After both hands were freed, Christine sat up, then punched him in the face.
“You dropped me!”
He knew she’d be angry when they met again, and also knew her well enough to know her rage wasn’t spent. He grabbed her wrist.
Christine swung her left hand, but Harrison caught her fist in his palm.
“We’ll talk about this later.”
“You’re damn right we’ll talk about it later! You—”
“Shut up and listen, Chris.” Harrison spoke in a tone he rarely used with her, and Christine clamped her mouth shut. “We’re pinned down and need your help. Got it?”
Christine nodded tersely, then yanked her hands from his grip.
Harrison went on to explain, and he could tell she was struggling to push her anger aside and focus on the information. When he finished, he asked, “Do you understand?”
Another nod.
“Follow me,” he said.
Christine fell in between Harrison and Stone as they entered the corridor.
When they reached the ventilation vent near the security center, Harrison lifted Stone up and the senior chief removed the vent, revealing a two-foot-wide opening.
He dropped Stone onto the floor and turned to Christine. “Head that way,” he said, pointing toward the security door, “and take the first ventilation shaft on the right. The duct into the security room is even smaller, but I think you’ll fit.”
Harrison gave her his pistol, which she slid inside her waistband into the small of her back. Then she removed her shoes, so her bare feet would give her traction in the confined space.
“Ready?” Harrison asked.
Christine nodded and Harrison grabbed her waist with both hands, then lifted her until her head and arms were inside the ventilation shaft. Then he slowly released her as she pulled herself inside and disappeared.
86
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Christine pulled herself through the ventilation duct, getting a feel for how fast she could move without creating noise. It was a tight fit, but there was enough room to pull with her arms and assist with her feet. After a twenty-foot crawl, she reached the opening to her right, as Harrison had predicted. She studied the opening for a few seconds. It was too small, even for her.
She rested her forehead on the ventilation duct as emotions swirled inside her. Moments earlier, her anger had ignited when she’d seen Harrison standing over her bed, looking down at her, just as he’d done while holding her hand as she dangled from the cliff. She hadn’t planned to hit him, but it felt good nonetheless.
Her anger was dissipating, replaced by frustration. If Kalinin didn’t gain access to the command center and assert control over his military, countless lives would be lost. She examined the opening again, then decided to give it a try. If she angled her shoulders at a forty-five-degree angle, she might fit. Getting out might be a problem; she could end up stuck in the ventilation shaft like a canned sardine.
She inserted both arms into the shaft and tilted her body. Slowly, she worked her way into the duct, forced to remain at an awkward forty-five-degree angle. Once inside the smaller duct, her progress slowed. Her arms were fully extended in front of her, so she couldn’t use them to pull herself through. That left only her toes to propel her forward.
Wriggling like an earthworm, she moved forward inches at a time, keeping her movements slow to avoid making noise while traveling through the metal conduit. Fortunately, the hum of electrical equipment and cooling fans in the background helped mask the sound of her transit.
Up ahead, light filtered through a vent cover. She worked her way toward it, eventually reaching the opening. Through slits in the vent cover, she peered down at two men seated at control consoles, monitoring several dozen video displays.
The duct opening was the same width as the ventilation shaft and she concluded she could fit through. She grabbed the cover with one hand, holding it in place, then pushed back the retaining clips. Carefully, she tilted the cover and pulled it into the shaft, placing it gently on the other side of the opening. Now came the hard part — getting out.
Ideally, she’d drop down feet first. But she was on her stomach, and even if she moved forward and placed her feet above the hole, her knees didn’t bend that way. There wasn’t enough room in the ventilation shaft to turn over, either. That left headfirst, crashing onto the hard floor ten feet below. Unfortunately, there wasn’t another choice.
She stuck both arms through the opening, followed by her head, then looked around. The two men were seated with their backs to her. Christine focused on remaining as quiet as possible until the last moment. She worked her way forward until her upper body hung from the opening. With one last wriggle, she fell from the ventilation duct like a fish squirming free from a fisherman’s grasp. She arched her body at the last second to avoid landing headfirst, bracing her fall with her hands. She hit the floor with a loud thud.
Both men swung around, surprised to find a woman lying on the ground. Christine reached behind her back and retrieved the pistol, then leveled it at the nearest man. He’d risen from his chair, but froze when he saw the gun. Christine shifted her aim toward the other man, who remained seated, then back to the first man while she pushed herself to her feet.
Christine kept the gun pointed at the nearest man as she backed away. When she hit the wall, she found the knob and opened the door. Harrison and Stone surged inside, aiming their MP7s at the two men.
Harrison spoke in Russian as he advanced, and the man who was standing returned to his chair and faced his console. Harrison was ordering them to do something, but both men remained seated, staring straight ahead. He repeated the same order, this time with an angry tone. When neither man complied, Harrison put a bullet in one man’s head.
The man fell sideways onto the floor, a red pool spreading out beneath his head. Harrison swung his MP7 toward the second man and spoke again. This time, the man entered several commands in his keyboard. There was movement on one of the displays. Two large doors slid open, revealing Commander McNeil and two other SEALs. They passed through the entrance, their MP7s drawn, followed by President Kalinin. Other SEALs, retreating from both ends of the corridor toward the opening, also entered, dragging their wounded along.
Harrison spoke again. When the last SEAL passed through the opening, the doors began to close, sealing the entrance as Russian soldiers arrived.
One of the soldiers swiped his badge on the security panel, but the doors remained closed.
87
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
As McNeil led the two breachers and President Kalinin into the control center, they took immediate fire. Three bullets struck his tactical vest, stopped by the armor plate, while the two other SEALs were hit as well. Kalinin dove for the floor, rolling against the nearest console. McNeil and the other two SEALs likewise ducked for cover on the third level, which consisted of a balcony tier running along the back and both sides. Russian soldiers were firing from both ends and from the ground level below. When the soldiers spotted Kalinin, some stopped shooting. The incoming fire eased, then stopped. McNeil ordered the same for his men.
The Russian soldiers spoke among themselves, some of the conversations becoming heated. McNeil concluded the rank-and-file Russian soldiers had no idea what they were defending the control center from, aside from an armed assault. When President Kalinin had appeared amongst the black-clad SEALs, his presence had given them pause.