Tiger by the Tail

by John Ringo

  Vanner raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that’s what he was going to ask for?”

  Now it was Jace’s turn to grin. “Would you believe ancient Chinese secret?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, how about I went through every aspect of a drop, from the most public place to the most secluded, that was still accessible by both land and water? If the Kildar had asked for something in the woods or the mountains, or in the heart of the city, I would have had the optimum site for each one ready to go.”

  “Better not give away all your trade secrets, Jace,” Mike said as he picked the tablet up. “I won’t see any need to keep you on the payroll.”

  “Ah, but in a city of more than seven million people, knowing exactly which site to use is what you pay me for. This place is perfect. With enough warning, you could hide a small army there and no one would ever know it.”

  A smile crossed Mike’s face. “I’ll settle for a couple squads of Keldara.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The container wharf at Chiwan was exactly as Jace had described it. A large concrete and asphalt wedge that jutted into the harbor off the Nanshan District in Shenzen, it held rows and rows of brightly colored shipping containers stacked next to each other. Between the rows were lanes that could easily be turned into death traps by positioning a couple of shooters atop the containers at both ends. Cargo ships were docked at several cranes, but at the insistence of the Hong Kong police through the Customs and Excise Department, no offloading was happening for the next two hours, despite the increasingly incensed complaints of the dock master.

  “It’s perfect,” Mike had said upon getting a look at the overhead view courtesy of Google Maps. Then he had spent most of the next several hours either coordinating the various teams for the op or on the phone to Arun Than, Fang Gui, and anyone else who factored into what was going down that night.

  Eleven hours later, everyone was in place. Only one person was unaccounted for, and he was causing Mike more than a bit of discomfort. “Any word from Adams at all?” he asked as he stood on the jetty next to the black water of the harbor.

  “No,” said Daria. “Repeated calls and texts have all gone unanswered.”

  “Shit. Daria, next time we’re in the States, remind me to talk to that certain hospital in Virginia about a permanent tracking implant for him.”

  “Yes, sir. Should this be done with or without the master chief’s knowledge?”

  “Without is probably better. Once we pull this, we’re gonna have to unass from the city immediately, with or without him. Jace, any word on your end?”

  “I let everyone I could think of know to keep their eyes open for him, including a few people at that distribution company he’d mentioned. No one’s heard anything about either of them. But the word’s out that you’re looking high and low for him, so hopefully he’ll get wind of it.” He stroked his chin. “Too bad you couldn’t just microchip him, like a dog or a horse.”

  “Yeah, but those are passive—you’d still have to go out and find him. Regardless, I’m going to have to put him on a very short leash for the rest of this trip,” Mike muttered. “Okay, everyone in position?”

  “Team Firefly is online,” Vanner said.

  “Team Inara is in position,” Yosif replied.

  “Team Jayne is in position,” Oleg said.

  “Remember, Jayne Leader, they must be left alive. You copy?”

  “Copy . . . Mal.”

  “Better check in with the locals.” Mike switched to his second mike. “Lieutenant Fang, do you read?”

  “Yes, Mr. Jenkins. Again, I must repeat my superior’s misgivings about the conditions you demanded in order to set up this operation. From the location to the command structure, it is very . . . unorthodox, to say the least.”

  Mike grined at Jace as he hit the transmit button. “What can I say, Fang? I’m just a lowly gwai-lo here, with all the baggage that entails. However, I did get Than to agree to the meet. You’ll get what you want, and everyone will go home happy.”

  “That remains to be seen, Mr. Jenkins.”

  “Then just keep watching.” Mike cut the connection and turned enough to catch Jace watching out of the corner of his eye. “You do realize that what’s about to go down may make you unable to return to the city for a few months . . . or years.”

  Jace shrugged. “No worries. Like I told the others, I’ve never been all that fond of Hong Kong. It’s actually fitting that my last look at it will probably be a cargo dock.”

  Mike was about to reply when headlights flashed at the other end of the main corridor. “Firefly, sitrep?”

  “Two SUVs coming in—apparently Than’s trust only goes so far,” Vanner said.

  “I don’t blame him, I wouldn’t trust me either in this situation. Going on-air now.” Mike switched over to Fang’s frequency. “Than’s coming in. Make sure none of your people moves before I give the signal, or the whole thing will be blown, copy?”

  “Yes, Mr. Jenkins. Just get Than to take delivery of the chips, and we will handle the rest.”

  “Stay tuned.” Mike muted that mic and hit the one for his men. “Everybody ready. Go on my mark.”

  Two radio clicks answered him.

  * * *

  Eighty feet above the ground and hidden under a white tarp, Lasko lay atop the cab of a container crane approximately one hundred fifty yards away from the meeting site. As soon as they had confirmed the meeting site, he had been tasked with infiltrating the wharf and finding the best vantage point to oversee everything. The cab of the ship-to-shore crane gave him an unobstructed, one-hundred-sixty-degree view of the entire area, including the harbor.

  Since the range was much shorter than usual tonight, Lasko had chosen a 7.62mm M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System rifle with a 20-round magazine and external suppressor attached. He was using it straight out of the box, including the Leupold 3.5X10 daytime scope—with all of the halogen mounted floodlights around the perimeter of the area, the place was bright as day. The only way anyone would be able to detect him once he began shooting was by tracking the angle of the shots back to his place of concealment.

  Lasko peered through his optics, setting up the rhythm of his shots should he have to take down multiple targets quickly. While he lamented the idea of leaving targets alive, that was what the Kildar had ordered, and so it would be.

  “Three, four, five . . .” he counted under his breath as the two SUVs drove toward the Kildar and Jace. He then moved his reticle onto the policemen who thought they were concealed around the area. “. . . six, seven, eight . . .”

  * * *

  Wedged in between two shipping containers, Oleg hit his radio. “Team Jayne, report.”

  Five clicks answered him. Oleg nodded, satisfied that everyone was in position.

  They had been assigned the most difficult part of the operation; once the police team had dispersed to its various positions, they were to maneuver into a position to cover them as well as the exchange on the wharf.

  This time Oleg would be providing cover, not cover fire. He snugged the MGL-140 up to his shoulder and aimed at the open space where the SUVs were pulling to a stop. Less than three hundred yards—he’d have to arc it to make sure the grenade armed and landed within the target zone, otherwise he’d be launching metal paperweights . . .

  * * *

  Jace had done enough of these kinds of meetings to know the drill. Stand relaxed, with hands in plain sight, but be ready to move for both his weapon and cover in a heartbeat. Despite the friendly sounding conversation over the phone, Than wasn’t messing around this time. A small army of hired thugs emerged from the Cadillac Escalades. They were professional enough, setting up a perimeter around Mike and Jace that cut off any exit except by diving into the harbor, and communicating with each other by radio. Jace checked the hiding places of the police he’d spotted so far—if any were seen, this op would turn very bloody in a heartbeat.

  Only when they were sure the sit
e was secure did the rear passenger door of the second SUV open, and Arun Than emerge. Flanked by two of the bodyguards, he approached the Kildar and Jace. One of the men walked toward Mike with a portable metal detector, but was intercepted by Jace, who shook his head. The hardcase looked back at Than, who held up his hand.

  “Than,” Mike said.

  “Mr. Kildar.” The Thai fixer nodded to his men. “More overhead for what is turning into a very expensive meeting.”

  “Not my call, and I am sure it was not yours either.”

  Than regarded the pair. “I do not see a case with the rest of my purchase nearby.”

  “That’s because a slight problem has arisen.” Keeping his hands away from his sides, Mike stepped closer to the other man. “Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

  “I had decoy cars head out from several of my places of business at the same time. Another added expense.”

  “Well, they weren’t good enough. Don’t look around or react in any way now, but the Hong Kong police are already here.”

  Than’s eyebrows rose, but he betrayed no other outward reaction. “There is no way they could have hacked my communications. Have you lured me out here to betray me, Mr. Kildar?”

  “Of course not,” Mike snapped. “You trusted me enough to come out here, and I’m holding up my end of the bargain. I’m also going to get your ass and mine out of here in one piece. However, you will have to do what I say when I—”

  Mike was cut off by the sound of automatic gunfire erupting from the rearmost SUV, which was answered by weapons fire from several points around the yard. A moment later an amplified voice ordering everyone to drop their weapons and place their hands on their heads echoed off the container walls around them.

  The moment he heard gunfire, Jace had drawn his Brügger & Thomet MP9 machine pistol. Then he rushed Than, taking him to the ground as the two bodyguards were felled in the initial volley.

  “What the hell happened?” Mike snapped.

  “Police might have gotten made! Or we got sold out by someone inside the force!” Jace shouted while checking for threats in their immediate vicinity. So far, the hired goons were exchanging fire with the cops, but no one was coming toward them—yet.

  He glanced back at the Kildar, who was in the dirt and barking orders into his lapel mike.

  “Jayne, go! Inara, stand-by for extraction!”

  * * *

  “Team Jayne, execute.”

  With four squeezes of the trigger, Oleg sent four grenades sailing toward the designated target zone. When they hit, they began pluming clouds of dense, gray smoke over the area.

  Although he was itching to advance and back up his team, he knew he needed to stay where he was, just in case the police had their own back-up for the men on site. Reports from his people began filtering in:

  “Jayne Three, my two targets are down.”

  “Jayne Five, both targets neutralized.”

  * * *

  When the shooting had started, Jayne Four, Gregor Ferani, had risen from his hiding place atop a stack of containers and eased over the side into a narrow alley. Reaching out with his right hand, he pushed against the opposite container and hand-walked his way down to the ground.

  Completely occupied with exchanging fire with the gunmen in the yard, the pair of Hong Kong policemen ten yards away never heard him land. Shaking his head, Gregor rolled a flash-bang grenade right under their feet. He stepped around the corner of the cargo container, mouth open, hands over his ears. The grenade went off with an ear-splitting crack and bright flashes a second later.

  After all, the Kildar said incapacitate them—not that they had to be unharmed, he thought as he moved to his secondary position, searching for more prey.

  * * *

  With Dmitri out of commission for the time being, Givi had been field-promoted to acting second in command. Jayne Two also had a pair of policemen to subdue, and Givi, who was only a few centimeters shorter than Oleg, chose a more direct route.

  He also climbed down from his elevated position to the roof of the bottom-most container, his hands gripping the edge and his feet on the ledge formed by the roof. Then he inched his way over until he was right above the two men.

  When Oleg’s smoke grenades detonated, Givi had simply stepped into space. Two hundred ninety-five pounds of Keldara and gear hurtled down at the unsuspecting pair of men. He slammed into both of them, his forearms smashing down on their shoulders, knocking the pair to the ground. One was out cold, but the other tried to get up. He was swiftly put down by a rap of Givi’s rifle butt to his head.

  “Jayne Two, targets cleared.”

  * * *

  Atop the cabin, Lasko aimed and fired, aimed and fired. His rubber bullets incapacitated every person he aimed at, both police and gangsters alike. The whoop of a siren behind him made the laconic sniper pause a moment. He keyed his headset even as he reached for a magazine of high-velocity rounds, just in case.

  “Kildar, police reinforcements are approaching from the water. What are your orders?”

  * * *

  “Disable them as well, Blue Hand. No fatalities!” Jace heard Mike yell into his mic.

  Even with the smoke and Team Jayne’s elimination of much of the police team, rounds were still coming much too close for Jace’s comfort. He had gotten Than behind their SUV, which had been peppered with rounds from the police, rendering it undrivable. The remaining shooters on Than’s payroll were more interested in saving their own skins. One of them dove into the second SUV and backed it up to try and escape the wharf.

  “We have to get to cover—” he shouted just as more bright lights lit up the end of the narrow road. He poked his head up long enough to see another riot control vehicle pull onto the wharf. “Jesus, did Fang bring everybody in the building with him?”

  A smoke grenade burst in front of the advancing armored truck, but didn’t slow it. The ugly black vehicle accelerated toward the SUV. Its armored prow smashed into the target vehicle’s rear hard enough to send it careening to one side. The SUV smacked into a row of containers and bounced off with a crumpled front grille and fender, and no sign of the fleeing driver inside.

  “Blue Hand, target police vehicle to disable, repeat, disable!” Mike ordered. A moment later, the left front tire on the riot vehicle deflated with a bang. The one behind it went next, but the big truck kept approaching. “Shit, they got run-flats on it!”

  “Where’s the gems?” Jace shouted at Than.

  “They’re safe, but you’ll never see them unless you get me out of here!” the Thai shouted back.

  “We’re working on it! Get to the other—” Jace’s order was cut off again by the armored vehicle crunching into the other SUV, hitting its rear corner hard enough to buckle the frame as it shoved the smaller vehicle aside. The riot truck also dispersed much of the smoke, making Mike, Jace, and Than visible to the remaining police.

  “Jayne Leader, pop smoke on my position!” Mike called.

  Meanwhile, Jace drew a bead on the riot vehicle. He knew there was no hope of penetrating the armor, but he would provide as much of a distraction as possible to allow the Kildar and Than to escape.

  “I’m open to suggestions, Kildar!” he yelled.

  “Wait—say again!” Mike frowned as he pressed his earpiece and listened. “Oleg says there’s a—large truck heading our way very fast!”

  Sure enough, the honk of an air horn could be heard at the far end of the wharf. For a moment, everybody turned to look at what was coming down the pike.

  Barreling along at top speed, a tractor-trailer truck swerved into the road from the street outside. For a moment, its right side lifted off the ground, the truck careening forward on its left wheels before slamming heavily back down again. The horn blared again, and the truck’s twin smokestacks belched out black smoke as it picked up speed, its bright lights blinding everyone.

  “Who the hell—?” Jace began, but was stopped by Mike.

  “Only one man ca
n make that kind of entrance.”

  The truck’s air horn blared yet again, and sure enough, Jace caught a glimpse of a manic-looking Adams behind the driver’s wheel. “You gotta be shitting me . . .”

  “Nope. All teams, all teams, unass on my mark. Get ready,” Mike said to Jace and Than.

  “Where are we going?” Than asked.

  “Just follow us,” Jace replied, tensing to run.

  “Jace, make sure you collect Adams,” Mike said. “Than, you’re with me.”

  “Okay, but I still don’t under—” the fixer started to say.

  “No time. Jayne, evac plan Sierra Foxtrot, now!”

  A second later, bright flashes and loud explosions sounded at several different places throughout the wharf. Plumes of black smoke jetted into the air around the perimeter and throughout the containers themselves. The entire jetty was quickly covered in a thick haze.

  “Wait for it!” Mike said.

  Spotting the trouble riding up his rear, the driver of the riot control vehicle had tried to turn to face the seemingly out-of-control truck. Before he could get all the way around, the semi broadsided him.

  The impact sent the six-wheeled vehicle skidding toward the edge of the wharf.

  “Inaras scatter!” Mike broadcast the moment he saw where the APC was headed.

  The driver tried accelerating out of the way, but he was too late. The riot vehicle hung up on the edge of the concrete platform as its left wheels pitched off the surface, then the semi shoved forward harder as Adams floored the gas pedal. The semi’s engine screamed as it forced the APC into the water with a huge splash.

  “Go go go!” Mike said, running for the water as well. “Team Inara, assist police out of vehicle, then evac from area.”

  “Come on, Than!” Jace grabbed the Thai and hauled him with toward the edge of the wharf.

  “Where are we—wait—you’re not serious—”