Free The Swords of Babylon (Matt Drake 6) by David Leadbeater

once again rule the world.”
    Cayman was in no position to argue with the once and future king of the world. He softly agreed and finished the call, staring up one more time at the immense skeleton wired to the twenty-foot-high wall.
    “We have one more night, my Goddess.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
     
     
    Drake shielded his eyes as the rockets exploded. Sheets of flame burst upwards and outwards, detonating like a fire bomb. He saw the entire building to his right literally sag as walls were blasted away – the same building Mai, Alicia and Dahl occupied. He could only watch as rock and stone cascaded down and the entire structure began to crumble.
    “Look out!” The warning felt way too late.
    Mai, lying in wait on the flat roof, had ducked behind the stone parapet when she saw the missiles swinging in. Their impact sent an ominous vibration through the structure beneath her, one she felt through her own body and understood immediately. At first there was only the groan of heavy foundations shifting, but then the entire roof area lurched and sagged. The front end slumped, bricks and mortar cascading away, crashing to the ground below. Mai scrambled backwards, catching the eyes of Dahl and Alicia.
    The Englishwoman shook her head. “Building ’s collapsing with us on top?” She sighed. “Must be Friday fuckin’ morning.”
    Dahl rose and nodded at Mai. “You ready?”
    “I know there’s only one way off this roof.”
    The entire building dropped another inch, the front part of the roof falling away to leave a rough and ragged precipice. Dahl strapped his weapon over his shoulders, and Mai followed suit. As the roof sagged again, they saw the prison guards situated ahead of them jump into their vehicles and advance. When the collapse accelerated, Dahl roared and ran straight at the disintegrating edge. The whole building rumbled and shook. Cracks exploded across the roof ’s surface. Mai ran at his heels, Alicia close by. The roar of adrenalin pumped like a thrash band in their ears. Their sprint suddenly turned into a downhill race as the top of the building sank even lower. A mushroom cloud of dust and smoke billowed ahead.
    Dahl reached the edge and hurled himself into space, pushing off hard and using the still slightly elevated roofline to get extra lift. Mai leaped beside him, arms and legs still pumping, as the bulk of the building caved in behind them. The roar of shattering brick and rock hurt Mai ’s ears. Her eyes sought the ground through the smoke, hoping they had jumped far enough to clear—
    They landed hard, hitting grass a second before debris burst across it in a tumbling tidal wave of rubble. Mai felt her legs clipped by rock as she landed and rolled, her momentum keeping her ahead of the wave. Still, fragments of rock flew around her, compressed , then fired out by the rolling mass. At last they stopped; the clouds and the dreadful noise behind them, the onrushing vehicles before them.
    Dahl, kneeling, legs covered by a mound of rubble, unstrapped his rifle and took aim. “Blow the bastards ’ tires out.”
    Drake told Yorgi to stay put and ran up to them. “Bloody hell! Are you lot okay?”
    Bullets flew past his head, but fired from behind. Hayden and Kinimaka were still snug on their rooftop and following Dahl ’s lead. Mai checked her body quickly, but saw no signs of blood. Nothing vital screamed at her. She joined the rest of the SPEAR team and took aim. Her first shot shattered a windscreen. The vehicle veered wildly, speeding closer. Her second shot took out the second vehicle’s front passenger tire. It swerved to the left and clipped the rear end of the first vehicle.
    “Shit!”
    The team scattered as the first vehicle tipped and crashed on to its roof, momentum sending it tumbling toward their position. Five tons of metal bounced past them, coming to rest amidst the ruins of the house. Dahl groaned. The rocks piled on his legs had slowed him up and the truck’s front bumper