Rogue Angel - Polar Quest Part 38

Annja sighed. "This wasn't done by me. Or the bomb earlier today. I'm telling you guys I have nothing to do with this. You've got to believe me!"

Hawk looked at her intently. "Yeah, all right. That job on the computer wasn't the kind of thing I'd expect you to be able to do anyway. No offense."

"None taken," Annja said.

"Come here and look at this," the soldier said.

Annja walked over and knelt next to him. Hawk had an insulated set of tools with him that he used to prod several parts of the detonator. "Here's the problem. Whoever built this knew what they were doing. It's got three redundant backup switches. If we clip one of them, the others will fire anyway. We'll be blown apart."

"Can't you cut them all?" she asked.

"We'd have to cut them at the same time," Hawk said. "And we don't have enough people."

"You do now," Annja said. "I can be one of the cutters."

Hawk eyed her. "You understand what you're saying? If we screw this up, the bomb will blow even if the countdown hasn't reached zero yet."

Annja took a breath. "Hang on. Let me run back and make sure the camp is as evacuated as it's going to get. Don't touch anything until I get back."

Hawk smirked. "Like we would."

Annja ran back and found Garin standing by the entrance directing Sno-Cats out of the parking area. "How long until everyone's gone?"

He shrugged. "Five minutes. I've got two Sno-Cats held in reserve for us to go as soon as you give the word."

Annja nodded. "You'd better go, then."

"What?"

"I'm staying to help Hawk and his team. The bomb has three redundant switches or something. They have to be cut at the same time or else the bomb will blow."

Garin shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous, Annja. You can't stay."

"I have to."

"You could die."

She nodded. "Maybe."

Garin frowned. "And you're willing to do it anyway?"

Annja tried to smile, but somehow it didn't come out the way she hoped it would. "I feel like I owe it to Colonel Thomson and Dave. So their deaths aren't in vain."

Garn shook his head. "You weren't responsible for their deaths, Annja."

"We're running out of time," she said. "Take the Sno-Cat and go. You've got to catch up with Zach and stop him from selling that nuclear generator."

Garin shook his head. "No. You go. I'll stay behind."

Annja looked at him. "What are you talking about? I just said that I was fine with it."

"Annja." Garin stared at her. "I won't die."

"You don't know that you can take a blast like that. There's enough explosive down there to demolish a mountain. I'm not so sure even you could survive that. And I don't believe you want to take a chance."

"What about you? What about what you have yet to accomplish with the sword?"

Annja frowned. "What do you mean?"

Garin had to shout over the roar of the howling wind now. "Haven't you ever thought about it? Don't you realize this is why your life keeps plunging you into these crazy situations?"

Annja shrugged. "What are you getting at?"

"This is why the sword picked you, Annja. Your sense of self-sacrifice. It knew you'd be the only one willing to die so others could live. This is why you get wrapped up in these adventures. You're supposed to. There's evil in the world and you're one of the few who has the courage to face it. And defeat it."

Annja thought about what Garin was saying. Maybe he was right.

"But that doesn't give me the right to back out now just because there's a chance I might die," she reasoned.

Garin shook his head. "No, you're not supposed to die here. But maybe I am."

"Garin, if what you just told me is true, then if I leave now, I'll be shirking that responsibility. I'll be proving that I don't have the courage to see this through to the end. And I might lose the sword. What would happen then?"

"But if you die-"

"I won't," Annja said. "Now, go."

Garin looked at her for another moment. "I'll never forgive myself if you die in that mountain, Annja."

She smiled and then did something she never thought she would. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on his lips. "You know, you're pretty cool when you show that you actually care about someone other than yourself."

Garin looked shocked. "I don't know what will happen to the sword if you die," he said.

Annja smiled. "I've got to go."

She turned and hurried back into the entrance before she thought twice about it. The last thing she wanted to do was run back toward the danger. Toward what might be her death.

But she had no choice.

She hurried down the tunnel pa.s.sageway, back into the cavern.

Hawk looked at her. "What kept you?"

"We had to get everyone out."

"Everyone?"

"We're the only ones left," she said.

Hawk nodded. "I'm an eternal optimist. You made sure we've got a Sno-Cat, right?"

"Absolutely."

He smiled. "All right. Let's do this."

Annja knelt next to him. "You'll have to explain to me exactly what I'm supposed to do."

Hawk used a pair of wire cutters to point out the wire in question. "This one is yours. Tony's got that one, Don has the one next to it and I have this one here. That puppy is all yours."

The guy Hawk had called Tony cleared his throat. "Hawk, we've got another problem here."

Hawk looked up. "What now?"

Tony held up two more wire cutters. "Only two left. And there are three that need cutting."

"s.h.i.t. None of you has a knife or something?"

Don brought out a Swiss Army knife. "I've only got a blade on it and there's no guarantee it would cut in time as the others were cut."

Hawk shook his head. "We can't risk it."

Annja looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"It means we get the h.e.l.l out of here and put some distance between us and this mountain before this entire places goes up."

Annja frowned. There had to be another way. "Wait," she said.

Hawk turned back. "What?"

"I've got something that can cut the wire."

"You do?"

Annja nodded. "Yeah, but you guys won't believe it. So I'm going to ask you to not ask any questions. Just accept the fact that I can cut the wire and let's move on from there."

Hawk frowned. "Yeah, okay. No sweat."

Tony and Don nodded. "Let's get it done," Tony said. "I've got three minutes on the clock here. Time's ticking down."

Annja raced into the tunnel out of the men's field of vision. She closed her eyes and unsheathed the sword. As she rushed back into the cavern, she heard the sharp intakes of breath.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Tony said.

Hawk pointed at her. "You said not to ask, but d.a.m.n-"

"No questions," Annja said firmly.

Hawk looked at Tony and Don and they simply shrugged. "Let's get in position," he said.

Hawk backed off to allow Annja room to get in with the very point of her sword. He turned to her. "You absolutely positive that thing will cut?"

"It's razor sharp," she said.

"Okay," Hawk said. "Positions." He placed his wire cutters over his wire. Tony got his into position and Don did the same.

Annja waited until they were set and then she carefully placed the tip of her sword next to her wire. "I'll cut upward to sever it, just so you guys know which direction the blade will be moving."

"Thanks," Hawk said. "It would suck to get beheaded right after we deactivated this thing."

Tony smirked. "Don't make me laugh, man."

"You guys ready?" Hawk asked.

Don and Tony nodded. Hawk looked at Annja. "Annja?"

"I'm ready."

Hawk looked at the detonator clock. "One minute to go."

Tony took a breath. "What's the count?"

"On three," Hawk said.

Annja looked at him. "I always get confused by that. Do we do it one-two-three-cut or one-two-cut?"

"One-two-cut," Hawk said. He glanced around. "Clear?"

"Clear," everyone said in unison.

Everyone took a breath and readied themselves. Annja looked at the tip of her sword. She closed her eyes. Please let this work, she thought to herself. These people don't deserve to die.

Hawk cleared his throat. "Here we go."

Annja tensed.

"One."

Annja gripped the sword.

"Two."

Annja took another breath.

"Cut."