Daniel slid the box over his shoulder into a long pouch on his back and pulled a cinch-cord to hold it tight.

A pocket on his sleeve held a baseball-sized clump of putty. He pressed it onto the trunk latch and then pushed the trunk down. The sticky blob held it closed without having to slam it.

Éponine started retracting the ladder. He looked back to the truck. Nate held up two fingers with the back of his hand facing Daniel. Twenty seconds. Not enough time.

He unclipped the safety line, and worked his way back down the ladder. He was over the hood when the tunnel started getting brighter. Out of time. He made a jump for it and landed on top of Éponine.

Nate pulled a hard right the instant he cleared the tunnel, and drove down the steep embankment. They were being thrown around something awful. The truck bottomed out with a bang and shower of sparks as they roared onto the lower road.

“Someone here order a sword?” he asked.

Éponine had a huge smile on her face as she leaned in for a kiss.