Клайв Касслер - Typhoon Fury

Dozens of shouts and pounding footsteps outside the building made it clear that they had an army coming at them.

“Then I hope you have a Plan C,” Linc said.

Juan looked at the nearest Kuyog and nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do. But you’re not going to like it.”

“Why?”

“Because it means getting as many of them in here with us as possible.”

64

Locsin was out of his bed in the barracks the moment he heard the first gunshots. He snatched up his rifle and his radio and shouted, “What’s happening?”

“We’ve got intruders in the warehouse,” Tagaan replied. “It’s Juan Cabrillo and the black man who was with him at the shipping dock.”

During a typhoon? Locsin couldn’t believe it. “Here? He can’t be.”

“They just killed two of my men.”

“How did they get in here?”

“I can’t reach the guards at the front gate.”

Locsin went out into the corridor and saw men racing down the halls, weapons in hand. “How many are there?” If it was a full invasion, he could slow it down by blowing the tunnel entrance.

“I don’t know. So far, just these two.”

“Don’t let them out of the warehouse,” Locsin ordered. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes, comrade.”

Locsin stopped Dolap, who was running from the direction of the mess hall.

“What are you doing away from your post?” he demanded.

“I was just gone for a minute,” Dolap replied.

“Check on Beth Anders.”

“Yes, comrade.” Dolap ran off.

Locsin exited the barracks and stopped one of his top soldiers. “Take ten men and sweep the compound. Make sure no other intruders are here.”

Locsin didn’t wait for an acknowledgment. He sprinted toward the warehouse.

• • •

DOLAP’S HEART was pounding at getting caught away from his chair outside Beth Anders’s room. During his guard stints in the middle of the night, he usually went off to find some food when everyone else was asleep. This was the first time anyone had seen him, and he hoped his punishment would be light after carrying out Locsin’s mission in town as ordered.

When he got to the room, he fumbled with his key in nervousness. When he inserted it, he realized with dread that it was already unlocked. He flung the door open and was aghast to find the room empty.

Now he was in a panic. If he didn’t find her, Locsin would surely take away his Typhoon dosage. And Dolap definitely couldn’t let Locsin know she was missing until he found her.

He hadn’t been away from his post for long, so she and her rescuers couldn’t have gotten far. Given her love of those stupid paintings, there was only one place she could be.

He checked his assault rifle and made sure there was a round in the chamber before going to find her.

• • •

USING A MULTI-TOOL, Juan rapidly unscrewed the housing on the nearest Kuyog while Linc kept Tagaan’s men at bay. The only reason they weren’t under constant attack was Tagaan’s desire not to damage the drones.

With the screws out, Juan pulled the housing off and carefully removed four bricks of Semtex that had been packed inside.

“Juan Cabrillo!” a voice yelled from the far end.

“Salvador Locsin!” Juan yelled back as he pressed the Semtex against the back wall. “I see you figured out I’m not dead.”

“Not yet, anyway. But you will be soon.”

“That’s big talk coming from a man who can’t even sink a ferry right. By the way, the Philippine National Police are eager to talk to you about that. They should be here anytime now.”

“Now who’s talking big?” Locsin said with a laugh. “I don’t think they sent out an assault team in the middle of a typhoon. No, it’s just you.”

“You have more enemies than you think. Ask your good friend Tagaan.”

That shut Locsin up for a moment. Juan could hear lowered voices but not what they were saying.

Gomez called on the radio. “Chairman, I’ve got bad news. Hidalgo’s course is shifting.”

“That’s the only kind of news we’re getting right now,” Linc mumbled.

“How long have we got until the eye wall is here?” Juan asked Gomez.

“Ten minutes, tops. You need to steal one of those trucks you were talking about and get back here pronto.”

Linc rolled his eyes and shook his head at Juan, who said, “We’ll work on that.”

“I’ve already got the engine spooled up. Let me know when you’re on your way. Out.”

Locsin must have gotten an answer he liked from Tagaan because he called out again. “Cabrillo, I’m done talking to you. You’re going to die either way, but if you don’t come out right now, I’ll torture Beth to death in front of you. Your choice.”

Juan nodded to Linc and they crabwalked as far from the Semtex as they could, pushing the Kuyog on the handcart so that it stayed between them and Locsin’s men.

When they reached the opposite wall, Juan yelled out, “Locsin, if you want us, you’ll have to come and get us!”

That did the trick. Locsin angrily ordered his men to make their way forward. He wanted Juan and Linc alive.

65

When Dolap was close to the trailer where the paintings were stored, he saw the door open. He quickly ducked behind one of the Humvees parked nearby. A Chinese man poked his head out and looked around before waving two women out with him—Beth Anders and a dark-haired woman carrying an assault rifle. All three had plastic tubes slung over their backs, while Beth carried another tube in her hand. Dolap immediately recognized the man as one of the two who’d gotten into a fight in Bacolod the day before.

It was like an electrical shock to his spine when Dolap suddenly realized that he must be the reason these intruders had found the cavern headquarters that had remained hidden for so long. They followed him back here somehow.

He had to atone for his mistake. He raised his rifle, flicked the safety to full auto, and indiscriminately emptied his magazine at the three of them, not caring if he hit any of the precious paintings.

Beth went down, clutching her side, and dropped the tube. The other two instantly hit the ground and returned fire, clipping Dolap in the shoulder as he dropped down behind the Humvee to reload. The wound was no more than a bee sting to him, and he slapped another mag into the assault rifle.

When he rose again, he saw the dark-haired woman drag Beth around the building while the Chinese man laid down suppressing fire. Then they were out of sight.

Dolap charged forward and picked up the tube. It was marked Picasso in Beth’s handwriting from when she had appraised each painting. He opened it to quickly check and saw that there were at least three paintings inside.

With Beth injured, he considered continuing the pursuit, but he needed to inform Locsin that there were more intruders. He went into the paintings storage trailer as he called on the radio.

“Comrade Locsin, this is Dolap. Two more people have infiltrated the cavern and have taken Beth Anders.”

“Where are they now?” Locsin demanded.

“On the other side of the compound from your location. They broke into the paintings storage trailer and took them. I’m in pursuit.”

Locsin sounded uncharacteristically panicked when he asked, “Did they take all of them?”

Dolap looked around him at the discarded tubes all over the floor and then checked the storage cabinet and found it empty. Even the eagle finial was gone. Blood dripped from his arm, but it was already starting to clot.

“Not all of the paintings,” he said into the radio. “I have the Picasso and a couple of others in one of the tubes.”