by Alex Siegel
"It's like wearing a rubber bag over my head," Katie complained.
"Try not to think about it," Hanley said.
Everybody except Liam got out of the car. Hanley took a moment to stretch his muscles and get ready for action.
The legionnaires were fully equipped for combat. They carried assault rifles and grenades even though they didn't intend to use them. Marina often preached, "there is no such thing as bringing too many guns." The team expected to rely on non-lethal weapons such as anesthetic foam, but Hanley knew that belief was optimistic. Operations like this one never went smoothly.
"Be ready," Ipo said. "When the lights go out, we run."
Hanley and Katie nodded.
He was keeping an eye on the guards at the bottom of the staircase. The legionnaires were staying in the shadows, and so far, they hadn't been spotted. It was a moonless night.
Suddenly, the night became much darker, but his night vision goggles quickly adjusted their amplification level. Min Ho had hacked into the electric company's computer, and he had shut down the entire neighborhood.
Ipo ran hard, and Hanley sprinted to catch up. Katie was struggling to keep pace with the two men.
The Chinese guards at the staircase were groping blindly in the darkness. Ipo and Hanley barreled into them like charging bulls. The legionnaires took cans from their utility belts and sprayed foam onto the faces of the guards. Twenty seconds later, their struggles ceased.
"Keep moving," Ipo growled in his deep voice.
He led Hanley and Katie up the stairs. Ipo's huge body crashed through a door without slowing down.
The interior of the building was so dark, Hanley had trouble seeing even with the night vision goggles. He took an infrared flashlight from his belt and turned it on. The light was invisible to human eyes, but it made all the difference to his goggles. Now he could see easily.
He was in a card room. Several circular tables had space for up to six players, and most of them were full. Young cocktail waitresses wearing just high heels and thongs stood around. Almost everybody was Chinese, and all the players were male. They were trying to remain calm, but people were murmuring in frightened voices.
Too bad they don't have emergency lights, Hanley thought.
Ipo threaded his way through the crowd. As Hanley followed, he remembered the proverb, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." He checked to make sure Katie was right behind him.
They went into a hallway with doors on either side. Hanley opened a door and discovered a naked man in bed with a woman. The poor girl was tied in a spread-eagle position, and he was having his way with her despite the lack of light. Hanley sprayed foam in the man's face.
"Come on!" Ipo barked.
After passing through the brothel section, the team found the private suite of Wan Heung. The main room had a couch and chairs made of carved wood. Chinese dragon sculptures watched from the corners of the room, and there was a metal gong. Hanley couldn't see colors with his goggles, but he could tell the décor was expensive.
Six men in business suits were sitting or standing in the room. They carried guns and were having a tense conversation in Chinese.
Ipo attacked without hesitation. Hanley followed his example and knocked down two men with two brutal kicks. Then he sprayed foam all over their faces. The fight lasted only a few seconds, but somebody managed to fire a few shots before going down.
"Is everybody OK?" Ipo whispered.
"Yeah," Katie said.
"I'm fine," Hanley said.
The gunshots had obviously frightened the people in the card room and the brothel. Hanley heard screaming and banging.
"Keep moving," Ipo said urgently.
They searched a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, and a couple of bathrooms without finding anybody else. Finally, they came to the last door, and Wan Heung had to be behind it.
Ipo backed up. He was obviously getting ready to crash through the door.
"Wait," Hanley said. "It could be booby-trapped. Let's make our own door."
Ipo relaxed. "Good idea."
Hanley was carrying an assortment of small demolition charges. He placed strips of plastic explosive on the wall near the door.
"Hurry up," Ipo said.
"You don't rush a job like this," Hanley replied in a testy tone.
He quickly wired the explosives, placed a detonator, and set the timer for thirty seconds. Everybody backed up.
The explosion rattled the cheap, thin walls. A second later, Hanley heard automatic gunfire, and he instinctively threw himself to the floor. Lines of bullet holes appeared in the walls.
He crawled forward on his belly. The demolition charges had made a nice, big hole, and he lifted his head to look through it. An old man was standing on a bed with an MP7 in one hand. Hanley recognized Wan Heung by the shape of his face and his distinctive, triangular beard. His arm was wrapped around a girl's throat, and he was using her as a human shield.
Hanley had the advantage though. The Chinese crime lord was blind in the darkness, and Hanley knew how to move silently.
He slipped through the hole in the wall, charged forward, and grabbed the MP7. He ripped the weapon out of the old man's hand before he had a chance to fire another shot. Then Hanley grabbed Heung by the beard, yanked him off the bed, and threw him to the floor. The girl screamed, but Hanley ignored her. Heung tried to crawl away but a swift kick to the gut stopped him. As an afterthought, Hanley sprayed foam onto his face.
Ipo and Katie entered through the hole in the wall.
"Well done," Ipo said. "I'll carry him. You clear the way."
He picked up Heung easily. Ipo was probably strong enough to lift three men that size.
"Go!" he said.
Hanley went back out into the hallway. He didn't see any signs of trouble, so he retraced his path through the building.
Except for the girl tied to the bed and the unconscious man with her, the brothel had cleared out. Most of the people in the card room had also escaped the building, but a few had stayed behind, and the stragglers were moaning on the floor. Hanley guessed they had been trampled during the mass exodus.
He opened the door leading outside. Four black sedans pulled up and squealed to a stop at the base of the stairs. At least a dozen men with guns and flashlights spilled out.
"Shit." Hanley closed the door and went back inside. "We got trouble."
"I knew this operation was going too well," Ipo said.
"What are we going to do?" Katie said.
"Obviously, we have to fight them. Get into ambush positions. Move when I move."
Ipo dumped Heung unceremoniously onto a card table. The three legionnaires found tight corners where tables and chairs would prevent them from being seen.
Hanley could hear the men coming up the metal stairs. They crashed through the door and flooded into the card room. Beams of white light searched for danger.
One of the men noticed Heung on the table and made an angry comment in Chinese.
Ipo's phone rang.
Bad timing, Hanley thought.
Ipo burst out of his hiding spot. He grabbed a wooden chair and swung it like a baseball bat. One of his enemies was struck hard enough to lift him off his feet. Ipo slammed another man with a backswing which sent him sprawling.
Hanley joined the fight, and he knocked down two guys before the enemy even knew he was there.
Katie was the last to enter the fray, and he kept an eye on her. She wasn't a great fighter, but he was pleased to see her battling with the heart of a warrior regardless. She broke one man's knee with a kick, and she planted her foot solidly in the groin of another.
Ipo was the true monster though. He was a dark beast on steroids as he clobbered enemies right and left. In the chaos, they didn't know which way to run. Bodies were being tossed around like sacks of sand.
Gunshots rang out as the remaining Chinese gangsters desperately tried to protect themselves. A bullet struck Hanley in the gut, knocking the wind ou
t of him, but the advanced armor did its job. He shrugged off the pain and kept fighting.
In a surprisingly short amount of time, the fight ended. The enemy was scattered across the floor, moaning or unconscious. Hanley didn't think anybody had been killed, but an accidental death wouldn't have surprised him given the violence of the battle.
Ipo scooped up Heung. "Let's go!" Ipo barked.
The legionnaires ran outside and down the metal staircase. They sprinted back to the van. Hanley opened the back doors, and Ipo tossed his captive inside. Everybody got into the van with Ipo in the driver's seat. They pulled off the uncomfortable masks and helmets.
"Were you the one who called me?" Ipo said.
"Yes," Liam replied. He had apparently stayed in the van the entire time. "I was trying to warn you about those guys. Did you beat them?"
"Soundly. Why was the warning so late? It was useless. We were already under attack."
"It was hard to see in the dark, and I was far away..."
Ipo shook his head and drove off.
* * *
Marina looked across the street at the car dealership. It was the biggest one she had ever seen, and the cars on the lot included top-end models like Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, and Rolls Royce. There wasn't much visible security, but local criminals knew stealing from this dealership was a very bad idea.
She turned to Aaron who was standing beside her. She spontaneously gave him a hug and a kiss on the lips. He returned her affection with a longer, more passionate kiss. The night air was cool, but his big body was toasty warm, and she held him tightly. She never wanted to let him go.
"Technically, I should be going home soon. This trip was planned for three days maximum."
She pouted. "That's not fair. We've been so busy with this mission, we haven't had much time to just be together. And this was the first visit after three months of separation. We deserve to stretch it out a little."
"I suppose I can argue this is a business trip." He furrowed his brow. "Fighting God's enemies is my job, and that's what we're doing now."
"Exactly." She smiled triumphantly.
"But if there's any kind of trouble back in Chicago, I have to leave immediately. No arguments."
"Of course." She gave him a squeeze.
They were standing in the parking lot of an office complex. It was late at night, and all the lights in the building were off. Reflected stars were visible in the large windows. Only yellow street lights provided any illumination.
A blue van pulled up next to Marina. She automatically put a hand on a gun under her jacket until she saw Ipo at the wheel. He turned off the engine and stepped out.
"Hello, ma'am," he said.
He was wearing the advanced body armor reserved for combat missions. The striped camouflage pattern always reminded her of a tabby cat, but in his case, it was a cat as large as a lion. The dark skin on his face blended with the grays and blacks of his armor. The fabric looked thick and stiff, but it was surprisingly comfortable when worn.
"Any trouble?" Marina said.
Ipo shook his head. "We got the guy, and nobody was killed as far as I know. We suffered a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious."
"Nice job." She smiled.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Katie, Hanley, and Liam joined the group. They were also wearing the "good" armor, and it made them look like a fearsome team. Even Liam had a predatory aspect in the black and gray of the Society. Marina was proud to be their commander.
"I'll go in with Ipo," she said. "Dear, where do you want to be?"
"Up there." Aaron pointed to the roof of the nearby office building.
He had a massive, .50 caliber sniper rifle slung over his shoulder. A long suppressor made the weapon even bigger. Marina knew he could shoot a bird out of the air with that weapon, or hit a man in the eye from five hundred yards.
"Liam," he added, "you'll be on top with me. You're my spotter."
"Yes, sir," Liam said.
"Hanley and Katie, hide in the bushes. Be ready..."
"Dear," Marina said sternly, "I believe they're my legionnaires. I give the orders."
Aaron blushed.
"But do what he says," she told her team. "I'll put my phone in conference mode. Ipo, let's disarm."
She and Ipo went to the back of the van and opened the doors. Heung was lying inside. The Chinese crime lord had a triangular beard which was probably intended to make him look wise, but Marina thought it looked goofy instead. His wrinkled face was serene when he was unconscious. He was wearing a soft, black shirt and pants which reminded her of pajamas.
She stripped off most of her weapons and placed them in the van. She kept only a few small items which were tucked away in places where an ordinary search wouldn't find them. She was wearing an expensive, gray suit, and she had a leather briefcase in her hand.
She kept her phone, and she set it to act as a remote microphone. The whole team would be able to listen to everything that happened using their own phones as receivers. She could summon rescue just by calling for it.
Ipo disarmed at the same time, but he kept his body armor. Then he pulled Heung out of the van and slung the old man over his huge shoulder.
"Let's go in," Marina said.
They walked towards the car dealership. It had a glass front which curved in a wide arc, and the windows had redwood frames. Green lawns and manicured bushes made the place more inviting than most dealerships. Big lights shined brightly even though it was the middle of the night, and the dealership had closed hours ago.
"How did the rest of the team do?" Marina said.
"Fine, ma'am," Ipo said. "Hanley and Katie fought well. I left Liam in the van."
She frowned. "Why?"
"I didn't trust him in a combat situation."
"I understand." She sighed. "I'm not sure what to do about it."
"I just hope you don't have to..."
"Let's not talk about that. He could be listening." Marina touched the phone in her pocket.
They walked around to the automotive service entrance. If Ipo was having trouble carrying the body, he wasn't showing it. His steps were light and quick.
Four Mexicans were guarding the door, two on each side. They were wearing cheap business suits, and pistols in holsters were poorly concealed under their jackets.
"Who are you?" one of the men said in a thick accent.
"We're here to see El Toro," Marina said. "We have a gift for him."
Ipo turned around, and Marina lifted Heung's head so the Mexicans could see his face.
"Whoa!" the leader said. "Is he dead?"
"Not yet. Are you going to let us in?"
"Sure, but we got to check you."
Marina and Ipo had to stand and endure a thorough pat down, but her hidden weapons weren't discovered. The Mexicans also checked her leather briefcase and found only papers.
Finally, they were escorted inside. Around twenty men were in the garage where cars were normally serviced. Some were sitting at tables and playing dominos, and they had piles of cash in front of them. Other men were guarding the entrances. Handguns and assault rifles were being carried openly. Bags of cocaine were on a table like hors d'oeuvres at a party. A few young women were off to the side, and they looked uncomfortable in their tight pants and high heels.
Marina had seen a picture of El Toro, and she recognized one of the domino players as him. He was big, bald, and chubby. The only hair on his light brown head was a pencil-thin mustache. He was wearing sunglasses, and his mouth was a flat, emotionless line. Tattoos portraying scenes of violence covered both his arms. A pair of bull's horns was also tattooed on his shiny forehead.
Everybody in the room looked at Marina and Ipo, and she just smiled back at them. Ipo placed Heung on the concrete floor.
"Who are you?" El Toro said in a raspy voice. "What's going on?"
Marina's escort had a brief conversation with him in Spanish. She didn't understand the words, but the meaning was clear en
ough.
El Toro stood up, walked over, and stared down at Heung's unconscious form.
The Mexican gangster smiled in a very nasty way. "You have my gratitude. What's your name?"
"You can call me Ms. Couteau," Marina said.
"What do you want?"
"I have a job for you."
He snorted. "A job for me? Do you know who I am?"
"The most powerful boss in the Bay Area. Hundreds of crooks work for you. Your extensive manpower and street connections are exactly what I need."
"If you know all that, then you know I don't do jobs for outsiders."
She stared at him. "You'll make an exception in my case. I delivered Mr. Heung to you, didn't I? Your most hated rival."
"Sí. I heard about the trouble at the Chinese restaurant. I was wondering who had the balls to hit that place."
"The job I have in mind is very straightforward. I need you to find this girl."
Marina took a sheet of paper out of her briefcase and gave it to El Toro. The sheet had pictures of Kelsie Green along with essential information about her.
Instead of looking at the sheet, El Toro stared up at Ipo. The gangster was big, but the legionnaire was bigger. Ipo's arms were crossed, and his feet were spread in a strong stance. His presence was comforting to Marina.
El Toro crumpled the paper and threw it at Marina's face. "I don't do jobs for outsiders."
She snarled. "You will for me."
He strolled back to his chair, sat down, and snapped his fingers.
Another Mexican man walked over to Marina. His bare, muscular chest and arms were covered in tattoos depicting satanic scenes, and the Devil was portrayed at least a dozen times on his body. Long, black, greasy hair hung down his back. He had gold loops in his eyebrows and lips. Several large knives were in sheaths strapped all over his body, and Marina had to admire his choice in weaponry. The crowd became excited.
"I'm here to talk to your boss," she said, "not you."
"The boss wants you to show more respect."
"That's not likely to happen. Who are you?"
The man grinned, revealing several gold teeth. "They call me Verdugo. It means butcher or executioner."
He stood close enough for Marina to smell his fetid breath.
