AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay,” he answered slowly. “And your point is?”
It irritated me when they questioned me. “My point is that an amateur would go for a smaller target first to make sure their plan worked. There’s something else going on, maybe a second bomb. I think this was just a distraction.”
“For what purpose?”
“To distract us from the actual bomb. It’s been a good hour since we were called. We had to gear up and wait for the building to be cleared. It took time to get down here.”
“So, if it were you, where would you put the second bomb?”
That was a good question. “Give me two.”
I studied the bomb again, looking for anything that might point me in the direction of what the actual target was. The bomb was big enough to cause some damage, but not take down the whole building. And since it was detected so early, we were able to get everyone out.
That was it.
“Who called in the bomb?”
“Uh, janitor, I think.”
“And how did he happen to find the bomb at the bottom of the elevator shaft? The only way to see it is when the elevator is past the first floor or when the maintenance door is opened. If there was no call for repairs, then what the hell was he doing down here?”
“Copy that. Hold one.”
I waited at the bottom of the shaft for answers. There was no way I was diffusing this until I was certain it wasn’t linked to something else. I got down on my knees and flattened my face to the ground to look underneath the device. A small timer ticked down the minutes, but that’s not all I saw. There was a secondary timer right next to it, connected with wires. Someone was pulling a Rocket Chaser.
“Thumper, there’s a secondary line under the bomb. It’s attached to another device remotely. If we diffuse one before the other, they both go off.”
“Copy that. We’re coordinating with the department now.”
“Fuck that,” I muttered, hooking myself back up to the cable.
“Whoa, where ya goin’?” FNG laughed nervously.
“I’m heading up to find the other device. You’re going to stay down here and babysit this one. Whatever happens, you do not touch that device until I give the go ahead.”
“You’re leaving me down here?” he asked, clawing at my arm. “That’s not a good idea. I touch things all the time.”
“Do you want some advice?”
He nodded furiously.
“If you don’t want to blow up, don’t fucking touch it.”
I started pulling myself up the cable, ignoring the chatter on comms. There was nothing going on but a bunch of arguing over who was in charge. Thumper held his hand out for me when I reached the top. He was going to be really pissed with me in a moment.
“Thanks,” I said once I was outside the shaft.
“So, what’s our next move?” Slider asked.
“We look for the other bomb. Thumper, you’ve seen me dismantle a hundred times over. I need you to stay here and wait for my signal?—”
He interrupted me with a bark of laughter. “You’re shitting me, right? I don’t do bombs. Hell, I barely survive when I’m with you.”
“Your leg was very helpful that one time. You got this.”
“I’ve got nothing,” he snapped as he grabbed me right when I was turning away. “You can’t leave me to dismantle a bomb! There’s a difference between watching and doing.”
I nodded, completely understanding his dilemma. “Okay, I’ll stay here and you go find the other bomb.”
