The Good That Men Do - Andy Mangels [99]
Phuong’s smile broadened into a triumphant grin. “Our way out of here. Once we collect Doctor Ehrehin, that is.”
Trip rose from the sofa and paused momentarily to consider his partner’s ad hoc plan, or lack thereof. While he knew he could have done with a few more hours of sleep, there wasn’t much to be gained by waiting. They were, after all, among hostiles who might see through their disguises at any moment and then turn on them. And every passing hour might give Ch’uihv the opportunity he needed to break Ehrehin once and for all, and plunder the dangerous secrets he carried.
Despite his unease about what lay ahead, Trip tried his best to match Phuong’s insouciant grin.
“What are we waiting for?”
“Have you come to get me out of here?” Ehrehin asked earnestly.
After pausing to check the charge on the pistol he’d taken from one of the two unconscious guards in the corridor- Phuong had identified the weapon as a “disruptor”- Trip met the elderly scientist’s gaze squarely. “As a matter of fact- yes, we have.”
Ehrehin beamed at him. After helping the old man out of his chair and onto his feet, Trip turned toward Phuong, who displayed a somewhat worried expression.
“What’s wrong?” Trip asked as he carefully walked Ehrehin toward the chamber’s single door.
“I’m afraid my surveillance jammers won’t last much longer,” Phuong said, his head tipped as he listened to electronic inputs from his clothing that only he could hear. “And if somebody opens the storage lockers down the corridor and finds those guards before we can get away…”
Using the palm-sized electronic key he’d taken from one of the guards, Trip opened the door to the outer corridor while Ehrehin continued to lean on him. “Then let’s get a move on.”
Per Phuong’s clever introduction of several specialized computer viruses into the facility’s systems, the corridor beyond the door suddenly plunged into near-total darkness, making it difficult for Trip to see Phuong as he led the way through a complex series of bends and turns that he had obviously committed carefully to memory a few hours earlier when he had reconned the building. Trip supported most of Ehrehin’s weight while continuously turning and dodging the various Ejhoi Ormiin personnel who hustled past them in all directions; fortunately, they were apparently confused and thus far utterly oblivious to the jailbreak that was occurring right under their noses.
A seeming eternity later, Trip briefly leaned an exhausted Ehrehin against a wall while Phuong manually cranked open a door that led to yet another darkened chamber. Once the trio was inside, Trip inferred from the loud echoes of their footfalls that they had entered a vast, cavernous space.
An underground hangar, he realized.
“This way!” Phuong hissed, and led the way to a nearby shape that became clearly visible only after Phuong manually opened an exterior entry hatch, which automatically activated a set of dim interior lights. Trip saw that they were about to board a sleek yet battered-looking space vessel, a vaguely cylindrical craft equipped with twin outboard engine nacelles. The ship was positioned horizontally on several landing struts, and Trip estimated her to be about as large as the Branson, or about three times the size of one of Enterprise’s shuttlepods.
Let’s hope those nacelles will make this bucket as fast as she looks, he thought as Phuong helped him walk Ehrehin toward the open gangway. Trip couldn’t help but notice that Phuong seemed imbued with renewed strength, as though he had redeemed himself for whatever mistakes he and Section 31 might have made earlier.
A loud explosion to Trip’s left, accompanied by a bright shower of multicolored sparks and flame, shoved him unceremoniously to his knees. The blast would have sent Ehrehin sprawling had Phuong not caught and steadied him.
“Stay where you are, all of you!” called a stern male voice behind Trip, who guessed it was coming from near the very same entrance that he, Phuong,