Chapter Three
"No," Steve confirmed. "They definitely do not tick. It's either a booby trap that would've gone off when you opened that safe -"
"Or a bomb on a timer that started counting down when I opened the first safe," Jaime concluded. Steve was more than impressed. Oscar had been right; she really did know the ropes.
"In either case," Steve said, "Our window of time just got a lot smaller." Their eyes met briefly to acknowledge the new sense of danger, and Steve was sure he saw something else there, as well. Could it be...recognition? They didn't have time to explore it now. "How good are your legs?"
Jaime shrugged. "Where you can jump, I can jump."
"I'm gonna jump all four lasers at once," Steve told her. "Once I'm across, you jump the same distance at exactly the same angle."
"Gotcha."
"Steve sized up the difference once more and made the jump.He turned around and pointed to the spot Jaime needed to hit. A couple of seconds later she was across and looked up at him, still calm and rock-steady. "Onward!" she exclaimed. "Let's go get number three."
They retrieved the next three modules smoothly, with near-perfect teamwork. Jaime looked at Steve questioningly after the fifth module. They were so in sync that she had to ask: "Have we worked together before?"
"Let's get number six and get the hell outta here," Steve told her. "That'll give us tonight and most of tomorrow to talk before the plane comes. Whatever you need or want to talk about. Ok?"
"Deal."
The last two safes were in the same one-room outbuilding. Once they'd alluded the guards and were standing just inside the door, their reations were once again in perfect unison. "Oh, damnit!"
The entire room was filled with lasers. These appeared to be different, stronger, and Jaime could see them too. There would be no jumping over or ducking under this time. They'd need a solid plan to get to the correct safe on the first try, preferably with both of them still in one piece.
Steve looked at Jaime, who was deep in thought. "Can you hear anything? From either safe?"
"Sh-h-h-h..." After a few seconds of silence, she grew very serious, very quickly. "The one on the left is ticking, and it's ticking fast. We're almost out of time." She thought quickly. "Steve - I'm gonna make this door a little bigger. How's your aim?"
"Good as it gets."
"Ok. As soon as I get the hole big enough, you get the dumpster - the bigger one, by the fence - and roll it to the hole. When I tell you, when we're about to have fireworks, roll the dumpster as close as you can get it to the front of the right-hand safe. We'll take cover to the right of the building. The force of the explosion from the left will hopefully throw the dumpster into the safe, and the dumpster the safe and it's contents should fly our way when the building comes down."
"Lady, you are good!"
"We don't know that yet, but it's the only thing we have time to try. Let's go!"
She removed a good-sized portion of the wall then turned. "Steve! We're outta time. Aim and push from there, and run!"
Steve zeroed in with the precision only a bionic eye could provide, applied what he hoped was the right amount of force and pushed. At almost the same instant the pair dove for cover, the entire building blew into pieces that flew in every direction. When the dust settled, seven or eight guards in various states of unconciousness lay amid the rubble. Steve realized the two of them had ended up more than side by side; he was lying with one arm and most of his chest protectively covering Jaime's body. He rolled off of her and she raised her head to look at him, grinning broadly. In her hand...the sixth detonation module.
"Guess I AM good," she said lightly. She looked into his eyes and once again felt a recognition, a familiarity she just couldn't place. "And so are you."
