Kaleidocide (24 page)

I made my way through the desalination plant without incident—as we expected, the Chinese didn't even bother to post guards in it. They should have, though, because the turbine end of it was built very close to the reactor, so that energy from it could be channeled to the desal plant at the times when the grid was low, and untreated water could be channeled back into the reactor for cooling use. Also in our favor, and more evidence that the special forces gods were smiling upon this operation, was the fact that the Lungmen plant had two reactors, but the Chinese only had to rig one of them in order to achieve their goal. And that one happened to be next to the desalination plant.

So before long, I was on the bottom floor of Reactor Building 1, crouched between a big purplish heat exchanger and some gold hydraulic system pumps, manipulating the display in my goggles so I could see where the Chinese soldiers were stationed on the path to the explosives they had set. Unlike me in my suit, they were not “cold” or hidden from a thermal scan, so I could see that there were too many of them along both routes that I could take, one of which was a stairwell and the other a utility elevator. The explosives had been placed three stories up from where I was, in a room with one of the backup diesel generators, which was to the side of the tall reactor core, just below the pool of spent fuel, and right beside the north wall of the building. That was the reason the generator room had been chosen, because the only way radiation could be released into the air was if the water was drained out of the spent fuel pool, and if there was a hole in the side of the building for it to escape from. The room with the diesel generator, which was ironically one of the safety systems, was in a perfect location for both. A big enough explosion there would open holes both in the bottom of the fuel pool and in the side of the building.

Of course the Chinese had to disable the rest of the backup safety systems in order for this to happen as well, so that's why we knew that Ho and some of his men would be in the control room at the south end of the reactor building, where the general could also be safe from the explosion he would trigger by remote control. But he had stationed a good number of his force in and around the generator room, just in case we tried something like we were trying. Reviewing the numbers and positions again in my goggles, I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to reach the explosives without engaging too many of the guards and bringing the rest of Ho's force down on my head. Killing even one before I disabled the detonators could easily alert them, so I really needed to accomplish this part with complete stealth.

So, as much as I regretted what would probably happen to my two friends, I had to call them in as distractions.

“This is Talon 3,” I said, not worrying about being overheard because of the hum of the machines around me. “My path is not clear enough. Send in Talon 1 and Talon 2.”

The staging crew at the sub acknowledged my request, and I pictured in my mind the two other insertion coffins floating in the deep water off the coast. They each entered one of the two discharge pipes from the power plant, where the “clean” water used by it was released into the sea. The two pipes were similar to the one from the desalination plant that I had entered, but they were parallel to the ocean floor rather than perpendicular. The other difference was that the two discharge pipes were more likely to be monitored, and where they led to was much more likely to be guarded. We had hoped that Talons 1 and 2 would make it into the interior of the site without being detected, to serve as backup or even accomplish the mission if I couldn't, but the sober reality was that we all knew they probably would only serve as a misdirection for the Chinese.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later their presence was detected below the control room building, which sat between the reactor and the big turbine building where the nuclear energy was converted to electricity. I was aware of this because I had placed a feed in my goggles' view from Talon 2, since I knew him much better than the other British soldier. I also saw that most of the Chinese guards between me and my target were suddenly called away from my location, opening a path for me to the generator room.

I wasted no time weaving my way through the big machines, the rooms full of pipes and electrical equipment, and the long stairway that led to the spent fuel pool near the top of the building. Not too far before I reached the top of the stairway, I exited it through one of its few doors, because I knew that I could get to the generator room that way, and because my display showed the heat signature of two Chinese guarding the door at the top of the stairs. This was presumably to keep anyone from entering through the roof, as some of them had done when they infiltrated the plant.

When I reached the door to the generator room, I pulled the Trinity off my shoulder and cradled it with both hands. I felt the trigger with my index finger, and moved my thumb over the controls to make sure the killer barrel was selected, rather than the one with explosive rounds or the other with the grappling line. Then, because I had no choice in this situation, I flashed into the room as quickly as I could and shot the two guards inside. I was lucky that they'd both been facing the other way at the time, and even luckier when I checked their comm rigs and saw that they weren't open or broadcasting. So the gunfire wasn't heard by anyone on their lines, and I was hopeful that my distractions would give me a good chunk of time before the other Reds realized these were gone.

I wasn't disappointed, because for the next half hour or so the Reds were quite preoccupied with their two prisoners and one of the coffins, which they had hauled up to the control room for General Ho to see. I watched through Talon 2's goggles, which the Chinese had left on for some reason, as I began removing the remote detonators from the large stacks of C-7 and clamping them to my tool array, which I had now magnetized. After I removed all the detonators, I turned the array around and started spraying all the C-7 with a chemical called Lexout that would render it inert. These two measures would ensure that the Chinese could not rearm the explosives before the Taiwanese army arrived. And we were quite confident that they didn't have any more C-7, because they had to bring these blocks in piece by piece on the backs of the soldiers who had powerglided in.

As I was sabotaging the sabotage, a window in my goggles showed me the drama going on in the control room, and another program in them translated the Chinese into English. The translation program was flawed, as they always seem to be, but I could tell what was going on. General Ho examined the coffin his soldiers had carried there, and was informed by his assistants that there were two coffins inserted, with one man in each, and that they were identified as Talon 1 and Talon 2, with schematics loaded for an assault on the control room. He then turned his attention to the two captured men, telling his helpers to leave the goggles on Talon 2 because he wanted whoever was watching to see what was going to happen, and had them hold Talon 2's head in place so that we had to watch what he did to the other Brit.

The Chinese general pulled out a big knife and went to work on the man, smiling the whole time. He didn't ask any questions during the torture, probably because he didn't think he would get many answers, and was banking on getting some from the second man after he saw what happened to his friend. I was a pretty hardened veteran by this time, even though I was only twenty-six, but even I flinched and looked away when Ho reached the man's lower parts and castrated him. Rage toward Ho surged inside me, along with guilt for my part in this, but I forced myself to continue the job of removing the detonators and neutralizing the explosives. Then I
really
had to work hard at finishing the job, because Talon 1 passed out and the bloody knife was turned on the other man, who was a close friend of mine. Ho proceeded slower this time, thankfully, because he paused for some questions in between the cutting, and soon I was done with my work in the generator room. I manipulated the controls on the tool array until it was keyed to all the detonators attached to it, in case I wanted to use them at some point, and called in.

“This is Talon 3,” I said. “Mission accomplished.”

“Affirmative, Talon 3,” came the reply. “Proceed to the extraction point. We'll send in the hoverjet for you now, and the army assault will follow on its heels, now that there is no more radiation threat.”

I did the mental math in my head, and was quite sure that my friend wouldn't make it until I was extracted and the cavalry arrived.

“Request permission to engage the enemy and rescue Talon 2,” I said.

“Request denied. Proceed to the extraction point.”

“I don't have time to argue this with you,” I said, as I stepped out of the generator room. “Let me talk to Admiral Carter.”

Howard Carter's voice came on the line momentarily, and I repeated my request to him.

“Follow your orders, son,” the man said, even though he wasn't much older than I. “We don't want to lose you in this operation, too.” When I was silent in response and he sensed my intent, he added, “If you disobey my direct order, I will not offer you another extraction or delay the attack. And from what I've heard, the Taiwanese will probably level the site before they endanger themselves in a firefight. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?”

I understood what he was saying to me. But I turned off the comm and headed in the direction of my friend, his screams still echoing in my ears.

 

23

MEANT TO BE

The car that Angelee drove to the store, with Chris in the backseat, was the nicest one she'd ever been in, even though it was intentionally plain so as not to be noticed. She was so glad that her late husband had made her get a driver's license, even though they had never owned a car and she only drove his uncle Otto's truck once in a while when Peter was at work (he rode the bus and train). Shopping for her knight in shining armor, and planning to cook for him, made her feel happier than she had been since her early days with Peter, or maybe when she first met Michael at the shelter a few months before. “Michael”—Did she dare call him that? If they were going to be married, then she would have to, right?

She pranced proudly through the store while Chris watched TV in the cart, the wad of cash burning a hole in her little purse made of cracked imitation leather. When she reached the cashier, she felt the urge to tell the man that she was shopping for—and living with!—a very important person who had saved her life. But then she remembered her vow of secrecy and felt ashamed that the thought of betraying his trust had even entered into her mind.

On the way back to the vineyard cottage, she was ruminating (again) on the new man in her life, and the thought that he didn't seem to share Peter's faith, or her weaker version for that matter, flashed unwelcomed into her mind. Would her late husband not approve of her marrying an unbeliever? He had told her several times that she should remarry if something happened to him, but surely that would be a condition. And would she be really happy if they weren't on the same page spiritually? But she pushed such thoughts out of her mind, reasoning that God had brought them together, for sure, so He would take care of that. And then God gave her an idea right then, when Chris pointed at the car's entertainment system and asked, “Can you play my movie?” She knew he was referring to the treasured holo that his father had given him, which he played over and over again.

“No,” she answered, “but when we get home, you can watch it on your amp. Maybe Mr. Ares would like to see it.”

This, she thought, would be a good way for her savior to be introduced to her other Savior. So when she reached the cottage, the first thing she did after announcing her name at the front door and watching it open for her was to make a beeline to her room and get the old amp that contained the movie. She turned it on and watched the crude holo appear above it. Then she turned up the volume higher than usual, and told Chris to sit and watch it in the room next to the kitchen, hoping that Michael would overhear it. The door to his room was closed, so her next step was to knock on it. She heard him say “Wait a minute” from inside the door, and then soon he was opening it. Once again, she caught her breath merely at the sight of him.

“I-I wondered…,” she stammered. “Would you like to help me carry in the groceries, and see what I got?” He answered “Um” and looked back into the room behind him, so she added, “I know you're busy.”

“No, what I'm doing can wait,” he said, and closed the door when he exited the room, as if what was going in there had been private.

“What were you doing?” she asked, because it was the only thing that came to mind, but immediately regretted invading his privacy.

“I was…” He hesitated, as if he was thinking about whether there was any reason to lie or refuse to answer. He must have decided there wasn't, because he eventually said, “I was watching a holo from my past.”

“Oh,” Angelee said, as they reached the car and started carrying the bags in. “Chris loves watching an old holo of his own. He's watching it now.”

She was all in, with no hesitation to work her plan, because she was so confident that this relationship was meant to be. But he didn't take the bait, and changed the subject.

“Did you have any problem at the store?”

“No, everything went great.”

“Well, I really appreciate you doing this.” He smiled kindly, and she melted inside again. And for the next half hour or so, he helped her bring the food in, watched her put it away from a stool at the kitchen island, and listened to her explain some of the meals she was going to make for him.

In the background, especially when she wasn't talking, the narration and dialogue from Chris's holo could be clearly heard in the kitchen. She was excited about some of the parts that wafted through the air, knowing what they said and some of what they meant, because she had heard it so many times before, and Peter had explained it to her and Chris.