Nick Carter - The Defector

Already he had a fifth grenade in his hand. A soldier loomed in front of him. Without stopping, Nick sprayed bullets from the Tommy gun in a circle. The soldier jerked back and forth all the way down to the ground. Nick cut between the exploding second hut and the third. Fire seemed to be everywhere. Men’s voices shouted, cursing each other, several trying to give orders. Gun shots echoed in the night, mingled with the crackling of burning bamboo. The pin was pulled. As Nick passed the open side window of the third hut, he tossed the grenade inside. It hit one of the soldiers on the head. The soldier bent to pick it up. It was the last movement of his life. Nick was already under the string of darkened light bulbs, crossing to the remaining two huts, when the hut puffed with explosion. The roof slid down the front.

Nick was bumping into soldiers now. They seemed to be everywhere, running aimlessly, not knowing what to do, firing at shadows. The two huts on the other side couldn’t be handled like the last three. It was possible Kathy Loo and Mike were in one of them. No lanterns glowed in these huts. Nick reached the first one and, just before going in glanced down at the second. The three soldiers were still at the door. They hadn’t been confused. A wild bullet kicked up the dirt at his feet. Nick entered the hut. Flames from the other three huts gave out just enough light for him to make out the contents. This one was used for arms and ammunition storage. Several of the cases were already opened. Nick went through them until he found a fresh clip for his Tommy gun.

He had five grenades left in his homemade sack. He would need only one for this hut. One thing was sure, he’d have to be far away when this one went up. He decided to save it for later. He went back outside. The soldiers were beginning to get organized. Someone had taken control. A pump was set up by the canal, and hoses sprayed water over the last two huts he had hit. The first had burned almost to the ground. Nick knew he had to get through those three soldiers. And there was no time like the present to get started.

He stayed close to the ground, moving quickly. He shifted the Tommy gun to his left hand and pulled Wilhelmina from his waistband. At the corner of the third hut, he stopped. The three soldiers stood with their rifles ready, their legs slightly apart. The Luger jumped in Nick’s hand as he fired. The first soldier spun, dropped the rifle, clutched his stomach, and went down. Rifle shots still cracked from the other end of the huts. But confusion was leaving the soldiers. They were beginning to listen. And Nick seemed to be the only one using a Tommy gun. That was just what they were listening for. The other two soldiers were turning toward him. Nick fired twice, quickly. The soldiers jerked, bumped into each other, and went down. Nick heard the hiss of water quenching flames. There was little time now. He rounded the corner to the front of the hut and kicked open the door, his Tommy gun ready. Once inside, he gritted his teeth and cursed. It had been a decoy — the hut was empty.

He could no longer hear rifle shots. The soldiers were beginning to gather into one force at the dock. Nick’s mind raced. Where could they be? Did they take them somewhere else? Was all this for nothing? Then he knew. It was a chance, but a good one. He left the hut and cut directly across to the first one he’d hit. The flames had died to a glimmer here and there. A charred skeleton remained of the hut. Because the fire had been so advanced, the soldiers did not even attempt to put it out. Nick went directly to where he thought Ling had fallen. There were five charred bodies, looking like mummies in a tomb. Smoke still curled up from the floor, which helped hide Nick from the soldiers.

His search was a short one. All the clothes, of course, had been burned from Ling’s body. The .45 lay next to Ling’s corpse. Nick pushed at the body with his toe. It crumbled at his feet. But as he moved it around, he found what he was looking for — the ash-colored key ring. It was still hot to the touch as he picked it up. Some of the keys had melted. More soldiers had gathered at the dock. One of them was giving orders, calling others to the group. Nick moved away from the hut at a low run. He ran along the string of burned-out lights until they ended. Then he cut to the right and slowed when he reached the low, concrete building.

He descended the cement steps. The fourth key unlocked the steel door. It creaked open. Just before Nick went inside, he glanced toward the dock. The soldiers had fanned out. They were beginning their search for him. Nick entered the dark hallway. At the first door, he fumbled with the keys until he found one that unlocked the door. He pushed it open, the Tommy gun ready. He could smell the stench of dead flesh. A body lay in the corner, the skin pulled tightly over the skeleton. It must have been there quite a while. The next three cells were empty. He passed the one he’d been in, then he noticed one of the doors was open down the hall. He went to it and stopped. He checked the Tommy gun to be sure it was ready, then went inside. A soldier lay just inside the door, his throat cut open. Nick’s eyes scanned the rest of the cell. He almost missed them at first; then the two forms became clear to him.

They were huddled in a corner. Nick took two steps toward them, then stopped. The woman had a dagger at the boy’s throat, point piercing his skin. The boy’s eyes showed fear, the woman’s horror. She wore a shift, not unlike the one Sheila had worn. But it was ripped up the front and across her breasts. Nick looked down at the dead soldier. He had probably tried to rape her, and now she thought Nick was there to do the same. Nick realized then that in the darkness of the cell, he looked as Chinese as the soldier. He wore no shirt, his shoulder was bleeding slightly, there was a Tommy gun in his hand, a Luger and a stiletto in the waistband of his pants, and a sack of hand grenades hanging from his side. No, he didn’t look like the United States Army come to rescue her. He had to be very careful. If he made the wrong move, said the wrong thing, he knew she would slice the dagger across the boy’s throat, then plunge it into her own heart. He was about four feet from them. Gently he knelt to a crouch and laid the Tommy gun on the floor. The woman shook her head and pressed the point of the dagger harder against the boy’s throat.

“Kathy,” Nick said softly. “Kathy, let me help you.”

She made no move. Her eyes watched him, still filled with fear.

Nick formed his words carefully. “Kathy,” he said again, even more softly. “John is waiting. Are you about ready to leave?”

“Who… who are you?” she asked. A trace of the fear had left her eyes. She didn’t press quite so hard with the point of the dagger.

“I’m here to help you,” Nick said. “John sent me to take you and Mike to him. He’s waiting for you.”

“Where?”

“In Hong Kong. Now listen carefully. There are soldiers on their way here. If they find us they’ll kill all three of us. We have to move quickly. Will you let me help you?”

More of the fear left her eyes. She took the dagger away from the boy’s throat. “I… I don’t know,” she said.

Nick said, “I hate to push you like this, but if you delay much longer it won’t be your decision to make.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“You have only my word. Now, please.” He held his hand out to her.

Kathy hesitated for a few precious seconds longer. Then she seemed to have made her decision. She handed him the dagger.

“Good,” Nick said. He turned to the boy. “Mike, can you swim?”

“Yes, sir,” the boy answered.

“All right; here is what I want you to do. Follow me out of the building. Once we get outside, both of you head directly toward the rear. When you get to the back, go into the brush. Do you know where the canal is from here?”