Chapter Seven

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As we proceeded, we learned from the porter that the door which connected the annex with the main building, where you found the rich nut's office, his numerous safes, and rooms where the awful operations took place, was actually on the ground floor. The one on the last floor, which Steve had shown on his schematic and confirmed by Charlie, only led to his living suites.

We walked cautiously along the corridors, and at the end, went down the staircase without spotting anyone. I began to wonder why there were no men in the corridors as I remembered that the colonel had said the villa was as secure as a fort. Perhaps someone somewhere had spotted us and they had already set their trap, waiting patiently for us to slip in, or maybe our luck was still holding out. However hard they tried, they won't find it easy to stop me; not when I have gotten that far, I told myself, shrugging my shoulders.

When we got to the foot of the stairs, we realized that there was quite a distance between the staircase and the end of the corridor, where it adjoins the corridor that leads to the connecting door, so we decided to split into two. Lydia, the porter, and I went first, while George and Steve, along with Slovan, brought up the rear, at least six yards behind. Though there were only a few doors on either side, and the porter had earlier assured us that they were unused locked-up offices and storerooms, the atmosphere in the corridor was nonetheless so tense as we walked along. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, we reached the end and took a turn to the left. It was a broad but shorter corridor and led directly to the wide steel doors. George examined the electronic buttons on the doors and then reached for something inside his pocket. He fiddled on them with the object for a while, but the doors remained locked.

"I think the door can only be opened from the other side," he whispered, looking frustrated.

"How do we get the door open?" I asked the porter as he stood a little away. He had certainly earned our confidence and trust, and I had no doubt in my mind that everyone had accepted him to be on our side and wouldn't object to taking him along if we could, even though we hadn't the opportunity or time to discuss it. I guess everyone should be especially sympathetic to his plight and would truly wish he left the island too.

"That's a bright boy you've got there," he remarked, looking admiringly at George.

"Forget the bright boy," I returned curtly. "Just tell me how we can get the door open."

"There's a guy on the other side," he answered lightly as his shoulders heaved with a chuckle. "You tell him you want to cross over. He takes a look at you on his goddamn monitor, and if he wants your ass over, he opens the door; otherwise, he tells you to get the hell off." My heart skipped a beat.

"A monitor!" I echoed quietly, and I didn't even wait to hear the rest of what he had to say before I went straight for the collar of his shirt and would have strangled him, had Steve not snatched him from me.

"It's all right," he said after straightening his shirt, looking so calm and relaxed while a grin broke out on his lips as his eyes were fixed on the wall, just above the door.

"Damn you!" I exclaimed angrily, wondering if I hadn't underestimated what he was capable of doing, or perhaps I'd been so dumb to have allowed him take all that alcohol. However, I quickly realized that if I didn't get my temper under control, I might do something I'd be sorry for. After all, I had reasonably convinced myself that he could be trusted, and until that time, he had not given us any other reason to doubt he could be relied upon.

"I said it's all right," he repeated as everyone gazed at him. "I bet my dear life that Jimmy will be sleeping right now."

"Jimmy?" Steve drawled.

"He's the guy on the other side, watching this entrance," he explained quietly and went on as no one said anything, "and that's the eye above the door." He pointed at a black round object properly concealed in the wall just a few inches above the door. "You guys will have to move back some distance and stay close to the wall, while I try to persuade him to open the doors."

"Don't just try; make him open it and watch it," I said, with enough threat in my voice.

"There's no need to burst your veins," Steve put in quickly. "He said it's all right, and maybe it is."

"Yeah! Maybe," I returned with a hint of sarcasm.

"Take it easy, man," the porter said. "Do you imagine you want to leave this hellhole any safer or sooner than I do?"

"All right," I said, irritated that he should presume to pull a stupid joke on us in such a precarious situation, "just get him to open the goddamn doors."

After we moved some distance away from the door, everyone except Slovan leaned against the wall and watched the porter with bated anticipation. Slovan stood where he was with his gagged mouth and just looked on. I went back and dragged him by the collar of his shirt and held him to the wall. Shortly afterward, the porter pushed a hidden button on the wall and stepped back.

"What the hell do you want?" Jimmy snapped after a few seconds' delay and barely concealing his noisy yawn, which was an indication that he was indeed sleeping. I looked up and saw that the speaker was also neatly concealed by the edge of the door.

"Sorry, Jimmy," the porter returned, "I didn't mean to be in the way, and I know how pretty rough some nights could be in there but—"

"You still haven't said what you wanted," Jimmy interrupted curtly. He certainly wasn't interested in the porter's glib comments, and I had to hold myself from telling him he could come to harm if he delayed any more than was necessary.

"The chief wants me, and it's urgent too," he replied with his face void of expression.

"The chief didn't tell me he wanted you over here," Jimmy returned after an unnecessary long hiss. "I guess I'll have to check," he stated flatly. I stiffened, and I wasn't the only one; even Slovan was impulsively startled too as I held him to the wall.

"Come on, Jimmy, what is it with the checking?" he implored. "The chief will be breathing down our necks if we keep him waiting any longer than we've already done."

"I said I would have to check," Jimmy insisted. Then the porter gave it to him where he lived.

"Well, it's all right, I guess. I don't have to tell you how to do your job, but you know how it is with the old man these days? I have been out here for minutes now and have pushed this goddamn button more than three times before you answered," he said sympathetically. "It's either this shit isn't working well or you didn't hear the bell," he stated, "and whichever it was, the chief certainly won't like to hear it, would he?" he added rather rhetorically.

"You old drunk!" Jimmy cursed under his breath as he asked the porter to step back, and we heard him slam down the receiver on its cradle, obviously in anger. After a few seconds, the doors slid open. I instantly ran through, and before he could raise his head above the tinted glass cubicle, I hit him hard on the head with a rubber cosh. He fell forward and slumped, his oily hair on the switchboard. The porter shoved him off the board, pressed a button on it, and the doors slid shut. He pointed to a wide corridor on the left, and we all followed almost at a run. Two more turns to the right brought us to the safes.

The safes were believed impenetrable and so, they must have left the corridors unguarded. Moreover, according to the porter, the area was completely restricted to authorized persons only.

"That's safe no. 02V3AC." The porter waved expansively at a portion of the wall facing us and further explained, as we all stared helplessly at him, that the safe is hidden behind the wall. He pointed at a black button concealed in one of the black dotted lines occasionally running down from the top of the wall to the floor.

"A slight touch on the button would open the wall and push the safe forward," he went on as we all said nothing, "but if you're crazy enough to push that button," he continued amusingly, "the security alarm will go crazy too, and the whole damned guards in the villa would be in here even before you've lifted your fingers off it."

"That's a genius piece of work," I grinned bitterly, scratching my chin, "but there's no going back now." I looked up and saw an overwhelming, triumphant look on Sovan's face even as his mouth was gagged.

"Come on, Mike, this is crazy," Steve said abruptly. "We've wasted precious time already, and this diamond thing is becoming a wild goose chase." Lydia suddenly moved forward to face him, her face a stony mask. I slid in between them and told her to look after Slovan while I handle the situation.

"Maybe it's crazy," I said, grinning sardonically at Steve, "but I didn't come all the way down here because of a goddamn laboratory, and nothing is going to stop me from picking up those diamonds, not while I have come this far."

"Don't start now!" George intervened hurriedly as the situation seemed to be getting out of hand. "I'll open the safe in four minutes if we slide back the wall," he said.

"Are you deaf?" Steve burst out in anger. "He said the alarm will go off if you touch the button."

"I heard him," George returned calmly without looking at his face. He went on to explain that he brought with him a device that would hold off any kind of indoor alarm for three minutes and twenty-two seconds.

"Be reasonable, guys. It would be foolhardy to even attempt this," Steve protested.

"What do you expect? To have the diamonds handed to you as soon as you get here?" I queried.

"I didn't come here for the diamonds and—"

"Well, I did," I interrupted, "and I'm not leaving this island without them."

"That's enough!" George put in quickly. "I've been here before and not much has changed since then," he stated. "I didn't just try or attempted. I got the diamonds then, and I can get them again." That put an end to the argument.

I turned the situation around in my mind and decided that with some luck, we just might be able to pull it off. Though the expression on Lydia's face was one of amusement, she gave me an indifferent little nod and looked away. However, I didn't let that stop me as I couldn't help moving close to Slovan and asked him whose laugh came last?

"All right," I said and turned to face Steve, "how do we get to the laboratory from here?"

"It's a bit tricky on this wing," he replied woodenly and went on after a brief pause. "No staircase, just a damn elevator for two or three at that end." He pointed. I guess he still didn't like the idea, but there was nothing he could do about it. George had said he could get the diamonds and there was nothing more to argue about. He should reckon that the only reasonable thing to do was to work together to ensure the operation didn't fail.

"That's right," the porter put in unexpectedly. "But what the hell do you boys want down there?" he queried.

"Never mind," I answered tersely. "Just tell us what to expect."

"Come on, boys," he said with an imploring look. "Let's pick up the diamonds and get the hell out of here. There's nothing down there that might interest you."

"Just tell us what to expect," I repeated impatiently.

"Okay," he drawled, shrugging his shoulders, "it's your funeral. If that's what you want."

We learned from him that there was only a guard on duty down there. The elevator doors are electronically sensitive and won't open unless we wore white laboratory smocks, which we had to borrow from Jimmy's cubicle. He further explained that no one could use any other communication device at the basement, as all communication, in and out of that part of the villa, had to pass through Jimmy's board. He also warned that my mouthpiece won't work down there and that if I persisted in using it, it would trigger off a different alarm system altogether.

"Well, you heard him. This pack of snobs sure didn't leave much to chance," I said, looking at George and grinning sourly as I handed Legion's walkie-talkie to Lydia. "Steve and I will go down now." I went on, "Give us ten minutes, then go ahead and open the safe. That leaves us more than thirteen minutes before the heat starts, and I'm sure we should be able to rejoin you guys within that time. However, if we are not up here by then, you guys beat it, and we'll all meet at the station," I concluded, smiling mirthlessly.

I looked at Steve, and he nodded in agreement. Then I brought out my backup pistol and handed it to the porter.

"You'll need this now," I told him, as Lydia had said when she handed it to me three days before, and shook his hand. "You've been a great help, and I hope we'll all make it," I added with a grin.

"You bet," he returned, grinning too as he took the gun and nodded in appreciation.

"Watch out, guys," I cautioned as we were leaving.

"Hold on a second," the porter called out.

"Yeah?" I answered impatiently with a frown knitting my brow.

"You still haven't mentioned how you intend to leave the island," he said, rather humorously.

"Well, since you asked, I guess it won't hurt to let you know we thought to catch some fun by swimming across the sea."

"I bet you would," he said with the same measure of sarcasm.

"Well, you're free to come along too," I said, grinning at him.

"That's very kind of you," he returned. "But I don't think you'll get the opportunity to have such pleasure, because by the time your pal here bursts open this safe, you won't have the chance of getting to the seashore, let alone swim across."

"Okay, you could be right about that," I said with a wry grin on my lips. "I guess that leaves the chopper up there as the only option, doesn't it?"

"Sure, I see there's little or nothing you guys haven't found out already," he returned, grinning.

"That's right; I reckon we've done our homework pretty well. Though, you're still going to show us the easiest way to reach it by the time we're set to leave."

"And don't you think there should be something worthwhile in it for me?" he asked comically, scratching his chin.

"Certainly. The freedom you so much desired," I answered promptly.

"That's not enough for the risk I've taken to throw in my lot with you guys," he replied with a covetous look on his face.

"What else do you want?" I asked tersely, losing my patience.

"A fair cut in the diamonds."

"All right, a fair cut you shall get," I returned, with the thought that it wasn't the right place and time to haggle with anyone over anything. Moreover, we haven't laid our hands on them yet, and it may all be a wild goose chase as Steve had said.

"Now, guys, hold on tight to it," I went on as I watched Lydia's hardened face. "I wouldn't want to lose my share of the loot either." Her face turned hot, but I didn't let that stop me. "And don't let that poor sap out of your sight," I said to her, ignoring her expression. "He might as well be our getaway hostage."

"You bet," the porter beamed, "and be careful," he added as Steve and I left them.

I began to wonder if he had long expected that this would happen one day or perhaps his enthusiasm was phony, but I doubted it. However, I shrugged my shoulders as I thought about it; there was no use getting worried. Though George may look a shadow of himself, I believe he should still be a damn good shot, and moreover, Lydia trusted no one, and I was certain that she was more than capable of handling the situation, if they made any false move. There was more serious work to be done at the basement, and that, I felt, should occupy my mind.

The elevator was indeed small as Steve had said. It was perhaps less than twelve square feet, and barely had enough room for the two of us. But the inside was sheer opulence that exuded extravagance. It was heavily padded in white pleated leather, which was adorned with gold buttons, and its edges were ornamented with lacy fabrics. We had to put on laboratory smocks, and Steve had ensured that his devices and explosives were properly concealed before we got to the elevator. The porter had warned that we could have an alarm tripped off if such a precaution was taken for granted, and we were certain not to take chances. We both stepped cautiously into the elevator, and after a minute or two, I pressed the "down button."

I casually stepped out of the elevator as the doors moved back. I made two quick strides forward but came to an abrupt standstill as I felt a cold object under my right ear. And without being told, I knew it was the round muzzle of a gun.

"Put your hands up and slowly too," the guard ordered. His voice was soft and casual, but the threat was unmistakable. He frisked me all over to make certain that I wasn't carrying any weapon and later led me back to the elevator that still stood open. It seemed that it doesn't close automatically; Steve and I had been wary when we saw it was left open, but had gone in just the same since there was nothing we could do about it. He peered into it to also make certain that I was alone. When he had satisfied himself that there was no one else, he pushed the button for the elevator doors to shut and whisk away. But he was not to know that while I was stepping out; I had kicked a marble into the door's track to prevent them from closing tight.

"I wasn't told you were coming down," he said, suddenly moving away from me but still had me properly covered. "You know the rules, don't you?" he asked, po-faced. "No one gets beyond this point without confirmation."

"I'm quite aware of that," I said with my face kept grim as he stared dubiously at me, "but I had asked Jimmy to let you know I was coming down," I stated guardedly, shielding my face away from his probing eyes.

"Jimmy!" he exclaimed indignantly, as if he had never heard the name before. "That stupid sod doesn't tell me who goes up or comes down. We had better check with the chief," he said firmly. My heart skipped a beat, and I was barely able to keep my expression from giving myself away.

He pushed me forward and into the guardroom just adjacent the elevator. A table with two telephone sets on it occupied the center of the small room. There were about eight monitors on low shelves by the wall on one side of the room, and the pictures on the screens were different sections of the underground laboratory. How thoughtful of the man to have kept monitors down there, I thought. Though, I wasn't surprised since I knew the greedy type he must be. Of course, the laboratory held all his wealth, and I reckoned that, to him, it would be a waste of time and effort to do the same along the corridors. Rather, he thought, the incompetent fools scattered around the island, who probably worked longer than they should, were enough to secure the villa. It was obvious that the security on the island had been exaggerated by Steve and the colonel. Perhaps they did that so they could obtain more funds from their sponsors. But why was the same dope passed on to me? I wondered.

The man ordered me to walk slowly round the table while he stood watching with his back to the opened door. He wore the same color of uniform the security men we had seen outside were wearing. He was heavily built; square-shouldered, with a shock of red-brown hair and was perhaps more than six feet tall. His age could be anywhere from twenty-six to thirty-six, and his neatly trimmed mustache ran down both sides of his chin to a well-cut beard. His face was the color of cold mutton fat, but he had a perfect set of teeth that were as white as polished porcelain. But for his eyes, he would have been somewhat handsome; they were so wide and cranky that an owl would have been glad to have them. He picked up the handset and was about dialing the numbers when Steve crept up behind him and placed his gun at the back of his head.

"Put the gun down," Steve said, but I didn't wait for him to do so. I snatched it from his hand, took the handset from his clammy palm, replaced it on its cradle, and as he was about turning round to look at Steve, I hit him hard on the head with the butt of his gun. He slumped down and flattened out on the floor.

"Did you have to do that?" Steve asked.

"We have no time," I replied curtly, as I jerked the telephone lines off the wall, shoved the man's inert body under the table, and locked the door. "Moreover," I went on, "the asshole almost made me jump out of my skin. And did you have to stay away that long?" I queried as we moved on.

"I had some trouble lifting the escape hatch; it had no handle at the other side," he returned.

I hated the idea of coming out of the elevator and deliberately walking into the guard's hand, but as we had no way of making our descent silent, Steve and I had decided before descending, that he would have to go through the lift's escape hatch and stay out of sight, then come down seconds later to spring a surprise on the guard as he had done. Well, I thought, as we approached the entrance of the laboratory, if he had succeeded in making that call, we would have been sunk.

I checked my wristwatch and realized that we had just less than seven minutes to do the job and also get back to the others. We knew valuable time had been lost and so needed to make extra haste, if we were to carry out the task within the time available. The smell of chemicals and something awfully unpleasant that reminded one of death hung heavily in the air as we stepped cautiously into the laboratory.

The laboratory consisted of a rectangular, main hall of about 1,500 square feet with three doors, which led to other rooms on either side of its length. The hall was well lit but extremely cold, and the smell of chemicals made breathing difficult. There were several Operating tables and some medical equipment arranged in a row, from one end of the hall to the other, and the objects on the tables, were covered with white sheets. I pulled one of the sheets back and almost threw up at the shocking sight. A young woman stared lifelessly at me. Though she was dead, her otherwise beautiful eyes were scared and held pleading. Her abdomen had been cut open and some of the organs neatly removed. I was dead sure they were removed while she was still alive, perhaps on a dose of anesthetic.

"Come on, Mike, help me with this damn door and stop fooling around with those things," Steve urged impatiently. I covered the body as I had found it and went instantly to give him a hand.

"Jesus!" I exclaimed. "How could they have done that to the poor girl?"

"Poor girl?" he returned dryly. "If only you had seen many of the things that had transpired in this country, this would have been the least to worry you," he stated bitterly. I shrugged my shoulders, still feeling clammy from the horrible sight.

I could see that he had already opened three of the doors and had planted explosive devices in the rooms while I was looking round the laboratory. It seemed he was also an expert in forcing locks. I guessed that must have been a vital recipe in their training for secret operations, but that particular door was proving difficult. He fiddled again for a moment with the thin strip of celluloid and succeeded in forcing it against the tongue of the lock. He levered it gently, then gave the door a sudden push, and it swung open with a thud against the wall.

The room was larger than the first three he had opened, and I reckoned it must be the largest of them all. It was the room that had brought many of his men to the island—and to their untimely and horrible deaths. Different sizes of glass tubes with human organs were arranged on long metal shelves which stood against the wall on one side of the room. Unlabeled cartons, which I believed contained extracts from the organs, lined another shelf on the opposite side, and on the third side of the room was a narrow door and low shelf with various laboratory and mechanical equipment, perhaps used for the extractions. The door led into another smaller room, which obviously was where they print the counterfeit notes .

The small printing machine stood at the center of the room while the plates were arranged on low metal shelves hedged against the wall, and at a corner of the room were stacks of wooden boxes. I brought one down and forced it open as Steve began to place the explosive devices at different parts of the room, mostly on the plates and the machine, as he had done in the room with the organs. The box was filled to the brim with piles of U.S. fifty-dollar bills, and I stood gaping as I stared into the opened box. I had never seen so much money in my whole life.

"Let's go, Mike," Steve said, touching my shoulder as he placed an explosive device on the bills.

"Do you have to do that?" I asked lamely, still gaping at the contents of the box.

"Forget it," he said tersely, "it's all phony."

"So what? We might just as well take one of the boxes," I returned, rather hopelessly.

"Help yourself then," he replied, grinning sarcastically as he left the room.

"Damn!" I exclaimed as I joined him. Hauling one of the boxes, I thought, while trying to escape from the island would be like trying to swim out of a fast-running river with an anvil tied to one's neck.

We had just entered into the elevator, having planted more explosives in the last two rooms, when the security alarm began to shrill above. The noise was everywhere and disturbing too; but the party hadn't started yet, I thought, smiling ruefully to myself. Steve had been very careful to be certain that nothing went wrong as he set the electronic detonators' timer at 300 seconds. The triumphant look on his face, while he strapped it to the handle of the laboratory doors, could only be imagined. And his smile told me that the unprecedented success had given him the greatest of satisfaction.

"Try to get back to the others," I said to Steve as we cautiously stepped out of the elevator. "That, I guess leads to Jimmy's cabin," I continued, pointing at the adjacent corridor. "If I could get there unspotted, I believe I should be able to cross over to the other wing, and hopefully, we shall all see one another at your station," I stated, grinning.

"Come on, Mike, there's no use taking further risks. Let's go the same way," Steve urged, genuinely concerned, and for the first time, the soft side of him showed completely.

"Thanks for your concern," I said, "but it's too late now to go back on the plan," I stated emphatically.

"There's no need to be foolhardy," he persisted. "The risk is enormous, and they should be everywhere by now looking for us."

"There must be some risk for any plan to be good enough," I returned. "Go and good luck," I said as I gave him a slight push. He looked into my eyes, took my hand, and shook it firmly.

"Thanks, buddy," he said, and then moved on, almost at a run.

I had almost reached the end of the corridor leading to the Jimmy's cubicle when gunshots echoed, and shortly afterward, the first explosion reverberated through the villa. I held my breath; the explosion didn't bother me as much as the gunshots did. Slovan was supposed to be held hostage and thereby provide a sort of shield for George and the rest, I thought, but the shots probably meant I had underestimated what I imagined would be an easy getaway for them.

I decided that Jimmy's door wasn't going to be a safe exit anymore as I felt that the events had taken another shape altogether. So I began to retrace my steps, and it was just as well that I did. Three men carrying submachine guns had stepped into the corridor, but I had seen them first and instantly ducked behind one of the columns of the building protruding into the corridor. My gun jumped into my hand, and my heart began to beat unevenly as beads of cold sweat suddenly broke out on my brow. I waited patiently with nervous anticipation, and after a while, I edged my face forward and found they had gone the other direction.

I quickened my step back the way Steve and I had come, but took a left turn at the end of the corridor and incidentally found another staircase on the right before the end of that corridor. I was puzzled to find the staircase there; however, I eventually took the stairs two at a time and as I did, I began to wonder if I would actually survive the quagmire I found myself. Maybe I should have gone with them as Steve had suggested. "Well, they say, no glory without guts," I said and grinned mirthlessly to myself. I was lucky to have gotten to the top landing without running into anyone, so I moved cautiously along the corridor facing the staircase.

The whole building shook continuously as the explosives went off, one after the other, and in the ensuing pandemonium, I didn't hear the drone of the helicopter, so I wondered what had happened to George and the rest. Contacting Steve with a three-way communication set, he, George, and I had kept secret, was out of the question. Lydia wasn't to know I was still alive, and if they had been caught, it would be a straight giveaway. I shuddered at the thought of them being caught, but one could not rule out such a possibility. I finally told myself that if I must get away from the island. Then I had to stop worrying about the others and concentrate on the task ahead.

I came to an abrupt stop as I saw that the corridor was cut off with steel bars. Though it had instantly dashed my hopes of crossing to the other side at that moment, I wasn't too surprised. If I hadn't found it like that, I would have wondered why the porter led us through Jimmy's door and not that way. I stood looking at the other side through the bars and wondered what else I could do. The spaces between the bars were so narrow that I was sure even my hands would barely squeeze through if I tried. And moreover, they might have had them wired, so I decided to keep my distance.

I was still examining the bars from a safe distance when I heard footsteps coming from an adjoining corridor, and in three quick strides, I made it to the nearest column and hid behind it. Once again, I drew out my gun from the holster, and in spite of its cold butt, my hand felt clammy. However, I needn't have been worried, for they had passed through to the opposite corridor. I was getting tired of the hide-and-seek game as I crouched down to regain my breath, when I looked up and found a square wire mesh at the ceiling, just by the end of the column. I stood up instantly, examined it, and reckoned it must be an air vent. It was slightly less than four feet square and was secured with four screws at the edges.

Without further hesitation, I took a retractable screwdriver from my fanny pack and extended it to the required length. Then, I unscrewed the flat blade and replaced it with a Philips head. Working with incredible swiftness, I had the four screws removed in a matter of seconds, and with a slight leap, I pushed the wire mesh inside. I brought out a strip of thin wire string, cutout about six feet in length, folded it, and held it between my lips. I then put the remaining string and screwdriver back in the bag and swung it through the opening. After satisfying myself that there was no one coming, I jumped up and caught the edge with hooked fingers, drew myself up, and with my legs hinged on the column for support, I crept easily into the vent.

The vent was as dark, dank, and as narrow as I had anticipated, though it was surprisingly high enough for me to move on all fours. To turn around in it was nearly impossible. I had to carefully move backward and over the opening, so I could put the mesh back in place. I sat on my heels as I knelt bending over the opening and working swiftly again. I passed the thin, wire string through the mesh and looped it at the center. Then I lowered it down gently through the opening and was about to adjust it to fit in at the edges when three uniformed guards moved into the corridor. I froze instantly, and my heart gave a sickening lurch. My back felt stiffened up as I stayed bent, staring at the men below and the weightless mesh suddenly felt heavier than a sledgehammer.

To be caught like that was unimaginable, as I couldn't have pulled out my gun without giving myself away, so I had to keep still and hope that none of them would look up. After lurking around for a few minutes, which seemed like hours to me, the men drifted away as unexpectedly as they had come into the corridor. That was a close one, I thought, as I took a deep breath and waited a minute or two before I edged my head through the opening to be certain they had gone. I lowered the mesh again, leveled it in place, and tied both ends of the string together across a bar just above my head. I pressed down lightly on it and was satisfied that it had been well secured.

The vent wasn't quite as cold as it seemed when I just entered it, and the dampness had only been around the opening. I decided it would be safer not to use my flashlight, so it took me a while to get used to the darkness. Though light filtered in through the mesh, it wasn't much but soon became helpful. I could feel it was made of solid iron sheets, but I decided not to take chances, so I had to move carefully and quietly too, since I knew how easily someone out in the corridor could notice a movement in it, and more so since there were lots of guards on prowl in the corridors now. I also decided to keep to the right, should I be lucky that the vent was linked to the annex building.