Daylight on Iron Mountain

by David Wingrove

The buzzer went again.

  ‘Jake?’ Mary called from the bedroom. ‘You getting that?’

  ‘It’s okay,’ he called back. ‘Just a delivery.’

  Only his heart was racing now. He reached out and unlocked the door, then pulled it open.

  The courier – a young Han – smiled at him. ‘Sorry to be so early, Shih Reed. If you’d just sign…’

  Jake signed, then took the parcel from the boy.

  ‘Have a nice day…’

  ‘And you.’

  Jake closed and locked the door, then went back through.

  Christ, you are being paranoid.

  But he had every reason. There was the case, and his involvement – Peter’s involvement, come to that! – with GenSyn, and the fact that he’d been on Tsao Ch’un’s ‘list’ all those years ago. And the war, and…

  He put the parcel down, then went across and made the ch’a, setting Mary’s blue china ch’a bowl – the one she liked – there on the tray, beside the steaming chung.

  Green tea, no milk, no sugar. The way they both liked it these days.

  More Han than the Han, that was the expression.

  He took Mary’s tray through to her then came back. The screen was still showing the corridor outside. He changed that, then put the volume up, so he could hear.

  The cameras were showing Bremen now, or, at least, where Bremen had been until yesterday. Then the view switched and showed Tsao Ch’un’s eldest son at the head of his troops, surrounded by endless generals, sternfaced and very military, Han every last one of them. For a moment longer it dwelt on them, and then it cut again, this time to Mars and one of the great domed cities of the Martian Plains. There were riots there, it seemed, as there had been all over. But things had settled down.

  Let’s hope so, Jake thought, then turned, looking at the parcel and wondering who could have sent it.

  Jake picked it up and examined it. There was no clue from the outer wrapping. Going over to the drawer he got out the scissors then came back, sitting down to slit the package open.

  Inside were two small tapes.

  Again he was surprised. There was no note, no labels on the tapes. Nothing to indicate who these were from or what they were.

  Unless they were from Meng and he’d forgotten to put something in with them.

  He slipped one of the tapes into the slot at the bottom of the screen.

  For a moment nothing, and then the view on the screen switched suddenly, to show a room – a bathroom by the look of it. Downlevel. A small, very ordinary-looking bathroom, with a sink and a big water jug nearby.

  For a thirty, forty count there was nothing. And then, completely naturally, without any sense he was being watched, a figure came into the room. Went across and stood before the mirror, raising his chin to locate a spot, there on his neck…

  It was Chi Lin Lin!

  But even as the young man began to squeeze at the spot on his neck, so the door buzzer went. Once. Again. And then a third time. Urgent, it seemed.

  Chi Lin Lin turned at the first buzz, clearly irritated that he’d been disturbed. Then, as it buzzed and buzzed again, he turned from the mirror.

  ‘Okay! Hang on!’

  Jake swallowed. He had a bad, bad feeling about this.

  The bathroom was empty now, but he could hear sounds from the other rooms. Could hear Chi Lin Lin unfasten the door chain and begin to speak.

  And then a shriek and urgent footsteps, and the sound of furniture being knocked over as Chi Lin Lin tried to get away. For a moment the room on the screen was empty, and then Chi Lin Lin burst in, trying to push the door shut behind him. Only someone else was in the room with him now, pushing at the door with their shoulder. And then, as suddenly as that, they were inside, two of them. Han by the look of them, masked and violent. One of them pushed Chi Lin Lin back against the wall and punched him full in the face, once, twice, cutting his lip open, while the other put the plug in the sink and then filled the sink from the big water jug.

  Jake groaned. He watched now, horrified, as the first thug hit Chi Lin Lin again, breaking his nose. Poor Chi, his eyes were glazed now, his legs close to buckling under him. But they were not done with him. Dragging him over to the sink, the first thug plunged Chi’s head into the bowl, the two of them holding Chi down as he struggled desperately to get loose. He was no match for them. One of them was forcing his mouth and nose beneath the water while the other punched the back of his head and neck.

  Chi Lin Lin struggled a little longer, his movements weaker by the moment, then he was still.

  The two thugs stepped back, looking down at their handiwork, then exchanged a few words in Mandarin, making some joke or other. Laughing and grinning now, pleased with their work. And then they went, leaving Chi Lin Lin slumped there, his face still in the water, his buckled legs wedging him against the casement of the sink.

  A Security tape, Jake realized, understanding at once the significance of that.

  And the two thugs? Tong runners, probably. Only how were the two connected? Through the Changs, most certainly, but…?

  Jake cleared the screen, finding the sight of Chi Lin Lin slumped there unbearable to watch.

  He would contact the courier company; find out who had sent this.

  And then what?

  No, they clearly thought that current circumstances would let them get away with this. They thought…

  Jake’s thoughts stopped dead. Oh God! There was another tape!

  He turned, looking at the tape that lay there on the kitchen table, his stomach clenching at the sight.

  ‘Oh fuck… Oh Jesus no…’

  Mary set the tray down on the table and came round to where he was sitting.

  ‘Jake? Jake? Whatever’s the matter?’

  He looked up at her, not hiding the fact that his face was wet with tears.

  ‘Oh no,’ she said. ‘What is it? You’re frightening me now. Is it one of the girls?’

  He shook his head, then, taking a long shivering breath, explained what he had seen.

  Chi Lin Lin’s death had been horrible enough, but that of Advocate Yang and his wife was worse somehow. The little cunts had set a fire in their apartment while they were inside, sleeping, then had sealed the apartment door so that they couldn’t get out. The sight of the two of them banging desperately at the door, clawing at it and screeching for help, was seared now in his memory. How could they have done that to them? How could those bastards sleep, knowing they had done that?

  Because he was certain they’d have seen it. Certain that they’d have had their own copies made. To gloat at. To watch, time and again, while they considered what big men they were.

  Mary sat, all of her strength drained from her, it seemed. He saw how her eyes went to the tapes, then jerked away. How she shivered, then looked down.

  ‘You have to give up the case, Jake. You know that, don’t you? If they could do this…’

  ‘You want that, Mary? You want me to give up?’

  ‘I want…’ She stopped. ‘If it were just us, Jake, then… only it isn’t. How many more tapes do you need to see before you understand? It’s their world, Jake, and if they can get away with that…’

  Jake bristled. ‘They haven’t got away with it. Nor are they going to. They only think they have. We’ve still got Shu Liang on our side, and GenSyn, and—’

  Mary interrupted him. ‘Haven’t you been watching what’s been happening, Jake? We picked the wrong side. Don’t you understand that? We picked the wrong fucking side. The Seven… they’ve lost this war. It’s only a matter of time now. And once it’s over… then they’ll come for us. You know how it is. Tsao Ch’un will be rubbing his hands with glee at the thought of settling old scores. Yes, and making a few new ones, too.’

  Jake was silent. He knew Mary was right. Only how could he let them get away with it? Poor Yang. Yes, and poor Chi Lin Lin, too. How could he let that go unanswered? How could he just sit there and let them shit on those people like that
?

  He looked to Mary again. ‘I’ll call Advocate Meng,’ he said. ‘Let him know what’s happened.’

  If he’s alive. And if he hasn’t seen the tapes already.

  While Jake showered and got ready, she watched the tapes, forcing herself to, the sound turned low. Jake had asked her not to, only she had to see for herself, because this involved her just as much as it did him. And because this was her family that was being threatened here.

  Even so, it was hard, and as she sat there afterwards, she felt the sheer weight of it pressing down on her.

  What in God’s name had they taken on?

  Jake was still in the bedroom when a message came through from Meng Hsin-fa. He at least was still alive.

  ‘Fu Jen Reed,’ he greeted her on screen, bowing respectfully. ‘I am glad you are safe and well. This business with poor Yang and Chi… Aiya…’ Meng shook his head, clearly pained. ‘Suffice to say, I have placed the matter in the hands of some friends. Though whether circumstances will overtake us…’

  Meng swallowed, then looked down. His tone had changed, becoming less formal. ‘Tell Jake this… We are not giving up. Shu Liang agrees with me. We’re to meet this morning and devise a new strategy. The Changs think they’ve won, only… well, we will not give up. But look, Jake doesn’t have to be there. We can keep him advised, consult with him by this means. No… thinking about it, you must keep Jake there with you, Fu Jen Reed. Keep him safe and out of their hands, neh? Because who knows what these bastards are capable of ? I thought… well, let’s not speak of common decency. These are evil men, and it is our duty to see them brought to justice. It goes beyond the case now. Beyond contracts and agreements. If those bastards want a war…’

  Meng stopped. His chest rose and fell. ‘Forgive me. I didn’t mean…’

  But Mary was nodding now. ‘You are right, Advocate Meng. I didn’t see it until now. I was… afraid. But what you say is true. We thought the war was happening elsewhere. But it’s right here, among us, neh? And we must choose sides. Before it’s too late. Before those insects eat us all from within!’

  Meng smiled. ‘Then I will let you know what is decided, neh? Until then, take good care and be safe. Kuan Yin preserve you!’

  And with that he cut connection.

  Mary sat back, taking a long, calming breath, even as Jake appeared in the doorway, towelling his hair.

  ‘Who was that?’

  She turned to him and smiled. ‘It was Advocate Meng. He’s safe and well.’

  ‘And Shu Liang?’

  ‘Is alive.’

  ‘Good…’ Jake looked relieved. ‘What did Meng say?’

  ‘He says we’re to fight on. And he’s right. I understand that now, Jake. We can’t just lie down and let them trample on us.’

  Jake went across and, pulling her up out of her seat, held her a moment.

  ‘Jake?’

  ‘Yes, my love?’

  ‘Can we destroy those tapes? Take them to the oven man to burn?’

  Jake smiled sadly, then kissed the top of her head. ‘I’ll do it now. Before the girls get here.’

  Jake paused, there in the corridor outside their apartment, listening. Maybe it was his imagination but sometimes he thought he could hear it all, there like the faintest murmur, the whole thing masked by the sound of the fans, pumping the air about the levels.

  Ten thousand murmuring voices.

  He had thrown the tapes into the ovens for himself, then had stood there afterwards, chatting with the oven man, conscious of the huge stack of plastic coffins – each one containing an unburned body – that filled the corridors outside his quarters. Victims of the latest rioting.

  He hadn’t thought it had been so serious, so costly in lives. But there it was, the brutal fact of it, stacked up along the walls of the corridor.

  So much violence. And for what? Only he knew it was wrong to seek any kind of sense in it. People were people. They weren’t logical, sensible machines. Not even the best of them. No. This had been coming for a long while. All of that repressed anger, repressed fear. This ‘War’ had found an outlet for them.

  Jake let himself in then paused, smiling, hearing Beth’s voice. At least she’d got here safe and unscathed.

  ‘Mary, Beth, I…’

  He stopped. Oh God… What now?

  Because Mary had been crying. She got up and came across to him. ‘Jake… Ludo has just been on…’

  ‘Ludo?’

  ‘At GenSyn. He asked me to get you to call him.’

  ‘Did he say why?’

  She nodded. ‘I think you should speak to him. I…’ She looked to Beth. ‘Look, we’ll take the kids and go and do some shopping. Leave you be.’

  ‘Mary?’

  ‘No. Just call him. Okay?’

  Jake waited, while they tried to find Ludo and connect him.

  Jake knew it wasn’t good news. Good news wouldn’t have made Mary cry and behave as she had. The question was, what kind of bad news was it? Were GenSyn pulling the plug? Had they decided not to fund Jake’s case any longer? Or was it something worse than that? Only what could be worse?

  He quickly found out.

  ‘Aiya… Does her son know?’

  Ludo Ebert was very like his father, Gustav. He nodded, his grey eyes moist. ‘I called him first, before I called you. He’s… devastated.’

  Jake let out a long breath. ‘I don’t know what to say. I… I thought she was okay. I thought… well, I thought she could handle it all. She seemed so tough. So…’

  Self-reliant. But he knew, even as the phrase came to mind, that it wasn’t what he had thought. Not when they’d been together, anyway. There had always been something brittle, something fragile about her.

  Besides, maybe she was right. Maybe she understood better than any of them what was to come. For if Tsao Ch’un won – and it seemed now that he had – then they were all for it. Lined up against the wall.

  If they were that lucky, and didn’t end up on the torturer’s slab.

  Like Chris and Hugo and Jenny. Because nothing had really changed. Tsao Ch’un was still in charge.

  He met Ludo’s eyes again. ‘What’s going to happen? Is there going to be a service of some kind, or… I guess everything’s up in the air right now, right?’

  Ludo nodded. ‘It is. But if anything happens I’ll let you know. And Jake… I hope I can meet you, once all of this is over. In better times. I…’ He shrugged. ‘Well… keep safe, neh? And keep your head down.’

  Then he cut connection.

  Jake stood there, holding on to the edge of the table. Kate, and Annie, and now Alison. All the women in his life, dead. All except one.

  He took a breath, then spoke to the screen. ‘Get me Peter. Tell him I need to speak to him right now.’

  Meng Hsin-fa paused outside the restaurant, regaining his composure. That morning’s news had shaken him. He had come to like Advocate Yang a very great deal. And as for Chi Lin Lin… What a darling boy he’d been.

  Shu Liang was waiting for him inside, on the far side of the dining area. Meng looked about him, surprised by how empty it was, how few diners there were. Only why should that be strange? The world was at war. And only fools and madmen acted as if nothing had changed.

  So which was he?

  Shu Liang greeted him, then gestured towards the meal that was spread out before him.

  ‘Help yourself, Meng Hsin-fa. Big as I am, there’s plenty for us both.’

  Meng sat, then looked about him, surprised by the sheer amount of food that filled the table. It was a nine-platter meal, at the centre of which were the three meat dishes: pork, stir-fried; Pei Ching duck, glazed a golden red, with the head left on; and pangolin – anteater – boiled and skinned, cooked in ginger and garlic and surrounded on the dish by tiny crabs, turtles and sea slugs. Arranged around these were six other dishes: spicy bean curd; pineapple, to strengthen the stomach; two kinds of noodles; a huge bowl of boiled rice; some small meat dumplings; and as a sta
rter, tiger and phoenix soup.

  Seeing all this, Meng stared in wonder. Barring celebratory feasts he had attended, he had never seen such a spread. No wonder Shu was the size he was.

  Only he had no appetite right now. The tapes had robbed him of his hunger. The only hunger he had now was for revenge.

  ‘Shu Liang…’

  Shu Liang raised a hand. Then, taking a plate, he began to pick from this dish and that, talking as he did.

  ‘My reasoning is this. That, things being as they are in the greater world, our friends the Changs will think themselves unassailable. The mere fact that we are associated with GenSyn will, so they’ll believe, drag us down. And yet the law is the law. And we are mere hirelings. It might be argued that we are not to blame for the sins of our clients. Even assuming that we are, how could we get around such a problem?’

  Shu Liang paused, took one last rather large spoonful of rice, then set his plate down in front of him. That done, he looked to Meng again.

  ‘Let me suggest the following solution. That you and I – and I mean not to railroad you into this, forgive me if it seems like such – but that you and I… well… we take this case on separate from GenSyn. That is… that we do the thing without charge.’

  ‘Without charge?’ But Meng didn’t mean it to sound quite like that. It was just that he had been thinking the same coming over here.

  ‘If you wish to withdraw, Meng Hsin-fa?’

  ‘No, no. Not at all. I think that it’s a splendid idea. I think…’

  He paused, as Shu Liang raised his chopsticks to his mouth and swallowed down a huge portion of duck and rice.

  He leaned towards Shu Liang. ‘To be blunt about it, Shu Liang, I want to nail these fuckers. I want to make them crawl and beg for mercy for what they’ve done. And even then… well, justice is not enough, don’t you think? I want more than that. I want to humiliate them and make it impossible for them to show their faces in polite society ever again.’

  Shu Liang swallowed another huge mouthful of food, nodding as he did. He swallowed, then gestured towards Meng with one of his chopsticks.

  ‘Then we are of one mind, Meng Hsin-fa. For I shall not rest until I see those bastards humbled and hung out to dry. Curse their evil black souls. I mean…’