Andy McDermott: The Hunt For Atlantis

“Put this out of action,” said Chase, pointing at an electric pump at the base of one of the drums. There was a simple control panel beside it. One button would open the valves, and the other would pump the virus through the pipes and out into the open air.

“What if it’s booby-trapped?”

“Why would it be? They didn’t expect anyone else to be aboard!” He aimed his gun at the panel.

“Whoa, wait!” Nina yelled. “You can’t just shoot it! What if it causes a short circuit and sets the thing off?”

Chase gave her a look. “I could dismantle it, but we’re kind of running out of time!” He took aim again-

The A380 banked, throwing them both off balance. “Shit!” said Chase. “What was that?”

Nina looked towards the front of the hold. “Kari. She must be in the cockpit! What’s she doing?”

“Turning us around,” Chase said grimly. “Taking us back to Ravnsfjord so they can have fifty guys surround us.”

“But-but she can’t fly this thing!”

“She doesn’t have to, the computer’ll do it all for her. Here.” He took out his Swiss Army knife and handed it to her. “There’s a screwdriver and some scissors in it. Take the front panel off, and then cut every wire you can find.”

“I’m an archaeologist, not an electrician! What are you going to do?”

“Take care of Kari.” He hefted the Wildey and pushed past Nina, heading forward.

Nina fumbled with the knife, trying to pry open the stiff blades. All she succeeded in doing was painfully snapping her thumbnail. “Shit!” She tried again, with no more luck. “Eddie, wait!” He didn’t hear her. Frustrated, she ran after him.

Chase reached the crew room, looking cautiously inside. The cockpit door was still open. No sign of Kari.

He raised his gun and entered the room. The two bodies still lay where they had fallen.

Where was she?

She hadn’t gotten past him in the hold, so she was still in the forward section. That meant she’d gone up the stairs to the upper deck, was hiding in the cockpit, or was in the utility room.

Watching the cockpit door, he advanced on the utility room, paused-then yanked the door open and aimed the Wildey inside.

Empty.

He closed the door and pressed his back against it, ready to whip around the corner and aim up the stairs.

Go!

Nobody there.

He relaxed… and Kari swung down from where she’d been hiding directly above, both her feet slamming into his face.

Chase staggered back, eyes watering from the resurgent pain in his broken nose. With the A380 still banking, he had to fight to keep his balance.

Another kick flew at him, Kari pivoting on one foot in a roundhouse move. Her boot heel crashed into his chest like a pickaxe blow. He gasped for breath.

Her foot snapped up again, smashing into his gun hand. Agony shot through him as his little finger broke. The Wildey spun away and hit the rear bulkhead.

He lashed out with his left fist, and Kari’s head snapped back as his punch caught her cheek. She yelled, as much in surprise as in pain, and dropped back a step with a poisonous expression.

Chase realized she had a gun tucked into the waistband of her leather jeans. Kari saw his eyes flick down to the gun. As she grabbed it, he plowed into her shoulder-first, smashing her against the door of the utility room and driving the breath from her lungs-

The gun went off.

Searing pain exploded in Chase’s left thigh. His leg immediately gave way, pitching him on to his side. He clutched the wound. The bullet had gone right through his thigh, missing the bone, but his clothing was wet with blood.

The A380 leveled off, the autopilot now on course for Ravnsfjord.

Kari gasped for breath. “Damn you, Eddie,” she choked out. The smoking gun came up, pointing at his face…

And held there.

A second passed, two, Kari’s finger tight on the trigger-

“Kari!”

Nina stood in the door to the hold, Chase’s Wildey held in both hands. Aimed at Kari.

“Drop it,” Nina said.

“Nina?” Kari looked at her in surprise, but didn’t move the gun away from Chase.

“Kari, put the gun down. Put it down!”

“Nina, there’s still time for you to change your mind.” Kari’s tone became almost pleading. “You can still come with me!”

Nina set her jaw. “I’m not going to let you kill Eddie.”

“I can’t let him threaten the plan.” Kari looked back down at Chase. Eyes narrowed in pain, he clutched his wounded leg, unable to respond. He turned his head towards Nina, willing her to shoot. Only amateurs talk , he wanted to tell her, but the words refused to emerge.

“The plan’s insane!” Nina snapped. “Your father’s insane!”

Kari’s face twisted with a flash of anger. “Don’t say that!”

“You know he is, Kari! You know what he’s doing is wrong! For God’s sake, you’ve been working for years to save lives all over the world! Think of all the people you’ve helped! Doesn’t any of that mean anything to you?”

“I have to do it,” said Kari, though her expression was conflicted. “I can’t disobey my father.”

“You already did!” Nina reminded her. “When you wouldn’t let him kill me! And I saw you in here just now: you could have killed Eddie, but you didn’t. Because you care about him too! He saved your life!”

“But he’s not one of us…”

“Kari, there’s no ‘us’ and ‘them,’” insisted Nina. “We’re all still people , human beings. So the world’s got some problems-big deal, it always has!”

Kari looked back at her, uncertain. “But we can solve them…”

“By killing billions of people? That’s your idea of solving problems?” Still keeping the heavy gun pointed at Kari, Nina stepped closer. “Kari, I know you. You’re not Hitler, or Stalin or anybody like that. And you can stop your father from becoming one of them. Just put the gun down.”

Kari’s gun didn’t move. “I… I can’t.”

“I won’t let you kill him. Or anyone else.”

Now the gun moved, Kari aiming it at Nina. “I don’t want to kill you,” said Kari. “Please don’t make me.”

“Nina, shoot her,” Chase managed to groan.

“I don’t want to kill you either, but I will if I have to,” Nina said. The huge gun wavered in her shaking hands.

“I’ll count to three, Nina. Please drop it.” Kari was almost pleading. “One…”

“Shoot her!” rasped Chase.

“Two…”

“Kari, put it down!”

“Three!”

Kari fired.

At such short range, it should have been impossible to miss, but she did, twisting her wrist at the last instant to fire wide. The bullet flew past Nina to smack harmlessly into the rear wall of the cabin.

Nina instinctively flinched.

And fired.

The Wildey kicked in her hands with such force that the recoil almost tore the weapon from her grip.

Kari slammed against the door. A bright rose of blood burst over the metal behind her as the.45-caliber bullet tore through her body. She slid down the door and slumped onto the deck next to Chase.

Nina stared at her in horror. The Wildey dropped to the floor. “Oh my God…” she breathed, unable to accept what she’d just done.

“Nina…” whispered Kari, a tear trickling down one cheek. Then her eyes closed.

“Oh my God!” Nina repeated. “I didn’t mean to…”

“She just tried to kill us,” Chase growled, clutching his injured leg again and trying to sit up. “Come on, I need your help.” After a moment of hesitation, unable to take her eyes off Kari, Nina raised him into a sitting position. “Thanks.”