Undercover - In China - Book 7

Part 4 - Roger that base

'Affirmative,' Yonnie's voice said. 'Roger that base and wilco, over and standing by on channel 16.'

'I have control of the auto-pilot. I've been flying simulators for megaseconds but this is the first time I figured out how to get a real helicopter. And for all my American listeners, copy that and listening out.' 

 'Thou hast control,' Triple Oh exclaimed with alarm. 'And we must evacuate.'

'Wait,' I said sharply. 'Yonnie has taken control.'

 'Yonnie is a computer program,' he said. 'I have no faith in computer algorithms who think they know how to fly. And, she doesn't know where we are.'

 'Negative that,' Yonnie shouted indignantly, 'I am flying over the harbour at two thousand feet, heading two two zero degrees true. Air Traffic Control is advising I land at the Hong Kong International Airport.'

'Negative that, my arse!' Triple Oh snapped. 'We shall abandon ship.' He whipped around and cut my shackles using a plasma cutter on his key chain. It looked like a ball pen. He ripped off my ear phones, lifted me over his seat-back, tugged two straps from his shoulder harness, wrapped them tightly under my arms and, with me strapped to his chest, stepped through the co-pilots door . . . into space.

'Triple Oh,' I screamed as we hit the rotor down wash. 'There's no negative gravity field distortion! I can't fly!'

'Now, thou tellest me!' he grumbled cheerfully and pulled a toggle on his back jerkin. I twisted my head to watch the jerkin disintegrating as it unravelled. There was an increasing pull on the straps attaching me to Triple Oh. Unbelievably, we seemed to be slowing down. The helicopter was flying steadily toward the airport. 

 Above us the air seemed to shimmer.   'What is that?' I asked.

'It's a para-glider,' Triple Oh said, 'It will slow our decent to a non lethal speed.'

 'You got a parachute inside your vest?' I asked in amazement.

'It is very light compared to technology in your era. We have very strong fibres like spider webs. You can barely see them.'

My nose was centimetres from Triple Oh's. 'Triple Oh, your breath stinks. Have you been drinking.'

'Aye. I quaffed a tankard of ale with Will Shakespeare afore thou callst for help.'

'I didn't call.'

 'Your arm band crossed a time shear thus setting off alarums at the Time Agency whence Theo alerted me to your plight.'

I looked down. 'Triple Oh we are about to fall into the harbour.'

 'Nay lad. I am setting course for the nexus. We should land on the overpass.'

Triple Oh was flying the para-glider back toward the Kowloon nexus, the connection with my normal place in time and space, but I never saw it. The lingering effects of Murga's drug combined with the restful swinging, overcame my desire to stay awake. I passed out.

I was dreaming again. I was moving on a motorbike wedged between two men. It was snowing and a lot colder; freezing. One of the men picked me up like a baby but then my dream faded to black again.