Vatican Assassin by Mike Luoma Page A

outer buildings. The tunnel is shaped like a hexagon, with the three top panels clear. BC can see the lunar surface on both sides and the stars above. UIN ships flash overhead, blocking out the stars as they approach and fire at the buildings, as he runs along the tunnel.
    Looked like that last ship was over our section. They’re targeting the Vatican holdings here, too.
    There she is!
    Another airlock closes in BC’s face. He can see the LSC through the closing door as she runs on ahead. He tries to remember the structural diagrams he studied preparing for this assignment. These independent surface tunnels on the Moon have airlocks every hundred feet or so, as a safety measure. Damned inconvenient measure ...
    BC reverses the door function again.
    This tunnel leads out towards the remote landing facility, if I remember right. Where the hell is she going?
    This running isn’t normal Lunar Security behavior. Of course, neither is recording me in my room. She’s more than LSC, probably a UIN spy! A cute little spy, but UIN all the same. Where is she going?
    Another thought occurs to BC as he turns a corner and runs along the access tunnel. I wonder if she’s the one who took my clothes? Gotta wonder why she was there in the first place, now.
    The tunnel continues on, out past the most distant launching areas. The curve of the tunnel prevents BC from getting a clear shot at her.
    What was her name? Nita Bendix? And I thought she was nice. Sure, BC, all spies are nice. It’s their job. You’re nice. On the outside.
    The LSC reaches a large juncture ahead, a major airlock. It’s a small, sealable room joining their tunnel with two other tunnels. She gets in and closes the airlock, closing off BC. He catches up at the airlock door and tries to reverse the door’s function.
    She’s jammed the controls. They’re frozen. He can see her inside the airlock, working to open one of the other doors. BC tries to force the door. It won’t budge. If I blast the door, the safety features might not let me get through. I could lose all the air in this tunnel, too. Damn! Have to short it, somehow.
    BC opens the maintenance panel next to the door and rewires the door lock. Still nothing.
    He narrows and focuses the beam on his handlaser and uses it to do some quick and messy soldering. The door hisses open.
    BC steps into the airlock juncture. The door behind him slides back into place. The LSC is already gone, off through one of the two doors in front of BC.
    Yeah, but which one?
    Like the tunnels, the upper half of the airlock juncture is transparent. BC can see out through the top part of the juncture into the two tunnels ahead.
    The LSC is in the right tunnel, which leads even further out across the lunar surface. There’s an outbuilding ahead, nothing else. The end of the line.
    BC tries to open the door to the tunnel. She’s jammed the door once more. Naturally.
    BC notices something else, out beyond the outbuilding, hovering just above the Moon’s surface. A UIN bomber! Shit! Right on top of us here! That can’t be an accident!
    She is way too hot! If she was only a humble LSC she would’ve stopped, filed a report, and had me brought in already. She’s gotta be UIN. No way around it. Deep cover spy. The bomber clinches it.
    The UIN bomber begins firing at the juncture and BC. BC sees a bright blue flash.
BOOM!
    That was right next to me! Shit. C’mon door, open! Got to get to her. Hope she’s not too expendable to them. They won’t fire on me, if I’m right there next to her.
BOOM!
    Another one, damn close. C’mon door... Nice!
    The door hisses open. BC races through the door, turns just long enough to close it behind him.
BOOM!
    The UIN ship’s fire hits the juncture, throwing BC forward down onto the tunnel floor on his face and stomach.
    “Explosive bolts to detonate in five seconds,” A computer’s voice says. She’s turned the explosive bolts on! Fuck me!
    They’ll blow this tunnel right off the juncture!