The Thieves of Legend

by Richard Doetsch

Two blue-haired older women turned to her and scowled.

  “The Forbidden City was home to twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In ancient times, the emperor was considered to be the Son of Heaven, and therefore heaven’s supreme power was bestowed upon him. The emperor’s residence was built to mimic God’s home in heaven; a divine palace forbidden to ordinary peasants, which is how the Forbidden City was named. To represent the supreme power of the emperor given from God, and the place where he lived as the center of the world, all the gates, the palace, and other structures of the Forbidden City were arranged about the south-north central axis of Beijing, while the emperor’s residence was aligned with the Pole Star, which they believed to be at the center of heaven.”

  Annie pulled out her cell phone and dialed. She listened as the call went straight to voicemail. “You’re late and overpaid. Where are you?”

  “Excuse me,” the tour guide said. “We ask that you turn your cell phone off during the tour so as not to distract from my discussion.”

  Annie slammed the phone closed and glared at the tour guide, who smiled, nodded, and continued.

  “The walled area of the Forbidden City served as the residence and office of the imperial family and their household staffs, as well as the offices of the ministers and favored officials. The compound housed administrators, concubines, eunuchs, maids, and soldiers. The population numbered over 10,000, with some 2,000 women and 410,000 eunuchs at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Today it is considered not only an imperial city but also an imperial museum, hence it is also called the Palace Museum.

  “It was built from 1406 to 1420 by the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, the Yongle Emperor, who, upon usurping the throne, determined to move his capital northward from Nanjing to Beijing. In 1644, it was sacked and the Ming Dynasty fell to the Manchu troops under Doergun. The succeeding Qing Dynasty emperors restored the buildings, and the palace was further renovated to its unique beauty.

  “In 1911 the Qing Dynasty was overthrown by the republican revolutionaries. The last emperor, Xuantong, continued to live in the palace after his abdication until he was expelled in 1924.”

  “Are you sure you had the time and meeting place right?” KC whispered to Annie.

  “Of course. We need to get away from this guy and hire someone to take us below.”

  “That area is restricted,” KC said. “Your friend was our only means of getting down there.”

  “Not my friend,” Annie spat.

  A woman suddenly arrived at Annie’s side, her mousy brown hair having not seen a brush in hours, the windy morning spinning it into a tangled net around her face. She was plain, shorter than Annie and KC, and Caucasian, though with her mode of dress, a short brown jacket with a mandarin collar, she blended in with the masses.

  “Where have you been?” Jenna Nilan said, annoyed, as she adjusted her dark-rimmed glasses. “We need to hurry.”

  “You’re late,” Annie said, staring down at the woman.

  “Actually, I was here an hour early. I told you to meet me here at the Meridian Gate entrance.”

  “You said—”

  “She’s here,” KC cut Annie short. “Let’s just go.”

  The three women approached the grand and imposing entrance to the Forbidden City, the Meridian Gate, which was far more than a simple gate. Like the surrounding walls, it was washed in red, grand and imposing, thirty-five feet high and surmounted by five pavilions that resembled a phoenix.

  Enormous red doors were propped open, dotted with eighty-one large gold nails, their heads the size of tennis balls.

  “You will see that the number nine is very significant throughout the imperial palace, nine being as close to divinity as one could get,” Jenna said, sounding every bit the tour guide as she walked briskly, Annie and KC keeping pace at her side.

  “Do me a favor,” Annie said. “I don’t need to hear a dissertation. I made it clear what we are here to see. You’re being paid to show, not spout trivia.”

  Jenna was taken aback as she looked at Annie. “I’m sorry, I was told—”

  KC reached out and touched Jenna’s arm, smiling. “Please, I would like to hear.”

  Exiting on the far side of the Meridian Gate’s tunnel, they emerged into an immense courtyard more than six hundred feet wide and five hundred feet deep, the grand size creating a sense of imperial majesty.

  Running through it on a meandering course was the Golden River, its bed and sides paved with white stone, which enhanced the beauty of the water. Five bridges stretched over its center, decorated with marble balustrades carved with motifs of dragons and phoenixes, imparting a tranquil sense in an immense world.

  “The Golden River,” Jenna said, “serves as a fire hydrant as well as adhering to the principles of feng shui. According to these principles, the ideal location for a home is facing south with water in front and a mountain or hill behind. The five white marble spans represent the five Confucian virtues of humanity, sense of duty, wisdom, reliability, and ceremonial propriety.”

  “We don’t need to know every detail,” Annie said.

  KC shot a glare at Annie. “Jenna, she’s having a bad day.”

  In point of fact, KC wanted to hear everything she could, since she needed every detail, every nuance she could absorb to develop an intimate understanding of what she was being forced to undertake if she were to have any chance of success. Annie had outlined her plan to KC, the location beneath the Forbidden City where the object of their search rested, and the route they would take to get there. Annie already knew the palace grounds and spoke fluent Mandarin. That, coupled with her demonstrated lethal skills, made it obvious to KC why she had been assigned this particular mission. But Annie didn’t know the ebb and flow, what made the palace operate without incident, what unassuming hidden detail could prove deadly.

  Jenna was earning her Ph.D. in Asian studies and had done her dissertation on the Imperial Palace; she was a far greater expert than any tour guide they could hope for. With knowledge of not just its history, but its intricacies, she knew what lay behind the façade and what lay underneath it. Jenna possessed the more intimate information they would need to achieve their goal and had access to a world that was hidden from the world, a place that held the key to saving Michael.

  Recommended by the U.S. embassy, she was honored to give a private tour to members of the U.S. military. Though, truth be told, when she met them there was no disguising her suspicion: The two women seemed more like the type found on Page Six of the New York Post than military personnel.

  Crossing the bridge, they stepped into the huge courtyard, more than 130,000 square feet. And despite the chill in the air, tourists abounded, taking pictures, following tour guides, standing about looking at maps.

  “Across this enormous courtyard lies the Gate of Supreme Harmony,” Jenna said as she pointed to the large building in the distance. The red structure was the focal point, the center of a series of buildings, flanked on either side by two minor structures. “That is the main gate to the Outer Courtyard.”

  Jenna hustled KC and Annie across the remaining seventy-five-yard expanse.

  As they approached, Jenna pointed at two enormous green patinated lions that stood guard on either side of the three sets of stairs, representing imperial dignity. “The west one is female,” Jenna said. “The lioness’s front left paw rests on a lion cub, indicating a prosperously growing family and the succession of the imperial lineage. The east lion’s front right paw rests upon a pomegranate, symbolizing the world and imperial power.”

  They walked up the left set of stairs to the large red building, the Gate of Supreme Harmony, which had a two-tiered sloped roof of yellow tile and seven arched openings supported by tall red columns. Light blue and yellow accent bands wrapped the arches and the molding section between the first and second roof lines.

  Passing through the building, KC did not understand why such an elaborate structure was called a gate, but as they exited the
rear and stood upon the terrace, it all became clear.

  The overwhelming scale and grandeur before her took her breath away. The courtyard was enormous, more than 370,000 square feet, the size of nearly eight NFL football fields, a vast, wide-open space that could hold tens of thousands of advisors, subjects, and soldiers. The designers had created a powerful and heart-stirring atmosphere that overwhelmed visitors while creating a feeling of imperial grandeur that was sacred and revered.

  All of it lay as if in worship before the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Sitting on a seven-meter-high three-tier marble terrace, the grandest building ever built in China was truly overwhelming, soaring nearly ten stories into the open sky. KC found it incredible that the entire complex was built for a single man.

  “The Court of the Imperial Palace is referred to by some as the sea of flagstones,” Jenna said as she led them down the stairs to the gargantuan courtyard. “You’ll notice there are no trees or obstructions, as ancient Chinese emperors considered themselves to be Sons of Heaven, born to reign over the country, so they should occupy the highest position. Nothing was allowed to overwhelm the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the highest building in the Forbidden City.

  “The Chinese believed their country was the center of the world—”

  “They still do,” Annie jabbed.

  “The Chinese name for itself,” Jenna ignored Annie, “Zhōngguó, means ‘middle kingdom.’ And the center of that kingdom is right here: the Emperor’s Palace, the Forbidden City.

  “The Hall of Supreme Harmony, along with this courtyard, is the Chinese symbol most depicted to the world.” Jenna pointed at the enormous hall before them. “It’s the one shown in movies, television news programs; it communicates the enormity of China’s culture and China’s history.”

  They walked through the courtyard past hundreds of tourists as Jenna pointed to a series of low-rise red buildings that bordered the east and west boundaries of the courtyard three hundred yards away on either side. “Those structures—there are hundreds of them throughout the grounds—served as warehouses for storing items such as furs, porcelain, silver, tea, silk, satin, and clothes. Today, they house exhibitions, offices, and tourist facilities.”

  A group of nine honor guards dressed in green military uniforms stood at attention in the middle of the large courtyard, having just completed a formation ceremony. Carrying their ceremonial flags and rifles, they marched in line to the east under the flashes of the tourists’ cameras.

  “In ancient Chinese theory, each of the five elements—wood, water, fire, earth, metal—had a color associated with it. Fire is represented by the color red. As you can see, it is the predominant color used on most every building and on the city walls, but not only does it represent fire and strength, it also symbolizes prosperity and happiness.

  “Yellow represents earth; the imperial robes were golden yellow with a dragon on them to distinguish the emperor from man and designate him as the Son of Heaven. No one else was permitted to use or wear yellow.

  “As you have also seen, China loves its dragons. There are dragons everywhere: in the artwork, in carpets and clothing, in the pavement and upon the rooftops. It is taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon in the same way it is taboo to burn the American flag, or desecrate the holy cross.

  “In yin and yang terminology, a dragon is yang, male, and complements a yin, female, the Chinese phoenix. They balance each other. Alone they can wreak havoc; together, they bring balance and harmony.”

  After visiting The Hall of Supreme Harmony, where they felt an aura of solemnity and mystery and the spiritual presence of emperors long dead, Jenna led KC and Annie through several more opulent though smaller halls and palaces and finally ushered them through the imperial gardens, a labyrinth of old trees, pavilions, and flowers. “This is the last section of the Forbidden City before the north gate.”

  The garden was enormous, more akin to a park, and was the private enclave of the imperial family. Ancient maples, pine, and bamboo towered up into the skies with branches and leaves shading the walkways and structures.

  Jenna directed them out through a gate into the eastern section, where they found themselves in a maze of tightly packed buildings. Like most others within the palace confines, the several dozen structures were red, all with similar architecture, making many indistinguishable from the next. There were long alleys and few tourists, though an occasional green-suited honor guard would pass by them, rushing through.

  They emerged back into the enormous Court of the Imperial Palace and headed west. “In all of these buildings around us, in the various sections, are treasures the world could never imagine, from artifacts and paintings to jewels, gold, and treasure. Billions and billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese history, the value exceeding a thieves’ heaven.”

  “While this is all fascinating,” Annie said in a mocking tone, “we really need to get to the lower level.”

  Jenna grew pensive as she led them across the vast courtyard before finally speaking. “You realize how many rules I’m breaking by taking you below?”

  “But you understand why we must?” Annie asked.

  “No, actually.”

  “We need to verify the contents of a single box from World War II.”

  “Sixty-five years after the fact?”

  “The time that has lapsed is not what should worry you,” Annie said.

  “No?” Jenna prodded.

  “You should be far more worried about how many people could die if what we suspect is in that case is there and gets out.”

  CHAPTER 18

  MACAU

  At 10:00 a.m. Michael sat in the safe house, on the other side of Macau, the plans of the Venetian laid out before him.

  The roll of plans was more than a hundred pages thick, but he was focused on the structural and mechanical plans of the sublevels, all of which verified his earlier assessment of the difficulty of the heist.

  Michael looked up at Jon, who lay on the couch, dozing intermittently. “I need to know about the box we are stealing.”

  “It’s eighteen inches square, gun-metal gray.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “The diary of an admiral.”

  Michael stared at him, doubting his words.

  “A man by the name of Marconi was selling it to a man named Xiao, the head of the Snake Triad. A very powerful and dangerous man. He attempted to steal it from Marconi, along with a red puzzle box, but the Italian had already hidden the book in a box in the depths of the Venetian.”

  “What would the head of a Triad want with this book?”

  “There are secrets within the book.”

  “What kind of secrets?”

  Jon ignored the question. “Xiao threatened to start a guerilla war against his enemies, and one of those enemies is the U.S. military.”

  “A street gang taking on the strongest military in the world?”

  “This Triad is far from a street gang, and Xiao is far more dangerous than you realize. He is a terrorist; he has a network of not only street thugs, but accountants, lawyers, assassins. It is rumored that he has personally killed hundreds, yet no one has ever tied him to any crime. He is known for beheading his victims, priding himself on being an expert with a sword. He is about sending a message, about shocking people, about striking at his enemies’ weaknesses.

  “He was thought to have been killed by Colonel Lucas in the sea off the coast of Italy.”

  As Jon continued talking, Michael realized he knew Xiao—he’d seen him on the boat, the one with the ponytail, the one who had killed Marconi and his family, beheading them as Jon described.

  “But Lucas believed he escaped and is about to unleash something.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know what it is, but Lucas said the attack can be stopped if we can get hold of this diary.”

  “What’s in the diary?” Michael pressed him.

  “You asked me about the box and what it contains. I told you, that’s
enough.”

  Michael glared at Jon.

  “If I was to tell you, you wouldn’t believe me in a million years.”

  CHAPTER 19

  BEIJING

  The building was nondescript, no different from the other red ancillary buildings on the western side of the Forbidden City grounds. To KC’s surprise, there was a parking lot nearby, shielded from the public areas, like a blasphemous intrusion of the modern world.

  When Jenna opened the carved red double-wide door KC realized the structure was truly a façade, an ancient mask concealing the twenty-first century: a brightly lit lobby, an intercom on the wall, a freight elevator, its closed doors made of brushed aluminum, and a stairwell door.

  The underground warehouse, three stories below ground, was vast, with more than six hundred thousand artifacts contained in the state-of-the-art facility. As ancient as the world was above, down below it was cutting-edge, modern, and ahead of its time. There were fire systems using halon instead of water so as not to damage the rich historic pieces; an environmental control system adjusted not only the temperature but the humidity in each storage room in accordance with the curator-determined ideal air setting to preserve the various pieces of art; the security system went far beyond cameras, monitors, and door alarms. The floor was embedded with a pressure-sensitive mesh to alert security of anyone’s presence, day or night. It was coupled with an ID tracking card worn by museum personnel that would identify each individual and his function. The doors were magna-sealed and double-bolted, providing a fail-safe in the event of either system’s being compromised.

  The cameras were infrared-enabled, able to record in the dark, the logic being that intruders preferred the cover of darkness as opposed to smiling for the lens.

  Forgoing the elevators, Jenna led them down three flights of stairs. At the base they were met by two large unmarked steel doors with no handles or visible hinges. Jenna pointed to the one on the left.

  “The administrators recently moved their security headquarters to this underground bunker. It centralizes command, provides them with a cutting-edge police-style station. Plus, it keeps the measures of the new world from impinging on the old, allowing the illusion of history to be maintained above.”