“But what if you don’t kill someone, and they end up killing millions more?”
Taylor just looked at him.
Ostin turned to me for validation. “It’s the logical choice.”
“Let it go,” I said.
“The Volta does not have a helipad,” Ben said. “They will have to use a boat. That means there are two places the Elgen will be weak. We can attack the shuttle boat on the way to the Volta, or we can attack the shuttle boat at the dock.”
“Three ways,” Ostin said. “We could also wait until Jade Dragon’s on board the Volta and kidnap her from there.”
“There will be many guards on the Volta,” Ben said.
“After the Ampere they’ll be expecting that,” I said. “The shuttle will be the weakest link.” I looked at Ben. “How far out from shore will the Volta dock?”
“Maybe a hundred meters,” Ben said.
“A hundred meters won’t give us a lot of time to intercept the shuttle,” I said. “Does the Volta have guns?”
“All the Elgen ships have guns,” Ostin said. “And there are guns on land, too.” He pointed at the towers at the back of the plant. “Fifty millimeter machine guns. The Elgen love those.”
“Whatever shuttle they use will probably have a gun as well,” Jack said. “As well as the guards.”
“Which means they will be shooting at us from the shuttle, the Volta, and the shore.”
“At least until we get on the shuttle. They probably won’t shoot at the shuttle with the girl on it.”
“What if they can’t see us?” Taylor said.
“What do you mean?”
“If we could fill the area with smoke, then they won’t know what to shoot at.”
“Yeah, but then we can’t see either,” Zeus said.
“Ian could see,” Taylor said.
“It will not work,” Ben said. “It is too much area to create smoke and the winds are usually strong. It will blow any smoke away.”
“So how do we get to the shuttle without them blowing us up?” I said.
We were all quiet a moment; then Ostin said, “I’ve got it.” We all looked at him. “They wouldn’t shoot at one of those coast guard boats. We’ll use one of those to rescue her.”
“I do not think they will let us use one,” Ben said.
“Of course they won’t,” Ostin said. “We won’t ask, we’ll just take one.”
“How do you take a coast guard boat?” Zeus asked.
“Easy,” Ostin said. “We go out in a boat and send out a distress signal. When the coast guard arrives to rescue us, Taylor reboots everyone on board and we trade boats. It’s like we did in Peru to get into the plant.”
“That could work,” I said.
“It’s brilliant,” Ostin said. “We take the coast guard boat, then patrol the waters around the Volta until we see the Elgen shuttle. Then we stop the shuttle, reboot everyone on board, rescue Jade Dragon, get back on our boat, and speed off to safety.”
“But if the Elgen see a coast guard boat around, they won’t leave the dock,” Ian said. “They’ll just wait until it leaves.”
“Yes,” Ben said. “If there is anything suspicious, the Elgen will think something is wrong.”
“What we need,” Ostin said, “is to have someone on the shore watching for the Elgen’s transfer. That way the coast guard boat can stay out at sea. As soon as they put her on the boat we signal the coast guard boat. The Elgen won’t even notice it, they’ll just think it’s coming back to dock, but then, at the last minute, we intercept them. We’ll catch them in the water.”
“That could work,” I said.
“We need a boat to be rescued with,” Taylor said.
“I can get a boat,” Ben said.
“We’ll have to time our boat-jacking with the arrival of the Volta,” I said. “Assuming the Elgen want to get her on board as soon as possible.”
“That’s a logical assumption,” Ostin said.
“But what if they don’t?” Tessa said. “We’re going to be floating around in a stolen coast guard boat.”
“We should discuss this back at the hotel,” Ben said. “We have been here too long.”
I looked back out at the Starxource plant and then past it to the ocean. “I think this will work.”
“Will we still need to attack the other plant?” Taylor asked.
I nodded. “The diversion will still take pressure off of us.” I turned to Ben. “Any word from the voice?”
“I hope to hear from him this afternoon,” he said.
“All right,” I said. “Let’s go back and wait for his call.”
* * *
The drive back to the hotel was much more relaxed than it had been the day before. At least this time we had a workable plan. Not an easy one, but workable.
As I got out of the van Ben said, “I will call you when I hear from the voice. You will not hear from me until then.”
As Ostin and I walked back into the hotel I said to him, “Good job. I think your idea could work.”
He nodded. “It’s no more difficult than attacking the Ampere.”
I stopped and shook my head. “Yeah, because that was so easy.”
* * *
Our room phone rang around two in the afternoon. Ostin and I were both sleeping. I answered the phone groggily. “Hello?”
“Michael, this is Ben. Please you and Ostin come to my room. The voice wants to talk to everyone except for Nichelle.” He hung up.
I sat up. “Come on, Ostin. We’ve got to go.”
“Go where?” Ostin asked sleepily.
“We need to go to Ben’s room. The voice wants to talk to us.”
Taylor was the last to arrive. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she walked into Ben’s room. “Nichelle wanted to know why she wasn’t invited. She wasn’t real happy.”
“Tell her it’s because we don’t trust her,” Zeus said.
“That’s direct,” Taylor said.
“We’re just being careful,” I said. I looked at Ben. “Go ahead and call.”
Ben dialed a number, then hung up. A moment later his phone rang. He put his phone on speaker and answered. “Wei.”
A voice said, “Please confirm.”
“This is white dragon to lightning rod,” Ben said.
“White dragon, please confirm.”
“Yi, ling, yi, yi, yi, jyou, lyou, er.”
“White dragon confirmed. Just a moment please.” There was a pause; then a familiar voice spoke. “Good afternoon, Electroclan. Ben. How is everyone?”
“We’re fine,” I said.
“Good. I have been discussing your request with the council, and we agree with your assessment that attacking the compound is too risky.”
“Ask him if by ‘risky’ he means ‘certain death’,” Tessa whispered.
Taylor shushed her.
“We agree that intercepting Jade Dragon in transport is more logical. We also like your idea of creating a diversion. We have discussed our options and have concluded that the easiest plant to attack is in Samoa. It is a short flight from Taiwan and the Elgen have their smallest presence there—only twenty-seven guards. They also take their water from the sea, but they have an aboveground pump house and desalination plant. We have an agent there who can provide you with enough explosives to take it out.”
“If it’s that easy then why don’t you guys just take it out?” Jack asked.
“That would defeat the purpose,” Ostin said. “The Elgen need to think that we’re there.”
“That’s right,” the voice said. “Have you thought about who you want to send?”
“Zeus and Tessa,” I said, glancing over at the two of them. “The plan is that they attack the plant just before the Volta arrives, and then fly back and meet us here to help rescue Jade Dragon.”
“That will do,” the voice said. “We’ve already contacted our Samoan agent, and he’s making preparations. Right now the Volta is only a little more than a week out. Zeus and Tes
sa will have to leave immediately. Tomorrow afternoon Ben will drive them back to the Taitung airport. That will give them some time to meet with our operative and prepare.”
“No sweat,” Tessa said.
“Just as long as it’s not raining,” Zeus said.
“We’ve checked the weather. There is less than a five percent chance of precipitation. Is there anything else we should discuss?”
I looked around the room. No one said anything. “I don’t think so,” I said.
“Then good luck, Electroclan. We’ll be waiting with great anticipation.”
He hung up. For a moment we all just looked at one another. Then Ben turned to Zeus and Tessa and said, “We will leave tomorrow.”
That evening Taylor and I had dinner with Zeus and Tessa at the Japanese restaurant on the tenth floor of the hotel. The food was good, but Zeus and Tessa hardly spoke. Finally Taylor asked, “Are you guys okay?”
“We’re anxious about leaving the group,” Tessa said.
“I hate splitting the group up,” I said. “But I still think it’s the best move. Just remember, you’re only a diversion. An attempt is as good as we need.”
“You’re saying that it doesn’t matter if we shut the plant down?” Tessa said.
“I’m saying to come back safe,” I replied. “Shutting down the plant is a bonus.”
“I’m more worried about you guys than us,” Zeus said. He glanced around to make sure no one could hear him; then he said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about Nichelle. She’s a bad egg. I think she’s up to something.”
“If she is I can’t tell,” Taylor said. “I’ve read her thoughts a few times. She’s afraid and she’s not happy to be here, but her thoughts have been in line with the mission.”
“Maybe she’s purposely thinking things to throw you off,” Tessa said.
“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “I can usually tell when people do that, because part of their thoughts are about how they don’t want to think about what they’re hiding. Like, when Michael tries to hide something from me, I always know.”
“Are you saying you knew about the prom?” I asked.
“Maybe.”
I groaned. “At least you know I’ll never throw you a surprise party.”
Tessa looked at Zeus. “Why didn’t you take me to the prom?”
“What prom?” he said. “There wasn’t a prom at the academy.”
“There wasn’t a prom at the ranch either,” she said.
I looked at Zeus sympathetically. “Sorry, man.”
“Just be safe,” Taylor said.
“I was about to say the same thing,” Tessa replied.
* * *
The following afternoon we ordered some Chinese dim sum up to my room and everyone but Nichelle came to say good-bye to Zeus and Tessa. I wasn’t surprised that Nichelle didn’t show. She was probably glad to see them go. Neither Zeus nor Tessa had tried to hide how much they hated her. Not that I could blame them. I had no idea how many times Nichelle had been made to punish them, but living with her in the academy for all those years, I’m sure it was more times than either of them would forget. I’d been tortured by her and I still remembered every second of it.
We sat around eating and talking until Ben looked at his watch and said, “Okay, it is time for us to go.”
“When will you be back?” I asked.
“I will come back with them,” Ben said. “I have friends in Taitung so I will wait until they return.”
I hugged Tessa, then Zeus. “Remember, dude,” I said to him, “you’re just a diversion. Don’t take any chances. We’ll see you in a few days.”
“All right,” Zeus said. “You be safe. And remember what I said about N.”
“I will.”
“While I am gone it is best you stay in the hotel,” Ben said. “Just to be safe.”
“We’ll be okay,” I said.
“Please be careful. The Elgen are very smart.”
“We know,” I said. “We’ll be careful. I promise.”
He looked at me doubtfully, as if he was still unsure. “Okay,” he finally said. “We go. Dzai jyan.”
The three of them walked out of the room. After the door shut Taylor said, “A full week cooped up in the hotel? Just shoot me now.”
Over the next two days the six of us spent a lot of time together in my room, playing cards and watching whatever American television shows we could find, which consisted mostly of old Clint Eastwood movies. Nichelle never came over. She was still angry about being left out of the last meeting and kept to herself.
The evening of the second day Ostin, Jack, Ian, and I watched television in the dark while McKenna read in the corner, using her finger as a book light. Taylor was just staring out the window when she suddenly broke. “I’ve got to get out of here,” she said, turning back. “I’m going.”
“You’re going where?” I said.
“Out,” she replied. “I heard someone in the lobby say there’s a night market only a few miles from here.”
McKenna put down her book. “I want to go.”
“Ben said not to leave the hotel,” Ostin said.
“It’s not going to hurt anyone if we go out for an hour,” Taylor said. “No one will know.”
“Everyone will know,” Ostin said. “We stand out. Except McKenna.”
“They won’t know who we are,” Taylor said. “It’s not like we’re the only foreigners in this city.” She crossed her arms. “I’m going.” She looked at McKenna. “You with me?”
McKenna glanced apologetically at Ostin. “Sorry. I’ve got to get out too.”
Taylor looked at me. “Will you come? Please?”
I turned to Ian. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. I think Taylor’s right. There will probably be a lot of foreigners at the night market.”
I looked at Jack. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think it matters.”
I knew Taylor well enough to know that she wasn’t going to back down, and I wasn’t about to let her go without me. “All right,” I said. “But only for an hour. And we stick together.”
“Will you come?” McKenna asked Ostin.
“If everyone else does,” he said.
“How about you?” she asked Jack.
“I’ll go.”
“I’m not going,” Ian said.
“Why not?” McKenna asked.
“I’m not into shopping.”
“It’s not about the shopping,” Taylor said. “It’s the looking.”
“I can look from here.”
“I would feel better if you came with us,” I said. “If there’s a problem, you’ll see it before the rest of us.”
He didn’t look too happy about it, but he said, “All right.”
“What about Nichelle?” McKenna asked.
“We’d better at least ask her,” I said. “She’s still mad that we left her out last time.”
“I’ll ask her,” Taylor said.
“We’ll meet you by the elevator,” I said.
While Taylor walked back to her room, I turned off the television and the rest of us went out into the hall. A moment later Taylor walked out of her room followed by Nichelle.
“You’re coming,” I said to Nichelle.
“Thanks for the invite,” she said. I couldn’t tell from her tone if she was being snarky or sincere.
As we stepped into the elevator Taylor handed me her room key. “Would you mind holding this for me? I don’t have any front pockets.”
I took the key from her.
“And my lip gloss?”
“Sure.” I just looked at her.
“What?”
“Anything else?”
She smiled. “Nope.”
The seven of us took the elevator down together. Ostin stopped at the concierge desk for directions, then met up with us near the front doors.
“She says we’ll have to take a taxi. S
he wrote down the address.” He held up a paper covered with Chinese characters.
We showed the paper to one of the hotel’s attendants, who signaled for two taxis and told each of them the address. Taylor, Nichelle, and I got in one of the cabs, while Jack, McKenna, Ostin, and Ian got in the other. We rode with the windows down, and the cool night air combined with the sounds and smells of the city to create a dizzying panorama.
“Man, we’re not in Idaho,” I said.
“Definitely not Idaho,” Taylor said.
Nichelle glanced over at us but said nothing.
Our cabs let us off near the corner of a crowded city block. The night market was a bright pulsating beast of electric lights, music, and throngs of humanity. The pungent smells of food from sidewalk vendors filled the air. Some of the scents were definitely more pleasant than others.
The market took up at least eight city blocks, and the inner streets were blocked off to cars. People flowed between the buildings like a river flooding its banks. Most of those around us were Chinese but, as Taylor had guessed, there were also many tourists and foreigners, which made me feel more relaxed.
“Aren’t you glad we came?” Taylor said, taking in the ambience. “This is a lot funner than sitting in our rooms.”
“ ‘Funner’ isn’t a word,” Ostin said.
“Did you understand me?” Taylor asked.
Ostin blinked. “Yes.”
“Then it’s a word,” she replied.
We joined in with the crowd’s flow, letting it pull us through the labyrinth of the market. In addition to the stores that lined both sides of the streets, merchants spread blankets down in the middle of the road to display their wares: knockoff Chanel and Louis Vuitton purses, sunglasses, T-shirts, and a million other knickknacks.
As we passed a booth a man shouted something to McKenna in Chinese.
“What did he say?” she asked Ostin.
“He asked if you want a tattoo.”
“Why would I want a tattoo?” she said.
“They’re not permanent,” Ostin said. “They’re hemp. They’ll wash off in a few days.”
“Why don’t you get one?” McKenna said.
Ostin glanced at Jack’s tattoo, then back at her. “Maybe I will.”
“Do it,” she said, making it sound like a dare.
“Okay, I will.” He walked into the man’s booth. The walls were covered with black-and-white paper displays of art ranging from Chinese characters to American cartoon characters. “Check this one out,” Ostin said, pointing to a drawing of a dragon. “I want that.”