“So what are you saying?”
“That with an average life span of say seventy, we have natural growth already overburdening our food, energy, and shelter resources. What if people didn’t die at seventy, but lived twice as long, to say one hundred forty? If we can’t feed five billion today, how are we going to feed eight or sixteen billion more? The result would be total economic and social chaos. Most of the world’s people are clustered in underdeveloped nations — places like China where increasing population begets increasing poverty, less available land for agriculture, less firewood for fuel.”
Ni-Fu paused only long enough to catch his breath. “Almost fifteen million acres of forest are cleared each year. In a decade, half the present forests on earth may be gone. Vanishing rain forests will become deserts.”
“You can’t play God, Grandfather,” Lili interrupted. “If you’re able to keep people alive longer, you should.”
“At what cost? Even without the issue of overpopulation, there is the question of the quality of those extra years. I have not found the key to immortality. Cells will still age. They’ll just do so more slowly. And for some individuals — say with Alzheimer’s disease or severe arthritis or terminal cancer — that means more years of suffering. Or, suppose like those thirty souls in there,” he pointed to the people waiting in the other room, “their friends and families have all died. They are alone — prisoners in an empty world, their lives devoid of love and meaning.” He thought of Nien’s words: For them, it may be easier to die than to go on living.
Lili’s thoughts and emotions were in turmoil. She appreciated her grandfather’s arguments, but ultimately rejected the notion that death could be better than life. “Surely if science can solve the secret to longevity, it can also solve the problems created by its discovery.”
“I think that’s true — given time and proper consideration of the best- and worst-case scenarios. I’m suggesting that at this moment in man’s history, perhaps the greatest single threat to the human race is not the bomb, but the possibility of prolonging life without insuring that such a discovery won’t be misused.”
“You can’t be suggesting that we bury probably the greatest discovery in history?”
“Not necessarily bury it. Just remove it to a safe place.” Ni-Fu hesitated for a few seconds, before plunging ahead. “Finding shou could probably have only succeeded in a country where so much is done in secret.” He shook his head. “Unfortunately, the passivity of the Chinese makes us the most compliant on earth. Even today only the ambitious few fight for power, their petty intrigues no different from those of the imperial past. Despite the great ideals of Marxism, little has changed in three thousand years. And the changes are as transient as my calligraphy.” A note of bitter despair tinged his voice. “I realize now that in China today there is no hope shou will be used for anything but evil.”
He explained how Seng had taken over as medical director six months earlier. Unlike his predecessor, Seng made it a point to monitor all research. Once the implications of Ni-Fu’s work became clear, the new medical director didn’t hesitate to exploit his contacts in the Party. “A promise for a promise. Seng’s career advancement in exchange for the secret.”
Hadn’t she sensed the danger in the man?
“You said you didn’t want me involved. What did you mean?”
“I suppose there’s really no way for me to keep this from you.” Ni-Fu squeezed Lili’s hand in his. “About four months ago, the foreign minister demanded that I reveal my discovery. I told him it was meant for all the people, not a small group of old Party leaders clinging to power. Seng said that by saving these old men, I would be helping the people. When I refused, he had me tortured.”
Lili gasped.
Ni-Fu dismissed her shock. “Lin realized I was worthless to them dead, so he devised a more diabolical way to persuade me to talk. You.”
Silence hung between them. Finally, the whole fantastic story was laid out before her. Her grandfather had made the most earth-shattering discovery since the atom bomb and was being imprisoned by Seng. She’d been lured here to force him to reveal it to old Party leaders who meant to keep it for themselves. Lili’s heart raced as she comprehended the full extent of her peril. My God. She was no less a prisoner here than Ni-Fu.
As if divining her thoughts, he said, “I have an escape plan.”
“An escape? How? When?”
“To America. But, the less you know, the better. Chi-Wen has promised to help. This much I will share with you,” he said, beginning to slowly tap along the edge of his desk in the same manner that physicians percuss a human chest, its resonance or dullness indicating relative tissue densities. “Listen carefully.”
The sounds Ni-Fu produced were the low tones of solid wood.
Lili’s brow furrowed in concentration.
Except for one small spot, easily missed in the intricately carved wood.
“Hollow,” Lili diagnosed, understanding. She pushed down on the place where the pitch had been higher, exposing a tiny, hidden compartment.
Ni-Fu removed several folded sheets of paper. “My research notes.”
“Very clever!”
“Seng turned this place upside down, but never found a thing. Too bad he’s not as sharp a clinician as you.”
Lili smiled at the irony.
“The state is determined to save us from ourselves. But we can’t let that happen, Lili. People of science need to control their discoveries. Not the government. In America you have that freedom.”
“Yes, but even there it’s eroding because we don’t appreciate it. Little by little, America’s changing. So slowly it’s imperceptible.” She thought of Dr. Trenton and Mrs. Manley. “Bureaucrats making rules — controlling doctors’ practice, their priorities.”
“At least you can still fight the system. You can demand to be heard.”
“Of course, you’re right, Grandfather. In America, you and I will demand to be heard.”
You and I.
He wondered how to answer. The intensity of the pain in his jaw and left arm crescendoed, this time accompanied by a new sensation — a crushing, searing pressure in the center of his chest. Ni-Fu placed a fist over his sternum and slid to the floor. His other hand gripped his notes. Panic and desperation filled his consciousness. Not now. Not when he was so close! “I —”
Lili’s eyes widened. “Help!” As she stooped over her grandfather, she knew he was having a heart attack.
Newport Beach, California
Halliday helped himself to a Hoyode Monterrey from the old man’s alligator case. “Not your best side, I’ll admit,” he said, pointing to the black-and-white prints spread on the table, “but then it was difficult to find a flattering angle from ten stories up.”
DeForest kept his expression impassive. “I was hoping you wouldn’t know about this.”
“I like solving puzzles.” Halliday slowly unwrapped the cigar, lit it, and took a long, reflective drag. “Especially ones that have blown up in my face.”
DeForest’s eyes did not flicker. “I see.” He rose and sauntered to the wet bar that filled almost an entire wall of his richly paneled den. He was less interested in a drink than a distraction to buy time. Only after selecting a glass, dropping in some ice, then pouring in the Dewar’s, did he turn to face his adversary. “Would you believe me if I said it’s not what it seems?” he asked, taking a sip of Scotch.
The CIA officer’s lips curled into a thin smile as he savored the moment. Few ever got the best of Walter DeForest, self-made billionaire, giant among men. The thought gave him a great deal of pleasure.
“Not a chance.”
Xi’an, China
Chi-Wen was turning toward the hospital side of the Institute when he heard Lili’s frantic cry. Though faint, he knew it came from the Longevity unit. The door should be locked, he thought, as he reached out and tried the handle. It turned without resistance. Quickly, he pushed the door open and ran down the corr
idor to the main room.
“Help!”
“Lili?”
“In here!”
At the doorway to the tiny inner office, Chi-Wen stopped, unsure what to do. Lili was hunched over Ni-Fu.
“Please, I need you!” she called, looking up for a split second. “And you,” she added, acknowledging the young cadre who appeared just behind Chi-Wen.
Newport Beach, California
“So you only needed Ng to guarantee delivery of the formula.”
“Right, Charlie,” DeForest asserted, his tone still disingenuous. He gulped his second drink. “Our deal was never compromised.”
“You expect me to believe that shit?” Halliday asked. “You disappoint me, Walt. Frankly I’d expect a little slicker lie from someone of your reputation.”
“Look, I can see you’re upset. There’s no reason we can’t modify our deal. What say we double the ante?”
Halliday snorted derisively.
“Not enough? No problem. Name your price.”
“You still don’t get it, do you? I know about your joint venture with Zee Enterprises and I know about the recent activity on the South Korean Composite.”
The clinking of ice cubes against his glass betrayed DeForest’s sudden anxiety. “I see.”
“You never really intended to cut me in. You and Ng planned to screw David Kim.” Halliday moved to where the old man stood. “And you, my friend, planned to screw me.”
“But —”
“But nothing. The ruse is up.” Halliday’s eyes turned stone cold. “And like you, I’ve made contingency plans.” He now stood nose-to-nose with DeForest. “It’s what I call my ‘one screw rule.’ You screw me —”
The CIA officer removed what looked like a fountain pen from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. In less than a second, he’d discarded the pen top and depressed the tiny atomizer, releasing a small but fatal dose of hydrogen cyanide vapor.
The liquor had slowed DeForest’s reactions, though even under normal circumstances he could not have prevented the outcome. There was just time to register surprise and disbelief.
Stepping back far enough to avoid inhaling the gas himself, Halliday watched DeForest begin his agonal throes with detached fascination. In a few seconds, the rapid respirations progressed as the old man tried to inhale great gulps of air, became dizzy, and tumbled to the floor. His tormented convulsions turned his lips blue and streaked his cheeks with blood. Halliday heard the hiss of his last expended breaths and smiled at the utterly still, limp body with its empty eyes staring upward. Like spraying a roach with RAID.
“You’re screwed.”
Xi’an, China
Lili quickly assessed her grandfather’s medical condition. ABC: airway clear; breathing, shallow; cardiac, pulse thready and rapid. She closed her eyes, mentally counting the beats. One hundred eighty. Much too fast. Was the source of the tachycardia supra-ventricular or ventricular? A definitive diagnosis required an electrocardiogram.
Damn.
She surveyed the room wishing she had the familiar equipment at L.A. Medical — EKG monitors, portable defibrillators, Swan-Ganz catheters, and the trained team who all knew their jobs so well. She had only Ni-Fu’s old stethoscope lying on the desk and Chi-Wen and the young cadre to help her.
Pressing the bell of the stethoscope to her grandfather’s chest, she listened carefully while watching his neck veins fill. Detecting no cannon waves, she felt somewhat relieved. Their absence made the more malignant, ventricular type of heart irregularity unlikely.
She looked at Chi-Wen. “Grandfather’s heart rate is too fast. I need to find out why quickly. Gently hold his head while I press his carotid artery. This should slow his heart,” she explained. “Meanwhile, ask our shadow to run for an IV, some morphine sulfate, and a gurney to move him to the hospital.”
A rapid fire exchange in Chinese persuaded the cadre to reluctantly depart.
“He’ll bring Dr. Seng,” Chi-Wen said, realizing that the cadre had been following him. For how long?
Lili merely shrugged. All that mattered now was saving her grandfather’s life.
“Okay. Ready?” Lili breathed deeply and prayed.
Please, God. Let this work.
Too little pressure and the rapid rhythm would continue, further compromising oxygen supply to his heart; too much and she could precipitate a stroke. Carefully, she massaged the artery on the right side of Ni-Fu’s neck.
“Can you take a pulse?”
Chi-Wen nodded, placing his fingers over Ni-Fu’s radial artery.
“When I tell you, start counting. Now.” She continued her carotid massage.
“One fifty, one forty, one twenty.”
“Good, it’s slowing down.” A little more pressure.
“One ten, one hundred.”
Lili stopped for several seconds as Ni-Fu gradually stirred. “Grandfather, can you hear me?”
Ni-Fu nodded weakly.
“How do you feel?”
“Much better.” He tried raising his head, but Chi-Wen retained his gentle hold.
“Lili?”
“Yes, Grandfather.” She leaned over him.
“Is it —? ” His voice was barely a whisper, but Lili heard and knew what he was trying to say. Before Chi-Wen and the cadre had arrived, she’d stuffed Ni-Fu’s notes in her pocket.
“Don’t worry, Grandfather, it is safe.”
“Good.” Though he smiled, his face was drawn and pale. Suddenly he seemed old, frail, desperately tired. “Some water, please.”
“Of course,” Lili said. “Chi-Wen, could you get a pillow for his head?”
The moment Lili and Chi-Wen stepped away, Ni-Fu removed the last vial of clear liquid from his pocket and drank it down.
“You know how lucky you were?” Lili asked, when she returned with the water. That jaw pain was angina. But I don’t have to tell you that. You just ignored the symptoms.”
“I’m sorry to upset you, Granddaughter.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. It’s . . .” her voice trembled with pent up emotions, “I don’t want to lose you.” She took Ni-Fu’s hand. “I just found you after all these years.”
Ni-Fu squeezed her hand in response. “You can’t lose me. I’ll always be with you. Remember that.”
Something in his words produced a sensation of foreboding. “Of course. As soon as you’re well enough, we’ll find a way to get out of here.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going with you to America.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When we’re healthy and the world seems good to us, the thought of death is remote. We feel immortal. Death is for others, not for us.” Ni-Fu paaused to catch his breath. “But we shouldn’t be afraid. There’s a time to live and a time to die.” Ni-Fu’s eyelids fluttered.
Lili checked his pulse. It had gone from brisk and regular to barely palpable. “Grandfather!” she screamed.
“I had no choice if you are to live. I’ve completed the circle,” he whispered. “For Nien, for all the others in ward number one and for me.” He pointed to the clear vial lying on the floor beside him. “There is nothing now between me and death.”
“No!” She had just found her grandfather and now he was leaving her. “What will I do without you?”
“The wind will still ride the mountain; the Yangtze will still ebb and flow.”
“But I need you. You’re my only family. Please, don’t die,” she pleaded.
“No tears, Granddaughter. I have left you a heavy burden to carry.” His voice was little more than a whisper. “You alone now hold the secret. You will decide whether or not to reveal it to the world.”
“How will I know what to do?”
“You will know.” His strength quickly waning. “Just remember — it has the power to save or destroy.”
Lili bent close to kiss him.
“Be careful. Chi —” Then he shuddered.
“Grandfather?” Lili felt for a pulse t
hat was no longer there.
The past was gone forever.
BOOK THREE
THE FUTURE
The future is purchased by the present.
—Samuel Johnson
We do not know much of the future
Except that from generation to generation
the same things happen again and again.
Men learn little from others’ experience,
but in the life of one man, never
the same time returns
—T. S. Eliot
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Wednesday
May 3
Xi’an, China
Seng could not fall back to sleep.
He thought about Ni-Fu Cheng — a man from a different era — typical intel-lectual, son of bourgeois liberals, never had to suffer. Not like his own family. Seng’s parents were peasants. Only after the Revolution could their youngest son get an education and become a doctor. Seng’s life would have taken a very different path without the People’s Party.
Before Seng arrived, Cheng did not attend the Institute’s required weekly political meetings. He obviously felt superior. That’s what tipped Seng off. Why had Seng’s predecessor protected the professor?
In short order, he learned that Cheng was indeed developing drugs from Chinese herbs, but that his real research lay elsewhere. One night Seng followed him to Ward #1. What a revelation: shou — the ability to prolong life. Seng immediately seized the opportunity
to ingratiate himself with the foreign minister. Lin promised him a more prominent position in the Party in exchange for the gift of longevity.
Who could have predicted that the old man could endure physical torture? Or that he would withhold his secret from Chi-Wen? Peng Han’s discovery that a granddaughter existed was an incredible stroke of luck. If Chi-Wen could not extract the secret, the medical director had no doubt Lili Quan could. Love and trust of family still counted above all else in China.
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