Peking Assassin

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  Peking Assassin

  By Robert C. Waggoner

  Copyright 2012 Robert C. Waggoner

  Smashwords Edition

  Introduction

  "Peking Assassin"

  For some readers an historical novel or a novel that is fiction based upon fact is very desirable. I prefer the general idea rather than the specific. In other words, some authors put so much detail, such as, street names, landmarks, and other descriptions that are all well and good, but a feeling of a place and time is more comfortable to others.

  In my novel, "Peking Assassin" we have at the forefront a clan of people that traces their lineage back 1.7 million years before present. That evidence comes from Younmou Man in Yunnan Province China.

  Peking Man dates back 700,000 years from evidence near present day Beijing. Both discoveries show that each had rudimentary tools and the ability to make fire.

  I took the liberty of moving Peking Man to Chengdu, Sichuan Province for the site of present day Peking Man. Surely it's possible that a branch of Peking Man could have made their way north and another off-shoot to the east very likely.

  Be that as it may, I used imagination to develop a Chinese Master with exceptional powers. In my mind, this story is in no way shape or form, science fiction. The mind, enclosed in our skulls, has unlimited potential both mentally and physically. Physical feats of unusual strength have been recorded under adverse conditions.

  Mentally we only need to channel our thoughts. Meditation was practiced in China since recorded or unrecorded time. Some might argue that a mixture of certain herbs influenced a state of perceived enlightenment.

  Nevertheless, I don't think I've over reached the bounds of mental reality by demonstrating the prowess of my Chinese Masters.

  I hope you enjoy this little novella.

  Robert C. Waggoner

  The Peking Assassin

  A Brad Pratt Novella

  #5

  Chapter One

  Brad Pratt said, "Would you repeat that Mr. President?" Not that he was hard of hearing, but having a hard time digesting the shocking news.

  "Let me back up and start again. I received a phone call from President Wen Jiming of China. His English name is Ben. He is coming to the US next month July. He told me that he'd received some disturbing intelligence that an assassination attempt will happen when he visits. He is requesting your services along with the Chinese Master."

  "Yes sir. I just wanted to make sure I understood what you wanted."

  "Brad, we have a major culture and language barrier with the Chinese. If you accept the mission he wants to send his daughter who speaks very good English to meet you in San Francisco next week. I'll also send his schedule to Nancy and Steve."

  "Count us in Mr. President. We can't have an assassination of a high ranking foreign person on our soil." Brad ended the conversation with a big sigh. Well, he thought, here we go again. He called to Billy who was playing with his computers with rock and roll music blaring. Finally Brad stood up and through the window of the door, caught his eye. Billy Ricker shut down the music and hurried to the door.

  Billy was the Batt team's resident computer expert. Brad's father discovered him resting his backside in a federal cell in California. Brad rescued him and swore him to stop hacking where he shouldn't be sticking his pointed nose.

  Brad, when reminded, had a good laugh as the first thing Billy Ricker said to him was, "Mister, I'll agree to anything and sign it in blood if you'll get me out of here before I die from the lack of nicotine." As it turned out, Billy was god's gift to the tobacco company. With his expensive habit he could feed half of Africa, Mike Henderson joked.

  Two things Billy lacked and that was a cowboy hat and boots. Other than that, he was a diehard Marlboro man. No matter what he had a heart of gold with a sense of humor to match; not to mention his ability with computers were second to none.

  Brad said, "Billy, let's take a walk."

  "Let me grab my smokes boss. I can't function without some tar and nicotine."

  Up the stairs they went into and through the living room. The front door was open but the screen door was locked. Brad's son was crawling faster than one would imagine. Once outside they went around the north side of the Round House where Mr. Park, a North Korean defector worked his garden. The Batt team used him when they had a mission in North Korea where they kidnapped the 'Dear One' and his son. Brad injured himself and was left behind during a cold winter to find his own way out of a communist country. Park was a thinker and with his help, both escaped from North Korea on a fishing boat.

  Now Brad and Billy stood talking. Billy had almost finished his first cigarette and was lighting another off the first one. Brad said, "Billy the Chinese President is Wen Jiming. He's coming on a visit next month. He has a daughter and I don't know her name but find out all you can about her. We're to meet her next week in San Francisco. Also find out if anyone out there in cyber land has been overly vocal about not liking the Chinese President or any related things. Someone is reportedly going to try an assassination attempt in the USA."

  "Well, I've something to sink my teeth into rather than a fiber filter. I'll let you know when I have something to report." He walked slowly back to the house. Brad thought he was looking thinner than his usual skinny frame. Brad would never give advice out to any of his team members, but he sure wished Billy would find a girlfriend and quit smoking.

  The Round House was more of a fortress than a regular residence. It was made of all steel construction and bullet proof glass. Even the roof was made of 2" thick; harden steel, covered by Red Cedar shakes. The steel walls were also covered with Red Cedar, but shingles instead of shakes. Shakes were hand split and shingles were machine made. A light blue color blended well with the next to the Pacific Ocean location. The house sat on a bluff overlooking the ocean. Giant sea stacks ran up and down the coast. Most had their own personal name given by old time residents.

  Brad was given permission to build his house on a quarter acre by the federal government. His best friend and former SEAL team member gave him the heads up on living on the west coast. Mike Henderson and family lived just down highway 101 near Port Orford.

  Brad did his best thinking running on the beach. He was a fitness nut, according to Mike; Brad claimed that fresh oxygen to the brain brought forth solutions to any problems.

  Now he went back down the stairs to his bedroom to change into running gear. His South Korean wife, Sujin, was napping with their son Brian. Silently he changed clothes and left.

  Brad had two German shepherd dogs for security. One was always in the house and the other just outside to keep an eye for any strangers wandering too close to home. Even though they had just put down a terrorist attack, Brad never lowered his ever tight security. He still had a 25 million dollar price tag on his head put up by the Taliban.

  Brad did his stretching and then he and Rocky, his faithful four leg companion, jogged down the side hill to the beach. A creek ran along the bottom of the small valley empting into the ocean not far away. On the opposite side of the valley tall sand dunes with beach grass ran south as far as the eye could see. There weren't any residents to the south and only a few scattered houses to the north. Weather beaten shore pine trees keep the curious from seeing this section of the ocean area. To get to the Round House, one had to drive about two hundred yards through those very same pine trees to arrive at a cable crossing the road.

  Brad turned right at a landmark known as Devils Kitchen; a natural enclave for wind protection; a great place for a picnic or a night BBQ. From Devils Kitchen to the Jetty where the Coquille River empties into the ocean is about 4 miles. His round trip took about 50 minutes.

  As he ran he thought about who might want
to assassinate the Chinese President. Nowadays the protection for such a high level official was very good. Even the Pope traveled in a bullet proof glass car. Brad realized one thing that whoever was planning this action had deep pockets. Better yet, how did the word get out? Something this big would remain a secret not published before hand. The real question was who would perform the deed? The only person he knew who might have the answer was the Chinese Master from Chengdu, Sichuan province.

  Brad made the turn at the jetty and with an off shore wind, a very warm day was felt. The sweat ran freely and Rocky had his tongue hanging out dripping. Brad ran on the hard sand seeing the tide was out. He passed by many sea stacks and when he arrived at his favorite sea stack, Fish Rock, which he could plainly see from his cliff by the house, he decided to climb the back side.

  Fish Rock sat at about a 45 degree angle to the sea. It took a fairly low tide to walk the ledge to the point of the rock where most fishermen did their best to catch perch. Also along the 100' walking ledge a crab fisherman could cast his pots for the delicious Dungeness crab.

  Rocky sat down and waited for his master to finish his climb. Brad tried never to climb the giant rock from the same place twice. Now he stood catching his breath looking at a route up the back of the rock. His sharp eyes saw every hand hold and foot placement. A slip from near the top would probably not kill him, but broken bones would result. However, he always challenged himself.

  From the cliff top Mr. Park was watching his boss climb the rock from his squatting position. When he saw Brad begin he started counting until he saw him stand at the top of the rock about 50' from the sand. Park had only counted to 45 when Brad stood at the top. Then in total amazement, he saw Brad leap off the top of the rock as if to fly. Park couldn't describe the landing as he saw Brad tumble and roll coming up on two feet jogging with Rocky by his side.

  Chapter Two

  Billy had sent word to the Master in Chengdu that Brad was coming late next week. A confirmed date would follow. Billy turned his attention to his new assignment Mi Ling, daughter of the Chinese President.

  His search revealed two pictures of her. One was when she was a little girl and the other looked like a graduation photo. With those funny looking hats on Billy had hard time seeing her face. Her bio told him she was 29 years old, single and held various degrees from Europe to the USA.

  Next Billy went digging for dirt about any dislike of the way the current President ran the country. Which, he knew was a misnomer. He was only a front for the real power that dictated policy. This President was touting the reevaluation of the yuan to slow down economic growth. China was still pushing the 10% annual growth rate and that would soon demand more and more fossil fuels. That in turn would raise the price of oil applying too much expense for the global world to function economically.

  Billy thought about that wondering who would suffer the most from the yuan devaluation. Of course any of the super rich Chinese would take a hit, but whom else? He decided this was a bit over his head so he sent some messages to his cyber friends asking for some help. Meanwhile he scanned the recent newspapers about China.

  Two hours later his head hurt and he desperately needed a smoke break. Billy went upstairs to a very quiet house. Then he remembered Wendy and Agent Jones were on their honeymoon; Wade was visiting his mother; Nancy was back east; Mike was home playing with his wife Julie and kids; Park was sleeping in his room; Brad and Sujin were in their room playing with Brian. Sandy followed him upstairs and out the door. Rocky was on guard duty tonight. The two shepherds changed shifts on a regular basis. Billy had a chair outside. Alongside it was sand can for his used Marlboros.

  The night was fairly warm for the coast. Of course July was one of the two best months with August to follow. A clear sky showed more stars than one could imagine. Billy petted both dogs as he felt they were just an extension of himself.

  Billy puffed and thought about the China problem. He really didn't know it was a problem or not. He went over the list or rich guys again. Most were rich because of the explosion of computers available to hundreds of millions of users. Only one super rich guy was on the list due to being a real estate developer. Billy thought, if that guy was to take a 20% hit on value of property and his net worth, no doubt he'd be one pissed off Chinese guy. Billy made it a triple hit of nicotine with the last one half smoked.

  By the next morning he thought he had something concrete to take to Brad. Billy hadn't slept all night long. Now he took a shower, brushed his teeth twice, sucked on some tic tacs and went upstairs for a morning smoke break.

  Park was in the garden hoeing the weeds. Already his garden was producing radishes, leaf lettuce and baby carrots. Park had also built a lean to affair for his two goats that were tethered towards the cliff area munching away.

  Brad came out stretching his arms. Billy was still impressed with Brad's natural build. In a way he reminded Billy of a pure blood Aryan man direct out of Hitler's playbook. Brad was over 6 foot tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a stout body. He had the look of a powerful swimmer more than anything.

  Brad said, "What have you got Billy for your late night research?"

  "I couldn't find much on Mi Ling the daughter. She's 29 and studied at various universities around the world. The only picture I could find was a graduation shot that really didn't show her face much. Those silly hats got in the way.

  The Chinese connection to an assassination would be or is a tough one. Most of the big players are involved in the IT end of things. I found only one dude who deals in real estate development. What I can determine is this; the President wants to devalue the currency to slow down the smoking hot Chinese economy. If that happens, then the developer would take a large hit of his net worth and probably break him with land holdings at an already set price. He'd be one angry and pissed off man."

  "Good work Billy. Keep digging and dig up anything you can on Hi u Yan."

  "Boss, how did you know his name?"

  "I just came from downstairs and I looked at your notes," said Brad laughing.

  ~***~

  Four days later Brad and Billy, along with Rocky flew to San Francisco aboard the Gulf Stream. Brad went over the paper work Billy had provided on the way down. Billy sat reading a anthropology book on ancient man. Brad wondered where he got that idea from, but he had other things on his mind.

  They were to meet Mi Ling at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square. They were to join her in the Oak Room. Brad had cleared the way for Rocky. He had to wear a leash, but that wasn't any big deal.

  Brad rented a car and let Billy drive. They were only to stay the night; or at least that was the plan.

  At 2 pm, after checking in, they went to the Oak Room for their appointment with Mi Ling. When Billy came out of his room, Brad was a little shocked seeing him in a pair of Dockers with a matching shirt. Penny loafers shined on his feet. Brad said, "Wow Billy! You look like a million dollars. What's the occasion?

  "He blushed and said, "Boss, this is one classy hotel in a very classy town. I didn't want to look like a hill billy."

  "Let's go dude," Brad said.

  Walking into the restaurant, after telling the smiling hostess they were meeting a Chinese lady, the hostess told them to follow her.

  They were led to a table where a very lovely Chinese woman sat with two other male Chinese body guards. The two men stood up and gave Brad and Billy a bow. The young lady sat looking at the two of them smiling. She held out her hand and Brad told her his name and then introduced Billy. Billy, as Brad noticed after sitting down, was smitten big time. She was quite lovely. Her English was very good.

  Mi Ling said, "I just sat down. I'm a little hungry so how about we eat before we bring up a subject I'm not happy about."

  Brad said, "Yes, Let's do. I could do with some famous foods from this old hotel. Menus appeared as if by magic. Brad watched Billy as he couldn't keep his eyes off the daughter of the President of China. She wore a dark green blouse with a set of Jad
e ear rings and necklace. All of it set her smooth white skin and full lips off very well.

  After a nice lunch, Billy excused himself for a smoke break. However, when he came back Brad noticed no tobacco smell. Brad said, "We waited for you Billy. Now Mi Ling is going to tell us her father's fear and her fear too."

  "It's hard to make a long story short Mr. Pratt and Mr. Ricker. So please be patient with me."

  Brad said, "We're in no hurry Mi Ling. The more you tell us the better we can help."

  "It all started about a year ago. My father told me the story about when he was at a meeting with a group of business men. He told the men there that the USA was putting a lot of pressure on him to reevaluate or adjust the yuan to the dollar. He realized it was not a popular subject to broach. The business men got angry and called him a traitor. They didn't use the word 'traitor' but it was implied. The most vocal man was the head of Everground Land Developers, Hi u Yan. He argued it would cost him billions if a 20% devaluation occurred.

  My father brushed it off, but then he started to receive anonymous messages threatening his life. It would be very difficult to assassinate him in China. But if it was attempted her in the USA the fall out would be devastating to both countries."

  "Mi ling, your father is very smart man. What method do you think would be used to make an attempt on your father's life?"

  "Money is a power object. If you have enough of it you can buy anything you want. One thing my father says is that no Chinese would hire anyone other than an Asian to do the job. Your President sent my father the video of your Master to him a few weeks ago. He's not the only one with that ability. I'll let that be for the moment."