She gulped in air and tried to stop crying. Okay. Her hand shook. She wiped her face. Deke was right. “I need the security feeds.”
Deke took her arm while bringing the phone to his ear. “Ivan? Hugh just got taken from the power plant. Hack into any and all cameras and track him. If you need satellites, contact General Boseman. Nora has the number.” He clicked off. “We’ll get Hugh back. I promise.”
She wiped more tears away and ran back to the computer room. “I can go in reverse with the security feed from right now and track that guy. The one who shot Hugh.” She sat and started typing, bringing up video. How badly had Hugh been shot? It seemed like there had been a lot of blood. God. Was he okay? Why had they taken him? It had to be for information about this mess or even other nuclear power plants.
Deke leaned over to see over her shoulder. “Keep going.”
They watched the video in reverse, switching camera angles every few minutes.
“Wait. There.” Deke pointed to the screen. “Slow down.”
Ellie slowed the video and then stopped breathing. Yusef had entered one of the other buildings, climbed stairs, and stood over huge pools of nearly luminous blue waste. It was oddly compelling. “Hugh was right. Isn’t that the spent fuel?”
Deke straightened. “Yeah, and that’s a bomb.” He breathed out and moved for the door. “Keep watching and make sure they didn’t plant any other explosives. Let me know as soon as you do.”
Ellie glanced up, her body chilled beyond cold. “What are you going to do?”
Deke shoved open the door. “Find Connor and figure out how to defuse this bomb.” He grimaced. “I don’t know shit about explosives.” Then he disappeared down the corridors.
Ellie turned back to the video. There couldn’t be any more explosives. Right?
She traced Yusef’s movements from the time he’d arrived at the facility until he’d taken Hugh. Her heart sped up as she watched the feed of Yusef meticulously planting two big bundles of explosives around the nearly luminous blue waste pools, just like Hugh had predicted. The bomber had worked alone.
Then her breathing just up and stopped when he planted a third bomb behind what looked like a bunch of equipment above the pool.
Then he exited and made his way to the computer room, where he’d run into Hugh.
God. She had to tell Deke about the third explosive. She launched herself at the door, ripped it open, and barreled right into Hugh.
She bounced back, and he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. “Hugh.” She jumped right back into his warmth, her chest bursting. “God. You’re okay.” Tears pricked her eyes. Wait a minute. She leaned back and grabbed his right arm. He’d tied what looked like a bunch of rope around the wound, and it was already turning red.
His eyes were clear, though. “I’m okay. You?” He almost frantically ran his good hand down her arm.
“Yes.” She gulped, finally getting centered at seeing him standing in one piece. “You’re okay. I wanted to come get you—”
“There’s at least one bomb.” He kissed her quickly on the forehead and tried to push her toward the exit. “I’ll go find it. Get to the car.”
Not a chance. She grabbed his hand and started running down the hallway toward the facility containing the waste storage. “He planted three explosives in boxes with locks, and one is hidden. We have to get to Deke.”
“Shit.” Hugh took the lead, running through hallways and down corridors, outside, and to the storage facility. He led her inside and up two flights of steel stairs.
He paused at seeing Deke and Connor hunched over a box next to another box with the pools below them, bright and blue. “How bad is it?”
Deke glanced up. “Shit if I know. It has a combination lock. We could break it open, but I don’t know how volatile this thing is. You?”
Hugh edged forward and crouched to check out the bomb. He gingerly grasped it.
“Whoa,” Connor said, standing to his full height. “What if you joggle it or something?”
Hugh lifted the box and looked under it. “We’re good. There has to be a timer or a detonator that they’ll hit as soon as they’re out of range, and I can’t see how much time we have. But they should be to safety already, so any second this could go off. Grab the other one.”
Deke shrugged and gingerly grasped the box, holding his breath.
“There’s a third box.” Ellie ran around the equipment and grasped the final box. Her hands were shaking. “What now?” She backed away from the giant blue pool of death.
“This way.” Hugh turned and jogged around the railing back the way they’d come. “It’s plastic explosives. Won’t go off if you run. So fucking run.” He launched into a faster movement.
Ellie held her breath and ran after Deke, her heart thundering. She had a damn bomb in her hands. This was insane. The air whooshed out of her and she sucked more in, conscious of Connor on her right.
