Tusker looked over at Roland, who was banging on the outer hatch of his chamber, shouting in Dutch. He paced around the chamber, squeezing his nose and crying in agony. Tusker knew what was going to happen. Rausing stepped back from the porthole and nodded to his left. There was a hiss. Tusker grabbed Sam and held his hand over her eyes. “Don’t watch!” he whispered to her loudly. But Tusker couldn’t look away.

There was a piercing scream, unlike anything human or animal that Tusker had ever heard. Then a loud pop. Then silence. Pink-tinged pulp covered the porthole to the adjoining chamber. Tusker closed his eyes before he could see it drip.

“Mercifully fast, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Tusk?” Rausing was back on the intercom, peering in. His face was almost expressionless but there was something there—satisfaction? Pleasure? “Now, I regret to say, I fear that you and Ms. de Silva here may know too much as well. Like I said about leaks… Now which one of you will pop first?” He smiled.

Tusker felt his resolve and his energy drain away, sad that Rausing’s face might be the last thing he would see, sad that he’d gotten Sam into this mess. Where was that limpet mine? He instinctively glanced at his wrist, then remembered his watch was gone. Had he set the mine incorrectly? It had to have been 30 minutes by now!

Rausing saw Tusker’s gesture. An odd moment to check the time… Something dawned on him and he cocked his head. At that moment, a technician ran up behind Rausing.

“What is it?” Rausing hissed, visibly annoyed. The man whispered something in his ear. Rausing pulled back, confused, then looked in at Tusker. His eyes blazed. Behind him, a siren started to blare. Technicians were running past in the corridor. Rausing scowled and vanished from the porthole.

Tusker turned to Sam. “The limpet mine. I set it for 30 minutes and attached it to the bomb.” Sam’s eyes got big.

“But how do we…” she started. Tusker was already running across the chamber.

“Over here, quick!” he called to Sam. “It’s a long shot, but our only one.”

There was a small hatch at the top of a ladder in the corner of the chamber. A series of switches, lights and gauges glowed below it on the bulkhead, with a plaque that read, SPHLB. Tusker surveyed the bank of switches, then flipped on the one labeled Equalize. He watched the gauge’s needle rise. When it neared ten atmospheres, it slowed and then stopped. A green light flashed on. He turned to Sam.