Voice of the Elders

by Greg Ripley

  Once they’d located their targets, they’d leave, disappearing into the night. The monks would have nothing to go on and a simple snatch and grab in the remote wilds of the Qilian Mountains wouldn’t be a high priority for the local police, especially if their targets were trying to keep a low profile. Gruber assumed their disappearance might go completely unreported, but a massacre would undoubtedly result in unwanted attention.

  If all went according to plan they’d leave nothing but boot prints and take only their targets. It had become a bit of an informal motto for their team after one of the American members told Gruber about the hiking saying: Leave only footprints, take only photographs.

  As they began searching the outer ring of buildings, they hadn’t encountered anyone yet. They may all be in a central hall somewhere. Perhaps we are just in time for dinner. Ops always made Gruber hungry.

  50

  Jimmie was summoned to the dining hall for dinner and had just begun eating when he noticed a monk rushing towards the Abbot. The monk leaned down and whispered something in the abbot’s ear. Something must be up, Jimmie thought. I hope Rohini is safe. Jimmie saw the abbot’s eyes widen slightly and the hair stood up on the back of Jimmie’s neck. The abbot whispered something back to the monk who rushed out of the building as quickly as he’d come. Then the abbot stood.

  “Your attention, please, the temple is under attack by unknown intruders. They are heavily armed. As you know, we are not. I assume they are after our guests. We must protect them, as well as the Guanzi, at all costs. They must not know where they have gone. We’ll retreat towards the cave of Tianyinzi where we’ll hide our remaining guest. The Guanzi has sent word that they have found the way into the old tunnel which leads there. Let us hope that if all these intruders find are a bunch of old monks, they will leave us in peace. My brothers and sisters, please be vigilant. Try not to provoke these intruders, but we must defend the Guanzi. As long as she lives, so does the society. Go now.”

  Everyone stood and made their way out of the dining hall. Jimmie was impressed at the calm, orderly manner of the monks and nuns as they left. The abbot and another of the senior monks approached Jimmie. “Come this way.”

  * * *

  Rohini and the others followed Zhongkui through the tunnel. They’d been traveling at a steady jog for about fifteen minutes. As the tunnel sloped downhill, they were making quick time. It shouldn’t be long now, Rohini thought. I hope we’re in time. As it happened, they were close. Zhongkui slowed suddenly as did the rest of the group.

  “What is it?” Jane said.

  “There are small openings along this part of the tunnel which look out over the temple; we should be able to see if the soldiers have entered the temple yet from here,” Zhongkui said. “Here’s one,” he said, leaning into a small window-like opening in the side of the tunnel. “They’re already inside. Sinéad, take a look. Tell me what you see.”

  “It looks like they’re closing the noose, working their way in from the periphery,” Jane said. “They’ll gather everyone in a central location to make sure they haven’t missed anyone.”

  “Yes, I agree. Fortunately, that will work in our favor. It will take them a little time and unknown to them they’ll be flushing everyone our way. But we must hurry,” Zhongkui said, beginning down the tunnel again.

  As they passed another of the window-like openings, they heard a sound which sent a chill down Rohini’s spine: gunfire. “Jimmie!” she said. “We’ve got to get down there.” They picked up the pace.

  After what felt like an eternity to Rohini, but was only moments, they skidded to a halt at what looked like a dead end. Zhongkui held up his lantern near the wall, illuminating it. In the circle of light was a lever which Zhongkui grasped. Fingers crossed, Rohini thought.

  This time the mechanism worked. As Zhongkui pulled down on the lever, a doorway opened in the cave wall. “Quietly now,” Zhongkui said as he led them into the passage. They’d gone only a few steps when they ran into a startled Abbot and a few of the older monks and nuns huddled in Tianyinzi’s cave.

  “Come, into the tunnel,” Zhongkui said. The monks stared at Zhongkui as they passed, but followed his direction. “We heard gun fire, Long Daozhang. What’s happened?” Guangming said.

  “I’m afraid some of our fiercer brothers sought to challenge the intruders. We had almost been cut off from reaching the cave, but the brothers from Wudang came to our aid. They killed two of the intruders and ran back to help the others. Your friend Jimmie went with them,” the abbot said. As he spoke, more gunfire could be heard outside.

  “How many people were at the temple, Abbot?” Jane said.

  “There should only be about a dozen left after us. Please get them all to safety, if you can,” the abbot said.

  “OK. Go on into the tunnel, Abbot. It still leads to the Abode of the Guanz. We’ll get everyone to safety,” Guangming said.

  “Be safe, all of you,” Long Daozhang said, before ducking into the passageway.

  “We’ve got to find the others and get them into the cave,” Jane said. Even with Zhongkui’s skill we’ll be no match for so many guns. How many do you think there are?”

  “I thought I saw at least a dozen in my meditation,” Rohini said.

  “That still probably leaves at least ten then. I’d be OK with those odds if we weren’t bringing knives to a gunfight,” Jane said. “But as it is…”

  “I will create a diversion, drawing their attention away from the cave. If you see them approach the cave before I return, close the passage and retreat,” Zhongkui said. “I will return by other means if necessary.” Then he was gone, running deeper into the compound.

  “Meet back here in five minutes,” Jane said. “Rohini, someone needs to stay here.”

  “No way, Jane, I’m going with you. I’ve got to find Jimmie,” Rohini said, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

  “I’m sorry, Rohini, but no,” Jane said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Look at me. If he’s out there, we’ll find him, but someone has got to stay here. If we get cut off, we’ve got to get that cave closed to cover our escape and protect the others.”

  “Alright, Jane. I don’t like it, but you’re right,” Rohini said. “Now, go find Jimmie.”

  Jane and Guangming jogged off into the night looking for the remaining Daoists, moving from building to building, shadow to shadow. As they encountered stragglers they directed them to the cave. After a minute they heard a commotion off in the night. It must be Zhongkui. Rohini heard shouting and gunfire which were quickly silenced. There was a sudden flash followed quickly by a boom which split the night. Please let them all come back.

  Moments later she saw several people running towards the cave. It was more of the Daoists, but there were still several missing, and still no Jimmie. “Have you seen Jimmie?” She asked, as she ushered them into the passageway at the rear of the cave, but no one had seen him. Then she heard others coming—she recognized Guangming, but he wasn’t alone, he was followed by a larger figure. Who is that? she thought, before realizing what she was seeing—it was Jane carrying someone. As they got closer the image became clearer; Jane had Jimmie in a fireman’s carry, her left arm looped around one of his legs, holding onto his arm, leaving her right arm free to use her gun. She was running as fast as she could under his weight, the strain showing on her face as she passed through streaks of moonlight.

  Rohini ran out to meet them, but Jane shooed her back. “Rohini, I’ve got him. Get back in the cave. They’re coming.”

  They hurried back through the hermit’s cave and into the tunnel, “Watch his head,” Rohini said, as Jane shuffled sideways through the doorway at the back of the cave.

  “We’re clear, close it, Rohini,” Jane said.

  “But what about Zhongkui?”

  “Believe me, he’ll be fine.” Jane said.

  “Don’t move!”
Two men in black tactical gear had slipped quietly into the cave behind them. In the faint lantern light of the tunnel, they were like ghosts, except for the very real guns they held levelled at the trio. Rohini heard a wet gurgling sound as a sword tip suddenly sprouted from one of the men’s throats, followed by a spray of blood as the sword was quickly withdrawn. That was all the distraction Jane needed. She raised her gun and fired, taking out the other masked man with a single shot to the head.

  The two men fell almost in unison. Zhongkui stood behind them, blood dripping from his sword. “Let’s go,” he said, stepping over the fallen bodies of their pursuers.

  51

  Rohini pulled the lever closing the hidden passageway as soon as Zhongkui cleared the door. As it slid closed Rohini rushed to Jane, who with Guangming’s help was laying Jimmie down on the ground.

  “Oh, Jimmie, what did you do?” Rohini said, as she knelt next to him. “What happened, Jane?”

  “He’s been shot. I don’t know how many times. I didn’t have a chance to look him over out there,” Jane said. “Guangming, get that light over here.”

  As Guangming held the lantern closer, Rohini could see the blood soaking the front of Jimmie’s shirt. Jane began pulling it up to determine the severity of his wounds. “Shit,” she hissed. “That doesn’t look good at all.” Rohini’s heart leapt into her throat when she saw the extent of his wounds. His chest and stomach were awash in blood. It looked like he’d been shot at least three times, maybe more.

  “He’s still got a pulse,” Jane said, feeling for his carotid artery. “But it’s fading fast. What I wouldn’t give for a med kit. Give me your shirts, now, both of you; we’ve got to get this bleeding stopped.”

  Rohini and Guangming dropped their jackets and stripped off their shirts. Rohini had a tank top on under the flannel shirt she’d been wearing; Guangming was bare to the waist. They handed their shirts over before putting their jackets back on. They’d be no use to Jimmie or anyone else if they got hypothermia.

  Jane got to work. She tore the bottom half of Rohini’s shirt into three strips, taking one and folding it over several times before placing it on Jimmie’s chest wound and binding it with Guangming’s shirt. She repeated the same process with a second piece, binding it with the top half of Rohini’s shirt, tying the sleeves together over a wound on Jimmie’s abdomen. Seeing she still needed one more dressing, she dropped her coat and took off her own shirt, tearing it as she had Rohini’s, and repeated the process once more.

  As they shifted Jimmie to one side to slip the third wrapping under his back, she noticed a large exit wound on his lower back; it didn’t look good. It was too close to the spine for comfort. If he makes it out of here at all, he’s definitely done with action movies, Jane thought. She turned and looked up at Zhongkui.

  “I understand,” Zhongkui said. He closed his eyes for a moment. “The Guanzi is sending the fastest runner they’ve got with a medical kit. If Jimmie can be moved, we should keep heading up the tunnel, he’ll reach us sooner that way.”

  “I’d like to, but he’s got a nasty exit wound on his lower back. I don’t want to move him again until we can get him stabilized. Is there anything else you can do?” Jane said.

  “My skills lay elsewhere, I’m afraid,” Zhongkui said. “I’ve always had more of a knack for destruction than healing. If he were possessed it would be another matter, but I’m afraid bullets aren’t the kind of extraction I’m skilled at. We each have our own gifts.”

  “Wait, if you can’t heal his body, can you move the bullets out? Can’t you move them the way you moved the door?” said Rohini.

  “It’s possible,” Zhongkui said after considering it for a moment. “My only reservation is that we could cause more damage pulling them back out. Let me see if I can sense them well enough to see if it is safe.” He knelt down and looked at Jimmie’s body for a moment, then held out his hand. “There is a bullet lodged in his chest still and one in his abdomen. The third has gone completely through, resulting in the wound on his back. The bullet in his chest appears safe, it’s lodged in the muscle and doesn’t seem to be affecting his breathing, but I’m afraid attempting to remove the bullet from his abdomen would risk more damage, it’s right next to an artery.”

  Rohini had been listening to Zhongkui, but her attention returned to Jimmie as he began to stir. His eyes flickered open, and a small gasp left his throat. “Jimmie, can you hear me?” Rohini said, as she rested her hand gently on the side of his head.

  His eyes found her face. “Rohini,” he croaked. “You’re safe.”

  “What were you doing out there? You should have hidden with the abbot,” Rohini said.

  “I was, but when two of the monks from Wudang went out to fight, I had to go help them. I figured we could buy the others some time.”

  “Always trying to play the hero, huh? But this isn’t the movies, Jimmie. Those are real guns out there.” Rohini said.

  “Yeah, might not have been one of my best ideas,” Jimmie said, his voice growing quieter.

  The sound of footsteps in the tunnel drew everyone’s attention, along with a light flickering in the distance. The runner! Thank God, he’s almost here, Rohini thought.

  But her attention returned to Jimmie, as she heard a gagging sound. Rohini saw blood sputtering out of his lips. “Oh God, he’s choking! Help me.” They rolled him onto his side to allow the blood to clear his airway before he asphyxiated, but it was no use, he was bleeding out. After a deep gasp, Jimmie’s body fell still. Jane put her fingers back on his pulse as Rohini looked to her expectantly. She met Rohini’s eyes, and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Rohini.”

  “No!” Rohini cried, cradling Jimmie’s head in her lap, her pants and hands covered in his blood.

  52

  The Simms Estate

  Westchester County, New York

  Bartholomew Simms was ensconced in the back of his Bentley limo. He’d just left his estate on his way into the city, when he received the call.

  “Gruber, what news have you got for me?”

  “I’m afraid we were too late, sir. If they were there, they must have moved on. There was no one there but a bunch of monks,” Gruber said.

  “That’s unfortunate. Keep looking. They couldn’t have gotten far. They should be easy to spot in the mountains if they’re still on horseback,” Simms said.

  “We’ve covered the whole mountain with drones. There are no heat signatures anywhere. We’ll keep looking, sir, but there’s something else. I don’t think these were ordinary monks. Not only did a few of them resist, they actually killed several of our men,” Gruber said.

  “What? Were they armed?” Simms said.

  “They were only armed with swords, but they definitely knew how to use them. I’ve never seen their like,” Gruber said. “I thought they only knew how to fight like that in the movies. There was also an explosion during the raid so with that and the bodies; we thought it best to destroy the temple to cover our tracks. Fortunately, with their energy infrastructure, we were able to make it look accidental. Unless they get some real demolitions experts in there, the authorities shouldn’t suspect anything.”

  “Good. I’ve always appreciated your ability to deal with unforeseen challenges, Gruber,” Simms said. “Keep looking. We’ll move ahead with our plans in the meantime. Is everything still on track?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Excellent.”

  53

  The runner arrived less than a minute after Jimmie’s last breath, but there was nothing to be done. They remained in the tunnel for some time as Rohini grieved, until a large explosion shook the tunnel, showering them with dust and small rocks.

  “We’d better move,” Jane said. “If there are any more of those, this tunnel might not hold. Come on, Rohini,” she said, grabbing her by the arms and helping her up.

  “What about Jimmie?�
� Rohini said.

  “Don’t worry,” Zhongkui said. “I will bring him.” He began to pick up Jimmie’s body, Guangming helping him.

  “I was worried there for a moment you might make him a jiangshi,” Guangming said, after they’d walked a short distance up the tunnel. “But they must just be a myth, right?”

  “Jiangshi are quite real, at least they were in my day,” Zhongkui said. “But I am more than capable of carrying him back to the grottos, and I assume it would be quite upsetting to Rohini if I animated his corpse.”

  “I don’t think any of us could handle it right now,” Guangming said.

  Arriving back at the storeroom, Rohini’s gaze drifted up to the faint impression of the Dipper Stars as they passed under them. I hope you’re on your way, sweet Jimmie.

  “Jane, take Rohini, we’ll take care of things,” Guangming said as Zhongkui closed the passage behind them.

  “Alright, let me know if you need me. Do we have any way to know if they’re heading this way? Do you have lookouts or something?” Jane said.

  “I’ll send out my awareness from time to time,” Zhongkui said. “But I believe they are preparing to leave. We are safe for now.”

  Rohini was in a daze. She let Jane lead her upstairs to her room. She helped Rohini clean up and found her some clean clothing. Several hours later she left Rohini’s room and ran into Guangming.

  “How is she doing?” Guangming said.

  “She finally went to sleep. She’s been alternating between crying and shock,” Jane said. “What’s happening?”

  “Zhongkui was right. The soldiers have left,” Guangming said. “They were picked up by a helicopter in the valley a short time ago.”

  “Hopefully it’s for good. We should lay low for a few days at least. If they’re still looking for us I’d hate to be caught out in the open,” Jane said. “I’m going to update the president, see if they have any new intelligence.”