The three joined hands as they waded into the sea of humanity that packed the facility from wall to wall. Frank recognized the worst of it was focused around the ticket counters. He guided them through an enfilade of bumps, pushes, and outright shoves from those nearby. Eventually they managed to reach a relatively open space resembling a shopping mall; oddly enough, many among the crowd were not in the mood to shop at present.
The bay of storage lockers was on the far side of the long and wide-open shopping area. Before proceeding much further, Frank’s trained eyes instinctively searched for any security cameras in the area and grimaced at the fact that there were many. He kept a careful watch as the three Americans ventured out into the open. Everything looked clear for the first twenty steps as all the cameras maintained their fixed positions. However, the moment he spotted a camera out of the corner of his eye rotate in their direction, Frank felt a tight knot grip his stomach. When a second camera changed its view to track their movement as well, he knew the game was up.
Frank quickened their pace and marched them past a store with a solid glass exterior to steal a covert look behind them. Sure enough, he spotted four individuals in plain clothes moving their way as he continued walking as if he had seen nothing.
His mind shifted into overdrive to evaluate their options only to have his thought process interrupted by a vibrating sensation coming from his coat pocket. He reached in and pulled out a cheap, disposable flip phone that had no business being in his pocket. Out of options, he opened the phone to answer the call.
“I’m sure by now you’ve noticed you’re being followed,” a male voice said.
“Yes, I see four. Who is this? Where did this phone come from?” Frank demanded.
“It’s Gallono, I dropped it in your pocket near the entrance, and there are not four, but five of them following you that I see. Now, no more questions. You need to head for the bathroom along the side wall approximately twenty feet from you on the left.”
Frank obeyed, but on the way lodged a complaint with the plan. “If I go in there, we’ll be trapped.”
“It’s a private and confined space that will help us even the odds. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered,” Gallono’s voice reassured him. “Leave the professor and Alex outside when you go in.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Frank sighed as he closed the phone and turned to the others. “I need to use the restroom for a minute.”
“Now? You seriously can’t hold it? Didn’t you take your own advice and pee back on the hillside like the rest of us?” Alex asked in disbelief, but to no avail. As Frank pushed open the bathroom door he heard Alex get in one last barb, “You want us to sign up for some tours while we’re waiting?”
Frank pushed Alex’s comments out of his mind as he took a look around to evaluate his surroundings; he was well pleased. After making a turn from the doorway into the room, it was narrow with urinals and stalls along one wall and porcelain sinks lining the opposite. It was cramped with plenty of hard surfaces to use in a fistfight. It was perfect.
Frank waited around the corner from the door, for what felt like an eternity, before it opened to admit two men. As they entered both drew pistols from under their coats and made ready to eliminate their American target. Just before the door closed, Frank heard a high pitched hiss precede a spatter of blood and gray brain matter against the far wall; a sniper rifle had delivered a headshot.
Frank used the moment’s distraction to jump the other assailant. He managed to knock the gun away with the first blow, but the Chinese operative was no slouch in his reaction timing. Frank swung for the man’s jaw, but missed only to find his opponent on his back applying a sleeper hold to his neck. Frank realized he had about ten seconds before the lack of blood flow rendered him unconscious.
His first attempt to break the hold was to slam the opponent mounted on his back against the tiled wall, but his attacker held on without difficulty. With tunnel vision already setting in on this life or death struggle, Frank decided on his final escape attempt. He staggered toward the closest urinal and lined himself up with the porcelain lip protruding from the wall three feet off the ground.
He dove downward with all his might and felt his scalp graze the fixture on the way down to the floor. The attacker on his back was not so lucky. His face smashed into the rock hard fixture leaving a melodic ringing tone bouncing around the bathroom walls for several seconds.
Frank felt an immediate rush of rejuvenating blood flow to his brain that filled his spirit with a renewed vigor. He ignored the small puddle of urine his cheek landed in and sprung to his feet, but saw further violence was unnecessary. His attacker was motionless on the wet tile floor with a broken neck and no pulse.
On his way out, Frank splashed a handful of water onto his face, grabbed both pistols on the floor and concealed them inside his waistband. Outside he saw the professor and Alex waiting for him with three admirers eyeing them from a nearby sunglasses kiosk.
“Everything come out okay? Can we go now?” Alex barked.
“Definitely,” Frank responded giving both of them a good, hard shove in the direction of another glass storefront where he spotted all three men behind them on the move and drawing weapons of their own. An instant later his rear view fractured into a crashing wall of broken glass as a second sniper round took out one of their pursuers.
The noise and sight of a dead man splayed out in the middle of the shopping area sent what few patrons were milling about into a panicked mob scurrying for the exits. Frank used that moment of confusion to turn around and found their pursuers busy diving behind cover.
“Move,” Frank shouted and led a charge straight for the storage locker bay. He pulled both pistols from his pants and handed one to Alex as they ran. “You know how to use one of these?”
“Sort of.”
“At this point I’ll take it. I was going to quietly pick the lock, but no need for that now,” Frank said while coming to a stop in front of locker number 119. He leveled his pistol at the lock and blasted it open.
“What the hell is going on? Who’s shooting back there and why?” Alex asked while pointing a shaky hand holding the pistol behind them.
“Gallono is doing the shooting at five Chinese operatives on our tail. He’s the one who called me earlier and we have them whittled down to two now, but they know we’re on to them.”
Frank reached into the locker and tried to pull out the gym bag, but it was too large to fit out the door without the use of both hands. He tucked his pistol back into his pants and added a second hand to the effort, which did the trick. He dropped the heavy bag onto the floor and was about to rearm himself when three words spoken in broken English from his left made him stop.
“Do. Not. Move,” a young man wearing a black tracksuit ordered with a handgun and a similarly armed accomplice enforcing the demand.
“We give up,” Frank answered on the heels of the command and thrust his empty hands into the air. One look at the defiance in Alex’s eyes prompted Frank to start talking her down. “Alex, listen to me, this ain’t the movies. These men have the drop on us, they are well trained, and they won’t miss. Place your weapon on the ground and let’s see how this plays out.”
“They are going to kill us, that’s how this plays out,” Alex protested. “I’d rather go out on my own terms than at the hands of their torture squad, or whatever the hell they’re called in this country.”
“Drop it now and no harm will come to you. You have my word of honor on that,” the Chinese operative added.
“Like I’m going to trust one of you government goons after the last two weeks I’ve just had,” Alex declared.
Frank watched in helpless horror as the Chinese agent’s eyes told the story. He had made up his mind that Alex was not worth the bother and was going to take her out. Frank could do nothing since his gun was out of reach and stepping into the line of fire would do no good; Alex would just die with the MSS agent’s second bullet r
ather than the first and leave Frank dead as well.
He watched the scene progress in slow motion as the agent’s index finger flexed around the trigger, but the sound of a gunshot did not follow. All he heard was the sound of a limp body hitting the floor followed by a second immediately after. Frank broadened his field of vision to find the familiar form of Gallono standing over two unconscious bodies.
“Took you long enough,” Alex said with a calm voice that was in stark contrast to the situation. “I was starting to run out of defiant catchphrases to keep them occupied.
“Nobody’s perfect I suppose,” Gallono sighed on his way to pick up the gym bag resting at Frank’s feet. In doing so, the alien made a point to place a hand on Frank’s shoulder in what felt like an uncharacteristically friendly greeting. “We should be leaving now.”
“How did you find us,” Frank asked on their way to a nearby emergency exit. “We could have been almost anywhere by now.”
“You of all people should know that your cell phone can be traced with the right equipment,” Gallono responded while stepping between two empty gift shops and grabbing a set of tourist maps on his way past.
“Not if it’s powered down. I was careful to keep us off the grid,” Frank countered.
“I didn’t say it was equipment you humans had yet,” Gallono said with a playful wink. “Even turned off, an active battery allows us to still locate any cellular phone to within a foot of its location.”
“Damn I’m glad you’re on our side,” Alex praised as she walked past Gallono to exit the airport. Yet again, the alien placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and made sure to do the same with Professor Russell as he stepped out the door as well.
He may be on our side for now, Frank thought on his way out the exit door, but he is up to something.
Chapter 4: Exit Strategy
“Yes, yes. You saved a group of humans. What does this have to do with the question at hand,” Chancellor Malum interjected. “Did you witness any illegal use of the Nexus device during your time on that planet?”
“I’m getting there,” Gallono snapped in a tone dangerously lacking in respect for the Chancellor’s prestige and authority within the Republic. The commander’s intense dislike for the man and the age-old vendetta he carried against Hastelloy was just waiting to be turned loose.
“Let’s get there a little quicker, Commander,” the magistrate offered in a show of diplomacy.
**********
“Why are they trying to kill us?” Alex asked of no one in particular as the group of four crossed a bridge way to a covered parking garage adjacent to the airport’s main terminal.
“The same reason they executed Chin yesterday. All of you know too much, and the Chinese government needs to silence anyone who can tell a different story than the narrative they’re selling to the people,” Gallono answered with the bulk of his concentration focused on the outstretched map held in front of him.
“What story is that?” Professor Russell asked.
“Probably somethin’ along the lines of the tomb of the first emperor was violated and, per the legends, his clay army came to life in its defense,” Frank offered. “It beats the real explanation, and keeps the people good and scared of history and tradition. It’s a win-win for the central government.”
“That’s about right,” Gallono confirmed and came to a stop halfway down a row of cars facing the dark interior of the parking structure, “and the only ones who can prove otherwise are the three of you. That means congratulations are in order. You are the most wanted people in the most populous nation on Earth.”
“That would be India,” Professor Russell amended, causing Gallono to glance up from his map long enough to shine an amused grin.
“Depends how you count the homeless I suppose, but fine have it your way. The second most populated country on Earth, and you still get my point,” Gallono said. “The trouble is we’re smack dab in the middle of China with at least a thousand miles to the nearest border in any direction.”
Frank stepped forward to have a look at the map as well and pointed out, “The north and west are blocked by impassable mountains.”
“To the east is where the army and clay warriors are still slugging it out,” Gallono added. “Besides, that takes us near Beijing and into the lion’s den.”
“That leaves headin’ south,” Frank concluded.
Gallono traced his finger downward on the map to point out the obvious flaw with that travel plan. “And when we reach the ocean, then what? That’s not as shallow as the Red Sea. I can’t pull a Mosa and part the waters and lead us to the Promised Land.”
“Don’t you mean Moses?” Alex asked.
“Another story for another day my dear,” Gallono sighed as Frank went on.
“Unless there’s a fifth point on a compass that I’m not aware of, it looks to be our only choice. We’ll just have to figure it out once we get there.”
The futility of the situation landed heavy on Gallono. He was out of options save one that he was morally opposed to using, but Gallono saw no alternative. He spent a quiet moment folding the map down to carrying size before saying to the group, “We can use the Nexus.”
The stunned silence was at last broken when Frank said, “To quote my overly ambitious girlfriend back home…come again? The Nexus?”
“It violates everything our non-interference directive stands for, but I have already tagged you with a DNA tracker so that the Nexus will be able to capture your life forces and place them in new forms safe and sound inside one of our regeneration facilities. All four of us could be there in a matter of minutes.”
“That’s what you were up to,” Frank exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. “Earlier when you tapped each of us on the shoulder, you were setting us up for this.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Alex protested while barely managing to restrain herself from throwing something at Gallono. “Terminate? You make it sound like you’re firing me from my job or something. This is my life you’re talking about. I’m rather keen on keeping it, thanks for asking though.”
“Everything will be perfectly fine,” Gallono reassured her. “The Novi have been doing this for nearly fifteen thousand years. It’s safe to say we have the process down by now and in this instance, it’s the next best thing to one of your science fiction transporters on that Star Trek show.”
Before Alex could actually throw something at Gallono, Professor Russell stepped in with his opinion. “I agree with Alex one hundred percent. I will not willingly end my life and trust some gizmo to bring me back.”
Frank voiced his concerns as well when Gallono’s eyes met his. “Don’t look at me for an endorsement. There’s no way in hell you’re makin’ a Xerox copy of me with that glorified 3-D printer of yours.”
Gallono imagined this was how Captain Hastelloy must have felt back in Egypt when he executed the crew and then killed himself. It was the right thing to do since it allowed them to alter form through the Nexus and pass themselves off as human. Even so, Gallono resented the captain for many years because he denied him the chance to make up his own mind on the issue.
Now Gallono stood at the exact same crossroads as the captain. Using the Nexus in this way was morally wrong, and yet it was the only option available. These humans would not do it willingly, which left Gallono with the distasteful obligation of forcing the correct decision on them. He knew what needed to be done, but he just could not bring himself to disrespect the free will of these humans like that.
Frank must have sensed Gallono’s internal dilemma and jumped in to offer an alternative. “Let me have a gander at that map one more time. Yeah, you see it’s a haul, but we can drive south and reach Hong Kong and get out that way.”
“You forget your recent history,” Gallono countered. “Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997. They are one and the same now.”
Frank shook his head to the contrary. “No they’re not. Hong Kong is a ‘Special Administrative District�
�� of China. It operates on its own under the One Country, Two Systems philosophy.”
“What does that mean exactly?” Professor Russell asked.
“It means the tiny territory of Hong Kong has its own government, and its citizens enjoy unrestricted access to travel and trade with the west,” Frank answered. “It shares a border with mainland China that is roughly ten miles wide with four manned checkpoints.”
Gallono felt hope return to his heart with the suggestion, but he still harbored doubts. “I assume one needs official travel papers to cross the border. I doubt this NSA goody bag of yours has any of those for all four of us.”
“We would need either a journey license, or an HK identity card to make it through one of the official checkpoints,” Frank confirmed. “I was thinking we could skip all that and make the border crossing old school East German style.”
Gallono drew a deep breath while looking down at his map to size up the task. It would take several days to make the twelve-hundred mile drive, but it was better than violating everybody’s principles. He made up his mind and handed Frank the carrying bag. “Hold this while I liberate a vehicle for our cause.”
Chapter 5: Going Walkabout
The two-day drive from Xi’an to Shenzhen, a Chinese city adjacent to the Hong Kong border was, to the surprise of all, uneventful. Gallono had heard legendary stories of traffic jams in China taking as long as a week to navigate through, but this was not their experience. The roads were in excellent condition with only sparse traffic most of the way.
This was quite fortunate because the compact sedan Gallono hotwired for the trip may have been inconspicuous to authorities, but it made for some tight quarters. No one felt any love lost when nighttime brought with it the opportunity to leave the vehicle in a covered parking garage next to an office park.
Origins: A Greater Good Page 3