Quinn signaled to his apprentice to leave the tunnel door cracked open in case they had to make a quick exit, then leaned forward just enough to peek around the corner.
Empty, both ways. He stuck his head out a little farther for a better look.
His first impression was that they’d suddenly found themselves inside a naval ship, or more accurately, perhaps, a submarine. All the walls were metal, and thick with layers of gray paint. Along the ceiling and hugging the top of one wall were pipes of various diameters running lengthwise down the corridor. Lights hung down between the pipes every ten feet or so, and gave the hallway plenty of illumination.
To the left, the corridor went another fifty feet, then turned to the right, out of view. To the right, it continued half again as far before dead-ending at a closed door. Somewhere in the distance was the sound of a door closing. He paused, listening, but there was nothing else.
He pulled out the Yellowhammer blueprints from his backpack and located their position. This particular section was at the north end of the facility. The corridor to the left that made the ninety-degree turn ended in what appeared to be a storage room. The rest of the base lay to the right, through the closed door.
The map showed that just beyond the door was the main east-west corridor. Compared to the passageway they were in, there was a much greater chance it would be occupied.
He folded the printout and put it into his pocket.
“Stay here,” he mouthed to Nate.
He could see the reluctance in his apprentice’s eyes, but Nate nodded anyway.
Quinn approached the door at the end of the hallway. The handle was a lever, not a knob. Down to unlock, up to lock. Quinn pressed his ear against the door, his free hand resting on the handle. Quiet.
Slowly he pressed down on the lever. There was a muffled groan as the bars holding the door in place moved out of their sockets. Once they were free, Quinn paused. If anyone had heard the noise, they’d show up any second.
When no one did, he pulled the door back a few inches, testing the hinges. They were smooth and silent.
The corridor beyond was much like the one he was in, only larger. Again he listened for sounds of life, and again he was greeted with silence.
He pulled the door open farther, then stepped over the threshold.
He knew from his examination of the blueprint that there was another corridor about twenty yards to the east that led to the elevator. It was the only way to the facility’s main exit. Beyond that, the hallway he was in disappeared around a bend to the left. To the west, there was another intersecting corridor running to the south. No elevator down this one; it led to living quarters from when the base was fully staffed.
The majority of the facility was to the west, so if there was any activity, that’s where he would find it. Quinn ducked back into the hallway where he’d left Nate, then motioned for his apprentice to join him near the door.
“I’m going to see if I can find Peter’s friend,” Quinn said.
“You want me to come with you?”
“No. Stay here and watch my back. Let me know if anyone comes down the hallway.”
Nate didn’t look happy with the answer.
“Problem?” Quinn asked.
“No. It’s fine.”
“Good,” Quinn said. “I’m not sure how well our radios are going to work down here. If we lose contact for more than twenty minutes, get back into the tunnel. Give me another fifteen, then get the hell out of here.”
As Quinn started to open the door again, he heard a metal groan somewhere in the distance. Immediately he pulled the door closed, leaving the barest of cracks so he could hear what was going on.
A door farther down the hallway shut, then there were steps moving toward Quinn’s position from the east. The person’s pace was steady, not rushed. Quinn soon became aware of a voice, too.
“… him now. Have two men meet me there, then the rest of you should go downstairs and help get things ready to go.” Male, with an accent. Australian, and unforgettable.
“Okay,” a second voice said. It was tinny, coming over a radio.
Tucker was close now, within twenty feet.
“Once I finish with him, I’ll join you in the lab,” Tucker said.
“Petersen and Linden are on their way to you.”
“Good.”
Quinn wanted to peer through the crack to see if he could get a look at what was going on, but he resisted the urge, and instead held the door steady so that Tucker would have no reason to notice it wasn’t closed.
Tucker continued past without breaking stride. Quinn waited until the footsteps began to recede, then pulled open the door and looked out.
Tucker had almost reached the west end of the hallway where it turned to the south.
Quinn looked back at Nate. “Twenty minutes,” he whispered, then began following the Australian.
Tucker couldn’t help feeling a bit of respect for his captive. The man was good. He’d clammed up tight and was refusing to speak again.
