David had pulled the CEO to one side immediately after the first hostage had been killed and called Gurning.
“David, what’s happening? Where’s Laura?”
“Laura’s facing off a couple of gunmen with hostages! We have found where the chemicals are but don’t understand the intended purpose yet – it doesn’t appear to be a bomb factory.”
“What do you mean? What do you think?”
“We really don’t know, Steven. The thing is, at least one person has gone on the run so we need to assume that the terrorists will hear that we are on to them.”
“Understood. I will alert the authorities for all other refineries on the presumption that whatever is intended could be now be initiated. What else can you tell me that will be helpful elsewhere?”
“The facility in question here is the Testing and Sampling building,” David looked at the CEO, who nodded his confirmation. “Somehow, it was recommissioned without management awareness – what for, we don’t know. Barrels have been attached to the sampling pipes. Explosives have also been planted inside.”
“Understand, I’ll get on to it. Tell Laura to be careful.”
I wish I could, but it’s too late for that!
* * *
Rob peered round a large control panel, covered with knobs, buttons, gauges and small flashing lights. He saw two women and five men sitting on the ground, apparently tied together. Upon catching Rob’s eye, one of the men shook his head, warning him off – but too late.
“There’s one over here!” a woman hostage yelled, also seeing Rob.
Rob sprinted across the space as bullets started pinging off the pipework around him. Instinctively, Rob rolled as more bullets whined passed. Finding his feet once more Rob came face-to-face with one of the gunmen and stared down the barrel of the man’s handgun.
He had no time to think, with a quick side-step, twist and arm-block Rob moved inside the gunman’s reach and grasped the man’s wrist just as the woman who had given his presence away raised her own gun. Rob had been unexpectedly fast, and the gunman’s instinct was still to pull the trigger. The woman was thrown backwards, collapsing on to the floor, a pool of blood growing around her.
While Laura and the other gunman continued to trade shots, Rob had his own difficulties. The gunman kneed Rob in the groin trying to free himself. Grimacing with pain, Rob kept hold of the man’s arm, jerked forward and threw the man over his shoulder.
“Keith! Less than five minutes!” yelled another pretend hostage who leaped up and barged past Rob, shoving him into the remaining hostages.
Two of the gunmen fired a salvo of shots in every direction before charging out of a door, shooting one of Don’s men who had been leaning against some pipes, keeping watch. They then ran amongst the maze of pipes, seeking their escape.
While Don immediately sprinted to the aid of his man, Rob started to release the hostages and Laura bent over the dazed gunman Rob had thrown. “What did they mean by less than five minutes?” she demanded, grabbing his shirt collar and lifting his head roughly.
“Wait for the surprise, bitch! We’re all dead!”
“They planted explosives!” one of the released hostages gasped, panicky.
“Where! Show me! Rob – get David!”
Moments later David arrived looking flustered. “David! Here and here – explosives! Just over two minutes left! Given what we know about these chemicals, you need to defuse these things, or…”
There was no need for Laura to say anymore. David immediately moved forward to start work on the first device.
“Rob! With me! Here!” Laura lobbed the fallen gunman’s handgun over to Rob and led him from the building as a policeman arrested the man. Dazed at the rapidity of all that was happening, Rob followed, chasing after the escaping gunmen.
“Don, I’ve still got a radio and need your control room to tell me where those guys went,” she called, pressing the ear piece firmly into her right ear, as they ran.
* * *
David bent over the first explosive device, examining it carefully from different angles. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He was oblivious to the former hostages hurriedly making their way from the building.
The red digital counter blinked inexorably down, increasing David’s sense of panic as he traced his fingers along the different coloured wires. Damn! Where’s the bomb disposal squad when one needs it! … Hmm. No trembler – that’s something. Okay, let’s try…
David snipped a wire with his pocket knife and the counter increased the speed of its countdown. Bugger! This one then! He tried another wire and the display froze at forty-seven seconds. Shit! Where’s the other… David ran across the room to the second device.
* * *
The swirling mist in and around the walkways’ overhead lights created an eerie glow in the cool night air. As they ran in pursuit of their quarry, both Laura and Rob were in a quandary.
Aargh! I can’t stop now to tell Rob! But if David doesn’t do his thing, we’re all dead and I won’t have told Rob I love him! Bugger it!
Darn it! There she is, doing what she does best – chasing the bad guys. And unless David defuses those damn things, we’ll die and Laura will be oblivious of my love!
All further thoughts of each other quickly vanished when a hail of bullets started pinging and ricocheting off the pipes around them. They both dived for cover into the shadows behind storage crates and beneath pipes on either side of the passage.
“Draw their attention,” hissed Rob.
“What are you doing?”
“Just draw their attention!”
When Laura started alternating her shots between their two adversaries, Rob clambered on top of the crates and quietly ran along the top of the pipes, losing his footing frequently on the mist-slick metal. However, he leaped from one pipe to another, like a mountain goat, in order to retain his balance.
Damn! Rob swore, on arriving at where he thought one adversary should be – no one there! He dropped down a short way and glimpsed the two men disappearing round a corner. “They’re on the move again!” he called, climbing back to the top of the pipes again to give chase.
Shots were traded as Laura leaped upturned crates and whatever else the gunmen could find to push over in their desperation to slow their pursuers.
