Tram fixed on a spot he thought most vulnerable—the left engine. He pulled the trigger and the world inside the Bonanza exploded with a roar. The fifty-caliber round punched into the left engine compartment before the Russian could fully turn away. The engine burst into flames with fuel shooting out of its interior housing. The aircraft rolled hard onto its top as it rolled away.
“Damn,” Tram said.
“Is that all, just damn?” Henri said as he too rolled the Bonanza to the left, diving for the desert below. Farbeaux brought the small plane down to eight hundred feet and then started scanning the skies.
He was about to start cursing Tram when they felt the impact of twenty-millimeter rounds as they struck the rear of the Bonanza. Then the heavy caliber projectiles ran a perfect line of holes all the way to the left mounted engine, blowing it into a thousand flying pieces of steel. The disruption caused the wing tank to shear away, along with two feet of aluminum wing tip.
“Hang on, we’re going in!”
The Bonanza struck the desert floor just as the Master Chief and Everett’s C-130 had the day before. It hit and skid hard into a small rise and then rebounded into the air before settling once more to the sands of the Gobi.
A moment later the smoking SU-57 turned north to report his kill.
Part III
DRAGON’S FIRE
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”
~Mahatma Gandhi
Chapter Ten
Altai Mountains,
Mongolia
The man the Event Group personnel knew as Professor James Anderson watched the two young men who were assigned to watch him. Something had occurred outside the hidden mountain fortress Crazy Charlie Ellenshaw had dubbed Shangri-La, that had put the city on edge. The two guards seemed to be occupied with the news and were not paying close attention. Anderson allowed himself the time needed to make the armed men comfortable about his docile actions thus far. He knew when it would be time to move. The one man who seemed inordinately preoccupied with him, even far more than the young men watching him, was the Australian, Birnbaum. Every time the man went wandering the city, he would check on him as if he knew something the others did not. It would seem normal but for the clear problem that Birnbaum was not like the others in the field team, as they had already declared that they were there as spies. Birnbaum had made no such confession or admission. He was supposedly what he claimed to be, a professor of geology.
Anderson watched the two men who were not paying him close attention. Several young girls walked by and coquettishly flirted with the boys. He had come to know them as two students who had just returned after three semesters at universities across the globe, who were put out that they were assigned watchdog duties when they could be out with the young girls, like the ones they were now speaking to. The rest of the field team was off learning all they could about the mystical city and the people who occupied it. The inhabitants were in the process of trying to decide how better to defend their fortress. This was his chance. The only one he may ever get.
There was a commotion from across the city center as General Chang had returned with Professor Lee and the American Ryan. The two young guards, along with the four girls they were flirting with, moved off so they could determine what all the fuss was about. Anderson did not hesitate. He stood from the small alcove table he had been sitting at and swiftly vanished into the crowd of citizens moving toward the General. He ducked quickly into the first open tunnel entrance he came to. Once in the dark, he removed a small compass and flashlight from his pocket that he had managed to hide from his watchers, and checked the heading. He moved off further into the inky blackness.
* * *
Everett, Jenks and the six remaining Air Force commandos could not believe what they were seeing. They had been led by a smiling Ryan and his two friends into the side of the mountain, through an entrance Carl believed he never could have found on his own. It was like all of the entrance points were so well hidden or disguised that it was near magical in its camouflaged ingenuity.
“Well, butter my ass and call me—”
“Master Chief, really, enough with the metaphors,” Carl said, as he finally saw the face he was looking for. Even Jenks had to smile.
Anya Korvesky shot through the crowd of onlookers who were more interested with General Chang’s presence than that of the newcomers. She jumped in the air and Carl caught her with a loud ‘umph’.
“Hey, take it easy on my patient, he’s still a little gunshot.”
Anya ignored Jenks as she kissed Carl all over his face as the large man was finally forced to sit her down.
“You don’t know what horrors I was thinking since you and Jack left,” she said as she couldn’t resist kissing Everett over and over.
“Master Chief,” Sarah said as she stepped up and held out her hand.
“Well, Tiny, you and your antique diggers had a few people out in Nevada worried,” he said, as Sarah could see he was genuinely glad to see her.
“Where’s Jack?” she asked, as Jenks released her hand.
The Master Chief looked uncomfortable as he placed the weight of one foot over to the other. Sarah saw this and faced Carl, who had finally managed to disentangle himself from Anya.
“Carl?”
“Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Sarah felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest as she read Carl’s eyes. She merely nodded that they could sit at one of the community tables nearby.
Crazy Charlie smiled at the Master Chief, genuinely happy to see the gruff old sea dog.
“Well, I guess this place puts your panties in a bunch, huh, Doc?” Jenks said as he plopped a fresh cigar into his mouth and shook Ellenshaw’s hand. He normally wasn’t this friendly toward the eggheads in the department as he called them, but he didn’t want to overhear Carl telling Sarah about Jack shooting him. He could bear a lot, but not that.
“Yes, isn’t this place the cat’s pajamas?”
Jenks got a serious look on his face at the comparison to ‘cat’s pajamas’ but shook Ellenshaw’s hand nonetheless.
“How did you get here?” Charlie asked, as Ryan walked past to join Carl, Anya, and Sarah.
“Doc, I would love to sit here and tell you it all went according to plan, but the Air Force seems to have forgotten how to land planes safely. But for now, I think these kids are hungry and need water and rest.”
Charlie looked at the six young Air Force commandos just as Professor Lee joined them.
“Please, will you follow me? You can clean up and eat.”
“Nice friendly folk you found way out here, Doc,” Jenks said as he lit his cigar. “Any reason why they chose to live in the largest desert in the world?”
As Jenks and the men fell in behind Lee, Charlie became excited as he started to explain.
* * *
“Impossible,” Sarah said, as she turned her back on Carl, and even Anya looked angry that Everett could have been so badly mistaken.
“Before the bullets hit me I would have said the same thing. Even when I was found, my mind was so cloudy I thought I had to have been delusional. Since then my memory has become far clearer. It was Jack, Sarah.”
Sarah was speechless as she turned and faced the center-most waterfall.
“Captain, maybe we should wait to hear from the Colonel. I’m sure he has some logical explanation for what you believe. Sarah’s right, that’s not in his makeup.”
“I hope so, Mister Ryan. But my mind is clear on that point.”
“Okay, so where is Jack now?” Sarah asked, turning away from her thoughts. Her eyes went straight to Carl’s.
“The last report we heard from Doctor Morales was that Jack’s transponder was still operational, meaning he’s alive. That’s all we know right now.”
Sarah seemed somewhat relieved. She knew she could not press Carl on his memory on that night, so she would let it go. She would never believe Jack cou
ld shoot his best friend.
There was more commotion from the citizens as another man joined them. The crowd parted and General Chang and another man that Carl didn’t know stepped up. Everett stood also and held out his hand.
“I didn’t get a chance to say thank you for whatever happened out there. You saved our asses.”
General Chang looked at Carl’s outstretched hand and then refused to shake. Everett lowered it slowly.
“You’ll have to excuse the General. He’s concerned about the popularity of our desert of late.”
“Carl, this is Master Li Zheng,” Anya said and then paused for dramatic effect. “He’s the half- brother of the first Emperor of China.”
* * *
“The hell you say!” Jenks said as he faced Ellenshaw. “Bullshit,” was his answer to Charlie’s statement about the age of Shangri-La and its leader, Li Zheng.
Ellenshaw only smiled.
“If they’re immortal, this place would be busier than Times Square,” he removed the cigar and spat, forcing several women who were serving the hungry men a meal to place a look of horror on their faces. “Hell, if no one ever dies, life would suck.”
“No,” said Charlie. “Once they’re of age, they are sent out into the world to watch us. Learn our faults, our truths, and to protect us in small, sometimes undefined ways.”
“Doc, sometimes you truly have earned your nickname.”
“No, crazy is the fact that you repaired the very battleship they found for the British. That’s right, they help us when they can without the world knowing who does it.”
“Bullshit. Just like out in the desert, we were saved by a freak blow of wind, that’s all.”
Charlie shook his head, knowing he could never convince the Master Chief of the truth of Shangri-La without another powerful demonstration.
Ellenshaw was about to attempt another chance at telling Jenks what was really happening in Shangri-La, when they saw several men in battlefield BDUs come running from the entrance they had just used.
“This cannot be good,” Charlie said.
* * *
“We are getting ready to evacuate the children and young ones,” Master Li said looking at Sarah. “I would suggest you go with them through the tunnels to the Great Wall. Soon our home will become untenable.”
“How will you fight them?” Carl asked, looking from the stern General Chang, to Master Li. “From the last report we received, the Russians are headed here with some serious firepower.”
“Yes, and that is not all,” General Chang said, finally breaking his silence but not relenting on his unspoken distrust of the American. “Chinese forces may even now be crossing the divide.”
“Jesus,” Everett said. “I respect the powers that Sarah and Anya say you possess, but wind, water, air, and sand cannot stand for long against armored vehicles.”
Li nodded his head that he understood the American’s warning. “This is a fact. White magic cannot be our only avenue. No matter what becomes of us, these ruthless men cannot take the Dragon Mineral,” he looked directly at Everett. “Any of these men. The asteroid must be destroyed.”
“According to our experiment, just set fire to it. Something not very welcoming to either the Russians or your brother will be the end result,” Sarah explained.
“I admire your theory, Captain McIntire. If that were the case, I assure you we would have blown the asteroid up many millennia ago. It will not burn as a whole. Only the dust creates the explosive outgassing effect.” General Chang went silent after the explanation.
“Then create the dust needed,” Sarah said.
“The green substance in the bulk of the asteroid prevents fire from taking hold. It will only produce a toxic gas. Not that much of a deterrent against aggressive men who have technology on their side,” Li said. “No, evacuation is our only course. The elders among us will attempt to make taking the Dragon Mineral too expensive for them.”
“The Russians don’t usually let expense get in their way,” Everett said, seeing the fright the situation was placing upon their hosts.
“Nor your brother, Master Li,” Chang added.
To the Americans, it looked as if that point was a bone of contention between the two ancient friends.
“Still, I advise that you and your friends join the evacuation,” Li said as he started to turn away. “You may take Professor Birnbaum and the Russian spy with you.”
“Look, the way Sarah and Anya explain it, you have a powerful brother. Your point about making recovery of this mineral too expensive for a hostile force to take has merit. The same it seems would apply to the Chinese. No matter how rich and powerful your brother is, the Chinese government can only go so far in supporting his cause.”
Li turned. “My brother is the Chinese government. Always has been, and he, most assuredly, always will be.”
“You cannot give up on this city,” Sarah said angrily. “Look, from what I can tell so far, you are good people. Your continuing existence is important to the world. We have to try something.”
“And as far as ordering us out of here, no.” Everett looked from face to face. Ryan, Sarah, Anya. “We don’t run from a fight. The Russians headed your way are under the orders of a maniac group. Sarah says you know about them. So, you must understand that no matter who gets their hands on this mineral is equal in menace. We’ll stay.” Carl stood and again held out his hand to General Chang. “Show us how we can help.” Again, Everett’s hand hung in the air.
This time the General took it and shook. “Gather your men, Captain, we will show you what we are up against.”
“Slick Willy…Slick Willy…Slick Willy. Buried alone, all alone, all alone.”
Carl released the general’s hand and looked up to a high ledge where the voice sprung from.
“Take no notice of this man. He is ill,” the General said, pointing to his temple, “up here.”
“I will get our friend,” Master Li said. “I will try and convince him to go with the young ones.”
Ryan explained the situation with Major Pierce. Carl was aghast that the man had remained as sane for as long as he had.
“Slick Willy has all the answers, all the answers…all the answers.”
“Poor bastard has really lost it,” Ryan said, as Li moved off to try and silence the man before he had all the children scared to death.
“Ignore Slick Willy at your own peril!” Pierce ran off into the darkness of a tunnel. “Your own peril!” The words echoed off the barren walls of the darkened tunnel.
“This is by far the most interesting cast of characters we have come across,” Carl said, as he placed an arm around Anya.
“Yeah, besides the little green alien who was our friend for years. Gray beings who wanted to eat us, traveling through time to get you back from a lost world…, or even stranger, the man I love and the one who saved you in Antarctica trying to kill his best friend. Yes, interesting to say the least.” Sarah moved off to be alone.
Carl wanted to go after Sarah, but was held back by Anya, who just shook her head no.
“Give her time to absorb what you told us. She needs it.”
“By the look of things,” Carl said as he eyed more young men and women in battle BDUs and armed with automatic weapons arriving in the city center, “she doesn’t have a lot of time to come to grips with it. In case you didn’t notice, these gentle people as you describe them are going on a war footing.”
* * *
Jack, Farbeaux, and Tram watched from cover as the sixteen parachutes eased to the desert floor only a mile from the position they took in the foothills of the large mountain. Jack handed the Winchester with the scope attachment back to Tram. From its lens, Collins saw in clear detail the Russian uniforms of the elite 2nd Guards Unit of special air assault.
“Scouts.”
“They’ll be on our position in only minutes, Colonel,” Henri said as he was also looking at the far-off unit coming closer. “There can be no way to warn
the field team in time from here. And they are going to cross right into the path we would have to take to get to Sarah.”
Collins noticed there was no mention of either Anya, Charlie or Ryan, just Sarah in his worrisome observation.
“I see your point with one exception, Colonel. Those scouts aren’t headed in the direction of the last transponder coordinates of the field team. They’re heading directly for the mountain.”
Henri gestured to Tram and the Vietnamese sniper handed him the Winchester. Farbeaux looked through the scope for a moment and then gave it back.
“The report you said initiated all of this, you explained it was just a cover story to explore the region for an unknown mineral source that your criminal computer said is possibly here someplace?”
“From my understanding, yes.”
“Could that be what the Russians are really interested in?”
“Possibly.”
“I hate to suggest this, but maybe they already have your field team. Maybe that’s why they are not going in that direction. You are right, they seem to be far more interested in the high ground than the lower.”
“No communications, no sign of anything. We’re as blind as bats out here.” Jack turned and looked up to the lowering sun in thought.
“Get down!” Tram yelled as he placed his weight on Farbeaux and pushed him to the ground.
Just as the men went to ground and hid, two jet fighters flew low over the desert scrub toward the men moving toward the mountain. Jack rolled over as Tram explained what was happening as he looked through the scope.
Suddenly the ‘burupp’ sound of a twenty-millimeter minigun canon sounded and echoed off the desert floor. As they watched on, geysers of dirt and rock flew skyward as heavy weaponry tore into the Russian scouting party.
Empire of the Dragon Page 27