Chapter 9 #2
John hurried through the basement of the parking lot, searching for the retrofitted army vehicle Agent Willow had described. But with so many vehicles parked beneath the garage, he had underestimated how long it would take to find them.
And the longer John searched the parking garage, the more aware he became of a certain smell. It was very faint at first, but the longer he spent in the garage, the more prevalent it became. And then he realized he was smelling gas.
It wasn’t gasoline but natural gas. He suddenly realized why the agents had left the building in such a hurry. With a breakdown in all the city’s infrastructure, it made sense for the gas lines to be compromised.
It was also probably why there had been so many explosions around the city after the EMP had started. With all the safety features disabled after the EMP, there must’ve been a buildup of pressure, causing the explosions.
John needed to get out of there sooner rather than later, so he double-timed his efforts to search for the vehicle.
Eventually, John spied the vehicle Agent Willow had told him to find, but before he was able to reach it, he heard movement behind him.
“Don’t!” the voice said, authoritative and strong. “Keep your hands up where I can see them.”
“I didn’t think anyone was home,” John said, complying as he slowly turned around.
“Stop!” the voice ordered. “I did not tell you to turn around.”
“Sorry,” John said, and he continued to face forward. “I was sent here by one of your own. Agent Willow.”
The man was quiet, and John desperately wanted to turn around and see what he was facing.
“How do you know Agent Willow?” he asked.
“He ran into my family at the hospital after he was injured during the chaos in the city,” John said.
“What about his prisoner?” the man asked eagerly.
“Dillon escaped,” John answered.
“Shit,” the man said under his breath.
“Can I turn around now?” John asked.
“How the hell do I know you’re telling the truth?” he asked.
“Well, if you want proof, I’ll need to reach into my pocket,” John answered.
“Turn around,” he said.
John slowly complied, keeping his hands up by his sides. The man was standing in the shadows about fifteen feet away. He had a good shooter’s stance and was laser-focused on John. He was dressed in a suit and tie and had all the trappings of a federal agent.
“I’m going to put my hand into my left pocket,” John said, and then he slowly retrieved Agent Willow’s FBI badge.
“Why did my partner give you that?” he asked.
“So, you’re Agent Parker,” John replied, again eliciting a surprise reaction. “Willow told me I might run into you here.”
Parker finally lowered his weapon, and John relaxed.
“We should leave,” Parker said. “The gas leak has made this place one lit match away from blowing up. I only stayed behind to see if Willow came back. But if Dillon escaped, then we need to find him, and there’s something I need to get.”
Parker turned away, but then John reached for the small box in his pocket.
“Do you mean this?” John asked.
The moment Agent Parker saw the box, he walked over and snatched it out of John’s hand. “He shouldn’t have told you about this.”
“What is this?” John asked.
“It’s a key,” Parker answered.
“I know that, but what does it open?” John asked.
“A safe,” Parker answered. “With a lot of money in it.”
John remembered the bank robber had stolen over one hundred million that was never recovered. This was the key that would open the stolen safe.
“I suppose this is enough leverage to get my wife back,” John said.
Agent Parker frowned. “What does your wife have to do with any of this?”
“The bank robber you’re searching for used my wife as a hostage when he escaped from your partner’s custody,” John answered. “Agent Willow told me if I brought the box back to him, along with one of those decommissioned army vehicles, he would tell me where the criminal was taking my wife.”
Agent Parker shook his head and muttered something under his breath that John couldn’t hear.
When he looked up at John, he had a sympathetic expression.
“He shouldn’t have involved you and your family in all of this.
I’m sorry about what happened to your wife, but this man we’ve been chasing is the most dangerous criminal I’ve ever come across. ”
John gestured to the chaos happening outside. “Clearly. But I’m not putting my wife’s life and the life of my family in anyone else’s hands but mine. And that’s non-negotiable.”
Agent Parker was quiet, and then he slowly nodded. “I can respect that.” He then glanced around. “We better get going before this place pops.”
“Which one of these vehicles works?” John asked.
“Any old army trucks will work,” Agent Parker answered.
“You’re sure?” John asked, knowing they didn’t have time to second guess themselves.
“It’ll work,” Agent Parker said.
Parker sat behind the wheel, and normally, John would have objected, but this was Parker’s turf, so he didn’t fight it. But just as John opened the passenger door, the ground beneath him rumbled.
“You hear that?” Agent Parker asked, stopping before he turned on the old vehicle.
“It’s the gas lines,” John answered, and then he jumped into the vehicle. “We need to go. Now!”
Agent Parker quickly tried to start the old truck, but it wouldn’t turn over. He tried repeatedly, but it refused to start.
“I thought these things could survive in the EMP,” Agent Parker said.
“They can,” John said, getting out of the vehicle. “But you still have to make sure the battery works. Pop the hood.”
Agent Parker did as he was told, and John checked the battery. It was old, and the connections were corroded.
“Do you have a coke?” John asked.
“You’re thirsty?” Agent Parker asked incredulously.
“I need to clean off the battery connections,” John answered, and then he looked around and found a trash can.
He tore off the top and then sifted through until he found a half-full soda bottle.
He dumped the liquid over the connections, and the corrosion was washed away.
He wiped down the connectors with his shirt and reapplied them to the battery.
He flashed a thumbs-up to Agent Parker. “Try it now!”
Parker started the old truck again, and this time, it fired up. “We’re good!” Parker shouted.
John slammed the hood down, and as he did, the building rumbled even louder. He hurried toward the passenger side door and climbed inside as Agent Parker shifted into first gear.
The old army truck lunged forward, and John thrust out his arm to brace himself on the dash.
“You sure you don’t want me to drive?” John asked.
“It’s been a minute since I’ve driven a stick,” Agent Parker said, but then he easily shifted into second and navigated the basement garage floor to the exit.
The building continued to rumble as they neared the exit. The shaking was so bad that John’s bones vibrated. He had never experienced trembling like this and couldn’t imagine what type of pressure was building underneath them.
“You need to go faster,” John said, shouting.
“The pedal’s to the floor!” Parker replied, shifting down into another gear.
The old truck might have been able to plow through anything on the road, but getting it up to speed was slow and arduous.
“Hang on!” Parker shouted as they neared the exit.
Bits of the building crumbled off, pieces of rock and concrete smashing against the roof of the truck. John tightened his grip on the dashboard.
They were so close to making it out, but as the building started to collapse, John wasn’t sure if they had enough time.