by James Dudley
Kharlamov marched down the long room, his boots echoing loudly as they clanged against the newly finished floor. When he reached the end of the room, he pulled the heavy door open and then moved aside as several dozen men streamed inside. The majority of them were Chinese, drawn from the middle to upper ranks of the Peoples’ Republic’s military and security services. The rest were from the Soviet bloc, officers of the KGB, GRU, and Red Army who hailed from somewhere between Siberia and East Berlin. As they made their way into the room, the highest ranking among them took seats around the table, while the rest stood and watched along the room’s perimeter. When they were all in place, Sheng rose to speak.
“Gentlemen, comrades, friends, you have all come here today out of your concern for your countries, and dedication to the truest ideals and principals of Communism. Since the death of Comrade Stalin, our respective nations have strayed from the true path of the revolution, and have prepared for war with each other when they should be presenting a united front. Now, it is up to us, the purest of the revolutionaries, to help right the ship and ensure our glorious victory.”
A raucous cheer went up from the men. Sheng paused, momentarily basking in it, before continuing. “So many of you have come from so far, and together we can achieve great things. But first, we must ensure that our loyalty and secrecy are paramount. Pavel Ivanov, please step forward.”
Ivanov, a Major in the KGB, stood up from his seat near the middle of the table and walked towards Sheng’s seat at the front. As he walked, many of the men whispered nervously to each other, wondering what Sheng was about to address.
“Major Ivanov was sent here by the KGB to observe what we are doing and report it back to Moscow Centre. Do you deny these charges?”
Ivanov stood by silently, his face cold and expressionless. Attempting to rebut Sheng’s evidence at that point was an exercise in futility.
“Very well then, let his sentence be carried out,” Sheng pronounced.
Four of Sheng’s largest men grabbed hold of Ivanov and carried him out of the room, reappearing a few moments later on the other side of the glass wall at the top of the aquarium tanks. The assembled group looked on in horror as Ivanov was unceremoniously dropped in the tank, soon to be devoured by the very hungry sharks.
“Let that be a warning to anybody who has harbored any thoughts of double-crossing me,” Sheng said. “Now, let’s get back to business. A short distance away from here lays the city of Hong Kong. As you know, Hong Kong remains a British colony, as if the lion of Western imperialism is flicking its tail in the face of the Chinese dragon. Well that is something that must change, and it is our immediate concern. When we have taken Hong Kong, our true enemies in the West will be humiliated, and our supposed betters in Moscow and Beijing will listen to what we have to say. Then, we will truly have a revolution on our hands.”
The room erupted in applause once more as Sheng paused and glanced over at Kharlamov, who gave him a nod of approval. So far, so good.
Chapter 15
It was a sadly familiar feeling for Tommy Malloy to know that he was likely a marked man. After leaving Madame Kwan’s club with Richard, he spent a tense but uneventful night at an MI6 safe house in Kowloon. In this case, “safe house” was simply a term of art for what was not a full-sized house, but a tiny and cramped apartment on the ninth floor of a rectangular concrete high-rise, one of several identical buildings in its surrounding development. Richard had arranged for somebody to pick up Tommy’s bags from the Repulse Bay, as it was deemed too risky for him to return to his hotel room.
For breakfast, Tommy enjoyed a bowl of congee, a rice-based porridge. It was a bit exotic for someone who usually preferred scrambled eggs and bacon, but it was something he had to experience. He followed it up with a cup of milk tea and some fried breadsticks called yau char kwai, which he found very tasty. All the while, Richard paced back and forth across the room, pausing every so often to peak through the blinds of their window, an anonymous square that was virtually identical to the many other squares in the massive apartment complex.
“And off they go,” Richard said as he stopped to watch the latest plane departing from Kai Tek.
Tommy looked up from his meal to catch a glimpse of the jet, knowing that it meant the rest of the Hong Kong Harry cast and crew was on their way back to America. As much as he wanted to be there with them, he knew he could never do anything the easy way.
“Alright, I’m ready,” Tommy said as he finished his meal and washed out the dishes in the sink.
“Finally,” said Richard. “So just to double-check, you worked it all out with Han? We’re going to rendezvous with him at Shaolin Studios and then head to the docks and off you go?”
“Well, there is just one complication…”
Richard raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”
“The movie they’re filming there that Han’s an extra in, Revenge of the Rabbit, well I sort of promised Han that I would do a cameo in it,” Tommy said.
“Well I’m afraid you’re going to have to back out of that. You’re a marked man. You need to get out of Hong Kong as fast as you can.”
“I get that, I really do, but this is really important to Han. He went out on a limb promising his director he could get me, and he would really lose face if I didn’t go through with it. Besides, I feel like we owe it to him after everything we’ve asked him to do,” Tommy pleaded.
“I understand that, but there is no room for sentimentality here.”
“What if I told you we could film it in one take and it would only delay us a few minutes?”
Richard threw his hands up. “Fine, but you only get one take.”
“Alright, I’ll get it right the first time. This also looks like it’s going to be a pretty good movie, so you should enjoy getting a sneak peak of it.”
With that, Tommy and Richard left the apartment and walked out to the elevator. Inside the elevator, they put on matching blue overcoats, completing their disguise as postmen. They walked through the lobby and out to the street, where an actual postman was waiting with his truck. The ride was mostly silent, as Tommy and Richard did not want to discuss too much in front of the postman, who had simply agreed to do a favor for his government with no questions asked. They made slow and steady progress through the mass of cars, busses, rickshaws an pedestrians that made up Hong Kong’s morning rush.
Upon arrival at the studio, Tommy and Richard walked inside bearing that day’s mail and a change of clothes as the truck pulled away to continue its route. Shaolin Studios was an important part of Hong Kong’s burgeoning film industry, and was predominantly used for the genre of martial arts films that were quickly becoming Hong Kong’s signature. When they emerged from the men’s room wearing ordinary suits, Han was the first to spot them.
“Tommy, you made it!”
Tommy reached out to shake his hand. “It’s an honor to be here. Oh Han, this is my manager, Dick.”
Richard barely concealed his grimace at the sound of his disfavored nickname. “It’s nice to meet you, Han. Tommy has told me all about you; he’s very impressed with your work.”
“Well he’s going to love this, then. This is going to be one of the biggest films to come out of Hong Kong, and getting a star of Tommy’s stature to appear in it is going to take it to a whole new level,” Han said excitedly.
Han led the way as they walked over towards the sound stage, speaking in a hushed tone as they walked. “So, everything is still on? We’re moving the films today?”
Tommy shook his head. “Actually we had a little change of plans. Your new cargo is me, and your assignment is to get me out of Hong Kong.”
Han looked around to make sure nobody could hear them. He glanced quizzically over at Richard, and Tommy nodded to let him know he was trustable. “Is this related to what happened down at the harbor the other night?”
Tommy nodded.
“And I’m guessing Dick isn’t actually your manager?”
Tommy nodded again, and Han gave a single nod to indicate that he understood. A few moments later, they arrived at the sound stage, where the film’s director was waiting for them.
“Mr. Malloy, it is an honor to meet you,” the director said as he extended a handshake.
“It’s an honor to be here,” said Tommy. “And you can thank Han here for the idea.”
With the crew hard at work setting up the shoot, the director walked Tommy back to the makeup room, and gave him a brief synopsis of the film’s plot while the makeup artists starting Tommy’s preparations. Revenge of the Rabbit was an action-comedy martial arts film, following the travails of a Hong Kong police officer who goes undercover to investigate a powerful network of triads. The lead role was played by Johnny Chu, a charismatic martial artist who was in the midst of a meteoric rise to become one of Hong Kong’s biggest movie stars.
When the makeup and costuming were finished, the director handed Tommy an index card where his few short lines were typed out, and after Tommy took a few minutes to memorize them, they were ready to shoot. In this particular scene, Johnny Chu’s character was going through customs after flying to California, and Tommy was to make a surprise cameo as the customs officer. While most of the movie was to be filmed in Cantonese with English subtitles, this particular scene was in English, both for authenticity and convenience. Tommy took his spot on the sound stage’s inspection desk, and Johnny Chu got in position to walk up to it while several extras, including Han, milled around in the background.
“And, action!” shouted the director.
“Do you have anything to declare?” Tommy asked Johnny when he got to the desk and displayed his papers.
“I declare that it is a very nice day outside,” Johnny said.
Tommy shrugged and looked back down at his papers. “Are you carrying any weapons?”
Johnny took off his jacket to reveal a tank top as he flexed his arms. “Just these guns.”
Tommy jotted down some further notes. “Are you carrying any illegal substances?”
“No.”
Tommy looked around furtively, and then leaned in to whisper in Johnny’s ear. “Do you want any? I’ve confiscated some pretty good stuff.”
With that, Johnny looked at the camera and smiled and shrugged in a way that broke the fourth wall.
“And cut!” the director shouted. “Great job everybody; that was great work.”
After the shoot, Tommy posed for a quick set of photographs with both the director and Johnny Chu, promising to add both of them to his rolodex. Eventually, he made his way over to where Richard and Han were waiting for him.
“Let’s get out of here, we need to move fast,” Richard said.
“Alright, but just let me go to the bathroom first, it’s going to be a long trip,” said Tommy.
There was a lot on Tommy’s mind when he made his way across the studio to the men’s room. First, there was his mission. The CIA had asked him to find a smuggler, and he had found Han, who from what he could tell, seemed like he would be more than adequate for the task. But of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. Once again, he had found himself drawn into layers of intrigue he never would have imagined. Once again, he was a hunted man.
Aside from that, there was also his career to think about. Hong Kong Harry was set to be one of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters of the year, and assuming it earned its expected share at the Box Office, the sky was the limit when it came to what doors would be open to him. And now, he was also set to appear in Hong Kong’s biggest film of the year, further bolstering his already impressive international credentials. An exciting future awaited him, if he could just make it out of Hong Kong alive. These were the type of introspective thoughts that came to Tommy whenever he took care of business in the bathroom.
After he did his business, Tommy walked over to the sink to wash his hands, trying to find the motivation and focus for the journey ahead as he looked in the mirror. At that moment, he felt a sudden whoosh of an object speeding past his head, then turned to see a throwing knife lodged in the wall, mere inches away from where he stood. The man who had thrown it took up a position between Tommy and the exit, brandishing a sword.
“Hey buddy, you might want to take it easy with the whole method acting thing,” Tommy said.
The man said nothing, but simply grimaced at Tommy until he figured out the situation.
“Oh God, they sent you to kill me? This is just great; as soon as I start getting A-list roles, my real life turns into a bad B-movie. Anyway, let’s talk about this. How much are they paying you? I can top it.”
“I don’t want your money, Mr. Malloy. You know why I’m here, and we had best get it over with,” the man said.
Looking around for anything he could use as a weapon, Tommy reached under the sink and picked up a lead pipe. While trying to lift it up, it slipped through his fingers, landing on the linoleum floor with a loud echoing bang. Tommy grimaced as he picked it up once more, hoping that the noise would be enough to alert any nearby help.
As the swordsmen slowly stepped forward, Tommy got into a defensive position, wielding the lead pipe like a baseball bat. He had been in his fair share of fights growing up, not to mention serving against the Nazis in the war, but he had never come up against somebody with the type of marital arts training that this assailant presumably had. But on the other hand, this ninja swordsman had probably never come up against a South Philly brawler before. If this is how it was all going to end for Tommy, at least it would make a good story.
It all happened in a blur. Just as the swordsman ran forward to begin his attack, Richard and Han burst through the door, bringing the assailant down with a quick staccato of gunshots. As he fell to the floor, Tommy dropped the lead pipe and let out a deep sigh.
“It sure took you guys long enough.”
“You’re welcome, Thomas,” said Richard.
“Alright, maybe I’m ungrateful. But you guys have to admit, that was pretty anticlimactic. I was expecting a big epic brawl here.”
Han picked up the sword, holding it up to the light to inspect it. “It’s like I always say; you just have to shoot first.”
“Han breached the door before me, so it’s true; he shot first,” Richard added.
“Well it’s technically true, but this guy was clearly the aggressor in the situation, so I don’t know how accurate it is to say that you shot first, when you were not the instigator of violence,” Tommy said.
“Are you ready to go yet?” Richard asked, quickly losing his patience. “Wherever he came from there’s going to be more. In fact, they probably have people outside right now and we’re going to have a tough go of it getting out of here.”
“Don’t worry,” said Han. “I have an idea.”
Chapter 16
“I see two men outside by the street corner, obviously acting as spotters, and two more cars have passed by multiple times,” Richard announced after performing a counter-surveillance route outside the studio.
“And what are they doing out there?” Tommy asked.
“Probably waiting for a confirmation signal from our dead friend over there and getting nervous that they haven’t gotten it yet.”
“And what will they do when they realize they aren’t getting it?”
Richard shrugged. “It appears that they want it to seem like an accident; hence why their first attempt was made to look like a movie prop gone wrong. I imagine they’ll stage an auto accident once you walk outside, or something of that sort.”
“So how are we getting out of here then?”
“That’s where my idea comes in,” said Han. “Take another look outside.”
Richard peered out the window, where he observed a film crew busy at work closing off the street. “Well isn’t that convenient?”
Han explained, “Today’s filming schedule could not have worked out any better for us. They’re working on a scene where the bad guys are chasing Johnny Chu and he escapes by losing them in a
Chinese New Year parade. In a great example of life imitating art, this now provides the perfect cover for us to escape.”
Richard shook his head. “That is so bloody stupid that it’s absolutely brilliant. I’ll contact the Maritime Police. Follow the parade route down to the coast and I’ll have a boat pick you up.” With that, Richard walked out to leave while Han led Tommy back to the costume department. “So how exactly are we going to pull this off?” Tommy asked.
“With this,” Han said, as he reached into a bin and pulled out a traditional two-man dragon costume.
Tommy had to hand it to him; it was certainly an outside-the-box solution. “So who wears which end?”
“I know my way around the streets, so I’d better take the head,” said Han.
Having no objection, Tommy changed into a pair of bright red and yellow pants as Han did likewise. Together, they lifted up the top half of the costume, a red and yellow dragon’s head and body, and placed it overtop their heads. After a few awkward missteps, they finally coordinated their strides well enough to move forward. Once they agreed on a pace, they moved fairly easily through the studio, only being slowed when they had to carefully navigate a staircase. The going was slow but steady, until Tommy’s feet finally failed him a few steps from the bottom. His downward slide caused him to knock into Han, sending both crashing to the ground. Whether through luck or dexterity, they somehow managed to land without damaging the costume, a fact that the studio would surely be grateful for.
Outside, the movie magic being worked by the crew was nearly complete, and the street had been transformed into a cacophony of colors and sounds. Or at least that was how Han described it to Tommy, who could see nothing but the pavement beneath his feet from the back of the costume. There were several other actors costumed as dragons; some in two-man costumes, and others in longer multi-person dragons. Interspersed between them were a variety of dancers and musicians, all wearing brightly-colored costumes. Even more extras were lined up along the sides of the street to watch, adding an air of authenticity that left the scene indistinguishable from an actual New Year’s parade.