Huge rounds tore through the MetLink lobby. The glass sculpture came cascading down. Sophia clenched hard with her teeth and put her full weight on her ankle. Fuck it, it’ll heal soon. She moved with her hips, sprinted under the falling glass.
The sculpture crashed behind her. Shards of glass bounced past her. A large triangular shard struck Czarina’s shoulder. She yelled, her grip on the carbine slipping. Sophia tried to change course, scoop it up, but a blizzard of fine glass particles washed past them. She shut her eyes and forced her way through. Czarina collided with her, trying to find her carbine. Sophia pushed them both forward.
More .50 cal rounds punched through the lobby, shattering entire pillars.
Sophia kept running. She blocked out the pain. Czarina was still in front of her, unarmed. Either she’d removed the piece of glass from her shoulderblade or it had fallen out. All Sophia could see was a jagged tear in Czarina’s red jacket.
The machine-gun fire ceased.
Czarina reached the escalators that fed down to Grand Central terminal’s main concourse. Sophia was five paces behind Czarina, checking the map on her iPhone. She realized her phone was dead. In the center of the main concourse, crouched inside the circular information booth, DC had his carbine in his shoulder, ready to fire on anyone pursuing Sophia.
Sophia didn’t even realize there was a stairwell below the information booth, but she could see the spiral staircase behind DC.
‘Go!’ Sophia yelled at him. ‘Nasira and Jay’s platform. Get them out!’
What was he waiting for?
DC saw Czarina had no carbine and placed his own on the ground, slid it toward them as they approached. Then he turned and disappeared down the stairwell, sword and ruck on his back.
Sophia followed Czarina out into the main concourse.
‘Stop!’
The voice didn’t come from behind her. It wasn’t Denton or the operatives that accompanied him. It came from in front. From the south end of the main concourse. She drew to a halt, ready to draw her Glock.
The Commander emerged from the Vanderbilt Hall into the main concourse, flanked by masked Blue Berets. This time, the Commander wore no mask. This time, Sophia saw the resemblance.
His attention shifted from her to the top of the escalators. Sophia moved for the information booth but one of his Blue Berets took aim.
‘Sophia, one more step and my men will shoot you both down,’ the Commander said.
Sophia halted before the information booth. Czarina was a few paces behind her. They were caught out in the open.
The Commander held a pistol of his own, an old Colt .45. But he wasn’t aiming it. He left that for the Blue Berets, who could manage accurate shots even at this distance with their carbines.
Sophia turned to see Denton at the top of the escalators, his own USP pistol leveled at the Commander. On either side of him, operatives had taken up positions behind pillars, their Glocks barely visible but carefully aimed at the Blue Berets.
‘Sidney,’ the Commander said. ‘You have a choice. You can—’
Denton opened fire.
The operatives opened fire.
Sophia whirled to circle around the information booth with Czarina.
The Blue Berets opened fire as they moved.
A round punched through the Commander. He retreated to the Vanderbilt Hall, staggering. Sophia saw him collapse. She ran across the open ground at a right-angle to both parties. She shunted the last of her energy into her sprint, making it as difficult as possible for anyone to hit her. But the rounds didn’t crack past her.
The gunfire echoed off the walls in the concourse. Five firearms sounded like fifty. Sophia hit the stairs under the mezzanine just a step behind Czarina. They both moved along opposite walls down the stairs.
Something rippled before them.
It was the masked operative she’d fought on top of the Marauder.
He aimed his pistol.
Czarina aimed her carbine.
Sophia drew her pistol.
‘Well, hold up there,’ Denton said.
From the corner of her vision, Sophia saw Denton standing at the top of the stairs, his own USP pistol aimed downward. She couldn’t get a fix on who he was aiming at, not without turning to face him.
The masked operative aimed at Czarina, but his attention seemed to be on Denton.
‘Sophia,’ Czarina said.
‘Yes?’ Sophia said.
‘Operative X,’ Czarina said. ‘Hostile.’
She had no idea what Czarina meant, but she seemed to be stating the obvious.
‘What side are you on?’ Sophia shouted.
The operative didn’t respond.
‘Lycaon loaded,’ Czarina said. ‘Request command.’
‘Oh really?’ Denton said. ‘Now that’s interesting.’
Sophia knew she had to make a decision. Fire on the target already in her sights or change targets and try to shoot Denton. There was a good chance he’d beat her to it, but she was willing to take—
‘Open fire,’ Denton said.
Czarina squeezed the trigger.
The carbine didn’t fire. It was DC’s carbine, she realized, not a stolen one. No operative could fire it. A nice safety measure for him. Not for her.
‘No!’ Sophia yelled.
The masked operative opened fire.
Denton saw it coming early and ducked. She saw blood in his wake.
Sophia kept her sights on the masked operative, squeezed her trigger. Slammed three rounds into—
Air.
The masked operative was gone.
Crypsis, she thought, recalling Grace’s prototype chameleon suit, worn under her clothes. Looked like this operative was wearing one too.
The slide on Sophia’s Glock locked to the rear. She reached for a magazine from her ruck — the ruck wasn’t there. DC had it now.
‘What happened?’ Czarina clung to her carbine, pressed against the wall. Sophia could feel her confusion: it was soft and clammy.
Sophia discarded her Glock and sprinted up the stairs. Her ankle was holding up. All she could hope was that Denton had taken a critical hit. She reached the top of the stairs and stepped out from the center, not wanting any surprises from a corner. She saw Denton on her far right, a good distance from the corner.
‘Sorry to disappoint you,’ he said, pistol aimed at her.
Chapter 51
DC ran for the platform entrance. A few tracks ahead he could see a train with blue livery. He reached the platform and peered around the corner.
Nasira was pacing. Behind her, he could see Jay sitting on the ground. Trapped inside the box perimeter of the motion sensors. He started down the ramp. Nasira saw him and stopped pacing. He picked up his speed and ran the length of the platform.
Nasira held out her hand. ‘Don’t come too close,’ she said.
He knew, so he stopped well short of her.
‘I don’t think there’s another perimeter but just in case.’
He realized she was also trapped in a perimeter. ‘Good to see you too,’ DC said.
Nasira’s attention shifted to Sophia’s ruck on his back. ‘What are you doing?’
‘It’s the only way.’ DC moved for the doors on a nearby train carriage.
‘The hell you talking about?’ Nasira yelled.
He paused in the doorway. ‘Denton won’t trigger the explosives if the meteorite’s here.’
Nasira’s eyes burned into him. ‘You’re not saving us, are you? You’re saving that stupid rock.’
He slipped the ruck from his shoulders, leaving the sword on his back. ‘This rock is saving you.’
‘You’re full of shit,’ Nasira said.
He stepped into the carriage and walked halfway, picked a luggage compartment at random. He stowed the ruck inside, making sure Nasira and Jay couldn’t see. He was about to step out of the carriage when he noticed movement at the edge of his vision. Someone was walking the platform toward Nasira and Jay. He froze, resisting the urge to duck. The train’s windows were tinted: they wouldn’t see him unless he moved suddenly.