the crane leaning out toward the water, like the other one had, this behemoth teetered backward toward the facility…and the people within its walls. Zahra slowed and quickly deduced that the central building was too far away to meet the fate of the ships from earlier, but a lot of people were still in its landing zone.
Including Zahra and her team.
“Must… run… faster!” Zahra called out between breaths.
“What? I…” Ali didn’t finish. His line of sight continued up and past Zahra’s head. She spun and saw what he was gawking at.
The gantry crane was already beginning its descent.
Zahra pulled Ali along. “Everyone, move!”
As she started to move, Zahra spied the sniper. Rabia was following them, but was further back. A trio of men was plinking her cover from across the compound. The archaeologist shrugged out of Ali’s grip and shouldered her AK-103. She sent a handful of rounds toward Rabia’s pursuers, happy to see them duck away as a result. Rabia used it as a chance to move up and sprint off behind a row of containers. Then, Zahra lost sight of her.