What now? he wondered fleetingly. Stay and shoot it out, or disappear.
The second option had more appeal.
He dived for the open grate of the conduit, but the door was already opening. The Paki couldn't yell, but when the door slid back, he pushed through . . . and was cut down by a fusillade of automatic-weapons fire. The impact blew him back into the room, sending his riddled body full length across the floor.
Vance swung around the Uzi and laid down a blast of covering fire through the doorway, which had the effect of clearing the opening for a second. He got off a couple of last rounds, just for good measure, then turned and hurled himself into the communications shaft.
No sooner had he pulled himself inside than rounds of fire began ricocheting through behind him. The aim, however, was wide, and he managed to flatten himself and stay out of the way.
Then the firing abruptly stopped.
They must have seen what's in here, he realized, all the wiring.
"Are you all right?" It was Cally's voice, somewhere in the dark ahead.
"I'm doing fine." He paused, hating the next part. "Only one small problem."
"What—?"