Page 88 of Leading Conviction
Nora pressed three buttons on the keyboard and another code flashed on the monitor before all the screens went black.
“Come on. I’ve just entered a kill-switch sequence. Everything in the facility will lock up and shut down in three minutes. Once it does that, we’ll have more time to stall before the guys get here.”
“What if they have more bombs?” Hannah asked.
“In that case, at least they’ll have to use them. Come on. We need to go underground.”
Nora stood from her chair so fast it spun around and banged into the desk. She hurried to the wall opposite the war room’s door and pulled aside a hidden panel, revealing a keypad underneath. She clicked in another code. When she’d finished, a metal trapdoor stained to look just like the concrete flooring slid open with a pneumatichiss.
“Cool.” Tommy grinned with a nod.
“Glad you think so, kid.”
At Callie’s shaky delivery, Hannah turned to see her audible swallow rolling down her throat in a lump, her focus completely homing in on the hole in the ground.
“Sorry, Callie,” Nora whispered with a wince.
“Callie, what’s wrong?” Hannah asked.
She peered into the hole to see bright-white lighting shining on a metal staircase. It led to a sterile, steel-walled basement with concrete stained just like the floor above it.
Callie waved off her concern, but the way her dark-olive complexion had become ashen gave her away.
“I-it’s fine. Just with the General… going underground…” She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. When she opened her eyes again, determination filled her gaze and her lips thinned.
Everyone had said they looked alike, and Hannah certainly saw the resemblance. Even then, with Callie’s glossy, raven hair high in a ponytail, the hardness in her brown eyes, her all-black outfit, and the way her jaw was set, Callie’s entire demeanor made Hannah feel the odd sensation she was looking at her past self, readying for a battle. The sight gave her courage, and she found herself closing her eyes and taking a similar fortifying inhale.
When she opened her eyes again on her exhale, Callie’s gaze met hers. Understanding softened her features.
“You ready?” Callie asked with a tilt of her head toward the hole in the ground.
A door opened from beyond the war room, followed by stomping, setting Hannah’s chest on fire from the speed of her pounding pulse.
“Ready,” she answered with a single nod of her head.
“Good,” Nora muttered as she stepped down into the hole. “Because we’ve got a minute and a half before this place locks up tight. The General either didn’t have the code to get to the garage or he likes to make a big entrance. But if he somehow knows how to get into the war room, we can’t stop him. Let’s go.”
Nora hopped off the stairs, and Hannah followed after her so she could catch Tommy if he got nervous. Callie helped him down the stairs and when he fearlessly leaped off the last two rungs, Hannah stepped back quickly to give him room to land. His wide, toothy grin spread across his face and he did a small fist pump.
“Did you see that, Mom? I didn’t even need the last few steps.”
“Bueno, avecito.You did well.” Hannah’s smile was feeble with stress, but her heart fluttered in relief at her son’s resilience. She was a damn near train wreck and here he was finding joy amid chaos.
They’d been through hell together. She’d tried her best to shelter him when she could and be gently honest with him when she couldn’t. There were times when his serious nature kept her up at night, terrified she’d screwed him up beyond repair for not being able to have the childhood every little kid deserves. But the moments where he showed her he was still the wild boy she knew gave her hope.
Slowly but surely, Callie stepped down the stairs. Watching the strong, courageous woman tremble as she descended made Hannah’s chest ache. She glanced away to take in her surroundings and give Callie some space.
They were in a steel-walled vestibule that opened into a long hallway with a dead end. Along one side were several metal doors with bars on the windows.
This isn’t a bunker… it’s a jail.
Unease filtered through Hannah’s mind at the thought of being locked down there while the General was upstairs. No wonder Callie was freaking out.
Callie finally landed on the ground, flexing and fisting her shaking hands. As soon as her feet touched the stained concrete, Nora pressed a button on a wall keypad, similar to its counterpart above ground, closing the trapdoor.
It crept closed, and with every inch, Hannah could’ve sworn she felt a new drop of sweat beading on her skin.
When it finally sealed with a barely audiblesnick, another loud explosion reverberated through the steel around them, sprinkling dust from the ceiling and flickering the bright fluorescent lights.
