Laura 02 The God Code (22 page)

“What’s in the bag?” Laura asks as Victor places the bag down in front of her on his return.

“Some toys we will play with,” Victor answers as he zips the bag open. Feeling inside, he locates a small headlight with multiple light modes.

Victor activates the red night mode and dims the light down to allow them to just barely see, but not giving away their position. Searching further in the bag, he takes out a map and some wire cutters with a small black plastic pelican case. Unfolding the map, he locates their position on it, pointing to it with his finger.

“We are here; there is a secret tunnel exit over here. It is locked with a chain. The tunnel runs under the garden, and then splits into multiple side tunnels, leading to secret accesses in various buildings around the Vatican.” Victor traces the path on the map as he speaks.

“It is close to daybreak. I need you to go down the tunnel marked on the map. When you are inside the tunnel you can use the flashlight as there are no cameras in the tunnel. Follow the map, you will find a few security gates, locked with chains. I will show you how to open them. When you get to this point, you will find a large panel with a lot of wires. What I need you to do is cut all the wires shown on the schematics at the bottom of the map. Do not worry about being electrocuted; they are only fiber optic wires from the cameras in the garden. I will signal you over the radio when you need to cut them.” Victor takes two special long range encrypted two-way radios out of the bag, and gives one to Laura before continuing. “You okay with that?”

Laura nods then asks, “How can you be so calm about killing the Pope, he is a man of God?” There is sadness in her voice.

“If the Pope has ordered to have us killed over money, then he is not a man of GOD. Come, it is time.”

Victor leads Laura to the hidden entrance, which is covered with false bushes. Carefully he opens the black pelican case and removes a small thin metal pipe with a wire hanging from it.

“These are small high heat explosives. Place one into the bottom of the lock, and then light it and stand back.” Victor places the explosive in the keyhole of the lock on the gate as he speaks, then lights the fuse with a lighter from the bag. Laura stares in amazement as the fuse burns with a brilliant sparkle, reminding her of a Christmas long past spent with her parents when they bought her sparklers.

“You might want to stand clear,” Victor says as he pulls Laura back a few feet. As soon as the fuse burns out, there is a muffled puff, followed by smoke coming from the lock. Victor hands the flashlight to Laura, and then pulls on the bottom of the lock, which falls apart in his hand.

“Easy, you okay with using them?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, the light has a button on the top to cycle between flashlight and night mode, hold it in on any mode to dim the light or brighten it. As soon as you cut the wires, run back through the tunnels to the point where we landed in the garden, then hide in the bushes and wait for me.”

As soon as Victor gives her the instruction, he makes to leave but Laura hugs him, giving him a kiss, then says, “Please be careful.”

“Always”, is all Victor says as he disappears into the darkness. Laura activates the flashlight mode, lighting up the tunnel.

The bright light gives her some comfort in the darkness as she walks alone down the tunnel. Carefully she goes deeper into the tunnel, until she comes to the first gate. Blowing the lock with the explosives is far easier than she thought, and she reaches the control panel within 10 minutes.

“Victor, are you there?”

“Yes, how far are you in?”

“I am at the panel.”

“Good work, proud of you. Find a nice spot to rest. I will call you when you need to cut the wires. Daybreak is in about an hour and the Pope should be walking the garden about half an hour after that.”

“Are you in the position you need to be to talk to the Pope?”

“Yes.”

“Are there not cameras there?” Laura is a bit confused.

“Yes there are cameras here.”

“Will you not be detected?”

“Nope.”

“Then why do you need me to disable the cameras?”

“The cameras here cannot see in the dark, allowing me to enter at night, but not get out in daylight without being spotted. The feeds you are cutting are to the entire Vatican system, making it look like a full system crash, allowing us to get out unnoticed.”

Suddenly Victor freezes. Slowly he turns down the volume of the radio. He is sure he saw something move in the bushes just up the hill.

Victor notices the red light coming on, indicating Laura is sending a message. Victor skillfully watches the bushes, not moving a muscle, until the red light goes out. Slowly he lifts the radio to his mouth while still watching the bushes. Carefully he depresses the button on the radio to transmit, but does not speak. Now he can see it, two men moving into position right opposite him. So they do know he is coming, that can only mean one thing; there is a traitor amongst Jose’s men. The men must be snipers, ready to take him out when he approaches the Pope. Too late to turn around now.

“Laura, we have a slight complication, there are two snipers taking up position across from me,” Victor whispers. Slowly he turns the sound up slightly and presses the radio against his ear. Faintly, he can hear Laura responding.

“What are we going to do?”

“I will still be able to make it out around the back if you disable the cameras, but I do not know if there are snipers around the tunnel where you are. We cannot risk you being shot by one of them. I need you to trust me. You are going to be caught soon after cutting the wires. They will arrest you, and take all your stuff, do not resist, just work with them, you will be okay. If all works out and the Pope listens, you will soon be released. If not, I will come for you soon, trust me.”

“I’m going to be arrested?”

“Yes, but it is better than being shot by a sniper.”

“Why would the people arrest me and not also shoot me?”

“Because these snipers are not from the Pope’s security, they are here to kill me. You will be safe with the Pope’s security until I get to you.”

“And if you are killed?”

“Then have the Pope forgive you and release you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Give him the scrolls.”

“But I don’t have them or know where they are.”

“Show him the pendant I gave you, tell him it is where he lost it.”

“This is the Pope’s?” Laura asks, touching the pendant.

“Was, when he was a Cardinal. He lost it and I found it, now it is yours.”

“But I cannot keep it, I must give it back.”

“One day you will, when you trust the Pope with the scrolls.” Laura sits back against the wall, thinking of how it will feel being put in a jail. She hopes that the food is ok.

Victor thinks back about what Manco told him. Danger will find Laura, it is her destiny. And the warning, Laura on the ground with blood on her. No, it will not happen, it is only superstition. Or is it? Victor’s throat tightens, what if the Vatican security shoots her on sight? Focus Victor, focus, you have a job to do.

The rest of the time until sunrise goes by in silence. Victor watches the darkness being chased away by the light, and scans as much of the surrounding bush as he can, looking for more snipers or guards. Strange that they only send two, must be experts.

On the hill, Ernest and Sam make ready for the Pope’s arrival.

They have no idea that they are being watched by Andrea and her team. Her team had patched remotely into the Vatican security camera system before Laura and Victor arrived, using lock picking to open the locks Laura had blasted open. They had placed a remote sender on the cameras covering the garden, allowing them to keep watch for Victor and an eye on Ernest.

Laura is slowly falling asleep as she sits beneath the control box on the ground.

“Laura, it is almost time, are you ready?”

Victor watches the car pulling up next to the gates in front of him, there is no response from Laura. Slowly Victor pulls a specialized pistol out of the bag, and then loads it. Victor waits for the Pope to climb out and the guard to close the car door, before speaking again at the exact moment as the guard closes the door. “Laura!”

Laura wakes up with a shock and drops the radio and box with explosives on the ground, having placed them on her lap before falling asleep. Quickly she picks up the radio and replies while trying to pick up the small detonators that lay on the floor as the box opened when it dropped.

“I’m awake, I’m awake.”

“Morning Sexy. Cut the camera wires please,” Victor responds sweetly, knowing the toll all this must be taking on Laura. He is proud of all she has been through while still keeping it together.

“Morning Handsome. Okay, doing it right now.”

Laura does not know that while she is speaking, two guards are making their morning rounds in the tombs beneath the church. The tombs link up with the tunnel system, with a passage 10 feet from where Laura is.

Fabrizio and Gino slowly pace through the tombs. It is the graveyard shift as everyone calls it, checking the tombs. Not that anyone expects to find someone hiding there, but it has to be done. Suddenly Fabrizio stops, listening intently. He has been a guard at the Vatican for 30 years and is showing Gino the route, who is new at the Vatican, having been a personal guard for many Cardinals before being stationed at the Vatican. Laura starts cutting the feeds, and the cutting sound of the side cutters reverberates through the tunnel.

“Stay here, I am just going to check out something,” Fabrizio whispers to Gino, who shrugs his shoulders and goes to look at some of the pottery currently being excavated from the tombs.

Laura looks at the schematics again. She has cut four of the 25 cables she is supposed to cut, but counting them is a pain as there are a ton of cables. Finding the next one, she places the cutters over the wire and starts to cut.

“Put the cutters down, slowly.” The voice next to her makes her jump. Looking to her side she sees Fabrizio standing with his gun drawn, aiming at her.

The tunnel is illuminated by the headlamp on Laura’s head, set in flood mode. Slowly she raises her hands, and then holds the cutters out with her right hand. As Fabrizio’s eyes follow her hand, she switches the light off with her left hand and ducks down while jumping sideways, towards Fabrizio. Laura catches him squarely in the stomach with her shoulder, then, keeping contact with him in the dark, re-orientates herself to knee him in the groin. Fabrizio lets out a gasp, and Laura punches as hard as she can, aiming for where the sound came from.

After landing three punches, she quickly switches on the headlamp in spot mode, blinding Fabrizio with its 300 Lumens power spot. Fabrizio has dropped his gun and is kneeling on the ground, holding his groin. Laura gives him an uppercut to the face, and then quickly picks up the cutters and starts cutting every wire she can reach as fast as she can.

Suddenly Fabrizio tackles her from the side, taking her down and pinning her to the ground with his 200 pound mass. Laura covers her face, but Fabrizio punches her in the stomach, then grabs her by the arm and pulls her up. Laura is gasping for air, but manages to head-butt Fabrizio who falls backwards, his nose broken, blood gushing from it. Seeing the blood, Fabrizio goes bezerk and storms Laura, punching wildly. Laura neatly sidesteps him and kicks him in the back of the right leg from behind, causing him to crash into the wall. Victor’s training is paying off.

Fabrizio drags himself up against the wall, then spins around, hate in his eyes. He is about to storm at Laura again, but fear grips him; Laura is standing three feet away, pointing his gun at him.

“I am sorry that I hit you. I mean you no harm, but I have to do this. Move away from the box.”

Slowly Fabrizio moves away, and Laura picks up her side cutters again and starts cutting, keeping an eye on him. Laura is just busy cutting another wire, when her headlamp goes out, having been damaged in the fight.

Suddenly something hard hits her on the side of the head and Laura falls down, dizzy. Fabrizio switches on his flashlight that he used to hit Laura against the head with, which was attached to his belt. He looks down at Laura, lying on the floor, half dazed.

Quickly he picks up his gun and aims it at Laura’s head.

“You think by cutting a few wires you are going to save your boyfriend and the Pope? You are wrong. It changes nothing.”

“You knew we were coming?” Laura looks up at him, the gun returning her gaze.

“Of course, I am one of the few guards that helped plan the Pope’s murder. And now you will die, and be blamed as one of the people responsible for his death.” Fabrizio aims for between Laura’s eyes.

The shot rings out in the tunnel, filling every corner. Confused, Laura looks up at Fabrizio, half his head is blown away. Slowly his body drops to the ground, and his flashlight rolls down the tunnel a short distance. Laura is still dazed, but tries to go for the flashlight, but stops when someone down the tunnel turns on another flashlight, shining it onto her. Slowly the figure comes closer, stopping next to her.

“Are you okay?” Gino asks.

“My head hurts and I’m dizzy.”

“I do not know what is going on, but from what I heard it seems there is a plot to kill the Pope and you are trying to stop it, is that correct?”

“Yes, please help me,” Laura replies.

“What do you need?”

“Cut the wires in the box.”

“Why?” Gino asks skeptically.

“Because the people who are going to kill the Pope are using the security cameras to enable them to ambush the Pope and his security,” Laura lies, not knowing how accurate she actually is.

Gino is about to tell Laura that he does not believe her, when he sees something shiny hanging around her neck. What he sees makes him take a step closer. Is it what he thinks it is, can it be?

“Where did you get that pendant?”

“The man who is trying to protect the Pope gave it to me, he said if I am in trouble I must give it to the Pope, as it was his.”

“Okay, I will help, where are the side cutters you had?”