Digital Fortress Chapter 81-84

Chapter 81Becker sas welld bleary-eyed beside the promise booth on the terminal con descriptor. Despite his burning face and a vague nausea, his spirits were soa peal. It was over. Truly over. He was on his sort home. The ring on his finger was the grail hed been overhearking. He held his hand up in the light and squinted at the gold band. He couldnt focus well lavish to read, but the inscription didnt appear to be in English. The first attribute was either a Q, an O, or a zero, his eyeb every last(predicate) hurt too much to tell. Becker analyze the first few characters. They make no sense. This was a matter of national security?Becker stepped into the phone booth and dialed Strathto a greater extent. Before he had finished the international prefix, he got a recording. Todos los circuitos estan ocupados, the vox said. Please knack up and act your c totally afterwards. Becker frowned and hung up. Hed forgotten Getting an international confederation from Spain was ilk rou lette, all a matter of timing and luck. Hed ware to try again in a few minutes.Becker fought to ignore the waning cauterise of the pepper in his eyes. Megan had told him rubbing his eyes would merely make them worse he couldnt imagine. Impatient, he tried the phone again. Still no circuits. Becker couldnt sojourn every longer-his eyes were on pl down the stairs he had to flush them with water system. Strathmore would chip in to wait a minute or dickens. Half blind, Becker made his way toward the bathrooms.The blurry image of the cleaning cart was still in cause of the mens room, so Becker turned again toward the door marked damas. He thought he heard sounds inside. He knocked. Hola?Silence.Probably Megan, he thought. She had quintuplet hours to kill before her flight and had said she was going to scrub her develop till it was clean.Megan? he called. He knocked again. There was no reply. Becker pushed the door open. hello? He went in. The bathroom appeared empty. He shrug ged and walked to the sink.The sink was still filthy, but the water was cold. Becker felt his pores tighten as he splashed the water in his eyes. The pain began to ease, and the fog gradually lifted. Becker eyed himself in the mirror. He looked the likes of hed been egregious for days.He dried his face on the sleeve of his jacket, and indeed it dead occurred to him. In all the excitement, hed forgotten where he was. He was at the aerodrome Somewhere come out at that placeon the tarmac, in one of the Seville airports collar private repair sheds, there was a Learjet 60 wait to take him home. The original had stated very clearly, I have orders to stay here until you return.It was effortful to believe, Becker thought, that after all this, he had leaded up right backrest where hed started. What am I waiting for? he laughed. Im sure the pilot jackpot radio a message to StrathmoreChuckling to himself, Becker glanced in the mirror and straightened his tie. He was to the high est degree to go when the reflection of something roll in the hay him caught his eye. He turned. It appeared to be one end of Megans duffel, protruding from under a partially open stall door.Megan? he called. There was no reply. Megan?Becker walked over. He rapped loudly on the side of the stall. No help. He gently pushed the door. It swung open.Becker fought back a cry of horror. Megan was on the toilet, her eyes rolled tackward. Dead center of her forehead, a bullet hole oozed crashing(a) liquid down her face.Oh, Jesus Becker cried in shock.Esta muerta, a barely hu humannesse vocalism croaked behind him. Shes dead.It was like a dream. Becker turned.Senor Becker? the eerie voice asked.Dazed, Becker studied the man stepping into the rest room. He looked oddly familiar.Soy Hulohot, the grampus said. I am Hulohot. The misshapen words seemed to emerge from the depths of his stomach. Hulohot held out his hand. El anillo. The ring.Becker stared blankly.The man reached in his pocke t and produced a gun. He raised the weapon and proficient it on Beckers head. El anillo.In an instant of clarity, Becker felt a champ he had never cognize. As if cued by some subconscious excerption instinct, every muscle in his body tensed simultaneously. He flew done the air as the stroking spat out. Becker crashed down on come about of Megan. A bullet exploded against the beleaguer behind him.Mierda Hulohot seethed. Somehow, at the last possible instant, David Becker had dived out of the way. The assassin advanced.Becker pulled himself off the lifeless teenager. There were draw close footsteps. Breathing. The cock of a weapon.Adios, the man whispered as he lunged like a panther, deletioning his weapon into the stall.The gun went off. There was a scud of red. But it was no tblood. It was something else. An object had materialized as if out of nowhere, sailing out of the stall and hitting the killer in the chest, causing his gun to fire a split second early. It was Mega ns duffel.Becker exploded from the stall. He buried his articulatio humeri in the mans chest and drove him back into the sink. There was a bone-crushing crash. A mirror shattered. The gun fell free. The two men collapsed to the floor. Becker tore himself away and dashed for the exit. Hulohot scrambled for his weapon, spun, and fired. The bullet ripped into the slamming bathroom door.The empty expanse of the airport concourse loomed before Becker like an uncrossable desert. His legs surged beneath him faster than hed ever known they could move.As he skidded into the revolving door, a shot rang out behind him. The glass in panel in front of him exploded in a shower bath of glass. Becker pushed his shoulder into the frame and the door rotated forward. A moment later he stumbled onto the pavement outside.A hack writer stood waiting.Dejame entrar Becker screamed, pounding on the locked door. permit me in The driver refused his fare with the wire-rim glasses had asked him to wait. Be cker turned and saw Hulohot streaking crosswise he concourse, gun in hand. Becker eyed his little genus Vespa on the sidewalk. Im dead.Hulohot blasted through the revolving doors just in magazine to see Becker onerous in vain to kick start his Vespa. Hulohot smiled and raised his weapon.The choke Becker fumbled with the levers under the gas tank. He jumped on the starter again. It coughed and died.El anillo. The ring. The voice was close.Becker looked up. He saw the tympan of a gun. The chamber was rotating. He rammed his foot on the starter once again.Hulohots shot just missed Beckers head as the little bike sprang to life and lurched forward. Becker hung on for his life as the ride bounced down a grassy embankment and wobbled around the corner of the building onto the runway.Enraged, Hulohot raced toward his waiting taxi. Seconds later, the driver lay stunned on the curb watching his taxi peel out in a cloud of dust.Chapter 82As the implications of the Commanders phone call to Security began to settle on the dazed Greg puff, he found himself weakened by a wave of affright. Security is approaching Susan began to slip away. Hale recovered, clutching at her midsection, pulling her back.Let me go she cried, her voice echoing though the dome.Hales mind was in overdrive. The commanders call had taken him altogether by surprise. Strathmore phoned Security Hes sacrificing his plans for Digital apologyNot in a million years had Hale imagined the commander would let Digital Fortress slip by. This back door was the chance of a lifetime.As the panic rushed in, Hales mind seemed to play tricks on him. He saw the barrel of Strathmores Berretta everywhere he looked. He began to spin, holding Susan close, trying to deny the commander a shot. Driven by fear, Hale dragged Susan blindly toward the stairs. In louver minutes the lights would come on, the doors would open, and a SWAT team would pour in.Youre pain me Susan choked. She gasped for breath as she stumbled th rough Hales desperate pirouettes.Hale considered letting her go and making a mad dash for Strathmores elevator, but it was suicide. He had no password. Besides, once outside the NSA without a hostage, Hale knew he was as beneficial as dead. Not even his Lotus could outrun a come about of NSA helicopters. Susan is the only thing that will keep Strathmore from blowing me off the roadSusan, Hale blurted, drag her toward the stairs. Come with me I swear I wont hurt you As Susan fought him, Hale realized he had new problems. Even if he somehow managed to get Strathmores elevator open and take Susan with him, she would undoubtedly fight him all the way out of the building. Hale knew full well that Strathmores elevator made only one s legislate the Underground Highway, a restricted internal ear of underground access tunnels through which NSA powerbrokers moved in secrecy. Hale had no intention of ending up lost in the basement corridors of the NSA with a struggling hostage. It was a de ath trap. Even if he got out, he realized, he had no gun. How would he get Susan across the parking lot? How would he drive?It was the voice of one of Hales marine, military-strategy professors that gave him his answerForce a hand, the voice warned, and it will fight you. But convince a mind to view as you want it to think, and you have an ally.Susan, Hale heard himself saying, Strathmores a killer Youre in danger hereSusan didnt seem to hear. Hale knew it was an absurd tilt anyway Strathmore would never hurt Susan, and she knew it.Hale strained his eyes into the darkness, question where the commander was hidden. Strathmore had fallen silent suddenly, which made Hale even more panicky. He sensed his time was up. Security would arrive at any moment.With a surge of strength, Hale wrapped his arms around Susans waist and pulled her hard up the stairs. She hooked her heels on the first step and pulled back. It was no use, Hale overpowered her.Carefully, Hale backed up the stairs wit h Susan in tow. get-up-and-go her up might have been easier, but the landing at the top was illuminated from Strathmores computer monitors. If Susan went first, Strathmore would have a clear shot at Hales back. Pulling Susan behind him, Hale had a human shield surrounded by himself and the Crypto floor.About a third of the way up, Hale sensed accomplishment at the backside of the stairs. Strathmores making his move Dont try it, Commander, he hissed. Youll only get her killed.Hale waited. But there was only silence. He listened closely. Nothing. The bottom of the stairs was still. Was he imagining things? It didnt matter. Strathmore would never risk a shot with Susan in the way.But as Hale backed up the stairs dragging Susan behind him, something unexpected happened. There was a faint thud on the landing behind him. Hale stopped, adrenaline surging. Had Strathmore slipped upstairs? Instinct told him Strathmore was at the bottom of the stairs. But then, suddenly, it happened again -louder this time. A distinct step on the hurrying landingIn terror, Hale realized his mistake. Strathmores on the landing behind me He has a clear shot of my back In desperation, he spun Susan back to his uphill side and started retreating backwards down the steps.As he reached the bottom step, he stared wildly up at the landing and yelled, tooshie off, Commander Back off, or Ill break her-The butt of a Berretta came piece through the air at the foot of the stairs and crashed down into Hales skull.As Susan tore free of the slumping Hale, she wheeled in confusion. Strathmore grabbed her and reeled her in, cradling her shaking body. Shhh, he soothed. Its me. Youre okay.Susan was trembling. Com mander. She gasped, disoriented. I thought I thought you were upstairs I heard flabby now, he whispered. You heard me toss my loafers up onto the landing.Susan found herself laughing and crying at the same time. The commander had just saved her life. Standing there in the darkness, Susan fel t an overwhelming sense of relief. It was not, however, without guilt Security was coming. She had foolishly let Hale grab her, and he had used her against Strathmore. Susan knew the commander had nonrecreational a huge price to save her. Im sorry, she said.What for?Your plans for Digital Fortress theyre ruined.Strathmore shake his head. Not at all.But but what about Security? Theyll be here any minute. We wont have time to-Securitys not coming, Susan. Weve got all the time in the world.Susan was lost. Not coming? But you phonedStrathmore chuckled. Oldest trick in the book. I faked the call.Chapter 83Beckers Vespa was no doubt the smallest vehicle ever to displume down the Seville runway. Its top speed, a whining 50 mph, sounded more like a chainsaw than a motorcycle and was unfortunately well below the demand power to become airborne.In his side mirror, Becker saw the taxi swing out onto the darkened runway about four hundred yards back. It directly started gaining. Becker fac ed front. In the distance, the contour of the airplane hangars stood framed against the night sky about a half mile out. Becker wondered if the taxi would overtake him in that distance. He knew Susan could do the math in two seconds and calculate his odds. Becker suddenly felt fear like he had never known.He lower his head and twisted the throttle as far as it would go. The Vespa was definitely topped out. Becker guessed the taxi behind him was doing almost ninety, twice his speed. He set his sights on the three structures looming in the distance. The middle one. Thats where the Learjet is. A shot rang out.The bullet buried itself in the runway yards behind him. Becker looked back. The assassin was wall hanging out the window taking aim. Becker swerved and his side mirror exploded in a shower of glass. He could feel the impact of the bullet all the way up the handlebars. He lay his body flat on the bike. God help me, Im not going to make itThe tarmac in front of Beckers Vespa was g rowing brighter now. The taxi was closing, the headlights throwing ghostly shadows down the runway. A shot fired. The bullet ricocheted off the hull of the bike.Becker struggled to keep from going into a swerve. Ive got to make the hangar He wondered if the Learjet pilot could see them coming. Does he have a weapon? Will he open the cabin doors in time? But as Becker approached the lit expanse of the open hangars, he realized the question was moot. The Learjet was nowhere to be seen. He squinted through woolly vision and prayed he was hallucinating. He was not. The hangar was bare. Oh my God Wheres the planeAs the two vehicles rocketed into the empty hangar, Becker desperately searched for an escape. There was none. The buildings rear wall, an expansive pall of fold up metal, had no doors or windows. The taxi roared up beside him, and Becker looked left to see Hulohot raising his gun.Reflex took over. Becker slammed down on his brakes. He barely slowed. The hangar floor was slick with oil. The Vespa went into a headlong skid.Beside him there was a deafening squeal as the taxis brakes locked and the balding tires hydroplaned on the knavish surface. The car spun around in a cloud of smoke and burning rubber only inches to the left of Beckers skidding Vespa. straightaway side by side, the two vehicles skimmed out of control on a collision course with the rear of the hangar. Becker desperately pumped his brakes, but there was no handgrip it was like driving on ice. In front of him, the metal wall loomed. It was coming fast. As the taxi spiraled wildly beside him, Becker faced the wall and fix for the impact.There was an earsplitting crash of steel and corrugated metal. But there was no pain. Becker found himself suddenly in the open air, still on his Vespa, bouncing across a grassy field. It was as if the hangars back wall had vanished before him. The taxi was still beside him, careening across the field. An enormous sheet of corrugated metal from the hangar s back wall billowed off the taxis hood and sailed over Beckers head. message racing, Becker gunned the Vespa and took off into the night.Chapter 84Jabba let out a well-off sigh as he finished the last of his solder points. He switched off the iron, put down his penlight, and lay a moment in the darkness of the mainframe computer. He was beat. His neck hurt. Internal work was ceaselessly cramped, especially for a man of his size.And they just keep building them smaller, he mused.As he closed his eyes for a well-deserved moment of relaxation, person outside began pulling on his boots.Jabba Get out here a womans voice yelled.Midge found me. He groaned.Jabba Get out herereluctantly he slithered out. For the love of God, Midge I told you- But it was not Midge. Jabba looked up, surprised. Soshi?Soshi Kuta was a ninety-pound roll in the hay wire. She was Jabbas righthand assistant, a razor-sharp Sys-Sec techie from MIT. She often worked late with Jabba and was the one share of his st aff who seemed unintimidated by him. She glared at him and demanded, Why the hell didnt you answer your phone? Or my page?Your page, Jabba repeated. I thought it was-Never mind. Theres something conflicting going on in the main databank.Jabba checked his watch. Strange? Now he was growing concerned. Can you be any more specialized?Two minutes later Jabba was dashing down the hall toward the databank.