The Slip

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The Slip Page 13

by Tom C Willoughby


  There were a lot of people in the square, with tourists and commuters mixing. Julia stopped to look at her travel guide and then up at the entrance to the Forbidden City, and then down at her book again as if reading about the history or interesting factoids, while actually continuing to scan the crowd.

  She could see Peng’s face intermittently as the many bodies of the crowd periodically lined up in such a way as to provide an alley of sight between them. Julia was able to maintain awareness of Peng’s changing location in her peripheral vision due to the unique gait of his hobbling approach, which her mind was able to easily keep separate from that of the linear movements of the general crowd.

  When Peng was 40 yards away, Julia noticed uniformed personnel 20 yards behind him, at his five o’clock and six o’clock. One of them was talking into his radio and looking directly at her, giving himself away. No, not giving himself away. He wasn’t trying to be covert…he was coordinating movements…and moving with a quickening intentionality.

  Shit, Julia thought to herself while dropping her book as an excuse to bend down into the throng of people and out of eyesight.

  Speeding up, Peng was now 30 yards away moving as quickly as he could, clearly in pain. The two watchers had closed to within 10 yards of Peng, which he did not appear to be aware of. Without looking at him, Julia started moving at a walking pace toward him, not sure what was happening but instinctively understanding she needed to get to Peng before his other two friends.

  41

  KUNG WATCHED FROM THREE DIFFERENT cameras and angles on screens in the control room next to the suite of interrogation rooms, as his men moved in to apprehend Peng and the Elizabeth bitch. This was the kind of day that he lived for. The power of complete control he wielded with the various weapons of information and observation were like a drug. His mind buzzed with anticipation and his heart beat quickly from the adrenaline. He was a tiger toying with its much weaker prey, ruthlessly batting them around before bringing them in for the kill.

  42

  CLOSING TO WITHIN 20 FEET, Julia could see the two watchers clearly becoming pursuers as they began to run towards Peng. With their attention focused on Peng, she picked up her pace and walked as quickly as she could without attracting attention.

  Just as she adjusted her gait, Julia was suddenly knocked sideways and felt multiple sets of hands lock onto her arms. She was spun 90 degrees, forcing her to lose sight of Peng. She swore at herself for being taken by surprise, too focused on Peng and his pursuers, apparently she had some friends of her own that she had failed to notice.

  Reacting from the aggressors’ impacts, her muscle memory and training took over without thought. Julia flowed with the momentum of her attackers, fluidly pulling the two men she now had eyes on, so that their centers of gravity became extended past their base before they realized what was happening. She forced another 90 degree turn of her body while keeping hold of their arms. Continuing to spin on her right foot she planted her left, tripping the two now unbalanced men. She followed through with the modified judo trip, and forcefully connected the bases of their spines with the concrete.

  Her attackers temporarily immobilized, Julia looked frantically for Peng, having lost sight of him in the melee. The priority was now to relay the latest information she received from Director Greenfield to Sam. She was marked by the enemy, but the Slip could disappear, and hopefully find a way to slow the Chinese aggression. The Slip was the last hope for Jerry and everyone back home to have a chance at closing the gap before it was too late.

  43

  SAM HEARD SOMEONE ORDER PENG to stop, and two men moved in front of him blocking his advance. Looking over their shoulders Sam could see Julia making quick work of her own attackers. She made visual contact with him again, and started to run toward him. Sam noticed more uniformed men materializing out of the crowd, moving toward Julia. Time slowed for Sam as he watched four, five, six men surround Julia. Their mouths were open, yelling at her, as they pushed people down and out of the way. Sam saw the crackling electricity of multiple stun guns reach out, make contact and bring Julia down.

  Thought turned to action, fury to resolve, as Sam transferred from Peng to one of the blockers. Forcing his hand out, Sam transferred again to the nearest bystander. His advance accelerated as he jumped from one person to the next, eventually transferring without physical contact. His energy arced between individuals, bridging gaps between people.

  Sam covered the distance in a blink, and found himself tasering the now semiconscious Julia.

  44

  OPENING HER EYES, JULIA FOUND herself looking down at her own legs and a concrete floor. Snapping to consciousness, her body jolted and she became painfully aware of the ankle and wrist restraints that were holding her to a chair.

  Looking up, she saw a smug-looking Chinese officer watching her across a shiny metal table. She couldn’t help but think of a cold blooded smiling reptile. His head was bent forward slightly, mirroring hers as he tried to make eye contact. Upon succeeding, he raised his head in unison with hers.

  “That shit is weird. Does he realize he is doing that?” Julia jumped at the voice and then couldn’t help but smile, and then wince at the pain in her muscles as she chuckled.

  “Hey stranger, fancy meeting you here,” Julia responded as even in her dire circumstances relief flooded through her, realizing she and Sam had integrated at some point between the square and here.

  “This room is becoming my regular spot, second time in one day,” Sam said.

  “I’m glad you are having a good time,” Li said to Julia and then slammed both hands down on the metal table loudly, and shouted, “YOU WON’T BE LAUGHING LONG!” as globules of spittle flew onto the table.

  “Wow, this guy is special,” Julia said to Sam.

  “Oh yeah, he’s a riot. His buddies smashed two of my toes earlier today, and by smashed I mean flattened with a hammer. Which by the way reminds me - I can’t involve decent folk in our activities going forward. It’s a new rule,” Sam said.

  “Ouch, so that wasn’t a sexy new walk you were trying out in the square? New rule?”

  “Well, we can call it a guideline or whatever, but those toes were attached to our man Peng. And it turns out Peng was a decent person with a wife and young daughter at home who are now also in jeopardy. He didn’t have any evil habits, people buried in the backyard, or whatever, he just wanted to provide for his family. Now thanks to us or really me, his life is probably over, at least the version he used to have.”

  Li broke his stare to open the file in front of him, now cool and collected again. “Elizabeth Parker. Or should I call you Julia Cacerek?” he said bringing his gaze upon her again.

  “How did our cover get blown so fast?” Julia asked.

  “Not sure, still working on that.”

  Li was watching her very closely, looking for any minute reaction to confirm he had correctly deduced her real identity. Ignoring him Julia needed to quickly make sure Sam was up to speed with the latest news on the situation in the U.S.

  “Have you fully integrated with me - caught up on the latest from my phone calls today?” Julia asked.

  “If you’re talking about the latest nerve agent attacks, then yes, I am caught up.”

  “Exactly. So then you understand our current directive is to advance at all costs. You have to confirm whether China is behind the attacks and relay this back to me. If you are able to confirm, then I also need to know if there is a way to stop or at least slow down their program from the inside,” Julia said.

  “At all costs?”

  “Yes. Sam, we have to think big picture. There are thousands dead and more to come back home. If there is a military confrontation this will grow exponentially. What you find out will be pivotal to what happens next but time is an issue. I don’t know what military plans are being contemplated but the more information you can find out the better chance we have of reducing casualties.”

  “I understand.”

&n
bsp; “Okay, so we are going to get Mr. Shouty Pants even more excited, so that he can’t resist smacking us around. At which point you’re going to transfer and integrate up the chain of command as quickly as you can to wreak as much havoc as possible.”

  “I don’t think he likes to get his hands dirty. I have a better idea. Let me show you a trick I learned in a little town called Nanjemoy,” Sam said raising her fingers just enough to touch the metal table.

  Julia watched as a surprised expression appeared on Li’s face as if someone had just stuck a hot poker in his ass.

  Conduction, interesting AND useful, Julia thought to herself.

  45

  SAM USED LI’S KNIFE TO cut Julia free and helped her to her feet as she was still a little wobbly from the stun guns.

  “Are we going to have a problem with your new rule?” Julia asked.

  “New rule? Rules don’t apply to people like me Ms Cacerek,” Sam said doing his best to smile with Li’s reptilian face.

  Sam wanted to stay in character for the benefit of anyone who might be monitoring the room and their discussion, but Julia understood the double meaning of Sam’s statement.

  “There’s been a mistake. My name is Elizabeth Parker,” Julia responded playing along.

  “We know who you are and will be watching you very closely. No one can hide from me in China. I would suggest you leave on the next available flight. Our next meeting will not be so friendly,” Sam said.

  It was a departure from Li’s original approach, but Sam needed an excuse to get Julia out of ZG. Capturing and then releasing Julia almost immediately would be confusing to any observers but nobody was going to openly question Li.

  Sam walked Julia to the main gate and out of the complex himself to ensure safe passage. The plan was for Julia to get to the U.S. Embassy to avoid recapture, and for Sam to make haste for the President’s offices initially, and eventually meet up with Julia at the Embassy after completing the mission.

  On the way back to the main building where the President’s office was, Sam let Li come forward just enough so he could hear Li’s voice.

  “Wow Li, I’m poking around in this disgusting brain of yours and it looks like you have some serious issues. Did you really turn your own father in to get ahead in the Party?”

  “I am a very patient man whoever you are,” Li said.

  “My name’s Sam, but you can call me Shifu, or ooohhh maybe Daddy would be better seeing how twisted you are.”

  “I will wait, and when you make a mistake I will be there, Sam.”

  Sam was surprised at the control and confidence in Li’s “voice,” and considered that maybe all that yelling Li did was just a show. Looking at Li from the outside he appeared psychotic and full of hatred, spite, and evil. From the inside, Li was as cool as a cucumber, almost void of emotion. Li felt almost like a machine. This scared Sam, and he felt that if anyone could figure out how to counter Sam’s integration and possibly even reverse it to hold Sam captive, given enough time, it would be this cold and calculating man. Julia had found a way—whether triggered by her adrenaline over his probing her deep-seated history or by the fact that he’d “lived” in her for so long, he didn’t know. Sam decided to keep Li distracted by preying on his emotions, so he wouldn’t have the time or focus to figure out a defense, or worse, an offense.

  “Well, until then, I think we’re going to have some fun together, buddy,” Sam said though his plans for this sadistic man included little fun.

  “You have no idea how powerful a country can be when united and operating as one.”

  “You mean ‘controlled,’ not ‘united’.”

  “One must give up some control for the good of the whole. This is something your people don’t understand.”

  “Hey, don’t lump me in with ‘the people,’ I’m still figuring out who ‘my people’ or ‘my whatevers’ are,” Sam said.

  “Hey Li, have you ever looked around in here? I’m seeing some broken stuff you should probably have someone take a look at.”

  There was no response from Li, so Sam focused in on next steps. They were almost back to the main building, and Sam now understood that Li had unique access to the President which was going to be extremely helpful. Apparently, when Li was a junior Party member trying to rise through the ranks, he came upon a plot to undermine the President. Instead of reporting it to his immediate superior, Li thought exposing this plot to the President directly would leapfrog him through the Party ranks. The plot leader was Li’s father, and upon betraying his father, the President understood that he had in Li the most loyal protector he could ask for. How could someone be more loyal than giving up their own father for the betterment of the Party and the protection of its leader?

  So, instead of punishing Li for bypassing the chain of command, he promoted him to his personal security advisor and eventually to Commander of ZG’s security as well. That was five years ago and Li Kung had proven to be extremely effective at his job. With a singleminded determination, he had implemented control systems with the aide of the latest technology which gave have him god-like powers of all knowing.

  Li had eyes everywhere there was a camera, which in China WAS everywhere. He had ears on all his men, thanks to the modified radio equipment they wore. He had the massive computing power of China’s supercomputer data centers to automate the use and tagging of all that data. AND, he had the unflinching resolve to eliminate all suspected security risks, understanding it was better to err on the side of caution than verification. It was these qualities that made people fear him and drove the trickle down approach of ruthlessness now rampant in the ranks. His relationship with the President had the additional benefit of making even senior Party officials fear him. They understood Li to be incorruptible in his protection of the President and swift in his elimination of threats, as was exemplified by the betrayal of his own father.

  “Looks like the tide has turned in my favor, Li. Your tide isn’t looking so good though; there’s some stinky garbage in there, some chemical spills, nasty odors.”

  This provoked a response from Li, “Maybe it’s the receding of the tide before a tsunami, my friend.”

  “There he is! And we’re FRIENDS now, this is great! Oh happy days.”

  Sam could feel Kung seething inside, roiling with anger at his current predicament. While Sam couldn’t resist taunting Kung, he had to be careful not to underestimate him, as he was obviously a worthy opponent and would be deadly once released from Sam’s control.

  46

  “MR. PRESIDENT, I HAVE COMMANDER Kung outside to see you,” the President’s assistant announced after quietly knocking and peeking around the door to his office.

  “Send him in.”

  As Sam entered the President’s office he couldn’t help but be underwhelmed. The room itself was similar to the rest of the buildings he had seen so far, renovated but void of comfort and decoration, austere in its communism. Party plaques and memorabilia were on some of the shelves, but no pictures, recreational books, anything personal. There were some traditional Chinese pieces of art on the wall along with a traditional Chinese rug, neither of which appeared to be chosen for their beauty. A wood desk and square wooden chairs also of a traditional nature dominated, and this is where the President sat. The overall message was clear - in order to lead the communist country of China, the President had to live it to a fault both in an exemplary fashion and presumably as an internal motivation and reminder.

  “Hello Commander Kung, good to see you, how is everything?” the President respectfully asked.

  It was clear the President was going to remain seated at his desk for this meeting which meant Sam was going to have to be creative in order to get close enough to make a transfer.

  “Hello, Mr. President, it is as always very good to see you also. While professionally everything is well, personally I have become a bit tired recently and feel I am in need of rejuvenation which is the nature of my visit,” Sam said in stark contrast to Li�
��s typical approach with the President. Sam could feel for the first time Li was becoming fearful. No, not fearful, as it seemed fear in a traditional sense was not something Li ever felt, but concerned seemed to be the best description.

  The President took note of this unique personal admission as he stood and walked to Li motioning him to sit in one of the wood chairs in front of the desk.

  “Please sit, Li,” the President said, breaking tradition by using his first name as he put his arm lightly around Li’s shoulders to encourage him, and then taking the opposing chair himself. That was all Sam needed as he made the transfer as covertly as he could. Sam’s plan included integrating with the President to access his knowledge, which presumably included everything he needed to know about the events in the U.S., but to not make his presence known. Sam hoped in the end it would be better for the unbelievable explanation of the events to come, to remain just that - unbelievable.

  The President’s mind was complex and without allowing himself to fully integrate he would have to hunt for the information he was looking for instead of it just being instantly available as if they were his own thoughts and memories.

  Fortunately, the ongoing events in the U.S. were at the forefront in the President’s mind, and Sam found them almost immediately. Following the trail from there, Sam was able to find all the information he needed.

 

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