Quantum

65

Kilkenny began rearranging the furniture in Avvakum’s office to create a defensive nest. Already, he heard the sounds of gunfire and knew that he needed to keep Avvakum safe until the battle was over.

‘Lara, whatever happens, don’t come out of here until I tell you to. All right?’

‘I understand,’ she replied, curling herself down behind the protective wall of furniture.

Kilkenny went back into the lab and began looking through the pile of boxes and equipment that was stored in the far corner — most of which had been stolen from Sandstrom. It didn’t take long to locate the three-inch-thick stainless-steel top of Sandstrom’s vibration isolation table.

After removing the boxes that were stacked on top, Kilkenny grabbed two of the table’s legs and dragged it back to the doorway that led to the suite of offices where Avvakum hid. He flipped the table onto its side, then pushed it until one edge touched the lab wall to form a defensive barrier.

Kilkenny crouched behind the makeshift barricade, peering over the top at the two doors that led from the lab into the hallway. From where he was positioned, he had a wide triangular field of fire. He pulled the spare clips from his pocket and set them within reach on the floor.

As they neared the lab, Leskov pressed himself against the wall to reduce his profile. Malik followed his lead. The two men slid along the wall until they reached the first of the two lab doors. Inching forward slowly, Leskov peered through the door’s glass panel. He saw on the opposite side of the room a large metal table lying on its side in front of the suite entryway.

‘Dmitri’ — Orlov’s voice filled Leskov’s ear — ‘Kilkenny has built a barricade in front of the lab’s offices.’

‘Understood,’ Leskov replied. He then turned to Malik. ‘Did you hear that?’

Malik nodded.

‘I’m going to double back and move into the empty space on the other side of the lab. When I’m in position, I’ll signal you to fire on that barricade. I’m going to attack from the rear.’

‘There’s no door back there?’ Malik replied.

‘Not yet, there isn’t.’

Leskov slipped around Malik and headed toward the area of the second floor still under renovation.

Leskov worked his way through the poorly lit space behind the lab to where a wall framed in steel studs carved out a large chunk of the space. The wall that defined the perimeter of the lab was finished only on the lab side; the studs, wiring, and other services were still visible from where Leskov stood. He measured off the distance in his head, working his way around to what he believed was an empty office in the lab suite.

‘Now, Malik!’ he signaled.

In reply, Leskov heard an explosion of gunfire through the newly built walls.

The sudden burst of gunfire caught Kilkenny off guard. He hadn’t noticed anyone moving in the hallway. In response, Kilkenny randomly fired a couple of shots at the door, just to keep the shooter pinned back in the hallway. A short burst of four rounds answered back, hammering into the slab of stainless steel. Malik fired again, this time high over the top of Kilkenny’s barricade. The high-velocity rounds ripped through the wall behind him, grazing the top of Avvakum’s desk and imbedding themselves in the back wall of her office. Avvakum screamed as the bullets flew all around her.

‘You okay back there?’ Kilkenny shouted after firing back at Malik.

‘Nyet! I want this to stop!’ Avvakum screamed back in tears.

‘You and me both,’ Kilkenny replied.

Leskov stood about two meters from the wall and emptied the entire clip of the Krinkov into it, drawing an elongated oval on the gypsum wallboard. He then popped the empty magazine out of the weapon, slipped in a fresh one, and kicked the wall in the center of the perforated oval. The wallboard snapped and clattered onto the floor of the empty office.

Kilkenny turned when he heard the burst of gunfire behind him, and saw several rounds ricochet into the suite’s hallway.

‘Shit!’ he growled.

Another burst from the far door slammed into the steel barricade. When the firing paused, Kilkenny rose up, aimed at the wall beside the far door, and emptied the Glock. The tightly clustered rounds pounded through the wallboard like a hammer, opening a hole wide enough for the last of Kilkenny’s shots to tear through with full force. A loud moan answered Kilkenny’s barrage, followed by a brief glimpse, through the door’s shattered glass, of someone collapsing in the hall.

‘Keep down, Lara!’ Kilkenny shouted as he discarded the empty clip, slammed one of the spares into the Glock, and leapt to the opposite side of the barricade.

Leskov stepped out of the office, firing wildly down the short corridor. He aimed low, and on full auto, the Krinkov was nearly empty before he realized that Kilkenny was in midair jumping over the protective slab of steel.

As he hurdled the table, Kilkenny turned and aimed the Glock at Leskov. A shock of fiery pain struck his right forearm like a blistering whip when he fired and the double tap intended for Leskov’s chest flew wide of the mark. Struck numb, Kilkenny lost his grip on the pistol, which clattered to the floor on the opposite side of the tabletop.

Leskov cautiously advanced on Kilkenny’s position, slipping his last magazine into the Krinkov. ‘Malik,’ he said into the lip mike, ‘Kilkenny is on your side of the barricade.’

No answer. Leskov cautiously moved farther down the hall. On the floor near the table, he saw the Glock Kilkenny had taken from Avvakum’s guard and a few droplets of blood. Leskov neared the barricade, the Krinkov cradled in his right arm, his left hand wrapped around the barrel grip for support.

The bullet that ricocheted off the steel tabletop dug a deep groove in the underside of Kilkenny’s right forearm. The wound stung, but he ignored the pain and the bleeding. He crouched low as he scanned the edges of the table, his weight balanced on his tightly folded right leg. His left leg was extended full length parallel to the tabletop — in this position, he could easily shift from one leg to the other without lifting his head above the barricade. He cocked his left arm at eye level in front of him in preparation to block an attack from above.

Kilkenny caught sight of the Krinkov’s short barrel near the top of the barricade. When six inches of the stocky assault rifle were visible, he sprang up and struck the barrel of the weapon with his left elbow, pushing it away from him. Rising up, he coiled his left arm around the Krinkov like a snake until he grasped Leskov’s left wrist from below.

Leskov squeezed the trigger as Kilkenny trapped the Krinkov between his arm and torso. The barrel flared red hot, vibrating against Kilkenny’s ribs as a rapid series of explosions blazed within its milled steel barrel.

Continuing with his upward momentum, Kilkenny twisted his torso counterclockwise, pulling the erupting weapon forward and Leskov off balance. Kilkenny’s right arm swung fluidly with the rotation of his upper body, the palm of his hand held flat in search of a target.

He struck at Leskov’s head, ramming the heel of his palm into Leskov’s face with such force that the Russian’s nose folded over against his right cheek. Still pulling Leskov forward, Kilkenny used his elbow to cave in Leskov’s eye socket.

Leskov howled in pain. Coiled like a spring, Kilkenny snapped back in the other direction, yanking Leskov over the barricade and driving him headlong into the vinyl-tile floor.

Holding tight on the Krinkov, Leskov pulled the weapon free as he fell. As soon as he hit the floor, Leskov pointed the barrel upward and drove it into the soft tissue of Kilkenny’s left armpit. Kilkenny recoiled, a numbness like an electrical discharge racing from shoulder to fingertip. Leskov dug the barrel in deeper, wedging it in the underside of the shoulder joint, separating the bones of Kilkenny’s shoulder. With his left arm now free, Leskov rolled clear as Kilkenny fell back, clutching his damaged limb.

Leskov clambered to his feet, keeping some distance between himself and Kilkenny, took aim with the weapon, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Nothing. Furious, Leskov grasped the Krinkov, swung it up over his head like a club, and charged Kilkenny.

Kilkenny backed away, protecting his left shoulder. As Leskov charged, Kilkenny slipped to his right, moving out of Leskov’s path and into his blind spot. Crouching with all his weight balanced on his right foot, he snapped a devastating kick with his left leg into Leskov’s groin. Leskov doubled over, screaming an unintelligible epithet; the Krinkov clattered to the ground.

From the same position, Kilkenny folded his leg back, thigh against abdomen, and kicked again, this time snapping the outside edge of his foot straight into the side of Leskov’s knee. The joint buckled, and Leskov lost his balance, toppling over in front of Kilkenny. As Leskov fell, Kilkenny reached out, grabbed a handful of his hair, and drove the Russian’s head into the floor.

He reset his stance, ready to strike again as Leskov lay motionless. In the corridor, the sound of gunfire drew closer; then, after a fierce exchange, it stopped. Two Alphas stepped over Malik’s body in the corridor and entered the lab with weapons trained on Kilkenny. Kilkenny gingerly raised his arms in surrender.

‘Kilkenny!’ Fydorov shouted as he followed the Alphas into the lab.

Fydorov said something in Russian, and the Alphas turned their weapons away from Kilkenny. One of them quickly checked Leskov for a pulse, then turned to Fydorov and shook his head.

‘So, at least you’re still alive,’ Fydorov said.

‘Yeah, so’s Avvakum. She’s holed up in her office. How’s Cooper?’

‘Dead, I’m sorry to say. We found him with Orlov’s mistress, Zoshchenko. She was shot as well but may yet live.’

‘What about Orlov?’ Kilkenny asked as he retrieved the Glock and set it in the holster.

Fydorov shook his head. ‘Haven’t found him yet.’

Kilkenny groaned as he rolled his head in a wide circle, stretching the tightened muscles in his neck. His shoulder ached. Then he noticed another of the mirrored half domes in the ceiling near the corner of the lab.

‘Security camera. Have you taken the security office yet?’

‘Da, just a moment ago.’

‘There are cameras all over this building, inside and out. If he’s still here, we should be able to spot him.’