Harmony nibbled her California Roll and studied Loong Wang out of the corner of her eye. She was glad he hadn't been in that room at the Mountain Breeze Motel last night when she'd knocked on the door. He was a lean, hard-bitten man who looked like he hadn't a milligram of pity in him and would do anything to achieve his goal. He sat at a table in the front of the little oriental fast food shop, eating pork lo mein, drinking an Orion beer, and occasionally scanning the street through the window.
Harmony glanced out the window herself, at the corner storm drain across the street. Ratboy was there, she knew, although she couldn't' see him. They'd triangulated the position of the tracer built into the chestplate of his costume, and then guessed that the oriental fast food place across the street was the most probable place to look for Loong Wang. Harmony had been sent in here to confirm his presence, which she'd already done, and nothing else, which she thought Melody had emphasized more than necessary.
One of the taggers walked up to the bus stop outside , glanced at his watch, and began reading a newspaper. He did not set his briefcase down. One of the other two was being fitted with the close-range indoor launcher and would come in here to tag Loong Wang, if he stayed long enough. The briefcase launcher had a maximum range of thirty feet, but it made a slight noise that would be noticed in here.
Harmony picked up the rest of the slice of California Roll and dipped it in the soy sauce/wasabi mixture. It was better than she'd expected for a prepackaged product. It must have been made fresh this morning; she was sure she could tell if it hadn't been. Oh, darn! The thing was starting to crumble! Harmony managed to get most of it into her mouth, but there was a little pile of rice grains in the sauce dish now. She couldn't pick up the individual grains with her chopsticks, and she couldn't dip another piece of roll in the sauce with them in the tiny dish.
This was what she hated about sushi rolls- the chefs sliced them into such big pieces, and if you bit off a reasonable mouthful, the rest would probably crumble on you. Harmony took the little sauce dish over to a trashcan and dumped it. Now she'd have to mix more sauce, and she'd probably get too much wasabi in it and burn her tongue. Loong Wang noticed, gave a nasty chuckle, and returned to his pork lo mein. She could tell he was a very mean man.
As Harmony concentrated on trying to dissolve the little lump of mean green horseradish paste in the soy sauce with her chopsticks, Loong Wang suddenly rose and headed for the door. Harmony barely had time to press the concealed button on her signal ring three times before he was out. He stepped quickly to the curb just as a van pulled up and its door slid open. In another second he was inside, the door was sliding closed, and the van was pulling away. Damn, he was good.
Harmony listened to the tinny little voices from her earplug. "Did you get him?" "No, he was too fast. Got two on the van though." "What? You mean he's already gone? I was almost ready!" "A day late and a dollar short, as usual." She beeped a query on her signal ring. Melody answered. "Stay there, Harmony. The guys will follow him, a couple of blocks back. We can't let him see us now. I'll come over and help you finish that California Roll, then we'll join the hunt."
~~~~~~~
"I see him. He's in what appears to be the yard boss's office with some other men. Most of them are standing around or looking out the windows like security types. Wang is talking to one guy across the desk, but I get the feeling they're waiting for something. You guys close up, but keep an eye out for guards or security cameras."
Melody was crouched behind a pallet of bricks inside a vast building supply yard/warehouse complex. The van had driven a circuitous route all over Reno for several hours, a route intended to shake any possible visual tails. The van's driver obviously didn't know that it had picked up two radio tracers. Aided by tracking from Southwest HQ and spotting by Agents who were out and about in Reno for other reasons, the three agency vehicles had hung back but made visual contact frequently enough to ensure that Loong Wang hadn't jumped out somewhere.
It had taken them quite a while to get into the yard and close in on the van's position. It should have driven off as soon as Wang got out and continued to tour the area for a while. Whoever they were dealing with here, they obviously weren't professional intelligence people. They had their moments, but they'd made some stupid mistakes, too. Maybe that's why they wanted Loong Wang. If it was, they evidently weren't taking his advice yet.
Harmony crept into position beside Melody. "Have you seen any watchmen?" she asked.
"No, but there are some bodyguard-looking guys in there with Loong Wang."
"What do you think he's doing here?"
"Possibly waiting for some high-up to come interview him, but I doubt it. That office doesn't look very comfy."
"So?"
"It'll take a long time to debrief him, and then I suspect he'll have an employment interview, which will take even longer, and will likely involve Mister Big himself. More likely this is just a waypoint on his journey. We need to get tracers onto his person to track him from here."
"Employment interview?"
"We're pretty sure the Chinese government wants him dead now, so he needs a job and a place to hide. He may know the locations of other nukes that were smuggled into the country or were in the pipeline. Even if he doesn't, these guys could probably use a topnotch espionage and security expert. But to make the transition from working with to working for these guys, whoever they are, he's going to have to be vetted by at least one of their top men."
The man at the desk put a cell phone to his ear briefly, looked at his watch, said something, and put the phone away again. He then said something to the others in the office. Melody wished they had a bug on the windowpane so they could hear what he'd said.
Just then the first of the taggers crept up beside them. "They may be getting ready to leave." Melody said softly. "Can you get him from here?"
"Yes, providing I get a clear shot at him." he replied.
One of the men emerged from the office and looked around. "Get ready." hissed Melody. "This may be the only chance you get."
The man walked over to the van, got in, and started it up. Then, to the surprise of those lurking outside, he drove away. Inside, the other men, including Loong Wang, were unhurriedly heading for the door.
As the other taggers moved up, Melody reevaluated the situation. The bodyguards came out first and took up positions around the door. Then Loong Wang came out and stood within their perimeter, and last, Wang's handler. He looked often towards the front gate as if expecting cars or a van to come pick them up. The muscle were looking in all directions, but also mostly toward the front gate. Loong Wang glanced at his watch, then stood impassively, looking at nothing in particular.
Melody glanced at the taggers' leader. He whispered "We can't get a clear shot for the guards." That was what she'd figured.
She turned to Harmony. "We're going to lead those apes away so our guys can tag Wang. You pull as many as you can off that way,"
she pointed toward the southern end of the yard, "then ditch them, pick up my car, and come around to the north side and pick me up. Don't let them get a good look at you." She handed Harmony her keys.
"Will do." said Harmony, and started to slip away.
Melody put a hand on her arm. "Be careful! Don't lose them too soon, but don't give them any good shots at you."
Harmony smiled fondly. Her big sister was really worried about her. "Don't worry! I'll be careful if you will." She squeezed Melody's hand briefly and was gone.
Melody turned to tagging team B. "Okay, guys, there are four goons, so probably two will go to check out whatever noise Butterfly makes. I'll go over thataway" she pointed toward the north end of the yard "and try to draw off the rest of them. If any are left, either work around them or do whatever seems best in the situation. You understand how important it is that Loong Wang leads us to whoever is responsible for smuggling in those nukes. Good luck." And with that, she vanished into the night and the building supplies.
.....
Melody stopped to catch her breath and listen. The knuckledraggers were still in the warehouse, checking in between all the palletloads of concrete mix and stuff, but they'd be after her again shortly. She'd been successfully leading the last two farther and farther away from Wang and his handler, when she'd unaccountably come face to face with the first two. They'd gotten a good enough look at her that Loong Wang would probably recognize their descriptions. That would give too much advance warning to Mr. Big, whoever he was, and he might even ditch Loong Wang, leaving the agency with only a couple of very tenuous possible leads. These guys needed to be silenced in a way that wouldn't spook the prey.
She considered tipping something heavy over onto them, but anything heavy enough to kill them reliably would likely be too heavy for her to tip over fast enough that they wouldn't be able to dodge it. All four of them dying that way was pretty improbable, anyway. Something faster, or that would be lethal over a larger area, was needed.
Melody looked around. To her right was the corner of the warehouse she'd just come out of, and some trash barrels. To her left was what appeared to be the forklift maintenance area, with some electric ones recharging and some propane-powered ones partially disassembled. Ahead on her left were stacks of empty pallets. Ahead on her right was a large silver-painted propane tank with a valve and hose on top, probably for refueling the forklifts. Beyond that were sheds built like giant shelves, holding plywood panels and other lumber, then a high chain link fence with a street on the other side.
There was probably enough propane in that tank to level this whole complex, depending on how much was released before it came in contact with an open flame or a spark. But she couldn't blow up Wang. Ducking into a deep shadow, Melody hit a speed dial number on her Agency phone. When it was answered she said, "Gimme a sitrep."
"We got them tagged just in time." came the reply. "A van pulled up, he and his handler got in, and they hightailed it out the front gate."
"Great." said Melody. "You guys hightail it too. Big explosion, my current position, about a minute. Out." Melody made a mental note to quit talking western.
She looked at the tank and its valve. If she opened it, there was still a check valve in the nozzle that prevented the liquid propane from being dumped into the environment. She'd have to break it open somehow, and then light the gas. But how to make sure the explosion caught her pursuers and not her? No time to set up some elaborate time delay. Whatever she did would have to be simple and fast.
A few quick steps brought her to the trashcans. Pulling a disposable lighter from a pocket, she lit some heavy brown paper sticking out of one of them. Her time delay would be however long it took the propane to travel the seventy or so feet to this flame. Dashing back to the maintenance area, she grabbed the heaviest tool she could find, a huge wrench nearly three feet long. At the best speed she could manage while carrying the thirty-plus-pound wrench, she ran for the propane tank.
The tank's size nearly defeated Melody's plan. Twelve feet long and four in diameter, the valve on its top was at Melody's shoulder height, and her first two swings failed to get the wrench high enough to hit it. But the muscle in the warehouse almost certainly heard her strike the propane tank. Approaching desperation, she swung the wrench in a complete circle and managed the necessary altitude. The wrench clanged off the big valve, which bent over a small amount. In the ensuing silence, Melody heard the faint hiss of escaping gas. Close, but not good enough. Again Melody wound up and swung. Again the wrench head hit the valve. This time the top of the valve bent well over. With a hissing, howling roar, a fat jet of propane gas carrying a spray of liquid propane blasted out toward the forklift maintenance shed. Much too close to the burning trash, Melody realized.
To make matters worse, the four stooges chose this moment to come boiling out the warehouse door. They spotted her easily, standing in the open by the erupting propane tank, right under a big sodium vapor light. Two of them pulled their pistols and pointed them at her, but the one in the lead held out a hand and shouted something. Melody could hear nothing over the roar of escaping propane, but she hoped he was telling them not to fire into the cloud of explosive gas.
Melody knew she had scant seconds to attain a safe distance from the impending explosion, but she must do one more thing first. Swinging the massive wrench around once more with all her strength, she heaved it toward the maintenance shed she'd gotten it from. Her efforts would be for naught if the fire investigators figured out that the valve had been deliberately broken. Continuing her spin and praying the wrench wouldn't strike a spark, she turned around and ran for the fence.
Passing the stacks of pallets, Melody glanced over her shoulder. The goons were trying to get around the backside of the propane tank, and not succeeding. The tank was against a fence, without enough room to squeeze behind it. They'd have to actually climb onto the tank to make it that way, and they apparently couldn't do that, even though the gas was venting toward the other side of the tank.
As she ran by the lumber sheds, Melody risked another backward glance. Her pursuers were coming around by the forklift maintenance shed, skirting the tank as widely as possible. Either they hadn't seen the fire in the trashcan, or they were extremely brave, persistent, and/or stupid.
As she neared the North fence, she could see a pile of warped, weathered lumber stacked against it. It looked like she would be able to run up the near side of the pile, then jump over the three strands of barbed wire at the top of the fence. It would be a hard landing on the outside, but she could probably do it without injury. It was a fast way out and, once over, she would be shielded from the explosion by the lumber.
Melody began picking out her approach as she ran. Skirt that big pothole full of muddy water on the right side, then back to the left to miss the parked pickup truck, then...
Suddenly, the scene before her lit up brighter than day, with her long shadow slicing it in half . Simultaneously, radiated heat hit her back like a giant laser beam. The searing pain changed her plans in mid-stride, and she dove for the pothole.
As Melody hit the muddy water face first, she felt the pressure wave roll over her. The water was deep enough that it sloshed over some, but not all, of her back side. Fearing that a huge fireball was directly over her, she held her position for a couple of seconds, even though she also feared her hair was on fire. She flipped water at her head as best she could.
When she did roll over, the feeling of blessed relief was marred by the gravel and asphalt chunks at the bottom of the pothole. A strong breeze from the North told her that air was flowing back in toward the explosion site, so she risked opening her eyes and taking a sniff. The air was breathable. A huge fireball was indeed overhead, but well overhead now, about two hundred feet up, and black smoke blocked most of the heat radiation. A mighty tongue of flame spewed from the big tank toward the maintenance shed, which was engulfed in flame. There was no sign of her pursuers.
.....
Harmony drove Melody's car along the back side of the block occupied by Dacoit Building Supply. Running in blackout mode, the black Viper had very low observability. Through the high chain link fence, Harmony saw stacks of cinder blocks, old rusty machinery, tall weeds, and no sign of movement.
Turning onto the street that ran along the north side of the block, Harmony began looking more closely , although Melody was more likely to emerge farther toward the front of the property. Harmony knew Melody would call with further instructions when she had a chance. That she hadn't yet was worrisome. Harmony continued along the fence, watching for Melody or a likely place for her to emerge and climb the fence.
Nearer the front side of the property, there were some piles of lumber just inside the fence. One of them reached nearly to the top. This was the easiest place to get out that Harmony had seen, other than an open gate. There was an aisle leading from near the pile back into the supply yard, wide enough for trucks to maneuver and unload. Harmony stopped where she had a good view down this aisle and watched for a moment. Seeing nothing, she looked up and down the fence line. This was as good a spot to wait as she'd find, she thought, absent further word from Melody. Wherever she might cross the fence on the north side, Harmony would be able to see her from here, and she'd be able to see the car.
Looking back down the aisle into the supply yard, Harmony's eye was caught by a dark figure running through a pool of light. It could have been Melody. Concentrating now on that area, Harmony saw one, then two other running figures further back. The security thugs in pursuit. And there seemed to be some steam venting behind them. The first figure ran through another patch of light, and it was almost certainly Melody. She appeared to be making for this lumber pile as a quick way out. Harmony made sure the engine was still running and thought a comforting thought about the Viper's armor.
Just then, an orangey-yellow flame with bluish highlights blossomed back in the yard, and grew with terrible rapidity. Heat struck Harmony's face like a blow. She flinched away, throwing up her left arm to shield her face. "Oh, God", she thought, "Melody's out there in that!"
After a couple of seconds, the blast of radiant heat diminished to a bearable level, Harmony scanned the yard again, searching for Melody. Flames were everywhere. It seemed that everything combustible in there was burning. Flaming pallets flew through the air like frisbees, and burning junk of all kinds rained down all around. But no sign of life could she see. "Melodeee!" she wailed.
Suddenly, an impact shook the car. Something black and charred-looking slid off the roof onto the right side of the hood, and rolled off onto the street. A second later the passenger door opened and Melody got in. Wet, muddy, bedraggled, and smelling of smoke, she was the most beautiful sight Harmony had ever seen. "Get us out of here." she said, as she shut the door.
Harmony sent the Viper forward, steering around what burning debris she could and rolling over the rest. Soon they were clear of the worst of it. "Melody, are you all right? Are you hurt?"
"Burns. Not too bad." Melody was holding onto the armrest, not letting her back touch the seat back, and breathing heavily. "Well done back there." she panted.
"Uhh, thanks. Do you think those guys..."
"They're well done too." Melody stared through the windshield at the dark street. "Punch up HQ."
Harmony reached up to the dash and keyed in the number for Southwest HQ. Melody's finger shot out and hit disconnect before it could ring. "West Coast HQ first." she said, wincing a little.
Looking slightly puzzled, Harmony punched up West Coast HQ. It was answered on the first ring. "Four two nine five." the voice said, giving only the last four digits of the phone number Harmony had dialed. Even with the most advanced encryption algorithms, the Agency was cautious and secretive whenever feasible.
Melody spoke at the dashboard. "Sunspider and Butterfly reporting in. Mission accomplished. Minor injuries."
"What did you guys do? Southwest is screaming that you nuked Reno!"
"Buncha pantywaists! I blow up one measly propane tank and they have a conniption!" Melody shot a significant look at Harmony.
"Here's the watch commander."
"Sunspider, HQ Southwest is quite anxious to talk to you, but first off,
what are your injuries? Do you need medical attention?"
Melody recognized Barker's voice. "Flash burns to my back, arms, and hands, plus some minor abrasions. I think they're mostly first degree. Butterfly?"
"First degree burns to the left side of my face." Harmony spoke up.
"We do need medical attention, but our lives aren't in danger." Melody finished.
"Okay, stop and get medical supplies, earliest convenience. Second question. Succinctly, what the hell happened?"
"We had to draw four goons away from Loong Wang so that the taggers could get a clear shot at him. Some of them got a good enough look at me that he'd have recognized their description. I took 'em out with an exploding propane tank. It was the best approximation to an accident I could come up with on the fly. The tagging was successful."
"I see. What's your current position?"
"Heading north on north Wells."
"Okay. Get on U.S. 395. Head northwest out of Reno, go to Reno-Stead airport. A plane will meet you and bring you back here. I'll speak to Southwest and convey your regrets."
"Thanks, Ops. Will do. Sunspider out."
Harmony looked over at Melody, who was smiling a little in spite of her pain. "Isn't that a bit... irregular?"
"Yeah. I think Barker's going to work out pretty well."
"But why aren't we going to call in to Southwest HQ? It's procedure."
"Well... don't go repeating this, but I've heard the Soutwest station chief is somewhat... parochial. He tends to guard his turf. If we called in, we'd likely be ordered to come in for debriefing, and they might tend to be more concerned with the ruckus I caused in Reno than with our personal welfare."
Harmony pulled into a drugstore parking lot. "You don't mean they might withhold treatment while they debriefed us, do you?"
Melody stared at the dashboard in front of her. "I'd hate to think so, but I really don't care to find out right now. These burns hurt."
Harmony opened the door. "You wait right there. I'll be back in a minute."
Back in West Coast Ops, Barker stared at the big screen. One of the news channels was running a feed from their Reno affiliate's rooftop camera. Barker watched in horrified fascination as a giant feiry mushroom unfolded over night-shrouded Reno, Nevada. Oh, lordy. The stories about her were true.