Читать книгу China Crisis - Don Pendleton - Страница 6

The aircraft waiting to ferry them to Bagram was sitting on the end of a runway, engines already warmed up. The vast cargo space of the C-17 housed the Stony Man combat helicopter, Dragon Slayer. Jack Grimaldi was inside carrying out detailed preflight checks that would go through everything from the twin-turbine power plant, electronics and computer aids. He would also run thorough checks on the chopper’s impressive ordnance capabilities. Dragon Slayer carried an awesome catalog of weapons, multibarrel chain gun, missiles and pilot-activated aim and fire through a slaved helmet array. Within the electronic heart of the machine were sensors and range-locating instruments. The satellite-linked communication setup enabled Grimaldi to call Stony Man at the flick of a button and also connect in to air-traffic feeds so he could maintain instant locations. Where they were going on this particular mission his sources would be the U.S. Military Communications Net.

The men of Phoenix Force, carrying their gear, crossed in driving rain and climbed on board. Grimaldi raised a hand in welcome as he watched the team arrive, then returned to his checking procedures. As they stowed their gear, McCarter spotted a familiar figure sitting patiently on one of the benches the far end of the aircraft.

It was Mei Anna. She wore a camou-pattern combat suit and boots, the same as Phoenix Force, her jet-black hair pulled back from her face. A backpack lay on the floor at her feet, along with her P-90 assault rifle. She carried a 9 mm Beretta pistol in a shoulder rig. She offered McCarter a brief, silent acknowledgment when he met her gaze. He nodded in recognition, then turned and made his way to the flight deck and immersed himself in the technicalities of the pre-takeoff discussion with the flight crew.

While he did that, James, Manning and Rafael Encizo secured their equipment, then joined the Chinese operatives.

“Where’s T. J.?” she asked.

“Working undercover on another piece of the mission,” Manning said. “We thought it was time he had a grown-up job.”

“It’s good to see you,” Anna said, standing and greeting them all with a quick hug.

They responded warmly. There wasn’t one man among Phoenix Force who didn’t hold Mei Anna in great esteem. Since their first encounter during a previous mission to China, she had proved herself to be a formidable young woman. Her dedication to her Pro-Democracy group was intense, and her fight against the repressions of the Chinese government and the often brutal suppression of civil and personal rights was something she believed in with a passion. Her fight had taken her all over China, and she was a wanted woman by Beijing. She accepted it without making a point over the matter. Her courage was something Phoenix Force was fully aware of. Her being back in action didn’t surprise them. It had been something they had all accepted as inevitable now that she had recovered from the aftermath of a wound that had taken its toll and forced her into a long recovery period.

“We had no idea you were involved in this until a short while ago,” Manning said.

“Things happened fast” Anna told him. “We’ve been monitoring the activity at Guang Lor for some time. This particular incident has given us something definite we can focus on, and it seems to have happened just as you became involved.”

They felt the aircraft vibrate as power was applied to the powerful engines. After a few seconds they felt the plane start to move, the whine of the engines increasing.

“Is David okay?”

James grinned. “He’s being David,” was all he said.

Anna touched his arm. “You don’t have to say any more.”

They braced themselves as the aircraft gained speed, the sound of the engines filling the cavernous interior, and then the deck beneath their feet tilted and they felt the momentary hollowness in their stomachs as the aircraft lifted off.

“No going back now,” Manning said.

McCarter appeared and made his way along the plane.

“Talk to you later,” James said.

They nodded to McCarter as they passed him halfway down the length of the plane and took their seats, leaving the Briton to join Mei Anna.

The woman had sat again and made a point of looking out the window. She kept up the pretence for a couple of minutes before turning to face McCarter.

“What do you want me to say, David?”

“Hello would be a start. Might make up for vanishing the way you did,” he stated.

“I had no choice.”

“Bloody hell, Anna, we all have choices.” McCarter controlled his outburst, lowering his voice. “What do you think I would have done? Locked you in the cellar and hidden the key?”

“Something like that,” the woman replied.

He moved to sit beside her. “Am I that much of an idiot?”

She laid a hand on his. “Of course not. You’re a caring man I have learned to trust and have affection for.”

“So why the disappearing act?” the Briton queried.

“You know why. If you had found out you would have tried to persuade me not to go. I was afraid you might succeed, so I decided the best thing to do was to just go. The last thing I intended was to hurt you. You have to understand my feelings in this. I was doing this kind of thing before we ever met. You know that. I would never change the times we have together, and I want that to go on. Truly. But what I do in China is something I can’t turn my back on. If a matter comes up and I’m needed, I have to respond. That was what happened, and it was why I had to go. Don’t hate me for that.”

McCarter put his arm around her shoulders.

“Hate you? Not going to happen, love. You are the best thing to happen to me in a long time. It’s just bloody hard to watch you haring off on some dangerous trek with a gun in hand and that look in your eyes. Honestly? It scares the pants off me. And I miss you.”

“Really? I haven’t given you a single thought since I boarded that plane out of England.”

“Comforting to know.”

“And not true. It was nice having you around. London can be a dangerous place.”

“Don’t I know it. Talking of dangerous places how was it going back to HK?”

“We have to be so careful now. The authorities have been coming down hard on any kind of antigovernment groups. Beijing is showing its tough face right now. Harsh penalties for anyone getting caught. It doesn’t show them in a good light when corruption or repression is exposed, so they use any means to strike back. Every so often they have a purge. Round up suspects, jail them without trial. Send them off to labor camps for reindoctrination. There are public executions, too. It doesn’t stop the groups though. Just makes the survivors more determined to carry on.”

“What the hell is it with Beijing?”

“The government is scared. They see the people getting restless, wanting change and being prepared to suffer, and die, to get it. The ruling group is terrified of allowing China its freedom because it would signal their end. They cling to power so desperately, the country pays the price.”

“So this missile deal is part of that paranoia?”

“Exactly. America is still the most powerful nation on Earth. Now Russia is updating its missile system, claiming it’s for defense. Beijing sees all this and has to respond, to bolster its own strength and to convince the people they are safe in the government’s hands. It’s all to do with saving face and maintaining the balance of power. No one has learned a thing, David. The wheel goes around and comes around.”

“More or less what we talked about back at base when we got the mission brief.”

“So we’re all after the same thing,” Anna said. “Only for slightly different reasons.”

“Not that different.” McCarter smiled. “I only said yes because I knew I’d see you.”

“Flatterer. But don’t stop, I like it.”

“Tell me about Xinjiang.”

Anna pulled a folded map from her pack and spread it. She pointed out locations.

“Northwest China. Close to Afghan border here. Some pretty harsh country where we’re going. Some desert areas. Rocky terrain. Desolate and isolated. Which is why China’s nuclear test site is located in the area. Here at Lop Nor. It’s a long way from where we’ll be operating, so don’t worry about picking up anything to make you glow in the dark. The missile research and development facility is here at Guang Lor, with a village close by to house outworkers. There is also a military presence in the area because the indigenous population, the Uygur, want autonomy from the rest of China. The Uygur maintain their Islamic religion, and they refuse to relinquish it. Some years back Beijing decided to send in Han Chinese to bring the area under control. The Uygur opposed that, believing it would erase their ethnic identity, which is probably Beijing’s intention. So there is unrest, resistance, military repression.”

“So there’ll be more military than we might normally expect?”

“Not necessarily where we’re going.”

McCarter frowned. “I don’t know whether to take that as a yes or a no.”

“Take it as an ‘I’m not certain either way.’”

He smiled at her firm reply. One thing he had learned about Mei Anna was her refusal to be intimidated in any way, as slight as the intention might be. At her strongest, she took no prisoners.

“Here, take this map. I have another. Use it to work out what you need to do,” the woman stated.

McCarter folded the map and tucked it under his belt. “Okay. Let’s talk about your people. How many? Where are they and can we get to them without ending up with the local militia coming down on us?”

“The latest report we had said they’re on the run from the military. They located the downed missile before a search party from Guang Lor could get there. They extracted the circuit board and took photographic evidence. But they were spotted and the military pursued them. From what I managed to pick up, there had been a running fight. Hung and his surviving team took refuge in the foothills. Something about a deserted village. It was shelled by the army during one of the strikes against the Uygur. Planes razed it to the ground, the people relocated. In real terms it means many of them were killed and buried in a mass grave.”

“Do they know we’re coming in?”

Anna nodded. “We managed to get a short message through to Loy Hung. He’s our team leader in the area. He understands we have people coming in to help and to collect the evidence because he’s been prevented from delivering it to Hong Kong.”

“The board and the photographs?” McCarter queried.

She nodded and pulled a group of photographs from one of her pockets, handing them to McCarter.

“Loy Hung, Dar Tan and Sammy Cho. They are all that is left of the team. The others died during the escape into the hills.”

“And what about this Major Kang character?”

“He is head of security at the Guang Lor site and for the region. A very ruthless man. He will not have taken this incident well. It will reflect on him personally, so he will be doing everything in his power to regain possession of the board.”

“Okay.” McCarter paused as a thought intruded. He realized it had been niggling away at the back of his mind, kept at bay by more pressing matters, but it was suddenly demanding his full attention. “Anna, the information that came out from Guang Lor said the only reason the U.S. board was used for the trial was that the copies weren’t completed yet?”

“Yes. Why?”

“If we get the original back, that isn’t going to stop Lin Cheung’s development people from finishing what they started. They’ll go right ahead and complete their counterfeit boards, and still have what they want.”

“In other words, they’ll still be on a par with the U.S.”

“Not much use the President waving the genuine board and shouting, ‘We got it back, Beijing.’ All they’ll do is smile and rattle their newly equipped missiles at him and yell, ‘So what?’ They’ll do their best to stop the news leaking out about what they’ve been up to, but in the end they aren’t going to pack up developing their missile system, using technology they stole. And they probably still have other hardware they’ve bought under the counter.”

McCarter leaned back against the bulkhead. He could feel the power of the aircraft vibrating through the metal skin of the fuselage. He focused on the information Anna had given him and the implications of his own thought process and what it meant. Whichever way he turned it around, it looked as though Phoenix Force’s incursion into China was about to have its stay extended and its mission upgraded. Whatever lay ahead, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park. Phoenix Force was going to drop in on a potential minefield of problems just waiting to jump up and bite them.

He paused in his thoughts. There were never any guarantees of an easy time. Stony Man didn’t exist to take on peaceful missions or easy tasks. It was here to handle situations that required on-the-spot-down-and-dirty solutions to ugly scenarios. When in doubt, send out Phoenix Force or Able Team. It was what they did best, and they were the best at what they did. He smiled at his own clichés.

He felt Anna’s eyes on him. She had a wistful smile on her lips, head slightly to one side as she observed him.

“What?” the Briton asked.

“I was just imagining what I’d like to be doing right now if we were back in London. Maybe breakfast in that café near the flat,” Anna told him.

“You just fold those thoughts up and store them away, love. Keep them safe until we get back.”

“Okay. I have something else for you. Loy Hung has a man inside Guang Lor. He’s been established for some months. It’s why we got the information on the circuit board and the downed missile. Hung’s man has also passed him detailed information on the security setup and locations within the site. Could be helpful.”

“Will we be able to depend on this man if we hit the site?”

Anna shrugged. “We can’t say. The last time they spoke, Hung’s man said he was concerned Major Kang might be on to him.”

“Let’s hope he’s okay.”

Anna glanced at her watch.

“David, I’m going to get some sleep. It feels like I’ve been in the air for the last week.”

“You do that. And I’d better go have a chat with the lads. Tell them what a pleasant spot we’re going to drop into.”

He pushed to his feet and made his way along the aircraft to where Manning, James and Encizo were checking equipment.

“Briefing session over?” Manning asked.

McCarter joined them. “Oh, yes. You want the good news or the bad news?”

“What’s the bad news?” Encizo queried.

McCarter couldn’t resist a wide grin. “The bad news is, there’s no good news.”

“I hate it when he gets that smug attitude,” James said.

“He likes to think he has comic timing,” Encizo said.

“I do,” McCarter announced.

“Miss-timing more like,” Manning said.

“I just talked to Anna,” McCarter said. “Her people are on the ground and hiding out, waiting for us to make contact, haul them out of trouble and take this circuit board off their hands.”

He passed the photographs Anna had provided so the team would know Hung and his men.

“These are the people we have to locate and lift out,” the Phoenix Force leader said.

“But?” James asked, waiting for McCarter to drop the bombshell he was keeping to himself.

“Collecting one board isn’t going to make the problem go away. And the problem is that the Chinese will still have the copied version of whatever they stole from the U.S.”

“I feel something’s coming that I’m not going to really want to hear,” Manning said.

“Along the lines of we have to neutralize the missile center,” Encizo guessed.

“And make sure all the stolen technology is destroyed,” James added.

McCarter didn’t respond until he felt three pairs of eyes on him.

“Well, yes, something like that.”

“Let’s take a stroll in the park suddenly turned into a rumble in the jungle,” James said.

“We have to be flexible, chums. This was part of the mission brief so we had to expect it.”

McCarter produced the map Anna had given him. He spread it out, and his teammates leaned in closer as he pointed out the various locations.

“So we concentrate on Anna’s group first?” Encizo asked. “Get them clear before we go take a look at this missile base?”

“That’s the way we run it. Once we have them sorted, we can decide if going on to Guang Lor is feasible.”

“Does Anna have a figure on the kind of resistance we might face if we do try for the base?” Manning asked, tracing routes across the map with his finger.

“We won’t get that information until later,” McCarter admitted. “But Anna’s group has a man on the inside. He’s already passed on some information about the place, so hopefully we’ll have some data.”

“Oh, that will be helpful,” Manning said.

“I do understand the sarcasm,” McCarter stated. “And I wish we had better intel. If we can’t pin it down to numbers, we’re not going to walk in like a bunch of amateurs.”

“Can we have that in writing?”

The question was posed by James and Manning in the same breath.

McCarter glanced at Encizo, who simply shrugged.

Kai Chek Village, Guang Lor, Xinjiang, one day earlier

L OY H UNG CAUGHT the man’s sleeve and pulled him inside, closing the door.

“What is so urgent?”

The man’s face blanked. His gaze wandered the room, in itself an admission he was nervous.

“Kam Lee?”

Lee hung his head, hands nervously toying with the wide straw hat he held.

“Kang…”

“I know about Kang. You have had to deal with him all these months.”

“I think he may have suspicions about me.”

“After all this time? Why?”

Kam Lee shook his head. “A feeling. Loy, I think my time at Guang Lor may be finished.”

“Then we will have to bring you out,” Hung said.

Lee seemed relieved. “I will complete this assignment, then we will do it.”

“So what is you need to tell me?”

“The missile test went wrong,” Lee said. “Something to do with the stabilizing system. It sent the missile off course and it crashed close to the border.”

“My people will have been tracking it,” Hung said. “I haven’t spoken to them during the last couple of days.”

“There is one more thing,” Lee said. “I was nearby when Controller Kwok was talking to Kang. One of the circuit boards on the missile was a stolen one. It came from America.”

“Truly?” Hung asked.

“Yes.”

Hung smiled. “Just what we need to prove what Beijing has been up to.”

“And because of that, Kang will be working hard to get it back,” Lee stated.

“Have they sent out a search party yet?”

“It’s being organized now.”

“Then we don’t have much time,” Hung said. “You are certain about this stolen board?”

“Yes. Orders came from Beijing for the test of the new missile to go ahead immediately. No excuses. The technicians were still working on the copies of the board, and they knew they wouldn’t get them ready in time. Mau Sung fitted one of the stolen boards so there would be no delay. If the test had gone as planned, the board would have been destroyed when the missile hit its target and detonated.”

“We have to get our hands on that board. This is better than we expected,” Hung told him.

“I should return. If I stay longer, someone might notice,” Lee said.

Hung nodded. “You go. I’ll make contact with our team to locate the missile and retrieve the board. If we can clear the area before the search team arrives, we have a chance.”

“Hung, be careful. Major Kang will be leading the search team personally. If he learns of your involvement…”

“Don’t worry. I know all about Kang. His reputation doesn’t alarm me,” Hung replied.

“Be careful,” Lee advised.

Hung waited until Lee was well away from the house. He closed up and made his way out to the rear of the building where a battered panel truck was parked against the wall. He climbed in, started up the vehicle and drove out of the settlement, picking up the dusty road heading north. Once he was clear he took a cell phone from inside his tunic and switched it on. The cell was Tri-Band and worked through a satellite signal. Hung tapped in a number and waited until his call was picked up.

“I’ve just learned about the missile crash. Have you found it?” Hung asked.

“Yes. We know it landed miles off track. We have it on our monitor.”

Hung explained about the stolen circuit board and the need to get their hands on it.

“I’m on my way,” he said. “Get the team moving. If they are close they should be able to reach the missile well before the team from Guang Lor can assemble and take off. If we locate this board, it has to be moved out of the area quickly before Major Kang can pin us down. Make sure that everyone is armed in case Kang does show up.”

T HREE HOURS LATER Hung met up with the group. There were five of them, all armed and ready to move. He parked his truck alongside their vehicle.

“Have you located the missile?” he asked.

Dar Tan, heading the group, nodded. He led Hung across to the team’s 4x4. The rear door was open and one of the team sat over an electronic tracking system.

“Show Hung where the missile is, Sammy.”

Sammy Cho, a thin, young man wearing a faded denims and a baseball cap, indicated the readout screen on his tracking station.

“We had the missile’s flight path locked in from the moment it was launched,” he said. “It was easy to follow the flight path. It left enough of a signature from its engines that we were able to keep it on screen. Even when it went off course we managed to keep tracking, and after it went down I was able to work out the location.” Cho leaned out the door, pointing in the direction of low hills to the northeast of their position. “No more than thirty miles from here.”

“Good. Can we reach it by vehicle?”

“Should not be a problem,” Cho told him.

“Then we go now. I want to try to be out before Kang shows up. We’ll take your 4x4. That old truck of mine isn’t fit to tackle those foothills.”

T HE MISSILE LAY at the end of a shallow furrow it had gouged in the dry ground, coming to rest straddling a wide stream. The moment the 4x4 stopped, Hung, Tan and Cho went directly to the missile. Cho had a tool kit slung from his shoulder. The rest of the team spread out to form a protective shield, keeping watch while Cho went to work.

Hung took out a digital camera and started to take shots of the missile, following the actions of his team and what was being done.

Cho knew exactly where to go. While Tan held the open tool kit the young technician used a power-pack-driven tool to remove the flush retaining screws holding the access panel in place. The whine of the power tool was the only sound to break the silence of the desolate location. Once he had the screws out, Cho used a steel pry-bar to break the seal holding the access panel secure. With the panel free Cho leaned inside the body of the missile, probing the shadows with a flashlight until he located the section he wanted.

“Can you see it?” Tan asked.

“Wait. You know how much equipment is packed inside one of these things?”

“Cho, you can explain when we’re safely back in Hong Kong with the evidence. I’ll gladly listen while you present me with a detailed thesis on missile technology.”

Cho made no reply. He was concentrating on getting hold of the circuit board. He had to free a number of retaining clips before he could lift out the board. Finally he had it.

Cho inspected the twelve-inch-square circuit board.

“Well?” Hung asked.

“It’s the one,” Cho affirmed.

Hung, who had kept taking shots as Cho worked inside the missile, focused in on the board, shooting it from both sides.

“Good. Now let’s move out of here.”

“Cho, take this,” Tan said, handing the tech a solid, brick-shaped package. “Push it down out of sight. I’ve set the timer for twenty minutes, and it’s activated.”

Cho took the explosive device and leaned back inside the missile, sliding the package deep inside the interior.

“Time to go,” he said.

They all returned to the 4x4 and climbed in. Loy Hung took the circuit board and the camera and packed them in a small backpack after wrapping each in lengths of cloth to protect them.

“Now all we have to do is deliver it.”

K ANG HEARD the explosion and saw smoke rising from the site.

“Sergeant, get the men moving faster.”

The five-man squad broke into a trot. Kang swung around and returned to his combat vehicle. He leaned inside and spoke to the radio operator, who was also operating the tracking equipment.

“Did that come from where the missile came down?”

“Yes, Major. The signal has ended. That explosion must have destroyed the tracking device inside the missile.”

Kang called his sergeant. “Spread out. If the missile has been destroyed there may be a good reason.”

“Sabotage?”

“Exactly. I can’t believe the missile has been down for so long and has only just exploded. That traitor Kam Lee must have passed information to the group he was spying for.”

“Pity he died before he gave us any more information.”

Kang shook his head. “He died because he made us kill him. It was pure luck we caught him trying to reenter Guang Lor before we left. My suspicions were simply confirmed that he was the one working undercover.”

“And he had discovered the American circuit board was used in the missile? Passed it to his people?”

“A logical conclusion. Which is why they were heading for the crash site. If they got their hands on that board, it could cause Beijing great embarrassment.” Kang waved an arm in the direction of the WZ-11 helicopter that had flown in to join them from Guang Lor. “Sergeant, take command of the squad. I will fly over the crash site and relay anything we see from the air. Stay in radio contact.”

“Yes, Major.”

Kang took his seat in the helicopter. “Get this thing airborne. Take me to the site.”

Over his shoulder he instructed the door gunner. “If we see anyone moving in the vicinity, don’t waste time waiting for orders. Shoot. If we are correct and Kam Lee’s friends have been at the crash site, they have most probably located and removed that circuit board before sabotaging the missile. I want that board back. Understand?”

“Yes, Major Kang.”

T HE HELICOPTER MADE a direct flight to where the dark coils of smoke stained the sky. It took them less than ten minutes. The pilot took the chopper over the crash site. Looking down, Kang saw that there was little left of the missile. The explosion, powerful in itself, had also detonated what had remained of the missile’s fuel. The resulting detonation had torn the missile apart, scattering debris in a wide circle. The actual spot where the missile had landed had been turned into a blackened crater. Kang felt his anger rise.

Damn those dissidents, he thought.

They were causing major problems. If their fate had rested in his hands, they would have been rounded up and executed long ago. Beijing hadn’t been strong enough in its actions against the Pro-Democracy groups. Perhaps now they would admit the error of their ways and strike a harder blow against these people. The longer they were allowed to survive, the more popular they became among the masses. Hero status had the strength to increase their appeal.

“Take us lower,” Kang instructed the pilot. “Let’s see if we can spot any tracks. They won’t be on foot.”

The helicopter began to make wide sweeps, covering an ever-widening circle out from the crash site.

Over the next hour Kang and his ground troops checked and cross-checked the area. It was starting to reach late afternoon before they spotted anything. It was Kang’s sergeant who was the first with a positive report.

“Vehicle tracks, Major. Fresh. Heading in a easterly direction. By the condition of the tire marks they can’t be more than a few miles ahead.”

“Good. Keep moving after them. I’ll fly over and check ahead.”

D AR T AN SAW the helicopter first.

“It’s coming this way.”

“Military?” Hung asked.

“In this part of the country, what else would it be? No one else is allowed to fly here.”

“Try for cover,” Hung said, “before he spots us.”

“We may be too late.”

Cho’s remark was punctuated by the harsh rattle of a machine gun. A stream of slugs curved down from the pursuing chopper as it dropped lower to line up with the 4x4. Loy Hung watched, almost fascinated, as the line of slugs slapped the dry earth, moving closer to the speeding vehicle. Then the solid thump of the slugs hitting the ground changed to metallic sounds as they rose and peppered the rear of the 4x4. A startled cry rose from one of the team sitting in the rear as ragged slugs, deformed by the thin metal, drilled into yielding flesh. The man slumped across the rear floor of the vehicle, clutching his bloody side where the ragged chunk of metal had torn into his body. The 4x4 veered from side to side as the driver tried to escape the hovering bulk of the helicopter. The problem was the lack of escape routes. The foothills offered little in the way of substantial cover.

The helicopter dropped even lower, aligning itself alongside the 4x4. Turning his head, Hung saw the black muzzle of the 7.62 mm door-mounted machine gun swing around. He tried to shout a warning, but his words were lost in the harsh rattle of the machine gun. The heavy stream of slugs tore into and through the bodywork of the 4x4. Window glass shattered, shards hitting exposed flesh, Hung himself felt a sudden burn of pain across his cheek, then felt the warm stream of blood. The lurching 4x4 hit a rough stretch of ground, and the wheel was being wrenched from the slack hands of the driver. Only now did Hung realize the man had taken a number of the 7.62 mm rounds down one side of his body. He was slumped back in his seat, sightless eyes ignoring the hazards ahead. More machine-gun fire sounded, bullets clanging against the sides of the vehicle as it ran out of control. It made a sharp right turn, careering over a steep ridge, and bounced its way down a long, rocky slope, finally coming to a jarring stop at the bottom of a gully.

T HE GULLY was too narrow to allow the helicopter access. All it could do was hover while Kang screamed into his handset for his ground troops to locate the stricken vehicle. It would take them almost thirty minutes to reach the base of the gully, where they found the 4x4 and three dead occupants.

Loy Hung, Dar Tan and Sammy Cho were gone.

And so, too, was the circuit board.

I T WAS near dark, freezing cold with food or water, and Sammy Cho was wounded. He had taken a couple of bullets in his right side.

But at least they had their weapons and the circuit board.

Loy Hung hoped that was enough. They were alone in the foothills, being pursued by Major Kang and his squad, which was as bad as it could get. At least, Hung thought, the major was denied the use of his helicopter until dawn. The machine was of little use in the dark, so Kang was having to depend on his ground troops.

It gave Hung and his men something of a chance to stay ahead. Not much, but at least a little advantage.

“Loy, we have to stop,” Dar Tan called. “Sammy’s wounds are bleeding again.”

They crouched in the semidarkness, able to see only what the thin moonlight allowed. While Hung kept watch, Tan did what he could for Cho. Tan had managed to rescue the first-aid bag from the 4x4 when they had been forced to abandon it. The bag held only basic first-aid items, certainly not advanced enough to deal with two bullet wounds. Tan had used some of the sterile pads to cover the holes, then bound them in place with some of the bandage from a roll. For his part Sammy Cho made no sound, offered no complaints and managed to keep up with his partners.

That had been three hours ago. Now Cho was showing signs of slowing down. He kept stumbling and when Tan had a look at his bandage he saw it was oozing blood heavily. When Cho fell to his knees this last time, he couldn’t get up.

“You should leave me. I can hold them off for you.”

“So you can be a hero?” Tan smiled at his friend. “You’d love that. So all the girls can flock around you while you tell the story?”

While he spoke to distract Cho, his fingers loosened the sodden bandage. Peeling back the inner dressing, he saw that the bullet wounds had swollen around the entry points. They were still bleeding, too. Tan feared they had become infected. His problem was that he had little idea what he really needed to do. The bullets needed extracting and the wounds cleaning and sealing. For once in his life Tan felt utterly helpless.

“That bad?” Cho asked. “Must be to stop you talking, Dar.”

“Sammy, I wish I could do more for you. But this is something I can’t deal with.”

Hung knelt beside them. “Can you keep moving? I think we’re not far from the village now. If we get there we only have to wait for Mei Anna and her friends. They’ll surely have someone experienced to deal with your wounds.”

“Well, I don’t have many other choices, do I?”

Tan dressed the wounds and replaced the bloody bandage with a fresh one. They stayed for a little while longer, giving Cho more rest.

Hung took a look around, checking the direction they had come. If it had been daylight, he might have been able to spot Kang’s men. The semidark, layering the terrain with deep shadows, made it impossible to identify anything. He decided they would just have to keep moving, hoping the encroaching night would slow Kang as much as it had them. He preferred that way of thinking rather than imagining everything was running smoothly for their pursuers.

Their luck seemed to be holding. Despite the fact they had to move slowly, they spotted the village just after midnight. The temperature had dropped even further. The wind coming down from the higher slopes of the hills dragged at their clothing, pushing them around, and with the ground underfoot being unsafe, it made travel difficult.

“Will Kang know about this place?” Tan asked.

“He might, but what else can we do?” Hung said. “If we stay in the open, we might freeze. Out here we’re too exposed. If we can get under cover, we’ll be out of the wind and at least have a place to defend.”

“When you say it like that,” Tan remarked, the trace of irony in his voice not lost on Hung.

“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this, Dar. This wasn’t the plan.”

“I’m not blaming you. We all knew what we were letting ourselves get into when we joined the group. I don’t regret it. I just hope we have the chance to make something out of this. It would be a shame if we lost everything after getting this far.”

They reached the village a short time later, making their way past the razed buildings until they reached the one remaining that would still provide some shelter. This semiderelict house still had a couple of rooms and a door they could close against the bite of the wind. Pushing open the door they got the semiconscious Cho inside. Hung secured the door, then crossed to the single window slot that allowed him to look back the way they had come.

Tan had Cho propped up in a corner. He found some discarded, dusty blankets and covered the man as best he could. Then he joined Hung at the window.

“It’s the best we can do. Pity we can’t risk a fire to get a little heat in here.”

Hung squatted with his back to the wall, hugging the backpack that contained the circuit board to his body.

“The only thing we can do now is wait.”