The Tiger's Claws

“Are you surprised to learn that the infamous ‘Tiger’ is a woman?” Mai asked. Her eyes glinted in the halflight of the dockside warehouse, draped in a formal silk dress while her henchmen stood nearby, looming over the young-looking pilot in front of her. 

Free of her disguise as the lowly cigarette girl in the Phoenix club, she now looked as elegant and as dangerous as the crime empress of Shanghai she was. Captain Sphinx shook his head.

“No, I’ve learned over the years not to underestimate a woman. I’m more surprised you passed yourself off as a cigarette girl.”

The Tiger shrugged. “I have many such disguises. One doesn’t look at the lowly ones twice, and there’s no better way to find out how operations are actually run. No false smiles, no minions scrambling to make things pleasing to my eyes while things fall apart underneath.”

“Smart,” Sphinx replied as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. She smirked as she idly flicked a hand fan open and waved it at him. 

“You noticed me though, and even risked your life to save me at the club shootout. Why is that?”

Sphinx’s mind was racing. It was a simple question, but how he answered could have ramifications. He was trying to get information from her on Yao, the pirate he had been chasing for so long. The Tiger, as the biggest arms dealer - among other things - undoubtedly knew something about Yao. Sphinx had a role to play as a morally ambiguous mercenary pilot trying to find a way into her organization and answering truthfully - that protecting her was the right thing to do - could make her suspicious. 

“Well, I didn’t want to see a good-looking dame get shot up,” Sphinx replied after a slight hesitation. 

She scoffed as she closed her fan and moved closer putting the instrument under his chin. “Careful with that flattery, I’ve heard plenty of it over the years.” 

Sphinx locked eyes with her. “How did you get to where you are now?”

She pulled the fan away and stepped back eyeing him. “You want to know how a woman like me came to be the one that all the triads and tongs answer to?”

Sphinx nodded, and folded his arms. “It couldn’t have been easy.” 

She shook her head. “It wasn’t. I started as low as they come. A plaything for the wealthy. But I clawed my way to the top, learned to manipulate, learned to use my beauty as a cover and how to work within the shadows. I learned the value of money. So I moved up further and further, and if anyone got in my way, I obliterated them.” She looked him in the eyes and Sphinx felt a shudder go up his spine. 

“...I destroy my enemies.”    

The implied threat was clear: The Tiger was not to be crossed. Yet he did feel sympathy for her before it was quickly dashed, her organization continued to do to others what she had been through and she wouldn’t lift a finger to stop it. Sphinx wanted to point that fact out to her, but something told him she wouldn’t have actually cared.

“I saw how you destroy your enemies firsthand,” Sphinx said instead. 

Mai, or more properly ‘the Tiger,’ chuckled. “Yes, you were quite thorough. I could use you and your men. The opportunities would be numerous, and the rewards….” she paused as her lips turned up in a smirk, “Would be great.”

His foot was in the door it seemed, but here the pilot had to fly cautiously, getting in with her would bring him closer to finding Yao the airpirate he had been hunting, and he could possibly find a way to bring her organization down too. But it was a gamble. How far would he be willing to go? How dirty would his hands be? Would she discover his true motive and kill him, or would he find himself lost in the stormy winds of her empire of vice. 

“Are you offering me another job?” Sphinx asked. 

“Maybe,” she shrugged. “Maybe, if you do well, I might just keep you. What do you think of that pretty boy?”

Sphinx grinned. “You’ve got yourself some pilots.”

The Tiger grinned. “Good boy. Now then I suppose you deserve something for ridding me of those pesky river raiders, and saving my life.” She tossed him a bag from behind her desk. “Go have some fun. You can share as much as that as you’d like with your crew. Tomorrow report to the Phoenix Club in the morning, a man called Jun will have your next assignment.” 

“Roger that,” Sphinx nodded. 

She waved him away like some empress of old, and Sphinx turned to leave. 

“Oh,” she called after him. “One more thing.”

Sphinx turned. “Yes, ma’am?” 

“You saved my life. For that you have my gratitude, that is why I have chosen to bring you into my confidence. But if you ever go against me, my vengeance will be most excruciating for you. We have invented creative ways of execution here in China. I’d hate to inflict them upon you.”

Sphinx nodded, turned, and left, eventually meeting Webster and Tex - his wingmen - outside. 

“How’d it go?” Tex asked.

 "Did you find the Tiger?" Webster inquired.

Sphinx nodded, "We've got a lead on Yao, and it's going to require us to do a job for our Tiger first."

Webster shook his head, "Bollocks. We're not actually criminals you know?"  

“She’s not just going to give us information on her clientele. Not until she’s sure.”   

"Alright, Cap. Let's see what this job is all about," Tex said as the group left the warehouse. "But I still think this is a rotten idea."

"I'm not crazy about it either." Sphinx replied.

Webster frowned. "Wait, ‘she’? The Tiger is a woman?" 

"We've met her already, Webster." Sphinx said. "It's Mai."

"Bloody hell," Webster cried. “Could you stop meeting these dangerous and attractive women?”

Sphinx laughed. “It’s not like I go looking for them, Webster. Anyway, we get our new assignment tomorrow morning.” 

Webster shook his head, “Be careful with this job Sphinx, we could find ourselves doing something very unsavory.” 

Sphinx sighed and nodded. “You’ve got that right. We’ll have to play things as they come.” 

The trio walked Shanghai’s neon-lit streets as the sights and sounds enveloped them. 

The next morning the three were back at the Phoenix Club. It was still in a bit of disarray from the firefight a few days ago. Being morning, the club wasn’t open for business yet. A few staff were busy trying to straighten the place out and make repairs. Sitting at a card table was a lean, well-dressed man with a thin mustache and sharp, hawk-like eyes. He waved the Misfits over.

“Ahh, you are The Tiger’s new pet westerners.” 

Sphinx scoffed. “You have a job for us or not?”

Jun smiled. “Straight to the point. Here you are - do be careful. Deliver the shipment: don’t crash, don’t run afoul of any official not on our payroll.” 

Sphinx looked over the envelope’s instructions with a cocked eyebrow. “Well, okay then.” 

The Tri-Motor plane had seen better days. Parts of the craft’s body were patched and oil was pooling beneath one of the engines. 

“If this plane were a horse, I’d put it out of its misery,” Tex drawled.  

Sphinx ignored the comment as looked at the crates stacked within the plane. What cargo was she wanting him to move? Opium? Precious artifacts? Curiosity got the best of him and pried the lid off one of the crates before whistling. 

Webster and Tex peered over his shoulder as they beheld rows upon rows of bolt action rifles. 

“Is this Yao’s shipment?” Tex asked. 

“That’d be too great a stroke of luck,” Sphinx shook his head. 

“Could be anyone we’re delivering these to,” Webster shook his head. 

Sphinx folded his arms. “Right, Webster you fly this crate. Tomas will go with you.” 

“Why do I have to fly this crate?” Webster demanded. 

Sphinx continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Tex and I will fly cover in our fighters.”  

“Bollocks.” Webster grumbled. “And if the engines fail while I’m twenty thousand feet up?”

“Use the parachutes, old bean,” Tex said mockingly.

The flight began smoothly enough, the trio cutting across lush valleys and winding rivers. The distant haze of Shanghai was behind them, replaced by the sprawling countryside. Below, villages dotted the landscape, their inhabitants oblivious to the nature of the aircraft above. 

All they had been given was a set of coordinates, and told to deliver the crates out in the open. It seemed like a setup, the rickety cargo plane didn’t help matters. Or perhaps this was another of her little tests?

As they flew on Sphinx’s keen eyes narrowed as he saw all too familiar plumes of smoke and dust billowing from the ground. 

Artillery.

The stench of smoke and death were heavy in the air but as they flew, Sphinx could see it. A battle. One group of me were firing along a partially destroyed stone wall left over from days gone by, while another attempted to storm the barricade, an armored car was firing a machinegun mounted turret at the wall defenders while dodging mortar shells.   

“Aw, Cripes!” Sphinx shouted. He keyed his radio. “We’re in the middle of a battle between the Nationalists and the Communists!” 

Webster banked the plane over the ongoing battle just as a stream of tracers missed the decrepit plane. 

“Webster, drop the crates and let’s get out of here!” Sphinx shouted. 

“Keep their attention away from me!” Webster replied. 

Tex and Sphinx dove and pulled up, drawing fire from the trigger-happy troops below. 

At least both sides below were too preoccupied with killing each other to concentrate on us, Sphinx thought. 

Crates of weapons and ammunition fell from the aircraft to crash below, up for grabs on whichever side could get to it first. Sphinx throttled up as a few rounds punched holes in one of his wings. His Hawk shuddered but stayed on course. Quickly the young pilot grabbed his handset. 

“Report in!”

“Got a few holes, but I’m not hit!” Tex yelled.

“Oh, we’re just peachy over here,” Webster grunted. “Engine number three has stopped turning, but I think that was about to give out anyway.”

Sphinx sighed in relief, “I’m going to have a word with Ms. Tiger when we get in. No one puts my Misfits into danger.”

It could have been a lot worse, but luck had held. Cover be damned, even if it cost him his best lead in catching Yao, he wasn’t going to let this slide. 

As he flew over the hills and into the night, the sounds of battle still roaring behind him, Sphinx began to sweat.

Would he live? Was he over his head?

He had trouble thinking of deeper danger he had ever been in than now.