Chapters (25)
To Max’s right was the stage, demolished by the explosion. Emerging from the rubble, however, were four figures. Max could tell that they were not terrorists. They were dressed in camouflage gear, with military helmets, protective goggles and respirator masks. They wore heavy tactical vests and backpacks with antennae pointing out. And they carried assault rifles, the butts pressed into their shoulders, the barrels scanning the room as the gunmen searched the chaos for targets. Red laser sights cut through the smoke. The SAS had arrived. They looked like killing machines.
Max couldn’t see Abby or Sami, but he could hear them. Over comms they were identifying two more teachers. It meant all the genuine teachers were accounted for. Lukas’s guy had to be the fake decoy. He had to be a target.
‘It’s him!’ Lukas shouted. Max could hear his voice, both over the comms and in real life. He could also see two members of the SAS peel away from the others and sprint towards where Lukas had pinned the target to the ground. As the soldiers closed in on him, the target started to struggle more violently. Lukas was holding down his right hand to stop him activating his kill switch, but that meant the terrorist could fight back more easily with the rest of his body. It almost looked as if he might overcome Lukas. But the SAS men were close now …
Max turned his head. He knew what they would do, and he had no desire to witness it. As he focused on the rest of the hall, he heard the suppressed thud of two rifle rounds in quick succession. He knew the decoy target did not pose a problem any more.
But T7 did. He was still alive, his suicide vest still active. He was somewhere in the hall. If he had activated his kill switch, he could detonate himself at any moment.
Max looked around. Surely his only sensible move was to find cover. To save himself from the explosion he knew must be seconds away. He couldn’t head to the kitchen exit – too many people crowded round it. His eyes fell on the demolished stage. If he ran there, he could take cover in the rubble. Like Sami, hiding under the pile of bricks on day one of selection. That was his best chance of survival. He took a step towards it …
But then Hector’s voice rang in his head. I knew your dad … He was always the first man in and the last man out … Brave to a fault.. What would he think if he knew that you were considering giving up now, when so many people’s lives are at risk, and they all depend on you?
Max halted. He looked over at the child hostages crowding round the exit. T7 had to be among them, on the point of detonating his suicide vest.
Somehow, he had to be stopped.