02 The Op

Ying‑Tai leads a covert strike team up a 3,200‑foot megastructure in a night‑blackened city, navigating lethal security systems to carry out the first phase of Chin-Yau's plan to eliminate any internal disloyalty and set the stage to become the most powerful ruler on Earth.

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SPEAKER_01 0:22

Beginning in 2087, following the astronomical expenditures of waging a war in space to defeat the libertatives of C. Freeman and bring them into the protective umbrella of the Enlightened League of Nations, or ELN. The League continued to suffer one economic blow after another. With the assassination of the ELN's leaders, the League quickly succumbed to financial losses that could not possibly be absorbed. Factions amongst the League's bureaucratic administrators seeking for more power over one another began an internal war within the League itself. Espionage and assassination operations exploded over a short period of time, and the Eurasian faction became more prominent as it embarked on a termination program of key Western hemispheric leaders. Enlightened World Empire, historical records. Earth Time. For the first 62 feet, Ying Tai's anti-grab impeller boots thrust her up the side of the tall building without slowing. Upon reaching the boots' maximum altitude, she slowed and hovered. The impeller boots would provide no further assistance. Clad entirely in light-absorbing black camouflage, she all but disappeared against the building's darkened facade. She steadied herself and glanced down to check the progress of her team below. Well, for the fun part. She alternated her weight from one leg to the other, maintaining balance as if treading water. In the monoptic display over her left eye, positional information scrolled across the tiny screen.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

Altitude 103.4 feet. Temperature 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Spatial position 4.21 feet. Substance composition, glass, stone, diastele.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

She reached down, opened a pouch on her utility belt, removed a pair of grappling gloves, and pulled one onto each hand. Three identically clad figures arose surrounding her in the air. One to the left and two to her right. They slowed and came to a hover next to her, and using a similar treading motion to retain balance, they each retrieved a pair of grappling gloves and put them on. As her team donned their gloves, she maneuvered closer to the building and placed one gloved hand on the smooth stone surface. A subtle vibration from the gloves tingled as microscopic filaments on its finger pads penetrated the stone's pores and imperfections, creating a secure bond. A neural signal from her brain through a temporal implant cut the impeller boot's thrust, and she hung one-handed against the building. She removed one boot and hung it from her belt. Fang, help me off with the other boot. One of the hovering figures maneuvered toward her. She extended her foot toward him and placed her other gloved hand against the building. Fang removed her boot and hung it on her belt. He reached into her utility pouch and removed two grappling socks and proceeded to place one on each of her feet. Once Fang finished, she placed her feet against the stone surface. She felt a subtle vibration on her soles and proceeded to walk on her hands and feet testing the equipment. Feeling comfortable with the gloves and socks performance, she positioned herself to help each team member remove boots and don grappling socks. When the team was equipped with grappling gloves and socks, they ascended up the building. At 200 feet, she allowed her team to stop and rest and sip some water, and then continued the ascent. At 600 feet, she rested again while the others caught up. She gazed up the side of the edifice. One bulky team member, Lars, whispered a mixture of Chinese and English curses. She heard his winded voice in her earbud. He'd better be here. Followed by the now familiar pop as Lars snapped his neck to one side and breathed a contented sigh. Annoying habit. He'd picked up the annoying habit somewhere in his training routine. And now Lars constantly popped his neck. He said it helped relieve stress and tension, but just hearing the sound made her neck ache. He's there. He never leaves the penthouse, except when he's called overseas. Lars grunted in reply, taking a few more sips from a water pouch. The wind blew chilly air from the north in a steady breeze, bringing with it a rank stench of decay from the city's run-down northern precincts. Be worse if it was warmer. She glanced at the sky and checked the readout on the monoptic screen for any human or vehicular presence. The sensor detected no human or hover car traffic in the dark canyons of the buildings. Since curfew a few hours ago, the city had become as quiet as a graveyard. The moonless night made the building canyons, dark and foreboding. Perfect for tonight's op. One of the team members began climbing again. Ying Tai heard Sung He's voice in her earbud. Not accomplishing anything sitting here. She mumbled as she took the lead. Ying Tai swore she was from one of the peninsulas of eastern Eurasia. But Tsung He never divulged any personal information and only spoke in unaccented fluent English. The proximity alert flashed on her monoptic screen. She whispered into the link. Monitors. The team froze and hugged the building's surface. A soft whine became louder. Two hundred feet below, she saw a street monitor on a hover bike approach, from around the corner of a building opposite her position. Another street monitor appeared below, coming down the street. He spotted his colleague and joined him for a post-curfew chat. Neither helmeted street monitors bothered to look up. Her black clothing not only absorbed light, but shielded heat and life science from detection equipment. But it wouldn't prevent them from being spotted visually. If they bothered to look above their heads once in a while. Ying Tai bet the street monitor's focus was on the street below. She hoped her gamble was right. She made hand signals to the team. Freeze, don't move. She continued to observe the monitors chatting far below, praying they wouldn't have the intelligence to look up. After a few moments, they moved down the street, heading away from the building. Ging Tai let out a breath of relief as she saw the hover bikes disappear around a corner. Okay, let's move. She whispered and began a rapid ascent with her team following closely behind. Only 3,200 feet left to go. As she crawled up the building, her thoughts reflected on the team. Fang, 30 years old, grew up in the northern territory of Eurasia. Although quick with a katana slung on his back, he preferred the remote power of automatic bullet spewing weapons. She'd told him for tonight's off to leave the guns behind. He said he did. He lied. Ying Tai knew he'd hidden a small seven millimeter automatic under his left armpit. She'd have to be careful. Qin Yao had warned her of Feng's rebellious nature. It was one of the main reasons Qin Yao had suggested that Feng participate in the op. Sung He, the only other female on the team, was quick and agile. Her small frame and deadly skill were often underestimated by her enemies. They never saw death coming until it was too late. For the night's operation, she'd chosen two long knives now strapped across her back. She pulled her hair into a tight knot to avoid entanglements when she went into action. Chin Yao informed Ying Tai he was assigning Sung He to this mission because he suspected she was unfaithful and was acting as a double agent. Lars, beside herself, was the only non-Eurasian member of the team. She believed he was from some northern area of Europe. Tall, broad shouldered, barrel chested, and thighs as thick and unforgiving as two tree trunks. His victims could attest to the fact that Lars's size didn't interfere with his speed and power if they were still alive. The man's size seemed to contradict his other skill. Lars was a thrasher, and his other assignment for tonight's op penetrate the security behind the building's data net and disable any electronic security measures they likely would encounter. A shame Chin Yao wants them all killed before the night's over. Her conscience pricked her again and she thought back to the meeting a few days ago. Chin Yao had sat behind his ornate desk drinking a cup of aromatic black tea. Ying Tai, wearing the loose white smock and matching pants, had knelt before him as he briefed her on the operation. The most difficult and dangerous mission he'd ever assigned to her. She looked deep into his dark, emotionless eyes, wondering if she would ever return to this place. She glanced briefly at the rich silk tapestries hanging on the walls, each depicting an intricately designed dragon. The tapestries stirred in the soft breeze from an open door. Outside, in the painstakingly manicured garden, she saw Qin Yao's pleasure companions, lounging around a koi pond, waiting to satisfy his desire at the snap of his fingers. She turned her attention back to her master's soft voice. He took a sip of tea and then continued. Some of his people have been spied moving into the cities on the large island and into the Eurasian territory. He sipped his tea again and watched her with a measuring gaze. She knew he was judging her readiness for the operation. Since purchasing her 14 years ago, he'd had his best weapons expert tutor, instruct, and punish her until she became the assassin he desired. Her instructor demanded she train without the aid of her biowire enhancements. Obediently, she complied with his demands, and now, fully trained and disciplined, with her biowired physiology, she presented a formidable package. Her generation tattoo, 777, remained on the back of her neck, but Chen Yao had given her a new name and a new life far from where she'd been generated. For the most part, he treated her well, like he treated all of his possessions. She lived a good life in his sprawling palace complex, had everything a young woman could desire. In return, he only asked for complete and unwavering loyalty. Disobedience to his desires carried a painful penalty. So she did as he commanded. She'd been taught to kill without remorse or passion. She took no joy in killing. To her it was a profession, and she practiced it very well. He'd called for her special talents from time to time, usually to rid himself of some competing interest. He called her his finely honed scalpel, wielded to excise any cancerous threat to his power. Current intelligence indicated a weakness in the Ameropan power structure, and Qin Yao wanted to strike before they could recover. The operation, if successful, would deal a fatal blow to Amero. Her attention returned to his words. Take Feng, Lars, and Sung He. Offer them whatever they desire. Qin Yao set the cup of tea down on the glass, protecting the intricately carved wood desk, arose and walked over to where she knelt. He placed his manicured hand firmly on top of her raven black hair, as if pronouncing a blessing. Make sure no team member lives to reveal any secrets. You can keep their portion of the fee. Resting at two thousand feet above the ground, she thought of the outrageous sum of money each team member had demanded. She admitted to herself the op was incredibly risky. Demanding a large sum was understandable. She'd given them each ten percent in advance, and promised to give them the rest upon successful completion of the job. Too bad they'll never live long enough to get it. She wasn't greedy. In fact, her only compensation would be the money that Lars, Feng, and Sung He would never receive. Though she had to admit to herself, three hundred and twenty million credits would be a nice sum of money to tuck away. Perhaps Qin Yao would let her buy land somewhere where she could do as she pleased. Surely the many years of loyalty were worth something. Aren't they? The last thousand feet will be the real challenge. Fang whispered, breathing heavy in her earbud, forcing her attention back to the operation. I'm sure you can handle it. She said, shifting to one side to avoid a window. Thus far the building had few windows to impede their progress. Now, at the present level, numerous windows decorated the remaining sixty stories. Grappling gloves were useless on smooth glass, and electronic security near the windows made them a place to avoid. This way, Ying Tai ordered, as she crawled between two windows spaced about three feet apart. Make sure nothing loose swings in front of a window. She checked, making sure the impeller boots on her belt were secure, then resumed her climb. Forty five stories below the building's summit and over three thousand feet above the street, the space between windows narrowed to less than two feet. She checked her gear again and proceeded up five more floors, then stopped and waited for the rest of the team to catch up. The group assembled on the vertical surface, looking like four large flies. Ying Tai steeled herself for the next phase of the ascent. She flipped around facing outward, rested on her haunches, and sipped water from a pouch. Just above her head, the 194th floor began, completely uninhabited by anything with flesh and blood. Research of the building's construction had indicated this floor was strictly reserved for building mechanical and structural elements. Instead of windows, large framed lures encircled the perimeter of the building. The building's Achilles Heel, she thought as Feng crawled up beside her, while Lars and Sung Hee clung to the facade a few feet below above the windows. Ying Tai swung back around as Feng positioned himself below the louvered floor. Three feet is adequate. Ying Tai whispered to Feng as he removed an item from his belt. He inched higher on the wall and placed the object as high overhead as he could reach on one of the louver blades. A slight metallic click reached Ying Tai's ears as it secured itself to the metal blade. From the object's side, Feng withdrew an extension and allowed it to hang. He then looked below and made some hand signals to Lars, who quickly maneuvered around one of the windows and positioned himself next to Feng. Ying Tai heard a soft crunch as Lars popped his neck again.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Can't we hurry?

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Tsung He whispered a little too loud from below. Let's start cramp. Ying Tai swiveled a face her and whispered over the calm. No talking until the sentries are dealt with. She glared at Tsung He and nodded her head toward the Louvreed opening. One whisper, overheard by the electronic sentries, and this night will end very unpleasantly. She turned back around to join Feng, who was preparing the device. He looked her direction. She rested a hand on his shoulder and nodded. He tapped a button on the laser hold cutter and a razor thin blue line penetrated into the metal blade's surface. Another button caused the extended arm to begin rotating in a three-foot circle. The cutter turned silently, except for the slight whisper of disturbed air. After about a minute, the blue light disappeared, and the cutter's arm slowly swung to a stop. Feng telescoped the arm back against the device and removed it from the louver blade and reattached it to his belt. Ying Tai tapped his shoulder and he shifted to the side. She reached up and grabbed the bottom louver blade and twisted gently. It came free with a quiet snick in her hand. She handed the blade to Feng. Inching higher, she peered into the blackness of the mechanical space beyond. With a neural thought sent through her temporal implant, she changed her monoptic lens to infrared and surveyed the interior environment. The monoptic image in front of her left eye showed diastil beams and thick columns interconnected through the space from left to right and from floor to ceiling in a three-dimensional grid. Mechanical equipment, boxes, numerous pipes, ducks, and conduits snaked throughout the space, penetrating through walls, ceiling, and the floor. Her gaze caught movement and she froze. A small, hovering sentry, twice as big as her palm, glided past her position ten feet away. Without moving her head, she continued to scan the space and identified four more hovering electronic sentries. Now it's Lars's turn. With a tap on Lars's shoulder from her foot, he moved into position next to her and signaled with a free hand, asking, What have we got? She signaled back. Five. HS series four. Lars nodded and pulled a strange pair of goggles over his eyes and raised himself up to the opening and surveyed inside. After a moment he dropped back down and signed Pressure Detector Alarms and razor lasers. Ying Tai swore to herself. PDAs and lasers. Knew this would be difficult. That is serious security hardware. And why shouldn't it be? After all, our target is a very dangerous and powerful man. Ying Tai signed for Lars to proceed. She realized if it hadn't been for Lars's special skills, the operation would have failed, with the entire team caught within a deadly web of razor lasers. Since their quarry lived in the penthouse, the razor lasers would have to be disabled. Pressure detectors triggered alarms with the slightest additional weight on the floor. The entire team could avoid the floor. The next obstacle, razor lasers. Invisible beams from motion detectors, when tripped, activated a hidden array of blade-like lasers to slice up anything trapped in their crisscrossing net. The robotic sentries were programmed to avoid the motion detectors' beams in their routine paths. Lars reached over and tapped her head, smiled, and then gave her the okay sign. He opened a small pouch attached to his waist and took out a device, and then motioned for her to move out of the way. Ying Tai watched as her thrasher went to work. Most leaders of the league feared competition from rival factions within the bureaucracy. Many installed razor lasers as a deterrent in their dwellings and offices. She recalled one incident of their effectiveness. An assassin sent to terminate an ELN leader in Ostrop was discovered days later below the leader's penthouse sliced into forty pieces. Each piece had been taken and stacked back into the shape of the assassin, and prominently displayed near the leader's massive complex as a warning to other potential foes. In the images she'd seen, there was not one drop of blood. The lasers had cauterized each slice of the assassin so that they could have been placed in a garden like decorative stones. Lars worked at the hole and Ying Tai joined him to study his thrashing expertise. Disabling the electronic sentries looked relatively simple. An electronic charge from the circuit disruptor he operated shut down each sentry's detection equipment for ten minutes, while still allowing it to continue to hover. She understood if the charge was too strong, the sentry could lose power and drop like a rock, setting off the pressure detectors and razor lasers. The building's army of security would descend upon her team and probably execute those still alive on the spot. If the disruptor charge was too weak, the sentry would detect something amiss and her team's fate would end the same way. Lars cocked his head to the side, producing the crunch of vertebral bones grinding. Ying Tai frowned. He aimed the disruptor at the nearest hovering sentry. Ying Tai heard a soft crackle of static electricity and saw the sentry's green operating light dim as it flashed. Frozen place, hovering four feet above the floor. The next sentry approached from the left just a few feet over their head. She heard another static charge and its operating light dimmed. Her breath caught in her throat as the front end tipped toward the floor. Ying Tai's heart stopped as she saw it tip further. Without losing a nanosecond, she sent neural signals from her brain to her hand. Her right arm shot out as she shoved Lars aside and thrust her hand forward, catching the device inches before it struck the floor. She breathed in steadily and shot Lars a disapproving glance. Dial it back a notch, she hissed over the calm. The three remaining sentries, attracted by the sudden movement, glided toward them. She moved aside and gestured with her head toward the opening. Lars muttered and regarded her with narrow eyes, then swung up and aimed at the closest approaching sentry. A static charge left it motionless. With dept quickness he disabled the remaining two devices and checked the time. He motioned to Ying Tai with hand signals. Nine minutes, twenty seconds. At the end of that time the first neutralized sentry would return to full function. While they waited perched on the wall, Lars worked on the next security obstacle. He took out another device and went to work. Ying Tai watched patiently as the thrasher did his work. He was now penetrating into the building's security net and attempting to find a way around the razor lasers. Almost Lars whispered, assured the neutralized sentries wouldn't detect soft voices. There, got it. The sensor's eyes should appear now. Ying Tai looked up and suddenly a web of thin blue beams of light appeared, in a complex, crisscrossing web throughout the space. The web of lines was more concentrated near the center of the space. Our destination. About fifty feet away she spotted the main supply duct coming up from below and punching through the ceiling overhead. A column stood next to it. Perfect place to perch before entering the duct after we outsmart the razor lasers. On the wall, inside, above the louvers, she spied a few small clear spaces where they could maneuver. She nodded and shifted to the side, allowing Feng to get closer to the hole. With practice smoothness, Lars snapped the remaining tabs of the louver blades and handed them down one by one to Feng, until he had an armful. Above, the three foot circular opening invited them to enter deeper into their prey's lair. Ying Tai motioned for Lars to go first. He pulled himself inside and squatted on the edge of the louver's frame, and then crawled up the interior wall, avoiding the thin beams of blue. Lars almost blew it. She thought as she followed and maneuvered onto the wall above the louver. He's still useful for now. Sung He crawled inside and clambered up next to Lars. Ying Tai wasn't sure, but she thought she heard her muttering about still not getting to stand up. She ignored it for now. Sung He's demise would come shortly. Feng hung on the edge holding the metal louver blades in his arm. Lars took them one by one and held them until Feng, hands free, could crawl inside. Lars handed them back to Feng, who took them and stacked them carefully on the louver frame. Ying Tai broke the silence in a whisper. How many eyes, Lars? Lars gazed around the room, then whispered in her earbud. Over a hundred and twenty five. But we only need to worry about forty-five to get to the duct. He reached into a pouch at his waist and began to hand out small reflective discs to each of them. Place one directly over each detector eye. He demonstrated on a sensor overhead by sliding the disc through the thin blue beam. The disc stuck on the lens and blocked the beam, but kept it from being broken. They each took the handful Lars had given them and quickly climbed up to the ceiling and crawled spider-like to each sensing eye in their path. Within a few minutes a path on the ceiling had been cleared of the web of thin blue lines. Lars glanced at the time. Four minutes and four seconds to go.

unknown 26:15

Hurry!

SPEAKER_01 26:16

Ying Tai ordered and crawled upside down across the ceiling toward the large duct, followed by the others. At the duck, Lars placed the laser hole cutter on one side of the metal surface and turned it on. The device only rotated twice, swiftly cutting a clean hole in the thin material, and Lars grabbed the circular piece before it fell. Ying Tai stuck her head inside and saw the inside of the duck disappear in darkness as it traveled up to the higher floors. With rapid precision, the four black clad figures crawled into the shaft. Once inside, Lars placed the circular metal cutout in place and secured it with quick tape. Make sure it doesn't fall, Ying Tai whispered. Right. Without waiting, she began the arduous climb of the duct. The smooth surfaces of the duct provided a weak anchor and she found herself expending more effort to continue the climb. The sticky surface of the glove's pads produced just enough friction, as long as she kept her momentum. At the two hundredth story, she pulled herself into a side duct and rested momentarily. As soon as the rest of her team caught up, she stopped and whispered instructions to them. Complete silence again, from here on until we go into action. She gave Sung He a meaningful glance. Feng, you go first, followed by Sung Ki, myself, and then Lars. She looked at Lars, sweat beating his brow. Any more security we need to worry about? He popped his neck before answering. Nothing more difficult than a few robotic sentries. The interior is supposed to be free of any other security systems, for the owner's convenience. According to our intelligence. Good. Let's move. Feng and Sung he began climbing. Lars was across from Ying Tai resting in a communicating duct. Lars, ready? Ying Tai asked as she crawled across the metal surface and positioned herself hanging face down above Lars. Her gloves pads began slipping. I better make this quick. Give me a sec. He muttered. Perfect. Ying Tai wedged her feet tight against the walls of the duct and summoned enhanced strength and speed. Her hand shot out and grabbed Lars's head. With a vicious jerk she twisted until she heard the satisfying snap as his neck for the final time. He flopped back into the duct, motionless. Ying Tai snatched the circuit disruptor from his belt, turned around and followed after the other two assassins. One down, two to go. At the 200th twelfth floor, Ying Tai caught up with Sung He, sitting in a side opening with her feet dangling. She moved up beside her. Using hand signals, she told her she wanted to check the penthouse sentry positions. Sung He removed a compact imager and turned it on. The small device showed the position of all robotic sentries on the levels surrounding their position. Distracted, Sung He focused on making adjustments to the device. Ying Tai's hand shot out, grabbing her bound hair with one hand and her forehead with the other, and jerked hard. Soon he's neck snapped easily, and Ying Tai grabbed the imager before it fell from her grasp. A subterranean prison known only as the hole. Yeah, the hole is hell off earth. Enter Ying Tai. My name is Ying Tai. Don't ever touch me. A lethal assassin for the League. Wounded but dangerous. When she falls out of favor with her power-hungry boss, Chin Yao. She's cast into the depths of the most hellish prison ever devised. The whole. Your death will be a long time in coming. But Chin Yao isn't just a tyrant, he's a megalomaniac. A nice sound, too. With dreams of ruling an eight-planet empire, and he's building a starship to do it. Meanwhile, teenage tech prodigy Carl Bogaran uncovers Chin Yao's terrifying plan while designing the starship. Wonderful. Let us begin. His fatal mistake, falling in love with one of Chen Yao's concubines. His punishment, a one-way trip to the whole. The journey will be one of suffering and misery. Inside this icy abyss, Carl meets Ying Tai and a crew of unlikely allies. Dexter Simmons. Everyone calls me Dex. You can call me. Gecko Nakasoni. I prefer to kill from a distance. Tima Daichello. Ying Tai. Assassinated Ross. Otis Lich. Going for a ride. And James Morrison. Got you like a fish. Together, they hatch a plan so bold it borders on madness. Hijack Chin Yao Starship. Moonbound is a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller from the Exodus series by Orson T. Badger. Read the entire Exodus 5 Book Series. Available wherever digital and physical books are sold.