by Gene Curtis
“Xi Gong, as he is now, is the perfect soldier. He found a jinni imprisoned in a bottle when he went to west Asia in search of new goods for trade. It is an irony that that was his wish when he freed the jinni. He was granted his wish in a perverted way. He was not pleased in the least. However, the Jinn told him that a female warrior would try to kill him. If he could defeat her and consume her flesh, his complete self would be restored.”
“How does the green fire fit into this?”
“The green fire will destroy anything it touches, even a soul. It does not matter who wields it.”
* * *
Water started pouring in from the bottom of the elevator. All too quickly, it was waist high and Naomi tried to pry the door open with her sword.
LeOmi produced two oxy-caps and said, “Put this in your mouth. It will provide air for you to breathe for about an hour. It would be bad if you swallow it.”
She took the capsule and placed it in her mouth.
LeOmi continued, “Give me your sword so they don’t find it.”
She handed over the sword.
The water rose above their heads. Naomi smiled, pointed to her mouth then gave LeOmi the okay hand signal.
A little more than two minutes later, the elevator started moving up and the water began draining as quickly as it had entered. It stopped a moment later and the doors opened. Seven men were pointing submachine guns at them. The man that had led the others on the deck stood in the middle of the men, himself unarmed.
“Ah, Rainbow Dragon, we meet again. Where is your sword?”
She held her arms up and turned so they could see she was unarmed. Naomi did the same.
The man motioned, “Search them.”
One man put his weapon on the floor and moved forward. He patted them down and said, “No weapons.”
“Such a lovely sword you had. Where is it?”
“I have no need of it at the moment so it is well hidden. You will never find it. You know my name, what is yours?”
“My name is no matter, and you are wrong, we will find it. Who is your coward friend? I saw her flee when we approached.”
“Naomi,” said Naomi.
“Ah, a mere mortal. Are you sure you are not Paper Tiger, or perhaps Jade Ostrich, or maybe Sapphire Chicken?” He grinned at her.
“I am Naomi, nothing more.”
LeOmi said, “We wish to see Xi Gong.”
“Yes, I am sure. He has been expecting you, for a long time.” He motioned again. “Take them.”
Two more crewmen entered the room pushing gurneys.
The seven gunmen moved in quickly and pushed the two girls toward the gurneys with the muzzles of their weapons then motioned them to get on. Rough hands forced them to lie down while others strapped their wrists, ankles and midsections to the bed.
“Normally, this is where I would torture you for information, but my master will wish you undamaged. Lucky thing for you. Naomi, not so lucky for you.”
“What do you wish to know?” Naomi asked.
“That is no fun.” He produced a pair of pliers and held them up for her to see. He moved to her feet, grabbed her little toe with the tool and squeezed. “Where is the sword?”
“She hid it. I do not know where it is.”
He squeezed harder, “I was not asking you.”
LeOmi asked, “Have you checked the bottom of the elevator shaft?”
He motioned and one of the crewmen left.
“How did you get onto the deck?”
Neither answered.
He squeezed harder and she screamed from the pain.
“Naomi, you may answer.”
“I flew and she just appeared.”
Again, he squeezed harder and her little toe crunched. She screamed again.
“Ah, you are magic. You must teach me this,” he said with sarcasm in his voice.
LeOmi said, “She is and she is telling you the truth. Remove her bonds and she can show you.”
“I will not!” she screamed.
“It may be the one thing that keeps you alive,” LeOmi said.
The crewman countered, “Oh, she will live. We have need of slaves. It may determine how broken she is to become.”
“Show him, Naomi.”
She nodded and the man motioned for the straps to be removed. “Tie a rope on her leg and watch her closely.”
When Naomi was freed, she sat cross-legged on the bed and levitated a foot up. She sat down and lay back waiting for the straps to be replaced.
As the bonds were being redone, the man said, “You have earned my name. I am Storm of Energies.” He placed his hand on Naomi’s belly and she began convulsing as if experiencing an electric shock. He removed his hand and she passed out.
“Take them to the Hall of a Thousand Buddhas.” He put his hand on LeOmi’s belly. She felt an intense shock and passed out.
* * *
When LeOmi regained consciousness, she lay still and kept her eyes closed. She tried to enter Spirit Sight and couldn’t, she figured it was due to the shock, so she listened. She heard a page turn on a book. She waited a moment and tried Spirit Sight again. She made it.
The room was very large, and golden life-sized statues of Buddha, all in different poses, lined the walls. A single crewman was sitting on the floor nearby, between two statues, with his back to the wall, reading a paperback book, Caribbean Moon, by Rick Murcer. The novel was in English, which was interesting to know. She wondered how many of the crew liked to read, how many were that intelligent and how many knew English.
Naomi began to stir. The man placed the book on the floor and went to her bed. He looked at her and then went to LeOmi’s bed. After looking at her, he pulled a small packet from his pants pocket, crushed it with his fingers and held it under her nose. She was immediately pulled back into her body and rolled her head away from the intense ammonia smell.
The man went to a nearby phone mounted on the wall next to a bank of security camera monitors, lifted the handset and said, “They are awake.”
He went back to his book.
A few minutes later, a door opened and Storm of Energies entered followed by a really old man riding a Segway.
The machine was modified from ones she’d seen pictures of: the wheels looked like they came from a wheelchair and the passenger area was surrounded with a metal shroud. It looked more like an electric chariot than a Segway. He motioned for the man with the book to leave.
LeOmi said, “We’re here to see Xi Gong.”
The old man laughed and said, “You have succeeded.”
“I thought you would be younger.”
“I am, I am.” His form changed to that of a middle-aged man. “Younger if you like.” His form changed into that of a teenager. “Why is it that you threaten my ship and my crew?”
“I am looking for my friend. He came here seeking the Eleventh Scroll. We pose no threat to your ship or crew. They attacked, I defended.”
“That is true, you pose no threat. Your friend is here and we are... negotiating.” He nodded and smiled. There was obviously a lot he wasn’t revealing.
Activity began happening on the security monitors and the motion on the screens grabbed Xi Gong’s attention. He turned back to LeOmi, “Perhaps your friend has more friends.”
Xi Gong turned up the volume on the monitor showing one of the loading areas. She heard Lo Shon’s voice say, “Stand aside, we will search his vessel for an escaped criminal.”
She craned her neck to get a better look. Lo Shon, the guards and many others were dressed in black combat gear, including ski masks, with bold, white letters spelling out, ?V POLICE.
The crew on the monitor looked befuddled. One said, “You have no jurisdiction, we are not docked.”
“We are not local police! We are national police and you are in Chinese waters. Stand clear.” He motioned to the others and they brought their guns to bear.
The crew stood to the side.
A very large man entered
the loading area. “Hello, I am second mate. May I help you?”
Lo Shon unrolled a paper and held it up for the man to see. “We are looking for this criminal and have reason to believe he boarded this vessel.”
“We have captured a thief that was one of the dockworkers. He looks nothing like that,” he lied.
“We will search anyway.”
“Well, in that case, I will be your guide. The ship is big and it is very easy to get lost. Bring four of your men with you. The others can wait here or they can leave at your desire.”
Lo Shon pointed to Mark’s guards and said, “You, come with me. Everyone else, wait in the boats.”
* * *
Xi Gong turned away from the monitors and said, “Take them to their rooms and prepare them for the feast.”
Storm of Energies grinned and said, “Yes, boss.” He motioned to the others to take the gurneys away.
Two crewmen wheeled the beds into the hall. They traveled through many halls, several of which were inclined down, until they came to a large room filled with prison cells. They were placed into separate cells and left strapped to their beds.
As soon as the crewmen were gone, LeOmi produced her utility tool and began working on the strap holding her wrist in place. It didn’t take long for her to cut through the nylon restraint. After that, it was just a matter of unbuckling the others.
She used her dory to reach through the bars and pull Naomi’s bed close enough for her to cut one of her wrist straps. Moments later, Naomi was free.
* * *
The second mate led Lo Shon and the guards into an elevator. He took out a pack of gum and offered each a stick. They all declined. He shrugged, unwrapped a stick, placed it in his mouth and started chewing. He pressed a button and the elevator started moving. Red smoke began issuing from the ceiling. Before Lo Shon and the guards could react, they fell to the floor, unconscious.
When they awoke, they were in individual cells across from Mark and their police side-arms were gone.
Lo Shon asked, “What’s that smell? Are they burning fish in the galley and piping the odors here?”
Ray said, “Bug bomb.” He pointed at Mark laying on the gurney. “He’s still searching the ship with Spirit Sight.” He turned to the major. “You want me to use some thermite on the bars?”
The major pointed to a security camera mounted on the wall at the end of the aisle formed by the two lines of cells. “They’ll see it. The best bet is to wait for Mark.” He scooted so his back was against the bars. “Anyone bring a deck of cards?”
* * *
LeOmi asked Naomi, “Do you get the feeling that being prepared for the feast is not a good thing?”
“What? Do you think they plan to eat us?”
“It’s not unheard of.”
“What are you planning?”
LeOmi handed her sword back to her through the bars. “What do you think? We’re getting out of here.”
The door at the end of the aisle formed by the cells opened.
LeOmi whispered as she got back on her bed, “Wait until they open our doors before attacking.”
Naomi nodded and hopped back on her bed.
Two crewmen entered pushing gurneys, each containing a woman in a police uniform. Both of the women were screaming at the crewmen that they had no authority, to release them immediately. The women were placed in adjacent cells next to LeOmi’s cell.
After locking the new detainee’s doors, the crewmen entered LeOmi’s and Naomi’s cells. As soon as they were beside their gurneys, each man had a sword at his throat.
Keeping her sword firmly in place, LeOmi slid from the bed and motioned for the man to climb on. “Lie down or die, your choice.”
Naomi followed LeOmi’s lead.
LeOmi zip tied her man to the frame and tossed a couple of ties to Naomi. She took the key from her man’s belt and freed the two officers while Naomi secured her man to the gurney.
The first policewoman asked, “Who are you?”
“LeOmi, I’m with Lo Shon.” She pointed to Naomi. “So is she.”
“They sunk our boats and it is a long swim to the docks. Can you swim that far?”
“Don’t worry, we have another way out.”
The door opened again and four guards ran in brandishing machine guns. One fired a burst at the ceiling, “Back in your cells!”
LeOmi swung her sword, trailing a rainbow. The guards dropped their weapons, as did Naomi.
The guards looked astonished and bent to pick up their guns. LeOmi swung a second time, and again, they dropped the guns.
“I am Rainbow Dragon. Flee or die.”
The guards stood where they were, dumbfounded.
Naomi scooped up her sword and charged them, screaming, “Arrrggg!”
They fled out the door leaving their weapons on the floor.
The four girls ran after them, the officers scooping up abandoned weapons as they went through the door. They turned left and saw the guards running. The officers took aim and LeOmi swiped her sword. They dropped their weapons.
“No unnecessary killing.”
The first officer said, “They plan to eat us. Xi Gong needs to eat the flesh of the female warrior that can defeat him. We need to diminish his army.”
“When the need arises, we will do it with honor.”
The guards rounded the corner and a moment later were running back toward them, but there were a lot more of them.
One weapon, then two then six weapons were held above the heads of the guards running toward them and crudely aimed in their direction.
LeOmi swiped her sword. The weapons fell. She ducked into a side door, followed by the others. It was another prison area.
Samantha called, “Back here.”
LeOmi trotted back, inserted the key she’d taken from the crewman and opened their cell. Mark was still laying on his gurney with his eyes closed. She unlocked his door, but didn’t disturb him.
The door to the hall burst open and a dozen armed guards began rushing through.
She swiped her sword again and they dropped their weapons, again.
“When are you going to learn? You cannot defeat me. I am Rainbow Dragon.”
She ran at them, swishing her sword in front of her in a figure eight. They fled, leaving their guns behind.
She turned and said, “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
They went into the hall and turned right. After a few turns, they came to an elevator. The door opened immediately on pushing the button.
The major said, “Oxy-caps, these things are equipped with knockout gas.” He passed out the little capsules to those that didn’t have any. “Put it under your tongue and it will provide air for you to breathe.”
Naomi said, “Do not swallow them.”
The major said, “Hey, where is Lo Shon?”
LeOmi looked around and, not seeing him, said, “He must be implementing his plan.”
They all entered the elevator and she pushed the top button.
* * *
Lo Shon jumped on top of a cage in the very back of the room and lay across the top bars where he could see, but not be seen. He knew Xi Gong would come, eventually, to taunt his prey. He didn’t have to wait long.
The chariot styled Segway entered the prison block where LeOmi and Naomi had previously been held and rolled up to the cells still holding the bound crewmen. Xi Gong still appeared as a young man.
The first mate walked behind him. At Xi Gong’s direction, he sliced the bands securing the first one’s wrists and ankles.
Xi Gong asked, “What happened?”
The crewman, obviously thinking Xi Gong had seen what happened, said, “There is no way to defeat Rainbow Dragon. Her sword is magic.”
Xi Gong pointed to Mark’s cell. “She was obviously not interested in freeing her friend.” He chuckled, and asked the first mate, “Are they in the elevator now?”
Storm of Energies nodded once, “They are.”
�
�Drown them all. Bring the Rainbow Dragon to me. He-he-he, undefeatable, we will see.”
The first mate grinned, walked to the phone on the wall and picked up the handset. “Drown them all. Recover Rainbow Dragon’s body and bring it to the boss.”
* * *
The elevator stopped and then, a moment later, began moving down. After a couple of minutes, it stopped and water began flowing into the bottom.
Naomi and LeOmi both used their swords to try to pry the doors open. They wouldn’t budge. The water rose over their heads while they tried.
The major tapped Ray on the shoulder. When Ray turned, the major pointed to the doors and gave a thumbs up.
Ray nodded, produced a thermite charge, and stuck it to the crack between the doors. He looked at the others, moved as far away from the charge as he could and covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. When the others followed his lead and protected their eyes, he activated the electric fuse.
Thermite generates its own oxygen and has no problem burning underwater. Ten seconds of forty-five hundred degree heat made short work of producing a hole large enough for them to swim through. It also made the water around the hole a bit warm as she noticed while swimming through.
The other side was dark, so LeOmi produced a lantern. Mark’s guards did the same. This room was large and filled with water. It looked like it had been part of the original ship. They swam up and found it was flooded almost to the top. The ceiling was a curved bronze plate, lending credence to the idea that it was part of the original turtle ship.
LeOmi said, “Go up or through the wall?”
Ray said, “We’re in the middle of the ship. If we can get to the outside hull, I can make a door.”
The major said, “I’m inclined to agree.”
LeOmi said, “Okay, spread out and let’s see if we can find a way to the side of the ship. Report back here.”
A short time later, one of the officers surfaced and said, “I found a way.”
