Fisher shot Gillespie a look, then motioned her to the exhaust vents ahead to search for Ames. She rushed forward, past Zahm, and began her search, while behind her, the conversation continued: "You just couldn't sit still, could you?" Fisher asked. "Couldn't have stayed in Portugal, enjoyed your villa and your mojitos and your boat."

"Boring. Too d.a.m.ned boring."

"Then you're going to hate prison."

"You can put me in, but you can't keep me there."

From somewhere in the s.p.a.ce above, Ames yelled, "You're both wrong!"

"He's not in here," Fisher called to her. "The echo's wrong. He's above us--ballistics, second level. He's yelling down the exhaust shaft."

Gillespie glanced up into the exhaust shaft, but she couldn't see a thing. She switched on her flashlight, aimed it up, and still nothing but piping covered in a thick layer of carbon.

Fisher was suddenly on the radio to Hansen: "Move now, back to the ramp. All of you get topside as fast as you can."

"What's going on?" Gillespie asked.

"Do it. Blast your way through whoever's up there, but don't slow down."

"Roger."

Gillespie was about to question Fisher when Ames shouted again: "Okay, Chucky, here it comes. . . ."

Fisher screamed to her, "We're leaving. Move!"

She was still confused but wouldn't argue and began jogging back to him.

From the far end of the s.p.a.ce came a crash. She turned back to see an Anvil case about the size of a footlocker bounce off the middle exhaust funnel and slam into the wall behind it.

Zahm craned his neck and stared at the case. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h! Ames!"

A second case dropped, this one so big that Ames must've used all his might to push it over the side. It was as large as a gun safe, Gillespie guessed. It struck the floor so hard that it broke open. Dozens of cylindrical objects spilled out and rolled across the concrete. And yet another case dropped. Then another, while Zahm continued shouting at the top of his lungs. He even screamed for Fisher to go up there and shoot the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Ames shouted, "Missed one. Here it comes!"

Gillespie stole a look over her shoulder at the exhaust vent, just as a white object about the size of a brick plummeted out of sight to the bottom of the tube.

"Aw, b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," cried Zahm.

Gillespie shouted to Fisher, "What?"

He had two words for her. "Semtex! Run!"

42.

GILLESPIE'S legs were burning as she and Fisher retreated at full tilt toward the door at the far end of the zone. They were, Gillespie estimated, about sixty or seventy feet from the exit when the Semtex detonated. legs were burning as she and Fisher retreated at full tilt toward the door at the far end of the zone. They were, Gillespie estimated, about sixty or seventy feet from the exit when the Semtex detonated.

A slightly m.u.f.fled boom came first, followed by a single echo; then through that hollow ringing came several more explosions, grenades perhaps, and, finally, a deafening explosion that stole the air from her lungs and threatened to burst her eardrums.

Not two seconds later, the shock wave swept her into the air and sent her hurtling, end over end, like a Barbie doll flung by an angry four-year-old. The floor and ceiling spun, and there was utter disorientation until she thought she whacked against the door and suddenly dropped, as though someone had thrown the GRAVITY ON switch. She hit the floor, facedown. Felt her shoulder pop. Her arms and legs continued to burn.

She tried to look up, but a wave of nausea took hold, the room still spinning. Was that Fisher calling her name? Her shoulder throbbed now. She thought she could move her legs despite the fire.

What was that sound? Like Niagara Falls . . .

Finally, she glanced at the far end of the zone. The entire back wall was gone, and the concrete blast funnels now lay in mountains of rubble. In their place was a ma.s.sive hole like the business end of a huge, fully opened fire hose. Car-sized pieces of rock were already being swept aside by the jetting water and unstoppable current.

Fisher crawled toward her, and, remarkably, her headset was still clipped tightly to her head. "What the h.e.l.l was that?" called Hansen.

"Level four is blasted open," Fisher answered. "The lake's coming in." He looked at her. "Can you walk?"

"The h.e.l.l with that," she said, glancing back at the oncoming water. "I can run!"

She rolled over, pulled herself painfully to her feet, felt some sharp pains in the shoulder, but otherwise she could indeed run. They sprinted together toward the ramp, around the railing, and started up the incline. She paused a second as the world seemed to tilt slightly on its axis. Whoa! Whoa!

The first wave of water surged through the intersection, sweeping so quickly down the corridor that she thought it'd be only a minute before the entire level was flooded. The hissing and crashing of water against doors and blasting into the various zones was entirely surreal. She got the chilling feeling they were aboard a sinking ship, and the ice-cold water did nothing to dispel that sensation.

A second wave crashed into their legs, shoving them back and into the side railing.

She looked over at Fisher.

He was gone.

"Sam!"

She looked back the ramp, now fully engulfed, the water like boiling oil in the flickering light.

And then a head appeared. Fisher was there, but his face was covered in blood. He must've bashed his nose, blood was streaming from his nostrils. She started back toward him, clutching the railing, but the current was beginning to carry him back and away. She reached out just as Valentina came up behind her, grabbed her arm.

"No, I'm okay," Fisher cried. "Keep going!" Then his gaze turned to Valentina. "Take her!"

Gillespie tried to pull away, but Valentina was far stronger and dragged her back up the ramp.

Meanwhile, n.o.boru, who'd come down right after Valentina, positioned himself over the railing and was leaning over, trying to reach Fisher, while Hansen darted behind and grabbed onto his legs. Fisher shouted something about them taking off, but they kept trying to reach him. Finally, n.o.boru caught a hand, and they brought Fisher back onto the ramp.

"He's okay," said Valentina. "We're going now!"

Gillespie nodded.

HANSEN didn't believe Fisher when he said he was okay, but there wasn't time to discuss it. He and n.o.boru hurried back up the ramp. When he looked back, Fisher was limping, barely able to keep up. didn't believe Fisher when he said he was okay, but there wasn't time to discuss it. He and n.o.boru hurried back up the ramp. When he looked back, Fisher was limping, barely able to keep up.

"Your foot," cried Hansen.

"Fell asleep."

The water suddenly lapped over Fisher's ankles. Hansen started back to him. "I can help you, Sam."

"Get everybody topside. I'm right behind you."

This was an argument Hansen would not win. He nodded and double-timed back up the ramp.

At the top, with the water rising rapidly, he turned back for Fisher, who was gone. Hansen cursed and tried to call him on the radio. Nothing.

Stubborn b.a.s.t.a.r.d. What're you up to now? You die, and you'll really p.i.s.s me off. . . .

AFTER checking on the elevator, Hansen and n.o.boru linked up with Valentina and Gillespie on the first level. The entire facility seemed to tremble under the weight of the flooding lake. Pipes screeched as they were bent like taffy in all directions, and most of the lower ramp had been swept away to crash into the walls. checking on the elevator, Hansen and n.o.boru linked up with Valentina and Gillespie on the first level. The entire facility seemed to tremble under the weight of the flooding lake. Pipes screeched as they were bent like taffy in all directions, and most of the lower ramp had been swept away to crash into the walls.

They came rushing into the utility room, where their rope still hung down through the air shaft. Hansen could already hear the water rushing up toward them. He tried to call Fisher again. Nothing. n.o.boru went up the rope first, followed by Valentina. Together they would help pull Gillespie up. Hansen remained there, pacing like a fool, calling Fisher over and over until finally . . .

"Ben, where are you?"

"First level. Bad guys are either gone or dead. Elevator's out of commission. We're getting out the way we came in."

"Good." Fisher said something else, but the transmission was garbled. Hansen waited, then: "Leave the rope for me."

"Roger."

From the sound of it, Fisher had no intention of coming up to meet them, and the 'leave the rope' line was just BS. He either had his own plan of escape or had already realized that it was too late for him.

Hansen glanced up the shaft, saw that Gillespie was almost at the top. In a minute they'd drop the rope to him. He took a deep breath and heard the footfalls a moment before the man appeared, brandishing his AK- 47.

He was one of Zahm's guards, a heavily tattooed Brit clever enough to escape, and he trained his rifle on Hansen even as Hansen did likewise. Standoff. Standoff.

"We can both get out, mate," he said, his face covered in stubble, his teeth yellow. "No need for a shooting contest."

"Here comes the rope!" cried n.o.boru.

"Hold up!" shouted Hansen.

"What're you doing?" asked the guard, his glance flicking up toward the shaft.

There were moments, Hansen knew, where muscle memory and reflex took over, where all the calculations in the world wouldn't help you. You just reacted, barely conscious of the effort, based on the instinct to survive.

Hansen shot the guard.

Three rounds punched into his chest. Just like that. No forethought. No afterthought. Just noise. And death.

The guy fell back before he could get off a shot, and as he hit the floor, a wall of water came blasting through the corridor, sweeping him away and sending Hansen crashing into the wall behind him.

"Throw down the rope!" he screamed. "Throw down the--"

Another wave took him under, and the water was so cold that for a moment he swore his heart skipped a beat. Frantically he kicked up, tried to find the surface, but his head banged hard into something metal, and there was only white foam before his eyes, nothing to focus on. He reached out, trying to find the rope, groping frantically like a man with an anchor tied to his waist.

He was beginning to lose his breath.

And a bitter resignation took hold. After everything, he would now drown in an air shaft because some a.s.shole guard had decided not to play nice and die when he should have. Where were Dad's aliens now? Hansen could sure use an alien abduction at the moment. Beam me up, Scotty. Beam me up, Scotty.

He reached out one last time, and something brushed against his outer forearm. The rope. He rolled, kicked hard, and took hold, now advancing hand over hand, pulling himself against the current until his hand felt dry, and then, in the next instant his head popped above the bubbling water.

The gush of water resounded. He was in the air shaft, being carried up. He sucked in a huge breath as, above, Valentina and n.o.boru screamed, asking if he was all right.

Sure, he was fine. Couldn't be better. And how are you?

He took one more breath and cried, "Pull me up!" And the water once more rose over his head before he could climb any higher. The rope began moving through his hands. He tightened his grip as they hoisted him up.

NOT two minutes after Hansen cleared the air shaft, he watched as Gillespie rushed back to it. "He's not coming, is he?" she said, watching as the water streamed out of the air vent. two minutes after Hansen cleared the air shaft, he watched as Gillespie rushed back to it. "He's not coming, is he?" she said, watching as the water streamed out of the air vent.

"Tell you what. You stay here and wait," said Hansen, still shivering and blinking hard. He looked at n.o.boru and Valentina. "Perimeter search. Maybe he found another way out."

Valentina looked grim, n.o.boru grimmer.

"Let's get this done quickly. This entire area is growing unstable."

Hansen thought about his rise up the air shaft and decided to hit the meadow hut first. And when he did, he almost laughed. There was Fisher, lying on his side, soaked to the bone, having dug his way out of the hut by exploiting the weakened grout between the cinder blocks.

"You should've come with us," Hansen said, dumbfounded and grinning.

Fisher rubbed his sore eyes and shuddered. "Didn't want to slow you down."

Hansen looked at the hut, the water still pouring from the hole in the cinder blocks. "Nice exit."

"I'm usually a little more discreet."

Hansen grinned. "Gotta move now. Sinkholes opening up all over the place. . . ."

THIRD ECHELON SITUATION ROOM.

KOVAC burst through the door and marched up to Grim, who was seated behind one of the computer terminals. She didn't look back at him. Not yet. He panted in anger. burst through the door and marched up to Grim, who was seated behind one of the computer terminals. She didn't look back at him. Not yet. He panted in anger.

"What the h.e.l.l's going on here?"