Chapter 13
The explosion threw a wall of concussive force across the bunker, sending dust, smoke, and jagged chunks of concrete flying in all directions. Rachel threw herself over Toby, shielding the boy beneath her body as wood and metal debris rained down around them.
Through the smoking, blown-open doorway of the bunker, three tactical operatives in full gear swarmed into the room, their weapons raised and sweeping the space.
Agent Miller didn’t hesitate. He fired three rapid, controlled shots from behind the oak desk, catching the lead operative in the shoulder and forcing the others to scatter and take cover behind the vintage mainframe racks.
“Get out! Through the emergency utility tunnel behind the desk!” Miller roared over the deafening din of gunfire, firing suppressive rounds down the room.
Daniel grabbed Rachel by the arm, hauling her and Toby up from the floor. “Move! Now!”
“Miller, come with us!” Rachel screamed, looking back at the aging agent who was reloading his weapon with practiced efficiency, standing his ground alone in the center of the bunker.
“My shift ended twenty years ago, Rachel. Go!” Miller shouted, not looking back as he unleashed another volley of gunfire toward the doorway.
Daniel shoved Rachel and Toby through the low, hidden access hatch located directly behind the main terminal, scrambling in right behind them just as a hail of automatic gunfire chewed up the oak desk where they had been standing seconds before.
The utility tunnel was pitch black, cramped, and smelled of damp earth and old copper wiring. Daniel pulled a heavy metal latch from the inside, swinging the service door shut and throwing the manual locking bolt into place just as the heavy thud of combat boots hit the floor right outside the hatch.
They crawled on their hands and knees through the low concrete conduit for what felt like miles, the sound of muffled gunfire and explosions fading slowly behind them until there was only the sound of their own ragged breathing and the steady drip of water from the ceiling overhead.
Toby crawled bravely right between Daniel and Rachel, his small hands scraping against the rough concrete floor, never uttering a single complaint. The resilience of the boy in the face of such unimaginable terror gave Rachel a quiet, unbreakable strength she didn’t know she possessed.
After what felt like an eternity, the narrow conduit opened up into a wider utility chamber illuminated by natural daylight filtering down from a street-level storm grate above.
Daniel pushed his shoulder against the heavy iron grate overhead. With a loud, echoing clatter, the grate popped free, letting in a flood of cool, fresh morning air and the distant, familiar sounds of morning traffic.
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They had made it out.
***
