control console. He glanced around as Milo entered, and he shot him in the head.
He had no clue how to turn off the power, and he didn’t have the time. He stood, legs braced, and blasted a continuous stream of bullets into the console. There was a small explosion and then the whole thing went up in flames. He shot some more, and all around him the hum of the generators went silent.
He ran to the door and looked out. The building was in darkness.
Dr. Yang was still huddled on the ground. He went across and dragged her to her feet. “Take me to her.”
She tried to pull away and he tightened his grip.
“I don’t know what’s happening,” she mumbled. “Who are you? What are you?”
“We don’t have time for this. Where is Destiny?” He gave her a little shake. “Do you know?”
She licked her lips and then nodded. “She’ll be in the medical center. It’s on the third floor.”
He pushed her in front of him. “Lead the way.” This place was going to be swarming with guards any moment now, and he’d rather be gone before they got there. He needed to find Destiny. What if he was too late and they’d already started the operation? And he’d cut the power and she was lying cut open on an operating table.
He blanked the graphic picture from his mind. He’d taken a calculated risk. He had to believe she was still alive.
Already the sound of booted feet was approaching from the front of the building. He followed Dr. Yang in the opposite direction. She took him through a side door that led into a hallway and then through another doorway and into a stairwell. Inside, the darkness was complete, and he raised his wand and whispered a spell. Light flared from the tip.
She’d said the third floor. Without waiting for her to lead the way, he took the stairs two at a time. At the third floor, he found the medical center and he kicked open the door, then stood for a moment, deciding where to go. The sound of raised voices drifted down from a room at the far end and he hurried, pistol held out in front of him. Slowly, he pushed open the door. The small room inside was empty, but the voices were louder, and he crossed the room to a door in the far wall. Through the glass door he could see a dim light moving about.
He pushed open the door and raised his wand, taking in the room in a moment. Two gurneys. Three people were crowded around the closest. One of them held a torch, they were working frantically over a body. He saw immediately it was Kinross, and his heart stuttered as he forced his gaze to the other gurney, dreading what he might see.
Destiny lay on her back. She was clearly unconscious, and he forced his gaze down over her body. His legs almost gave way. They hadn’t cut her open. She appeared to be in one piece, just a needle inserted into her arm, attached to an IV.
One of the men looked up. “You can’t be here,” he said. “This is a sterile room. You must leave.”
“Fuck off,” he growled.
At that moment, the lights flickered on. They must have got some sort of backup system up and running. Time to get out of there. He tucked his wand into his belt, kept his pistol in his hand, and crossed the short space to Destiny. Her hands were cuffed together in front of her. He pulled the needle from her arm and then scooped her up in his arms.
He passed close to the other gurney. Kinross. They were sewing him back up. At a guess they must have just cut him open when the lights went off. Maybe he should have waited a few minutes longer until they had cut out the bastard’s heart. He aimed the pistol. No way could Kinross be allowed to live. But at that moment the door opened. He swung around, raising the pistol and aiming it at the man who stood in the doorway. Silas Wynch, and his gun was trained on Milo.
For a moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. Milo’s finger tightened on the trigger.
Then Silas lowered his weapon. “Get out of here.”
Milo cast a last look at Kinross. There would be another time. Then he hurried from the room, past Silas. Dr Yang stood by the stairwell. “Is she alive?”