China Crisis (Stony Man)

by Don Pendleton

  “Today gets even better,” he said.

  Anna struggled to free herself from his grip and Kang struck her with his free hand.

  McCarter lunged forward and received a hard fist to the side of his head.

  “Hey,” James called out, and immediately regretted it when one of the Chinese slammed the butt of his weapon into the small of his back. Pain shot the length of James’s spine.

  The officer, attracted by the incident, came across and stood in front of James.

  “Prisoners do not speak unless ordered to. I understand the arrogance of you Americans. Do not upset me. Ignore that and you will be instructed in the ways of obedience.” Kang smiled at James’s defiant scowl. “Be warned.”

  James took the command to heart and stayed silent. From where James stood he could see the smoking ruins of the house that had received the full brunt of the missiles launched from Kang’s helicopter. The walls were down, the stone and timber construction completely razed to the ground. He thought about Anna’s friend Loy Hung and the other survivor Dar Tan. Where were they? Buried beneath the tumbled stonework?

  Immediately his thoughts jumped to someone closer.

  Where was Gary Manning?

  He hadn’t seen the burly Canadian with McCarter and the others. His last memory of his Phoenix Force companion had been during those final moments before the arrival of the second HE missile from Kang’s helicopter. His warning shout had been drowned in the roar of the explosion and his own reaction to the blast. Was Manning lying back there maybe injured—or worse? James caught McCarter’s eye and mouthed the name. McCarter simply gave a brief shrug.

  There was a moment when James almost blurted out Manning’s name, determined to have an answer to the question, but at the same time he knew he would be doing little except putting them all at further risk. Major Kang would pay little heed to an irrational outburst from one of his captives, and all James would get would be more physical abuse from his captors. He resigned himself to accepting his current position for the time being, in the hope something could be done later. If Kang didn’t realize there was a missing member of the team, it would do no one any good to reveal the fact.

  Kang was yelling more orders. One of the soldiers knelt beside a scattering of objects on the ground and gathered them into his arms. James realized they were the weapons taken from Phoenix Force. He watched the soldier carry them across to the helicopter and hand them to one the chopper’s crew. The crewman took the ordnance and vanished inside the helicopter. Kang was handed a collection of items that he studied carefully. One was the GPS unit. Kang held it up to show them, then dropped it on the ground and smashed it under his boot. He did the same with all the communications units. More orders from Kang and soldiers crossed to the captives and pushed them in the direction of the helicopter. They were herded inside and made to squat on the floor.

  Kang himself, along with four armed soldiers, took positions inside the helicopter. Its power began to build. The major looked pleased with himself as the machine swayed off the ground, turned and began its flight.

  “We are returning to Guang Lor,” he informed them. “There is a punishment block there to hold you until I receive instructions from Beijing. They will be most delighted when I tell them I have American agents caught illegally on Chinese soil waging terrorist acts alongside the infamous Mei Anna.”

  At the sound of her name Anna threw a scathing look at Kang.

  “My fame has spread to your grubby little corner of the world, has it, Kang?” Her words dripped with sarcasm.

  “Still defiant? Perhaps we can knock that out of you at Guang Lor.”

  “That sounds to be your level, Kang. Beating women.”

  One of the soldiers guarding the prisoners moved forward, swinging the back of his hand across Anna’s face. The blow slammed her against the bulkhead.

  “You see what happens when you forget your place, woman,” Kang said.

  The soldier, encouraged by Kang’s words, leaned in to strike again. Before anyone could stop her Anna launched herself away from the bulkhead and rammed the top of her head into the soldier’s face, impacting against the man’s nose. Bone snapped and a spray of bright blood burst from his nostrils. The soldier stumbled back and Anna went for him again.

  It was Kang who intervened before any of his men. His left hand reached out and caught Anna’s tunic, swinging her around to face him. There was almost a smile of pleasure on his face as he drove his fist into the woman’s face, the blow solid and delivered mercilessly. It caught Anna across the right cheek, spinning her off balance. She stumbled, almost to her knees, then felt herself propelled across the helicopter as Kang used his booted foot to kick her in the side. The blow lifted her off her feet before dropping her to the deck. Kang followed, bending to take a handful of her hair, dragging her head up.

  By this time McCarter had lunged forward, yelling out Kang’s name. He had taken no more than a few steps before one of the armed Chinese next to him lashed out with his autorifle. The heavy weapon smashed into McCarter’s ribs, winding the Briton. The Chinese followed through with a second blow that thudded against the side of McCarter’s skull and he sagged against the bulkhead. The soldier used his boots to continue his attack. Anna wasn’t even aware of that as Kang yanked her head back.

  “Traitorous bitch,” he snapped. “Now you will pay for what you have done.”

  He began to slap her face, back and forth, continuing even after she had lapsed into unconsciousness. Only when he realized she was no longer aware did her allow her to slump to the deck, her face bruised and bloody from his blows.

  Kang stood back, breathing heavily. He looked across at McCarter’s still form. He snapped a finger at James and Encizo.

  “Do any of you want to make a contribution? No? I did not think so.”

  Snapping orders to his men to maintain a full watch over the prisoners, Kang moved along the cabin until he reached the flight deck and sank into the seat beside the pilot, allowing a thin smile of contentment to etch its way across his face. He congratulated himself on a mission well defined by success, if not completely accomplished, and with far better results than he could ever have expected. The capture of the Americans and Mei Anna would be well received in Beijing. They were a sound political prize. Much would be made of their unlawful incursion into sovereign Chinese territory, the fact they had colluded with the traitor Mei Anna and killed a number of Chinese military personnel. The Americans would be made to look like fools when the captives were paraded in court and displayed on television worldwide. Their protestations would fall on disbelieving ears and their international reputation would suffer a setback. The outcry would drown the arguments that the U.S. was trying to retrieve stolen technology. It would reduce that accusation to a dry whisper in the wind.

  For Kang the capture of the American team would help to defer any criticism of having lost the circuit board in the first place. True, he had yet to turn up evidence of Loy Hung and guarantee the recovery of the circuit board, but that was just a matter of time. He had left the bulk of his men in the village. Their orders were specific. Locate Hung and his partners, dead or alive, and find the circuit board, then return to Guang Lor. In the meantime Kang would inform Beijing of his success and deliver his captives to the city where he would take the rewards the Party officials would present him with.

  No more than he deserved. His years of service, many of them in such barren places as Guang Lor, would be over. He would receive promotion and be offered a prestigious position elsewhere. For Tchi Chuy Kang this was the start of a new phase in his career. And probably, he realized, ensure some higher promotion than major.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “This wasn’t exactly the way I expected to get inside this bloody place,” David McCarter said absently.

  He stared around the cold cell, his thoughts not entirely focused on his present situation. He was thinking about Gary Manning, the missing member of Phoenix Force. The Canadian’s fate
was still unknown, and until he had confirmation one way or the other, McCarter wasn’t going to be content. It wasn’t in him to mark one of his team as dead until he had solid proof in front of him. While Manning’s condition remained unconfirmed, McCarter kept the Canadian alive in his thoughts, and even though escape seemed something of an abstract at this moment, the Briton was far from defeated. When, rather than if, they were free, one of their objectives would be to find Manning.

  Calvin James sensed his commander’s concern. It was akin to his own. James’s last image was of Manning trying to outrun the incoming HE missile. James remembered the blast, his own luck at surviving the detonation, but he was still concerned over his teammate’s.

  McCarter suddenly slammed his clenched fists against the solid bulk of the cell door.

  “And what is that bastard doing to Anna?”

  Two guards had come to the cell twenty minutes earlier and had taken Mei Anna away. McCarter’s protest had got him a rifle butt in the stomach, the last thing Anna had seen as she was dragged away.

  MEI ANNA HAD BEEN escorted along a narrow, dimly lit passage to a bare, windowless, concrete room that held nothing but a sturdy wooden chair. She had been forced to sit in the chair, her wrists and ankles secured by thick leather straps. The two guards stood just behind her. Nothing happened for a while and then the door opened and Major Kang entered.

  “I would have expected someone like you to have been harder to capture,” Kang said. “I know a great deal about you. Quite a reputation, Mei Anna. But that is over now.”

  He was extremely pleased with himself. The woman had been an elusive enemy for some time now. She had done a great deal of harm to Beijing’s credibility. She and her group were responsible for a number of criminal acts against the state. It was going to look well on his record that Kang had been the one to capture her.

  “And we know a great deal about you, Kang. All about the things you do. Nothing I would wish on my record.”

  Kang turned quickly, his right hand sweeping around to slap Anna across the side of her face. The blow was unsparing. It rocked her head to one side, leaving a red welt across her cheek. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced back the cry of pain rising in her throat and stared up at Kang defiantly.

  “What a hero, Kang. Beijing would be so proud of you. Daring to hit a lone woman all on your own. Of course I’m sure you will omit the fact in your report that I was tied to a chair at the time.”

  “I have no time for these stupid games. Tell me about your organization. The names of your people. Locations. I want to know.”

  “Only so you can brag to your masters in Beijing that you have been clever enough to break me. Kang, you are so easy to read. A small man trying to make himself bigger for the men who make him jump through hoops.”

  He hit her again. This time it was with his fist and the blow split her lips, knocking her sideways with enough force to topple the chair. Anna cracked her head against the floor and lay still and silent, even when Kang ordered her chair to be set upright again. He took hold of her hair and yanked her head back, staring directly into her eyes.

  “You are a traitor to your country,” he said.

  “Whatever I am, Kang, you will never be a man if you live to be a hundred. You will always be a puppet, dangling from Beijing’s strings and dancing to their tune.”

  Kang stepped back, trembling from the harsh words. He deliberately spaced himself from the woman. If he had stayed close, he would have beaten her until she was dead. He knew his responsibility was to deliver her alive to Beijing, so he would have to remain at a safe distance from her. Despite himself he felt the sting of her remarks. She used her words well, knowing just what to say to draw a response. Yet she was an intelligent young woman and had to know she was placing herself at risk by taunting him. Why would she do such a thing? The only reason could be that she wanted him to become so angry he would kill her. If she died, then any propaganda Beijing might gain from her capture would be lost. He credited her with courage on that. She was willing to sacrifice herself to deny her enemy profit from her capture. As Kang reached the door of the cell, he turned to have a final look at her.

  Mei Anna returned his gaze with an angry stare. She was bruised and battered, marked by livid gashes. Blood had coursed down her face. More blood had spilled down the front of her combat suit. Yet her eyes, partly obscured by strands of her black hair, seemed to shine with the spirit that seemed to keep her defiant even in this, her most dangerous situation.

  No matter how many times we take them on. No matter how many we kill. They still carry on. They still come back. Fight on.

  For a fleeting moment, before his ingrained loyalty to the State, to his country washed it away, Kang felt a sense of fear. It lasted only a millisecond and then he turned away. In that fraction of time, through everything else threatening to overwhelm her, Mei Anna registered Kang’s doubt at his own vulnerability. In that moment the pain she was experiencing was worth the look in Kang’s eyes.

  “For your information. Just to prove we are not as stupid as you believe. Your inside man here at Guang Lor, Kam Lee, has been unmasked.” Kang smiled. “Unmasked and dealt with. He will not be passing on any more information. I might have his head placed on a stake so everyone can see.”

  Anna’s face betrayed nothing. Internally she stored the information away. Kang, seeing she wasn’t going to allow him any satisfaction at this disclosure, snapped his fingers at the guards.

  “Take her back to the cell.”

  “Do you want one of the others, Major?”

  “Later,” Kang said. “For now let them worry what is going to happen to them once they are in Beijing’s hands.”

  He strode along the passage. He was angry that he hadn’t been able to gain any information from Mei Anna. It would have been pleasing to be able to present names and locations of the Pro-Democracy group to his superiors. Perhaps there would be time yet. First he needed to conclude his business with Loy Hung and the missing circuit board. He made his way to the communications center where he would contact the squad he had left at the village. He needed an update on their progress.

  The trouble was he failed to make any kind of connection with his squad. The communications link had been closed down.

  Kang strode from the building, heading for the helicopter pad.

  “Where is the crew?” he demanded of the ground staff.

  “They are—”

  “Bring them immediately. Is this machine ready to fly again?”

  “We need to complete refueling.”

  “Do it quickly. I want this machine ready to leave now.”

  Kang paced up and down the pad while he waited. He couldn’t understand why his squad wasn’t answering his calls. When he had flown from the village everything had been under control. His men were in charge. All they’d had to do was search out and find Loy Hung. The man had to be in the area. He was on foot. A fugitive. Not even a trained soldier.

  So what was going on?

  “Kang?”

  He looked around and saw Dr. Lin Cheung hurrying across the site. Irritation creased Kang’s face. What did the man want now? Kang had enough to handle without Cheung bothering him. As the man got closer, Kang composed himself. Personal feelings aside, Kang needed to remain in favor with the man. Cheung was an important official. He also had the ear of Director Han. Outwardly a quiet, self-effacing man Cheung was also extremely clever and he wasn’t the sort to make a fool of.

  “Are you leaving us again so soon? Is there a problem?”

  “I need to return to the village to take control of the hunt for Loy Hung. Now that the prisoners are settled, I need to get back. It is my responsibility, Dr. Cheung, and I will not forget that. Arrangements have been made for the transportation of the prisoners to Beijing. A plane should arrive for them late tomorrow. Then they will be off our hands. If it is in my power I would like to have Loy Hung go along with them and the missing circuit board back in your hand
s.”

  Cheung smiled in his quiet, almost gentle way.

  “You are a credit to your profession, Major Kang. Such devotion will not go unnoticed in Beijing. I will make it my business to see that your efforts do not get overlooked.”

  “I do it for my country, Doctor, not for personal gain.”

  “Of course.” Cheung turned to go. “Major, good hunting.”

  As he returned to his comfortable office, leaving Kang to bark at the ground crew and his tardy pilot, Cheung’s smile broadened.

  Did Kang really believe he had fooled Cheung with his oily platitudes? Unfortunately he probably did. Stupid idiot, Cheung thought. If he thinks he will get credit for completing the assignment, he was going to be extremely disappointed. Beijing already knew what had happened.

  Cheung had used the time Kang was away to speak personally to Director Han. He had detailed the whole episode, from the moment it had been reported the missile had been lost and that one of the technicians had, without authority, used an American circuit board. Dai Sung, the errant technician, would be dealt with when things had calmed down. Cheung had explained about the exposure of Kam Lee, the inside man working for the Pro-Democracy group and how that matter had been resolved. As to the capture of the American-inspired group caught on Chinese territory, Cheung had made certain Director Han understood his initiation of their capture.

  “Kang is driven by his dreams of becoming a national hero because he managed to catch these people,” Cheung had said. “He seems to overlook the fact that as he is in charge of local security for the area they should not have been able to even set foot in Xinjiang. However, while he is busy finding Loy Hung and the missing board, I see no point in spoiling his moment.”

  “Of course not, Lin. As long as he believes he is gaining favor he will work all the harder. We can let him down lightly once we have all the pieces of this puzzle gathered together. Unfortunately for Kang once the matter moves to Beijing it will by necessity be taken to a higher level. Far above the authority of a mere major. As you say, Kang will be too busy explaining why, as the man in charge of security at Guang Lor, and the surrounding territory, he allowed all this to take place under his nose. As well as having an undercover operative working inside Guang Lor. It will probably fall to you and I to, er, become responsible for bringing this incident to a satisfactory conclusion.”