Chapter 8 - Fire in the Sub-Levels
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets chipped away chunks of concrete from the walls, spraying stone dust into the air as Richard shoved Claire behind a massive industrial water heater.
""Suppressing fire!"" Richard yelled, leaning around the steel tank and unleashing a controlled three-round burst that forced the leading operative to dive for cover behind a concrete pillar.
Claire didn't wait for instructions. She popped up from the opposite side of the water heater, sighting down the barrel of her rifle. She squeezed the trigger twice. The first round struck the overhead water pipe, instantly showering the corridor in a blinding, high-pressure torrent of scalding water; the second caught the second operative square in the shoulder plate, spinning him backward into the wall.
""Water main breached!"" one of the gunmen screamed over the roaring hiss of the broken pipe. ""We're flooding!""
""I don't care about the water, kill them!"" Marcus's voice echoed from the stairwell entrance further down the hall as he rushed reinforcement troops into the fray.
""Dad, now!"" Claire shouted over the din.
Richard slammed the heavy steel emergency wheel of the storm drain hatch, spinning it counter-clockwise until the heavy seal broke free with a deafening hiss of compressed air. He threw the heavy hatch upward, revealing the dark, rushing waters of the subterranean drainage tunnel below.
""Go! Go! Go!"" Richard ordered, covering her rear as Claire dropped feet-first into the dark water below.
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She hit the shallow, rushing current, steadying herself against the slimy concrete wall just as Richard dropped down beside her, pulling the heavy hatch shut and spinning the locking wheel from the inside.
Above them, muffled shouts and furious pounding against the metal door faded into the roar of the underground river.
