When I returned, I placed the piece of paper in front of Fan. I didn’t say a word. I just let him stare at it. I wanted to see his take on it. He took a pen from his jacket. In the empty spot between nine and twelve o’clock, he wrote his name. He then drew an arrow between him and Oyster, and him and Cerberus, and him and Xiaolian. He had completed the circle.
“You know all about this?”
“More or less. Does this all make sense to you now?”
“I see the whole puzzle. Where I’m still confused is… Why all of this for Xiaolian?”
“It’s not just for her. I needed you to see her with your own eyes. Nobody else would have come up with this diagram. Oyster would still be in business, and so would Cerberus Fertility. The Chan brothers would still have been sent to kill Xiaolian. They would have succeeded, thus preventing the Shis from being activated. Dr. Lee would most likely have lived. And my version of three parenting, and the use to which it is now being put, would have remained a secret.”
Hearing Fan talk about fate was surreal. Would it have happened that way had he sent Xiaolian to some other person? Would all those innocent people, that the Chan brothers killed, still be alive?
“Is this about revenge? Are you angry that someone stole your work and is now reaping the benefits?”
“I’m afraid you are still confused. Let me show you something.”
Fan dug into his shoulder bag and removed a tablet. He tapped at the screen. “Watch carefully,” he said.
There was a video playing. It showed a room with a small, round table and a chair accompanying it. The camera filming was set up a few feet away. It looked like an interview might take place. I heard a voice off-camera say they were ready. A few seconds later, a young boy, probably ten years old, walked into the frame. He wore navy-blue shorts and a white, short-sleeved dress shirt tucked neatly inside the shorts. He wore black shoes with white socks. It looked like a school uniform. He sat in the chair and stared directly into the camera without uttering a single word.
The camera zoomed in so that the boy filled the frame, giving me a better look at his face.
I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.
Fan cleared his throat. “The DNA for this boy was taken from a man who worked as a foreign intelligence officer for the KGB.”
I paused the video just as the boy looked at the camera dead on. I studied his features. He had sandy-blond hair parted on the left side of his head; the edges just barely scraped the top of his right eye. His eyes were light blue and almond shaped, with the eyelids drooping toward the outer edges, as if he were a bit tired. His eye shape signified to me that he was mixed: Chinese/Caucasian. I studied his features for a little longer until I was convinced that I knew who this boy was, or at least where he had come from.
I looked up at Fan in utter disbelief. “Is his name Vladimir?”
Chapter Eighty
“How?” I asked.
“Vladimir Putin’s DNA was taken while he was on assignment in China. He was a young man back then, early in his career, but even then he showed the intellect, the cunning, and the drive to become who he is today. Planning started a long time ago. The program is close to realizing its full potential.”
“And what is that? To create your own versions of others?”
“Imagine a China where its citizens, in every professional field, from law enforcement to biochemistry to strategic military planning to government, are all created from the very best the world has to offer. Imagine a China that’s creating a society of intellects simply by cherry-picking them from other countries without them knowing. The genius is taking these individuals and recreating them as Chinese citizens. Remember the Michael Jordan analogy?”
“But he looks like Vladimir… well, a Chinese version.”
“Yes, well, he’s not perfect, and I don’t think they care if there are similarities in looks. From what I can tell, every person born of the program resembled the individual they were modeled after. Hand-selected Chinese couples are merely hosts—incubators, if you will—so that the end result is a Chinese version of whoever was recreated.”
“But why? Is this about money?”
“The United States has always been the leader of the world. Not a single country could successfully stand up to them. For a long time, China has been a hibernating bear, but it is awakening. It started first by educating its citizens, and then it focused on building a powerful military. Infrastructure was next, then diplomacy, and the ability to develop their own allies and influence other countries by investing in them. You see, the leader of the world will not be the leader because of its military might, a position that the US holds. Warfare with tanks, missiles, troops… that’s all a thing of the past. It’s ancient. Warfare now is fought through the minds of the people. You can bring down a government by bombing it, or you can bring it down by turning the people against it. This is already being done. The power that social media holds, its ability to spread propaganda and influence the thinking of millions, is already upon us. Russia has had great success with technological warfare, hacking especially. Information is the new bomb. It’s much more powerful than any nuclear warhead. It can create chaos, bring about an uprising, and even paralyze a government. Terrorist groups like ISIS have successfully used social media and messaging apps to mobilize their people to fight their war. What China wants to add to their arsenal, on top of everything they have learned from the strategic warfare of Russia and terrorist groups, are the best minds in the world working for them, holding allegiance to them, and ultimately doing whatever is asked of them.”
“Is this what they think they will achieve by stealing DNA?”
“It’s not what they think. They’ve already begun. Their collection of DNA started long ago and is so extensive that they’re now lowering the bar. All they needed was the technology of three-parenting to catch up. And they have. There are many others like Xiaolian and Vladimir. I was told they have a ten-year-old Steve Jobs and that he’s pinned ideas to the wall that even the late Steve Jobs had not thought of.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “This is a wallop to swallow.”
“I’ll admit it certainly comes across as science fiction, but that’s why I needed you to see Xiaolian firsthand, with your own eyes, and experience what she is capable of. I know you saw more of yourself in her than you’re letting on. It probably scared you, but you were the right choice. This I believe. If I were to send Vladimir to the real Vladimir, he would either kill the boy or try to figure out the technology that created him. He is not someone you want to possess this ability. I needed someone with a moral compass that was pure. That person was you, Abby.”
“Do you believe the Chinese government is actually capable of building an army of imposters?”
“They’re not imposters. They’re the real thing and will be ten times better because of the specific training they’ve received since they were born and are continuing to receive. The government already knows what they’re capable of becoming; the goal is to multiply that ability tenfold, maybe more. Imagine that, and then ask yourself the question: do you really want to see if the Chinese government can pull this off?
“Three-parenting is a technique that scientists are already familiar with, but what they know is so pedestrian. Just last year, the first baby created by three parents was born. They’re celebrating bringing a fetus to full term, and all they really did was edit out a rare genetic mutation that the mother had. As I’ve already shown you, the Chinese are way past that.”
I leaned forward, allowing my face to fall into my hands. “This is too much,” I said with a muffled voice. I looked up at Fan. “What are you asking of me?”
“To help, to figure out a way to stop this. It won’t be easy, but I didn’t know who else I could turn to. I’m a wanted man in my country. Every contact I had who was involved with the program has either been killed or has disappeared. Those loyal to me, many who helped me get Xiaolian out of the country, are all dea
d. I had to do something. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try.”
Fan produced his pocket watch and then glanced over at the front window.
“Are you expecting someone?” I said.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
My hand gripped the arm of my chair as my body tensed.
“Relax.” Fan motioned for me to remain seated. “I wasn’t followed here. You are not in any danger.”
“How can you be sure of that? The others found out Xiaolian was staying with me.”
“Yes, I realize your predicament…”
Before Fan could finish speaking, a soft knock on the front door grabbed our attention.
“She’s here,” he said. “Why don’t you answer the door?”
I shook my head as I stood. “It can’t be…”
“I assure you, it can. Just look within yourself, and you’ll see that I’m right.”
I walked over to the door and pulled it open. My jaw fell slack. I simply stared, dumbfounded. Standing before me with that familiar smile was Xiaolian.
“Hello, Abby. There is much to discuss. Shall we get started?”
This concludes book two in the Suitcase Girl trilogy. In the third book, Abby must come to grips with the Chinese government’s plan to recreate the world’s smartest and most talented individuals as Chinese citizens. Can Abby really stop them? Will Xiaolian help her?
Coming in spring of 2018.
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Also by Ty Hutchinson
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The Curator (SG Trilogy #2)
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, Ty Hutchinson.
Published by Ty Hutchinson
Copyright © 2017 by Ty Hutchinson
Cover Art: Damonza
The Curator: SG Trilogy Book 2 (Abby Kane FBI Thriller 8) Page 29
