Rise of the White Lotus

by H L Stephens

  "How do you cope?" I asked.

  "By remembering why their deaths were necessary," Avery replied. "You mentioned Simo Häyhä. He was asked over and over throughout his life whether he regretted killing so many men during the Battle of Kollaa, which is where his efforts did the most damage to the enemy. His answer was pretty much the same. He said he was following orders and doing his duty to defend his country from foreign invasion. He was nearly killed in the process mind you and spent the rest of his life disfigured when he was shot in the face. The point is Jane he remembered why he did what he did. He saved his people and his country from being taken over. Hold onto to what is important when the darkness threatens to overtake you. Think about your family and what happened to them, and then decide what you want to do. How you want to feel about all of this."

  I didn't know if I felt any better after talking with Avery, but I at least had a different perspective on things. I thanked him and left.

  I needed a distraction and thought a visit with Meiqiang was exactly what I needed. I told Jameson and Marcus where I was going, though I had doubts either of them heard me. They were too enwrapped with their experiments on Kovalski. I grabbed what little cash I had and headed to Chinatown.

  When I reached the door of the Peking Palace Restaurant, something was amiss. It was a feeling that permeated into the center of my being. It wasn't just one thing which gave it away. It was a series of little things that added together into an overall sense of unease; like a ballpark, onion-laced, sauerkraut hotdog that doesn't settle well on the stomach.

  The heavy plant stand had been shifted a few inches from its usual position, and the leaves were shredded on one side. The left side of the Oriental saloon-style doors hung askew and now brushed against its neighbor as it swung to and fro. A pile of European-made cigarette butts rested just outside the restaurant as if someone had been waiting in that spot for some time.

  Each little vignette of wrongness added together into one giant disturbing picture which caused my flesh to crawl as I approached the restaurant. My state of discomfort turned into a screaming banshee of apprehension when I walked through the doors and saw the entire place in disarray.

  Tables were overturned and chairs laid shattered like giant toothpicks. Meiqiang's mother, Mrs. Tong, sat crumpled on the floor clutching something to her chest. Mr. Tong crouched next to her doing his best to comfort his wife. Both of them looked up when I entered, their eyes red with tears. As Mrs. Tong lifted her eyes to me, I saw she clutched her daughter's torn backpack. It looked as if it had been ripped from Meiqiang's back. My heart was in my throat as I raced over.

  "What has happened?" I asked. "Where is Meiqiang?"

  "She is gone," Mrs. Tong said. "They took her just as they took the others."

  "Who are they and what others?" I asked.

  "Men," Mr. Tong said. "Bad men. They have been taking Chinese girls the last few days. We told Meiqiang to be careful. We told her not to go to school, but she said she wanted to learn. She said she must go. They tried to grab her at the front of the restaurant, but she managed to make it inside. The men destroyed everything just to get to her. I tried to stop them, but there were too many."

  It was then that I noticed the swelling around Mr. Tong's left eye and cheekbone. The bruising was fresh.

  "When did this happen?" I asked.

  "This afternoon," he said. "The other girls..." Mr. Tong's voice broke as if he would sob at any moment. "The other girls they have taken, their families find them dead; beaten so they cannot even recognize them. My Meiqiang will be the same, and I could do nothing." This time Mr. Tong began to cry, and the tears would not stop.

  "Who took her?" I asked. I received no answer at first, the grief was too great for Meiqiang's parents to speak. "Please," I almost yelled. "Who took her?"

  "Russians," was all Mrs. Tong said. She turned her back on me and wouldn't face me again.

  There would be no more words from the Tongs for now - of that I was certain. I had to get back to the crew in a hurry. All I could think of as I made my way to the warehouse was the image of my friend in the hands of someone like Kovalski. Somehow those thoughts chased away the uncertainty I had felt all day. My only care was getting Meiqiang back in one piece.

  Whatever hesitation I had felt before about the path I had taken was replaced with a deadly resolve. There would be hell to pay if anything happened to my friend. Whatever the personal cost, I would bring Meiqiang back and take out as many Bratva as I could in the process. I gently laid my innocence aside as I set my feet firmly on my darkened path, asking God to forgive me for what I knew I must do.

  Triad and the Poison Arrow

  Actions have consequences. They always do. It is a simple law of physics and life. Our victory over the Bratva in capturing Kovalski came with brutal repercussions, and Meiqiang was one of the unfortunate victims of our success. We just didn't know it yet.

  The crew was horrified with the delivery of my news. When I told them Meiqiang had been kidnapped along with a host of other Chinese girls, the whole atmosphere of the warehouse changed. Discovering that the other taken girls had been beaten, brutally murdered and then dumped put everyone on edge. We knew Meiqiang didn't have much time.

  Marcus set immediately his attention to the airways in search of any chatter that might illuminate the reasons behind the kidnappings. He also hoped to pick up something on where the girls were being held before they were killed. What he had to report back made all of us sick in our souls.

  "It would appear," Marcus began when we were all in the ops room once again, "the Bratva who survived our infiltration of the old Butimen Ash plant are behind this. They believe a Chinese girl was responsible for the initial breach. They described her as a young, graceful operative who could charm the crown jewels from the English queen. They said she was as beautiful as a flower and smelled like lilacs. Apparently, the Brotherhood has snatched any young Chinese girl that remotely fits the description. So far, they have captured and killed five girls at the Butimen Ash plant where we nabbed Kovalski. Meiqiang makes number six."

  "We have to do something," I said.

  "It gets worse," Marcus continued. "The Brotherhood has called in reinforcements from up and down the Eastern coast. It would take a small army to breach the plant again, and this time, they are expecting someone to show up."

  "Come on," I said. I could feel the tears boiling up behind my eyes. My hands began to shake as a sense of helplessness overtook me. "You guys are the best in the business. We have to go save her. It is our fault she was taken in the first place."

  Dorthia put her hands on my shoulders.

  "I wish there was something we could do Jane," she said in a gentle tone, "but if Marcus is right, and he is never wrong about things like this, we wouldn't stand a chance. We would need an army of our own to gain any advantage over a fortified plant like this, and the last time I checked, we didn't have access to one."

  "That's where you're wrong," I said.

  Sometimes desperation and insanity can wear very similar guises. As I stood there listening to the crew tell me how impossible it was to save Meiqiang because our team was too small to take on the boosted numbers of Bratva, a crazy idea began to circulate in my brain. One that I felt compelled to share with the others.

  "You realize Jane, you would be putting your life at risk by attempting this," Dorthia said after I spilled the plan out in one massive torrent.

  "I know, but it is a risk I am willing to take," I said.

  Avery came up to me and chucked me on the arm. His face was beaming as he shook his head.

  "It's ballsy kid," Avery said. "I gotta give you credit for that. Sometimes, those are the best kinds of plans. Just keep your eyes and ears open. But take this just in case." He handed me one of his smaller Glocks. "You might need it. The slim line design will make it harder to detect under your shirt. Make sure you keep it pulled down, though. No need to announce that you're armed."

  "Thanks,"
I said as I tucked the gun in my back waistband.

  Marcus fitted me with an ear bud, and Oz reminded me about the best pressure point attacks, just in case I had forgotten since our last sparring session. I bid my friends farewell and set off on my insane errand, all the while hoping the Tongs loved their daughter as much as I hoped they did. After all, I was getting ready to confront their Triad connection head-on and ask them if they wanted to join up with our team.

  When I was once again standing before the Peking Palace, I began to question the wisdom behind my grand scheme. It had seemed so brilliant back at the warehouse - this idea of coming to the Tong's restaurant and appealing to the softer side of their Triad nature. I was hoping the Triad would be our army to hunt Meiqiang's kidnappers down and rescue her. After all, we knew where the bad guys were. The other bad guys, that is. All we needed was the Triad's manpower to get us through the front door.

  The problem was, by asking the Tongs for help, I would be acknowledging that I knew who and what they were, and by acknowledging that, I would be in some ways acknowledging that I was more than what I appeared to be. It was a gamble no matter how you looked at it. The longer I stood there analyzing the pros and cons of my plan, the shorter Meiqiang's lifespan was going to be. There was no getting around it. I had to take a chance. I walked into the restaurant and into Chinese mobster infamy.

  The Tongs were just beginning to clean up their damaged restaurant. The Bratva who had taken their daughter had really wrecked the place. They had even shattered part of the massive fish tank that lined the one wall. Glass was everywhere, and the prize koi which had once inhabited the beautiful display now had temporary homes in bowls and pots of every size. Mrs. Tong looked up at me as I walked through the door and did her best to smile. Her eyes were still red from all the weeping.

  "You came back, Jane," she said.

  "Yes I did Mrs. Tong," I said.

  I didn't know how to broach the subject that desperately needed to be discussed with the woman. I mean, what do you say to a grieving mother with deadly connections?

  Hey I know you are Triad, and I want to save your daughter. The thing is, I need to borrow your muscle for a few hours to do it.

  It actually didn't sound so bad when I first ran it through my mind, but looking into Mrs. Tong's face, I knew she was in a delicate state. I needed to find a way to ease into the subject without using a sledgehammer to break the ice.

  "I came because I needed to talk to you and Mr. Tong," I began in as gentle a tone as I could muster.

  "Talk to us?" Mrs. Tong asked. "About what?"

  I suddenly felt like I was preparing to interrogate a wounded kitten. I hesitated for just a moment. As I looked in Mrs. Tong's eyes however, I was reminded of how fleeting Meiqiang's time was.

  "About Meiqiang," I said. I felt the direct approach was the best to take. "I believe I know where she is, and I think I can get her back, but I need your help."

  Mrs. Tong's expression was one of pure confusion.

  "I don't understand," she said. "You know where my daughter is, but you need my help to get her back? Are you wanting money from me?" Again the wounded kitten came to my mind.

  "No, you misunderstand me," I said.

  Mrs. Tong thought I was asking for some kind of ransom for her daughter. This was not going the way I had hoped. I wasn't being plain enough. I was getting ready to try another approach when I was interrupted.

  "You need to leave."

  It was Mr. Tong, and he did not look pleased to see me. In fact, there was almost a menacing quality to his expression that unnerved me. He was standing by the door that led to the backroom. I had never been beyond its threshold before but knew it was where the evening monies were taken and all important business was conducted.

  "Please Mr. Tong, you don't understand," I began.

  "Just go," he said, pointing towards the door. "You are not welcome here anymore."

  I got up to leave, figuring it was better to depart voluntarily while I had the opportunity and the use of my legs. Leaving in a body bag against my will really hadn't been my goal. Just as I was turning toward the front, the door to the backroom opened, and I heard a low woman's voice say something to Mr. Tong. It was unintelligible but unmistakably commanding. Mr. Tong made to protest but acquiesced after a brief exchange.

  "Wait," he said. "Mrs. Tong wishes to speak to you." I looked at his wife, a bit confused. "No," he continued, realizing my mistake. "My mother, Mrs. Tong, wishes to speak with you. Please, this way."

  He gestured towards the threshold behind him. There was no one there. A chill wiggled down my spine as Mr. Tong maneuvered me towards the back, down a dimly lit hallway. I wanted to run like the dickens out of the restaurant while I had my life intact, but my feet kept plodding towards the back of the restaurant. We stopped before a room with a curtain of jade beads as its door.

  The air was heavy with incense. A pungent mixture of tanxiang, bajiao, and guipi. An old woman sat upon a cushion on the floor behind a low table set for tea. She smiled when I walked into the room and waved me to sit on another cushion opposite her. Though I did not relish having my back to the door, I took the seat that was offered me. To refuse the invitation might prove more deadly.

  "So you are Meiqiang's friend," the old woman said. "She has told me much about you. Your name is Jane, yes?"

  I nodded. I wasn't sure why I was there talking to this sweet old lady who sat there smiling at me.

  "Would you like some tea?" she asked.

  "No thank you," I said.

  "I make you a nice cup," she said and poured me a cup for me. She sat there and stared at me until I took a few tentative sips.

  "Nice, isn't it?" she said with a broader smile.

  "Yes ma'am," I said. It was pungent but soothing, and cleared my head. She poured a cup for herself and sipped it as if we had all the time in the world between us. I felt the press of time weighing upon me but somehow I knew rushing this woman would be a mistake.

  We drank our tea in silence, studying each other over the rims of our tea cups like two sly opponents just before a deadly sparring match.

  "I am Meiqiang's grandmother, but please, call me Dú jiàn," the old woman said.

  A cold chill ran down my spine. I heard Dorthia say through my forgotten ear bud, "Jane, get out of there, now."

  The urge to run from a woman who just now referred to herself as Poisoned Arrow was overwhelming to say the least, but she had brought me here for a reason. If Dú jiàn had wanted me dead, she would have made me so long before I reached her curtain of cascading jade beads. Without breaking my gaze from her or flinching beneath her own, I lowered my tea cup and placed it upon the table.

  "So you are Triad and not Meiqiang's parents," I said. It was not a question but an emphatic statement.

  Dú jiàn said nothing but smiled in a way that reminded me of a viper just before it strikes.

  "It would appear I brought my appeal to the wrong members of the Tong family," I added.

  "Your request was heard well enough," Dú jiàn said.

  She held up a remote and directed it towards a blank wall to my right. The wall slid open, revealing a series of closed circuit screens. One of them was focused on the table where I had made my appeal to Mrs. Tong. The panels closed once again creating a seamless wall.

  "A woman in my position cannot be too careful," she said.

  "You know why I am here then," I said.

  "I know what you said, but your words are clouded," Dú jiàn said, "concealing much. You know where my granddaughter is being held, and you believe you can break her free from this place of mystery. You seek help from the Triad but what form such help will take is unknown. I wish to know more of what is locked inside the shadows of what is unsaid."

  I knew what Dú jiàn wanted. I could feel it in her gaze. There was a tension between us which hung in the air like the incense cloud that gave the room a hazy gray tinge. If I held anything back from this woman, she would know it,
and I would lose whatever chance of success I might have at gaining her trust, much less her assistance. It was a risky move, but I decided some semblance of the truth was my best bet.

  "The Russians have a massive drug manufacturing plant over at the old Butimen Ash Chemical plant," I began. "It's uncertain how long it has been in operation, but from what we can tell, they have been manufacturing some hellacious drugs and selling them on the streets. A few days back, a joint task force comprised of the DEA and another agency attempted a raid on the plant. It involved an undercover agent who was Asian posing as a high end call girl. Her job was to infiltrate the group running the plant and grab a high ranking member of the Brotherhood for interrogation purposes to determine how far the business extended. During the raid, the agencies captured the guy they wanted, but not before things got messy, and the undercover agent was shot. The thing is the Brotherhood doesn't know all the details. They believe the agent really was an Asian call girl who betrayed them, and they are hunting her now. It's why Meiqiang was taken. The Russians are searching for that agent. They believe this supposed call girl got paid off and is in hiding, so they are indiscriminately grabbing Asian girls that fit the description they have for her."

  Dú jiàn watched me. Her expression was unreadable

  "How is it that you know so much little Jane?" Dú jiàn asked.

  "Like Meiqiang," I replied, "I have those close to me who are more than what they appear."

  To this, Dú jiàn smiled.

  "I see," she said. "What is it you propose to the Triad which will help save my granddaughter?"

  "I believe the Brotherhood has taken Meiqiang to the same chemical plant that was hit the other day by the task force," I said. "With your Triad footmen armed and ready to fight, we strike the plant and overwhelm the Bratva with numbers, saving Meiqiang and teaching those Russians a lesson in humility at the same time."