Fault Line (19 page)
Authors: Chris Ryan
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Action & Adventure, #General, #Juvenile Nonfiction, #Science & Nature, #Environmental Conservation & Protection
‘Why are you in the museum? It’s closed. There’s no one to find.’
‘There’s a party of schoolchildren. They were staying the night.’
Señora Marquez spoke for the first time. ‘I’m their teacher. From the Baron Bliss Memorial School.’
‘You’re not all from the Baron Bliss School,’ said the voice. ‘They don’t have any teachers who are English.’ The voice sounded dehumanized though the loudhailer.
Li gave Alex a desperate look. How were they going to explain who they were?
Alex had an inspiration. ‘We’re the backpackers who were on TV this evening . . . yesterday, I mean. We found the mask. In a tomb in the jungle. We were on the news.’ He looked at Li.
Silence. The light continued to shine from the corner of the sky like a pitiless, interrogating god. Li looked at Alex again. The police didn’t believe them. ‘Who was that woman who interviewed us?’ hissed Alex.
Li racked her brains. It came to her. She spoke out clearly so the policeman could hear her. ‘We were interviewed by Carmela Hernandez. Channel Five.’
Still silence. Then the voice barked out, ‘You! Put your hands up.’ The torch was directed at Alex.
Alex felt the beam like a searchlight on his body. He tried to remain calm. He put one hand up and raised the injured one as far as the sling would allow.
‘You’re the Indiana Jones guy who fought off the tomb robbers.’
Alex realized they were looking for his injury. ‘That’s right.’
The torch beam lowered and the voice became human. The loudhailer had been switched off. ‘You can put your hands down. That’s the high security area of the museum you’re in. Why are you down there?’
Alex called out, ‘We think we heard some of the children down here. We’re worried they might have hidden here and got trapped.’
‘There are injured people up there too,’ said Li. ‘Can you get medical help?’
‘We’ll do what we can,’ said the policeman. ‘But it’s chaos in the city. All the paramedics are busy. Shops are being looted. It’s a state of emergency. Now we know you’re here we’ll try and send people your way, but I don’t know how long it will be. Good luck.’ Footsteps crunched on the rubble as they receded.
They were alone again.
Señora Marquez let out her breath in a long, slow stream. ‘I don’t know how you guys knew what to do, but I think you saved our lives.’
Li looked at Alex. At least it sounded like the teacher trusted their judgement now. ‘I think we’ll be waiting a while before any official rescuers get here.’
‘It’s down to us then,’ said Alex. ‘Come on.’
‘You know, I’ve never liked confined spaces,’ said Hex. He had calmed down a little. His heart was no longer hammering like a bird trying to get out of his chest. He was going to be here for a while and he just had to accept it.
‘I hate them,’ said Susana. She spoke fast; anxiously. ‘I never use lifts. I never go in narrow spaces on digs.’
She looked awful. Her face was wet in the glow from the light stick, her breathing shallow.
‘What about the jungle?’ said Hex.
She snapped at him. ‘If you can’t think of something else to talk about, shut up.’
Hex felt like he’d been slapped. He knew he wasn’t good at small talk but he was only trying to make conversation to pass the time. He was about to answer back when a spasm crossed Susana’s face and she closed her eyes.
Something was wrong. She had opened her eyes again, but they were staring and her breathing was fast.
She rubbed them and sighed loudly. ‘Why don’t they get us out?’ She raised her voice to a shout. ‘Hello? Can anybody hear me?’
There was no reply. Only the drip, drip of sand.
Hex was no medic; he had only basic first aid skills. He knew when to get help and what to do until it arrived, nothing more. This looked serious. In any other situation he’d have kept her warm and still and got her an ambulance.
She fidgeted, then collapsed back with the effort, breathing fast.
‘Does it hurt?’ he said. He felt helpless.
She half closed her eyes. Was she trying to think how to accurately describe her symptoms or was she just irritated?
‘Have you got any water?’ she said. ‘I’m really thirsty.’
Hex shook his head. He couldn’t even do that for her. I’ve got to get her talking about something else, he thought. That’ll take her mind off it. Even if she doesn’t want to.
‘So you’re not with the school?’ he said.
The answer was snapped back at him. ‘No. I work here.’
‘What were you doing here?’
‘I was working late. I went to sleep in my office. I have a deadline.’ She moved and winced.
He remembered her then; coming out of her office as he climbed out of the dinosaur. If he hadn’t called to her, made her come out, she might have been OK.
‘Do something useful. Don’t just lie there. Try that thing of yours, that computer.’
Hex got out his palmtop. He knew there was no point – but perhaps there was a point, he thought. It might keep her happy. Plus, they had to fill the time until help arrived.
He powered up the little machine. Its screen cast a blue glow in the tiny space. It made the dinosaur bones around them more clear and real. He called up the e-mail program; it came up with the same message: no signal. The state-of-the-art machine was no more use than a games console. ‘No,’ he said. ‘There’s still nothing.’ He put it away again carefully.
Susana let out an exasperated sigh and shivered. ‘I’m parched. Have you got any water?’
Hex shook his head. She’d forgotten she’d just asked. It was a bit disturbing, as if her wiring had gone wrong.
All he had to do was keep her talking, keep her calm. Any minute now they might hear the chink-chink of pickaxes and then they could start getting out.
20 E
VACUATION
VACUATION
Li climbed the fire hose that Paulo had left. They’d retraced their steps to just beyond where they’d hidden from the police, got into a small utility room that housed the main fuse boxes – and found a situation that was depressingly familiar. Jagged pieces of masonry filling the corridor. No spaces to squeeze through, and no sign of any space beyond. It was impassable. They listened but they heard nothing, just shifting masonry, as constant as the creak of rigging on a ship. The only positive point was that they’d been able to turn off the electricity properly. But it wasn’t the rescue they were hoping for.
Li reached the top and began to thread the fire hose through the abseil harness. A sound made her pause.
A torch beam illuminated the front wall and there was a crunch of footsteps: someone was climbing through the hole.
The torch was too bright for Li to see who was holding it. The night vision goggles were still down at the bottom, with Alex and Señora Marquez. The light became steady, focused on the ground. Now the footsteps were coming towards her. She was about to call out but something about the figure made her skin prickle. It walked slowly, with assurance, as though completely used to that environment. Everyone else had been picking their way hesitantly. She saw a shadowy bulk. A man. A big man. He knew what he was doing and he moved with purpose.
A looter? Come to get the mask he’d seen on TV?
‘Hello,’ he called. His torch flashed over her, as if assessing her. Sizing her up to see how much trouble she’d be?
He loomed out of the darkness – a tall figure with a thick neck. Li moved her feet surreptitiously. How firm was it underfoot? If she had to do a throw on him would she end up in the pit too?
He stopped beside Li and looked down at the makeshift abseil gear in her hands. She was getting ready to strike when a piercing voice came from the doorway of the axe room.
‘Daddy!’
Beatriz was standing in the doorway with a light stick.
The man walked lightly across to her and picked her up in his strong arms. As he turned in the doorway there were more delighted shouts from the children in the room. Soon a scrum of small figures was attempting to hug him.
Li finished attaching the abseil harness, laughing quietly at herself. She was getting too jumpy.
Beatriz’s father helped Li haul the others out of the basement and into what remained of the lobby. Soon Alex was in the axe room, where Paulo and Amber gave him a warm welcome.
‘About time,’ said Amber, looking him up and down.
‘You lazy git,’ said Paulo, slapping him playfully on his good arm. ‘What have you been doing all this time? Having a lie down?’
‘Building up my strength, biding my time,’ grinned Alex.
But then it was back to work. There was still so much to be done. ‘Did you find anyone down there?’ said Paulo.
Li shook her head. ‘It’s blocked. We couldn’t get through.’
Alex took something out of his pocket. ‘I got this. It was on the wall in the utility room.’ He unfolded a big piece of paper.
Beatriz’s father knew what it was immediately. ‘Firemen’s plans.’
Alex nodded. ‘We should be able to find another way into those inaccessible places.’
‘Are we going, Daddy?’ Beatriz looked up at her father. ‘Did you bring the van?’
He ruffled her hair. ‘Yes, I did, and Mummy’s outside waiting.’ He turned to the four members of Alpha Force. ‘I’ve got a van with blankets and medical supplies. It’ll be a lot more comfortable and safer than staying in here.’
Paulo, Amber, Li and Alex looked at each other. ‘Great – let’s get organized. Are you from the emergency services?’
‘Not exactly. Sorry, I’d better introduce myself. I used to be a fireman. Now I always make sure I’ve got equipment for emergencies because you never know when a disaster will happen. My name’s Miguel.’
While they did the round of introductions, Li smiled to herself. Well that explained why he looked so comfortable walking into the wrecked building.
Señora Marquez had been quiet but she recognized the cue to swing into action. Clapping her hands for attention, she addressed the room in confident classroom tones. ‘Girls and boys, listen up. We’re going to be moving out of here so I want you to form a queue here by me.’
The children obediently lined up next to their teacher: Rosa, Gabriel, Pedro, Consuela, Beatriz, and two more who had recently been dug out – Sofia and Andreas. Vicente and Alejandro were out too; Paulo had been keeping a close eye on the boy and once he was warm and calm it was clear he was not injured.
Amber thought of the teacher under the rubble. ‘If you guys go with the evacuation I’ll stay with Señora Zapata, make sure she’s OK.’
Señora Marquez caught the mention of her colleague’s name and gave Amber a challenging look. Paulo took her elbow and said to her quietly, ‘Your colleague is injured and can’t get out, but we’re looking after her.’
She looked torn for a moment, then professionalism took over. She glanced at the group of children in front of her. ‘Are all the children you’ve freed here?’
Paulo admired her focus. She was doing her duty and putting the children first. Friends would have to wait until later.
‘Put your light stick in your right hand and hug the wall as you go along,’ called Miguel. The children were in a line, ready to embark on the tricky walk out of the building.
‘I’ll go first,’ said Li.
Miguel had been about to volunteer to lead the way, but something about Li’s confidence made him stand down. ‘I’ll bring up the rear,’ he said.
Li trained her torch on the ground at her feet and moved forwards. With the number of light sticks, the area was now bathed in a bright glow and Miguel could see what had been concealed when he came in with just a torch. All that was left of the floor was a ledge one metre wide. A lot of people would have been unnerved by the thought of being so close to a big drop but Li was walking along it as calmly as if it was a pavement on the edge of a road. It was a while since Miguel had worked in the fire service, but some of his colleagues had never achieved the level of coolness under pressure that he was seeing in Li.
And it was having a beneficial effect on everybody. Her certainty communicated itself to the rest of the party. Gabriel was right behind her, following quietly and sensibly. Then came Jose; then Rosa. Imelda followed her, then Sofia. Each child had an adult nearby to reassure them. Señora Marquez was next, followed by Consuela. Then came Alex, who was followed by Vicente. Paulo came after that, carrying Pedro because of his injured foot. Alejandro came next, and Andreas. Finally, Miguel brought up the rear, with Beatriz grasping his hand tightly.
Li’s torch skimmed over the ragged hole left by the girder. She peered through, then turned and took Gabriel’s hand. ‘Just climb through and wait on the other side.’
He climbed through and Li heard a woman’s voice greet him. One by one, Li ushered the children through the hole and out of the dangerous building. When it was Paulo’s turn, he lifted Pedro through and Jose helped him out on the other side.
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