by Andrew Watts
Jinshan said, “Do you believe in God, Natesh?”
Natesh moved uncomfortably in his seat. He debated how to answer. He went with truth.
“No. I don’t,” he said.
“Good. I don’t care why you don’t. It’s irrelevant. But the reason people fear God is because they think that he is in control of their lives.”
Natesh chewed, not sure how to respond. The conversation was taking yet another unexpected turn. Yet he was intrigued by Jinshan’s ideas.
Jinshan said, “However, if you don’t believe in God, it is quite liberating. If there is no divine spirit controlling your destiny, then why shouldn’t you be in control? And what would real control look like?”
Natesh wasn’t sure if he was supposed to answer.
Jinshan sipped his wine. He looked up at the ceiling and kept talking. “If you don’t believe in God, and you achieve greatness in this life, then eventually you realize that you can be one.”
Natesh didn’t know what to say. What was this man leading up to?
“Natesh, I’m going to tell you something, and I need you to suppress any worry or disbelief that you may have until I’m done. I made my decision on you long ago. When I’m done talking, you need to make your decision on whether to join me. It’s a onetime offer.”
Natesh said, “Okay.”
Jinshan said, “Over the years I’ve developed many contacts in the Chinese government. For that matter, I’ve developed many contacts in governments all around the world. Some are politicians and businessmen. Some of them are in the military or intelligence community. The point is, I have my fingers in everything so to speak.” He smiled. Natesh could see that he was proud of his network.
“That’s very impressive.”
“I’ve needed to keep my businesses competing at the highest level each year. These contacts help me to get information I need, and to overcome hurdles that would otherwise impede my success. And my businesses have done well…very well, as you know. But it’s time to cash out.”
Natesh raised his eyebrows.
Jinshan continued, “Some of my contacts—ones who are very good at predicting things like this—tell me that China’s economic growth is unsustainable. I know—people have been saying that for years. But this time, I believe it to be true. So, what does that mean for me? It means that it is time to take the next step in achieving my goals. It is time for me to make a bold move. Over the next year, China will get a new president. I will put him there. Our economy will begin to falter before that, and this new president will promise the people a way out. But…there is no way out, Natesh. Not with the way the world is set up. You are a student of business. What do you know when you see a stock price rocket up at an impossible rate? That rate of acceleration, most likely, will correct in the opposite direction. The stock will come crashing down. The same occurs on a larger scale with national economies. They either expand or contract in endless cycles—some more violent than others. This next one will be quite violent, I am afraid.”
Natesh said, “So you are selling your businesses?”
Jinshan shook his head. “Not at all.”
“What then?”
“I will lead China into a global expansion, and I want you to be a part of it. I want to give you the control that you truly desire. You won’t just lead businesses. You’ll shape nation-states. You’ll lead decisions on all aspects of people’s lives. And you know what? It will actually help them. You will get the control and the power that you’ve wanted all of your life. For once, there won’t be the bureaucracy and political infighting drowning progress. The masses that have formed failed democracies and corrupt governments will get the growth and leadership that they never could have put into place on their own. Look at history—look at what the Roman Empire did under proper leadership—look at what Kangxi of the Qing dynasty did.
“Natesh, I’ve been watching you for a long time. I want you to help me rule a new empire that unites our globe and brings an era of peace and prosperity that the world has never seen. Great men have been asking themselves this question for ages. What is more desirable? Money, or power? Let me save you from a life wasted—the answer is power. Control gives us power. And I’m offering it to you, if you’ll work alongside me.”
Natesh did all he could to keep his mouth from opening. Was this real? He didn’t know what to say. His mind wrestled with whether he was hearing the lunatic rant of an eccentric old billionaire or whether Jinshan was actually capable of such things.
“How?” Natesh said.
Jinshan said, “Tell me, Natesh. What do you know of my country’s policy on having children?”
“The One Child Policy? Not much. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory…Of course, I have heard rumors of…”
“Go on. You won’t offend me.”
Natesh looked away, embarrassed. He said, “Well, I have heard rumors of things like late-term abortions or killing newborn babies in order to maintain the law.”
Jinshan scoffed. He said, “The Western media, I assure you. The One Child Policy, as you call it, was a magnificent achievement. It serves as an example of the sensational results that can be achieved when real leaders make decisive moves. Do you know how many poor, jobless souls would be crowding the streets if we hadn’t put that law into place? China would be weighed down by starving criminals. Instead, we carved out the excess waste like the cancer it was. But something like that can only be accomplished if those leaders have the authority they need. And today, we can. Just imagine the improvements to our global society that we can produce. And in the new global empire that I will create, we will have the capability to make these choices.”
Natesh said, “What do you mean, the capability?”
“The Internet. Your specialty. Mine too, really. In China, I work many jobs. Some of them in business, others in a more public capacity. One of my jobs is to consult with our Cyberspace Administration. Natesh, I can control the information that over one billion people see. If I want them to hear that the sky has turned pink, then that is what they will hear. If I want them to stop reading CNN, then it will not be available to them.”
“Censorship?”
“More than just censorship. Total control of information. And with that, the power of shaping of opinions. Today, true national authority must have this power to succeed. In a connected world, the government administration that cannot control the information that shapes public opinion is doomed to be a slave of rivals who can. If I want the Chinese people to read that America suffered a great cyberattack, and will be without power for months, they will. If I want them to read that our Chinese countrymen must perform our brotherly duty and bring military aid to America to make sure they don’t suffer, they will read that. If I want them to hear that a growing element of radical American Christian terrorists have murdered innocent Chinese, they will. And if I want them to believe that the solution is that we must rise up and defend ourselves by invading the United States…then that is what they will believe.”
Natesh’s pulse raced. He said, “That doesn’t sound ethical.”
“You may question my ethics, but you can’t question my logic. Or my influence. Or my power. And that is what I offer you now…power. Like no other man on Earth can offer you. Today you cash checks that you have earned playing a game. It’s an entertaining game, business. But it’s not the real game. Statesmen would say that the real game is politics, and they are right. For that is where the real power is. Businesses can be crushed by politicians overnight.”
Natesh was getting light-headed from the wine. He said, “And dictators can be overthrown overnight.”
Jinshan looked down at the crowd below. He said, “True. But to win in that game—the game of nations—you must be willing to exercise every option. And that is where I have an advantage in placing logic over ethics. You said you didn’t believe in God. Well, neither do I. If there is no God, who will stop wars from destroying the world? Who will stop economies from crashing
due to Wall Street gamblers’ mistakes? Who will save the people of this world from themselves? It has always been the same answer to these questions. The great emperors throughout history have been the men with the vision, the capability, and the authority to shape the world. You have great ambition. You have great strength. You have great intellect. I have chosen you to be a part of this great shaping of the world.”
Natesh said, “I am flattered to hear you say that. But, sir, you only just met me. How do you can you possibly know whether I am suitable for—”
“I know.”
Natesh paused. He took another drink of his wine. “How do you know I won’t disappoint?”
“You won’t.”
Natesh shook his head. “I have reservations.”
Jinshan said, “I have no doubt that you are apprehensive about some of the things I have mentioned. The road ahead will require hard work and sacrifice. Things that I believe are part of your nature. But before I continue providing you with details, please give me an answer to this question: Do you choose power or wealth?”
Present Day
* * *
Brooke looked up at Tess from the stage at the bottom of the classroom.
Brooke said, “Natesh is running here?”
Tess said, “Yeah.”
“Alone?”
Tess said, “Yeah, he should be in the building now. I can’t see him anymore.”
Brooke walked quickly over to the classroom door that lead to the outer hallway and building entrance. She didn’t know what she would say to him but she knew she had to confront him. What Major Combs had just revealed didn’t paint him in a good light. And it raised serious questions about things that Natesh had said. She liked him, sure. He seemed honest. But if he had lied about how he met Lena, and how long he had known her, what else could he be lying about? Why would he lie about those things? And why was he alone now? Why would he leave Norman and Lena in the Comms building by themselves?
Brooke pulled on the classroom doorknob to open it, but it didn’t budge. She frowned. Her fingers tightened around the knob. She twisted and pulled again. It was locked. The only exit to the room was locked from the outside. She gave it another tug. She looked down and didn’t see a lock handle. Just a keyhole. That’s odd. Shouldn’t the lock keyhole be on the opposite side? She looked back through the small glass square at the top of the door.
Natesh stared back at her.
She stared at him, confused, yelling for him to open the door. Other people heard her yelling in the room and came over. Then Brooke heard a scream from up on the top level of the tiered classroom. Her eyes shot up to see a cluster of people leaning towards the window.
Brooke yelled, “What is it?”
She could barely hear Tess over the panic. Tess was frantic. “They’re coming. There’s so many.”
Brooke looked back through the small glass window. Natesh stood looking at her. A serious look in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before.
The last thing she saw before he walked away was his lips as he mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
12
The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. —General George S. Patton
Tom Connolly opened the cell door and looked inside.
Bill lay in shambles on the floor. He looked up at Tom and said, “Just you this time?”
“Yeah. Just me.”
Bill said, “What do you want?”
Tom almost gagged as he got a whiff of the air. It stank in this cell. It smelled like human waste and rotting food. He said, “I decided that I would check on you. See if you needed anything.”
Bill squinted. His voice was ragged. “You helped put me here and now you’re worried about my well-being? Lena said you were gonna come back and question me. Maybe that’s why you’re here. More likely.”
Tom looked away. He swayed in the doorway, thinking about leaving. Maybe this was a bad idea. What was he doing here, anyway? Was he lonely, the only American on this side of the island? There would be others here soon, but they would be locked up like Bill here.
Bill said, “So why’d you do it? What do you think they’re going to do? Make you a prince? Where are you going to go?”
Tom said, “What did you say?” He flexed his fists.
Bill spat on the floor of the cell. He said, “I assume they made you promises.”
Tom said, “Yeah, they did. Pretty big ones.”
“And you’re okay with that? With selling your soul like that?”
“I’ll live.”
“Will you? Where are you going to go? It looks to me like you came in here because you didn’t know where else to go. You’re already having regrets.”
“I’m not having—”
Bill’s voice was raspy. “So what are you gonna do? They gonna send you back to America? You gonna be a king there?”
Tom didn’t know why he kept listening, but he had a bit of a buzz going and didn’t yet care to move. “That’s the plan.”
“Well…your servants will despise you. They’ll know. Somehow they’ll know what you did. And if they don’t kill you, what will you do when the guilt hits you like a ton of bricks?”
Tom stared at him, stone-faced. Bill was lying on the floor, filthy and tired. And yet he looked stronger than Tom felt.
“Go to hell,” Tom said.
“Oh, I’m going to heaven, my friend. I’ve got a seat waiting for me there. I’ve lived a good, honorable life. I’ve got a wife and family that love me and memories of…” Bill’s voice cracked. He said, “I’m satisfied with what I’ve done with my life. Will you be able to say the same, when your judgment comes?”
Tom glared at him. He took another swig from his flask. “It stinks like shit in here.”
He turned and walked out of the cell, slamming the door behind him. He walked down the empty hallway. Almost all of the Chinese soldiers were busy hustling over to the other side of the island. There was no one around.
He approached one of the steel doors that led out to the docks and the beach. He opened the door and stepped outside. He needed a smoke. Rain and wind struck him, but he continued on.
Tom shielded his eyes from the pelts of rain and walked around the side of the large concrete building he had just come out of. He removed a cigarette from his pack and tried to light it. The wind and rain made that nearly impossible. After a few minutes of cursing, he got one good drag before the cigarette was too wet to smoke. Tom flicked it into the air and the gusts sent it cartwheeling down away on the sand. He took out his flask and took a swig, walking down to the beach. Tom’s clothes were already drenched. He looked at the waves and decided he would go pick out a seat next to the motorboats. A drink in the rain on a beach in a hurricane. A sure cure for whatever ails you.
Bill didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, anyway…
Henry tossed the antenna cable out the window. It unraveled down the side of the building, where David caught it two stories below. A hellacious wind and rain beat against David’s face as he grabbed the end of the cable. The rain was coming in bands now. One moment it would be a downpour, and the next moment it would be just wind. David kept thinking the storm was letting up when the next band of rain would pelt down on him.
Henry explained to him that the longer they made the antenna, the lower the frequency they could transmit and receive on. And the lower the frequency, the greater the range. That was the idea, anyway. David hoped it would work.
Henry yelled out the window of his second-floor barracks room, “Back! Step back about five feet! Okay. Stay there. I’m going to try and transmit.”
“Okay, let me know if—”
The wind was blowing so bad that David didn’t hear the noise at first.
It started off as a dull hum. Like millions of bees flying towards them. David looked up the mountain, its peak just barely visible in the storm. When the first of the large helicopters came into view, ducking under the low, t
hick clouds and hugging the green treetops of the island, David kept thinking how enormous it looked. It was a dark grey steel dragon, much bigger than the one that had landed on the runway the other night.
The closer the aircraft flew, the louder its rotors became, until the rapid chugging sound was so loud that it drowned out the storm’s wind. The giant machine flowed down the ridge with a grace and precision that both captivated and terrified him. Then two more helicopters appeared behind it, trailing the first as they dove down the curvature of the mountain like they were part of a giant roller coaster.
David looked up at the window. Henry appeared, staring at the helicopters, his mouth open. They looked at each other. They both knew what this meant. No time for an HF transmission. If any last shred of hope remained in David’s mind, it disappeared as a large red star came into view on the tail of the first helicopter.
David yelled, “Henry, bring down the pile of shower curtains. I’ll meet you at the entrance to the barracks.”
Glickstein nodded frantically, and his head disappeared from the window.
David ran around the building and huddled inside the entrance. He peered through the large vertical glass panel just to the right of the door that rose from the floor to the ceiling.
David could see everything from his vantage point. The barracks was uphill from the Classroom, which was uphill from the Communications building and dining hall. Below all of those buildings was the runway. He watched the three helicopters as they plowed through the rain and wind and banked left, getting ready to land on the runway. The nose of the three steel beasts pitched up dramatically, and they slowed until they came to a hover over the taxiway. As they did, they formed ferocious vortices of rainwater, spreading out in white sheets below.
David thought that it would take any troops in those helicopters at least ten minutes to get to their position. More, if they stopped at the Classroom first. Good. That would give Henry and him time. Maybe they could run down to the Classroom and gather some of the others while—
