Wall of Night

70

Lying on his belly in the crawl space, Tanner worked steadily into the night, assembling half a dozen crude flash-fire bombs from Hsiao’s supplies.

Similar to the device he’d used to cripple Solon Trulau’s yacht in Jakarta, each bomb consisted of two sets of ingredients: a base and a catalyst. Alone, each was stable, but combined they were volatile. In this case, he was using a mixture of petroleum products he’d found in the garage along with some chlorine-based cleanser used to clean the inside of the tanker truck.

Once certain the chemicals were correctly blended, it was time for a test.

A few feet down the crawl space he dug a small hole in the earth and then, arm outstretched, spooned into it a couple drops of the base, followed by a drop of catalyst. With a small poof, a blue white flame filled the hole. Tanner quickly covered it with dirt and the flame died.

Now for the vessels.

He lit the sterno can, then placed on top of it the small sauce pot Hsiao had stolen from the kitchen. Into this he dumped the half a dozen candles and the contents of four tins of shoe polish.

Once the mixture was completely melted, but not yet boiling, he removed the pot and began the molding process. It took an hour, most of the mix, and a lot of kneading, but in the end he’d created twelve golf ball-size shells.

Careful to keep them separated, he filled half of them with the base, the other half with the catalyst, then, using the last of the wax, he sealed each shell. He let them fully harden and then duct taped them together in pairs, one base and one catalyst.

In theory, upon impact each shell would shatter, mixing the chemicals together. The resulting flash fire would be brief, but strong enough to ignite almost anything it touched.

Tanner scrutinized his handiwork. As long as he placed them well and timed his movements right, they would do the job, he decided. Even so, the biggest variable was out of his control. He could only hope the guards responded like the well-trained professionals they were.

An hour later he heard the garage door open above him, then close. Footsteps clicked on the floorboards above. “Everything is awful,” a voice called.

Hsiao. “That makes two of us,” Tanner called back.

The hatch opened and light poured into the crawl space. Tanner shimmied-over to the opening to find Hsiao squatting beside it. “Are you ready?” he asked.

Tanner nodded. “What did you find out about Soong and his daughter?”

“The general is in his regular cell. Two of Xiang’s paratroopers have been posted outside his door, though.”

“I’ll handle them.”

“Soong’s daughter is being kept in a bunk room in the same building as the control center.”

Tanner nodded. “When do you go on duty again?”

“I managed to change places with another guard. I have the roving patrol starting at midnight.”

“That didn’t raise any suspicion?”

Hsiao shook his head. “A group of us play mah-jongg every evening; I told him I didn’t want to miss the game.”

“Good. Can you stop by here?”

“Yes, but only for a moment. If I miss a checkpoint by even a few minutes, the alarm sounds.”

“I’ll only need you for a minute,” Tanner said, then explained what he had in mind. “I assume the control center has an incoming phone line? You know the number?”

“Yes.”

“Good. You might want to practice your acting skills. What’re the chances they’ll buy it?”

Hsiao smiled, shrugged. “I know the guard manning the control center tonight. His name is Wujan. He’s … how do you say it? Er bai wu.”

Tanner smiled back; he knew the phrase. Er bai wu literally meant 250—on an intelligence scale of 1000, Wujan was three-quarters stupid. “If you can fluster him a bit, it would help.”

“I’ll try.” Hsiao took a deep breath and let it out. “I’m a little scared, Briggs.”

“Just a little? Then you’re doing better than me,” Tanner replied, only half joking.

After all the hardship he’d endured to get here, his success or failure would soon come down to a period of a few minutes. If he succeeded, they would be a step closer to freedom; if he failed, Soong and Lian would spend the rest of their lives here and he and Hsiao would be executed.

He gripped Hsiao’s forearm and gave it a squeeze. “It’s almost over. Hang in there.”

“Okay. See you a little after midnight.”

Tanner dozed intermittently until he again heard the garage door open and footsteps entering. He checked his watch: 12:40. He felt his heart rate shoot up. Almost time.

The hatch opened and Tanner crawled over.

Hsiao said, “Ready?”

“Yeah, you?”

“I think so. Tell me again what you want me to say.”

Tanner went over the wording once more. “Keep it short. Act excited as if you’re on the run.”

“Okay, okay. I’m ready.”

Tanner pulled out the Motorola and dialed the number. Once it began ringing, he handed it to Hsiao. They pressed their heads together so Tanner could hear.

“Administration, Corporal Wujan speaking.”

“Wujan, this is Sergeant Jong.”

“Uh … pardon? Who’s this?”

“I’m one of Director Xiang’s men, dammit! We’ve found the missing truck in a ravine about three miles east of Beiyinhe. We think we’ve found the American’s trail, but we need help.”

“Uh … okay … ” Wujan replied. “Where are you?”

“On the outskirts of Beiyinhe. We have a witness who thinks they saw the American.”

“What was your name—”

“Hurry! We need help. Three miles east of Beiyinhe! The American can’t have gotten far!”

“Okay, but what—”

Hsiao handed the phone back to Tanner, who disconnected. “Perfect.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“It’ll get a reaction, that’s certain,” Tanner replied. “Whether it’s the kind we want, we’ll know shortly. Go back to your rounds. When the fireworks start, sound the alarm, wait for the commotion to start, then meet me in the hangar.”

“Right.” Hsiao closed the hatch and left.

One more miscue, Tanner thought. Success now hinged on one thing: Whether upon receiving the news Xiang would ask, or fail to ask, that one critical question.

Inside the control center, Corporal Wujan was torn between confusion and terror. Though he missed part of the message, the gist of it had been clear: Someone had found the American! Where had the man said? Beiyinhe? This was important … had to remember that part. With someone as important as Director Xiang involved … Perhaps there was a commendation in it for him.

Wujan picked up the phone.

Two minutes later Xiang and Eng barged into the control center. The base commander was already there. Xiang asked, “When did it come in?”

“Minutes ago,” replied the base commander. “One of Shen’s men called in and reported finding the truck near Beiyinhe.”

“Three miles to the east of Beiyinhe,” Wujan added nervously. “He was very clear about that. He said they may have found the American — or, no, his trail. They found his trail.”

“How far away is that?” Xiang asked the base commander.

“Ten miles to the southwest.”

“Contact the patrols outside the camp and tell them to move in closer.”

“Why?”

“If this is a ruse, Tanner will use it to try to slip into the camp. Eng, go get Shen. Have him gather ten men and meet me at the helicopter pad.”