Page 18 of Eruption

“Oh, hell,” Pia said, “he’s always taken chances. Taking chances is part of his damned genetic code.”

“I hear that’s why Linda finally left him.”

“Nah, man, she left him because of her law practice.”

Rick said, “Seriously? You want to talk about Mac’s marriagenow?”

“Sorry.”

“He’s a pain in the ass,” Rick said. “But he’s our pain in the ass.”

Alarms suddenly went off. A red warning light flashed repeatedly across the bottom of Pia’s screen:DATA CONTAMINATION. Rick looked away from the monitor and said, “What the hell is happening now?”

Across the room, Kenny Wong was staring at his own monitor. “I think it’s the gas analyzers in the crater,” he said.

“What’s wrong with them?” Pia asked.

“They’re picking up something new inside the crater,” Kenny said. “Monoxide, dioxide, sulfides, the usual, and…”

“What else?”

“Looks like a new complex—high carbon, lots of ethylene, methyl groups all over the place.”

Pia Wilson crossed the room and peered over his shoulder. “Damn,” she said.

“Do you know what that is?”

“Yeah,” Pia said. “Aviation fuel.”

Inside the helicopter, Glenn finally managed to reach out with his good hand. MacGregor grabbed it and pulled the man slowly toward him.

“Just try to keep your balance so you don’t jar this thing,” Mac said.

The cameraman stepped between the seats, coughing because of the smoke, moving as if in a daze.

They were just a few feet above the lava lake. Small sparks were spattering up. MacGregor stepped out, drew Glenn after him.

He tried to ignore the smell of fuel.

Nearly out of time.

Glenn followed him outside.

“You got this,” Mac said, steadying him as his feet slid.

“I’m scared of heights,” Glenn said, keeping his eyes fixed on the rim of the crater, away from the lava.

MacGregor thought:You should have thought of that before, you jackhammer.

Mac looked up, saw Jake about ten yards above them, reaching for Tim. Down here, the sharp odor of aviation fuel was stronger than ever.

Mac spoke soothingly to Glenn, trying to distract him. “Almost there.”

The cameraman said, “We have to stop.”

“No,” MacGregor said.

They kept moving. The guy looked around and said, “Hey, what’s that smell?”

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