Grace entered the Level 2 decon chamber, stood under the ultraviolet light for several seconds, trembling with stress, then hurried to the locker where she quickly changed back into the uniform with the yellow badge and strapped the holster with gun back onto her calf. The vials were too big for the metal container she had brought so she placed the two tubes in breast pockets of the jacket, put on the medical smock and cap and headed for the exit.
Grace was extremely relieved to step out of the Level 2 air-lock into Level 1. She was now effectively out of the hot zone and the horror it held, but felt conspicuous without the space suit. Making straight for the Level 1 air-lock, ignoring everything else around, she arrived and mingled with others waiting to leave through the air-lock.
Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder and a male voice instructed her to follow him. Grace almost collapsed with panic when she turned and stared at a young man also dressed in smock and cap. She began to protest, but he gripped her firmly by the arm and guided her towards a room a short way back down the corridor. My God! Had she been discovered?
On the other side of the air-lock, Ryder could wait no longer. He decided to enter Level 1; it was time to throw caution to the wind. The door slid open, the lock emptied and he and the others moved forward together with several technicians, too busy talking to seemingly give them much attention.
Grace, entering the room, stopped short, fear spiking when she came face-to-face with the woman scientist encountered in the Level 4 lab sitting at the only desk. The man took a seat alongside her. Grace was left to stand.
The woman stared hard at Grace, then came sharply to the point. “You told me you had just arrived here, yet on checking I find that no new lab personnel have been assigned within the last month. Can you explain?”
Grace was not prepared for this and after some hesitation blurted out a story that there must be some mistake as she had been assigned here by the camp commander at Haengyong.
“His name?” she shot.
“Colonel Chang-su.”
“Strange. He does not recall sending you,” the woman replied, cold eyes fixed on Grace like a predator about to finish its victim. “What have you to say?”
Grace knew she was caught and stammered, “There must be…”
“Enough!” The woman cut her short and turned to the man. “Bring a guard.”
The man hurriedly stood and went out.
Grace, in her despair, decided to kill this wretched woman. She reached down, but suddenly stopped when the woman raised a gun from below the desk.
In the corridor, the man sent out to find a guard saw three uniformed men standing by the air-lock and called to them.
Ryder, Bom and Song froze, staring as he approached.
The man came up, briefly explained what had happened and pointed to the room. Ryder immediately realized he was talking about Grace and all three followed the man. Frank entered the room whilst the others remained outside.
He could see Grace’s relief. The woman behind the desk put down her gun and repeated what he had already been told, ending with, “Take her away and interrogate. Find out who sent her. Inform the commandant and let me know the result.”
Ryder wasn’t listening; he was weighing up whether or not to kill the woman and the man. He decided on the former; nobody should be left behind to tell. He drew his silenced pistol to lead Grace away, then turned and shot them both cleanly through the head.
As they left the room, Grace half-smiled and tapped her breast pocket, conveying all was okay – mission accomplished. Without a word, they made casually for the Level 1 air-lock and waited with others waiting to enter. Once through, they mingled with personnel in the busy corridor on the other side, keeping a reasonable distance between themselves and Grace. They cautiously exited out the far doors, past the caged prisoners and beyond into the main entrance cavern. Here trucks were discharging more prisoners amidst a cacophony of voices, revving diesels and martial music. They easily managed to pass through the ordered chaos unnoticed and entered into the corridor that led directly to the plant area.
Minutes later, they arrived at the entrance. Ryder indicated for the others to wait while he confidently pushed open the doors and boldly strode through into the vast, noisy plant cavern. He checked to see that no one was in the office or the ablutions block, then went back to the entrance. The rest of the group filed in.
Suddenly, a technician carrying a tool kit stepped out from behind a boiler directly in their path. He stopped, startled, seeing armed men only feet away.
Ryder sprang.
At that very moment the entrance doors to the plant room swung open and two guards strode in, saw immediately what was happening and reacted swiftly. One managed to discharge a single shot before both were gunned down by Song and Bom. Ryder quickly broke the technician’s neck before he could cry out.
Grace felt a searing pain shoot through her lower back. She staggered forward, trying desperately to stay on her feet, bounced off a machine control panel and collapsed to the floor. The others immediately sprang to her aid.
Ryder searched frantically for the bullet wound, whilst Bom hurried to cover the entrance. Lifting her gently, he and Song moved Grace in amongst the machinery out of view of the entrance.
“She’s taken a hit in the lower back; no exit wound visible. Bullet must be lodged inside; could be considerable internal damage.”
“Close to the spine?” asked Song with concern.
“Yeah, very close; maybe fatal if we move her.”
“Should we do that?”
“No choice. We’re not leaving her.” No way was Ryder going to leave her to the mercy of the Koreans; she had to be moved despite the risk. He prayed she would survive the journey back. “Dan, go find something to make a makeshift stretcher.”
Ryder did his best to staunch the flow of blood and make her as comfortable as possible. She was conscious, although in a state of shock. Handing him the tubes of vaccine, she managed to explain briefly what had transpired and what the tubes contained. She emphasized that the vaccine had only three weeks before potency was lost. He placed the containers in his breast pockets. It was time to get out – and fast.
Ryder and Song quickly removed the ammunition clips and grenades from the dead guards, then dumped the two, together with the technician, in the storeroom alongside the other bodies. A makeshift stretcher was quickly constructed with canvas and metal rods found amongst the machinery. Then, with Grace as comfortable as they could make her, Bom and Song carried the stretcher, following Ryder into the airshaft.
It did not take long to reach the outside. A signal to Chol saw him emerge from hiding; a smile expressing relief, changing immediately on seeing the stretcher holding Grace. The grille was hurriedly pulled out to allow the stretcher to pass through and then replaced. With Grace seriously injured, their problems had increased ten-fold, compounded by the fact that they had only three weeks before the vaccine would lose its value. Grace would not be left behind under any circumstances. Ryder would make sure she made it back to the beach with them or none would. They had to get away as quickly as possible. After Grace said she felt able to be moved, they headed south down the mountainside into the valley, followed a short distance by the resident hawks screeching at their departure.
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