she snapped. As she fumbled with the dressing, she glowered at Khoil. ‘So what
He didn’t answer, instead gesturing for his bodyguards to take Nina away.
10
New York City
‘So, that’s what we’re dealing with,’ said Eddie. ‘And we’ve got to do it by tomorrow night. Any ideas?’
The expressions of the other people in his apartment varied, but none was brimming with confidence. Mac was the first to speak. ‘We’ll do everything we can to help, obviously,’ he said, ‘but wouldn’t it be better to go after this Khoil fellow and get Nina back?’
Eddie shook his head. ‘He’s got Zec keeping tabs on me. I’d already be on a plane to India to punch the pudgy little bastard in the face if he hadn’t.’
‘Can’t we just clobber this Zec bloke the next time he turns up?’ asked Matt Trulli.
‘He checks in with Khoil’s people every so often. Miss a call, and . . .’
The faces were now all downcast. ‘Do you think you’ll even be able to get into the vault?’ asked Karima Farran, sitting with her fiance on the couch.
Eddie indicated a six-foot length of steel ventilation ducting propped against one wall. ‘According the plans Lola got for me, that’s the same size as the air vents in the vault area. I should be able to fit.’
Karima looked dubiously between the duct and Eddie’s waist. ‘Are you sure?’
‘We’ll test it out in a minute. If I can’t, I’ll have to get some emergency liposuction.’
‘The vault’s really got ducts big enough to crawl through?’ Matt asked disbelievingly. ‘Sounds a bit
Eddie smiled slightly. ‘You’ve been wanting to get that off your chest for years, haven’t you?’
‘Too bloody right, mate!’
Lola held up a structural blueprint. ‘They have to make them that big by law. When the UN was built, it was exempted from New York building codes because it’s legally on international territory. But the NYC Fire Department still has to respond if there’s an emergency, so when the building was refurbished a few years ago they made them bring the place up to code. One of those codes is that vaults have to have external ventilation in case someone gets locked inside . . . and another is that vents to underground floors have to be able to carry a minimum volume of air per minute.’
‘Which means,’ said Eddie, banging the duct with his hand, ‘they have to be this big. Nine inches by fourteen.’
‘Only,’ continued Lola, ‘they obviously knew that a vault having ducts big enough to fit a person isn’t a great idea. So the ones that go into the UN’s secure archives have metal plates welded inside them, so air can get through - but people can’t. And the actual air vents are on the sixth floor machine level. If you tried getting in that way, there’s a seventy foot drop, straight down.’
‘So the only way to get into the vault through the vents,’ said Radi Bashir, scratching his chin, ‘is to be in the room where the vault is in the first place?’
‘Pretty much,’ said Eddie.
‘And won’t the guards be a little suspicious of that?’
‘Well, that’s something else we need to work out, innit? On top of all the other stuff - avoiding the security cameras, disabling the alarms, taking the Codex from the vault, getting the bloody thing out of the building without anyone noticing . . .’
‘I can handle the security cameras,’ Rad said. ‘That is, if Matt can get his submarine to the junction box.’
‘Servo’ll get there just fine,’ said Matt, a little defensively.
‘Servo?’ Mac asked.
‘Segmented Robot Vehicle Operations. He’s like a snake - wriggling through narrow spaces underwater is what he’s designed for. But we’ll have to do it at high tide, which won’t give us much time. If anything holds us up, he’ll be left grounded when the water level drops.’
‘And we’ll be fucked,’ Eddie added. ‘Which is why we’ve got to work all this stuff out now. And fast.’
‘Putting all the pieces together’ll be a tall order,’ said Mac. ‘But if anyone can figure it out, you can.’
‘Thanks,’ Eddie said with a half-hearted grin. ‘But then, I’ve bloody got to if I want Nina back, haven’t I?’
‘Then we’d better come up with a plan.’ Mac stood, his prosthetic leg creaking as he put his weight on it. ‘First things first. If you can’t fit through this duct, it’s all over before it even begins.’
‘Why do you have to do it, Eddie?’ Karima asked. She stood, displaying her slim body. ‘I could fit a lot more easily.’
‘I’m doing it,’ Eddie said firmly. ‘If I get caught, then so be it, but I’m not having anyone else take the fall for me. Okay, let’s have a look.’
He and Mac laid the duct on the floor. Lola examined one end. ‘Gee, Eddie. Is that really nine inches tall? It doesn’t look very big.’
Eddie had the same thought, the opening appearing impossibly small. He pulled off his jumper. ‘Okay, Matt, Rad, hold it in place. Mac, give me a hand.’
As the two men gripped the duct, he lowered himself on to his stomach and extended his arms, shoulders tight beside his head as he edged forwards. Elbows in, biceps . . . The edges of the thin sheet metal pressed against him on both sides. Could he even fit?
‘You can do it,’ said Mac encouragingly, as if reading his mind. ‘Twist round a bit - left side down, right side up.’
The move gave him the extra fraction of an inch he needed. He wormed into the duct. Christ, it was tight! His shoulders were the widest part of his body, so theoretically he would fit all the way in - but he was already experiencing an unpleasant sense of claustrophobia.
‘Keep going,’ Mac told him.
Eddie grunted and kept advancing, little by little. The top of the duct rubbed against his head, forcing him to turn it sideways, adding to his discomfort. ‘Shit,’ he said, the sweat that had already formed on his fingertips causing them to slip on the smooth metal. ‘I can’t get a grip.’
‘Hang on,’ said Matt. ‘I brought some things that might help.’
Eddie looked ahead, his living room reduced to a rectangle surrounded by dull steel. Lola peered through the slot at him. ‘How you holding up, Eddie?’
‘Fucking champion,’ he said with an unconvincing grin. Lola moved away, her face replaced by Matt’s rounder features.
‘Here you go, mate,’ said the Australian, putting something in Eddie’s hand. ‘See if that works.’
He examined the heavy object: a thick disc of dark metal, topped by a plastic casing with a switch set into it. ‘What is it?’
‘Portable electromagnet, for underwater salvage. Self-contained; the battery’s in the case, and very powerful. Give it a try - just push the switch. Careful, though. Don’t get your fingers trapped under it - it’s strong enough to crush ’em.’
‘Thanks for the tip.’ Keeping his fingers clear of the metal disc, Eddie flicked the switch. The magnet instantly clamped itself to the steel with such force that the entire duct rattled. ‘Jesus!’
‘Not very stealthy,’ Mac remarked drily.
‘Baby steps, eh?’ said Matt. ‘Let’s see if it works first. Eddie, try pulling yourself along with it.’
Eddie switched off the magnet and stretched forward as far as he could before reactivating it. Even with the disc flat on the metal, there was still a clunk of contact. ‘That’s going to be a problem,’ he muttered, dragging himself forward, ‘and - shit!’ The magnet slipped along the steel panel with a piercing screech. ‘And that’s
Matt reappeared at the opening. ‘Crap. I was afraid of that. It’s designed to support a perpendicular load, not
