Noah grits his teeth as he kneels down over Dr. Tang. “Can you get back to Master Wu? I’ll do CPR.”
He begins applying chest compressions to the unconscious doctor. “One, two three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight.” He then lifts his head and exhales a large breath into Dr. Tang’s mouth.
The cycle repeats. “One, Two. Three...”
“That’s not enough, Noah,” says Lisa as she taps on the acupuncture needles inserted into Master Wu. “We’re going to need a defibrillator. Otherwise, even if we can resuscitate, there will be permanent brain damage.”
“We’ve got a portable one in the First Aid Room. I’ll get it.” Cheryl dashes off. Stop paying so much attention to the old doctor. It’s Master Wu who’s important.
Noah continues applying CPR. “One, two, three, four...
However, his attention to the present loses focus as he gazes over at Master Wu...
Chapter Seventeen
Ten Years Ago
This tiny Protestant church with a seating capacity of one hundred has been a mainstay of Hong Kong since the 1850’s. Its rough wooden pews, twelve-foot tall wooden cross at the front and a large unfurled rice paper scroll with the words Jesus Saves written in Chinese calligraphy are all at least a hundred years old. It’s the church where the Reids have worshiped for ten years and now it’s the church that will send the senior Reids home.
At the front are two plain wooden coffins. Eighteen-year-old Noah drapes over one of them. Master Wu is beside him, holding him tight.
“Why? Why? Why?” cries the teenager. “Mom and Dad never hurt anyone. All they ever did was help everybody that they could. They never took anything for themselves.”
“Drug addiction is a serious disease. It does... strange things to the mind.”
“How could a good God allow this to happen?”
It’s the question that has troubled or stumped every spiritual person regardless of faith since the beginning of time. For most, there has never been a completely satisfactory answer. Master Wu’s answer from a Buddhist/Taoist background is as good as any.
“Don’t look at the immediate, Noah. Think a year, a decade, a century ahead. No one knows the mind of the gods... of God. This may be the turning point, no; this is the defining moment of your life.”
“I couldn’t care less. Xenos, the bastard... he stabbed them a hundred times each. For what? We have nothing. I’d kill him except the coward stuck a knife into his own heart first.”
“If there is a hell below, you can rest assured that’s where his soul is.”
“I don’t care about where Xenos is. That doesn’t help Mom and Dad. They didn’t deserve this. That doesn’t help me.”
“I know. I know.” So much to say, so few words of genuine comfort. Master Wu pulls the weeping boy in a little tighter. “Your parents are the finest people I ever met.” Someday, I hope you will be in that group too.
“And look where that got them...”
There is nothing Master Wu can do but share in Noah’s pain.
Chad walks into the church. He and Noah had known each other for years. Back then, Chad had put a knife into Noah but rather than handing him over to the authorities, the Reids took the Chinese orphan in. Someone needed to give the young tough a break. Enmity turned to bonding. Chad and Noah are best friends as well as roommates now.
Chad puts his arms around Noah too. “Hey bro, someday you and me, let’s do something about this. We can’t let them win.”
Noah says nothing.
***
“Noah, you must stop drinking,” chastises Master Wu in the foyer of his studio.
“Who are you? My mother? It’s legal. It’s in the Bible,” says Noah as he chugs down a quarter of a bottle of the cheap scotch. “Or do you think you’re too good to have booze in ‘Master Wu’s Kung Fu Palace and Pie Shop,’” says Noah sarcastically.
Master Wu grabs the bottle from Noah and throws it against the wall of his martial arts studio. The glass shatters into fragments and the tan liquid spreads out over the floor.
“What’d you do that for?” cries Noah as he drunkenly pounds on Master Wu.
Master Wu does not try to defend himself and allows Noah to hit and hit and hit until the young man hasn’t a shred of energy to do anything anymore.
“Are you giving up on me too?” cries Noah in despair.
“Hit me some more, Noah. Hit me until the pain stops.”
Noah takes a wild, inebriated roundhouse at Master Wu. Completely missing, he stumbles to the floor and starts vomiting.
***
Six Years Ago
Noah does a flying handstand and lands in front of Master Wu. “I got in! I got in! Los Angeles, here I come!”
“And you didn’t think you’d get in anywhere. I’m proud of you.”
Noah whips a sheet of paper out of his shirt pocket and waves it in front of his Sifu.
“And they are taking most of my Hong Kong courses as credits. How good is that? And best of all, I got a special university scholarship. Otherwise, I could never afford to go. All I have to do is teach three martial arts classes a week: beginner, intermediate and advanced. A one in a million chance at getting something this good.”
No, it’s a one hundred percent chance when you get Garret Southam to talk to the right people. And in a few years, you will get another ‘special scholarship’ for law school, again to teach martial arts classes... That’s the only way we can be sure you will keep your training up.
“Hey, you’ve got to come visit me. Check out Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Hollywood.”
“I don’t even own a television. And besides, I hate flying. You’ve got to come back to me.”
“Someday, Master Wu. Someday.”
And some day, Noah, you will need to pay it back.
Chapter Eighteen
Cheryl returns, carrying the defibrillator case. “How’s he doing?”
“Heart’s changed from beating fast to an irregular beat,” says Noah. “But it’s still beating.”
Cheryl puts the defibrillator beside Doctor Tang and takes off his jacket and shirt.
“We gotta get him to a hospital. Call for air emergency,” worries Noah.
“Already done.” states Cheryl. “I’ve advised that there are now two patients.”
***
In a private airfield, a group of eight men load up a helicopter. These are part of King’s elite squad. Personally trained by him, they are not only masters of Hung Gar Shaolin Martial Arts, but also each one is a bona fide snake handler.
Li Feng, the pilot, talks to King on his cell. “We'll be leaving in under ten minutes. You sure you’re not coming, Boss?”
“There is nothing I want to do more than to join you. Unfortunately, if I’m recognized, the mission is not just compromised; it’s dead in the water. Good luck.”
“Roger that.”
There is another reason that King does not want to join this expedition. He anticipates that all of them will be collateral damage for his purposes.
***
Cheryl opens the lid to the AED, Automated External Defibrillator. It’s only a few seconds but it feels like an eternity before the status indicator lights turn on and an automated voice announces, “Tear open the plastic package and remove the electro pads.”
As she does so, the voice instructs, “Peel backing off one pad and place on top of bare upper chest above the nipple.”
Cheryl does so and the next instruction comes. “Peel backing off the other pad and place on bare chest below the nipple on the opposite side.”
As she positions the pad, the voice then commands, “Under no circumstances should you touch the patient as heart rhythm is analyzed.”
After a few impatient moments, the voice announces, “Shock advised. Charging mechanism.”
A few more seconds lapse, then the Shock Light turns on. “Stand clear. Do not touch patient. Press flashing button to deliver shock now.”
The button is pre
ssed and the voice announces, “Shock delivered. Do not touch patient.”
Moments later the voice commands, “Begin CPR now. Perform thirty chest compressions then deliver two breaths of air.”
Cheryl motions for Noah to perform CPR as instructed. After completion, he backs off. All eyes are on the defibrillator as it reanalyzes Dr. Tang’s heart rhythms.
The machine announces its verdict. “Shock advised. Do not touch patient. Press flashing button to deliver shock now.”
Noah and Cheryl repeat the shock and CPR process.
“He's stopped breathing. The defib treatment’s not working,” cries Cheryl.
Lisa yells, “Acupuncture's not working here either.”
Noah steps over to Master Wu and touches his chest. No movement in his body. Then Noah notices something that totally freaks him out—Master Wu's complexion is turning blue.
“He's coding,” says Cheryl, doing her best to stay calm.
“Thank God for the chopper,” says Noah.
From the distance, there is the “whomp, whomp, whomp,” sound of a helicopter’s blades slapping the air.
As the helicopter nears, it slows to a fraction of its flying speed. The area that’s available for landing is barely ten feet square and it takes every bit of pilot judgment to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Five feet above the sundeck, the chopper hovers without making a final descent.
“It's too big,” shrieks Cheryl over the din.
“No! Pulling them up onto the helicopter will be too dangerous. Come on, dammit!” yells Noah, waving his arms madly.
“Get the stretchers,” yells Cheryl.
Suddenly, the unexpected.
From the airborne machine of looming evil drop down seven figures covered in balaclavas and battle fatigues. These guys definitely don’t look like they're here for a rescue mission. But no one has any weapons either.
One of them takes a swipe at Cheryl, knocking her to the floor.
“What the hell is going on?” bellows Noah.
“You’re not stupid. You know what we want.” One of the balacalaved men with the physique of a Navy Seal rushes Noah while the nearest one takes a swipe at Noah.
“Not here, not anywhere you can get to it,” snarls Noah, ducking. Not again. Didn’t I just go through this with the limo driver? How the hell did they find out?
Noah answers himself. They always find out.
“We can always get it if we know where it is," says his attacker as he kicks out at Noah.
“Nope,“ says the ex-lawyer as he sideswipes his foot, knocking his first opponent to the ground.
The Navy Seal type reaches Noah. At the last possible moment, Noah does a standing handspring and the man crashes into a ship railing.
Noah turns and takes a flying leap at his attacker as he gets up and delivers a double left right kick to the head.
Landing on his hands, Noah uses the momentum to handspring again, launching himself at another thug.
His wary opponent deflects Noah’s arms with a straight-arm sideswipe. Noah is knocked to the deck but not before, he takes his enemy down with the same blow to his windpipe.
Both men get up and take Shaolin stances, one snake style and the other crane style. Noah's hands curl like tiger claws. These guys are honoring the code? What the hell gives?
From his snake stance, Noah’s one opponent pants, “Tell me where the money is and I won't kill you or your party.”
Noah responds, “I'd rather we all die than let you at it.”
Lisa and Cheryl freeze at hearing these words. Finding the money is their mission too. The two have opposite reactions to dealing with the same problem.
This is going to be delicate are Lisa's thoughts.
This is going to take the greatest brute force possible is what runs through Cheryl's mind.
The snake curls into position, readying its fingers to attack. The tiger opens its claws, readying to grab and strike.
The snake man hisses, then whips his foot at Noah's leg.
Noah circles his arms like windmills, then attacks with brute force. With a low kick, he knocks his assailant off balance.
The snake man strikes out his palms in a rapid left right left right sequence. Equal to the task, Noah blocks every blow with his fists.
Noah fakes a double hammer punch. When the snake man raises his arms in self-defense, Noah quickly kicks out, landing a foot to his assailant's ribcage.
Noah's claw strikes at his opponent's throat. His opponent throws a sidearm, pushing Noah's arm out of the way and counters with a sidekick to Noah's stomach.
Noah buckles. His attacker brings up his knee to crunch Noah's face but at the last millisecond, Noah grabs the knee, twists to break it and kicks him over the railing.
The man grabs the railing before falling, swings himself back up and launches a series of hammer punches at Noah's stomach and chest.
Noah parries and then with the ferocity of a tiger, starts clawing. Two fingers attack his enemy's windpipe. Left hand swivels into his forehead.
Noah's attacker pulls out two daggers. So much for the code. With one in each hand, the snake man slashes at Noah. Noah's fast, but the man is like an automaton. Pushing forward with slash after slash after slash. Noah backpedals but then is caught against the boat railing.
The attacker drives his head into Noah, knocking the wind out of him as he crashes to the floor. A further kick renders Noah unconscious.
Cheryl, struggling to get up, takes off her captain's hat and whirls it at Noah's attacker like a Frisbee. He easily deflects it but that is enough for him to lose concentration for a second. That's all Cheryl needs to rise up and deliver a ferocious kick to his groin.
Howling in pain, he grabs Cheryl’s jacket, ripping it off. He then claws at her blouse and tears that off, too. Despite the craziness going on, there’s not a man on board that doesn’t want to play first mate with this captain.
Enraged, she delivers two straight-arm punches followed by a hard two-fingered assault on his eyes that squishes his eyeballs to the back of his head. Blinded by pain, Cheryl finishes him off with a vicious elbow to the neck.
In a throwback to her Cirque du Soleil days, she steps back then charges at him, leaping upward with an aerial somersault, pushing him into the ship's railing with a velocity that breaks his back.
Chalk up another one to the good guys, but the helicopter team still has one trick up its sleeve. The pilot puts the chopper onto autopilot and the bird goes up another twenty feet into the air. The pilot brings two large wooden crates to the open door and pushes them out.
Down, down the wooden crates plummet.
Hitting the deck, the crates crack open and splinter, releasing two hundred snakes of all sizes and varieties. There are cobras, rattlesnakes, adders and two huge anacondas. Already in a surly mood from not having eaten for three days, the tumble from the air and collision with the deck has made the serpents really mad.
Noah, Lisa and Cheryl see snakes slithering quickly toward them, Master Wu and Dr. Tang.
Other snakes slide onto the main and lower decks of the ship. Some of the remaining crew try to fight the relentless reptiles. There is no escape for any of them.
***
Keep Master Wu and Noah alive. This is the uppermost thought of both Lisa and Cheryl during this complete and utter mayhem.
On the upper deck, Lisa pulls a handful of needles out of Master Wu's body. As an attacker approaches the top of the stairs, she throws them in his face.
He continues his advances at Master Wu, hollering in pain. Noah has recovered and dives at him with arms outstretched. His hands grab Master Wu's assailant's throat.
The attacker is no dummy though. While in the air, he turns his body and when the two crash to the deck, Noah, used as a cushion, takes the brunt of the blow.
Seeing Noah incapacitated, Cheryl whips over, picks the thug up and tosses him over the railing. Another attacker into the soup but there is no time for rest
or laurels. The onslaught is relentless as a knife-wielding attacker arrives, ready to plunge the dagger.
The problems are not simply human. Snakes slither close to Master Wu's bed. Lisa pulls more needles out of Master Wu, jabbing them into the eyes of the vipers as they close in. However, when an anaconda unhinges its jaws and opens its mouth wide enough to swallow a human's head, she knows that the needles will be useless.
Things have gone from grim to grimmer.
***
As strong as Cheryl is, she is too tired to be a match for the two-hundred-and-fifty pound brute who picks her up and holds a knife against her temple.
“I don't know anything about any money,” screams Cheryl.
“I know, but he does,“ says the hooded man as he glances at Noah. “So what's it going to be, Mr. Hung Gar? You going to save her life? You gonna let me know where the dough is?”
Noah wants to advance but dares not―the knife will penetrate directly through her brain if he's not careful.
“There’s no easy way to get it―most of it's invested,” calls Noah.
“Well invest this.” The tough takes the knife away from her head and shoves it into Cheryl's stomach. Blood oozes out of the knife wound. “I’m going to die if I don’t get what I need to know and I’ll take her with me before I go.”
“Tell him, Noah!” shrieks Cheryl.
A thousand debates race through Noah's head in two seconds. What would the righteous man do? Do I succumb to terrorists? Do I let another innocent die?
Finally, a decision. “Kill me instead,” shouts Noah.
Noah springs at the goon assaulting Cheryl. With the element of surprise, Noah punches the knife out of the assailant's hand and kicks out his leg in a fluid motion, sending the knife flying. A hammer fist to the nose knocks the attacker unconscious. If Noah thought about it for two seconds, he would realize this was all too easy.
The Noah Reid Series: Books 1-3: The Noah Reid Action Thriller Series Boxset Page 33
