Biowar

43

Bullets spit barely over Lia’s head as she lay on the floor of the rest room. The lead chewed up the thin metal and broke large hunks of ceramic off the toilet nearby. The Steyr AUG had forty bullets in its magazine, and the guard used a little more than half before taking a breath. Then he fired another half-dozen rounds, spraying these in a wider angle. It was only when he paused that Lia raised her weapon and fired.

The guard got off two more shots Unsure whether she’d gotten him or he’d simply run out of bullets, Lia fired another burst of her own, then jumped up to pull the door back. It started to bend and fall out of her hand; she threw her momentum into the opening, firing the Mac 11 as she did.

Bullets flew by her head as she crashed into the room. Lia lifted her gun and this time, finally, hit her opponent square in the head.

“Where’s the other one?” she asked Rockman.

“Coming on a dead run. You won’t make the door.”

Lia reached to her belt and took out two tiny balls of C4 intended to blow locks off doors. She started to rig them against the wall, thinking she could blow a hole in the side of the trailer to escape from.

“Lia — the trailers are rigged to self-destruct,” warned Telach. “There’s a routine on the computer we compromised.”

“Peachy. Where are the charges?”

“We’re not sure — don’t do anything crazy to set them off.”

“I’m going to blow a hole in the side and get out.”

“No. Too risky until we understand what they’ve got. We’re analyzing it now.”

The other guard had reached the front and was shouting to his companion.

“Call him,” said Lia.

“What?”

“Use the speaker I left in the building.”

Rockman said nothing as Lia ran to the front of the trailer. The guard yelled again.

They reached the anteroom at the end of the trailer at the same time, both coming in from the other direction. Lia was the faster shot — the guard tumbled backward outside. As he did, his finger tightened on the Steyr; bullets sprayed from the rifle.

“Lia?”

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

“Helicopter.”

“Finally.”

“Not ours.”

“Damn it.”

Lia got out of the trailer and ran to the side of the building, reloading as she did. She could hear the helicopter approaching, the heavy whomp of its rotors already starting to shake the ground.

“Have you found Charlie?” she asked.

“We’re working on it,” said Telach. “Are you all right? We’re moving backup in.”

“I’m fine.”

“The helicopter’s landing.”

“No kidding. How many people?”

“What?”

“How many in the helicopter?”

“Two, I think. Yeah — hey, Lia, no, that’s too risky. No!”

The helicopter slipped in over the fence, its tail spinning around toward the building as it settled in front of the trailers. Lia bolted as it touched down, ignoring both the dust storm and Rockman’s shouts. As the door to the helicopter opened, she pressed her finger on the trigger, running toward the cockpit at the same time, as if she were pushing the bullets into the man who was just getting out.

Something fell from the helicopter. A body appeared; she pushed more bullets in it.

The man slapped against the door, slid away. Lia threw herself forward, jumping onto the skid of the Bell 212 and. wedging upward.

“You!” she screamed at the pilot. “Take me to the others!”

The man blinked at her. He didn’t have a weapon.

“Take me to them,” said Lia in German as she pushed herself into the seat, then pulled the Mac 11 up so it was very obvious. “Schnell.”