To the survivors on Floor 199, the sound of the three metal poles slamming simultaneously into the sides of the tower returned them to the moment over three hours earlier when the missile had struck the tower. This time though it was easy to believe the entire massive edifice of the Cloud Tower was going to crumble around them.
The vibrations created by the impacts of the spikes made the entire level shudder. Flying masonry, metal bolts and pieces of furniture smashed into the barrier constructed in the centre of the floor and bits of ceiling tumbled down to shatter harmlessly on its makeshift roof.
Steph started to remove the sheets of pressed steel and wood surfaces from above her head. ‘Give us a hand, will you?’ she called to a couple of the men from Charlotte’s party. Between them, they removed the rest of the material forming the canopy. She noticed a couple of people staring up and followed their line of sight.
It was as though snow was falling all around. Thousands of pieces of white insulation material, a type of styrofoam, tumbled from the ceiling. Steph couldn’t help smiling. ‘Christmas has come early,’ she said to Abu standing beside her. He was gazing up to the roof, his face more alive than she had yet seen it. They put out their hands, palms upward and caught the flakes.
But then came a new sound. It began as a distant squeal and grew rapidly louder. A couple of the party turned to the northeast face of the building, eyes widening in panic.
‘It’s okay,’ Steph called above the noise. ‘It’s an E-Force jet.’
Dimitri’s Silverback was flying along the side of the building, beginning his first circumvention of the Tower. Steph turned to see Chloe staring at her, her large brown eyes not quite focused.
‘Frank, Mohammed, Craig? Can you help me with Chloe?’
‘What are we doing now, exactly?’ Saeed asked. He was standing just behind Mohammed, fixing Stephanie with his cold, black eyes. In spite of his aggression, he cut a rather pathetic figure. He was covered in dust, his face filthy and blood-streaked, his right arm in a sling, the bandage around the wound red with blood.
‘We’re going to get out of here,’ Steph snapped back.