"No, you don't move." The man glanced up and began screaming to those still aboard the fuel barge, something about him catching thieves who might be trying to hijack their shipment. He couldn't tell in the dark that they were Americans, especially while they wore their dive suit hoods.

Tanner exchanged a look with Phillips.

FISHING BOAT
XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA
APRIL 2012

Mitchell realized with a start that a third individual was at the end of the pier with the two SEALs, and his attempts to contact SEAL Chief Tanner went unanswered.

He got on the network, reported the news, and General Keating chimed in, "Mitchell, trust those SEALs to get the job done. Just get out of there, son! Move!"

"Jenkins, hit it! Everything she's got!" Mitchell ordered.

"But, Captain, they haven't--"

"I know. Just do it!"

"Sir," called Diaz, who was wearing her own ENVGs. "The patrol boat's slowing, and they've launched a Zodiac with six guys. They're heading for the pier. What the hell are those SEALs waiting for?"

"There's a third guy. Don't know who he is. But we're out of time."

"Mitchell, Keating here," cried the general. "Remember those soldiers you took out? Well, we got new intel. Those guys were part of Admiral Cai's defense plan. And I got more bad news. Seems there's an R44 police chopper in the air--but there's a catch. We've intercepted their communications. Montana tells us it's being manned by Cai's special ops people. He sent his attack choppers up north as part of Pouncing Dragon, so these guys must've commandeered this bird. This isn't the local puppy patrol, Mitchell. These are hardened Chinese fighters up there. ETA to your location: two minutes."

THIRTY-THREE

THIRTY-THREE

SAND SPIT PIER
XIAMEN HARBOR, CHINA
APRIL 2012

SEAL Chief Tanner wouldn't let some punk with a cheap pistol ruin his night. Phillips's eyes said likewise.

In unison, they squeezed the triggers on their remote detonators and rolled under the pilings, out of the barge worker's aim.

The guy fired, the shot ricocheting off the rocks behind them, just as the first pair of detonations resounded so loudly that even Tanner, a veteran of blowing stuff up, was awed by the initial cacophony and blast wave, which threw him and Phillips back against the rocks.

It was the fuel, all that fuel, whose sound and detonation Tanner could not have anticipated.

Then came the reverberation ripping through the pier like an earthquake, tearing up the farthest planks in succession as he and Phillips got back to their feet, dashed below the pier, and came up the other side, where the barge worker had turned to face the dozens of fireballs lighting up the entire spit.

Tanner summarily shot him, then he and his partner raced back into the woods, their backs warmed by fires.

After jogging a few dozen meters, Tanner stole a look back, saw some of the patrol boat's crew members jumping ship and swimming toward the shoreline, even as the Zodiac motored away from the explosions.