Jason lay on the damp, snow-covered grass on his back, looking up in pain. Clouds swiftly moved across the sky, which gave him a spectacular view of Mont Blanc. Then something dark and heavy passed over him, and the figure was quickly followed by another. The wind whisked up the light covering of snow all around him.
Two helicopters landed next to Jason. The French police working with MI6 and Interpol were there to storm the castle. An unfamiliar face bent down and pulled Jason to his feet.
“Nice to finally meet you, Jason. Simon Caldwell, SYUI. We spoke on the phone.” Caldwell introduced himself.
“You’re the guy who wanted me shot,” Jason snapped back, giving Caldwell one of his evil looks.
“I was following orders, Jason. Anyway, looks like it turned out okay in the end—what, what?” Caldwell replied in his upper-class accent.
Jason didn’t reply. Instead, he looked for Joanne. He limped over to the ambulance, where they were treating her cuts. Simon Caldwell gingerly followed.
“What the dickens are you doing here?” George asked when he saw Caldwell.
“Hello, George. When my top man is involved, I pull out all the stops. It’s not just MI6 that can work on international affairs.”
“Good, maybe you can get me a job in the Virgin Islands,” George joked.
“I need to debrief you and Jason. We have it from the highest authority that the Chinese are sending their top agent to meet Joanne and escort her back to China. You three can accompany me to the airport. It should be safe now, but you can never be too sure,” Caldwell ordered.
Chapter 34
Interpol arrested over seventy-nine Triad members. Most were wanted in various countries. George, Jason, and Joanne were escorted to a van with blackened windows. Simon Caldwell went with them. MI6 agent Gary Barnes drove them to the airport.
Jason sat in the back with Joanne. His ankle was bandaged, and he had a tight bandage around his chest to support his cracked ribs—his cuts cleaned and dressed. They held hands and said nothing—both exhausted by the events of the past week. George sat in front, smoking a cigar someone had given him. Caldwell sat up front with the driver.
George was half asleep and didn’t notice anything unusual. Jason sat with his head resting on Joanne’s. As the minibus took a very steep turn, George eventually noticed something was wrong.
The lane came to the stop at a ski slope. A helicopter was waiting for them next to a large wooden building with a cable car that went up the mountain.
“What’s this? Why have we come here?” George asked.
Jason looked up through his blond bangs.
“We are meeting the Chinese agent. He will take Joanne in the helicopter,” Caldwell replied.
Jason went to move. His instincts told him this was wrong. As soon as he tried, Caldwell took out a gun and pointed it at him.
“How did you guess, Jason?” he asked.
“The top Chinese agent was killed outside the police station,” Jason said and sat back down.
Caldwell turned the gun on Gary Barnes and fired a single shot, killing the man. His body slumped over the steering wheel, sounding the horn. Caldwell opened the driver’s door and pushed Gary’s body out onto the ground.
Three men dressed in black emerged from the helicopter and waited.
“You would betray your country for money?” George asked, disgusted.
“You never were the brightest bulb in the box, were you, George? It’s not just money. It’s power. Once we take over Chairman Mao’s weak Chinese government, I shall be given a position in high authority. And I may do even better now that Boudica is gone.” He turned to the three men from the helicopter and said, “Take the girl and wait at our warehouse. I will follow, but first, I need to show George and Jason the beautiful mountain scenery.”
“No, thanks. I’ll stay with Joanne and have a helicopter ride,” Jason said and grinned.
“If you want to die a painful death, keep talking. After the trouble you have caused, I would like to see you suffer. George, bring his body,” Caldwell said and pointed at Gary Barnes.
George dragged the body behind as he followed Caldwell, who was walking backward toward the cable car building. He never took the gun off Jason.
The building smelled damp and musty. It was dusty and full of cobwebs because it had been closed for the summer. Once the heavy snowfalls arrived, it would come to life with tourists and skiers. Caldwell turned on the power switches and then a hum of power and lights came on. He pulled down a heavy switch that operated the cable. The cars all started to squeak and slowly move. The cable was a continuous loop.
The cable cars would go up and around a pulley over a mile away and then come back down on a return cable. At the cable building at the bottom, the cars would follow the cable around another pulley and go back up again. The cars never stopped. They could carry about six people. Once you were inside either the top or bottom building, you could simply step on and off the slow-moving cars.
“Get on and take him with you,” Caldwell ordered. George pulled the body of Gary Barnes onto a car. Jason jumped on behind, followed by Caldwell with the gun.
As the cable car left the building to make its ascent up the mountain, Jason looked out the window. He could see the men forcing Joanne into the helicopter.
“You will never get away with this,” George cursed.
“Sadly, you will never know. Your bodies will be covered by the winter snow that’s about to fall. You won’t be found until next spring. I assure you I will get away with it,” he replied with a smug look on his face.
Jason was infuriated with the way the three men forced Joanne into the helicopter. He stared at Caldwell and concentrated—his eyes darkening. His ears blocked out all sound, and his pupils dilated. Jason’s body started to tremble from the adrenaline rush.
Jason slowly raised himself onto his toes. Every muscle fiber in his body tightened like a coiled spring. His heart rate increased, pumping oxygen to his muscles. The fastest human could run a hundred meters in under ten seconds. Caldwell was less than three meters away and was about to get hit by a human cannonball. Jason had to risk it. He was certain he could move faster than Caldwell could pull the trigger. His body was trembling like a sprinter on a starting line.
Caldwell could see a blur, but before he could respond, Jason was inches from him. Jason had leapt forward and pounced, his right fist aiming for his target’s face. Caldwell moved the gun and fired in Jason’s direction. The loud bang exploded in their ears. The bullet passed through Jason’s jacket collar, grazed his neck, and went through a window, causing a terrific crash. Jason’s fist split open Caldwell’s nose. In shock, the man dropped the gun. With his momentum, Jason swung with his left hand at Caldwell again and caught the man directly in the face. Caldwell’s legs gave out, and he fell on the floor. Shards of broken glass rained down on him and Jason.
He was pinned down by Jason, who threw punch after punch into Caldwell’s face. His hands moved like two powerful pistons pumping away like a finely tuned machine. Jason’s attack was vicious, merciless, and unrelenting. George picked up the gun. He knew he wouldn’t need it now. Blood started to splatter into Jason’s face from Caldwell. The man lay motionless while his face was being broken.
“Jason, stop. Dear God, please stop!” George screamed through broken teeth and bloody lips. “You’ll kill him.”
Jason stood outside himself and coldly watched what he was doing. There was something horribly methodical about the act as he beat Caldwell’s face to a bloody pulp.
“Jason, stop,” George shouted.
Jason paused as he was kneeling on Caldwell. He lowered his hands down and fought for his breath.
Joanne.
He looked out the broken window. The helicopter had started up. It would take at least thirty minutes for t
he cable car to reach the top and come back down again. He looked down and cursed. They were already over one hundred feet above the ground.
George checked Caldwell for a pulse. It was faint, but he was still alive. Jason growled in frustration as the cable car took him higher and farther away from Joanne. Then he noticed it. They were about to pass a car coming down. George watched Jason and could see his plan.
“No, Jason, it’s too far,” George said. “If you miss, it’s certain death! You’re still injured. Don’t even think about it, son.”
Jason ignored him. He had to stop the helicopter from taking off. He took the gun from George and stuffed it down the front of his pants. George shook his head and gave a tight-lipped smile. He knew he couldn’t stop him. Jason climbed out of the broken window and stood on the window frame.
“Jason, don’t risk it,” George begged.
The car came alongside theirs and then Jason leapt from the window, his arms outstretched. Jason managed to get both hands on the brass bar that helped the cars follow around the pulleys, and he held on tightly. His face and body smashed against the side. He screamed out in pain as he knocked his damage nose and ribs. George shook his head in disbelief.
The car seemed to take its time to get back. The helicopter blades spun at high speed. The wind blew the light snow on the ground into a mist. The pilot increased the power slowly, and the helicopter started to lift off the ground.
Jason dropped the last fifteen feet and ran to the helicopter. Next to the building, he noticed a Coca-Cola crate with a few empty bottles inside. He grabbed it and spilled out the bottles as he ran. The helicopter was now off the ground by six feet and going higher. Jason swung the crate up like he was bowling a cricket ball and threw it at the helicopter. The rear rotor blades that controlled the steering smashed the crate into matchsticks.
A loud grinding and crunching noise followed, and the blade sent shards of splinters in all directions. The rotor blades were broken and twisted. The pilot had to land the helicopter before it went into an uncontrollable spin. Jason lay down and took out the gun.
He fired and hit the first man who attempted to climb out. The wounded man fell onto the ground and held his stomach. The other two men stayed inside the relative safety of the helicopter. Jason could see them talking to each other and waving their arms, unsure about what move to make. They did what he dreaded. They put a gun to Joanne’s head and made her step out.
What do I do now?
Unsure what to do, he did the exact opposite of what they would have expected. He shot at the helicopter just a few feet from Joanne. She looked horrified.
“Stop! You’ll hit the girl,” one of the gunmen shouted.
“I don’t care. I’m going to kill all of you. Unless you throw out your guns and surrender,” Jason shouted back. He shot again, and this time, he came very close to Joanne.
Oops, that was too close.
They paused and then decided that the boy was crazy, so they threw out their guns. They held their hands above their heads. Joanne bent down, picked up the guns, and walked toward Jason. He stood up and gestured for them to come forward.
“You’re a good shot, Jase. That was so close to me.” Joanne smiled as she hugged him. He never told her he was aiming a lot farther away. They waited for George to come back down in the cable car. He left Caldwell on the car to go around again.
“The fresh air will do him good. Where he’s going, he won’t get much,” George said and grinned.
Chapter 35
Jason and Joanne were taken to a nearby hotel, where they were protected by MI6 and Interpol. George called Joanne’s father, Lin Tse-Hsu, who was very pleased to hear his daughter was safe. Joanne spoke to her parents and passed the phone back to George. Jason lay on a bed and smiled at Joanne.
“Was it nice to talk to your parents again?” he asked.
“Yes, Jason, thank you.” She sat next to him. They both watched George on the phone.
“Yes, sir, but she will be fine without him,” George said. He looked flustered and then turned to Jason. “I can’t say. He’s not technically my employee. You can ask him, sir.” George beckoned Jason to the phone. “Lin Tse-Hsu wishes to speak to you, Jason.”
Jason jumped off the bed and took the phone. “Hello, Mr. Lin Tse-Hsu. This is Jason.”
“Jason, I wanted to thank you, and if I may, ask one more favor of you,” Lin Tse-Hsu said.
“Yes, sir.”
“Joanne informs me you have taken care of her, even when the police or MI6 should have been. Although she is being accompanied back to China by MI6, could you come with her just until she is safe with us? If it were not for you, well, I would rather not think about what would have happened.”
“Yes, sir, I will. I have never been to China,” Jason said and grinned.
“Actually, Jason, I was thinking Hong Kong. I still have some political enemies. I would rather meet in a quiet location in Hong Kong.”
Jason beamed. It had been almost two years since he had been in Hong Kong. He missed it and, most of all, his karate instructor, Wong Tong. He arranged to meet at Wong Tong’s karate dojo. Jason felt it would be safe.
Two days later, they arrived in Hong Kong via a private Royal Air Force passenger plane. Despite the jet lag and no sleep, Jason was excited about being back in the city he considered home. MI6 drove them to Wong Tong’s dojo.
Joanne smiled when she saw Jason’s excitement as they were driven through the streets of Hong Kong.
“Look. That’s my old school.” He pointed at a large white building with a high fence that keep footballs from coming over. “That’s the baker shop where we used to buy carrot cake.”
She smiled at him and nodded, trying to look interested in everything he pointed out. She had never seen him smile so much.
“There, next to the church, that’s Wong Tong’s!” he shouted to the driver.
The MI6 officers climbed out and checked to see if the area was clear. They held their jackets down, concealing weapons. One of Lin Tse-Hsu’s bodyguards was standing outside. They spoke and nodded. Jason and Joanne climbed out and walked inside, hand in hand.
When Joanne saw her mother, she ran across the floor to meet her and then hugged her parents. Joanne and her mother cried as they hugged. Jason took off his shoes and socks and bowed as he entered.
“Jason Steed,” a boy called out. Jason looked up and nodded at him. The students surrounded Jason. Most of them knew him and those who didn’t had heard all about Wong Tong’s star pupil. Jason shook hands and remarked how many of them had grown. Then he noticed Wong Tong standing quietly in the corner. The students stood back. Jason ran to Wong Tong and stopped just short of hugging him. He bowed and gave his hand. Although he wanted to embrace his mentor, Jason resisted hugging Wong Tong.
“You move back to Hong Kong?” Wong Tong asked in his broken English.
Jason’s face saddened. “No, it’s just a quick visit.”
“You forgot how to block? Is your nose broken?”
“I was head-butted. Yeah, it’s broken.”
“You were head-butted. You’re so small. Was it a midget?” Wong Tong teased.
“Don’t laugh. It was a woman.”
“Ha, a woman. Jason, you need practice more.” Wong Tong laughed. He noticed Lin Tse-Hse approaching.
“Jason, may I thank you?” Lin Tse-Hsu interrupted, holding his hand out. Jason shook his hand and smiled. “We are leaving now,” the man continued. “We owe you a great debt, Jason. You must come to China one day as my guest.”
“Thank you, sir. I will.” He watched them slowly leave, Joanne holding her mother’s hand. She couldn’t face saying good-bye to Jason. He slowly followed her outside and watched her climb into the back of a black limousine. She looked up and saw him looking at her. She climbed out of th
e car and ran up to him, crying.
“Jason,” she sobbed. He held her tight as her parents watched the two of them. He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her gently on the lips. Her father was taken by surprise. A Western boy kissing his daughter on the lips in a public place was not appropriate. He walked over to break them up, but when he saw tears running down the boy’s face, he stood back and left them alone to say good-bye.
“I’ll always love you, Jason.” They both smiled as they wiped each other’s tears away. It tore at Jason’s heart when he watched the car leave. He questioned how he felt about her. It was different than the way he felt about Catherine. He figured it was the same love as a brother and sister would have. Either way, this good-bye hurt, knowing that he may not ever see her again.
As the car drove off, an MI6 officer approached Jason and passed him a tissue to wipe his face. “We have to get a hotel room, son. Our flight to Britain leaves in the morning,” he said.
Jason looked up at him, wiped his eyes, and cleared his throat.
“I want to stay here for the rest of the day. Can you pick me up tonight?” Jason asked.
“We’re supposed to stay with you, Jason. Mr. Young insisted.”
“George should know by now that I never do as I’m told,” Jason said as he walked back into the dojo.
Once the lesson was over, Wong Tong and Jason spent a few hours talking.
“So, Jason, in England, do you eat these ‘farmer burgers’?” Wong Tong asked.
“Farmer burgers? I don’t know what they are.”
“Yes, maybe I have the name wrong. I remember the name from the song,” Wong Tong explained.
“What song?” Jason asked.
“You know, the ‘E, I, E, I, O’ song.”
“E, I, E, I, O” song?
Jason started to roar with laughter. He tried to speak but was laughing, much to the annoyance of Wong Tong. He held his chest because laughing still hurt his ribs.