Chapter 11 - The Subterranean Exit
"No," Clara said instantly, stepping between Mark and the tunnel entrance. "You don't get to die like a tragic hero, Mark. You don't get to blow yourself up and leave me to explain to our daughter why her father was a criminal ghost."
Mark looked at her, his bloody face tightening with bitter regret. "If I go with you, Clara, they will never stop hunting you. Arthur’s network spans three continents. The only way you and Lily survive this night is if Alan Cross is officially declared dead in a catastrophic gas explosion."
"He’s right, Clara," Claire said quietly, checking the battery pack on an underground ventilation radio. "The contractors have eyes on the cabin. If Alan doesn't trigger the thermite charges inside the bunker, they will swarm the tunnel entrance before we reach the main road."
Above them, the ceiling shook. Heavy bootsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards of the cabin overhead. The mercenaries had entered the house.
"They found Arthur," Claire whispered, her voice dropping. "We have less than ninety seconds."
Lily let out a soft, whimpering cough from the cot. Clara rushed to her side. The little girl’s eyelids fluttered open, her hazel eyes finally clearing from the narcotic fog.
"Mommy...?" Lily whispered weakly, reaching a tiny, trembling hand toward Clara’s wet face. "Where are we? Where’s Daddy?"
Mark’s breath hitched. He stepped toward the cot, his knees trembling, but stopped himself two feet away, unwilling to let his blood drip onto her blanket. He fell to his knees, his voice softer than Clara had ever heard it.
"I'm right here, sweetie," Mark whispered, a lone tear cutting a clean path through the dirt on his cheek. "Daddy’s right here."
"My tummy hurts..." Lily whimpered. "We were playing the quiet game in the living room... and then I fell asleep..."
Clara stared at Mark, realization dawning on her with crushing weight. "You didn't leave her unconscious on the floor dismissively. You hid her in plain sight to buy time before the poison peaked."
"I gave her the neutralizing binder in her milk before you even arrived home," Mark choked out. "I knew Trent was outside waiting for you to walk in. If Trent thought she was already dying, he wouldn't use lethal force immediately. It was the only way to keep him talking until Claire arrived."
A sudden burst of heavy automatic gunfire tore through the trapdoor above them. Wood chips rained down into the cellar.
"They're breaching the hatch!" Claire screamed, grabbing Lily’s blanket and lifting her into her arms. "Move! Into the tunnel!"
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Mark shoved Clara toward the narrow concrete corridor behind the server rack. He locked the heavy iron vault door behind them with a spinning wheel, sealing himself on the other side with the detonator.
Through the reinforced observation glass of the vault door, Mark looked at Clara one last time, mouthed “I love you,” and placed his thumb on the red switch.
