The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [80]
Leaving the vault door open to disperse the smoke, he headed back to the main desk as Vernio picked up the phone to summon an engineer.
Watching the laptop screen, Karima saw that the guard had his back to the vault - and the other was looking away as he made a phone call. ‘Eddie, now!’
The locker swung open. Inside was the case containing the Talonor Codex - and Eddie Chase, squeezed into the space even more tightly than he had been in the duct.
He had used the cutter, retrieved from the vent, to sabotage the lock mechanism inside the door. Now, he hurriedly unfolded himself, using the handles of the lockers above to climb out. Standing with one foot on the edge of the locker’s floor, he recovered the case and jumped across to the central desk.
The guard was still walking away from him. He stretched out one leg to nudge the locker shut, then drew back - and made a flying leap through the open vault door.
He cleared the pressure-sensitive floor by less than the length of a toe. Pain shot through his ankle at the awkward landing, but he held in a grunt and flung himself sideways behind the nearest bank of storage lockers.
One rubber sole squeaked on the floor—
Jablonsky looked round at the sound.
Eddie heard his footsteps stop. He froze, pressed against the cabinets.
The steps resumed . . . coming back.
‘What’s wrong?’ Vernio called.
‘Thought I heard something.’ Jablonsky was almost at the vault. Eddie braced himself - he was going to have to fight his way out after all . . .
One of the damaged fans sparked again. Jablonsky stopped. Eddie could see his shadow. One more step and he would be found—
The guard turned away, thinking the sound was just another spark. Eddie waited until he was clear, then quietly tiptoed back to the locker where he had stashed his clothes.
The spotlight beam stabbed through the porthole. ‘Time’s up!’ the cop said through the loudhailer. ‘Get moving.’
Matt ran up on deck. ‘We’re stowing our gear! Give us a minute.’
‘Okay, you got your minute - but if you aren’t moving by the end of it, you’re coming with us.’
‘We’re moving, we’re moving!’ Matt leapt back into the cabin. The live feeds showed Eddie hurrying back to the reading area, the Codex under one arm, a bundle of clothes in the other.
‘Eddie!’ Karima cried. ‘We’re out of time!’
Eddie reached the booths. He had dumped the Codex’s case in the locker; now, he flung open the briefcase and dropped the gleaming artefact inside before pulling on his trousers over the filthy bodysuit.
‘Maintenance is on the way,’ said Vernio, putting down the phone.
‘I’ll go get Eddie.’ Jablonsky headed for the reading area.
Eddie fumbled with his jumper. No time to clean the muck off his hands—
‘Come on, move it!’ growled the cop.
Matt ran back on deck and took the controls. ‘We’re going! Jesus Christ, mate!’ He started the engine, the diesels clattering. ‘The UN’ll be narked about this!’
He pushed the button to winch up the anchor, then opened the throttle. The boat moved off, turning downstream.
In the cabin, the fibre-optic spool spun faster and faster as the line was drawn out. It caught against the porthole’s brass frame—
And snapped.
Vernio looked up sharply as the monitors flickered. Was the electrical problem spreading?
His eyes went to the visitor—
‘Yo, Eddie.’
‘Yeah?’ said Eddie, dropping into the chair just before Jablonsky entered the reading area.
‘Afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave,’ the guard said apologetically. ‘There’s an electrical problem, and we gotta clear the room while it’s being repaired. Safety rules.’
‘That’s okay, I’m finished anyway.’ He gathered the papers and put them into the files. ‘Health and safety, eh? Surprised they don’t make you wear a hard hat and a Day-Glo jacket.’
Jablonsky grinned. ‘Seems it’s getting that way, sometimes. You need a hand?’
‘Nah, I’ve got it.’ Eddie stacked everything so he could carry it with one arm, pretending that the now-empty box file was still heavy, and picked up the briefcase. ‘Okay, let’s go.’
Karima came on deck, Rad