Phoenix

by Jeff Stone

  “Yes.” She opened the bag.

  I began to walk toward her, when I noticed lights flickering behind the window blinds. I ran to one of the windows and poked my fingers between the blinds’ slats. I peered out to see an unfamiliar dusty pickup truck pull up less than twenty feet from the building.

  “Someone is coming!” I said.

  Hú Dié didn’t reply.

  I stared at the truck. There was a long extension ladder in the truck bed, and the front of the vehicle was dented and scraped, with several strands of barbed wire clinging to the grill. The truck had gotten onto the property by busting through a fence. The driver and passenger got out, and my heart nearly stopped. “It’s Lin Tan and Meathead!” I gasped.

  I looked back at Hú Dié. She stiffened, but still said nothing.

  She didn’t even look surprised.

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Was Hú Dié double-crossing me? Had she worked out a secret deal with her crush, Lin Tan? She began to dump the dragon bone into the silk bag, and I realized that the bag looked just like the one Lin Tan had used back at Cangzhen Temple when he stole Grandmaster Long’s dragon bone.

  I heard shouting outside and couldn’t resist turning back to the window.

  It was Murphy. He had his gun drawn and was walking toward the rented truck. Lin Tan had a gun, too. The Texan and the Chinese cyclist pointed their weapons at one another, but Meathead sprang into action first. One of his hands was wrapped in heavy bandages, and I remembered that Hú Dié had smashed his hand with her elbow back at Cangzhen Temple. The injury didn’t seem to matter. He grabbed a section of the ladder from the back of the truck, and while Murphy watched Lin Tan, Meathead thrust the ladder at Murphy. Murphy fired as the lowest rung struck his gun hand.

  The bullet buried itself harmlessly in the side of the truck, and Meathead twisted the ladder. The ladder’s feet spun around, knocking the gun from Murphy’s hand. Murphy lunged to pick up his gun, but Lin Tan jumped on him and pistol-whipped him in the back of the head. Murphy’s body collapsed like a deflated balloon.

  I turned to Hú Dié. The silk bag was now tied shut, and she was pouring the last of the dragon bone from one of the dragon vessels into a large glass test tube that she must have grabbed from the counter.

  “What are you doing?” I shouted.

  Hú Dié remained silent. She pushed a rubber stopper into the test tube.

  I took a step toward her.

  “Please,” she said finally. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. Stay right where you are.”

  I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “You really are psycho. You think I’m going to just let you walk out of here with my dragon bone?”

  “Your dragon bone? What gives you any more right to it than me, now that someone else has stolen it?”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. Then again, Hú Dié and her father earned their living as forgers of documents and bicycles. Their sense of responsibility was skewed. Why should I expect not to get tricked, too? I should have paid more attention to PawPaw’s warning.

  “How long have you been planning to hang me out to dry?” I asked.

  Hú Dié took a step toward me. “I’m not hanging you out to dry. Lin Tan doesn’t even know you’re here. Take this—” She held out the test tube. “Hide somewhere until I’ve left with those two goons. Use the headlamp I gave you. Escape to your grandfather.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without all of the dragon bone.”

  “Lin Tan and the other guy are not killers, but they may make an exception if they find you here. Leave now. Please.”

  “I really am an idiot. I actually thought you were my friend.”

  “I am your friend. It’s just that I have priorities. I need to help my mother.”

  “Your mother? You said that she no longer lives with you.”

  “She doesn’t. She lives in a nursing home, even though she is not that old. She has what you Westerners call ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Her nerve cells are wasting away, and she has lost her ability to walk or even move her arms and head normally. I want to see if dragon bone can help.”

  “But … you can’t give her dragon bone.”

  “Why not? Because she isn’t part of your grandfather’s little club?”

  I ground my teeth. “Why didn’t you say something about her earlier?”

  “Because it’s none of your business. It still isn’t, in fact. I don’t know why I’m wasting my time telling you now.”

  Anger began to swell within me. “You never answered my question. How long have you been planning this?”

  “A few hours.”

  “What?”

  “All of this just came together. That’s why I didn’t get any sleep. It’s too fresh in my mind, and the more I think about it, the worse I feel. Lin Tan and the other guy—his name is Bjorn—were downtown renting that pickup truck when they saw Murphy with me in the passenger seat. They recognized me from Cangzhen Temple and followed us to the bike store. After Murphy left, Lin Tan approached me inside the bike shop. It was the first time I’d ever spoken with him. I swear. He told me everything that he has gone through with Dr. V, from the beginning. He knew more than half a year ago that he might be suspended. However, Dr. V told him that he would cover for him if he did a few special side projects. That’s why he got involved.”

  “What do you mean by ‘side projects’? Spying on my grandfather and stealing his dragon bone?”

  “Yes. Lin Tan began watching your house in November, and he stole a small amount of dragon bone in December to give to Dr. V. Lin Tan didn’t know what the substance was until recently.”

  I thought about how my uncle had managed to take some of Grandfather’s dragon bone without his noticing. Lin Tan stealing some back then would explain how Ryan had been taking it for so long.

  “Lin Tan did all of this for a chance to ride?” I asked.

  “Mostly. He and Bjorn were also paid a lot of money, but he was mainly interested in continuing his racing career. This wasn’t his first suspension, and he didn’t think anyone else would pick him up. Dr. V was his last hope. Once Lin Tan brought the latest batch of dragon bone to Dr. V from China, though, Dr. V paid him and Bjorn, and then Dr. V kicked both of them out of his organization, anyway.”

  “And how do you fit in?”

  “Lin Tan and Bjorn decided to come back here to steal the dragon bone. They plan to sell it and form their own team. They thought that having me on the inside would help them break in, and they promised to let me have some dragon bone for my mother. Their plan was solid, so I agreed. Also, Bjorn set up the security system here. If anyone can get in and out without tripping alarms, it’s him. My plan was—and still is—to double-cross them and take all the dragon bone for myself. Of course, I planned to give some of it to you so that you can share it with your grandfather, and return some to Grandmaster Long and that woman, PawPaw. Not that I expect you to believe me.”

  “You’re right about that. If you really planned to give me some dragon bone, you would have brought two bags.” I took another step toward her.

  She slipped the tube of dragon bone into one of her cargo pants’ pockets and said, “That’s far enough. I don’t have another bag. This glass tube is the best I can do, but it sounds like you don’t want it. Come one step closer, and I’ll break your arms.”

  I felt my upper lip curl back. “Promise?”

  “In for a penny, in for a pound,” she said.

  “Shut up and ride,” I replied.

  I never imagined that I could actually hit a girl, but when I saw the look on her face, I knew that I had to make an exception. I took a step toward Hú Dié, and she flipped on the overhead lights. As I blinked against the sudden brightness, she attacked. She swung her right forearm at my head, and I ducked, realizing too late that it was just a ploy to get me to lower my head. Her powerful thigh rose up, and her knee slammed into my jaw.

  I dropped the headlamp and reeled back as
if I’d been hit with a brick. I saw stars, as well as Hú Dié’s forearm coming once more at my face. I slid to one side, dodging the blow, but I tripped and went down flat onto my back. Hú Dié stepped up next to me, swinging one leg back to soccer-kick my head off my shoulders, and I up-kicked her square in the groin.

  She doubled over. That cheap shot hurts girls almost as much as it hurts guys.

  I was halfway to my feet when Hú Dié attacked again. She dove on top of me, knocking me to the ground. I tried to push her off, but she managed to wrap her legs around my midsection.

  Hú Dié began to squeeze. I felt every bit of air rush out of my lungs. I tried to inhale, but it was no use. Her legs were too strong. My diaphragm couldn’t expand. In a panic, I began to hammer my fists against her thighs, but she didn’t let up. The world started to turn gray around me, and my eyes locked on to hers.

  She was crying.

  CRASH!

  The sky exploded above me.

  I blinked and saw Hú Dié lean forward to shield me as a shower of glass rained down over both of us. The tension in her legs lessened, and I managed to twist free. I tried to stand but was too dizzy. I sat down hard on a thousand shards of safety glass and looked up at what remained of one of the skylights.

  Bjorn stared back at me. The big guy had a section of the mechanical blinds in one hand and a large crowbar in the other. He dropped the blinds to the floor, narrowly missing Hú Dié, who was scrambling to her feet. Bjorn disappeared, only to reappear an instant later with the extension ladder. He quickly lowered the ladder into the room through the skylight opening. Lin Tan’s head appeared in the skylight, next to Bjorn’s, and Lin Tan shouted something to Hú Dié in Chinese.

  Hú Dié sniffled and looked at me. “Goodbye, Phoenix.”

  I tried to get to my feet once more, when two gunshots boomed across the room.

  BANG! BANG!

  Hú Dié screamed, and Bjorn tumbled through the skylight. He landed in a heap on the floor. The second shot struck Lin Tan, and he reeled backward before collapsing onto the roof with a thud.

  Hú Dié screamed again, and I looked across the room toward the mirrored wall. The door to Dr. V’s office was slightly ajar. The door opened fully, and Dr. V stepped through it. He was holding a scoped rifle.

  Dr. V aimed the rifle at me and grinned. “Welcome to Texas, son.”

  I rubbed my eyes, unsure if I was awake or if Hú Dié had squeezed me unconscious and I was dreaming this whole thing.

  I wasn’t dreaming.

  Hú Dié had double-crossed me, and Dr. V was aiming a rifle at my face. Lin Tan and Bjorn were dead, and Ryan was dead to the world in a dragon bone stupor. I couldn’t possibly have dreamed up something this crazy.

  Dr. V turned the rifle toward Hú Dié and said, “Nice try, young lady. You and Phoenix, go stand next to that steel table.”

  I got to my feet and found that my sense of balance had returned. I walked over and stood on the side of the table near Ryan’s medical chart. Hú Dié did the smart thing and stood on the opposite side. If I were standing next to her, I might have wrung her neck, and she knew it.

  “Surprised to see me?” Dr. V asked.

  I opened my mouth to answer but realized that Dr. V was speaking to Hú Dié.

  “Yes,” Hú Dié replied. “How did you get to the ranch without me noticing your truck? I’ve been awake all night.”

  Dr. V smiled. “I rode my bike!” He stepped out into the lab and nodded toward his office doorway. I looked into the office and saw a dirty cyclocross bike resting next to another door along the office’s back wall. He must have come in that way. I’d never seen that side of the building and had no idea there was a door.

  “How did you know to come tonight?” Hú Dié asked.

  “The video cameras,” Dr. V said. “Those dangling wires you saw? Decoys. Every camera in this building is fully functional, complete with sound-amplifying microphones. They feed into a security computer in my office and are accessible via the Internet. Murphy was watching you from his trailer, and I was watching you from home. I played back some of the recorded footage from earlier today and learned what you and Phoenix were up to. Once I arrived here, I watched you both from my office computer, and finally through these two-way mirrors. If it makes you feel any better, you didn’t stand a chance.” He looked at me. “You either.”

  I glowered at him.

  “The funny thing is,” Dr. V continued, “I didn’t know a thing about Lin Tan’s plan until he showed up with Bjorn. I can’t say that their actions surprise me, though, and I have to admit, Hú Dié, that bump key you made is impressive. I’ll never let Murphy live that one down. He should have thought to put a better lock on my lab door. He also should have put some kind of alarm on these skylights.”

  “What are you going to do with us?” Hú Dié asked.

  Dr. V nodded toward the cabinet of fossils and the kiln. “I’ve been working to reverse-engineer dragon bone and determine its primary chemical properties. Those are ordinary fossilized animal bones, but I plan to cook them up soon, along with a few additives, and synthesize my own true dragon bone. More guinea pigs would be nice.” He grinned.

  I swallowed hard. “Why synthesize it? You have enough to last you hundreds of years.”

  “This has nothing to do with my longevity. I didn’t even know about dragon bone’s life-extending properties until I read translations of your grandfather’s telephone calls with that woman PawPaw. I only suspected that it improved physical performance after seeing how spry your grandfather is. I’ll never forget how gracefully he moved at my brother’s funeral. No one his age can move like that without extraordinary chemical or biological assistance. Based on what little experimentation I’ve done thus far, I see that I was correct about dragon bone’s effects.”

  I glanced at the chart on the table. “You said ‘more guinea pigs.’ You’re testing it on Ryan, aren’t you?”

  “Very good.”

  Hú Dié pointed a finger at him. “You’re planning to mass-produce it so you can give it to your race team members!”

  Dr. V shook his head. “While that is true, I’ve recently begun to imagine bigger things. Just think … sports drinks with dragon bone, energy bars—I’ll make a fortune.”

  “You already have a fortune,” I said.

  Dr. V smiled. “Then I’ll have two fortunes.”

  “You’re putting people’s lives in danger,” I said. “Do you have any idea what is happening to Ryan right now? He’s still asleep after all this noise, I bet.”

  “I believe so. When a person takes dragon bone, they slip into a nearly unconscious state. It is extraordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “The dragon bone is taking control of him,” I said. “It is coming to life.”

  “That’s nonsense.”

  “It’s not! Look at my grandfather. Do you know where he is now? A nursing home. If you take it too long and then stop, you will die. It becomes one with you. Ryan needs to stop.”

  “He is already stopping. He had been consuming a smaller amount each day with his dinner for a while, but he told me yesterday evening that he is done with it. He only tried it because he thought he might finally be able to beat you in a race. After you still beat him, he said he was through with the substance. I don’t plan on forcing him to continue taking it. At least, not until I understand it better.”

  I gave a small sigh of relief. Ryan was being a jerk, but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. “It won’t be easy for him to quit,” I said. “Make him exercise. Sweating will help.”

  “Interesting,” Dr. V said. “I didn’t know that. I noticed an aroma around him when he was sweating profusely. Thank you for telling me. Is there anything else I should know?”

  “You should know that you can’t keep me and Hú Dié here. People will come looking for us. You have to let us go.”

  Dr. V chuckled. “I’m sure that people will come looking for you. That’s wh
y I plan to offer you a deal, Phoenix. Ride for me, and I’ll send some dragon bone to your grandfather.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Ride for you? For how long?”

  “Years, if you do as well as I anticipate.”

  “What if I say no?”

  “Then your grandfather will die.”

  I shuddered. “If my grandfather dies, then there’s no reason for me to continue riding for you.”

  Dr. V grinned. “That’s a chance I’m willing to take. Would you really let your grandfather die simply because you do not want to ride for me?”

  I banged my fist against my thigh. “Why me? You should find some adult pro to blackmail. I’m just a kid.”

  “You are not a kid. You are an extraordinary young man. After what I saw you do on the course yesterday, I’m certain you could already beat many of the professional adult cyclocross racers out there. With proper training, you could very well beat all the adult professionals before you even finish high school. Ryan’s father and I both raced professionally when we were just teenagers. I know what I’m talking about. Additionally, you have a special look and charm about you. Your ethnicity is ambiguous. You are a marketer’s dream. You will be famous! I will make you the poster boy for my dragon bone sports drinks and energy bars.”

  I glanced at the chart on the table again. “What about Ryan?”

  “Ryan is a good cyclist, but he will never be a great cyclist. You are already a great cyclist.”

  I frowned. “If I agree to ride for you, how much dragon bone will you send to my grandfather?”

  “Enough to keep him alive one week at a time. I’ve watched a month’s worth of video recordings of him putting dragon bone into his morning tea, so I believe I have a good sense of how much will suffice. I will continue the weekly shipments as long as you continue to give me your best effort. If I suspect that you are slacking off, or if you attempt to leave without my permission or try to contact authorities or disrupt my organization in any way, I will cut off his supply.”

  I ground my teeth and looked at my watch. It was 2:30 a.m., Sunday morning. “When would you send the first shipment? Today? Tomorrow?”