Chapter 63: The Mekong Chase
Chapter 63: The Mekong Chase
The old wooden longtail boat screamed as Sarah yanked the starter rope. The modified truck engine mounted on the rear exploded to life, its long propeller shaft tearing through the water and sending a massive spray of foam into the dark.
She jammed the throttle forward. The boat launched into the narrow, winding canal just as the drone overhead opened fire.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Heavy caliber rounds punched through the mud banks on either side of her, shattering the palm trees into splinters. Sarah steered with one hand, her left arm clamped over Hope like a shield. The canal was a labyrinth of darkness, the thick canopy of coconut trees offering the only protection against the thermal cameras above.
Behind her, the headlights of the two remaining Consortium speedboats cut through the mist. They were faster, their twin outboards roaring as they closed the distance.
"Come on... come on..." Sarah prayed, leaning her weight forward as the longtail bounced violently over a floating log.
The shortwave radio hidden beneath the boat's wooden bench crackled. It was Thomas Hale's voice, broadcasting from an encrypted relay station in Saigon.
"Sarah, you’re heading toward the main shipping lane near Mỹ Tho! There’s a container vessel docked there under a Panamanian flag. It’s an Aegis trap! Your father’s men have locked down the river exit!"
Sarah looked ahead. Through the opening of the canal, the massive, dark silhouette of a multi-ton cargo ship loomed like a mountain in the center of the river. There was no way around it.
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She looked at the speedboats behind her. She looked at the drone above.
"Thomas," Sarah said into the radio, her eyes turning into pure flint. "Tell my father I’m coming aboard. But I’m bringing his ghosts with me."
