He held the gun up. “Latest D.E.W. — Directed Energy Weapon technology. I’d like to introduce you to the M18X DEW rifle. Hot pressed boron carbide in a bullpup design, means longer barrel and powerplant all packed in behind the trigger.” He turned it over, flicking open the rounded stock, revealing what looked like a glowing shard of glass. “Power is drawn from microfusion cells and processed through a single Erbium optical gain crystal. This bad boy will cut through anything.” He half turned. “Mr. Rinofsky, front and center.”
The big HAWC stepped forward and pulled a thicker version of the weapon Dempsey had from over his shoulder. He telescoped the barrel, and held it ready.
Dempsey nodded. “Just to make things interesting, our big friend here is packing a portable plasma cannon, with an optimized composite ceramic structure to contain the two thousand degree temperatures from a plasma pulse that will terminate anything that gets in front of it.” He closed down his own rifle and cradled it in his arms. “Like I said, Dr. Weir, we’re better prepared this time.”
Aimee wanted to stay angry, but couldn’t help feeling a little relieved. We might just survive the day after all, she thought.
“Movement,” Hagel said, staring down as the small device in his hands gave off rapid proximity pulses.
Dempsey held up a fist. The HAWCs and the McMurdo soldiers froze. “Distance?”
Dawkins crowded in close, trying to see over Hagel’s shoulder.
“Two hundred feet, coming fast,” Hagel said, elbowing Dawkins back a step.
Aimee kept ambling forward, lost in her own thoughts, barely hearing the words or aware that everyone had stopped moving around her, until Casey Franks grabbed at her. Casey placed a finger to her lips, Aimee getting it immediately. She followed Franks as she shrunk back into a small depression in the wall of the tunnel.
Dempsey made a chopping motion, left and right, and the team went to either side of the tunnel, flattening themselves against the wall, or crouching, weapons ready. Lights went off, and the HAWCs went to infrared.
“If this shit goes bad, stay behind me,” Franks whispered.
CHAPTER 25
Aimee crouched, concentrating on the tunnel. Without lights or night vision equipment, the darkness was absolute. After a few more seconds she heard the sound of voices, soft at first, and then the fall of boots on stone, coming fast, jogging. She waited, barely breathing. The voices became more distinct, Chinese, and then lights appeared.
Blake got to his feet. “Wènhòu zhōngguó péngyǒu — wènhòu zhōngguó péngyǒu.” His voice was loud in the tunnel.
Immediately the Chinese group froze, and though Aimee understood nothing of their language, she could sense their fear and surprise.
“Shì lái bāng.” Blake stepped out more, one of his hands up. “English?” he asked.
There was a single woman, about the same age as Aimee who pushed through the group. “I speak English.”
Aimee saw that the men behind her didn’t look like soldiers, but each of them had flashlights and many held them, club-like. It looked like fight or flight was kicking in — Blake needed to work fast.
“They’re going to run,” Aimee whispered.
Casey shrugged “Like where?”
They needed to take a chance or they’d lose them, she thought. Aimee got to her feet, also stepping out. “Hey, we’re here to help. My name is Dr. Aimee Weir. I’m a scientist, just like you.”
The woman spoke rapidly over her shoulder to the other men and women, before turning back, her eyes now cautious. “My name is Dr. Soong Chin Ling. We heard an explosion. Was that you?”
Aimee shook her head. “No, but it was someone in your camp. They detonated the base, and now the elevator shaft to the surface is now sealed.”
Soong half turned, translating again. The words flung back and forth were fast and furious, until finally she turned back to Aimee.
“Because of you, we think,” Soong said.
Dempsey’s voice was low. “Dr. Weir, I suggest…”
Aimee exhaled, ignoring the HAWC Captain. “Probably. We couldn’t get them to understand we came for peaceful reasons. We need to find Shenjung Xing.”
Soong’s eyes narrowed. “How so?”
“We need to talk, explain things; is he among you?” Aimee grimaced as Soong Chin Ling remained mute. She felt the weight of Dempsey’s focus on her. “Look, there’s bigger issues at stake now. One of our submarines is missing.”
“Dr. Weir…” the note of warning in Dempsey’s voice went up a notch.
She turned momentarily. “We’re all in this together now… trapped together.” She spun back to Soong. “You have a naval vessel off the coast, so do we. Soon, more ships will join them. The situation is becoming tense… dangerous. Whatever mining you are doing down here, right now, we don’t give a damn. But you can’t go lower down. You don’t know what you’ll find. It’s off-limits for a reason. Your team, Shenjung Xing, everyone, is in grave danger.”
Silence hung for a few moments, before Soong turned and translated slowly and carefully for her colleagues. She listened for a moment and then faced Aimee.
“They think you will trick us. There is no reason to trust you. If this is of such importance, why did you not tell Beijing?” Soong’s face refused to soften.
Aimee groaned. “Please! Time is running out. We need to stop your people from going lower. You must come with us.”
“No.” Dempsey, cradling his gun, came and stood beside her. “Can’t take ’em with us.”
Soong snorted. “They would not go with you anyway. We will wait here.”
“For what?” Aimee opened her arms. “Even if they started tunneling now, it would take days, weeks, to clear the shaft again.” She looked at their packs. “You might have supplies for a day or two, then what?”
While Soong turned and spoke to her group, Aimee spun to Dempsey. “We can’t let them stay, they’ll die.”
Dempsey’s expression was blank. Blake came and stood at Aimee’s other shoulder. “Forget it, Dr. Weir, they won’t come. The distrust runs too deep.”
“We damn well have to try,” Aimee snapped back.
Blake was cradling his rifle, and half turned. “Boss, say the word, and I can transl…”
The single bullet took him in the crease of his neck, just above his armored suit collar, and spun him around to lay flat on the cave floor.
“Down!’
Dempsey dived, pushing Aimee to the ground, but she knew enough to hit the deck, and roll to the side of the tunnel. Soong did the same, crouching with hands over her head. The Chinese engineers stood frozen and bewildered, turning one way, then the other, as the six tall PLA came up from the tunnel depths, moving fast and going into a V-attack formation.
“Hold,” Dempsey hissed into his mic to the HAWCs, who had flattened to the floor or sides of the cave. And then: “Light ’em up.”
Red laser dots picked individual targets, the small cherries appearing on the chests or foreheads of each of the PLA soldiers.
“Halt or die.” Dempsey had a bead on the lead PLA.
Aimee looked to Blake, the man down and coughing. If ever they needed a translator, it was now. She wracked her brains for what fragments of the language she knew, with nothing suitable coming to mind.
The PLA soldiers whispered among themselves for a moment. Dempsey waited, and other than Blake’s coughing, there was absolute silence and stillness from the HAWCs.