The Wuhan Mission

“What do you want to take in with you?” she asked him. Sam replied: “Well it might be a moot point considering they will wand me for weapons as soon as I walk in the door. You just take what you need from the bag, and leave the rest with us. We’ll probably have to make it up as we go along after I call them anyway.”

Xue Lin had taken the Chinese submachine gun with its suppressor out of the long bag. The team stared at her as she methodically armed herself to the teeth with two pistols, a grenade, the Chinese machine gun and the Barret 50 caliber sniper rifle with a thermal scope. She left the rest in the bag for Sam and the team.

“Who is my sniper buddy?” she asked looking around the team.

“I am” a stocky fellow with round glasses squinted awkwardly back at her. “The name’s Ryan. Nice to meet you.”

“Is that a Barret you have over your shoulder?” Xue Lin asked cheekily, recognizing the rifle.

“Looks like we are gonna be a loud couple” he replied, smirking, a little embarrassed. The Team Leader looked at Xue Lin and assured her: “Don’t worry, you can rely on Ryan. He’ll be there for you when it counts.”

“I like him already!” she said smiling. She raised her eyebrows at Sam. They may as well get on with it, she thought.

“Let’s get into the city and I’ll make the call when we are all in position. Snipers in the front vehicle with a driver. Us three in this one.”

The Team Leader collected up the map: “Mount up!”

*

The Barbecue Couple had been listening for clues from the conversations in Mandarin between their various captors but there had been none during any of the trivial chats between the guards about the best packet noodle flavor and other mundane topics. Mercifully, the Chinese had elected not to gag them. They whispered freely without being stopped. They both agreed that it felt grim in the safe house.

*

As the two SUVs neared Milan’s very modest Chinatown, the Team Leader said over comms: “Five minutes out.”

Sam put his comms on. The team were using tactical throat mics and earpieces.

“Is there a back entrance to the building across the street?” Sam asked.

“Affirmative. We have a man on the scene to let them in. Let’s get Ryan and your girl up there with the 50’s.”

“Roger that” replied the driver, accelerating the SUV that was in the lead. He turned to Ryan who was navigating. “How’s traffic on the ring road?”

“Not much. Make a left at the second set of lights.”

“Xue Lin looked out the window at the change of scenery: “Wow! It’s pretty here.”

“Next right. Then it’s two hundred meters on the left. Yes Ma’am. It’s a beautiful city. Let’s hope we don’t infect it with that big ol’ virus that your boyfriend is carrying” Ryan said.

“Call me Snowflake” she replied loading the pistol on her hip. “How the fuck do these comms work?” she asked, struggling with her new necklace of communications technology.

Ryan turned around and helped Xue Lin position her throat mike.

“Try it now.”

“Good morning Vietnaaaaam!” she yelled, deafening the whole team.

Everybody winced in both vehicles.

“Best if you just talk quietly Ma’am” Ryan quipped, smirking.

The first SUV pulled up at the back entrance and Xue Lin and Ryan got out and jogged through a door being held open by a man who seemed to be expecting them.

As Xue Lin followed Ryan up the stairs to the fifth floor where the access door to the roof was unlocked. The second SUV slowly pulled up to the curb a block away around the corner and out of the line of sight of the Chinese lookout.

Ryan pointed to a spot at the edge of the roof: “That’s us right there.”

The two of them unpacked near the edge of the building. Xue Lin snuck a look over the edge with the thermal scope at the building with boarded up ground floor windows. She could make out her parents sitting close together, and one man standing near them.

“I’m showing the two hostages on the ground floor near the back of the building with one guard. Two more on the ground floor just inside the front door.”

Ryan was scoping the rest of the building: “I have one on the top floor at the window and one on the second floor.”

“I’m calling them now” Sam said, the line already ringing.

“Welcome to Italy. I hope you brought the vials” the voice said.

“Yes, we have the vials. We just touched down in Milan.”

“I hope you had a nice flight. You made very good time. I am sending you our coordinates. We are in Chinatown in the center of Milan. Forty minutes from airport by car.”

The text came through with the coordinates. Sam nodded confirmation to the team that they were in the right place.

“Just one of you can come in. You understand of course.” The Chinese agent was being very polite. “Please believe me when I tell you that we just want to make exchange. No trouble. No dead bodies.”

Sam nodded before replying: “I’m with you on that.”

“We are in agreement then. When you come?”

Sam looked at the Team Leader and shrugged.

“Forty minutes I guess. Good for you?”

“I look forward to seeing you” he said, hanging up.