by Bobby Akart
When the helicopters zoomed out of sight toward the North Face of Mount Everest, Kwon presumed it was on a routine patrol of China’s border with Nepal. The Chinese had engaged in a number of border skirmishes with their former ally, India, over the prior decade. Nepal was caught in the middle of the geopolitical conflict as those two nations fought over Ladakh to the north of Nepal and Arunachal Pradesh to the east. India claimed the territories, and China wanted them back.
After the two helicopters disappeared from view, the men continued toward the valley. The final hour was grueling. The entire day had taken a toll on their bodies, and their minds, which worked as hard as the muscles that kept them from falling, were exhausted as well. When the last of the four men placed their feet on the packed snow, the next best thing to solid ground under the circumstances, they nervously burst out laughing and exchanged high fives.
Their jubilance was short-lived.
Chapter Fifteen
Kangshung Face
Mount Everest
Tibet Autonomous Region
People’s Republic of China
“I hear the snowmobiles!” exclaimed Harper, and she spun around, diverting her attention from the valley below toward the East Face. “I’ve been on edge since those choppers buzzed over our heads.”
“Me too,” Yeshi agreed. “Let’s get our things ready. We need to move east toward the border to get you both safely—”
Harper interrupted his sentence. “Stop! Listen! Something’s not right.”
She wandered back up to the top of the ridge and surveilled the base of Mount Everest. It was getting darker as the sun dropped behind the massive mountain range, so Harper couldn’t identify any movement in the distance. However, her sense of hearing sent warning signals to her brain—these snowmobiles were coming from a different direction.
She removed her weapon from her shoulder. Holding it in front of her, she focused her attention toward the direction they’d traveled from the PLA outpost. Yeshi quietly walked past her toward the edge of the cliff.
“We have to get ready,” he said. “Follow me.”
He didn’t hesitate as he took long strides, each foot placement finding an exposed rock as if he were walking on lily pads floating on a country lake. Harper was slow to catch up, and her sense of urgency caused her to stumble, landing hard on her right knee. She moaned in pain, causing Yeshi to pause.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said, lifting herself off the snowy rock. Just as she stood, she swung around toward the mountain. “Yeshi! They’re coming!”
“I know!” he hollered back. He’d reached the pile of granite rubble they’d identified earlier as an ideal spot to fire upon anyone pursuing them. “They’re less than a mile away. I see at least four, maybe more!”
“No, I’m talking about our guys! They’re coming down the valley!”
Harper ignored the pain in her knee, which was beginning to swell, and moved quickly down the slope to join Yeshi behind the boulders. He stood up from his crouch and looked up the valley.
“They have no idea,” he muttered.
Harper finished his thought. “They’re on a collision course, and they’re only armed with pistols.”
Yeshi prepared his rifle. Harper had taken some time throughout the day to teach Yeshi what she’d learned from Kwon. He’d assured her that he might not be the best marksman, but he wouldn’t freeze under pressure.
“The helicopters must have alerted them,” Yeshi observed.
“Okay. We’ve got this. We need to hold them out of the valley until Kwon and the guys can join us. Then we’ll slip through the ridges and at least have a head start.”
Yeshi and Harper locked eyes. Their determination oozed out as they turned toward their pursuers. Then they waited until they could get a clean shot.
Harper’s voice lowered. Her tone was taunting. Inviting. Almost wishful.
“Come on. Come on. I dare you.”
She got her wish. Four snowmobiles, riding two by two, slowed at the entrance to the valley. After a brief stop during which the men appeared to be studying a map, the leader stood on the running boards and pulled binoculars out of his jacket. He stared up the valley.
The high-pitched sound of the snowmobiles carrying Kwon and the Sherpas could now be heard by Harper. And apparently, by the PLA soldiers, too. They shouted to one another and turned their machines uphill to intercept Kwon.
They were just into range when Harper and Yeshi opened fire. The suppressed gunfire went unnoticed by the approaching soldiers as the first pieces of snow and ice began to spit into the air all around them. Their heads swiveled from left to right, searching for the source of the gunfire. They instinctively slowed their machines, providing Harper and Yeshi an easier target.
The two fired again, this time peppering the four matching T150s with bullets. The ricocheting rounds forced two of the men off their machines in search of cover. The other two drew their weapons and sprayed the ridgeline where Harper and Yeshi hid behind the granite outcropping.
Harper rose first and returned fire. The men shouted at one another in Chinese. None of the soldiers had been wounded, and they scrambled back onto their seats. One by one, they retreated to the bottom of the ridge and behind the rocks.
“Well done, Yeshi!”
“Yes! But they are not gone.”
“I’ll watch for them to return,” said Harper before issuing her instructions. “Hurry, go to the cliff and wave to our people. I’ll hold off the soldiers in case they return. Go!”
Yeshi adeptly ran along the ridge and disappeared from sight. Harper focused on the last location where she’d seen the four riders. She couldn’t hold them off alone, especially if they split up. She waited several minutes until Kwon and the Sherpas arrived. Yeshi came running for her.
“Kwon said we will escape to the east and not engage the soldiers. They may be waiting for reinforcements.”
Harper smiled. Good, she thought to herself. While you guys wait for your buddies, I’m goin’ to Kathmandu. She couldn’t help herself. She hummed the classic Bob Seger song as she followed Yeshi along the ridge.
When they joined the group, Kwon’s appearance spoke volumes. He was weary and fatigued. His normally erect stature had turned into somewhat of a slump. Yet his mind was fully engaged. His eyes darted between Harper, who dropped the short distance from the rock ledge to the snow, and the open valley where the PLA soldiers had attempted to enter.
“We don’t have any time to explain,” he said without uttering a hello or good to see you again.
Harper glanced at the Sherpas and their snowmobiles. She didn’t see the dead climber. “Where’s the body?”
“We couldn’t get it out. I have samples.” Kwon motioned to the others to get on their snowmobiles. “We’ve got something.”
Harper grimaced. She felt his sense of urgency. At the moment, they had bigger problems. She climbed onto her snowmobile as Ghosh was relaying his escape plan.
“We will lead you to the border as far as we can. Each of us will take a different route back to Tingri County. The many tracks will confuse the soldiers.”
Kwon fumbled through his jacket in search of the Blackberry. He was about to pull up the GPS app installed on the old device when Ghosh stopped him.
“That will not be necessary. I will be the last to leave you, but I will point you in the direction of the border when I do. There is no other way.”
Kwon nodded and shoved the phone back into the jacket’s pocket. He took the gun from Yeshi, and he nodded to Babu, who would be leading the pack, followed by Ghosh and then Harper. Yeshi took one of the handguns to lend assistance if they were followed.
Ghosh held up his left hand high so all could see. He splayed his fingers apart and slowly counted down from five to one.
Lady and gentlemen, start your engines!
Chapter Sixteen
Kangshung Face
Mount Everest
Tibet Aut
onomous Region
People’s Republic of China
Kwon fired the snowmobile’s ignition and the machine came to life. He pushed the shifter level into forward and revved the engine. The others did the same simultaneously, and seconds later, Babu and Ghosh raced into the adjacent valley and into deeper snow. At full throttle, these machines emitted sound levels over a hundred decibels. The six of them roaring along the snow in a bunch was near deafening. Certainly, the sudden break in the quiet surroundings grabbed the attention of the Chinese soldiers.
The group had a head start of half a mile, at best. They’d barely exited the adjacent valley and were on a direct, southerly route toward Nepal when the soldiers reacted. The group of four snowmobiles rumbled around the lower end of the ridge toward them. The men in matching navy blue parkas skimmed across the packed snow with a gracefulness and speed that surpassed Kwon’s group. It was a testament to their experience driving the T150s under all types of conditions. It clearly gave them an edge, and they were slowly gaining ground.
The soldiers wore face masks to prevent themselves being pelted with ice and snow like Kwon was at the rear of his pack of six machines. It threatened to cloud his concentration, and he found himself drooping slightly in his seat to avoid the stinging pain.
They were in an untenable position. He was used to being the pursuer. Whether on a motorcycle or in a car, it was always easier to drive with your weapon pointed forward, especially on an uneven, unpredictable surface like this combination of snow and ice.
He turned and released a barrage of bullets in the direction of the soldiers. They easily avoided the rounds, which missed wildly. The men reacted by splitting their group apart. Now they were four targets instead of one.
Two of them returned fire, also missing their targets, as they were out of range and wrestling with their steering as well. The trained soldiers on both sides knew they’d have to get closer to one another to get an accurate shot.
Kwon ignored his pursuers and focused on catching up to Harper and the Sherpas. He leaned over the handlebars of the snowmobile to make his body as small and streamlined as possible. It helped him gain speed to catch up, but the soldiers kept pace with him.
More gunshots rang out, splattering the short end of the ridge to their right. A gust of wind kicked up the snow, blowing the white powder into a series of eddies and swirling mini-tornadoes.
Ghosh turned and waved the third Sherpa toward the left. He broke off from the group and rushed down the valley between the ridges and toward the open plain. Kwon continued to glance over his shoulder to gauge their pursuers’ reaction.
They didn’t bite.
They raced on. Their Chinese hunters were growing impatient, releasing the fury of their automatic weapons, which grew more intense as they closed the gap. Kwon began to feel they were fighting a losing battle. He had to make a decision on how to end it. He just needed the right opportunity.
Several more minutes passed, and Babu waved as he steered his machine toward the left and took off down another valley separating two fingerlike ridges. Kwon suspected they were getting closer to the Nepalese border, or their companions were bailing on them to save their own lives.
A sudden gust of wind rushing down the South Col and blanketed the group with snow. Kwon turned toward the ever-closing group of snowmobiles behind him. They remained undeterred as they closed the gap. Darkness was setting in, and visibility was becoming poor. He was running out of time.
Suddenly, Ghosh raised his left arm and waved. He was leaving. They must be close. But would the PLA stop at the border? Would they risk an international incident in pursuit of two unknown subjects whose crime was stealing snowmobiles? Or did the PLA suspect Kwon and Harper were behind the melee at the airport?
By the time Kwon glanced to the rear and forward again, he was alone with Harper leading the way through a narrow gap in a ridge that loomed large in front of them. Kwon assessed the opening and the thick drifts of snow on the right side of the ridge. It was going to be his best shot.
He ducked as a bullet whizzed by his head. At first, he struggled with the twenty-four-pound weapon he’d grabbed at the outpost’s munitions depot. It wasn’t one he’d specifically used before, but its operation was simple. He had one chance.
Driving with his left hand, he pulled the Chinese-made Norinco LG5 automatic grenade launcher over his shoulder and rested it on the console of the snowmobile. He expertly engaged the fire-control system and the laser rangefinder.
Despite the fatigue in his right arm and shoulder, Kwon raised the weapon and pointed it ahead of him. He took a breath and considered his timing. Too soon, and he’d cut himself off from Harper. Too late, and he would have wasted his one opportunity to create separation from their pursuers.
Harper raced through the gap, and Kwon calmly gauged the time and distance. At less than fifty yards, he squeezed the trigger.
The blast of the forty-millimeter grenade was deafening, but it was the LG5’s kick that almost got him killed. The low-velocity, high-impact grenade found its mark—the underside of a rock outcropping jutting out from the ridge.
The weapon flew out of Kwon’s right hand and over his head. The momentum caused by the grenade being propelled forward almost knocked him off the snowmobile. He wrestled the steering with his left hand in an attempt to keep from being thrown off. Like a bull rider with his arm raised high, he rode through the rock chute just as it exploded into thousands of pieces of rock and debris. However, it was the avalanche that sealed their escape.
As he regained his balance and settled into his seat, he turned to view the results of his efforts. The view of the gap was obliterated by snow and rock sprayed in all directions. He applied the brakes and slid to a stop, turning the snowmobile sideways to provide himself cover against their attackers. He readied the Sig Sauer MPX and stood fearlessly, ready to shoot the first of the soldiers as they cleared the debris.
He never got the chance. He waited, scanning the two disconnected ridges. Scanning the debris for any human movement. Half a minute passed and they never emerged. Another half minute later, he realized why. The grenade had struck the side of the opening so hard that it had collapsed into the gap and then filled with snow. Their pursuers were either cut off or buried in the rubble. Either way was fine by Kwon.
He mounted the snowmobile and raced forward toward the border. To Harper’s credit, as instructed, she didn’t wait to watch the destruction unfold. If he got the chance, he’d have to be sure to tell Joe, who most likely would respond with something akin to that’s a first.
He continued on for half a mile, and as he cut through another pass, he found himself rapidly descending a slope toward a sharp turn to the left. He slowed the snowmobile to maintain control as the bend in the trail left him blind. When he followed the curve, he found Harper standing alone, with her snowmobile nowhere to be seen.
He pulled his machine to a stop next to her and turned it off. It was eerily quiet again. Harper managed a smile as he joined her.
“I see you got to use your new toy.”
Kwon glanced backward just to confirm the soldiers didn’t manage to go around the ridge or through the rubble.
“Yeah,” was his simple response as he rolled his neck on his shoulders to relieve some tension.
Harper scowled. “Well done. Except, we have a problem.”
Kwon furrowed his brow and studied Harper’s face.
“What?”
She turned and pointed down the slope. “Look.”
Chapter Seventeen
CDC Headquarters
Atlanta
As the days passed and the number of people infected by the mysterious novel virus multiplied, an enormous amount of political and media pressure came to bear upon the CDC. Over the weekend, a senior adviser to the president had appeared on ABC’s Sunday morning show This Week with David Axelrod. During the interview, he was pressed by Axelrod whether the president still had confidence in the CDC to lead th
e outbreak response.
Although the senior advisor deferred that specific question to the president, he did go on to say, “Early on in this outbreak, the CDC, whom the world considers to be the most trusted organization to deal with infectious diseases, really let the country down in its efforts to inform the president, and the public, about the threat this virus posed for us all. I anticipate changes in the CDC’s approach in the future.”
The senior advisor’s response sent shock waves through the CDC campus in Druid Hills. A decade prior, the CDC had been roundly criticized for dropping the ball from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic with regards to testing. Many public health experts had condemned the CDC for failing to ramp up testing quickly enough to track and control the epidemic.
To make matters worse in 2020, early tests were delayed due to a scientific breakdown at the agency’s central laboratory. Faulty test kits were sent to public health labs across the country. It was later determined those tests were problematic and didn’t deliver accurate results. It set back the agency’s response to COVID-19 by nearly a month.
Following the novel coronavirus pandemic, the CDC took measures to prevent this type of fiasco in the future. However, as was so often the case, politicians and the media had a short memory. As the twenty-four-seven news cycle continued to be dominated by every individual case in which a patient was deemed a presumptive positive of this new disease, comparisons were being drawn to the CDC’s response to COVID-19.