As the last fastening came away, Dan used his left hand to hold the panel in place. Then, slowly, he placed his fingernails under each end and carefully lifted the panel away.
He breathed out as it cleared the canister, and dropped the panel onto the front seat. Turning back to the bomb, he surveyed the layout.
The timing cavity was the space of a man’s hand, with four alloy posts supporting a small digital timing display and a series of switches. Wires protruded from the timer display in the top left-hand corner, wound their way through the alloy posts to the switches then out again, disappearing into the hulk of the canister in the bottom right-hand corner. Dan had never seen anything like it.
His hand twitched, once, as it hovered over the wiring. The timing mechanism was complex – if his team hadn’t apprehended Charles on the ship, the device could still have been deployed remotely by mobile phone. Sweat ran down his face as he considered his options. If he worried about what could have happened, he’d never focus.
Dan concentrated on slowing his breathing, desperately trying to lower his heart rate. He wiped his face with his sleeve, rubbed his fingers together and shuffled to try to get a workable position in the cramped quarters of the back seat of the car.
Dan ran his fingers down the wires, testing their thickness. He raised his gaze to the timer, now showing five minutes and twenty seconds. Three years ago, he would have considered that a luxury. He let go of the wires and turned to the front of the car, where he’d placed the tool box. He rummaged around until his fingers found the pliers – small, compact, and perfect for working in small spaces. He removed them and sorted through the contents of the box until he found a small pen-like torch. His fingers wrapped round it and he turned cautiously back to the bomb.
Shining the torch directly onto the wires, he cocked his head to one side, trying to get a look under the switches. He nodded to himself, convinced.
Cutting the blue wire, Dan eased himself back onto his haunches.
Suddenly, hell broke loose. Dan jumped as the car alarm shrieked. He looked down at the timer – at that instant, two minutes dropped off the countdown.
‘Shit!’ Dan tried to block out the noise from the alarm, concentrating desperately and went back to work on the timer – only two and a half minutes now remained. He growled loudly in frustration. So much for luxury. He bound the two ends of the broken blue wire together and the alarm stopped.
A noise at the end of the row of buildings made him stop and look round. A shadowed figure was walking towards him. Dan drew the gun from the waistband of his jeans and released the safety catch. Raising it, he sighted it on the figure as it drew closer. ‘Hold it right there.’
The figure froze. Then slowly raised its hands. ‘Dan, it’s me.’
Dan lowered the gun. ‘Sarah?’
She came running then, tears streaming down her face. ‘I couldn’t leave you!’
Dan extracted himself from the car and caught her in his arms. ‘I don’t need to tell you how stupid you are, do I?’
She sniffed and held back from him. ‘No, not at all. How long have we got?’
He looked back at the timer. ‘Just over a minute and a half.’
Sarah managed a weak smile. ‘Better get to work then.’
He nodded and climbed back into the car. Reaching over to the canister, he ran his fingers gently over the remaining wires. Red, white, green. Red, white, green. Which one? Which one?
He wiped the sweat from his eyes and noticed his hand was shaking. Breathing hard, panting, his mind flashed back to the desert, the dust in his eyes, a friend looking at him desperately, pleading, defuse the bomb! He couldn’t do this, it wasn’t possible –
‘Dan!’
He blinked, looked up at Sarah.
She nodded at him. ‘You can do this. I trust you.’
He closed his eyes, re-focused, then looked at the wiring array below him. And then somewhere, in the back of his mind, he realised he wasn’t going to be able to defuse it. He desperately pulled at the wires, separating them between his fingers. It was no use, Terry had used an illogical pattern. No way of telling which wire would stop the bomb. It was impossible.
He realised his hands were shaking. He tried to think, tried to remember…
Then it hit him. Hard. The fuel cells weren’t hiding the weapon. They were the weapon. He turned and shoved Sarah out of the way.
She stumbled, tripped and fell onto the ground. ‘What are you doing?’ she demanded.
Dan ignored her. He ran round to the driver’s door and wrenched it open. Sliding in behind the wheel, he pulled the door closed, shoved the gears out of neutral and spun the wheels on the wet bitumen. He flicked the lights on and they illuminated the sides of the buildings.
He floored the accelerator and the car shot forward. Sliding the vehicle past what was left of Terry, Dan steered the car between the buildings, the speed increasing with every metre. He glanced in the rear view mirror at the silver canister on the back seat, gleaming in the moonlight. He smiled to himself. There was only one way to do this.
So be it.
As the car shot out from between the buildings, it swept past David and his assault team. They watched in disbelief as the car skidded past the helicopter, accelerated once more and hit the side of the wharf.
Time seemed to slow down as the car lifted off of the wharf, became airborne, then slewed into the dark waters of the Thames below.
David rushed to the edge of the wharf and peered into the icy waters. The roof of the black sedan was lurching in the tidal flow, slowly sinking. He turned as he heard footsteps running up from behind him.
‘Dan!’ screamed Sarah.
David caught her as she ran to the edge. ‘Careful! We don’t want you falling in as well!’ He held her tight, aware tears were streaming down her face.
They stared at the black sedan as it succumbed to the black water lapping over its roof and sank below the surface.
‘Come on, Dan, get out,’ murmured David. ‘You can do it.’
Two members of his team joined them, aiming search lights at the surface of the water. They swung the beam left and right, as everyone desperately looked for a sign of Dan.
***
Dan forced himself not to scream as the icy cold water began to pour into the car. He twisted and turned in the driver’s seat to look back at the canister. The timer clicked over. Sixty seconds remaining.
He wriggled his legs out from under the steering column and grimaced as the water seeped through his jeans. He began to shiver involuntarily as the icy depths claimed the vehicle. He glanced at the window to his right. Water was halfway up the glass. The heavy sedan was sinking fast into the river. He could see the lights from the wharf through the windscreen.
A metallic groan trembled through the vehicle and Dan’s stomach lurched as the car pitched forward into the water and the engine finally died. His heart accelerated. He turned and watched the water lapping at the back seat. It was still too low. The canister was still above water level.
Fifty seconds.
Dan began to kick at the windscreen. It wouldn’t give. He shouted, pure frustration emanating from him as the water ebbed around his knees. Exhausted, freezing, his muscles screamed with the effort. He shifted his weight in the car seat, lifted his feet and began to kick the windscreen again. He glanced in the rear view mirror. There still wasn’t enough water around the canister.
Forty seconds.
He hollered, shouting at the glass as he continued to pound at it. He lost his grip and slid down the car seat as his foot went through the glass.
Water began to pour over the dashboard, cascading onto his legs and streaming over the front seats. He gasped as a fresh coldness swamped him. He reached out to steady himself as the car lurched forwards and downwards into the murky depths.
He took a final deep breath as the car sank below the surface and search lights began to probe the darkness. He turned and stared at the timer on the canister.<
br />
Thirty seconds.
He crawled forwards, out through the windscreen, then turned and held onto the front of the car as it sank further into the dark muddy waters of the Thames. He willed the timer to stop. He could hear his heart beating hard in his ears. His lungs were starting to burst and he breathed out a little to release the pressure, the bubbles escaping to the surface.
Twenty seconds.
He stared at the timing mechanism, entranced. It had to work, had to. He thought over the last three months – everything he and Sarah had discovered. It all culminated with this, right now.
Ten seconds.
Dan knew he had to let go of the car and surface, or drown. His lungs were on fire, his heart pounding. He stared at the canister, willing the system to fail.
He looked up, and jolted involuntarily. He hadn’t realised the car had sunk so deep. The faded white light of torch beams swung over the surface, seeking him out. He forced himself to focus on the canister, gleaming eerily in the faded light. The red light of the timer blinked.
Five seconds.
Dan’s whole world closed around it and he watched the time slipping away.
Two.
One.
Dan instinctively closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable sound wave. And waited. Then opened his eyes.
The timer remained on zero.
He looked around him, momentarily bewildered. He was still there. The bomb hadn’t exploded.
He blew the stale air from his lungs in a watery yell and propelled himself to the surface.
Delaney had failed.
***
Sarah pulled away from David and began to frantically pace the wharf, staring at the river and willing Dan to resurface.
Then there was a shout and everyone turned.
Dan broke through the surface, a huge grin spread across his face. He raised a fist in triumph, and then began to swim towards the wharf.
David strode over to Sarah. ‘Go to the helicopter. There are blankets and a medical kit. Hurry, or he’s going to get hypothermia in this temperature.’
Sarah nodded and jogged over to the helicopter. David turned and crouched down at the top of a ladder. Dan had reached the foot of it and was hauling himself out of the water. David reached out as Dan climbed the rungs, and pulled him up towards the wharf.
Sarah rushed over with a blanket and threw it around Dan’s shoulders. ‘Are you okay?’
He nodded. ‘Bloody freezing,’ he grinned, and realised his teeth were clattering together.
‘Get on the helicopter. Let’s get you both out of here,’ said David.
As the rotors began to turn and lift the helicopter higher into the air, Dan glanced down at the searchlights sweeping across the water below.
Sarah leaned over and kept her voice low. ‘I left Peter’s notes in the car we stole.’
He looked at her, smiled and gave her a hug. ‘It’s okay. Those are copies. I left the originals at the house,’ he whispered. ‘And those copies down there had loads of pages missing. Strange, isn’t it?’
She punched him. ‘Bastard. When were you going to tell me that?’
He shrugged, smiled. ‘You and I need an insurance policy.’ He put his finger to his lips. ‘Don’t tell David.’ He winked.
The helicopter soon began to descend and bumped gently onto the roof of a building. Dan looked quizzically at David.
‘Ops centre,’ he explained. ‘There’s a clean change of clothes for you at the office. My team need to debrief. And you need to tell me what the hell you were thinking.’
Dan nodded, and then sniffed. ‘Warm clothes first,’ he said, and climbed out of the helicopter.
Dan walked into the conference room in borrowed jeans, boots, and sweatshirt. The atmosphere was electric. He finished towelling his damp hair from the hot shower and tossed the towel over the back of a chair. He could still feel the adrenaline rushing through his system and he smiled as Philippa handed him a glass of champagne.
‘Well done,’ she said. ‘I’m really impressed.’
‘Make the most of that,’ David called, ‘she doesn’t hand out compliments every day.’
Dan grinned. ‘I could get used to it though.’
Philippa smiled and walked over to the table, sat down and pulled her laptop towards her.
David pulled out a seat and indicated for Dan to join them. ‘Before you drink all that, we’re going to need to have a bit of a debrief,’ he said. ‘We’ll do a full one in the morning but I want to know exactly what the hell you were thinking.’
Sarah sat down next to Philippa, putting her glass on the table. ‘I agree Dan – how on earth did you know that driving the car into the river would stop the bomb?’
Dan smiled. ‘It was something Harry said to me about fuel cells. I don’t know why I suddenly remembered but he told me that if the membrane around the fuel cell is over-hydrated, the fuel cell gets flooded, which prevents the hydrogen reaching the catalyst.’ He paused and shrugged. ‘I just figured if I drove the car into the Thames, it would work.’
Sarah looked over to David. ‘Have they caught Delaney?’
He nodded. ‘Mitch apprehended him just before we boarded the World’s End. Apparently Delaney started a fire in his office, then tried to leave without being noticed, amongst all the commotion. They’re flying him down to Canberra for questioning. I think our colleagues in the Australian intelligence service have a room ready for him.’
Sarah began to pack her bag and Dan stood up, draining the last of his champagne in one gulp. ‘What time do you want us here tomorrow?’
David shrugged. ‘I think we all deserve a lie-in,’ he said. ‘Make it about ten.’ He followed Dan out to the elevators and they travelled down to the reception area. Dan smiled as he saw Sarah and Philippa deep in conversation at the doors with a man Dan guessed was Sarah’s editor.
He turned and noticed David looking at him, appraising him. ‘What are you thinking?’ he asked.
‘You know, we’re always interested in recruiting good people.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I don’t know if I’m ready for that.’
David smiled. ‘Well, you’ve earned a break. Here’s my card. Contact me if you change your mind.’
Dan turned to find Sarah looking at him. He walked slowly over to her. ‘Hi.’
She smiled. ‘Hello. Come here often?’
He grinned. ‘How’re you doing?’
Sarah shrugged. ‘I’m sure in a few days it’s all going to hit me.’ She inclined her head towards the door, where her editor, Gus, paced the floor. ‘I think he’s going to have me locked up until this story’s finished though.’
Dan looked over her shoulder and smiled. ‘He doesn’t seem too bad, as far as bosses go. Although I’d hate to see his face when he sees your expenses claim for this month.’
Sarah laughed. ‘Yeah – although I think I forgot to keep
some of my receipts.’
Dan smiled and looked down at his feet. ‘Are you going to be OK – seriously?’ He glanced up at her, nervous and not sure why.
She shrugged. ‘I really don’t know. It’s been a mad couple of months, y’know? All I want to do is get this story finished and Gus happy with it. After that – who knows?’
Dan nodded. ‘Yeah. I know what you mean.’
Sarah glanced over at David, standing with his team and packing up communications equipment, forensic specialists getting ready to meet the recovery team at the laboratory to pore over the defused bomb and take it apart piece by piece.
‘Did he offer you a job?’
Dan glanced at David and then looked back at Sarah.
‘Yeah.’ He smiled. ‘I don’t know if I could take this sort of excitement on a regular basis though.’
She laughed. ‘Oh come on – lots of action, international travel, driving cars at mad speeds, shooting at bad guys, getting your mojo back defusing a bomb – what on earth’s stopping you?’
Dan smiled, shrugged, the
n looked at his watch. ‘Hey – are you doing anything for the next hour or so?’
Sarah shook her head. ‘No – why?’
Dan grabbed her hand and pulled her across the reception area. ‘Come on.’
‘Hey, where are we going?’ Sarah dragged her feet, unsure what was happening.
‘Don’t worry – trust me.’ Dan pulled her out of the door, past the small crowd which had assembled there. Gus turned as they approached.
‘Sarah – where are you going?’ he asked, making a misjudged attempt to grab her sleeve as she and Dan hurried past.
Sarah shrugged her shoulders. ‘I don’t know – I’m just following him.’ She grinned. ‘It seems to have worked so far.’
Gus frowned. ‘Don’t be long – I want you at the office so we can run through the story together. The newspaper wants this in the morning edition so we can syndicate it by the evening.’
Dan stopped and turned to Gus. ‘Stop panicking. She’ll be there.’ He glared at the other man, who nodded, realising Dan wasn’t in the mood to negotiate.
Dan began to walk again, pulling Sarah along after him into the crisp night. Their breath froze in the air.
‘Dan? Where are we going?’
‘Hurry – I don’t want to miss it. Come on!’ He headed out the doors and up Belvedere Road. He hurried along the street until they reached a high fence. Opening a wrought-iron gate, he entered a small park. He glanced around and then stopped.
‘Give me your mobile phone.’
Sarah reached into her bag and pulled out the phone. She handed it to Dan. ‘Why do you need it?’
He grinned, switched it off, and then put it in his jacket pocket. ‘That’s why.’ He looked around the park. ‘Perfect.’
‘Thank god for that,’ said Sarah sarcastically. ‘I wondered where the hell we were going.’
White Gold: (A Dan Taylor thriller) Page 25
