Nighthawk

32

Kurt leapt into the dark and was instantly flying. He gripped the T-bar, brought his knees up and felt the acceleration as the rollers spun ever faster.

This line led from the middle peak down to the first, a distance of three hundred yards and a drop of two hundred feet. It wasn’t overly steep, which played to his advantage. Being heavier, and having taken a running start, Kurt closed the gap with the fleeing computer thief.

He crashed into her and wrapped his legs around her waist. She squirmed and twisted loose, then spun and managed to kick him in the shin.

With his momentum used up, they were now traveling at similar speeds. Considering that neither one of them wore a safety harness, her next move was wildly dangerous. She took one hand off of the T-bar and slashed at Kurt with the knife.

The first hack made a small cut on his arm, drawing blood. A second try missed and Kurt kicked the knife out of her hand before she could try again.

She was traveling backward now, fending him off with her feet. She didn’t see the end of the line coming and crashed onto the next platform with an ugly tumble.

Kurt hit as hard. The impact sent him sprawling, but he was on top of her before she could move. Holding her to the ground, he bent her arm up behind her back. “I don’t like to hurt women,” he said, “but I’ll break your arm if you don’t stop fighting.”

“Damn you,” she said. “I’ll kill you.”

“You had your chance,” he replied, upping the pressure.

She must have been incredibly limber because, even lying facedown, she managed to kick him in the back with her heel.

At that point, Kurt had had enough. He grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head forward, banging her face on the ground. She went limp, out cold.

Not trusting her to stay that way, he tied her up. By the time he was finished, Urco and Emma were sliding down the zip line toward him.

“You got her,” Emma said, undoing her harness.

“And the computer,” Kurt replied, opening the laptop to see if it had been damaged.

As the flashlights illuminated the woman, Kurt saw that she was Asian. Most likely, from mainland China.

“Looks like all three powers are now accounted for,” Emma said.

The computer screen lit up, the soft glow illuminating Kurt’s face, as the program resumed its calculations. He stared, watching as the lines on the map slowly converged to mark the Nighthawk’s final resting spot.

“No way!”

“What is it?” Emma asked.

He turned the computer around, displaying the map to Emma and Urco. A blinking pin marked the crash site.

“Lake of the Condors,” Emma said.

Urco’s eyes grew wide in the dark.

Kurt grinned at the irony. “Looks like you’re going to see what’s at the bottom of that lake sooner than we thought.”