Rogue Angel - False Horizon Part 26

"We need him to keep us alive. If we go outside without him, they'll shoot us. At least with Guge, we can keep them from unleas.h.i.+ng a lead shower on us."

"You think that will work?"

Annja shrugged. "I really don't know. But I'm running out of ideas."

Guge leaned against the computer desk and gritted his teeth. "They won't hesitate to kill me to get to you, Annja. You've got too high a bounty on your head for them to even blink at taking me out."

Annja shoved him toward the doorway. "Well, maybe we'll just go outside and test that theory of yours, shall we?"

"It will be the last thing you do."

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that before," Annja said. She looked at Tuk. "Better grab some firepower. Bring both rifles and the magazines. This thing could get really hot."

Tuk bent and scooped up the guns and ammunition. When he was ready he nodded at Annja.

Annja shoved Guge forward. "All right, old man, let's get going. Something tells me things are about to get interesting. And you can spill all your secrets on the way out."

28.

Annja led Guge into the corridor and back down the slope toward the opening near the prison cell. As they walked, Tuk brought up the rear, with the two AKs dangling from his shoulders.

"Tell me what this is about," Annja demanded.

"It's about you dying, Annja Creed," Guge said. "We've known about you for a while now."

"Who has known about me?"

"Various members of the Chinese intelligence service."

"You mean the whole of the Beijing political apparatus?"

Guge laughed. "Of course not. Only a few select members. Can you imagine how crazy it would look if we went with this before the premier and his people? They would have had us all shot for suggesting that there is a woman with a magical sword roaming the planet who should be a.s.sa.s.sinated."

Annja felt a small measure of relief. "But why target me? I wasn't harming anyone."

"It's not necessary that you were harming anyone," Guge said, still gritting his teeth to ward off the pain he must have been feeling from the bullet hole in his leg. "It's that you have access to that sword."

"So the sword signed my death warrant?"

"Something like that. It was felt that it would be good to try to acquire the sword for our own usage."

"Whose usage?"

"Our leader."

Annja stopped and shoved Guge against the wall. "Who is it? Is it Hsu Xiao or whatever her name is-the woman in the room with you?"

Guge laughed. "Hsu Xiao is nothing but a tool of our leader. She does what she's told to do, which just so happens to be dealing death. But she is nothing close to the brains of this operation."

Annja then shoved him forward again. "Keep moving."

Guge stumbled along. "It's quite funny, actually. Seeing you so concerned about this. I mean, we heard that you didn't even like having the sword. That you'd rather go back to the normal life that you had before the sword came into your possession."

"Whoever you guys are, you've certainly had some highly placed sources near my life for some time."

Guge smiled. "Our leader doesn't do anything halfway. She's special that way."

"She?"

"Does that surprise you? That a woman would be in charge?"

"No. I'm all for equal rights. Madmen, madwomen, what's the difference?" Annja shrugged. "It always come down to the same thing. How soon can I get rid of them?"

Guge shook his head. "You won't be getting rid of her so easily. She knows all about you. She's taken the time to study you intimately, in fact. She's watched you over the years and has learned how to play you. This setup alone should prove that as fact to you."

"What setup?"

Guge laughed. "Our little fantasy world here. It's something, isn't it? This make-believe Shangri-La? That's the irony. We're making believe that it's a make-believe place. The irony is so thick you could cut it."

They'd reached the prison cell and Guge blanched when he saw the dead Chinese soldier on the floor. "You certainly don't seem to mind all the killing you unleash, do you?"

"I do what's necessary. I choked him out first but then he came to and attacked me. I had no choice but to kill him," Annja said.

"Is that what you tell yourself before the demons come at night?"

"Shut up."

Guge shrugged. "You're more like her than you know. I think that's why she went through all this trouble just to catch you and get the sword."

Annja pulled him to a stop again and got up close to his face. "Listen to me, pal. Even if I wanted to hand over the sword, it wouldn't leave. It's not something I can give away. And if I could, I sure as h.e.l.l wouldn't pa.s.s it to some nutball organization that wants to use it for evil purposes."

"Actually, it's our theory that you can can give it away." give it away."

Annja stopped. "What?"

Guge nodded. "We think you can give it away. Of course, there happens to be a downside."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"You have to do it as you're dying. Sort of like a final wish or command, if you will. If you manifest the sword as you are dying, then we believe you can hand it over to whomever you want."

"That's some theory."

Guge giggled. "Well, you know what they say about theories-all it takes is one d.a.m.ned fool to try it out to see if it works."

Tuk swept past Annja. "Can we shut him up now? I'm getting tired of listening to him babble on and on."

Annja ignored Tuk. "And just how are they going to test that theory?"

"I already told you, Annja. You'll have to die."

Annja backhanded him across the face and shoved him forward down the corridor again. She could still see the flickering torches stuck in their brackets down the hall where the giant Buddhist sculptures sat.

"So all of this is nothing but a joke, huh? This must have cost millions to create. Millions of dollars just to get to me?"

Guge shook his head. "Don't be so egotistical. She's not a fool. Diverting that kind of money would have raised alarm bells and gotten us all killed. No, we needed a place that already existed. So we found it."

"This already existed?"

"Sure."

"Why is this the first anyone has known about it?"

Guge shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? You found this place because we wanted you to find it. It's all part of the plan, sweetheart."

Annja kneed him in the back. "I'm not your sweetheart. Now keep moving before I do get tired of you and let you rot here."

Guge stopped. "Wait-before we go any farther, I've got to tell you something."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"When you meet our leader-because you will soon-you should know one thing about her."

Annja sighed. "What?"

Guge licked his lips. "She-"

The sharp retort of gunfire exploded down the hallway and three rounds tore a line across Guge's chest, st.i.tching him from one side to the other. His body spasmed and jerked from the impact.

Annja spun even as Tuk started shouting for her to take cover. Automatic gunfire sounded and Annja bent forward, looking for any type of protection.

"Annja! You okay?"

Annja crawled and found a shallow depression by one of the torch brackets. She reached up and pulled the torch out of the bracket and then smashed it to the ground. Darkness enveloped the hallway.

"I'm all right. You got some cover?" she called to Tuk.

"By the nearest statue."

Sporadic gunfire broke out and bullets zipped past in the air. Annja kept her head down.

She heard closer gunfire and saw that Tuk was firing back at the end of the hallway.

"Are they down there?"

"I think so. I caught a glimpse of movement right before the whole place exploded."

"I need a gun. Slide one over to me," she said.

Annja heard the skid of metal on stone and reached out as the a.s.sault rifle slid into her grasp. She picked it up and ratcheted the slide. Annja set the selector switch down past full auto to semi and brought the b.u.t.t to her shoulder.

Along the hallway, she caught a muzzle flash and ducked back as a bullet plowed through the air near her head.

Tuk was firing back in two-round bursts. Annja caught a glimpse of him in the muzzle flash and then fired off a few rounds herself. She had to let them at least know they were armed.

She wasn't going down without a fight.

Thoughts swam through her head as she looked for any target of opportunity. Just how much of what Guge had just told her was truth? He'd already admitted to lying. Would he still be lying to her up until the moment he died?

And if he wasn't lying, then could this whole thing really be just one big plot to get Annja's sword?

Who would go to those lengths?

"Reloading!" Tuk called out.

Annja brought her weapon up and squeezed off several rounds. She realized they would have to conserve ammunition. Once they ran out, that was it. They'd be defenseless.

"Tuk! We can't stay here!" she shouted.

"I know. What do you want to do?"

Annja squeezed off two more rounds. "I'm coming to you. Cover me."

"Go!" he said.

Tuk started firing and Annja crept out of her s.p.a.ce, then ran toward the shadowy figure of the little man. Annja slid in next to him and felt the rea.s.suring presence of the giant statue. It was more than enough to provide them with exceptional cover from the bullets coming at them.

Tuk paused. "You all right?"

Annja nodded. "Who taught you how to shoot?"

Tuk grinned. "Reruns of The A-Team. The A-Team. For a while that was the only American programming we got over here." For a while that was the only American programming we got over here."

Annja wanted to laugh. But they had problems to face. "We can't stay here. They'll wait us out and then come and kill us."

"Agreed, but what do we do? If we try to go at them, they'll simply mow us down."

Annja chewed her lip. "I'm open to ideas."

"I'm not sure I have any." Tuk frowned. "Hold that thought." He ducked back around the edge of the statue and let out a burst of gunfire. From somewhere down the hallway, Annja heard a scream and then silence. Tuk must have tagged one of them trying to sneak up.