by James Flynn
91.
“Who is he!?” Beltrano slapped Chung Su across the face. Chung Su cried in pain. Her legs and hands were now tied to the chair. And Beltrano was unleashing his fury. “Who is he!?”Chung Su knew that he could beat her all he liked, her body was already numb. Her world had fallen away; the crumbling edges were all that remained of a life that had been torn apart, and would end under the earth, thousands of miles from the ones who loved her. Her grandfather stood before her, his eyes resting on her lovingly. Another blow rang against her head.
“Miss Chung, do not confuse my brother’s mercy with my own. I need to know who Robert Reid is … now!”
Chung Su shook her head. She replayed the time she had spent with Luke, such a short time, but so intense. She had let down her family, her homeland and as she thought of the man who had been by her side for the past few days, she couldn’t bring herself to betray him. “I don’t know him; he told me he was Robert Reid, that was it.”
A hand crashed across her face. “Stop lying! He is a highly trained man. Does he work for your country?” Chung Su shook her head. She felt the warm trickle of blood running from her mouth.
“Miss Chung, focus.” Beltrano clicked his fingers. “This really doesn’t have to be this difficult. We all respect what you were aiming for, we sympathise with the plight of the North Koreans. In another time we would fight shoulder to shoulder. But Allah deemed the task should fall to us select few; the weight of change came to us and we shouldered it.” Beltrano stood and put his hands in his pockets. “We were strong enough to take responsibility for mankind …”
Chung Su stayed silent.
“Please do not take that as arrogance. Walk not on the earth with conceit or arrogance. That is from our holy book.” Beltrano took a moment; he sat back down, pawing at a lighter. “I do not want to hurt you … do you know what else the Qu’ran teaches us?” Chung Su felt her cheek tingling from the slaps she had received, and still she said nothing. “God does not forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have neither fought against your faith nor driven you out of your homes … now I don’t believe you have done that.” He leant in close, “But if you continue to resist telling me about Robert Reid, then I am afraid I will have to class you as fighting against the faith, which means you are against what we are trying to achieve … and I must defend it at all costs.” He flicked open the lighter and held it close to Chung Su’s eye. She tried to turn her head away but Beltrano pressed on her neck, his dark eyes were on fire. As he stared back there was something else that betrayed itself; it was not just anger. He brought his hand up, and she saw in those dark eyes that Beltrano was desperate. That’s why he had resorted to violence. That is why he is so agitated. She could feel the heat from the flame against her eye. Why is he desperate?
“Chung Su, tell me, tell me who he works for?” he bellowed into her face.
He is alive. “He is alive, isn’t he?”
Beltrano looked at her and his lip quivered with frustration.
“That is why you are so angry … it’s fear.”
Beltrano snapped the lighter closed. He then levelled a kick in the centre of her chest, the chair rocked back and she crashed onto the floor, the wind leaving her body. He quickly sat her back up, gripping her hair.
“You are going to feel a world of pain if you don’t tell me what you know.”
Through spluttering coughs, Chung Su replied hoarsely, “He is alive, isn’t he? And he is coming for you …”
“Miss Chung, you have one final chance to tell me who he is …”
Chung Su spat blood at Beltrano. “He is coming for you … and I would be worried if I were you.”
Beltrano smiled. “He is too late …” He pulled out his pistol and took aim. As he stepped back to take the shot the black wall screen flickered to life and an image appeared. Beltrano turned; the screen was split in two. On one side there were a handful of men in highly decorated military uniforms and suits. On the other side was an expansive room filled by a range of individuals sat in banks of two with a variety of computer screens in front of them.
It is the Iranian laboratory, thought Chung Su.
“Good evening, Karim …” came an voice from the screen.
92.
Luke rounded the corner and was presented with yet another long concrete tunnel flooded with electric blue light.
A door opened a few metres down. Picture frame.
Luke moved quickly, closing the gap silently. He reached his left arm around to press against the holstered Uzi and drove the blade in through the side of the man’s neck, behind the windpipe, and flicked it forward, spraying tissue and blood over the floor. The man gurgled and put up a weak struggle, but Luke held him tight and waited for him to go limp.
Then without warning there was a shout from behind. Luke turned to see a short man pointing an Uzi directly at him. It happened in slow motion. Luke swung the body round to act as a barrier, whilst simultaneously hitting the deck. The tunnel erupted in gunfire, and the noise was deafening.
An Uzi can let off almost a thousand bullets per minute, which equates to around fifteen per second. The dead body took a range of bullets and they tore through flesh and bone, sending it twitching to the ground. Luke ripped out the Glock, bullets screaming overhead. Without aiming, he loosed off two bullets. The first smashed through the shooter’s left eye,. The man was dead before the second bullet even struck.
Luke’s ears were ringing but his pulse remained steady. There was a comfort in now being able to confront the enemy head-on. He ran back to the corner and pulled out the Uzi from the rear of his trousers. He had not gone more than a few metres when the whole complex erupted with a whine.
Alarm …
Luke didn’t stop, he had reached the bend in the tunnel, and then he heard a door open behind him. There was more than one shout over the siren. He rolled down onto his side and propped back up on one knee facing toward the voices. In the same motion he pressed down on the Uzi, spraying a range of bullets. There were three armed men crouched facing him. His first hail of bullets ripped apart the largest of the men, his body flailing backwards with the impact. The other two threw themselves against opposite walls, spraying bullets as they ran. The shots flew harmlessly wide. Luke then brought up the Glock and let off two bullets at each man. They found their mark and they slumped dead to the floor.
Nine rounds left in the magazine. He set off again round the bend in the tunnel. If the French scientist was to be believed then he should be coming across the command centre. The whirring alarm was pulsing in his ears.
A door opened in front of him and a man in a protective suit stepped out. A second door then opened on the opposite side and all Luke saw was a black jumper out the corner of his eye. Luke grabbed the scientist and pushed them both back through the doorway, stumbling and falling. Then a gunshot popped from behind and the world went black.
93.
“This is a great moment, Karim. It seems as though you and your brother will bring us the glory that has been promised. Your country owes you both a debt of gratitude.”
“That is not necessary, Sir; we do it all for His glory.” Beltrano bowed his head.
“We are very much looking forward to the show.”
Chung Su flashed glances at the array of people looking down on her. She was still amazed at how they had managed to do it, a replica laboratory. As she looked at the technicians sat at their desks, ready to witness the most significant moment in their lives, she pictured herself sat in her own laboratory, her colleagues sat around her waiting for the moment. It sickened her how many of those men and women she now looked at had no clue how much pain and suffering their discoveries would cause.
Her thoughts were shattered as the room erupted with a deafening siren.
“What is that, Karim?”
Beltrano looked alarmed. He span round to face Chung Su, then whipped his head back to the screen. “Nothing to worry about, Sir. I shall return shortly.
”
As Beltrano exited the room he shot a glance to Chung Su. He barked an order and then for Chung Su’s benefit spoke in English. “Anything happens, kill her.” Two armed men entered the room; one took up position directly in front of her, with an automatic rifle pointed at her head.
He is here …
94.
Luke felt the weight of the man on top of him, and a warm sensation ran over his body. Am I hit? The room was dark. He didn’t feel any pain, but Luke had been shot before, adrenaline and shock are very effective painkillers.
The door snapped open and before the armed man could fire Luke put two bullets from the Glock through his skull. The light from the tunnel lit the scene; the man lying on him had blood running from a single gunshot wound to his back, and he had pissed himself. Luke rolled him off and picked up the Uzi, checked the action and moved back to the doorway. He pulled the dead soldier inside the room and closed the door. Darkness. Time was running seriously low.
Interpret, adapt, act.
Darkness. Luke could hear his own heartbeat in his temples over the siren. He had the sense to know that this may be one mission he may not execute and survive. He thought of his failure, that the world would now be held to ransom by radicalism. He had long since stopped using the term terrorist.
In the darkness he felt his pulse rise, the familiar anger and hurt trying to break its cage. Thoughts tumbled through his mind, and every journey ended with the image of Sarah. If he was going to die, then so be it.
He pressed against the door, footsteps were running up and down, then he heard something that raised the hairs on the back of his neck; a man was barking orders in Arabic, Italian and English.
Beltrano…
He came charging past, followed by several boot-steps. Luke resisted the urge to show himself. Don’t do it, Luke, the only priority is the objective. Then in the distance there came a high-pitched crackling noise; it sounded like fire-crackers being let off. The electrical components were being destroyed by the device he had thrown in the orange-lit room.
6.45 p.m.
Luke had to move. He had to get to the heart of the lab. There were fifteen minutes before the neutrino beam was being sent from CERN to the Gran Sasso Institute. He played everything around in his head, assessing and predicting.
He reached back into the bag and pulled out the second sleek black electromagnetic device. He pre-set the timer to fifteen seconds. He knew that he would not have time to lay the charge; in the current scenario it may be critical to use it at speed. All he needed to do was press the red button and the countdown would begin.
95.
The room was now a hive of activity; technicians were running from control panel to control panel, panicked looks etched across their faces. They were jostling and pushing the armed guards as the latter got in the way. The man pointing the gun at Chung Su now looked very nervous.
Moments ago, the control panels had gone crazy. Beeps and flashes lit up the dials, then technicians had burst in and turned it into a scene of organised chaos. Chung Su glanced at the time that was displayed at the top right of the screen: 6.47 p.m. The men on the screen were sat silently, a look of bafflement on each of their faces. The Iranian laboratory now had groups of scientists huddled around screens.
Out of the chaos Vittorio came wading through. He was shouting and demanding answers. He went from panel to panel, pushing others out of the way. She watched his frustration grow. It’s going wrong . The fact that there was a nuclear bomb under her feet gave rise to dread. It was not dread for herself, but for the thousands of people that it would kill should such a reaction leak into the soil. L’Aquila, the Gran Sasso range and Teramo would all become uninhabitable overnight; the whole Abruzzi region could become a barren land that would be contaminated for hundreds of years.
“What is happening?” Chung Su shouted above the noise.
Vittorio turned to look at her as if he had not even known she was in the room. His face went from distress to rage. “You … it’s you,” he bellowed. Chung Su didn’t understand. “You knew he was coming … he is ruining everything!” Vittorio looked crazed. “Why are you jeopardising it? You know the world needs this! You know!” Vittorio looked deep into her eyes. “Kill her.”
The guard was young; he was scared, but he raised the Uzi up shakily and Chung Su instinctively closed her eyes. Her body jumped as the gunshot went off.
96.
There were several voices coming from the room, it sounded like chaos. He didn’t have time to assess the situation; he caught snippets of various languages.
The coolants aren’t responding ...
Check whether it is an internal spike …
It’s stating it’s magnetic …
That’s impossible …
Then came a voice that zeroed him in. What is happening?
Chung Su …
Luke loosened the handle, and then kicked the door wide open. Training was like muscle memory and without thought he raised the Glock and put a bullet into the man who was stood with an Uzi pointed directly at Chung Su. The man staggered and then Luke put another bullet a millimetre from the first, which knocked him down hard. Then, for the briefest of moments, Luke caught a glimpse of the man now stood in front of him.
Often in battle the briefest of moments can be the difference between life and death, and Luke had hesitated. A blow struck him hard in the top right of his skull, sending him off-balance. His gun hit the corner of an instrument desk, sending it sprawling across the floor. As he turned, he saw a man fumbling to draw his Uzi out of his holster. Luke recovered and threw a punch, but the man saw him coming and sidestepped, bringing his elbow hard down on the back of Luke’s skull. Luke hit the deck as a pain shot down his spine. The man abandoned his weapon and tried to press home his advantage. Wrapping a strong arm around Luke’s throat he locked it in place with his other. Luke felt the pressure; it caused his eyes to water and his throat to burn. He scrambled to get his fingers under the man’s arm to try and dislodge the grip, but it was locked on like a vice. He felt his feet bang against a hard object. He guessed it was either the wall or the door, it didn’t matter which. He braced his feet and with all the strength left in his body he pushed back, flipping his head backwards as he went. He felt the soft crunch of tissue and knew he had connected with the man’s face. There was the slightest slip in grip and that’s all Luke needed. He threw his head back again and heard the man grunt; then in a sharp movement he jammed both of his palms upwards against the man’s arm and slipped his shoulders down … he was free.
Luke scrambled to his feet. The attacker had also recovered. He was a big man, broad-shouldered and mean-looking. He had a cut on his cheek from Luke’s headbutt and his hand started again for his Uzi. Luke covered the distance fast and this time the man was too slow. Luke landed a kick square into his chest, sending the man flailing backwards, crunching his back into the corner of an instrument desk. Luke took his chance. He dropped to his knees and smashed a fist hard down into the man’s throat, feeling the depression of the larynx. The man’s eyes widened as he gasped for air. Luke smashed his fist down again and he was dead.
As Luke appeared above a console a bullet whistled past his left ear, and he dropped back to the floor. He knew from the shot tone that it was his own Glock that had been fired, but he hadn’t seen the assailant. Luke rolled around to the other side of the instrument. He flicked the Uzi to full automatic, then took his bag off his shoulder and threw it into the air … another shot went off, missing and ploughing into the wall. That was all Luke needed; he assessed the trajectory and was up firing in milliseconds. A line of bullets spread from the chest cavity upwards, ripping apart the face and skull. Clouds of blood spat in all directions.
Luke looked at what was left of the body … Vittorio.
Things then slowed. The only noise was coming from Chung Su. Luke raised the gun and scanned the technicians who were all staring in horror. Vittorio had been alive? His mind couldn
’t process the information or the ramifications. His hand tightened around the Uzi, and the piercing screams from Chung Su started to form in his ears, the same word hammered over and over.
“No … no … no!” Chung Su screamed the words.
Luke refocused. He turned his head to look at her and noted the determination in her eyes. Her arms and legs were tied to the chair.
“Luke, they are innocent!” She turned her attention to the technicians. “Run … go. You need to go, get out, the laboratory, the whole place. Run, go.”
The technicians looked at Luke; they all gazed at the Uzi. Luke lowered the gun. “You heard her … go!”
They did not need to be told twice. They clambered over each other to get out of the room. Luke turned to Chung Su. “You ok?”
Chung Su didn’t respond. Instead, she babbled at a rapid pace. “Brun knew … he knew. Vittorio …” Chung Su looked over to the mauled body of the professor, fighting a burst of nausea that rose in her stomach. “This isn’t it … this isn’t it … them …” She used her eyes to indicate the screen.
Luke turned to see the split-screen on the wall. On one side uniformed men were pointing and shouting amongst themselves, standing and walking in and out of shot. On the other side a vast technical hub stood frozen. All eyes were staring right at him. Luke raised the Uzi and let off a burst of bullets, shattering the screen and turning it black. He then turned back to Chung Su and took out the knife, cutting her legs and arms free.
Chung Su was in a daze. “We have to go … the whole place is going to explode.”
Luke couldn’t make sense of what she was saying. “Chung Su, what is Vittorio doing here?”
“He was alive … the whole time … him and Beltrano … it was them, the whole time. We have to get out … it’s going to explode.”
