Andy Mcdermott - Temple of the Gods

‘He won’t shoot. He can’t shoot. He needs you alive. Come on.’

‘Alive isn’t the same as unharmed,’ said Stikes as she started to move.

Nina cringed. ‘Oh, I was so hoping he wouldn’t say that.’

‘He wounds you, you fall, I kill him,’ Eddie told her. ‘He loses.’

‘I don’t exactly come out a winner either!’ She was now two-thirds of the way between the former SAS men.

A faint sound from the other end of the hall. The elevator was descending. ‘That’ll be more of Takashi’s security,’ said Stikes, his arrogance returning. ‘You can’t get away. I’ll tell you what — just drop your gun and I’ll make it painless. One bullet, right in the forehead. For old times’ sake.’

‘How about I give you one bullet right in the bollocks? For old times’ sake.’ But Eddie knew Stikes was right — he was rapidly running out of time before reinforcements arrived. He needed to break the deadlock…

A bright light suddenly filled the hallway.

From outside.

Eddie looked round in alarm as an approaching helicopter’s spotlight swept over the penthouse. He whipped back to face Stikes, but the mercenary was just as surprised as he was—

The windows shattered as gunfire raked the building.

Nina shrieked and ran to Eddie, who dived on top of her to shield her from the flying glass and bullets. Stikes also threw himself to the floor. Wood panels splintered, the drywall behind erupting with great sprays of fragmented plaster as more shots carved through the hallway.

The firing stopped. Eddie raised his head, seeing the helicopter hovering about fifty metres from the skyscraper. The glare from its light meant that he couldn’t identify the type, only that it was painted black — and had a machine gun protruding from an open hatch in its side.

But the aircraft was now turning to face the building head-on. The gun wasn’t its only weapon…

Eddie flattened himself over Nina again as a flash of orange fire streaked out from the chopper. A rocket hit the building above the hallway and exploded, the remaining windows shattering. Debris cascaded from the ceiling between the couple and Stikes.

Nina screamed as a second missile struck overhead, the floor pounding like a drumskin. ‘Holy shit ! Who the hell are they?’

‘They’re shooting at us, so bad guys!’ Eddie shouted back. He shook off lumps of fallen plaster and lifted his head. They were dangerously exposed here; if they ran towards the elevator, the building’s central core might provide some protection. But that would mean covering almost the entire length of the hallway, making them an easy target for the gunner—

The floor shook again. Not from an explosion, but a deep, ominous creak of metal and concrete. The helicopter hurriedly retreated. The sound grew louder, joined by the groans and cracks of failing structural supports…

Nina realised the cause with horror. ‘Oh, crap! Eddie, move, move !’

One of the wind turbines outside toppled like a felled redwood, scything down through the ceiling and tearing a great gash out of the skyscraper as the enormous steel tower ripped through storey after storey before finally being dragged to a halt by the sheer mass of tangled wreckage.

But the danger wasn’t over. Nina and Eddie suddenly found themselves sliding towards the widening hole as the floor, its supports severed, sagged beneath them. They slithered helplessly down the polished wood—

Another loud crack — a floorboard springing up at one end as it buckled. Nina grabbed it, Eddie catching her legs and clinging on.

She was still holding the case in her other hand. ‘Get rid of that fucking box before we both fall!’ he ordered.

‘Not a chance!’ After what she had experienced earlier, there was no way Nina was going to give up the statues now. Instead she tossed the case back up the sloping floor to land in the corner near the doors. For a moment, it looked as though it was going to slide back down again… then it wedged against another warped board.

She clawed at the wood with her now free hand until her fingers found purchase. ‘Okay, just hang on,’ Eddie grunted as he stuffed the gun into his jacket and began to pull himself up her body.

‘Oh, ya think?’

He held back a sarcastic response of his own, concentrating on survival. Boots scraping against the floor, he brought himself high enough to reach the board. ‘Got it,’ he said, releasing Nina and edging sideways to support his foot against a cracked plank. As she squirmed up, he twisted to locate the other threats.

The helicopter was shining its light into Takashi’s office. As for Stikes—

His former superior officer was on the far side of the gap, scrambling back to level ground. He straightened, brushed off dust, then looked back. His gaze met Eddie’s. A brief twitch of anger, then he smirked and reached for his gun…

It wasn’t there. His look changed to outright anger as he realised he had dropped it — and it had fallen into the hole. All he could shoot at Eddie was a scowl, which he delivered before turning and running for the lift. A flashing red ‘no entry’ symbol on the display warned that it was no longer in operation; the fire alarm had been sounded, and the elevators were programmed to stop in response. Instead, Stikes rounded a corner and passed out of sight, heading for the emergency stairs.

Eddie cursed at having missed his chance to kill Stikes, then clambered back up the slope to join Nina. They exchanged relieved looks — which were instantly replaced by concern as the machine gun fired again.

In the office, Kojima desperately tried to push Takashi into the open escape capsule. ‘You’ve got to get out!’ he cried as the piercing spotlight sliced across the windows.

Takashi resisted, shouting into a cell phone, ‘Two hundred and sixty degrees west! Have you got that? Two hundred and sixty degrees!’ Receiving confirmation, he finally addressed Kojima. ‘The statues, and Dr Wilde — they must be saved! The plan is more important than any one member of the Group. Find them and get them to safety!’

‘No, Takashi-san! You have to—’

The beam locked on to them, pinning the two men in its harsh gaze. Eyes narrowed against the glare, Takashi stared back with a mix of defiance and acceptance. ‘Glas,’ he said. ‘That traitor Glas is behind this—’

The machine gun spat fire. The windows shattered, a storm of bullets shredding Takashi and his secretary into bloody chunks.

Eddie regarded the oak doors with concern as the gunfire stopped. ‘Definitely don’t think we want to go in there.’ The pitch of the helicopter’s engine changed, suggesting that it was circling the building.

Looking for more targets.

‘That doesn’t leave us with many options,’ Nina replied. There was another, single door in the corridor wall on their side of the chasm, but reaching it would require going back down the dangerous slope before hopping on to the stub of a beam at what had been floor level. She retrieved the case. ‘Keep hold of my hand until I can jump across.’

‘For Christ’s sake, just leave the case, will you?’ He frowned. ‘Wait, what’s in it? It’s those fucking statues, isn’t it!’

‘Yeah, and after everything I’ve been through to get them I’m not letting go of them now.’

‘After all the trouble they’ve caused, the world’ll be well rid of them,’ he countered. ‘Give ’em here.’

‘ No , Eddie,’ Nina insisted, clutching the handle more tightly. ‘I don’t have time to explain right now, but they’re a part of something big — something amazing . I have to find out what it is.’

He shook his head. ‘No, you—’

‘You asked me to trust you a minute ago,’ she cut in firmly.