But the escape wouldn’t look good on his video reports, so he pulled up the files in a video editing program and cut off the last section before sending it on to his superiors. Then he moved to another workstation within the lab that had been equipped with the most recent in video conferencing hardware and software.
A light blinked on next to the camera, and within another few seconds, General Kuan Yin appeared on the screen. Cho bowed respectfully to the General and said in Mandarin, “General, the field tests are proceeding very well. I’m sending over a set of video files that demonstrate the potential of the weapon I’ve created. As requested, for this final weapons test before we move into production, I have drawn in some of the most elite fighting men that our enemies have to offer. We attacked two clandestine bases operated by the U.S. and Great Britain and then allowed them to track us back here. They reacted as we had anticipated and sent in teams from Delta and the SAS. As you’ll see from the videos, the skills of these men made little difference. No human being can stand against my soldiers.”
The General gave a curt nod. “Very good, Dr. Cho. But how is the anti-serum progressing?”
“It’s very near to completion, sir.”
The general’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You’ve been telling us that for a while now. I hope there have been no setbacks in your work. We need that anti-serum immediately, or we will be forced to terminate the program.”
Cho fought back his disgust and forced a smile. “Everything is moving along well. You’ll have the anti-serum in hand very soon.”
“Very good. You are a true patriot, doctor. And you will be rewarded as such, once your work is complete.”
Cho bowed graciously and then cut the connection. As soon as the light blinked out, he spit onto the blank monitor. Rewarded.True patriot. He suspected once he outlived his usefulness and delivered the serum and anti-serum, the general or one of his lackeys would erase him from existence. After all, they couldn’t have him giving away any of their secrets to a rival government.
Yes, they would try to kill him. Unfortunately for them, he was one step ahead.
21.
Knight’s radio chirped to life, and the sudden sound in the dark, quiet space caused him to instinctively step back and reach for his weapon. The voice on the other end said, “Knight, we’re getting really scared. We can’t see you on any of the TVs. Are you okay? Are you coming to get us?”
He grabbed for the radio and said, “Everything’s fine, Ling. I told you that I’m a monster hunter. And I think we’ve found a way to kill this particular monster. Once it’s over, we’ll all be able to go home.”
There was a moment of silence, and then Ling said, “We have no home.”
Knight winced. Of all the insensitive, asshole things he could have said, he picked one of the worst. He thought of Fiona—the adopted daughter of Chess Team’s field leader, King—and the love that every member of the team shared for the girl. But despite his affection for Fiona, he had always been glad that the true burden of being her father had fallen to King. It wasn’t a job that he had ever wanted or even considered. His comment cemented the fact.
He wished he could offer them a solution, but he wasn’t child services. He was a Black Ops soldier fighting monsters—human and non-human around the world. Fiona had been forced into their world by the threat on her life, but Chess Team wasn’t an orphanage. Still, he felt for the kids. He knew what growing up without parents was like. But they were tough. And they had each other. They’d pull through.
When he opened his mouth to speak, his voice sounded dry and cracked. “Umm…we can talk about that once we’re all safe.”
He looked up to see Beck watching him from the corner of her eyes. She was grinning. “You’ve got a beautiful smile,” he said. “Wouldn’t mind seeing it on a more regular basis.”
The eyes narrowed, but the grin remained. “I bet you would.”
“After all this is over, maybe we could take a little trip together. I know a private spot in the Cambodian jungle where two waterfalls meet. At sunset, the rays of light shine through the falls and create the most beautiful rainbow you’ve ever seen. I’d love to show it to you.”
Beck stuck her finger down her throat and made a gagging sound.
“Okay…I could take you to Montana instead. We could kill a grizzly bear.”
She cocked her head to the side. Her brown hair fell over the side of her face. “You’re getting closer, but I don’t know. I’ve never dated a guy that’s shorter than I am.”
“I could wear heels if it helps.”
She chuckled. The gesture projected a softness into her eyes. “It might.”
Donahue cleared his throat loudly. Knight noticed for the first time that the SAS commander was limping slightly and favoring his left side. Donahue coughed and said, “We’re here. If you love birds are done twitterpating, maybe we can kill that bloody creature now.”
22.