Outside, the frantic HRT squad and the Secret Service team were deploying every tool they had to get the door open short of opening fire or detonating a bomb, either of which could kill the people inside. They attacked the metal door and the walls, only to find welded metal under the boards. Men in suits next to men in fatigues clambered onto the roof with axes and chain saws but their efforts were blunted by heavy shingles and sheets of metal screwed down into thick wood. The little house was nearly impenetrable.
Yet they never gave up on their assault. Eight minutes later, using power saws, sledgehammers, a hydraulic battering ram, and pure sweat and muscle, they managed to knock down the metal door. Five men rushed in and then immediately rushed back out gagging from the lack of oxygen. Other agents donned oxygen masks and ran inside.
When they came out a few seconds later, Carlos, watching on the monitor, cursed. The president and the First Lady were pulling off their oxygen masks with attached small cylinder tanks that Jane had carried under her coat. They had been given to them by Agent Waters acting on the tip from King after he'd discovered the extra nitrogen gas cylinders in Quarry's basement and deduced what they might be used for.
Foster and his men ran to the First Couple and escorted them so rapidly back to the chopper that neither the man nor the woman's feet seemed to touch the ground.
'Are you all right, Mr. President?' asked Foster anxiously after they were safely inside the chopper. 'We'll need to get you and the First Lady checked out medically.'
'I'm fine. We're fine.' He eyed Chuck Waters. 'Good call. We put the masks on as soon as the gas started coming in.'
'That was Sean King's doing, sir, not mine. But even then, I didn't think the gas would be in that house. We thought it was all clear.'
'Well, I'll have to thank Mr. King.' He glanced at his wife. 'Again.'
A pale Foster added, 'If I suspected for a second that the place was booby-trapped like that, sir, I never would have let you go in.'
Cox slipped the gun from his waistband and handed it back to Foster. 'Well, I really didn't give you a choice, did I? Whoever put that thing together was extremely clever. From the sophistication of the plot, it seems that a well- funded terrorist organization was behind this. And my stupid antics really put you between a rock and a hard place, Larry. I'm sorry.'
Foster's face reddened. It was rare for a president to apologize to anyone, much less a Secret Service agent.
'Apology accepted, Mr. President.' The two men shook hands.
As the door to the chopper slammed shut, the president said, 'We need to get back to D.C. pronto.'
'I couldn't agree more, Mr. President,' said a relieved Foster.
'And your niece?' said Waters.
'After what just happened, there seems little hope of her still being alive. If their goal was to kill me, they obviously never intended to release her.'
Jane Cox let out a sob and covered her face. The president put a supportive arm around her. 'But we must continue to do everything we can.' He looked around the interior of the chopper. 'We must not give up hope. But we must also prepare for the worst. Those bastards tried to kill me and my wife today, but they failed. America will never give in to evil like this. Never. They can keep trying to get to me, but I will never let them win. Not on my watch.'
Every agent on the chopper looked at Dan Cox with immense pride, forgetting that a few minutes ago he'd been a raging madman with a gun pressed to his temple, more worried about being reelected than getting his niece back. He had bravely walked into what turned out to be a trap in order to save his niece. And now, having barely escaped death, he was being supportive of his wife and rallying the troops. That was some serious street cred that U.S. presidents typically never earned.
Before they lifted off it was decided that, under the circumstances, the Coxes should not travel on the same chopper together. Jane was shuttled off to the second chopper with six agents and a couple of HRT members, while the bulk of the firepower and Agent Chuck Waters stayed with the president. Two agents remained behind to deal with the local police and Tippi Quarry's body.
CHAPTER 83
QUARRY THREW DOWN the SAT phone and with a scream of rage he raced back inside the mine.
Watching from their cover position Sean said, 'He doesn't look very happy.'
'I think he just found out the man isn't dead.'
'What are you two talking about?' asked an attentive Gabriel. 'What man?'
'Gabriel, how well do you know the interior of the mine?'
Michelle broke in. 'Sean, no!'
'Michelle, we can't go in there blind.'
'He's just a kid.'
'There may be another kid in there too.'
Gabriel spoke up. 'I'll go. I know the place real well. I want to go in there. I can talk to Mr. Sam.'
Sean said, 'He wants to go.'
Michelle looked at Sean and then at Gabriel's pleading face.
'Michelle, we don't have much time. You saw Quarry tear in there.'
They scrambled over some more rocks and sprinted to the mine entrance. The door was not a problem because Quarry had not bothered to shut it.
They raced inside, guns and flashlights out.
Within a few moments they disappeared into the darkness. 'Daryl!' screamed Quarry. 'Daryl!'
His son appeared from out of the darkness. 'What is it?'
Quarry could barely speak. He could barely think.
He clamped a big hand on his son's shoulder. 'Carlos called. It didn't work. They got out.'
'Shit! We're screwed!'
'Oxygen masks,' Quarry muttered.
Daryl looked angrily at his father. 'What we gonna do now, old man?'
Quarry turned and raced down the passageway. Daryl lumbered after him. Quarry unlocked the door to Willa's room and threw it open.
One glimpse of his enraged face and Diane Wohl started stumbling backward. 'No, please. Don't. Please!' she was shrieking.
Willa looked confused. 'What's going on?'
'Don't kill us!' screamed Diane.
Willa jumped up and started to back away. Quarry and Daryl moved forward.
Quarry was breathing hard. 'They're alive. They're alive! Dammit!'
'Who's alive?' cried out Willa.
Quarry knocked the table aside, threw the chairs across the room. Willa raced to Diane, who was back as far as she could go in the corner.
They both screamed as Quarry grabbed them and started pulling them toward the door. 'Come on!' He yelled, 'Daryl!'
Daryl grabbed Willa and lifted her off the floor.
'Please, Mr. Sam, please.' Willa was crying so hard she could barely speak.
Diane had let herself go limp and Quarry ended up dragging the woman across the floor. When they got out to the passageway, he stopped and listened.
Diane was still screaming and he said, 'Shut up, woman. Now!' She didn't.
He slipped a pistol from his belt and placed it against her temple.
'Now,' he said very firmly.
Diane fell silent.
