Empire of the Dragon

by David L. Golemon

  The man moved his uncovered eye and it fixed on the old men, moving from one to the other. “I am…not…an enemy…of your people. My name is Captain Carl Everett. We…were here…tracking…tracking…a murderous Russian…” The words trailed off and then the eye opened once more and the American tried to keep it open. “Who…are…you?” he asked with great effort of will.

  It was the old doctor who answered. “We are old friends of your country. From many, many years ago. We were a part of the ARVN during the war. We were of the 258th Marine Brigade, Special Operations Group attached to the 9th American Infantry Division. We worked very closely with your own organization.” The doctor raised Everett’s arm and rubbed a thumb over the fading tattoo. “Now, who was it that placed you in a very precarious position in a country that is slow on forgiveness?” He looked from Carl to Dai. “A Russian?”

  They watched as the very large American swallowed. He tried to speak but held back as the memory came flooding back to him.

  “No…no Russian. An…American.” He closed his one eye as he tried to think a problem through.

  “One of your own?” Dai Mihn asked, incredulous.

  Both old soldiers exchanged looks of amazement. Evidently the Americans had not changed all that much since the war years. They were still as confusing as ever.

  They watched the man named Everett slowly close his one eye as a single tear flowed down his grizzled cheek.

  He whispered just one name as he lost consciousness—“Jack.”

  * * *

  Event Group Complex,

  Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada

  Virginia Pollock saw Niles Compton as he entered the air-powered pneumatic elevator. She called out ‘hold’ as the director stopped the doors from closing. She stepped in and then waved two group paleontologists away who tried to join them. Both men saw the looks of angst on the two heads of Department 5656 and were more than happy to catch the next ride. The doors closed and the soft flow of air entering the system was near silent as the car shot downward into the complex.

  “How did your conversation with the President go?” she asked.

  Niles removed his horned rimmed glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Yes, it was that bad. Not only won’t the entirety of the intel community back the shoddy evidence we have on this Siberian group in Russia, most think the President has lost a nut. We just can’t forward anything substantial about them for anyone to work out. Not even the navy, who witnessed these guys at sea, can convince anyone to listen to reason.”

  “That’s not all that’s worrying him, is it?” Virginia asked as she reached out and pushed the ‘hold’ button on the indicator panel. The elevator came to a silent stop. It never occurred to anyone in the complex that the one-ton elevator car was sitting in a tube with absolutely nothing securing it but pressurized air.

  “He’s near a breakdown. Both the senate and congress are on him about the expenditures for the war against the Grays. Now they’re onto our plan to help the Chinese dig out of the hole they are in because of their war costs. We’ve got Senators digging into the war’s intelligence and who came up with the Overlord plan, which of course—”

  “Would lead to us,” Virginia finished for him.

  Niles replaced his glasses and then hit the button for level ‘ten’. “We may be in for some tough times ahead in the election. Instead of the good man we have in office, we may be dealing with a budget hawk in Senator Lyle Lange.” Niles looked at Virginia. “How do you think he’ll feel about our little money absorbing agency?”

  “You’ll convince whoever is elected how important our work is.”

  Niles shrugged as the elevator came to a silent stop. “I need the President to guide me on this.” He stepped out of the car with his head down. “Come with me so I can get an update on Doctor Morales’ progress without me biting the boy’s head off.”

  They walked down the curving, plastic lined hallway and stopped outside of the cleanroom doors. The Marine guard came to attention and Compton waved him to ‘at ease’. He paused before placing his thumb on the glass fingerprint reader.

  “Look, you do the talking. I was much too hard on the kid this morning.”

  “You’re just worried about Carl and Jack. I’m sure Xavier understands. He’s just about to lose his mind for the role he played in their present circumstances.”

  Niles placed his thumb on the I.D. reader and the doors hissed open. “By the way, how did Mr. Personality take his orders to accompany Will to South East Asia?”

  They both entered the cleanroom and then started placing the paper protectants over their clothes, shoes and heads.

  “Oh, he cursed, threw a few things, but calmed down when I explained the situation.”

  “Calmed?” Niles asked.

  “Well, for the Master Chief it was calm. We have to replace his office door window.”

  Compton opened the automated doors to the interior cleanroom and entered with Virginia close behind. “Make sure the cost of the window comes out of his pay.”

  Virginia smiled and said nothing as they approached Xavier Morales who was concentrating so hard with Europa that he failed to see them enter the cleanroom.

  The Cray computer’s protective core doors were open, and both Virginia and Niles watched as the ‘bubble’ memory system that drove the Cray ‘Blue Ice’ system was in full swing. They could see that Doctor Morales was pushing the system to its limits. The three thousand clear glass tubes were multi-colored and were in full activation as some bubbles rose and others fell. The large bubbles rising were programs being utilized by the paraplegic computer genius and the ones falling to the bottom of the eighty-five-foot tubes were programs that had already been used and were in the process of being stored.

  “You cannot tell me that!” Xavier said into the microphone at his station. There were places for five other personnel at the long table facing the massive computer system. Xavier was all alone. Whenever he was pressed for time, the good doctor always worked alone, much like their old friend and deceased member of Department 5656, Pete Golding.

  “Regardless, Doctor, the tracking device is not currently emitting a trackable signal.”

  Morales slammed his palm against the table’s top at the Marilyn Monroe voiced response. “There has to be a reading one way or the other. If the Colonel is dead, we should be able to see his vitals. It’s a nuclear-powered device, for Christ’s sake!”

  “Still can’t trace Jack?” Virginia asked as she pulled out a rolling chair and sat.

  Morales jumped at the suddenness of the enquiry. “Doctor Pollock, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Morales turned and that was when he saw the director leaning against the wall watching them. “Director…I, uh…,” he stammered.

  “Continue, Doctor,” was all Niles added.

  “Europa, display Captain Everett’s trace parameters please,” he said as he rubbed his eyes.

  On the clear glass window facing them and separating them from Europa’s brain systems, a hologram appeared on the thick glass. The numbers and icons were all green and blue in color.

  “As you can see, Captain Everett’s vitals have improved. I think maybe he’s gained some form of consciousness. Heart, respiratory and brain activity has been steadily improving over the past three and a half hours. Still no location for the Colonel,” Xavier said and then turned toward the glass. “Europa has yet to locate him,” as if accusing her in a sarcastic tone of voice.

  “You’ve been able to pinpoint the Captain’s precise location?” Virginia asked.

  “Europa, display the area of Captain Everett’s current location.”

  The hologram changed and then a street map of Ho Chi Minh City stretched across the glass. In the far upper right corner, a small red blip appeared and then the map changed to bring that area into close detail.

  “The area is called, unofficially of course, ‘traitors alley’. District four in t
he city. Most residents there were of the Southern persuasion during the war years. Europa surmises that this area may be the only part of South East Asia that could possibly help the Captain if only for old time’s sake. His transponder readings and improving health may bear that theory out.”

  “Doctor Morales, I have picked up a trace signal from Colonel Collins’ transponder. It is very weak.”

  Xavier brightened and sat up immediately. “Location?”

  “Current location is approximately one hundred and thirty-two kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City. The Laos province of Hai Lap Hue. Current evaluation of health is unclear. The transponder appears to be moving north toward Cambodia.”

  “Damn it,” Niles said as he began his usual pacing when thinking.

  “What is it?” Virginia asked.

  “The damn Golden Triangle is what it is. Most of the world’s heroin comes from there. In other words, it’s not the safest place for Jack to be, especially without any form of backup.”

  “One thing is for sure, if he knew Carl was alive he never would have left him hurt and lost,” Virginia said.

  Niles stopped his pacing, much to the relief of Xavier and Virginia. “Okay, Xavier, I want to clear the board of all operations in Asia for the time being. The furthest out I believe is Captain McIntire’s team in Mongolia. Their field report says that Europa was mistaken in her evaluation of the satellite images. So, bring them out, now.”

  “Sarah’s team is currently awaiting pickup for their return home,” Virginia offered.

  “Don’t wait for their scheduled pickup. Get an Air Force aircraft in there now. I want Ryan to join with Will’s team when they land in Vietnam. They’ll need him.”

  “Europa, let’s give Captain McIntire a heads up.”

  “Incoming communications packet from Captain McIntire has arrived.”

  “Fortuitous,” Virginia said as she watched the hologram in front of her.

  Instead of a voice communication, it was a video that Sarah sent.

  The three sat in silence as they watched the experiment Sarah had conducted in the Gobi. There was no sound, so they all surmised it was taken by a weaker cell phone camera instead of a video cam. They watched in awe as the experiment went off. They could see the detail and the strange ore Sarah had used. They watched it no less than six times trying to figure out just what it was they were looking at.

  “Europa, dissect the video from Captain McIntire and estimate speed of travel of object in video.”

  “Calculating.”

  Doctor Morales impatiently drummed his fingers on the steel table-top.

  “Due to low grade quality of visual, I am unable to estimate exact speed.”

  Xavier rubbed a hand through his dark hair in exasperation. “Damn it, give me your best guess Europa!”

  Virginia stood up and patted Xavier on the shoulder, trying to calm the young genius.

  “Since precise visual trail of exhaust is lost at approximately thirty-three-thousand feet, I can only estimate from time of explosive outgassing of object as it leaves the desert floor.”

  “Oh, come on Europa, you’re killing me! Estimate of speed!”

  “Speed of object is estimated at six-hundred-thousand miles per hour.”

  The cleanroom became silent. The only sound they heard was the air in the vent system that constantly scrubbed the air of germs and microscopic particles.

  “My God, I think they found something better than copper and zinc out there. What in the hell is that ore?” Virginia asked.

  “Europa, contact Captain McIntire immediately for clarification,” Niles said as he leaned over the table and spoke into the microphone. They waited.

  “There is no verbal response at this time. Europa is currently recording a malfunction in the transmission signature.”

  “What malfunction?” Xavier asked incredulously.

  “Non-verbal communication established.”

  “What do you mean non-verbal communication? Let’s hear it,” Xavier said as he gripped the rails of his wheelchair spokes.

  All three heard it. It came out loud and clear over the speaker system. The series clicks, and blips was loud and clear and Xavier and Niles knew its meaning. … -- …, it repeated twice more and then ceased suddenly.

  “Morse Code, Doctor,” Europa said.

  “Morse?” Virginia asked aloud.

  Niles again started pacing.

  “Well, what did it say?”

  Morales started punching in data to retrieve Sarah’s exact location but paused long enough to answer Virginia’s question.

  “It was an S.O.S. Doctor. Captain McIntire’s team is obviously in some form of trouble.”

  Chapter Three

  Allal Mountains,

  Outer Mongolia

  “Doc, do you mind very much getting your skinny ass out of my face?”

  “Oh Lordy, sorry,” Ellenshaw said as he scrambled off Jason after landing on him.

  Ryan rolled over and got the breath back into his lungs after having it knocked out from the thirty-foot fall from high above. Jason looked up and saw the hole they had fallen through and was curious as to how they could have even fit through the small opening. He shook his head and hissed in pain.

  “You didn’t break anything, did you?” Charlie asked as he too was looking at their entrance portal far above their heads.

  “Yeah, something’s broken. Besides my dignity,” he reached for the back of his belt and pulled the small walkie-talkie from its holder, happy to feel the Glock nine-millimeter still in its holster. The radio fell into three pieces and he allowed them to fall through his fingers. “I hope you have yours, Doc.”

  Charlie grimaced and then hissed. “Uh, yeah, about my radio, I uh—”

  “Left it back in camp,” Ryan finished his sentence for him. It was a practiced exercise that Ellenshaw had to be constantly reminded about field team practice and directives.

  “Sorry, I didn’t think I would be gone so long.”

  Ryan eased himself to his feet and brushed himself off. He once more examined the cave they had fallen into. He again checked his belt and was happy to feel that the small Maglite was unbroken. Charlie also had his in the same condition, and they both turned them on at the same time.

  The cave was immense. A sharp smell of dampness permeated the air.

  “There must be a source of moving water somewhere close by,” Ellenshaw said as he moved the beam of his light from one end of the cave to another.

  “What makes you say its moving?” Jason asked.

  “The air, don’t you feel it?”

  Ryan paused as he took in Charlie’s point. The air did have a freshness to it he hadn’t noticed before. He shrugged. “Well, let’s just hope we’re not stuck in here long enough to need it. Come on Doc, let’s see if we can find a way back to the world.”

  Charlie watched as Jason started moving from one side of the cave to other, looking for hand and foot holds to climb back out. His light was picking up nothing but smooth walls all the way to the small hole above.

  “Damn,” Ryan hissed under his breath, “one thing’s for sure, we’re not getting out the way we came in. Unless Sarah and Anya show up with some rappelling gear, which was mysteriously left off the logistics for this mission, we need to find another way up.”

  “Oh, my goodness,” Ellenshaw said, ignoring Ryan’s concerns of escape.

  Jason turned and saw Charlie looking at something on the cave wall. He added his light to Ellenshaw’s and his brows rose.

  “What in the hell is that doing down here?” Jason asked as he stepped closer to see the image Charlie had illuminated. “What is it, a dinosaur?”

  Charlie snickered. “No, no, my dear boy. That is a dragon. A depiction of which I have never seen before.” He moved the light from the maroon painted dragon to Ryan’s face. “And as you know, I am an expert on such renderings from our own cave systems in America, and those cave paintings in France. Yes, I am quite sure this is a
dragon. And rendered in such a way that I have never seen before. Very precise for a mere cave depiction.”

  “Yes, amazing, Doc,” Ryan said as he eased the flashlight away from his face. “But unless we can ride on the back of that beast, we need to find a way out.”

  Charlie looked disappointed. He moved the light back to the artwork that he estimated to be no less than ten thousand years old.

  “Commander, I think you fail to grasp the significance of this find.”

  Ryan shined his light back at the unmoving Charlie. The crazy-haired cryptozoologist finally turned and faced the small naval officer. “Yes, I am indeed failing in that regard, Doc.”

  “You see, Dragons did not appear in Chinese lore until about 1375 B.C.E. Oh, there may have been fanciful depictions before that, but never in the way the more modern Chinese nation used them. This rendering is about seven thousand years too early.”

  “Seven, huh?”

  “Yes indeed.”

  “That is enthralling on so many levels, Doc. Maybe we can discuss this at length when we climb out of here. Deal?”

  “Oh, yes, yes of course. You lead, I’ll follow.”

  Ryan gave Ellenshaw one last look with slatted, suspicious eyes and then waved him forward.

  A few minutes later, Charlie asked worriedly; “You are aware we seem to be traveling at a precarious downward angle, Commander?”

  “Really? What gave it away Charlie, the downhill trail?”

  For the first time, Ellenshaw really concentrated his light on their footing. That was when he noticed, as Ryan already had, that they were walking on a well-worn pathway.

  “Goodness. It looks as if this could have been tread upon by a million sets of feet.”

  “A million pairs of feet, huh, Doc?”

  “Yes, from the look and size of the trail I would say at least a million.”

  Ryan stopped their downhill tread and faced Ellenshaw. “Not bad considering this godforsaken country has less than three million total people in it. And as old as this trail looks, they must have had major conventions down here for thousands of years in order to get this deep and very well-trodden trail.”