Mike hesitated long enough for Brady to assess the civilian knew where she was.
"We're the good guys," he supplied. "She's my personal charge. I lost her when our helo went down."
"She's a good girl," Mike said. "But she's not here anymore."
"Where?" Elise demanded, stepping forward again.
"She crossed the river."
"What, did she swim or something?"
"Elise," Brady growled. He pointed to the wall far enough behind him to prevent her from butting in.
She went.
"Smuggled her via the subs across the river," Mike said. "We thought she drew the jets here."
"You tossed her out," Dan said.
"She begged me to let her leave," Mike replied, unaffected by Dan's tone. "When I saw why, I finally listened. I have thousands of lives depending on my decisions. I'm certain you can respect that."
"We can." Brady managed to keep his voice level. "Take us to the sub."
Logically, he understood Mike's decision. But the emotional side of him wanted to wring the man's neck. Who threw a vulnerable woman-his vulnerable woman!-to the wild to fend for herself? No one would survive the attack that leveled the city.
Mike obeyed, and they walked through the myriad of tunnels until Elise began grumbling about the distance and Brady became disoriented. At last, they arrived at a metal door that Mike swung open to reveal a tiny submersible docked. The soldier Brady took to be the pilot by his uniform glanced up from his micro.
"I have a feeling these folks would like to cross the river," Mike said and motioned to Brady. "They're looking for the girl you took over earlier."
"I can take one of you at a time," the pilot said. "Mike, you'll have to call Jim and let him know to meet them. He's not expecting me for another couple of hours."
"Will do. Who's first?" Mike asked, turning to them.
Elise started forward, until Brady leveled a glare on her. She frowned but stopped. He stepped forward instead, following the pilot into the sub. The screen lit up in front of them, and the door closed. The sub's motor hummed quietly and the pilot guided it deftly. Brady gazed at the screen in front of him, unable to decipher the symbols and colors.
The smooth ride grew bumpy suddenly, and Brady braced himself against his seat.
"That's not good," the pilot said. "Felt like a missile almost grazed us."