At least David must have succeeded, Laura suddenly realised, aware that time had easily ticked past the detonation time. I must tell Rob, as soon as is sensible. I can’t risk letting him go! She glanced up at Rob’s dark figure keeping pace with her on top of the pipework. “I love you,” she whispered, amazed at her thoughts given the circumstances.
A barrage of bullets met Laura as she turned another corner in the passage, feeling the searing pain of two striking her on the arm and leg as she dived for cover. Wincing in pain she realised why their adversaries had stopped – blue flashing lights were approaching fast through the mist.
“Don, I have no idea where we are, but the gunmen appear to be taking a stand,” she called into the radio. “I can see police lights. Get them to fix on my MI5 mobile – there’s a locator.”
“We know exactly where you are and have already informed the armed units. Why are they taking a stand though?”
“No idea!”
“Watch out!” Rob suddenly yelled from above her, as one of the gunmen slipped down from some nearby pipework to make a grab for her and take her hostage – the other gunman had been a diversion!
As the man lunged for Laura, Rob leaped from the opposite side of the passage, swung on a high-level pipe and kicked the man in the chest, sending him sprawling backwards, dropping his gun. Rob rolled and rose to face the gunman who pulled a knife from his belt. They circled each other, the man lunging this way and that, taking swipes at Rob, who ducked and blocked, eyes fixed on his adversary.
Laura, aware that her injuries prevented her from assisting Rob, pinned the other gunman down, raining shots on to his position, first from her weapon, then from the gun dropped by Rob’s adversary when she ran out of bullets.
Glad of his martial arts and unarmed combat training, Rob found the gunman’s desperate attempts to stab him easy to avoid. The man side-stepped and lunged at Rob’s face, the glinting steel passing millimetres from his cheek as Rob lurched backwards while swinging his right arm up at the same time. Yes! Got him! At last! Grabbing the gunman’s wrist with his right hand, Rob twisted and pulled down.
“Aargh!”
Kicking, the man tried to free himself, but Rob clung on, sending both sprawling on the concrete. They writhed about, the knife slashing this way and that, both grunting with the exertion. The gunman shifted his weight suddenly and rolled, coming down on top of Rob, intent on using his bulk to bring the knife down. Alert to the danger, Rob twisted once again as the man’s body descended.
“Urgh!” the man gurgled. Rob had twisted the knife hand round and the blade sank into the man’s chest. A trickle of blood oozed from his mouth as a desperate expression of fright spread across his face.
Rob pushed him off. “Your colleague is dead!” he yelled, breathing heavily. “Give-up! Whatever you’ve done, it’s not worth it!”
Oh, I love him! Laura thought as she looked up at Rob, aware he was clueless she had been shot.
A few moments later, as the beams from powerful torches cut through the misty darkness in search of the small group, the remaining gunman threw his weapon over the crates behind which he was sheltering. “Don’t shoot!”
Aghast, Rob watched Laura limp over to the man, gun aimed steadily at his head. She’s hurt!
“Rob! Your help, please. There are handcuffs in my pocket. Use them!”
A few minutes later, a limping Laura preceded Rob leading the handcuffed gunman through the swirling mist towards the torches and flashing blue lights. Having handed the gunman over to the police, Laura commandeered a police car and ordered the driver to take them back to FTS2.
43
When David had diffused the second device with just a few seconds to spare, he spent a few minutes walking around the empty space waiting for his pulse to settle. As he did, he examined the numerous pipes, valves and other mechanical installations. Damn! What have they been doing? The chemicals are somehow linked into the pipe network!
Shaking his head in deep, puzzled thought, he went in search of George Munster to ask for an assessment.
“Excuse me, Mr Munster. I’d like your assessment of the set-up in FTS2. I’ve defused the explosives.”
“Of course. What concerns you?’ he asked as they walked.
“From what I can tell, the chemicals we thought were destined for a bomb-making factory appear to be connected to the pipework in the building.”
“What! That’s not possible! The process only allows testing – the taking of samples from the line. Nothing can go into the system from there.”
“In that case, you’ll be able to explain what’s happening for me.”
After a long, confused conversation with colleagues, George Munster grudgingly admitted that the process had indeed been reversed and the toxic chemicals were being injected into the various petrol and diesel products passing through the refinery.
Laura and Rob joined the end of the conversation to hear David asking Munster, “So where does the product go from here?”
“Directly to distribution. To lorry and rail tankers to distribute around the country.”
“And how will these chemicals react with your products?”
“I really have no idea, sorry. Jasper is the man to ask, although I guess he’s done a runner. I’ll call a senior chemist in to help.”
“Yes, please do so – immediately.”
“And stop all production until this is cleared up, as well as recall all product that has left here since this was recommissioned,” Laura added. “Until we know it’s safe, the infected product must not be sold!”
“But that could be a mammoth undertaking! Hundreds of tankers will have been dispatched, many will have completed their deliveries.”
“Then those filling stations need to be closed and the product tested! I’m sorry Mr Munster, but we need to be certain. Your industry has a reputation to protect and until we know what the purpose of mixing the toxic chemicals is, we have to assume the worst.”
“Yes, okay,” the man accepted dejectedly and headed off to make his calls.
“David?”
“Yes, Rob.”
“Can you finish off here while I take Laura to have her injuries seen to?”
“Absolutely. Sorry, I didn’t realise…”
