Beneath Burning Sands by P R Adams

Author:P R Adams [Adams, P R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Promethean Tales
Published: 2017-03-22T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

The door was still standing. Reggie ran to the hatch, pushing Sean to the ground just to be sure he didn’t do anything stupid.

Another crash boomed in the building’s open concrete space. Inside the little building, the stuffy air was thick with his and Sean’s sweat and the smell of concrete and metal.

“Sean! Dammit! Help me with this hatch!”

Sean blinked several times rapidly. “Okay. Yeah.”

He joined Reggie at the hatch.

“S-something damaged the lock. See these holes—”

Another crash hit the door. Sean flinched.

“—like a small drill.”

With the door closed, the building was too dark to make out details. Reggie remembered the little drill bit Pete had showed him.

“So what do we do?”

The interior was sparse—cabling, hatch, a few raised power outlets and shielded power lines.

Debris that was little more than darker shadow in the shadows.

Another crash against the door.

Sean moaned. “Javier…”

Reggie squeezed the technician’s shoulder. “We can do this.”

Sean nodded and wiped tears away. “The problem with a lock design like this is you can undo it by prying it free.”

“Good! That’s good, right?”

“I think the drilled holes were the first step in trying to do that. Maybe if you had a strong enough wire, or a lever, like a crowbar, you could pry—”

“We don’t have a crowbar.” Reggie glanced around. “Is there some other way? Think!”

“Closing the gap?”

The banging had stopped. Reggie held a hand up.

Nothing but silence.

He crawled to the door. Light leaked through tears in the seals and warps in the frame. Some sort of soft groaning sound came from outside.

Cruz.

He crawled back, fighting down nausea. “It’s nothing. We’re running out of time. What’s this about a gap?”

“Did you hear someone’s voice? Just now?”

“No.” Reggie tapped the box attached to the hatch. “The gap? Closing the gap?”

Sean stared at the door for a few seconds, then looked down at the hatch again. “The drill cut through an actuator. I think it’s for the number five. You push—” He inhaled. “There, did you hear that?”

Reggie cocked his head as if listening.

“You’re hearing things. Show me this actuator. Sean? Show me.”

“It’s too dark to show you, but it’s there.” Sean started to stand, as if he might charge the door.

Reggie pointed at one of the rotor blades. “What about that? Sean?” He shoved Sean back. “It’s thin. Right? Could you slide it in and push the combination?”

Sean stared at the rotor blade and sniffled. “Sure.”

“Do it.”

“I’m telling you, there’s someone—”

Reggie grabbed the rotor blade. “Dammit, Sean. Where? How do I do this?”

Sean took the blade and fiddled around at the back of the box. “Hold this. Don’t let it move.”

Reggie imagined he was hardened concrete, solid, immovab—

The door rattled in its frame again, and it sounded like something was ready to give. Reggie dropped the rotor blade.

“I told you to hold it!”

Reggie scooped the blade up and shoved it back into place. It twitched under his hand and he leaned on it, trying to hold it still.

He held his breath.

The quiet thunk of the lock echoed through the room.

“Was that it?”

Reggie tried the bar.

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