Milwaukee Deep

Time remaining…18:21:46

“Get them back on the phone!” Harding called out to Agent Pearce.

“Yes, Sir,” came the reply as Pearce scurried over to his station and put his headset back on.

Cheapers ran up to Harding.

“Okay we’ve got all of line A signed off. The last of the trains was sitting just after Rockaway Boulevard and there’s no sign of the weapon on any of the trains from Inwood-207 Street all the way to the end of the line. I’m just waiting for a call from a Lieutenant Eric Tunbridge to give me a status update on one of the trains sitting on line C.”

“And where’s that?” Harding asked.

“It’s stationed at Cathedral Parkway,” replied Cheapers.

“Okay, get him on the phone – once he’s signed off, then all we’ve got is Sergeant Turner and his crew at 86th Street and a Colonel Matheson and his team at Lafayette Avenue.”

“Sir, I’ve got Sergeant Turner back on the line!” called out Agent Pearce.

Harding rushed over to Pearce and pulled his headset off and placed it to his ear.

“What’s your status, Sergeant?” Harding asked immediately.

“We’ve got it.”

“Could you repeat that?”

“That’s right – it’s here – we’ve found the weapon. It’s sitting under a seat – I’ve got the bomb squad on its way.”

“Oh thank God!” Harding called out as he turned to the ceiling, “Sergeant,” he refocused quickly, “Do you know how much time is left – have you opened the casing?”

“Negative. All I’ve done is confirmed its location and called in the bomb squad.”

“Okay, good work. Wait there, until they arrive. I’ll leave now and meet you there in just less than 15 minutes.”

“Very well, Agent Harding, I’ll see you when you get here.”

Lying on his back, his eyes slightly opened, Robert Matner watched as the icy walls of the corridor rolled past him. He was still very groggy from the injection into his chest - the cold air now having little effect as he lay there naked on the gurney awaiting his fate.

As they reached the outer hanger, they slowly moved him into position.

Matner watched as the transport ship pulled up to the holding dock.

“What’s going on?” he asked out loud. To the heavens, to himself to his dark captors.

There was no response. Not even the shrill squeal he’d come to interpret as a reprimand. Their focus was elsewhere.

Slowly the gurney moved towards the ship.

Matner closed his eyes as the two near him howled at each other – their cries piercing his ears.

As the transport ship approached, Matner felt a sudden shift in the floor.

The entire hanger began to shake - a large piece of ice that hung from the ceiling came crashing down, just yards away from where Matner lay.

As it crashed into the ground the sound of a piercing siren rang out – the entire ship was under emergency alert, as again another sudden shift occurred, this time causing the hanger to dip dramatically to the right.

Matner held on tightly as his gurney rolled out of control towards the icy wall, knocking him off – the prisoner landing hard on the cold, wet floor.

As he raised his head slowly, Matner turned around and saw one of them lying very still under a block of ice, while the other scurried off down the icy corridor, back from where it came.

With all of his might, Matner pushed the gurney off his legs and slowly sat up.

The shaking had finally stopped.

The alarm continued to blare.

Matner was now alone in the icy hanger.