Chapter 13 - The Final Override
The digital countdown timer on the control panel flickered once, twice, and then went completely dark. For three agonizing seconds, nothing happened. The rushing roar of the underground river filled the silence, and the water level continued to lap higher against the narrow concrete ledge, soaking the cuffs of Mark’s ruined trousers.
Then, with a heavy, grinding groan of stressed metal, the massive steel sluice gate ahead slid slowly upward into the ceiling, revealing a blinding wedge of white daylight and the grey, churning expanse of the open river beyond.
"It worked!" Sarah breathed, a choked laugh escaping her lips as she dropped to her knees to pull Leo into a fierce hug.
"Don't celebrate yet," David warned, snapping his multi-tool shut and shoving it back into his pocket. "The moment we severed that circuit, it sent a priority ping back to Directorate headquarters. They know exactly which drainage exit we’re using. We have less than two minutes before an extraction team intercepts us at the riverbank."
Mark didn't hesitate. He scooped Leo up into his arms, hoisting the boy onto his shoulders so the child wouldn't have to wade through the rising, freezing water. "Lead the way, Vance. Let’s finish this."
They scrambled through the open sluice gate, bursting out from the dark, subterranean concrete tube into the biting chill of the open morning air. The gray sky hung low over the wide, fast-flowing river, and a rusted metal maintenance pier extended out into the current, where an old motorboat bobbed gently against the wooden pilings with the tether slack.
"There! The boat!" David shouted, pointing toward the pier as he sprinted ahead to check the engine ignition.
Just as they reached the wooden walkway, the sharp whine of an approaching engine echoed from overhead. Mark looked up to see a black utility helicopter breaking through the low-hanging cloud cover, banking hard as it descended toward the riverbank, kicking up a violent vortex of wind and spray from the rotor blades.
"Take Leo and get in the boat!" Mark ordered, shoving Sarah toward the pier as the helicopter’s landing skids hovered mere feet above the water’s surface, a heavy-mounted spotlight blinding them with its harsh glare.
"Mark, come with us!" Sarah screamed over the deafening roar of the rotors.
"I'll buy you the time you need! Go!" Mark pushed Sarah and Leo down the wooden planks toward the motorboat, turning to face the descending aircraft with his firearm raised and ready.
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David vaulted into the boat, yanking the pull-cord on the outboard motor until it sputtered to life with a thick cloud of blue exhaust smoke. He grabbed Sarah by the arm, hauling her and Leo into the hull just as a heavily armed figure dropped from the helicopter’s open cabin door onto the end of the pier.
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