‘Tunnel is clear on both ends,’ Malik responded.
‘Show me Avvakum’s lab,’ Orlov demanded impatiently.
Malik typed in another number. The static on the one large monitor was replaced by an image of an empty lab space. Using the thumb-dial controls for pan-tilt-zoom operation, Malik swung the camera around and adjusted it to zoom in on the doorway that led to the lab’s office suite. The body of Avvakum’s guard lay prone on the floor near the center of the lab.
Leskov slammed his fist into the desktop with such force that Malik jumped back, startled.
‘The incompetent fool! I told him Kilkenny was a dangerous man and that he shouldn’t take his eyes off him. Now Kilkenny is armed.’
‘Are Kilkenny and Avvakum still in the lab?’ Orlov asked.
‘ Da, Victor Ivanovich,’ Malik replied. ‘I haven’t seen anyone in the corridors.’
‘Dmitri, take Malik and kill them both.’
‘Gladly.’
‘I’ll wait for you here. When you get back, we’ll use the tunnel.’
‘Malik, what’s left in the armory?’
‘A few pistols and a couple of Krinkovs.’
‘Get them,’ Leskov ordered. He then handed Orlov his pistol and a spare clip of ammunition. ‘Take this. Keep an eye on these monitors. If Alpha breaches our defenses before I get back, go.’
‘Good luck, Dmitri.’
‘To us both, Victor Ivanovich.’
Malik handed Leskov one of the Krinkov AKS-74U submachine guns from the rack and two spare clips. Leskov quickly checked over the weapon and flipped off the safety.
‘Let’s go.’
65
Moscow, Russia
Kilkenny began rearranging the furniture in Avvakum’s office to create a defensive nest. Already, he heard the sounds of gunfire and knew that he needed to keep Avvakum safe until the battle was over.
‘Lara, whatever happens, don’t come out of here until I tell you to. All right?’
‘I understand,’ she replied, curling herself down behind the protective wall of furniture.
Kilkenny went back into the lab and began looking through the pile of boxes and equipment that was stored in the far corner – most of which had been stolen from Sandstrom. It didn’t take long to locate the three-inch-thick stainless-steel top of Sandstrom’s vibration isolation table.
After removing the boxes that were stacked on top, Kilkenny grabbed two of the table’s legs and dragged it back to the doorway that led to the suite of offices where Avvakum hid. He flipped the table onto its side, then pushed it until one edge touched the lab wall to form a defensive barrier.
Kilkenny crouched behind the makeshift barricade, peering over the top at the two doors that led from the lab into the hallway. From where he was positioned, he had a wide triangular field of fire. He pulled the spare clips from his pocket and set them within reach on the floor.
As they neared the lab, Leskov pressed himself against the wall to reduce his profile. Malik followed his lead. The two men slid along the wall until they reached the first of the two lab doors. Inching forward slowly, Leskov peered through the door’s glass panel. He saw on the opposite side of the room a large metal table lying on its side in front of the suite entryway.
‘Dmitri’ – Orlov’s voice filled Leskov’s ear – ‘Kilkenny has built a barricade in front of the lab’s offices.’
‘Understood,’ Leskov replied. He then turned to Malik. ‘Did you hear that?’
Malik nodded.
‘I’m going to double back and move into the empty space on the other side of the lab. When I’m in position, I’ll signal you to fire on that barricade. I’m going to attack from the rear.’
‘There’s no door back there?’ Malik replied.
‘Not yet, there isn’t.’
Leskov slipped around Malik and headed toward the area of the second floor still under renovation.
Leskov worked his way through the poorly lit space behind the lab to where a wall framed in steel studs carved out a large chunk of the space. The wall that defined the perimeter of the lab was finished only on the lab side; the studs, wiring, and other services were still visible from where Leskov stood. He measured off the distance in his head, working his way around to what he believed was an empty office in the lab suite.
‘Now, Malik!’ he signaled.
In reply, Leskov heard an explosion of gunfire through the newly built walls.
The sudden burst of gunfire caught Kilkenny off guard. He hadn’t noticed anyone moving in the hallway. In response, Kilkenny randomly fired a couple of shots at the door, just to keep the shooter pinned back in the hallway. A short burst of four rounds answered back, hammering into the slab of stainless steel. Malik fired again, this time high over the top of Kilkenny’s barricade. The high-velocity rounds ripped through the wall behind him, grazing the top of Avvakum’s desk and imbedding themselves in the back wall of her office. Avvakum screamed as the bullets flew all around her.
‘You okay back there?’ Kilkenny shouted after firing back at Malik.
‘ Nyet! I want this to stop!’ Avvakum screamed back in tears.
‘You and me both,’ Kilkenny replied.
Leskov stood about two meters from the wall and emptied the entire clip of the Krinkov into it, drawing an elongated oval on the gypsum wallboard. He then popped the empty magazine out of the weapon, slipped in a fresh one, and kicked the wall in the center of the perforated oval. The wallboard snapped and clattered onto the floor of the empty office.
Kilkenny turned when he heard the burst of gunfire behind him, and saw several rounds ricochet into the suite’s hallway.
‘Shit!’ he growled.
Another burst from the far door slammed into the steel barricade. When the firing paused, Kilkenny rose up, aimed at the wall beside the far door, and emptied the Glock. The tightly clustered rounds pounded through the wallboard like a hammer, opening a hole wide enough for the last of Kilkenny’s shots to tear through with full force. A loud moan answered Kilkenny’s barrage, followed by a brief glimpse, through the door’s shattered glass, of someone collapsing in the hall.
‘Keep down, Lara!’ Kilkenny shouted as he discarded the empty clip, slammed one of the spares into the Glock, and leapt to the opposite side of the barricade.
Leskov stepped out of the office, firing wildly down the short corridor. He aimed low, and on full auto, the Krinkov was nearly empty before he realized that Kilkenny was in midair jumping over the protective slab of steel.
As he hurdled the table, Kilkenny turned and aimed the Glock at Leskov. A shock of fiery pain struck his right forearm like a blistering whip when he fired and the double tap intended for Leskov’s chest flew wide of the mark. Struck numb, Kilkenny lost his grip on the pistol, which clattered to the floor on the opposite side of the tabletop.
Leskov cautiously advanced on Kilkenny’s position, slipping his last magazine into the Krinkov. ‘Malik,’ he said into the lip mike, ‘Kilkenny is on your side of the barricade.’
No answer. Leskov cautiously moved farther down the hall. On the floor near the table, he saw the Glock Kilkenny had taken from Avvakum’s guard and a few droplets of blood. Leskov neared the barricade, the Krinkov cradled in his right arm, his left hand wrapped around the barrel grip for support.
The bullet that ricocheted off the steel tabletop dug a deep groove in the underside of Kilkenny’s right forearm. The wound stung, but he ignored the pain and the bleeding. He crouched low as he scanned the edges of
