Chimera

CHAPTER 5

The Malacca Strait, Thailand

It was an hour past dawn in the Malacca Strait, three-quarters of the way from Phuket Bay to Langkawi Island, the rain-storm continuing unabated, and the bow of the Avatar shoving the waves aside with bone-jarring impacts, when Quince Lanyard and Jack Gavin decided it was time to rest.

They’d been searching for a good spot to anchor — ideally a place well out of the shipping lanes that offered some concealment from the ever-present coastal patrol boats — when they spotted the cove on the leeward side of a small island no more than three kilometers off the southern Thailand coastline.

Ten minutes later, Quince Lanyard set the bow anchor, shut off the engine, took one last look around — noting with some degree of satisfaction that he could barely see the shoreline through the wind-swirled gusts of rain — and followed Gavin down into the main cabin.

Once inside, the two men secured the doors and windows, poured themselves cups of steaming coffee, and then sat in the cushioned bench seats surrounding a combination cabinet and coffee table where they’d already laid out the assault rifles and cleaning kits.

“You’re looking better — a lot less green,” Lanyard commented. “Must be getting your sea legs. Want something to eat?”

“Maybe later, after this bloody storm dies down,” Gavin muttered.

“It might not get any better than this for a while,” Lanyard pointed out.

“In that case, I’ll settle for an IV-pack and coffee. You think that bastard Kai’s going to be cooperative?” Gavin asked as the two men began to field-strip the assault rifles with long-practiced motions.

“No, I think he’s going to try to double-cross us,” Lanyard replied. “Be different if all three of us were going to be there, but we’re not. You and I aren’t going to scare him; not like Marcus does.”

“Probably a lot of truth to that.” Gavin nodded thoughtfully. He started to say something else when the satellite cell phone secured to Lanyard’s belt began to ring. He pulled the cell phone out of its secure holster, examined the screen, and smiled.

“Speaking of the boss — ” Lanyard brought the phone up to his ear. “Gecko-Two, go.”

“This is Gecko-One. I need to talk with both of you.”

“Hold one.” Lanyard walked over to a wall console, inserted the satellite phone into a slot, and pressed a now-glowing blue button. “Gecko-Two here.”

“And Gecko-Three, both of us still afloat in the bloody galleon,” Gavin added. “Can you hear us?”

“You’re coming in fine.” Wallis’ voice echoed in the small cabin. “Confirm encryption circuitry is engaged at your end.”

Lanyard examined the wall console and verified the second light was glowing — a steady bright green.

“That’s affirmative. Encryption is engaged at our end,” Lanyard confirmed.

“Good. There’s been a new development,” Wallis said. “It seems Yak and Kai have been conspiring to take over our operation. That’s probably what caused all the commotion last night.”

“So Yak was the one who turned us in to the Thai Rangers?” Gavin asked, the skepticism evident in his voice.

“No, I don’t think so,” Wallis replied. “He seemed surprised to hear about the appearance of the raid team, and Choon knew nothing about it either. All things considered, I’m assuming it was Kai who jumped the gun on his own. That would make more sense because Yak knew we’d worked Hateley in the Khlong Saeng Preserve previously. Kai would only have known our general location; which is basically what the map we found on the dead Rangers — the one with the entire Reservoir area circled in red — indicates.”

“Do we know who Kai was talking to?”

“Probably Major Preithat, the local Forestry Division commander for the Phuket region, and Choon’s immediate supervisor.”

“Ah, the plot thickens,” Lanyard muttered.

“Yes, it does,” Wallis agreed.

“So where does that leave us?” Gavin asked.

“Still in deep shit, but the tactical situation is simplified,” Wallis replied. “Yak’s out of the picture. He and Boon-Nam created a plausible diversion for us by shooting each other with Jack’s and my pistols. Eventually, the Thai crime lab should link those weapons with the four Rangers and a few other recently-departed souls; and, with any luck, the case will be closed.”

“Good on old Yak.” Gavin chuckled appreciatively.

“How much time do you think we have before the police trip across Yak’s body?” Lanyard asked.

“If we’re lucky, they won’t know anything about his situation until early morning tomorrow, when the maintenance crews arrive,” Wallis said, “but don’t count on it.”

“We’ll finish our business with Kai and be on our way,” Lanyard agreed. “What about our buddy Choon?”

“He proved to be equally useful.”

“It’s about time that fancy bugger did something… hey, wait a minute, did you say Boon-Nam? Boon-Nam the bloody assassin?” Lanyard’s eyebrows rose. “How does that bastard fit into all of this?”

“Apparently a last-minute addition,” Wallis replied. “Yak hired him this morning to keep an eye on me during our breakfast meeting; which pretty much confirms the theory that Yak didn’t know about the Rangers heading our way, or he’d have hired Boon-Nam to be watching out for us days ago.”

“Which still leaves one bloody bastard in the mix,” Gavin said. “Unfortunately, it’s the one we we’ve been counting on to ship that cat to Seattle.”

“Change of plans,” Wallis said. “I’ve arranged for a new shipping point. You and Quince are going to be doing a bit of cruising for the next few days.”

“Where to?” Lanyard asked, thinking he already knew the answer.

“Darwin.”

“Oh bloody hell,” Gavin whispered under his breath.

“What was that?” Wallis asked.

“Jack was expressing his enthusiasm for the new plan,” Lanyard said, smiling at his dismayed partner. “We haven’t had much time for fishing lately.”

“I’m figuring about thirty-two hundred miles if you take the Strait down through the Java Sea,” Wallis said. “At twenty-six knots, you should be able to make that in a couple of weeks, if you don’t spend too much time fishing; figure on three if you take the Indian Ocean route. Weather predictions look favorable, and either route’s fine with me. I’ll deal with Hateley and the change in delivery schedule.”

“So we don’t need Kai and his bloody pirates anymore?” Gavin asked.

“No, I think it's time our association with these lads came to a proper end,” Wallis said. “The meet’s scheduled for midnight tonight at Ko Tanga. Pass on my best regards, and try not to attract too much attention in the process; that Ranger station on Rawi is only twenty miles away. Gecko-One, out.”

Lanyard and Gavin looked at each other.

“Two bloody weeks on this tub, all because that bastard Kai opened his bloody yap,” Gavin muttered. “The bloke is definitely going to pay.”

“Which is undoubtedly what he has in mind for us,” Lanyard pointed out. “In which case, he’s going to have a surprise waiting for him.”

Lanyard disappeared into his stateroom, and came back with the five-foot-long waterproof Pelican case.

Gavin’s eyebrows rose. “You really think we’re going to need that to deal with a handful of bloody third-world pirates?”

Lanyard shrugged as he knelt down next to the thick plastic case, unsnapped the locks, opened the case, carefully removed a new 25mm M109 semiautomatic payload rifle, and began to examine the glistening weapon — a modern and even more lethal version of the U.S. Military’s. 50-caliber M107sniper rifle.

After a few moments, he set the stubby weapon aside and picked up one of the low-velocity 1-inch diameter cartridges that had proven in trials to be two-and-a-half times as destructive to armor, vehicles and barricades as a. 50-caliber armor-piercing round.

“Tell you what, Gavin, me lad, you and I may not scare that crazy bastard Kai, but I’ll wager a pint this little fellow will.”