I am descended from French-Canadian circus performers. My backup plan, should the US go to hell in a handbasket, is to run away to Canada and live the rest of my days as a bearded lady. Three meals a day, a job with travel, and benefits, what more could a person want?

**Aujour'hui ma vie c'est d'la marde, Lisa LeBlanc**

Danny was about to notify Sargent Mulroney when the other man stood up and approached the table where Michener and William had been talking intently, clearly enjoying the chance to hash out policy with other experienced minds. "Your Grace, Mr. President. I must interrupt your meeting to inform you that our guards at the East entrance believe they are being watched."

As William rose to his feet the RCMP men shot to their's as well. "Unfortunately, I believe this concludes the diplomatic portion of our meeting President Michener." Michener looked bewildered but he stuck his hand forward and shook anyway as the soldiers formed a protective phalanx around the two leaders.

The King left the table and all the equipment as he quickly strode East, toward the Canadian end of the tunnel. "We were afraid this might happen so we do have safe room. Mulroney, please lead."

Mulroney barked orders to his men and then waved the Americans toward the Canadian side of the tunnel. "This way. We'll lead." The RCMP group moved fast. Clearly they had practiced this kind of thing before. "Quick and quiet lads. You know how sound carries in these tubes."

Tex and Betty Li immediately flanked Michener's elbows and Danny took the point. "Civies behind the President, Simpson-Slattery's team can cover the rear, and Cruz, get some imaging going behind us." They jogged lightly and Danny listened intently for Mason's signal. It seemed like it had been far more than a minute since he had status. They passed the horses and the Duchess's personal guards brought the two royals into the shield formed by the RCMP men. A few of the men in the lead had night vision glasses but otherwise they were all walking practically blind except for a few small points of light on the pavement.

For a few moments there was only the tromping of boots echoing off the tile walls. Did he miss the clicks? His ears strained to hear his mic over the sound of marching. Out of the darkness he caught up to Mulroney opening a door hidden in the wall. Even if they were looking for it, Danny wasn't sure he would have noticed it. There was no sign or markings at all, just a small stainless steel piece of metal about the size of a playing card at the height where a doorknob should be. As they waited, Mulroney pulled out an access card and held it to the metal panel. A tiny green LED flashed and the door opened. Yellow sulfur emergency lights flickered on and flooded out into the road.

"Hurry, it gives an alarm if it's open more than a few minutes at a time." Danny could see a steep set of concrete stairs, almost a ladder really, with orange pipes for handrails leading somewhere upward.

The Duchess' personal guard went first, and then Mulroney held out his hands for the little Prince. Danny saw the look of sorrow exchanged between Catherine and Will as she handed over the boy to Mulroney. "You should come now." She said softly. "It's your duty to survive."

Will shook his head. "It's his duty to survive." He nodded toward his sleeping son, rapidly disappearing up the steps with Mulroney. "It's mine to protect our country." Danny had facilitated many evacuations from fighting areas and natural disasters. And when things got harried you could almost never predict who would seek to save themselves first. As he stood on the other side of the doorway from William he remembered Kara pleading with him to just drive the boat. He felt a wave a shame now, as he had when they'd come back to shore then. He could see now, that unlike William's dedication to his country, he had been selfish.

He heard some commotion over his earpiece. "Got them, heading back." Burk's voice sounded in his ear. Danny quietly instructed him to keep going past the meeting site. "Wolf and I will be on the left." The last of the civilians had climbed the steps and now half of the RCMP men were following. Danny nodded to Simpson-Slattery. "Start talking to Mulroney as soon as you're safe."

"Yes sir." Garth let his team pass before him and then followed them up the stairs.

"How many coming behind?" William asked.

Startled to be addressed directly, Danny stammered. "Ah, Ah, 4"

Just then he heard a blast. "Shit!" It was Burk. "I think they just blasted the entrance open Green."

"Just hustle, damn it!", Kara would never forgive him if Burk or Alicia were injured, or worse, on his watch. His adrenaline surged and his eyes strained out into the dark as he willed them to run faster. Who the heck was hassling them and how had they known where to find them? They had been deliberately circumspect on their plans for Detroit when they left Ann Arbor. But the plan had been to have this meeting in the morning and then open up someplace called The Joe to spread the cure in the afternoon. He had no idea how anyone could have known about this part.

An agonizing minute passed before Burk huffed "Entering Canada."

Danny felt a distant rumble through his feet. Shit, had they cleared enough of the entrance to drive in. "Hurry!" William called out into the darkness. Apparently he heard it too. He could hear something like a semitruck or heavy equipment coming toward them and there was the faintest glimmer of light reflecting along the walls of the tunnel.

The four of them emerged at full speed. "Who ever they were sir, they showed up organized." Alicia shouted as they leapt up the curb and into the open door. Danny and Wolf waved them into the doorway and they began to climb the steep steps without even a moment's pause. It wasn't until after Danny had shoved William in front of him and jerked the door closed that he realized he'd probably just broken about 20 international protocols. As they stood on the landing waiting their turn, they heard several large vehicles rush by. They had just made it in time.

"Uh, Sorry?" He said to William, unsure of what to say. Despite the fact that his life was filled with protocol, it was an entirely different kind.

But William just gave a curt dip of his chin. "Thank you lieutenant for your quick thinking." He turned and ascended the steps with an easy athleticism. Danny noticed that a second set of steps led downward beneath the ones they were on, but he couldn't see where they led as he jogged upward.

He was the last to enter the saferoom. It was probably about 30 by 30 feet, he estimated, and with this many people carrying packs and guns, quite crowded. He had been fine out in the tunnel where there was the wide open ceiling, but now he broke out in a sweat, despite the clammy tunnel air, as the walls seemed to close in a little. The only furniture was a row of locked cabinets along the back wall. There were no other exits other than the way they came in. Betty and Tex were taking Michener to the corner farthest from the door and four RCMP men were doing the same with the Duchess and Prince, but instead of taking cover, the King was issuing orders.

"Seal the inner door. Have you alerted the extraction team?" William addressed Mulroney. Seal the door? Danny felt a little out of breath at the thought of being trapped inside.

Mulroney's face was red and angry. "I did, and they advised us to stay put." He jerked his head to where a red phone hung on the wall next to the cabinets. "But the person who answered didn't provide the right safecode and the phone line was cut immediately after."

"What is this place?" Burk and Wolf came to stand at Danny's elbows. He was glad they were there. They needed to decide what to do and they needed to do it now. Because one thing was for sure, Danny had no intention of sitting here waiting for someone to come pitch a grenade up the stairs.

Mulroney obliged them. "It's a saferoom created for the tunnel workers. When they built the tunnels they used a new construction method that involved floating sections out and sinking them. Then they had to drain the water and seal the sections together. In order to convince the workers, most of whom couldn't swim, to come in here and finish the interior, they built these rooms. Originally there was one in each section of the tunnel. They are airtight so if the tunnels flood, they should be self contained until divers can come rescue the occupants." He pointed at a hatch on the ceiling that reminded Danny of his one and only two night stay on a submarine.

Simpson-Slattery nudged Danny's elbow with a rolled sheaf of papers. "But they aren't on the plans? I studied them ahead of time."

"Nope." Mulroney agreed. "They were supposed to be removed after construction but Canada decided to keep one. It cost less than removing it." Mulroney lifted his hat and ran a hand through his thinning reddish hair. "I only knew about it because my Dad drove the tunnel bus for thirty years. But that's neither here nor there now. We are safe, until they find us. And if they were here looking for us, I think time is of the essence for escape."

"Agreed." Danny nodded to Simpson-Slattery who unrolled a set of plans. "Let's figure out our options. What's in those cabinets?

Mulroney glanced toward the wall of cabinets. "Dive gear and some emergency supplies like first aid and water. But there's not enough gear for this many and the water above is far too cold with too many ice floes." Danny glanced around at the groupings of nervous people. Even some of the steadiest members of his group, Granderson and Cruz, looked a little shaken. A few of the civilians were crying, and the Duchess was nervously biting her lips and pacing.

"Can we cross to the westbound tunnels and escape that way?" Danny suggested.

"We could. There are five cross connection passages." Simpson-Slattery frowned down at the plans. He didn't point them out or elaborate.

Danny considered Garth's history. He was smart and very capable. But he'd also been serving under Velasquez who, as far as Danny could tell, was a very top down kind of guy. He tried to project the stern but respectful voice Chandler used with his lieutenants and chiefs. "If there's a reason you think it's a bad idea, I need to know soldier."

Garth glanced up from under his brows, surprise written all over his face. "Well, they know what side we are on and that we are near the middle so it would be relatively easy for them to stake out the closest crossings."

Danny smiled reassuringly. "Good point."

Will tapped their approximate location on the plans Garth was holding. "Where do the stairs that went below lead?"

Garth shuffled his papers to bring a cross section to the top. "I assume they are an access point to the under tunnel. The road deck is built kind of like a bridge. Underneath is a space for fresh air to enter. There are some fans, but mostly it's just a big conduit." Mulroney nodded his agreement.

Danny was beginning to get an idea. "How tall is it supposed to be?" He met William's eye across the circle of men. He had a feeling the other man had been thinking the same thing.

"Ah." Simpson-Slattery squinted at the plans. "Looks like about six feet in the very center. So taller men, like yourself, ah, Sir, and myself will have to duck. But most can walk normally except where there is other infrastructure."

"And the outlet?" William raised his brows.

"Well, if we keep going to the Canadian side we come up in a utility building behind the custom's offices. On the US side the conduits end in large grates in the median." Neither was a great option but it sounded like it might be the only option they were going to get. Danny studied the plans for a minute, trying to decide if he should recommend trying it.

"What if we go down into the lower tunnel and cut behind them, then move up to this cross point and go over to the other tunnel? Then we can move quickly to the end, back into the lower tunnel, and exit behind the custom's building?"

Going out in the roadway would likely be suicide given that they didn't have any kind of cover. If it had been just a group of trained men he would have gone for it. But it would be almost as bad to emerge at one end and be captured or shot down along with a bunch of civilians. Besides, he still didn't know the level of threat that this group posed, only that there were a lot of boots on the ground out there. For once, he wished he wasn't in command right now.

Mulroney was nodding to a strategy William was describing but Danny realized that Michener was looking to him to suggest a solution. He felt the burden of leadership crowding in on him along with the 75 feet of water above the tunnel ceiling. If he made the wrong suggestion he'd not only look stupid in front of two world leaders, he'd endanger civilians. Wolf leaned in and spoke quietly. "For what it's worth, those conduits, with all their equipment, could be more defensible than this position anyways. We could go down there and then send an expeditionary group forward. You, me, Cruz and a few of the Canadian guys could go with the rest to guard the rear." It was a good suggestion and Danny was grateful for the his willingness to share his insight.

Relieved that he wasn't crazy for wanting out of the confined space he pursed his lips. "I like that." He turned back to the group. "Senior Chief Taylor is suggesting that we move the group into the tunnels and then send a small party forward to clear the way and leave a small rear guard behind us. What do you think Mulroney?"

Mulroney chewed on his inner lip for a moment. "I think it's the best we can do. I'd suggest leapfrogging, 200 yards at a time."

William looked to Catherine for a moment but finally he sighed. "I agree. We think we know who these people are and they are very capable. We need to avoid them at all costs."

"It's settled. We'll ready our people." Danny looked over his group. "We're going to the Canadian side so how about Mulroney's team runs point with Simpson-Slattery's to follow. Burk and I will run forward and back positions on the VIPs and their personal guards. Granderson and Mason can lead the civilians sandwiched in the middle. Senior Chief Taylor will organize the rear cover with whomever you appoint Sargent.

He elbowed his way to where Betty Li and Tex were discussing the lack of intelligence on any hostile groups in the Detroit area. Michener easily agreed to the plan. Pretty soon they were tiptoeing back down the stairs the way they came.

The tunnel below had a thin stream of dirty water running along the center. It was just barely tall enough for men like William and Garth to walk upright. Garth quickly passed instructions to shine all lights downward in order to highlight possible blocks in the path and avoid reflections through manhole covers and grates above. He demonstrated walking forward with one hand above the head to protect against overhead obstructions. The forward team moved off at a quick walk leaving the rest of them waiting for the three click signal that would mean it was safe for them to move up 200 yards. Danny felt like the ceiling was pressing down on him, heavy and wet from the river above. They had decided everyone should be as quiet as possible as there were manholes and access panels into the roadway and being all spread out with no cover, they'd be easy pickings. But the sounds of the forward team's footsteps echoed in his ears. How could they not hear it up above?

As they waited quietly they heard the invaders searching. "Where the hell did they go?"

"Ciboire! The message said they would be here at 0900. We got the message right after they were at the restaurant last night."

"Figures the tabarnak Brit would find a way to weasel away." The last was said in perfect Quebecois. Maybe they were Francophone separatists, Danny wondered.

The group above moved away and the group huddled below breathed a collective sigh of relief. When the three clicks came they slowly moved forward. It took almost 10 minutes to travel 200 yards because they had to slowly work their way around many fans and pumps. From the many soft curses, Danny was sure they were going to emerge black and blue from the knees down. At this rate it would take the better part of an hour to get them out of the tunnel, and Danny didn't like those odds.

When they met the forward group he whispered to Simpson-Slattery "How much farther to the cross point?"

"Another 100 yards Sir. Forward team is one click to proceed. VIP team is two. Rear is three. Steady tone for shelter in place." Danny patted Garth on the shoulder. "Well done Sergeant. Let's make this happen." They couldn't get out of there fast enough, he thought.

As he waited for the clicks to signal his move forward, he ran over the plan in his head. Garth's team was going to emerge in the eastbound lanes and hold the position for Mulroney's while Danny's moved up into place. Once Mulroney's team had secured the westbound tunnel they would would hold position for Danny's team to leapfrog. Then they would send the VIP's through the entire passage. If they had to, they'd drop back and wait for additional opportunities to send each successive group. His heartbeat was pounding. He knew from a rational standpoint that this was as necessary as it was risky, but he didn't like the prospect of putting the President of the United States in a tunnel with mysterious attackers, even if only for a few minutes. If this went south, it could be the end of his career. A second thought chased that. Something had changed the night before. If this went south, he would mourn the loss of a potentially great leader.

At the first set of clicks he passed up his weapon and then put his boot in one of the RCMP men's linked fingers and boosted himself through the manhole. As the space of the roadway tunnel opened around him he took a deep breath of the cool dry air with relief at being free of the cramped space below. The tunnel was pitch black and they weren't risking lights. He lowered his night vision goggles into place and immediately saw Garth and his team lined up across the roadway creating a path to a dark square on the inside wall.

There was an open hatch on the inside wall of the tunnel, about two feet off the floor. Garth hooked a thumb in its direction and Danny groaned inwardly. He had been hoping for a door with a p-way, not another crawling space. This one was only about 4 foot square. With a heavy sigh, he heaved himself up into the conduit and slid forward on the bare metal bottom, hoping the small scratching sounds made by his M4 as he pushed it in front of him weren't as loud as they seemed. The night vision goggles were useless with all the reflective surfaces and he switched them off and focused on feeling his way through. The metal was cold and damp with a gritty coating that he assumed was rust. But he could get another uniform later, right now he needed to get in place so the president could cross. After what felt like an eternity he reached out for the next crawl forward and felt nothing but air. He wiggled his legs forward and slid out onto his feet, grappling for his goggles with one hand. The westbound tunnel was identical to the eastbound but it was a little disorienting, having the lines appear on the opposite sides of the road without any context for reference.

Mulroney's team was spread out across the tunnel, weapons ready to defend the passage if necessary. He didn't sense anyone other then their own group in the westbound tunnels but it didn't hurt to be careful so he took a place toward the outside wall and watched as one by one his people emerged. All was clear when two clicks sounded, but he felt tension gathering in his shoulders as they slowly amassed more and more people on the westbound side. Betty Li was the first of the VIP team to slide out of the conduit. She grinned confidently as she grasped Specialist Goodwin's outstretched hand and stretched her toes toward the ground. She silently brushed her clothing into order and then offered a hand to one of the Canadian guards following her.

As soon as Michener and William were through, Simpson-Slattery's team took off to investigate the exit point. Tex and Betty kept Michener close to the inside wall and the Canadian team was doing the same with their leader. Everyone was silent as more and more civilians passed through and began to form small groups in the lanes with one or two armed personnel per group. One click sounded in his ear again, indicating that Simpson-Slattery's team had secured a manhole to go back into the lower tunnel somewhere much closer to the exit. He mouthed a silent thanks that so far, this had gone well. Mulroney's group checked their weapons and moved forward. Once they were out of sight Danny signaled to Tex and Betty to be ready and he moved forward with a few of the Canadians.

It was only a quarter mile to the end of the tunnel and they quickly jogged the distance. He swore he could smell snow again as he approached Simpson-Slattery standing over an open manhole. As soon as Danny arrived he pointed the way forward and whispered, "The barrier here is intact just like where we came in but we have no way of knowing what's on the other side of the wall. We're past most of the obstructions below so I sent Specialist Goodwin and Private Chan forward to reconn the exit point."

"Good. Let's pass people below as soon they arrive to get out of the open." Danny was glad Garth had moved things along. The sooner they got out of here the better. "You go forward and click me when it's time to move up."

As people arrived at the manhole he assisted them down. A few of the civilians were clearly beginning to tire and struggled to drop down to the darkness below even thought there were several people helping ensure no one fell. Even Granderson and Miller looked fatigued. When the last person was out of the roadway Danny followed Mulroney down and slid the manhole back in place. They needed to figure out if there would be cover once they exited the tunnels. It could only be a matter of time before the invaders figured out where they had gone.

As they passed to the front of the group, Danny noticed that Mulroney was very strategic in how he moved around people. He could have murmured a quiet pardon me or nothing at all, but as he wove in and out of people he clasped a hand here and patted a back there. And people responded by smiling and standing a little taller, despite their fear and exhaustion. The tunnel curved to the left a little and as they rounded the bend, the screen of his goggles became faintly brighter. He increased his pace. They were almost there!

A doorway appeared at the end of the tunnel. Bright light was streaming in from whatever was on the other side causing his eyes to water in his goggles. He slid them up his face. God he was glad they would be out soon. Even if they might have to run a gauntlet to get somewhere safe. He followed Mulroney through the doorway. It was exactly as Garth had said. Gray skies showed through a grate covering the ceiling of the tall brick tower. There were no doors or windows, but large louvered vents encircled the room, beginning about 8 feet above the floor.

The only thing in the room other than people was a large work chest on wheels. It was pushed against one wall but the tracks in the dirt suggested that Garth had pushed it from the middle to each wall. Garth and one of the Canadians were standing on it and Garth was feeding a narrow cable hooked to a small tablet through one of the vents. At Mulroney's questioning look Danny whispered, "Fiber optic camera I think."

After a minute the two men scrambled down. "Is it clear out there? It will take quite a while to evac this many people if we all have to climb up to that vent." Mulroney asked.

"Not exactly." The young Canadian replied, tilting the screen in Garth's hand so Mulroney and Danny could see it. "We're actually about 12 feet above a concrete apron so we aren't going out those vents. There are guards on all four sides."

Garth scrolled back to a shot of the duty free building. "Our best bet is to go out the North side because although there is a guard right there, we should be able to cross to the back of this building without anyone else seeing." Danny waved for him to hand over the screen and he and Mulroney flipped through the images. Meanwhile, Garth laid the plans for the tunnel entrance on the floor and pointed out how the tower and some concrete sound barriers outside could allow them to get out of sight and away from the tunnel. Once again, Danny knew he'd take this plan and run with it if he was working with just a small team. But there were civilians involved, and tired ones at that.

In the back of his mind an idea flickered. He and Wolf and a maybe a couple of Mulroney's team could leave the civies behind, make a break for it, and then come back with the advantage of position and possibly firepower. Wolf could probably get on that building and do some damage sniping. "You aren't the kind of man who leaves civilians in danger." He heard Kara's voice plain as day in his head. Of course he wasn't, right?

Mulroney's man made a suggestion. "What if we send a team to get vantage points and take down the guards, maybe distract them from where we are, then we can come back for the rest."

"This isn't the time to play hero, Kirk." Mulroney frowned. "Although the distraction idea is good." He stroked his chin. "The more we can keep them from figuring out where we are, the better our chances of totally slipping the noose and avoiding a firefight on the outside." They discussed the idea and a few minutes later Alisha was leading a small team including Wolf, Specialist Goodwin, Private Chan, Cruz, Miller, and Mason back toward the tunnels.

While they waited for the signal, Danny and Mulroney quietly spread the details of the plan through the group. William and Michener, surrounded by a tight knot of guards, would cross to the backside of the Duty Free building first to take maximum advantage of the confusion created by the distraction. Danny's pulse was pounding and adrenaline was surging again. His fingertips practically tingled and his legs felt restless to move. But the timing had to be perfectly right so he forced himself to take a few calming breaths. He wished he could tell Kara what was going on. On the other hand, assuming they survived, it was probably best not to worry her until it was over.

Simpson-Slattery was carefully laying out a battery of small charges against the back wall of the tunnel. He worked calmly and methodically, twisting each bundle of wires exactly four times before wrapping them around the pins on the detonator that Private Findley held to one side. As he had before, he used a crack in the bricks as a starting point but this time he was wedging some small metal pins into some of the chinks between the bricks. When he was ready, he stepped back and swung a hand toward Danny. "Ready Sir. Bricks are easy, but I would put on some gloves and eyewear. You can stand ready to push the wall out of the way when the time comes."

They waited for Mason to send the signal. Danny gripped the hilt of his knife in one hand and leaned with the other against the wall. This was either going to go perfectly or Simpson-Slattery was going to blow his entire arm off. In the end, they didn't need the signal. The alarm sounded from outside the tower. "They can hear them in eastbound tunnel!" A man called out to the guards around the tower in French.

Danny looked up to where Findley and Mulroney's man were using the camera to monitor the guard outside the tower. Findley held up 3 fingers. Three men were on the other side of the wall now. Shit, two he could reasonably take, but three was pushing the chances of injury or losing the stealth advantage. If the distraction didn't work, it could cost them good soldiers. Plus, once the invaders figured out they were trying to outwit them, it could up the stakes too. He gripped the knife tighter and waited. He could hear the rumble of voices but couldn't make out what the men on the other side of the wall were saying. A minute later he heard Wolf's voice in his ear. "They're looking for us." That meant that the invaders had heard the radio that Wolf's team had put in the middle of the eastbound tunnel, near where they had been meeting. It was now or never.

Findley waved 1 finger, then none. Go time. He nodded to Simpson-Slattery and tucked his head. God he hoped this kid was as good at this as he seemed. There was a small popping sound and a little shower of dust and pebbles sprinkled his hair and cheeks. Then they were pushing the bricks out and the cold air was rushing in. He lifted his head and scanned the sight lines and roofs as he stepped over the rubble at his feet. They were empty. Quickly he ran to the corner and peered around. Their opponents, whoever they were, were running for the eastbound tunnel entrance. No one was looking up here. In the roadbed below there were 4 personnel carriers. Whatever they were about, these people were executing a well prepared plan. He took a guard position and waved to Findley. Behind him, he heard the rush of footsteps as Mulroney's team crossed to the corner of the Duty Free building. "We're headed for the exit." Wolf's voice was in his ear. They probably only had another minute before their opponents discovered it was just a radio and came looking for them again.

He glanced over his shoulder. The civilians were already running from the tunnel to the cover of the duty free building's portico. Good. When Burk tapped his ankle he he turned and sprinted for the cover of the other building. Just in time too. A heavily accented voice came on the comm. "Nice try you stinking Anglo dogs. There's only so many places you can go in these tunnels. And I have a little surprise for you." There was a distinct click of a bullet being chambered and then Danny flinched as the comm went dead with a resounding crash.

"Dingo team, come in." He tried to raise any of them over the comm but it was dead. Shit. It had been a known risk, using their radio control system to lure their attackers to the middle of the tunnels, but it was the only thing they'd had with them with a loud enough speaker. "Wolf? Granderson?" He mentally crossed his fingers and hoped they were already well toward escape. He glanced toward the opposite shore of the river, but at a mile away, he knew he wouldn't be able to see it when Goodwin blew the barrier wall on the westbound tunnel, but he hoped they were close. Simpson-Slattery sidled up beside him. "Vent structure is empty, ready for phase 2 Sir."

He held up a hand to hold back the rest of the group and crept along the side of the building. If he came around the corner in front of him and found an empty parking lot, he swore he would scream in frustration. He whipped around the corner, knife held high just in case, and grinned when he saw a parking lot full of cars before them. He checked the roof line, but it looked good. There was no time to waste. He waved Simpson-Slattery and Mulroney's men forward and they spread out, breaking windows, pulling wires from under hoods, and starting up the cars. Findley was grouping people and sending them toward each car as they started. William's guard took the first car and sped off into the surface streets, the King's car right behind them. Then Tex and Michener were getting in a beat up pickup, Findley and Betty crouching in the back, guns ready.

A window broke right next to his elbow and he dove for cover under a jeep. He heard a spray of bullets hit the side above his head. Shit, they'd been found. No doubt other's would come as fast as they could. He scrabbled in the cold gravel to come up on the other side. Along the edge of the building, the civilians were awaiting their turn, smiling and looking out over the parking lot, relieved at escaping the tunnel and not realizing what had just happened. He saw one of Mulroney's men go down. No! It had all been going so well! Angrily, he scanned to rooftops but he still didn't see anyone. "Top of the custom's building, north corner, using a drainage pocket." Burk called out from a few rows over. "I might get a shot on him if I can get him to stand up over the lip.

It only took a moment to decide. In Chicago two days ago, Danny had reluctantly stood beside the President while the man gave a speech to a stadium full of scraggly survivors. He'd told himself then that he was a professional and as such he would carry out his duties no matter whether he believed in the man in charge, because he took his job, and his oath, seriously. But something had changed when he sat beside Michener in the empty stadium the night before. He no longer saw him as just a weak man, but rather a man who was struggling under the weight of many burdens, and still pressing on. During the quiet of the early morning hours he'd lain in bed and wondered how he would cope if he had to see Kara die, or their baby. Would he be able to keep fighting for a future outside of himself? Would he be able to keep faith in humanity? Or would his grief and pain crush him like a bug on the sidewalk? If he didn't do something now, that broken man, whom he had just started to believe in, wasn't going to get the chance to change their futures for the better.

One minute he was looking for cover and the next he was prairie dogging up over the hood of the car, to catch the attention of the guy on the building, waving his arms over head as he dashed back toward the building. Gravel flew up behind him and the distinct ping of bullets hitting glass and metal sounded in his wake. Out of the corner of his eye he sensed the man rising to angle the gun more vertically as Danny wove in and out of cars at a full sprint back toward the Duty Free building. God he hoped Burk was a good enough shot to make it. He felt the hot sting of something hitting his cheek and prepared to dive over the landscaping for the cover of the portico. And then there was only a sudden calm, followed by a sickening thud as the lookout slumped over the roof ledge and fell to the ground just a few feet away.

"Got him." Burk called out. And then without hesitation. "Let's move people because we have seconds to clear this place before someone comes looking at what all the noise was about." Danny was panting. He lifted his hand to his cheek and felt the salt from his fingers sting in a little raw scrape. Probably from a bit of glass or gravel he figured. How many more times in his life would he get away with these kinds of things? He wiped the blood on his sleeve and hustled to direct people to cars. In the pickup, Tex was laying on the gas, a rooster tail of gravel spilling out behind as he took off with the President toward the secure facility Mulroney had suggested. Danny noticed that Betty wasn't sitting up on the wheel rim the way she had been before, but his attention was captured by a plume of water and dirty chunks of ice flying into the air down at the river. That had been the third alternative on Wolf's list. He hoped to God that didn't mean it had all gone south in the tunnels.