Fang shot Tan an angry glare. “Accessed by who?”
“Give me a minute!” The young man’s fingers danced across the keys.
Fang’s voice dropped to a low hiss. “That database contains a record of every TANGENT hack, including this one. If that information goes public, we will be identified. All of this will have been for nothing!”
“It’s the key,” Tan exclaimed. “It must have been booby trapped!” He yanked the USB stick from the computer, but the screens still flashed red. “It’s too late, the code is already uploaded. It’s auto-executing malware … the database is being hacked!”
Fang turned and glared at Caine for a moment, then looked back at the screens. He grabbed Tan’s shoulder in a talon-like grip. “As you are so fond of informing me, you are the most skilled member of your unit. Fix this! Now!”
Tan’s eyes blinked, then settled on the empty silver case sitting next to him on the desk. It was the case Caine had used to deliver the TANGENT key.
He snatched the slim silver object off the desk and pried it open with shaking hands. The case clicked open, and Tan clawed at the tiny circuit board inside which had held the key in place.
“This,” he gasped. “This is not a microprocessor. It’s a decoy!” He tore the tiny circuit board free. The blinking screen of a cell phone was hidden underneath. He grabbed the phone and held it up for Fang to see. The screen of the phone indicated a file transfer had taken place. “This phone acted as an internet connection. When the key was used, it triggered a remote download of the malware program into TANGENT.”
The screens of streaming code suddenly blinked pure white. An image faded up into view, replacing the white glow. It was a cartoon monkey, rolling back and forth across the screen. "Ooh Ooh Ooh, Eee Eee Eee!"
Fang grabbed the phone from Tan’s hand and dashed it to the floor. Then he stamped on the remains. Tan dropped into his chair, and his fingers raced across the keyboard. “That won’t help,” he said in a calm voice. “The malware has taken control of my system; it’s using our internet now. But if I can isolate it, I can cut off its access and remove it before it finishes downloading the file.”
On the screens, the image of the rolling monkey disappeared. White text on a black background faded up in its place.
UPLOAD PAUSED AT 95 PERCENT? RESUME Y/N? The white characters blinked on and off as Tan leaned back in his chair. “Got you, Monkey King, or whoever you are.”
Caine gritted his teeth. Have to stop him … Shirley’s program needs more time …
Outside, the huge pipe swung closer to the panel of windows.
“Fang,” Caine shouted. “You want to know my role in your destiny? I’ll tell you why I’m here.”
Iris took a step back from the case. Her mouth hung open, and she exhaled long and slow.
“It doesn’t matter,” Fang snapped. “You will not stop me. My victory is inevitable.”
Caine allowed his arm to drop to his side. A slim, wooden object slid from his sleeve, into his cupped hand. It was one of Iris’s bamboo sticks … he had palmed it from the table earlier.
Fang gestured to the guards flanking Caine. “Take him to the roof. Throw him off. Let him join my bothers in the underworld. But first …”
Fang pulled the tiny remote from his pocket, pointed it at the hyperbaric tube, and pressed a button. The compressors hissed to life, pumping oxygen out of the tube.
“I hope you enjoy watching your friend take his last breath,” Fang taunted.
Caine felt strong hands grab his shoulder.
Just a few more seconds, he thought.
“Like I said before, Fang,” Caine shouted. “Buildings and destinies fall every day. I should know.”
Fang lifted his eyebrows in mock surprise. “Oh? And why is that?”
Caine focused his intense, emerald-green stare on Fang. “Because I’m the one who tears them down.”
The wall of glass behind Fang exploded, sending a rain of sparkling shrapnel flying into the room. The enormous length of pipe swung into the chamber like a battering ram. Fang's guards scattered as the pipe smashed through rows of statues and display cases. Fang spun around and threw himself out of the makeshift wrecking ball’s path.
The taut cable that anchored the pipe to the crane sliced through the ceiling as if it was tissue paper. Caine could her the scream of metal tearing through metal. The jib arm had slammed into the girders above them.
The two men holding Caine craned their necks and followed the motion of the pipe as it tore through the room. They appeared stunned by the sudden explosion of destruction that engulfed them. Tan paused his typing. The hacker stared with shock as the towering metal object careened past him.
Now! Caine thought.
With a loud crack, Caine snapped the slim bamboo stick in half. His right arm swung out, jabbing the sharp fragment into the neck of the guard standing next to him.
Iris screamed as a plume of crimson blood jetted out from the wound, striking her in the face.
The guard to his left pivoted towards him. Caine stabbed downwards, driving the second shard of wood into the man’s inner thigh. The guard dropped his weapon and clutched the wound, desperate to stop the hemorrhage of blood.
Caine grabbed the screaming man to his right by the back of his head. He drove a knee up into his abdomen, then moved behind him as the guard bent over in pain. Using all his strength, Caine slammed the man’s head down, smashing it into the display case.
Iris’s sticks were scattered by the impact of the man’s skull. The glass top of the case splintered into a spider web of cracks. Blood gushed from the guard’s crushed nose.
Shoving the stunned guard out of the way, Caine punched the weakened case. His fist smashed through the glass with ease. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the willow leaf knife and yanked it from the case. With a single fluid motion, he wound his arm back and threw the knife. It made a whistling sound as it cut through the air. The blade seemed to spin in slow motion, slicing past Fang, missing the man by inches.
But Fang was not Caine's target …
With a loud thud, the blade buried itself in Tan’s back. The man’s eyes opened wide, and his fingers stopped dancing across the keys. With a wet gurgle, he slumped forward in his chair.
Caine ducked under the case and rolled forward as the stunned guards behind him opened fire.
The glass case exploded into glittering shards. The guards sprayed bullets through the air as they struggled to dodge the towering metal pipe swinging around the room.
Iris darted away from the case. She looked over her shoulder as she ran. Her gaze caught Fang's eye as he picked himself up off the floor.
“Iris!” he shouted. He reached a hand towards her. Her face hardened, and she turned away. She sprinted towards the golden doors at the rear of the room.
“Iris, look out!” Fang called behind her.
She felt a breeze lift her hair. She spun around, her crimson gown billowing behind her like liquid flames.
The pipe swooped towards her as the cable cut a trail through the ceiling overhead. She could not outrun it.
She closed her eyes.
The heavy pipe slammed into her. The impact tossed her into the air like a rag doll. Her body flew across the room and crashed through a row of display cases. She rolled to a stop, her body sprawled across the floor. Glass shards sparkled in her hair like diamonds, and a thin trickle of blood dripped from her mouth. A crimson streak followed her path across the marble tiles, matching the color of her long, flowing dress.
"Fate calls …" she whispered. Her pale face settled to the floor, motionless.
Fang stood on shaky legs. His face was a distorted mask of hate and rage. The shriek of scraping metal vibrated through the building. He looked up as the ceiling overhead collapsed. The metal girders above him tore loose from the impact of the crane. The metal beams smashed through the crumbling ceiling and came crashing to the floor. The anger in Fang's eyes was replaced by shock an
d fear. He struggled to dodge out of the way as a huge segment of torn metal plummeted straight towards him.
The massive girder fell amidst a shower of concrete chunks. Caine lost sight of Fang in the haze of dust. A rumbling filled the room, and a spider web of cracks ran through the intricate marble designs laid into the floor. With a final, thunderous crack, a giant hole opened up in the center of the chamber. More debris plummeted into the dark, skeletal depths of the unfinished building.
Fang was gone, lost in the cascade of wreckage.
Caine sprinted towards the computer console. Across the room, two guards broke away from the disorganized pack and raced after him.
Caine reached the console and shoved Tan’s dead body out of the way. The text continued blinking on the screen.
UPLOAD PAUSED AT 95 PERCENT? RESUME Y/N?
Caine jabbed his finger down on the Y key and hit enter. The message blinked again then changed.
UPLOAD COMPLETE. ERASING TANGENT HARD DRIVE. BETTY BINARY WAS HERE.
The image of the rolling money returned to the screen. This time it was joined by a second cartoon monkey wearing chunky pink glasses.
“Next time skip the fancy graphics, Betty,” Caine muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the screen exploded in a shower of sparks and glass shards. Caine dropped to the floor and rolled. The two guards skidded to a stop as they continued to spray the bank of computers with automatic weapon fire.
Caine rolled up against the throne platform. He huddled behind the steps, trying to keep his body out of view as another barrage of gunfire flew towards him. Streaks of hot air whizzed past his forehead.
Behind the guards, the metal pipe spun around and swung towards them. One of the guards heard the creak of the metal cable and looked over his shoulder. He threw himself to the floor. His partner continued firing at Caine, oblivious to the danger swooping towards him.
The pipe swung over the prone guard and struck the other man square in the back. He screamed as the impact launched him forward, up into the air. His cries echoed through the room as his body plunged into the gaping hole in the floor.
More debris fell, striking the edge of the crater that gaped across the room. Another section of marble flooring crumbled and fell down. The slab of concrete formed a sloping ramp that led to the dark construction site below. The tube that held Sean began rolling towards the opening, gaining speed as it struck the ramp.
Caine leapt from his cover and charged towards the falling cylinder.
A hail of bullets tore across the floor near his feet. The second guard, the one who had ducked under the swinging pipe, picked himself up from the ground. Caine tried to pivot in another direction, but he knew he was too late. The Triad thug had him in his sights.
Suddenly, a bright red dot appeared on the man’s forehead. A muffled crack rang out, and a plume of blood exploded from the man's skull. He crumpled to the ground. Caine turned and looked up. His lips curled in a grim smile.
Jia slid down the taut steel cable on a rappelling harness, her AS VAL rifle held at the ready. She landed on top of the pipe and dropped into a crouch.
"Here!" she cried. She tossed something to him as the heavy metal weight swung around the room in a lazy circle, smashing through everything in its path.
Caine reached out and grabbed the object … it was his Berretta PX4 Storm pistol. His fingers wrapped around the grip and he spun around. One of Fang's men was charging towards him. It was Lewis, the one who had brought him to Fang. The short, stocky thug raised his machine gun to fire.
Caine's pistol barked twice. A cloud of red mist burst from the man's face. His body dropped to the floor and tumbled over into the gaping hole.
Jia stood balanced atop her spinning perch. She pivoted left and right, lining up shots. With every burst of her asault rifle, another guard crumpled to the ground.
The pipe swung towards Tan’s bank of computer equipment. The stacked monitors and CPUs exploded into fragments as the massive pipe collided with the delicate equipment. The impact sent the pipe spinning back towards Caine. He ran forward, trying to dodge its path of destruction. As he sprinted across the room, more falling debris pummeled the crater in the floor. The gaping hole crumbled into a chasm that divided the room, cutting him off … There was nowhere to run.
Looking down, he could see the cylinder that held Sean. It had torn from its cart and rolled down the collapsed floor. It now lay on its side, balanced against the girders in the corner of the building. Below him was endless darkness … a long fall through the unfinished floors of the towering building.
Caine turned and faced the spinning pipe as it tore through the room towards him. If the pipe struck him here, he would be knocked into that black, endless abyss. He watched as a pair of statues were pulverized, reduced to clouds of red dust by the impact of the massive object.
Caine balanced on the balls of his feet. The pipe spun toward him, moving closer and closer. He saw Jia, hanging from the steel cable. Her long hair trailed behind her like a ribbon of black silk. Her mouth opened in a gasp as she looked down at him, standing in the path of the immovable object.
Got to time this just right, he thought. He glanced down once more at the yawning pit of death beneath him.
He felt the rush of air as the pipe swung just a few feet away from him. The black opening gaped before him.
Caine made his move. He dove forward, rolling into the pipe. His body tumbled across the slick metal surface, and he felt himself slam into the curved side wall. He grunted in pain, then shook his head. Looking out the hole at the other end of the pipe, he caught a brief glimpse of destruction and chaos spinning before him.
He was inside it now, careening around the room. He could feel his stomach lurch as the heavy metal tube swung out over the gaping chasm in the floor. A trio of fleeing guards dodged the pipe’s onslaught, opening fire as they ran across the room. Their bullets ricocheted off the thick metal walls of the pipe as it continued to decimate the chamber.
Suddenly, the pipe’s motion jerked to a stop. Caine felt his stomach lurch as he dropped downwards. He heard a metallic scream, then a grinding noise. The crane’s motor was giving out. The momentum of the spinning pipe, the impact as it tore through the building … the gears of the winch couldn't take the strain!
Caine hear a loud twang, followed by a snap. The view to his right tilted downward. He peered down into the cavernous interior of the building’s lower levels. One of the support cables that kept the pipe level had broken. The heavy pipe listed to the right. Caine felt his body slide down the curved wall towards the dark abyss below.
He dug his feet into the pipe’s smooth, metal walls, pressing his hands outward. It took all his strength to stop his descent as the pipe tipped to a vertical position. It swung to a halt, pointing straight down like the barrel of a giant gun. Beads of sweat dripped down his face. Looking down, he could see Sean’s tube balanced near the edge of the building. Below that was black emptiness.
Above them, the winch’s gears continued to scream in protest. The pipe plummeted through the hole in the floor. It jerked to a stop just above the patchwork of girders and support beams. Caine’s hands and feet scraped against the curved metal walls. His stomach heaved as his body slid a few feet closer to the end, a few feet closer to oblivion. His arms and legs were shaking from exertion. He could not hold himself in place much longer.
“Tom, are you in there?” Jia called out.
“Yeah, I’m here,” Caine grunted, struggling for breath. “For now anyway.”
“Hang on, I’ll throw you a line.”
He heard the click of a carabiner attaching to the steel cable. A black cord unfurled down the interior of the pipe, brushing against his sweat-soaked hair.
Caine grabbed the rope, then gasped in relief. He let his feet dangle for a moment, then braced them against the wall of the pipe. Inch by inch, he pulled himself up to the top opening.
As his hand grasped the edge, the winch screamed ag
ain and the pipe dropped several more feet. Jia screamed as they tore through the unfinished floor beneath them.
Again, they jerked to a stop. Caine pulled his head up out of the pipe. A few feet away, he could see Sean’s cylinder. It rattled slightly as vibrations ran through the building’s structure. Sean’s screaming face was pressed up to the glass, and he pounded his fists against the window.
Jia hung from a harness attached to the support cable. She helped Caine pull his arms up and over the edge, and he managed to balance in a sitting position on the edge of the pipe.
“Jia, it’s Sean! Do you have another line?”
She shook her head. “That’s the last one. But here …” She handed him her rifle. She unbuckled her harness from the cable and pulled it taut. “This is ballistic webbing, it should be able to support both our weight.”
“Alright.” Caine nodded towards the hyperbaric cylinder. The winch groaned again, and the pipe shuddered slightly. “Let’s see if we can get him out of there. We don’t have much time.”
Before he could move, the pipe dropped down another foot. Jia screamed as she flew off the edge. Caine grabbed for her, but he was too late.
“Jia!” he screamed.
The winch’s groaning grew louder. Debris from above sprinkled down, a rain of dust and concrete particles.
“Jia, answer me!” he shouted again, struggling to look down over the edge of the swaying pipe.
“It’s okay,” she gasped. “I’m still here.”
He caught sight of her gloved hands hanging from one of the girders. She had managed to stopped her plunge into the depths of the building.
Grunting with exertion, she began to pull herself up onto the beam.
Before she could lift herself to safety, muzzle flash lit the dark interior of the building. Gunfire ricocheted off the girders around them. Someone below was firing at them.
Caine looked down the length of the pipe. He saw Fang bathed in the glow of a halogen work light. The man perched on the edge of an orange safety net strung across the gaping interior of the building. Below him, in the harsh glow of the light, Caine could make out a lattice of more nets. They descended the length of the building.
Red Phoenix: A Thomas Caine Thriller (The Thomas Caine Series Book 2) Page 35
