Mekong Dawn
Malko’s fist snapped out and landed in the middle of Jenkins’ face. He felt the cartilage in his nose crumble and blood flowed down his face. Stunned, he reeled back. Malko came up on his knees and hit him again. Jenkins’ head snapped back and he slumped to the deck.
Through the blood and the pain he saw Malko use the control console to pull himself to his feet. Too stunned to move, he watched Malko pick up the mahogany pick handle then turn towards him.
‘My little angel will see you into the afterlife.’ He tested the weight of the pick handle and widened his stance.
The pick handle went back and the muscles in Malko’s arms bulged. Jenkins could do little more than throw an arm up in front of his face. He heard Malko grunt with effort and waited for the blow that would end his life.
The RHIB came to a halt in the space of a few metres, going from forty knots to nothing. Thrown forward, Malko hit the console and, still clutching the pick handle, somersaulted over the top and disappeared beyond the bow of the RHIB. Jenkins hit the console feet first. The Australian woman slid down the deck and slammed into him. The propellers came out of the water and the outboards screamed at full power, throwing a curtain of spray high into the air.
Jenkins kicked the woman off him and climbed to his feet. He shook his head dazedly, holding the gunwale to keep himself upright. It took him a moment to realise what had happened.
The RHIB had powered up onto a floating mass of water hyacinth and was stuck high and dry. Malko lay sprawled on his back in the vegetation five metres in front of the boat, his arms outflung like a scarecrow. The big man rolled onto his side and tried to climb to his feet, but the water hyacinth was incapable of supporting him and he slipped through the foliage and disappeared. Jenkins stooped to the baize bag at his feet, picked it up and stuffed it into a pocket.
***
Nancy struggled to her feet and stood by the console as Jenkins pulled the throttles back to idle. He then clambered into the forward section, picked up a boat hook and began pushing the water hyacinth clear of the hull.
‘What happened?’ Her hair had torn loose and blew into her face.
Jenkins ignored her. He jabbed the boathook at a patch of hyacinth and levered it away.
The helicopter was straightening for another pass from stern to bow. As it came closer she recognised Scott in the pilot’s seat. Ang sat beside him, holding the barrel of a rifle through the side window. Her heart leapt and she wanted to wave at them, but her hands were still bound. All she could do was grin at the helicopter as it passed overhead.
‘That’s my husband. We can get out of here.’
Jenkins gave the helicopter a cursory glance and went back to pushing the water hyacinth.
The helicopter started another turn. Below it, a small wooden boat had turned towards them, probably coming to see if the stranded RHIB needed assistance. A few inquisitive faces peered over the top of a little cabin and washing hung on a line running from the cabin to the boat’s bow.
The RHIB tilted and Nancy almost lost her balance and had to lean on the console. Malko was using the outboards to climb over the stern. His arms were scratched and bleeding as he cleared the transom and landed on the deck. He ignored Nancy and started for Jenkins.
Nancy screamed and Jenkins turned. He raised the boathook and charged at Malko like a knight at a joust. Malko sidestepped the brass point and grabbed the shaft, twisting it so that Jenkins was thrown sideways against the gunwale.
Nancy edged away from the fight and into the forward section of the RHIB. Jenkins had mostly succeeded in freeing the boat and it was now partly back in the water. She climbed up onto the gunwale. The fishing boat was about three hundred metres away, close enough for her to hear the throb of its engine over the idling outboards and the helicopter.
She heard a shout from behind and turned to see Malko wrench the boathook out of Jenkins’ hands. Jenkins pushed himself away from the gunwale and made a move for the AK74 lying on the deck. His hand reached for it, but Malko swung the boathook and caught him in the chest.
Nancy heard Jenkins’ ribs break with a sound like dry twigs snapping. The South African screamed and staggered sideways. He fell against the console as Malko reversed the boathook in his hands and thrust forward. Jenkins’ scream rose into a howl of agony as the boathook pierced his chest. His hands came up and gripped at the shaft and he tried to pull it free. Blood soaked his shirt. Too much blood. Nancy saw the colour drain from Jenkins’ face as he fell to his knees and toppled sideways onto the deck.
Malko stooped over Jenkins’ body, removed the baize bag and slipped it back into his fatigues pocket. Then he pulled the boathook free and scowled at Nancy.
Nancy looked at the aircraft, halfway through a turn back towards the boat, too far away to be of any help, so she picked the thickest patch of hyacinth and leapt towards it, turning in the air so that she landed on her back, hoping to spread as much of her weight as possible across the floating plant. The water hyacinth gave beneath her as she hit and water closed over her face. Panic rose but she fought the urge to scream, holding her precious breath. Pale sunlight filtered through the water and bubbles rose before her eyes to burst against the surface, only five centimetres away. Her lungs burned for air and she had to fight the urge to struggle, knowing that with her arms tied behind her she would only sink deeper. She could feel the tendrils of water hyacinth against her back and legs, but they had lost their buoyancy. The surface was only a finger’s length from her face, but it might as well have been a mile away.
***
‘She jumped!’ Scott’s voice screeched in Ang’s ears. ‘She jumped into the water. Her hands are tied. She won’t be able to swim.’
Ang took his hand from the AK74 and thumbed the intercom button. ‘I can see her. She’s in the water hyacinth. The plant is keeping her afloat.’ He could also see Malko in the boat, dragging a body away from the console. Two hundred metres away a fishing boat was closing on the RHIB. ‘There’s a boat coming in. They will pick up your wife.’
‘You had better be right.’
Ang didn’t acknowledge Scott. White water broiled behind the RHIB as Malko gunned the outboards in reverse. The RHIB backed out of the mass of floating water hyacinth, turned to the north and raced forward, the bow lifting high under full power.
***
Nancy tried to lift her head. The surface was so close, just millimetres away, and she was only moments away from losing consciousness. Arching her back, she managed to get her nose and mouth out of the water and took in two deep breaths.
She heard a motor run up to full power and moments later the floating island rocked violently as the RHIB pulled away, blasting the water hyacinth with its wake. The tenuous grip of the vines beneath her suddenly gave way and she gulped a last lungful of air before slipping beneath the water.
Bicycling her legs as hard as she could, she tried to tread water, but with her hands tied behind her back the task was impossible. She managed to get her mouth clear of the water long enough to draw another breath, but the effort required to repeat the process was unsustainable. Already, her muscles burned. The bicycling slowed and her head slipped back beneath the water.
Nancy felt a quiet calm come over her. People had said that drowning was one of the more peaceful ways to die. She stopped kicking and looked about. The island of water hyacinth floated above her, only half a metre away. Sunlight filtered through the opening her body had made when she fell through the tangle of vine. A shaft of light descended through the opening into the depths of Tonle Sap.
As she watched, a hand came down the shaft of sunlight. It touched the top of her head and felt down her neck to the collar of her blouse where it took a grip and pulled her towards the surface.
***
‘Stay on Malko. Get out to the side of him.’
The helicopter tilted as Scott started the turn. Ang let go of the intercom button and sighted down the AK74. The RHIB was back at full speed, skipping across the waves, l
ittle spurts of white spray jetting sideways from beneath the hull every time the boat slammed into the water. With no hostages to worry about, Ang waited until the centre of the boat filled his sights and squeezed the trigger.
The AK74 jumped in his hands, but he hadn’t allowed for the speed of the boat or helicopter. A row of fountains appeared three metres behind the RHIB. Ang cursed and shifted his aim. The fountains chased the boat and caught up with it. Black smoke erupted from the nearest outboard.
***
Malko felt the RHIB slow as the outboard disintegrated under the hail of bullets. He flicked the wheel right to try and get in under the helicopter where the passenger had no hope of shooting at him. The boat responded, but slowly. Malko looked up and could see the weapon poking through the side window. Then he was under the aircraft.
The pilot pivoted the helicopter sideways and tried to give the shooter a better line of sight. Malko pushed at the throttles, but they were already at the stops. The ruined outboard was only adding drag and slowing him further, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He glanced around the deck and found an AK74 lying near the fuel tanks. The helicopter, flying sideways, was opening up the distance again. Malko let go of the wheel and scrambled for the gun. He grasped the sling and hurried back to the console.
The shooter in the helicopter opened fire and bullets struck the bow. Holes appeared in the focsle, stitching a neat line that passed along the left pontoon. The rubber quivered like jelly and then lost some of its rigidity as the air leaked out.
Malko lifted the AK74 and fired one handed. He wasn’t sure if he’d hit the helicopter, but the machine responded by straightening its sideways flight and accelerating away.
Given a brief respite, he went to the destroyed outboard and tilted it out of the water. Then he returned to the console and took the wheel. The RHIB responded a little better now, but the left pontoon was sagging alarmingly.
Out to his left he could see a thin line of green, the shoreline, maybe four or five kilometres away. He spun the wheel and headed for it, glancing back over his shoulder as the helicopter approached from astern.
***
A light illuminated on the panel at the same time as Scott heard the alarm in his headphones.
Ang looked across from where he was changing magazines. ‘What’s that?’
‘Low fuel pressure.’ Scott ran his gaze over the instrument panel. Everything else appeared normal, but he knew they only had a few moments more of flying time. ‘Time for a swim.’
They closed on the RHIB once more. The boat travelled slower now, crabbing slightly under the power of one outboard.
‘You’ve got one more chance to stop him. Then we’re in the drink.’
Ang gave a nod then turned back to the side window, his weapon held at the ready.
Scott turned his attention back to the instruments. The turbine pressure gauge gave a flicker then settled back to normal.
Only seconds left!
Strangely, he felt no fear. They were moments away from crashing into the lake and all his concentration was fixed on giving Ang the best possible shot at Malko.
***
Ang had learnt to allow for the speed of the helicopter and the boat now. As Scott guided them down the right side of the RHIB, he let the sights drift down the length of the boat and out onto the water beyond. The boat now had only one engine and was slower than before, so he let the sights gain maybe two metres and pulled the trigger.
The helicopter lost power and dropped as the AK74 chattered. Ang’s bullets hit the water, travelled across the bow of the RHIB and then back into the water with no effect. Malko held his own weapon one-handed and little starlight flashes glittered from the muzzle. Bullets struck somewhere behind Ang. It didn’t matter if they had hit anywhere vital or not. The helicopter was dead anyway.
***
Scott watched the gauges winding down on the panel and felt the life draining out of the controls. Their momentum carried them past the RHIB, but the airspeed was bleeding away rapidly.
‘Hang on!’
He bottomed the collective, flattening the pitch of the rotors to save the kinetic energy of their motion. The helicopter dropped like an express elevator. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the RHIB slowly gaining on them, maybe fifty metres to the side and thirty metres below. Thinking fast, he angled the control stick to the left. The helicopter lurched towards the RHIB.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘If we’re going to crash, we might as well make it worth our while.’
Ang shifted in his seat and pulled the seatbelt tighter.
Scott, his head turned sideways to see through the left chin bubble, caught one last glimpse of Malko staring up at them in astonishment. Then they were over the RHIB.
The helicopter shuddered as he pulled on collective and the windmilling rotors bit at the air. The rate of descent slowed, but the Jetranger had gone past the point of being a flying machine. From three metres it crashed down onto the RHIB, the skids straddling the control console.
For maybe three seconds the RHIB travelled on unchecked, the helicopter perched on its back. Then, as the weight settled, the bow bit deep into the water. The tail of the helicopter was thrown up and the lake waters broke over the windscreen as they nosedived into the boat’s path. Noises of tearing, screeching metal filled the cockpit. Beside Scott, Ang cried out. Then the helicopter nosed deep and the view through the windshield was like looking into a dirty aquarium.
The helicopter rolled sideways and Scott searched desperately for his seatbelt release. Like most helicopters, the heavy engine was mounted high, and he knew what this meant.
‘Ang! Get your belt off. She’ll turn upside down before she sinks.’
Ang struggled to release the belt as Scott fought for his own survival. He found the release and jabbed at it. The seatbelt snapped away and he fell against the pilot’s door, now twenty centimetres under water. Ang’s window was on the upper side with the Perspex already removed. Sky and cloud were visible through the opening, but the policeman was having trouble with his belt release. Scott stood on the inside of the door, pried Ang’s hands away and hit the buckle. Ang fell across the cockpit and against Scott, sending them both crashing into the side which was now the floor.
Scott was the first to regain his feet. He reached down to help the policeman, but Ang pointed at the patch of sky.
‘Get out of here. I’m right behind you.’
The sinking helicopter lurched beneath his feet and Scott didn’t need telling twice. Using the side of the radio console and the copilot’s seat he pulled himself towards the opening. Climbing through, he found the RHIB floating upside down a few metres away. Pieces of rotor blade and debris, a seat cushion from the RHIB floated on the water. There was no sign of Malko.
Scott knelt on the side of the helicopter and reached down to give Ang a hand up, but something hit him in the ribs and sent him sliding down the aluminium skin. He came up against one of the struts for the left skid and managed to hold on, looking back to find Malko had climbed up onto the helicopter using the partly-submerged rotor mast. The big man dripped water, his fatigues clinging to his skin. The crash had opened a gash above his eye and blood ran down his face. He had an AK74 slung over his shoulder that he now slipped off and aimed at Scott.
‘You and your wife have caused me enough trouble, Mr Morris.’
Malko thumbed the safety catch and Scott heard the metallic click. He threw his arm up in a useless gesture as gunfire shattered the air.
Scott felt nothing, but he heard bullets slamming into flesh. He lowered his arm to see Malko’s body twitch and dance. The hijacker fell sideways onto the aluminium skin and slid into the water, leaving a bloody smear behind him.
Ang stood in the open window, only his head and shoulders showing. The barrel of his AK74 still smoked as he looked down at Malko’s lifeless body floating beside the helicopter.
Scott climbed bac
k up onto the side of the helicopter and took the rifle from Ang then reached down to help him out of the cockpit.
They sat side by side on the sinking aircraft. Scott put a hand to Ang’s shoulder.
‘Thanks. He had me there.’
Ang didn’t respond. He kept his gaze on Malko’s body and Scott left him to his thoughts.
The helicopter settled lower into the water, then Scott heard a motor and turned to see a fishing boat approaching. Someone called his name, the voice barely audible at that distance, but he recognised instantly the woman standing in the bows, waving frantically in his direction.
Chapter Thirty-three
With Soo-Li navigating, Fred was able to keep the Mekong Dawn in the channel. Twice he felt the hull scrape against something lurking in the depths, but nothing stopped their progress towards the lake. He allowed himself to relax and took his last cigar from the packet. He had left his lighter somewhere, but Soo-Li shot from the wheelhouse, reappearing moments later with it in her hand. She flicked it open and held the flame close to his face.
‘There you go, Mr Fred.
Fred drew hard on the cigar and exhaled a plume of blue smoke towards the ceiling. Outside, the shadows had lengthened into twilight and the channel stretched away into distance through the trees. Fred had the impression he was navigating the Mekong Dawn down a tunnel.
Captain Klim stood in the wheelhouse door. ‘If we don’t make the lake soon, it will be too dark to continue and we will have to tie up for the night.’
Fred shook his head. ‘Harold needs that doctor. We keep going. Even if we have to do it by torchlight.’
Collette stepped into the wheelhouse and handed him a steaming cup of coffee. He placed it on the console then put his arm around her.
Collette peered ahead at the growing gloom. ‘How far to the lake? I don’t want to spend another night in these swamps.’
Fred looked down at Soo-Li, deferring the question to her.
The girl stood on her tiptoes and examined the surrounding swamp. Fred couldn’t see any difference outside. This part of the swamp looked just like the kilometres behind them, but Soo-Li reached a decision.