The Midas Legacy

34

Nina was blinded by flying snow as the super jeep vaulted over another rise. ‘Damn it, Eddie, I missed again! Hold this thing steady!’

‘If I do, we’ll get shot!’ he shouted back. The other jeep crested in their wake, two men leaning out. Eddie swerved as one opened fire. The rear window exploded.

Nina flinched, then aimed the MGL again. The enemy driver swept his truck across to the other side of her super jeep, trying to block her line of fire. She pulled the trigger anyway, but the grenade went wide and exploded behind its target. ‘Son of a bitch!’

‘You’ve only got two shots left,’ Olivia cautioned.

‘Mom taught me to count, thank you!’

Eddie applied more power as the 4x4 started uphill once more. The snow was getting deeper, giving him an idea. ‘Nina, get back in!’ he called. ‘I’m going to try something.’

‘What?’ Nina asked as she retreated.

‘Depends what’s at the top of this hill! Just hold on really tight, both of you — and get ready to shoot when I say.’

‘Why am I not filled with confidence?’ muttered Olivia as Nina ducked down beside her.

More bullets struck the super jeep’s rear and blew out one of the tail light clusters. Eddie hunched as low as he could, still charging up the slope. Deepening snow swamped the jeep’s headlights, spray coming up over the bonnet and hitting the windscreen. He turned on the wipers. Black sky rose above the spotlit white glare. Almost at the top—

He switched off all the Toyota’s lights as they reached the crest.

The view ahead became nothing but darkness as they bounded over the summit. Eddie spun the wheel hard to the left as they landed, bringing the truck around in a barely controlled power slide back up the hill. ‘Get ready!’ he yelled to Nina.

She still had no idea what he was doing — until the second jeep exploded through the snow to their left, crashing back down into the drifts below. Eddie kept turning, coming about to complete a full circle and swing in behind it. The men inside were confused by their prey’s apparent disappearance… until the Yorkshireman switched the spotlights back on, pinning them in the merciless beams. ‘Now!’

Nina had already leaned back out of the window. This time, she didn’t miss.

The grenade punched a neat hole through the super jeep’s rear window — and exploded, the blast ripping the three men in the cabin to shreds and blowing out all the windows. A moment later, the shrapnel-ravaged fuel tank detonated, flinging the hulking vehicle into a blazing somersault. It smashed back down on its roof, two of the oversized wheels flying off as what remained of the body tumbled to a stop.

Eddie hurriedly changed course to avoid the burning wreck. ‘Nice shooting.’

Nina dropped the MGL on the front passenger seat. ‘We’ve still got to catch up with Fenrir’s jeeps.’ She closed the window as the truck climbed again. ‘For that matter, we’ve still got to find them—’

Her eyes widened in shock as Anastasia’s GMC Yukon erupted through a snowdrift and charged straight at them.

Eddie jammed down the accelerator and tried to swerve out of its path — but too late. The onrushing super jeep hit theirs at an angle, caving in the rear wing. The impact threw everyone sideways, Nina’s head banging against the window.

The truck slewed around, for a moment travelling sidelong as the other off-roader barged against it before Eddie broke away. The Toyota lurched, flinging its passengers back across the rear seat.

Anastasia’s jeep rammed them from behind. Eddie scrabbled for the grenade launcher, but it had fallen into the footwell, out of his reach. ‘Nina! I can’t get the—’

He broke off as the lights in the mirror shifted. The Yukon pulled to the left, trying to overtake on his side, and he saw Anastasia’s arm emerge from the front window. ‘Gun!’

Flames spat from the sub-machine gun as she opened fire. Eddie dropped low, making another hard turn away from his attacker. The side window behind him burst apart, a bullet shredding his headrest. Another clanked against the hefty roll cage — but a third hit flesh.

Nina screamed as the searing round tore through her left bicep. Hot blood caught Olivia’s face, the elderly woman shrieking.

Despite the pain, Nina threw herself over her grandmother as another round whipped through the broken window. ‘I’m okay,’ she gasped, clapping a hand over the wound.

Eddie sliced back in front of the other super jeep to cut off Anastasia’s line of fire. ‘Where are you hit?’

‘My arm,’ Nina told him. ‘I think the bullet went through.’

‘As soon as we get away from these fuck-knobs, I’ll look at it— Shit!’ The Yukon veered left again to give Anastasia another shot. He turned to block it, curving across the snowfield as more rounds narrowly missed the Toyota. ‘We’ll end up going in bloody circles at this rate!’

Olivia raised her head in sudden alarm. ‘How far are we from the road to the hotel?’

‘I dunno, I can’t see it. Why?’

‘Because we might be heading for the lake!’

He gave her an aggrieved glance. ‘That’s where I want to go!’

‘But the cliff gets higher the farther you are from the road — and we’re heading away from it!’

He hurriedly looked ahead, but the truck was descending into a dip, only snow visible. Not that he had time to scan the landscape. The pursuing 4x4 jinked left again, this time accelerating enough to pull its nose past the rear of the Englishman’s vehicle, preventing him from cutting back across its path.

Instead he braked hard and made a skidding turn to the right, speeding up to pull away from his adversary. The Yukon arced around to follow him.

Anastasia leaned out to shoot, but before she could pull the trigger the Toyota cleared the next rise, dropping out of sight. Eddie wondered whether he would be able to pull off the same trick that had taken out the first super jeep — but then saw a sharp edge to the snowfield directly ahead, coming up fast.

The lake. And Olivia had been right about the rising cliff, the drop at least twenty feet.

He was about to brake and turn away when spotlights reappeared behind him, followed by flashes of gunfire. Only one place to go. ‘Hang on!’ he shouted. ‘We’re going over!’

He accelerated, the engine snarling as the super jeep surged towards the cliff edge—

The Icelander’s bullets struck home.

One of the rear tyres blew out, ruptured rubber flaying the wheel arch before ripping from the hub. The super jeep swerved. Eddie jerked the wheel back, but the 4x4 had already reached the cliff.

It flew over the precipice, the weight of the engine tipping its nose down towards the ice—

Impact.

Even with the beefed-up tyres and suspension taking the shock of the landing, the Land Cruiser still wiped out as it hit the ice, a front wheel tearing from the axle. The frozen surface cracked, stress lines shooting outwards like lightning bolts as a huge splash of icy water burst from under the truck. But there was still enough play in the surviving wheels to catapult the super jeep back upwards, sending it careering across the lake and bouncing once, twice, before slithering to a stop.

Despite being braced, Eddie had still slammed painfully against the steering wheel. He slumped back, the sudden silence left by the stalled engine almost shocking. ‘Nina,’ he said, turning his head painfully. ‘Are you—’

A new noise, the roar of another big V8 behind them — which abruptly changed in pitch as the driver tried to stop before reaching the cliff…

He failed.

The second super jeep hurtled over the edge in a spray of snow, landing short of the hole where Eddie’s truck had hit the lake. The front suspension collapsed, one of the shock absorbers stabbing up through the hood — and the ice smashed beneath it, dropping its nose into the frigid water.

More fractures shot through the surrounding surface, frozen chunks breaking loose and rolling in the waves. The jagged lines lanced across the ice towards the Toyota—

A dizzied Nina had just raised her head to check on Olivia when the super jeep pitched backwards, its rear wheels dropping through the breaking ice. Everything in the cargo bed hit the tailgate, then was swallowed by a freezing deluge as the bottom of the smashed rear window dipped beneath the surface. ‘Jesus!’ she gasped. ‘We’re sinking! Olivia, get out!’

Olivia grabbed the nearest door handle. The latch clicked, but with the 4x4 now tipping ever more steeply, the door’s own weight was holding it shut. She strained, forcing it open a few inches. Nina crawled closer to help, only to be tugged to a stop. Her foot was caught in something. She kicked, trying to free herself, but to no avail. A seat belt had entangled her leg. She groped in the darkness for the strap—

With a scrape of ice, the super jeep slid deeper into the lake.

Eddie was about to bail out when he remembered the grenade launcher. He leaned over the centre console and clawed in the footwell. The truck jolted again, grinding backwards into the water. He grabbed the MGL, then threw open the front door and rolled out.

Even dry, he was still freezing. The temperature was sub-zero. ‘Nina!’ If they didn’t reach shelter or summon help, without outdoor clothing they would rapidly suffer the effects of exposure—

Another kind of death was closer.

A bullet hit the jeep’s flank just inches from him. Eddie whirled and saw Anastasia staggering towards him, silhouetted by the spotlights of her own wrecked vehicle. The small Crucible was clutched in one hand, her UMP in the other. The Yukon was slowly sinking nose-first, the splashed blood on its cracked windscreen telling Eddie that her driver had not survived the touchdown.

He started to lift the grenade launcher — but her gun locked on to him, any residual dizziness from the crash now past. He froze, knowing that he would never be able to aim the awkward weapon fast enough to take a direct shot.

And Anastasia knew it too. ‘You thought you could beat us?’ she crowed. ‘Nobody can beat my father!’

‘Give me time,’ Eddie replied. ‘’Cause I already beat you.’

She hesitated, surprise in her voice. ‘What—’

He pulled the MGL’s trigger.

The launcher’s barrel was pointing at the ice between them. The grenade hit — and punched through, continuing onwards like a torpedo until the water slowed it…

Underneath Anastasia.

It armed — and exploded. The screaming blonde was flung into the air amidst a churning fountain of spray. Bones broken by the shock wave, she plunged back down into the freezing water, chunks of ice pounding her as she vanished into the black depths. The gun followed her, the Crucible landing at the edge of the jagged hole.

Eddie dropped the empty launcher and turned back to his stricken super jeep, Anastasia already forgotten. The Toyota had tipped backwards almost to the vertical. It had also slewed sideways, the water up to the edge of the rear door.

And his wife and her grandmother were still inside.

He tried to open the door, but its lower corner was blocked by ice. He leaned through the broken window. ‘Get out of there, it’s sinking!’

‘What do you think I’m trying to do?’ Nina yelled back. ‘My foot’s caught!’

Eddie cursed and ran around the truck. The other rear door was ajar, and still above the lake, its corner pressing into the ice like a piton. He yanked at it, feeling the surface under his feet flex and groan as his weight shifted. Metal scraped against frozen water — then crunched free. He hauled the door open. ‘Olivia!’

She stretched out a hand and he pulled her clear. ‘Get away from the edge,’ he ordered before dropping to all fours, holding the door open with his back as he looked into the truck. The only illumination came from the other 4x4 behind them, but it was enough to pick out the belt snagging Nina’s ankle. He crawled partway inside and tried to untangle her—

The super jeep jolted, ice snapping malevolently beneath it. Opening the door had let him reach Nina, but the truck was now held up only by whatever parts of its underbody were caught on the lake’s edge. Its sheer weight was dragging it relentlessly downwards, inch by inch, as the frozen surface crumbled. He pulled at the seat belt. The tension lock clunked. ‘Bend your leg,’ he told Nina. ‘I need to loosen it.’

‘Easier said than done when your car’s turning upside down!’ she protested. Squirming around, she twisted her leg. Eddie made another attempt to free the strap, pulling more gently.

This time, the lock released. He carefully drew out a few more inches. ‘Okay, I’ve got it—’

Water surged around her seat from the flooded rear bed as the vehicle sank deeper. Nina shrieked as it soaked through her clothing. ‘Oh my God, Eddie!’

He grabbed her foot and forcefully unravelled the belt, then backed up. ‘Come on!’ The door pressed down hard on his back as he cleared the cabin — and the pressure kept rising. ‘Quick, this thing’s fucking crushing me!’

She slithered out feet-first, gasping as the freezing wind caught her wet legs. Spicules of ice spat at her face from creaking cracks. Eddie strained to hold fast against more than two tons of metal. ‘I can’t… keep it…’

Nina rolled clear. He tried to follow her, but the edge of the door caught his left leg as it dropped. The metal ground against his shin, crushing it into the ice. ‘Agh, fuck! It’s got me, it—’ His words became a yell of pain.

She grabbed the door and pulled at it, a wail of her own joining her husband’s as her wounded bicep burned. But her efforts were just enough to ease the pressure, if only for a moment — and he jerked his leg free. Nina let go and fell backwards. The door thudded down flat on to the ice. Its hinge creaked as the Toyota continued to slither into the lake, bending it to its limit… then with a protesting moan of metal the vehicle jolted to a stop, held in place by the buckled panel.

Eddie tried to stand, only to stumble back to the ice as a bolt of agony speared through his leg. It was not broken, but he wouldn’t be managing anything more than a hobble for several hours.

If they lived that long. Panting, he crawled to Nina. Her face was screwed up in pain, palm again pressed to the bullet wound. ‘Get back from the water,’ he said, still hearing alarming sounds from the overstressed surface. ‘How’s your arm?’

‘I actually wish it was colder,’ she replied, grimacing. ‘That way, I wouldn’t be able to feel it!’

He managed a faint smile as she helped him stand. ‘Let me see it.’ She reluctantly lifted her hand, stifling a cry as the ragged wound was exposed. Eddie examined it. ‘It doesn’t look too deep,’ he told her with relief, ‘but it’ll need stitches. I’ll see if there’s a first aid kit.’

‘Everything in the back of our jeep is underwater,’ she said, before looking across the lake. The Yukon’s hood was completely submerged, but its rear was still above the ice. ‘That should have something inside— What the hell is she doing?’

A figure was skirting the broken hole in the ice between the two trucks: Olivia. She had lost the blanket, her clothing fluttering in the wind. ‘Olivia!’ Nina cried. ‘Get back here!’

The older woman shouted back to her. ‘I’ll get their survival gear before it sinks!’

‘No, come back — I’ll get it!’ Eddie started after her — but staggered as his bruised leg almost gave way.

‘I’ll go,’ Nina told him. Before he could object, she hurried past him to follow her grandmother.

Ahead, Olivia continued her trek towards the stricken 4x4 — then spotted something at the edge of the ragged star of nothingness blasted by the grenade.

The Crucible.

She hesitated, looking between the truck and the crystalline sphere… then changed direction. ‘No, don’t!’ cried Nina. ‘Leave it! It’s too dangerous!’

‘I can reach it!’ the old woman insisted, picking her way closer. ‘It’s right here, I can…’ She bent down, reaching out to lift the Crucible away from the water. ‘Got it!’

She turned — and the ice under her feet shattered.

Olivia plunged into the water, going chest-deep before catching the edge with her arms — by fluke rather than intent, the shock of the cold overpowering all rational thought. The Crucible jolted from her grasp and rolled across the surface.

Nina broke into a run. ‘Olivia! I’m coming!’

Ominous snaps came from underfoot as she got closer, forcing her to slow. Pieces of ice calved away into the inky water around the flailing woman. ‘I’m almost there!’

‘Nina!’ A glance back to see Eddie limping after her. But she couldn’t wait for him to arrive. Olivia’s splashing was already becoming more feeble, her whooping breaths ever shallower.

Ice crackled as Nina dropped to her knees. Water swelled up through fractures, soaking her shins. She gasped, but knew it was only a fraction of what her grandmother was experiencing. ‘I’m here, I’m here!’ she said. ‘Grab on to me!’

Olivia clutched at her, but her hands were already numbed, unable to grip. Nina strained to raise her higher. More snaps and hisses came from the ice as it sagged under their combined weight.

The older woman’s waist cleared the surface. Nina kept pulling, squirming back from the edge—

The ice beneath her gave way.