Chapter 35 - The Breach from Above
We moved rapidly along the narrow, moss-slicked ledge. I carried Evelyn against my chest, the portable oxygen pump strapped to my shoulders, its steady hiss matching the cadence of my ragged breathing. Sarah led the way, holding Lily firmly by the hand, her flashlight beam cutting through the thick mist rising from the rushing water.
Behind us, boots hit the concrete floor of the vault above. Shouts echoed down the vertical shaft.
"They're down in the drainage conduit! Deploy the submersible units! Cut the power to the lower sector!"
Suddenly, the dim orange safety bulbs lining the aqueduct hummed and died, plunging us into total, suffocating darkness. The only illumination came from the narrow white beam of my flashlight bouncing off the wet stone.
"Julian! Look out!" Sarah cried.
From the darkness above the water, three red laser dots danced across the tunnel wall ahead of us. The syndicate hadn't just brought foot soldiers down the hatch; they had deployed a tactical strike team via the lower storm drains to cut off our exit.
Gunfire ripped through the cavernous space. Bullets sparked violently against the granite bricks, sending stone chips flying into the water. I threw myself against the wall, shielding Evelyn with my body, while Sarah shoved Lily behind a heavy iron intake valve.
I returned fire blindly, squeezing off three controlled bursts toward the muzzle flashes forty yards ahead. A scream echoed over the sound of rushing water, followed by a heavy splash as one of the ambushers fell into the torrent.
"We can't fight through them in the open!" I yelled, reloading my sidearm. "Evelyn's oxygen line is tangling! Her saturation levels are dropping!"
The cardiac monitor on Evelyn’s harness began to emit an erratic, rapid chirp. Her little hands clawed weakly at the air, her lips tinged with an ominous blue hue.
"The secondary pressure valve!" Sarah shouted, pointing toward a massive wheel rusted into the wall beside her. "It controls the high-pressure overflow from the reservoir! If we breach it, the backwash will sweep their position clear!"
"It'll sweep us into the lower rapids too!" I shouted back.
May you like
"Then we ride the rapids!" Sarah yelled, her eyes flashing with desperate resolve. "Julian, hold our daughters!"
***
