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“Fire in the hole!” Juan shouted.
The coupling disintegrated in a ball of flame. As the train entered the tunnel, the accordion windscreens between the two cars ripped apart as they pulled away from each other. Then they were gone into the darkness.
Static came on the line.
“The tunnel’s blocking their signal,” Hali said.
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Gomez gunned the drone and flew it to the other end of the tunnel.
Max kept his eyes on the screen. When the train emerged, it was missing two cars.
“They’ll be stuck in there,” Juan said when the static disappeared. “The air brakes kicked in as soon as Linc severed the line. And if we’re lucky, their radio won’t work in the tunnel, so their comrades up front won’t notice they’re gone.”
“Nice work for a Plan C.”
“It’s not over yet. How’s the decryption coming?”
“We’ve hit a snag there,” Max said. “Long story, but we’re working on it.”
“That doesn’t sound hopeful.”
Murph, who had gone over to Hali’s station and picked up a spare headset, looked at Max and said, “Got some good news on that score.”
“They cracked the password?”
Murph nodded. “With about twenty seconds to spare. Now do you want the bad news?”
Max frowned. “What?”
“The data is going to take longer than they thought to decrypt, even with the Oregon’s computer helping.”
“How long?”
“They estimate that it won’t be done until two minutes before Juan and the others reach the extraction point at the river.”
“And it needs to arrive at the train a minute before that. Can you fly it back that fast, Gomez?”
Gomez stroked his mustache and grimaced. “From this distance? It’ll be really close.”
Murph took the cue and left the op center so he’d be ready to put the USB drive back in the drone the moment it was available.
Max turned to Linda. “Get us within a half mile of the coast, and let’s hope Juan keeps the Chinese too distracted to notice us.”
11
THAILAND
Beth Anders traveled around the world for her job and she knew all the scams. When a young Bangkok street urchin approached her to beg for money, she politely but firmly declined, knowing he would just take her charity straight back to some scuzzball who took advantage of these poor kids. As she walked down the busy road in the Patpong District, she kept her bag in front of her and her hand on the clasp.
At night, the shops would be lit up in flashy neon, and girls would be standing outside of the clubs enthusiastically advertising their wares. But in the late afternoon, the scene just seemed sad. In addition to many umbrella-topped food carts, street vendors hawked all kinds of magazines and items that Beth didn’t even want to look at. Pharmacies sold nearly any prescription drug you could ask for at a fraction of the cost in other countries. Valium and psychedelic mushrooms were particular favorites. For those who preferred liquid anesthetics, there were bars everywhere. Drunken tourists were getting a head start on their nightlife, weaving their way among the motorcycles and three-wheeled tuk-tuks that crowded the road.
Although Beth knew she was probably safe at this time of day, she was glad she wasn’t alone. Raven Malloy walked next to her, constantly scanning her surroundings. Unlike Beth, she carried no purse, keeping her hands free at her sides.
“Of course, they had to pick one of the sleaziest parts of Bangkok for the meeting,” Beth said.
“They’re drug dealers,” Raven replied in a clipped contralto. “What did you expect?”
