edited
The Rainmakers, ch 8
The Specialist

On the first level of the KIVA, the explosion caused very little structural damage. In fact, if it were not for the computers going completely haywire, Pete might have put the soft thump and shudder down to a minor earthquake; he was used to such things in L.A.

But this wasn’t L.A.—this was New Mexico, and earthquakes were virtually unheard of in this area. The voices of alarmed technicians were raised even before the sparks began to fly. The lights flickered and then died, and a fire alarm began to sound, further spreading panic among the confused people. Several minutes passed in darkness before the emergency backup generators kicked in, spreading a reddish illumination in the enclosed building.

With communications dead, Pete selected several people and sent them on foot bring back verbal reports of the status of the KIVA. He thought there might have been an explosion somewhere in the lower levels, but at first they couldn’t determine exactly where it had happened. The elevator was not working, the intercom to the lower levels only gave out static, and the stairwell was caved in – there was no telling how far the collapse extended. Pete directed a few hardy technicians to begin shifting debris.

The man who had been on the security detail that morning came into Pete’s office. He had a bruise on his forehead and was favoring one leg, but seemed otherwise unhurt. “Sir, by my report there are about twenty scientists checked into the lower levels this morning, including Dr. Steubens and his visitor. Everyone else was up here.”

“Oh, God,” Pete mumbled. “How many are hurt so far? Are you all right?”

“Just knocked myself a good one when I was trying to help dig out the stairwell. I don’t think we’re going to get too far… the debris keeps shifting.”

“Tell them to stop until we get some help here,” Pete said with a troubled sigh. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt, and there may be more damage. We won’t know until we learn what caused it. I ordered a triage set up in the garage; get yourself there.”

“I’m okay, sir. There are those worse off than me.” The man limped out of the office.

Gus, Dr. Burke’s assistant, poked his head into Pete’s office a moment later. “Sir! We’ve managed to get through to someone on the radio. Dr. Burke has called in the Army Rescue Unit from Fort Bliss. He said to tell you that he’s contacted the State Department for additional help.”

“Good. I’m going to get the power on up here and get things ready for them.”

“Very good, sir. Dr. Burke will be out in the comp-lab. The internal intercom system is functioning sporadically, but it came on just long enough for us to talk to one of the scientists trapped down on the third level.”

“Thank God they’re still alive!” Pete said. “Was it Steubens? Did he say what happened down there?”

“No, sir, it was Marlow. We couldn’t make out too much of what he was saying, other than that there was some kind of explosion and that he and Dr. Steubens are trapped in the lab. Dr. Steubens is injured, but we don’t know how badly.”

“It’s a miracle that they’re not dead. Keep me posted… I should have level one on-line with full power very soon.”

Gus nodded. “I’ll let you know more as we learn it, sir. Just holler if you need anything.”

“I could use some luck,” Pete muttered to himself, “and so could those poor devils trapped below… who knows how long they can hold out.”

⌂

Two hours later, things weren’t looking much better for the unfortunate souls trapped below the surface. Pete had managed to return power to the KIVA, but the intercom system was still unreliable, and the rescue team from Fort Bliss hadn’t arrived yet. But Holloman Air Force Base was much closer to Bannon than either White Sands or Ft. Bliss, and a division of the US Army Corp of Engineers stationed there had responded with record speed, arriving with men and equipment to grateful cheers of the KIVA survivors. They soon renewed the attempt to excavate the stairwell, but quickly desisted; there was just too much unstable debris. They decided to pull back and wait for the specialist that the State Department was trying to locate. He was flying by helicopter, but it would take some time before he arrived… if indeed he could be persuaded to come.

Army engineers do not sit on their hands very well, so they did what they could, shoring up the damage in the first level of the KIVA and tending to the injured. As soon as the equipment was shipped in by air they began to drill, hoping to increase the air supply to those who might still be alive below. Still, it felt to them as if they were doing nothing.

⌂

MacGyver stood on the roof-terrace of the observatory, waving to the car that was pulling out of the drive and onto the road that wound down the mountain. He could see Reggie and Jackie waving back at him through the rear window.

He was glad that they had enjoyed their time with him. The excitement of the eclipse and the viewing had made the time pass quickly. Reggie had wanted to stay through the weekend, but his mother came by to pick him and his sister up promptly at noon. Reggie managed to wring a promise from Mac that he would come and play basketball with him tomorrow afternoon.

As he watched the car disappear around the bend of the road, Mac heard the throb of helicopter blades biting the air. He turned and shielded his eyes from the glare of the regenerated sun, trying to read the markings on the sides of the ‘copter.

As the blue and white craft circled the observatory and settled in the road in front of the Space Monument, MacGyver felt a prickling of excitement, tainted somewhat by a twinge of guilt that he was probably going to wind up breaking his promise to Reggie.

He turned away from the view just as the skids touched the asphalt, hastening down the stairs and out of the building before whoever was inside the helicopter had managed to wrestle the door open and climb out.

As he strode across the grass, Mac recognized Ed Gantner; an employee of the State Department and one of Mac’s friends. Gantner’s face was grim, and from way he was walking Mac could tell he was not altogether happy about being there, doing what he was about to do.

Mac hailed him before he managed to cross the lawn. “Tell me you were just in a hurry to see me, and there’s no bad news.”

Gantner stepped awkwardly around Mac, heading toward the observatory entrance. “Uhhh . . . I was just in a hurry to see you, and, uh . . . save the bad news till we get inside.” He kept walking as if he didn’t want Mac to come any nearer to the helicopter.

Mac stopped on the spot, stubbornly calling his friend back. “Ah, Gant – Gant… c’mon, let’s have it.”

Gantner sighed and reluctantly paced back to where Mac was standing. “All right. An accident in New Mexico. A lab that handles a lot of classified research. Something set off a series of explosions.”

Mac frowned. “How bad?”

"Well, most of the personnel got out, but at least twenty are still unaccounted for. Among them is a top British scientist named Marlow. He was here visiting one of our own men, Steubens. They’re also both candidates for the Nobel Prize this year . . . not exactly the kind of publicity the State Department wants to hear."

"They still alive?"

"They survived the blast, but they’re still trapped in the lab. They calculate the chances of anyone getting through to Marlow and Steubens is . . ." Gantner hesitated, afraid to quote the odds, “…well, it’s not great.”

"Well, give me ‘not great’ on a scale of one to ten," Mac demanded with a touch of exasperation.

"Minus three," Gantner said bluntly. “That’s why we couldn’t order anyone to try. So, uh . . . your name came up.”

"What other options do they have?"

Gantner said nothing, but he looked extremely uncomfortable.

MacGyver made a wry grin. “I’m it, aren’t I?”

Gantner nodded. “You’re it. Now look, Mac,” he hastened to add, ”you don’t have to take this assignment – you know that…”

MacGyver took a moment to consider, but really his mind had been made up even before the helicopter had landed. He wanted something to do… and this challenge was too great to resist.

A chill ran down his back; a surge of adrenaline called up by the promise of action. MacGyver shook himself slightly, and then he looked his friend and said, “Call the lab, Gant. Tell ‘em we’re on our way.”

~~~Link to Chapter 9