Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [98]
“Excellent. Once we clear that tunnel, Annja, you’ll be glad we’re in this submarine. The pressure would kill you otherwise.”
Henderson turned and pointed the pistol at Tom’s back. “Time now to see if this crucifix really works.”
Then he fired the gun.
38
Tom’s body spasmed in the chair as the round punched through his back and entered his heart, spraying blood out of the front of his chest and onto the instrument panel in front of him. Tom fell sideways out of his chair and abruptly jerked the steering wheel to the right and down.
The sub responded instantly and both Annja and Henderson pitched headlong toward the deck. Tom’s body fell and his blood made the deck suddenly very slippery.
Henderson righted himself and yanked the steering column back and the sub leveled again.
Annja got up off the floor and saw that Henderson still aimed his pistol at her while he kept the other hand on the steering column. “Easy, Annja. Easy does it, girl.”
“I don’t like being called ‘girl,’” Annja said.
He nodded. “I don’t really care at this moment. I’m far more concerned that the crucifix doesn’t seem to have worked.”
“Well, you can’t put your faith in these little sideshow artifacts, can you? Better to trust in yourself, I’d think.” Annja cast a sideways glance at Tom’s corpse and noted that he still wore the crucifix around his neck.
“I wonder if there’s some sort of trick to it.” Henderson frowned. “Take it from around Tom’s neck.”
Annja shook her head. “I prefer not to desecrate the dead. It’s kind of sacrilegious and all.”
“I could just shoot you and be done with it. I can steer this sub myself and do quite a good job of it.”
Annja leaned down and scooped the crucifix from around Tom’s neck. She didn’t feel anything special when she slid it over her head and around her neck, but then again, what else was new?
“There. Happy now?”
Henderson frowned. “Feel anything…remarkable?”
“Not a damned thing.”
Henderson leveled his pistol at her. “Perhaps I should shoot you and see if I get the same result as poor Tom there.”
“I see you’re all broken up about killing him. You must have a real problem with employee retention.”
“Tom served his purpose and that purpose is now at an end. I’m a pragmatic man, Annja. I don’t drag out goodbyes, but I do appreciate his service.”
“I’ll bet.”
Henderson took a moment to set the autopilot on the submarine and then backed away from the instrument panel, giving himself a better drop on Annja. “So, what am I to do here? I was told that crucifix would grant the wearer immortality and now it appears I’ve been hoodwinked.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Annja said.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Annja pointed at the bomb. “Your precious nuke there. Did you wonder why it didn’t explode?”
“I assumed you’d somehow disarmed it, although I must confess I thought such a thing was well beyond your skill level.”
“Thanks for the confidence.” Annja shook her head. “I did disarm it. But that’s not the whole story.”
“What is?”
“That’s not a nuclear device.”
Henderson laughed. “You’re lying. Of course it is.”
“Nope. I think the scientist you murdered after he made this for you actually got the last laugh. He made you a dud. There’s no nuclear material in there, at least none primed to explode. He might have sprinkled some dust around it so you got a nice read from your Geiger counters, but that’s no nuclear bomb.”
Henderson looked at the bomb and then back at Annja. “Open it up.”
“What?”
“Do it.”
“Sure.” Annja walked to the bomb and unclasped the four locks on the lid. When she lifted it up, she saw something she didn’t expect. There was a small packet at the bottom of the metal cylinder and a new timer. The timer was counting down and there were ten minutes left on it.
Annja looked up. “I’ve got a confession to make. I was lying to you.”
Henderson gestured with his pistol. “I’m sure you were. Now step away so I can look at it.”
Annja held up her hands. “Really, I was trying to get you to look inside there