Read Online Fault Line by Chris Ryan - Free Book Online Page B

blow a hole in steel. But trees? A lot of these had just withstood a minor earthquake and probably many others in the past. They’d be pretty tough. His instructor had given them a tip: when in doubt, add P for plenty. He had then proceeded to demolish an entire house instead of merely putting a hole in the front wall so maybe he’d gone a bit too far. Alex looked at the sticks in Amber’s hand, picked one up, and squashed it into the hole. He took another one round the other side and did the same.
    ‘Hey, you’re really going for it,’ said Amber.
    ‘Trees are heavy,’ replied Alex, moving on to the next marked tree. ‘They take quite a bit to shift.’
    ‘So long as you don’t shift all of us as well.’
    They continued until all the trees Hex had marked were drilled and plugged with PE. They’d used nearly all the sticks.
    Paulo put the hand drill down next to Alex’s bergen. ‘So what’s next?’
    Alex took a small box out of the metal case and picked up a reel of cord like white washing line. ‘This is det cord. I need one helper—’
    Everyone said, ‘Me,’ but Li got there slightly ahead of the others. Alex handed her the reel of det cord and the knife he kept at his belt.
    ‘Everyone else get into the middle of the landing zone with the injured guy,’ he said. ‘Then you’ll be as far away from the blast as possible.’
    While Paulo, Amber and Hex started moving the robber on the stretcher and all their gear, Alex and Li went over to a tree. Alex opened the box and revealed the detonators: silver tubes about the length of a pen top, with two wires coming out of the end. He picked one up as though he was lifting a mouse by its tail and pushed it into the explosive. ‘You have to be careful with these. The heat from your hands can set them off so you have to handle them by the wires.’ He did the same on the other side of the tree, using a slightly different detonator. The upper charge had to go off fractionally before the other to push the tree over, and so he used a slightly slower detonator. ‘OK, I need some of that wire.’
    Li paid out the white cord from the spool. ‘How much?’
    Alex took the end. ‘I need two pieces about thirty centimetres long.’
    Li slit two lengths of cord and handed them to him. ‘How will you set it off? Light it?’
    Alex carefully twisted the wires of each detonator onto the det cord. ‘No. They’re electrical. There’s a firing device in the kit.’ He knotted together the two ends and tied in a third piece so the arrangement hung like a necktie around the tree. ‘Right, we need to feed out the wire and connect it to the firing device.’
    Li paid out the cord until they were back to where the others were waiting with the bergens, chainsaws and the injured robber.
    ‘Alex looks rather pleased with himself,’ said Paulo. Sitting on his bergen he looked like a holidaymaker waiting for his flight to be announced.
    Alex put the remaining detonators carefully on the ground and cut the det cord. He picked up the last mysterious item from the kit – a small black box with a hand grip. Two wires trailed from it. He twisted them onto the white cord at his feet. When he finished his eyes were glittering. ‘This is the firing device. We’re ready. Cover your ears.’
    Hex nudged the robber and tried to show him he should put his hands over his ears. The man glared at him; his usual expression whenever they brought him water or checked he was OK. Hex pointed to the others – they nodded back at him encouragingly, their ears protected, all looking like the monkey who would hear no evil. The man seemed to realize what was going on and did the same.
    Alex squeezed the handle on the firing device.
    There was a small flash. The sound of the explosion was like being banged on the head. It echoed through the jungle, sending birds and animals scattering.
    As the ringing in their ears cleared there was a sound of splintering. In moments the tree was on the ground, a