Honorable Enemies (1994) by Joe Weber

who converted a lime-green eighteen-wheeler into a plush motor home, complete with sunken spa in the roof of the trailer.
    Besides, Penner reasoned, he hadn't fired a machine gun since his days in the Army. He had always liked the feeling of power that a weapon gave him, and this would be a piece of cake since it was only two blocks to the warehouse where they would dismantle the van and bury the weapon. Easy money.
    Parked next to a vacant storage facility, east of the San Diego Freeway, Penner was in an excellent position between the two sets of runways at Los Angeles International. He had recounted his money and was daydreaming about the new Caddy when he heard JAL Flight 62 check in with the control tower. Startled into action, Penner turned up the volume control on the transceiver and prepared to swing the doors open and slide the tripod-mounted machine gun outside.
    "Japan Air Sixty-Two," the clear voice replied in a routine, businesslike manner, "two-four right, cleared to land, wind two-two-zero at eleven."
    "Japan Air Sixty-Two cleared for the right."
    Penner crushed his cigarette on the floor and started scanning the sky for the big Boeing with the JAL logo. He rechecked the machine gun and the short belt of ammunition. He didn't have many rounds, so he had to make each one count.
    The 747 was descending and slowing to the final approach speed as it passed near the Hollywood Park Race Track.
    Mrs. Fujitake nudged her sleeping husband, then nudged him again when he didn't respond.
    "Shozo, wake up. We're about to land."
    "What?"
    "We're landing," she said excitedly.
    The retired chemical engineer grunted and slowly opened his puffy eyes. The sour taste in his mouth was a disgusting reminder of the raw sashimi and hot sake he had consumed during the long flight from Tokyo.
    "Look at the ocean," she said with a rush of enthusiasm and pressed her face to the window. "We have to go to the beach!"
    Shozo yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "After we get some sleep."
    "Is that all you can think about when--"
    Her response was cut short when she saw the streaks of reddish-orange tracer rounds curve upward and strike the left wing. The pyrotechnic bullets, combined with the incendiary rounds interspersed in Penner's ammunition belt, ripped into the fuel cells and ignited the raw fuel.
    Penner was initially shocked when he saw the bright tracer rounds move steadily upward and strike the wing. A second later he was paralyzed when he saw a flash of yellow flames, followed by a steady stream of fire along the side of the aircraft. He had planned to put a few holes in the plane, not set it on fire.
    "Shit!" Penner muttered when he realized that he'd been set up. Instead of scaring someone, the Japanese businessman wanted the airliner to crash.
    Panic overcame him and he shoved the machine gun into the van and hurriedly slammed the door. He could hear the aircraft radio as he scrambled into the driver's seat and quickly started the engine.
    "Japan Air Sixty-Two, you're on fire! Repeat! Japan Air Sixty-Two is on fire! Do you copy?"
    Penner recognized the tower controller's voice.
    "Sixty-Two copies!"
    "We have the equipment rolling!" the controller exclaimed as he saw the first truck leave the fire station.
    Penner yanked the transmission into drive, floored the accelerator, and screeched around the side of the building, then stomped on the brakes and came to a grinding halt.
    Mesmerized, he watched the nose of the 747 dip lower as flames engulfed the fuselage and tail of the stricken airliner. Penner took one last look and jammed the accelerator down, hoping that the plane wouldn't crash.
    Ashen-faced, Mayumi and Shozo Fujitake held each other close and tried to be brave. Chaos had erupted throughout the cabin, and the flight attendants were yelling for everyone to brace themselves for a crash landing.
    Dutifully, the Fujitakes quietly followed the instructions and listened to the shrieks and cries from the other