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They ran along the corridor to the cellar hole The bolt was rusted away, and they couldn’t secure the door Hoping their attackers were as stupid as they were bold, they dragged one of the mattresses out of a bunkroom and covered the ventilation hole in the floor in a makeshift pitfall Then they dashed back and secured the door leading directly into the hangar All was silent, but they had no illusions about their security It was obvious that the attackers didn’t want to da, but a feell-placed rockets or explosives could peel back the hangar’s metal walls like a sardine can

“Who are those guys?” Zavala said, trying to catch his breath

There was a sharp haar as if soreen eyes swept the hangar from one end to the other

“If I’m not mistaken, we’re about to find out”

31

THE SIEGE WAS ANNOUNCED with an ear-splitting explosion that echoed off every square inch of steel, as if the e bell Shards of hot etation rained down froar A patch of daylight opened, but the thick cushion of vegetation and earth that had grown up around the hangar over the decades had dampened the explosion

Austin looked up at the ragged hole and said, “They’re ai to spook us”

“They’re doing a good job,” Zavala said “I’m spooked”

In fact, Zavala looked anything but spooked He would have retired fro before if he succumbed easily to panic His eyes cal that would give thee

The reverberations fro on the steel door at the rear of the hangar

“So much for our pitfall,” Austin said

They raced behind the plane and grabbed tool chests, benches, and storage lockers, anything they could ainst the door The makeshift barricade would stall determined attackers only a few ar, where the main firepower appeared to be concentrated As they darted under the plane’s fuselage Zavala glanced up at the jet engines The yawning black exhausts protruding fro reserabbed Austin by the arm

“Look, Kurt, those jets are pointed right at the rear wall If we got the engines started, we could give those guys co in the back door a elcome”

Austin cally oblivious to the steady thuar He stood in front of the plane, where the wing’s thin edge caazed up at the cockpit

“Even if we soo Maybe I’ve got a better idea,” he said thoughtfully