Masters of the Sky

Chapter 15.2 Burning Bridges (Part 2)

"Right." Celia turned to Abner and Zed. "We can't go back the same way. We'll have to flee fast if we can't disarm this thing. There is a secret tunnel behind that shelf." She pointed at the wall on their left. "Get it open, and I'll see if the old bastard left anything useful behind."

"It's not looking good, boss!" Lyra said, her hands busy sorting through many colourful cables in the middle of the metal construct chest.

"Can you disarm it or not?" Celia growled, shifting frantically through the papers on the desk.

"I..." Lyra hesitated for a moment, and her face paled even more. "I don't think so. Not without risking an early explosion."

"How much time do we have?"

"Roughly five minutes."

"All right, we are leaving. NOW!" Celia grabbed a handful of paper and stashed them in the bag at her belt. "Sir Prancer, code red. Go!"

"Red alert! Red alert!" the parrot screamed and bolted through the balcony.

Celia grabbed Lyra, still fiddling with the bomb and heaved her to her feet. "Move!"

"I knew it was a bad idea," Abner whined as they darted into the dark tunnel leading slightly upwards.

"Save your breath and run!" Ceilia shouted. "We don't have much time, and you don't want to get caught in this small tunnel while this bomb goes off. How big of an explosion are we talking about here, Lyra?"

"Very big," huffed the redhead not far behind her. "Big enough to collapse most of the complex."

"Rust and starvation, that bastard! Run faster!"

Soon the tunnel started to get brighter when the first shy rays of the setting sun illuminated the end of the caverns, painting it golden orange. Celia slowed, knowing that the opening led to a narrow rocky outcrop and it would be easy to fall to jagged stones and raging waves below.

And that's probably saved her life.

A strange red light hit her from the right above her, and she instinctively dodged to the left seconds before the bullet hit the rocky outcrop and exploded, sending shrapnel pieces everywhere. Celia hissed when a burning pain bloomed from several shallow grazes.

"Back to the cave! Take cover!" she cried, and she rushed backwards. But the cave mouth was narrow, so she bumped into Zed. The big man grabbed Celia by the shoulder and turned around, shoving her toward Abner and Lyra. He moved his other arm rapidly, and a steel shield unravelled as an opening fan, covering him partly from another incoming bullet. The shrapnel pieces went in wide and uncontrollable arcs in all directions. Zed growled, wiping the blood from his cheek with his free hand and backed to the tunnel's safety.

"This is bad!" gasped Abner. "We need to get out before that bomb gets off, or we'll get buried here!"

"Come out, come out!" a voice called from the outside. "We have unfinished business to attend, de Visher!"

Celia growled. "Hector. I could have predicted he would jump at the chance to get back at me. Where is he hiding?"

Lyra peeked out and quickly leaned back when another bullet pierced the air and exploded, forcing them further into the cave. "He's perched on the outcrop on our right. It's over four hundred meters away!"

Celia frowned. "How does he shoot so precisely, then?"

Lyra chuckled nervously. "Remember those rifle prototypes we stole not so long ago? I looked at them, and I can bet my lucky nail gun that it's what is firing at us."