technicians. The villagers didn't know what was going on. They always saw white-coated men but never the guards, enter the white house. That was how Lotus knew the white house was the laboratory. Some of the villagers worked in the compound cleaning and washing, but they weren't allowed in the house painted white.
"Listen, Lotus, you're sticking right here. And no use arguing with me." He gave her the pen and told her how it worked. "In case I'm caught, I don't want this to fall into their hands."
Lotus took the pen, put it away, and watched him walk away. He headed to the left of the village where the laboratory was located.
Lotus had no intention of staying in a safe place while Nick went out alone against a formidable enemy. She waited five minutes and then went out after him.
When Nick caught a glimpse of the compound he dropped to his hands and knees and then slowly flattened out and started crawling, snakelike, toward the three houses. There were no wire fences but there were tall plaster posts, which meant electric-eye beams.
He was in an open field and there wasn't much moonlight There were five guards circling the compound. They had rifles and hand guns. They walked in pairs except for one guard. They were within the circle of posts.
Nick had no way of killing the electric beams. He was stumped. Even if he had grenades, there wasn't much he could do with them. If he lobbed a few into the laboratory, he would do just so much damage. He had to blow the place sky-high. That meant explosives.
He started to move crablike to his left. He would circle the entire compound that way. Maybe an idea would hit him. Maybe the posts with the electric eyes didn't entirely circle the compound. It was something to do.
His foot brushed something, and it gave. He cursed silently and reached through the short grass. A wire.
There was a shout from within the compound. Then a guard ran out of one of the drab buildings, gesturing, shouting, running to the now-confused guards.
Nick could hear a ringing from the compound. A jeep lumbered from around a building, loaded with guards. A beam of light streaked from the top of a building and played about the open field.
Nick had the Astra Firecat in his hand. He took careful aim, and the bullet shattered the searchlight.
The guards started firing wildly, aiming at the direction the shot had come from. The jeep had left the compound, its wheels digging in the dirt. Nick aimed at the driver and squeezed the trigger. There was a yelp, and the guard folded. The jeep overturned, pinning two guards under its weight The other guards flattened themselves out against the ground, their rifles barking.
Bullets kicked up dirt near Nick's head. He retreated wisely. Another beam of light tunneled through the night and played along the field a few yards in back of him. There was firing from his left.
The guards from the compound had outflanked him while he had been shooting it out with the guards in the jeep.
He looked to his right. Two guards were coming toward him. He kept moving back, hoping the beam of light wouldn't find him.
A guard was running toward him, a rifle at his shoulder. Nick shot him dead.
Suddenly the air was filled with crisp Chinese words. Someone in the compound was using a bullhorn. The guards were being ordered to capture the invader alive.
All rifle fire stopped.
Nick shifted his body so that he was facing to his left He saw two guards rising from their prone position. They started running toward him. Nick emptied what was left in the chamber, and both guards died on their feet.
He was reloading the clip when the light caught him. He cursed and dived into darkness. He heard feet hitting the ground, and a rifle butt caught him at the side of his head. He turned over, started to rise, and felt another blow at the back of his neck. He went down. A dark pool opened up and he dived into it. He was falling, falling… down a bottomless pit….
In the distance, hidden in the
"Listen, Lotus, you're sticking right here. And no use arguing with me." He gave her the pen and told her how it worked. "In case I'm caught, I don't want this to fall into their hands."
Lotus took the pen, put it away, and watched him walk away. He headed to the left of the village where the laboratory was located.
Lotus had no intention of staying in a safe place while Nick went out alone against a formidable enemy. She waited five minutes and then went out after him.
When Nick caught a glimpse of the compound he dropped to his hands and knees and then slowly flattened out and started crawling, snakelike, toward the three houses. There were no wire fences but there were tall plaster posts, which meant electric-eye beams.
He was in an open field and there wasn't much moonlight There were five guards circling the compound. They had rifles and hand guns. They walked in pairs except for one guard. They were within the circle of posts.
Nick had no way of killing the electric beams. He was stumped. Even if he had grenades, there wasn't much he could do with them. If he lobbed a few into the laboratory, he would do just so much damage. He had to blow the place sky-high. That meant explosives.
He started to move crablike to his left. He would circle the entire compound that way. Maybe an idea would hit him. Maybe the posts with the electric eyes didn't entirely circle the compound. It was something to do.
His foot brushed something, and it gave. He cursed silently and reached through the short grass. A wire.
There was a shout from within the compound. Then a guard ran out of one of the drab buildings, gesturing, shouting, running to the now-confused guards.
Nick could hear a ringing from the compound. A jeep lumbered from around a building, loaded with guards. A beam of light streaked from the top of a building and played about the open field.
Nick had the Astra Firecat in his hand. He took careful aim, and the bullet shattered the searchlight.
The guards started firing wildly, aiming at the direction the shot had come from. The jeep had left the compound, its wheels digging in the dirt. Nick aimed at the driver and squeezed the trigger. There was a yelp, and the guard folded. The jeep overturned, pinning two guards under its weight The other guards flattened themselves out against the ground, their rifles barking.
Bullets kicked up dirt near Nick's head. He retreated wisely. Another beam of light tunneled through the night and played along the field a few yards in back of him. There was firing from his left.
The guards from the compound had outflanked him while he had been shooting it out with the guards in the jeep.
He looked to his right. Two guards were coming toward him. He kept moving back, hoping the beam of light wouldn't find him.
A guard was running toward him, a rifle at his shoulder. Nick shot him dead.
Suddenly the air was filled with crisp Chinese words. Someone in the compound was using a bullhorn. The guards were being ordered to capture the invader alive.
All rifle fire stopped.
Nick shifted his body so that he was facing to his left He saw two guards rising from their prone position. They started running toward him. Nick emptied what was left in the chamber, and both guards died on their feet.
He was reloading the clip when the light caught him. He cursed and dived into darkness. He heard feet hitting the ground, and a rifle butt caught him at the side of his head. He turned over, started to rise, and felt another blow at the back of his neck. He went down. A dark pool opened up and he dived into it. He was falling, falling… down a bottomless pit….
In the distance, hidden in the
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