Labyrinth (29 page)

There.

Annja swung herself onto the next section of the slide just as Kessel tore the lower portion free from the wall.

Annja glanced down at the slide as it swung free. She leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. If she’d been still on that, she would have fallen.

But the slide was connected to where Annja sat. And she could still feel Kessel’s attacks.

I’ve got just the answer, she thought. And with the sword, she hacked the lower part away. It swung clear, and hurtled toward Kessel.

Annja watched it crumple as it fell.

For the moment, she was safe.

Chapter 32

Fairclough’s face was mere inches from the video monitors. “Where the hell did she go?”

Greene was enjoying the fact that Fairclough was growing increasingly agitated. “Maybe she fell with the wreckage of the slide.”

Fairclough shook his head. “No, I would’ve seen her fall.” He wheeled around. “How is it she was able to hang on to something? How did she not fall?”

Greene shrugged. “How would I know? You’re the one that’s devoted so much time to studying her. Is she capable of defying gravity with that sword of hers?”

Fairclough’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t mock me, Greene. You don’t know anything about that accursed blade. You have no idea the horrible things she’s done with it.”

“You’re right,” Greene said. “I don’t. But she’s out there somewhere, because she didn’t fall and Kessel wasn’t able to knock her down. That means she’s presumably farther up the slide than you thought. Can she get out of there if she climbs high enough?”

Fairclough was silent for a moment. “It’s possible, I suppose. But she’d have to climb a long way up and it would be tough going for her. Not that she seems to have let that stop her so far.”

“She is quite resilient,” Greene said. “But we can get her if you tell us where to look.”

Fairclough nodded. “Take Kessel up to the third level entry point. You’ll find an access hatch that leads to the slide. If you hurry, you can set up an ambush that she won’t see coming.”

Greene peered at the monitors. “Is Kessel still where you left him?”

“Yes.” Fairclough pointed. “Use the secret door in this wall here. Follow the corridor back from where you initially put him into the maze and you’ll see a light. There’s a door release hidden behind it.”

Greene nodded. “All right. We’ll get him and set up the ambush.”

Fairclough listened to him leave with Jonas and sat staring at the monitors. With a sigh of disgust, he spun around in his chair and closed his eyes. This should have been a simple thing to do. She’s just one woman, after all. Why is it proving so difficult to exact his revenge?

He steepled his fingers and thought things through. If Greene and Jonas got Kessel into position, then everything would work out fine. They could bring her back down to where Fairclough could watch them battle it out.

He grinned. Annja the protector of the innocent being forced to kill her new friend or die. It was marvelous. And he knew she’d choose her own life over that of Kessel’s.

Fairclough considered the idea that Annja could escape and then dismissed it. She was boxed in.

And besides, if she did find a way to elude Greene and Kessel, there was always Fairclough’s mercenary. He’d been ordered to only engage her enough so that she continued to lose herself in the maze. But things were different now.

Fairclough keyed a microphone on another console. “Kozumi, can you hear me?”

After a pause Fairclough heard the man’s heavily accented voice. “I am here.”

“The girl has eluded my attempts to kill her.”

“You should have let me do it when I had the chance.”

Fairclough frowned. What was with his hired help? “Yes, well, you’re now authorized to kill her if you find her wandering the maze. Understand?”

“I understand.”

“I’d prefer it if you did it in front of the cameras, but if that can’t be managed, then kill her and be done with it.”

“Very well.”

Fairclough turned off the microphone and closed his eyes again. She might be off the radar right now, but she couldn’t elude him for long. And when she was found again, that would be the end of Annja Creed.

G
REENE
AND
J
ONAS
opened the secret door and waited. After a moment, they saw Kessel standing there, eyes unfocused. Ready to accept any order they gave him.

Greene waved. “Come with us.”

Kessel shifted and then lumbered over to them. Greene watched and was fascinated by the thing’s jerky movements. And to think he used to be so quick on his feet. Now it was like watching a baby try to remember to put one foot in front of the other foot.

Incredible.

He glanced at Jonas. “You did a pretty amazing job rendering him obedient.”

Jonas shrugged. “The cerebral cortex. And he was already suffering from a traumatic brain injury, so that made things a little easier.”

Kessel appeared in the doorway, blocking most of the dim light behind him. Greene looked over his shoulder and saw the remnants of the lower portion of the slide. It looked as if someone had cut a part of the metal and he could also see where Annja had been stabbing her blade into the slide itself.

Greene shook his head. “Enemy or not. That’s an impressive woman. I don’t know many people who could climb a slide without falling.”

Jonas nodded. “I wouldn’t want to face her, that’s for sure.”

Greene patted Kessel on his arm. “With luck, we won’t have to. Our big monster here will do the dirty work for us.”

Jonas nodded. “Okay, monster, let’s go.”

Together, they all walked out.

T
HIRTY
FEET
ABOVE
, Annja, crouched on the edge of the second portion of the slide, had heard every word they’d said. So Kessel was gone. And she was now free to ruin Fairclough’s plans for her death.

Annja looked at the floor far below. Thirty feet was a long way to drop, she thought. Add to that the fact that the floor was littered with scrap metal. Even if she landed lightly, she’d still have to roll in order to compensate for the inertia she’d be generating.

But how could she roll safely with all of that jagged metal? She’d impale herself on the edges.

She needed another way down.

F
AIRCLOUGH
WATCHED
as Greene and Jonas led Kessel along another corridor. The two ecoterrorists annoyed him. They were such fools.

Bah, it didn’t matter. Once they had outlived their usefulness, Fairclough would have Kessel dispose of them. And barring that, Fairclough would have Kozumi kill them.

When you had money, there wasn’t much you couldn’t buy. And life was among the cheapest commodities on the market these days.

Greene led Kessel down another corridor while Jonas brought up the rear. Fairclough rubbed his chin. Still, the doctor was useful. When Fairclough had mentioned what he wanted to do, Jonas hadn’t balked. If anything, he’d seemed excited about tinkering with someone’s brain.

Perhaps he could still find a place for him. If he killed Greene in front of him, Jonas might be very willing to stay on with Fairclough and continue his work.

It might be an option, Fairclough thought. Of course, if Jonas considered running, then he’d have to be killed.

But he could cross that bridge if they came to it.

G
REENE
WALKED
K
ESSEL
down the corridor. “You ever wonder what drives that old coot up there?”

Jonas shrugged. “We’ve got our agenda and he’s got his. For right now, this meeting of the minds works. We both get to fulfill our goals.”

Greene nodded. “Yeah, but what if there comes a point when we don’t see eye to eye? What then?”

“We could always kill him.”

Greene chewed his lip. “Before we do that, we’d need him to sign over his assets to us. That way, we could still have the funding to carry out our plans for protecting our world.”

“That shouldn’t be difficult,” Jonas said. “After all, he is a weak old man. What could he possibly do to us?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t underestimate him, though. He didn’t get to be old by being stupid. He’s been living this role as an antique book dealer for years apparently and no one ever caught on. That’s got to count for something, right?”

“Only if you let it,” Jonas said. “My opinion. We get his cash and then dump his body somewhere. No sense keeping him around.”

Greene stopped and patted Kessel. “We could even use our monster here to force him to sign.”

Jonas smiled. “That’s almost poetic justice.”

A
NNJA
FELT
HER
GRIP
slipping, but as she dangled from the bra strap, which was attached to the belt she’d pulled off, she waited until the Lycra/spandex blend stretched out to its full length. She glanced down and saw she was still more than twenty feet above the floor.

She wasn’t going to get any closer. And she wasn’t at all sure her makeshift rope would stay anchored to the metal she’d attached it to.

It was now or never.

Annja took a deep breath and closed her eyes. In her mind’s eye, she visualized dropping lightly to the floor below, then letting her knees and ankles absorb the force of impact as she rolled quickly, then came up to her feet unscathed. Avoiding the metal debris.

When she opened her eyes, she was finally ready.

Here goes nothing, she thought.

She let go.

Air rushed past her and then she was already crashing to the ground, sinking, squatting and rolling as she breathed out hard. A piece of metal bit into her exposed back, but she dismissed it. She could worry about pain later.

Annja got to her feet and yanked the small shard out. It hadn’t gone deep, but it had drawn blood.

Annja tossed it aside. Then she walked to the wall nearby and pressed. It gave a little.

But it was locked.

Annja ran her hand over the edges until she found the small space. There. The lock.

Annja drew out her sword and stabbed it through the opening. There was the briefest resistance and then the lock popped off and the hidden door swung open.

Annja was out of the maze.