“You would have led us into open conflict with Xueshu Quan,” Mr. Hung insisted. “That is not ‘minor assistance.’”
“It was minor assistance,” I insisted. “You helped me establish an alibi. I paid well for the privilege. If there are unforeseen damages or consequences to the Brotherhood, I will make amends, and I will pay what I owe, but I do not see that you have suffered any harm.
“You would have seen my nation led into open conflict, my countrymen slaughtered, our strength dissipated,” I pointed out. “Whose grievance is the greater?”
I turned to face Honorable Shan Zhu and waited for Ding's translation to catch up before continuing.
“The Albertians made their existence known to me. I have worked with them, as I have worked with you to harass and weaken our mutual enemy, the Civic Circle. They acted of their own free will. They acted contrary to what I advised. They won a tactical victory against our mutual enemy, but at great cost. I have no secret power to make anyone do anything except by laying out facts and opportunities and seeking mutual assistance to mutual benefit.”
I waited for the translation to catch up and then addressed Mr. Hung and his Brothers.
“I value our friendship. We share a common enemy. We share a common goal – his destruction. I did not share all my plans and designs with you, as you do not share yours with me. You agreed to stand aside, and I acted alone. Now, our mutual enemy is weakened by the most direct blow he has suffered in many decades. You did not have to act openly. You did not face a significant risk in this action. You suffered no harm. Now, you stand to benefit. Perhaps I have created chaos, but chaos is inherent in the downfall of the ancient enemy. In chaos there is risk, but there is also opportunity to be seized.”
I turned back to Honorable Shan Zhu and concluded.
“I have worked honorably with you to our mutual benefit. Your nephew, Professor Chen, continues to serve you because of my actions. Our mutual enemy, Professor Gomulka, is no more because we have worked together. Now the Thirteen themselves have been broken. Now Xueshu Quan knows that he is vulnerable. His control weakens. His power crumbles. All this I have accomplished at the cost of a dinner in your restaurant, for which I paid. The Brotherhood was not harmed.”
I remembered something from Sun Tzu. I hoped I could paraphrase accurately. “We stand at a crossroads. Now is the time to join together with allies, secure each other’s flanks and pursue the fleeing enemy, not squabble amongst ourselves.”
I was out of words. I could only hope I’d made my point. I was kicking myself for coming with Ding Li with no backup and no plan. The Brotherhood of the Red Flower Tong was about to pass judgement upon me.
Honorable Shan Zhu listened to Ding's translation, and said something back to her. She stood and bowed to her master, then faced me and said. “You will come with me.”
I didn’t see much alternative.
My life was already in their hands.
I followed her through the door. A couple of “waiters” followed us down the service corridor and around a corner. Ding Li opened a door into a closet and stepped in. “Join me in here.”
There was barely room for the two of us. I stepped in, placing a hand on her bare shoulder as the room became jet black. The waiters closed and locked the door behind us.
“My, this is cozy.” I felt her moving. She turned and leaned away from me, her pert silk-shrouded rear pressing into me. “What are you...?” A crack of light appeared as the wall swung away.
“This way.” She stepped into a hotel room. I followed, and she closed a mirror behind me, leaving no trace of the secret passage. “Have a seat,” she gestured toward a love seat.
“I prefer to stand.” I looked around the room – a large suite with a single king-sized bed visible through the door in another room. “This must come in handy,” I gestured toward the mirror-covered secret door.
“You have caused me to lose face with Honorable Shan Zhu and my Brothers.” She sat on the love seat, her legs crossed modestly, but her arms spread wide – one on the arm of the chair and the other on her hip. Her elbow framed a jaunty angle drawing my attention to her chest which rose and fell delightfully.
I shifted my gaze upward to meet her eyes. “Why?”
“You are dangerous. You are an enigma. We do not casually collaborate with outsiders. We use outsiders. We do not let outsiders use us. Yet somehow, it is clear that you used us. This is intolerable. The example of the Albertians shows the danger in continuing to tolerate your existence. Somehow you killed the most feared agent of the Civic Circle and twisted his death to serve your own ends. If you could do as much to the Albertians and the Civic Circle, what could you do if you raised your hand against the Brotherhood? There are many among my Brothers who would kill you out of hand and rid ourselves of the risk.”
The incongruity between what she said and the way she licked her lips afterward was... disconcerting. “Their hands are stayed by my vow to you. This angers them. Because of you and what you have unleashed here, Honorable Shan Zhu has had to travel a second time this season. This angers him. He had to summon many of my most senior uncles to advise him. This angers them.”
“Are they angered by the blow suffered by the Civic Circle?”
She smiled. “There are those who would prefer to stand aside and allow Xueshu Quan to make the Celestial Kingdom the agent of his global power and only then claim what he will have won for us. There are others who recognize that Xueshu Quan in control of China and the world would be an even more formidable foe, perhaps invincible. The inevitable course of history dictates the decline of the West and the growth of Chinese power with or without Xueshu Quan. Many of my brethren are pleased at the setback our ancient enemy suffered at the hands of the Albertians. Others are fearful of the chaos that will result. Still others are both.”
“The old sometimes fear change,” I offered, “even when it’s for the best and makes for a better world. We are all individuals. We must act as we see best.”
“You are right,” she replied, “and you are wrong also. We are all individuals, but we are individual links in a chain stretching from our ancestors to our descendants. We must live up to the legacy of our ancestors and build upon it so as to leave a world that will make our descendants proud of us.
“There is a village on the Yangtze River where the baiji, the river dolphins, once played,” she looked into the distance as she shared her story. “For generations our ancestors lived beside them, but now we fear the baiji may be extinct. My people built a preserve and sanctuary to keep safe any baiji who might remain. They built a hospital and holding pools to treat sick or injured or newly-captured baiji. They built a fish farm across the river to ensure the baiji would have plenty to eat. All this was not only very expensive for my poor village, but also, likely to fail to save the baiji, for as best we can tell, the baiji are no more.”
“Why do they sacrifice in this fashion?”
“If we fail to do so, we will shame ourselves in the eyes of our ancestors and our descendants. While there is shame in failure, the greater shame lies in failing to try. We seek to redeem ourselves in the eyes of our ancestors and our descendants alike by doing all we can to save the dolphins. We are a great people, because we have great ancestors to live up to.”
“One’s ancestors and their accomplishments don’t make one great,” I countered. “It’s still an individual choice.”
“Yes,” Ding Li nodded, “but you miss the point. Your ancestors present you with their example. They say to you, ‘look what we accomplished. We started with far less than you. We worked hard to create the legacy upon which you rest. We did all these great things. What will you do?’ They ask, ‘What is your excuse? What legacy will you leave to your descendants? Will you live up to our example and be good stewards of that which we leave in your care? Or will you squander the opportunity we have bought for you in sweat and blood?’ Great ancestors inspire you to make the right choice and to live up to their example
. If you follow their path, you earn a share of their greatness.”
I could see her point.
“I have failed my ancestors,” she continued, “by binding the Brotherhood’s hands when they need to be free to deal with you.”
“I disagree,” I couldn’t let that stand. “You’ve succeeded in making an alliance with a capable new ally in the Red Flower Tong’s fight against the ancient enemy. You committed the Tong to a policy of neutrality in a battle that inflicted great harm upon the ancient enemy and your Albertian rivals alike, with no harm done to the Brotherhood. You are the Brotherhood’s liaison to a powerful and promising new ally. You’ve advanced the Brotherhood’s goals with minimal risk and cost. You should be honored among your Brothers for what you have accomplished.”
“I do not know if they will see it that way,” she smiled, “and in any event, surely you have noticed I am not even a ‘Brother.’ My power is more limited than theirs. And they may well choose to dishonor me and renounce the word I gave to you.”
It was my turn to smile. “You know the power you possess, and you wield it skillfully. You have the ear of the Honorable Shan Zhu, and the wit to know what to whisper into that ear.”
Just then the mirror opened and one of the thugs said something to Ding. “They have decided,” she said. “Come with me.”
My tactical position with only Ding Li on this side of the mirror was far better than it would be once I crawled through to where the thugs awaited me. No matter how skilled she was, and I wasn’t about to underestimate her, I was much larger and stronger. I might be able take her in a fight, if I acted now, and struck with surprise. Once we were on the other side of the wall with the two thugs, I wouldn’t stand much of a chance.
The room was probably locked and guarded. I kicked myself mentally for allowing Ding Li to distract me when I should have been working on an escape. I hesitated.
“I am sure it is good news. Come with me.” She stepped through the aperture.
I didn’t see much alternative, and somehow, I trusted her. I joined her in the closet. I hoped I wouldn’t regret my decision. She slid her way past me and closed the mirror. I intercepted her hand as it moved for the closet door. “Wait,” I commanded. My hand swept up her bare arm in the darkness to the back of her neck, my fingers grabbed hold of her dense hair and twisted her against me.
I heard her take a deep breath as she melted into me, her scented hair tickling my nose.
“For luck,” I said, pulling her head back to kiss her.
She lingered a moment, reciprocating my kiss with her own, her hands pulling me hungrily toward her. Then, she pushed me back, took another deep breath, and released a contented moan. Then she whispered, “Save your luck.” I could hear her smile in the darkness. “You will need it soon, but not today.”
She flowed past me sensually to open the closet door. I followed her out, and we were escorted back to the Red Flower Pavilion.
Honorable Shan Zhu pronounced his judgement on me. Ding Li translated.
“All that Mr. Hung has said against you is true. You are dangerous, undisciplined. You leave chaos and confusion behind your passing. You put us at risk.” He looked at me. Ding’s head was bowed. She did not meet his eyes or mine.
“However,” she continued translating as he looked at me, “you hide order beneath the chaos you create, and you mask your strength with your apparent weakness. You won a great victory against the ancient enemy. Perhaps we were exposed to some risk, but you did us no harm. And we are bound by the words…” The others shifted in their seats. I saw some eyebrows raised in surprise, and a few heads nodding in agreement. She paused a moment, the flow of words temporarily interrupted by disbelief, before continuing. “…by the words of Ding Li, our Brother.”
He continued, and Ding Li paused a moment before translating. “You are dangerous, but far more to the ancient enemy than to ourselves. We do not doubt your motives, only question your wisdom. You are young. You have many lessons to learn, Mr. Burdell. I hope you will live long enough to learn them. Go in peace, Mr. Burdell.”
I bowed. “Thank you, Honorable Shan Zhu. May the winds be with you in your journey home.”
He barked a command, and Ding Li escorted me out of the Red Flower Pavilion.
“A token of our renewed friendship,” I said to her once we’d cleared the room. “The Civic Circle noted your meeting with me. They are unaware of your connection to the Brotherhood. Also, the Civic Circle intends to deport your workers to Pleasure Island, unless you can intervene. They have something on the judge.”
I didn’t like being a party to the Red Flower Tong’s human trafficking, but with the Albertians out of the picture, it beat the alternative of letting the Tong’s “immigrants” fall into the Civic Circle’s clutches.
“Oh?” Ding Li looked at me in surprise. “Thank you. I will pass that on.”
By now, we were back in a public area of the hotel. I had to ask, “I thought you were convinced they would renounce your word. So, how did you know everything would be fine?”
She smiled. “Because the only reason they would have summoned you was to share good news. If the decision had gone against you, you would have remained in the room. With me.”
She moved closer and whispered in my ear. “In a way, it is a pity,” she offered. “I would have made it the most pleasurable death I have ever inflicted.” She took a step back and smiled sweetly. “I think I like you. See you around, Peter Burdell.” She turned and departed without another word. I watched her receding hips sway seductively back and forth.
I took a deep breath as I felt a load of tension lift from my shoulders. At that moment, I finally got what Amit had been saying about crazy and hot. No, “crazy” wasn’t the right word. She wasn’t “crazy,” just extremely dangerous and unpredictable. She’d kill me in a heartbeat if she were ordered to do so, or if she thought it was required by her duties to the Tong. I had to get a good night’s sleep if I was going to be effective at the G-8 Summit tomorrow.
* * *
On Thursday, it became clear that the previous day’s revelations were merely a prelude. The full force of the storm hit. ‘Disgraced!’ read the bold headline on USA Today in the hotel lobby. An epidemic of suicides and disappearances had struck the corridors of power – The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head in his study at home. Suicide? Murder? Who could tell? Who would you believe?
There were also several skirmishes the previous day on the streets of Savannah between protesters and the police and National Guard who were there maintaining order. We saw none of it because we had all been herded onto a shuttle bus at five in the morning for the drive to Sea Island.
The world reeled from the weight of the previous day’s disclosures. More were coming out almost hourly as hundreds of reporters sifted through the source material, finding and publicizing even more guilty figures. I checked my watch early Thursday morning as we were bussed across the long causeway to Saint Simon Island and Sea Island.
Back in Sherman, Tennessee, Uncle Rob was busy orchestrating the largest theft since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913. Mr. Burke, Dr. Krueger, and Mr. Patel set up in a conference room at the Berkshire Inn where they’d have good connectivity. They began systematically working their way through the Civic Circle’s numbered accounts at banks around the world, transferring funds to accounts we controlled, and then on to still further accounts elsewhere. They began early – tapping European accounts and moving funds to the Caribbean and Panama. As the day progressed, they would be clearing out accounts from the Caribbean and transferring funds to Asian banks.
For now, I could only trust the plan. Later, I would learn the details. They were not entirely successful. The numbered accounts had elaborate safety protocols in place. Even though we had all the access codes and passwords, some prudent and suspicious bankers made calls back to the account owners – those who were still alive – to confirm the transfers. Mo
st of the ostensive owners were dead, killed in the raid on Jekyll Island. Others were distracted in the futile efforts at damage control.
It would be days before the final total could be known, and the complexity of it all defied an easy accounting, but the total amount was easily in the tens of billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, back on Sea Island, the final day of the Summit was yet another waste. I kept waiting for the explosion of activity – for the security teams of the most powerful leaders on Earth to execute their contingency plans, swoop in and evacuate their respective heads of state from the danger zone on Sea Island as Rob executed the final blow against their meeting.
I wondered if they’d also rescue the Civic Youth, the young men and women they kept claiming were the future of the world, or if we’d be abandoned while they saved their own skins. Nothing happened, though, except for lots of waiting around for opportunities to serve as scenery.
The Civic Youth served as a backdrop for the world’s leaders to issue a joint proclamation endorsing unity, peace, and better relations amid furtive glances and quiet, but angry discussions about the continuing revelations. All talk of war was abandoned. Instead, the discussions were on how to mitigate the damage inflicted by the revelations of the previous days and whether the info dump would include… details best left unspoken around Civic Youth like me.
I wondered why Rob had failed to act. He must have realized we’d already won, and stayed his hand for some reason.
The closing ceremony made the day’s ordeal well worthwhile, however. As host, the Governor of Georgia presided.
“Time capsules are a Georgia invention,” the governor boasted proudly, “Why, in 1940, right here in Georgia, Thornwell Jacobs sealed the first and still most elaborate time capsule ever constructed – a ‘Crypt of Civilization’ to preserve a record of our people and our times into the distant future.
The Brave and the Bold Page 37
