Shadow Tyrants (Oregon Files 13)

“We need to get into that cockpit,” he said.

“Working on it,” Linc said as he fired three quick rounds.

Gupta leaned his head out from the cabin to see what was happening.

“Get back in there!” Juan shouted.

But it was too late. A shot rang out from the back of the plane. Gupta spun as he fell, a bullet hole in the back of his head.

Taylor was crouched on the floor of the entertainment room, a nasty smirk on her face. Juan got off a few shots, but she ducked out of the line of fire. He saw her again for a moment as she raced down the spiral stairs.

“Eddie!” Juan shouted over the gunshots. “You’re with me. We’re going after Taylor.”

He and Eddie ran to follow her down the stairs, leaving Tiny and Linc with the thermite.

* * *

—

At least I got rid of Lionel Gupta, Taylor thought as she sprinted from the spiral stairs toward the front of the plane, where the gun battle near the cockpit was taking place. But she was livid about someone getting aboard to rescue her prisoners.

They had already killed half her men. If Carlton had been aboard, she would have had twice as many ex-soldiers at her command, and this would already be over.

She could make a stand at the cockpit door and hope they were able to make it back to Cyprus, but this assault had been well planned and executed. She was dealing with pros. Her guys were good, but not that good. She needed an edge.

If only they had knockout gas to pump through the emergency oxygen system like they’d done to hijack Carlton’s original A380 . . .

That thought gave her an idea. Her advantage was the two pilots in the cockpit. They had control over the rest of the plane.

She pointed at two of the four guards firing up the forward staircase. “You two, come with me.”

They looked at her as if she were crazy, but they followed her orders.

She ran back to the galley with them and saw the Asian man and his rescuer coming down the spiral stairs.

Taylor ducked into the galley with the two guards. To one of them, she said, “Stay here, and don’t let anybody follow us.”

The guard began exchanging gunfire with the intruders while she picked up the intercom phone and called the cockpit.

“What’s going on out there?” the pilot shouted.

“Hijackers are on board. Turn off the emergency oxygen system and slow the plane down as much as you can at this altitude.”

“What?”

“Just do it. And prepare for a rapid decompression.”

The pilot gasped. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly. We’ll have this plane under control again in three minutes.”

She opened the emergency medical cabinet and took out the portable oxygen tank and mask.

“Come with me,” she said to the other guard, and got on the elevator to the cargo hold. He joined her in the tiny space, and they started descending.

“What are we doing?” he asked.

Taylor ignored the question. “When we get down there, make sure no one comes down after us. And hold on to something.”