by Ted Peters
He removed her light weight jacket, never allowing his lips to leave hers. He ran the fingers of his right hand down the center of her half exposed back. With his left hand he cupped her small, firm right breast. He gripped her now taut nipple between his third and forth fingers. Her body moved, swayed, undulated.
He pulled her dress straps off her shoulders, slowly one at a time, dropping the dress on to the floor. Still kissing her, he unsnapped her bra and let that fall. His face fell to her neck, kissing gently yet firmly. Sweeping his lips downward he paused to suck briefly on each breast nipple. Soon he was on his knees, removing her dainty panties, and burying his face in her bush.
He felt for his own belt buckle. He opened his front and let his trousers fall. Then he sat down on the couch and drew the now pliant female body toward his. In moments she was astride him. He wa deep within her. Her now energized body whirled clockwise, then counter clockwise. Up and down. In and out. Like lava surging up from within a volcano, he could feel an eruption coming. So could she. He screamed. So did she. He thrust upward. She downward. Both screamed as ecstasy erupted.
Chapter 14
Taipei
They lay flat on the sofa for a few minutes. Lilly’s eyes were closed when she heard Neshat say gruffly, “Get dressed.” It sounded like an order to a soldier from a general.
She had finished dressing when he again handed her the water. She thanked him. She took a long and apparently thirst-quenching swallow. Neshat’s facial expression acknowledged nothing. She sipped again from her glass.
“Let me show you something special about this room,” he said pedantically. “Set down your glass and come with me.”
She walked toward him. She stumbled slightly when bumping into the arm of a chair. Lily regained her composure and followed his gesturing hand. He led them both toward an exterior wall.
“The air pressure in here is three PSI greater than what is outside. This means I can have a window that opens.”
Khalid placed his own glass of cognac on an end table. He approached the wall of green double paned windows and pressed a button. One five-by-five foot pane slowly slid sideways into a sleeve just as would a pocket door.
She approached Neshat to look out into the mysterious clouds of nature’s atmosphere, shrouding the building’s middle floors. The two bent down to see the cloud girdle Taipei 101.
“Ahh,” she said, turning toward her host with eyes big in amazement.
The Iranian smiled. He reached his left hand toward her right ear. He briefly fondled the earring before yanking it, tearing through the skin and shredding her ear lobe. She screamed as her left hand slammed on to her right ear. She could feel the blood gushing.
Then Neshat stretched out his arms. One went down between her legs, the other around her shoulder, gripping her back. In one seamless swing her body went up. He thrust the now astonished and horror stricken woman out the window. He watched briefly as her body flailed helplessly and then disappeared into the cloud below.
Neshat closed the window. He straightened his clothes. He walked to the hallway door. He turned to survey the room, then walked back and placed the two drinking glasses in the wet bar sink. He rinsed them and stood them upside down in the drainer. Returning to the hallway door he flipped out the lights and departed.
Because I can…..
Chapter 15
Taipei
At the agreed upon time Leona paced back and forth just inside the Lungshan Temple gate. It had been hours since the murder. Leona had been questioned by police as a material witness and then released. Very few visitors to the temple this Friday evening were even aware of the dramatic events earlier that day.
The temple was lit up as colorfully as a Fourth of July fireworks display. Pilgrims sauntered past her, entering and departing in a way that was simultaneously casual and purposeful. Most walked upright, but some in wheel chairs were being pushed while still others limped slowly with a cane or crutch.
Leona’s cell phone buzzed in her purse. Another text from Angie, she said to herself. I’ve got a lot to report. But, I need to talk now with Bernard Lee, not Angie. But she saw no such person in the temple apron.
Time passed. Might this Lee guy have suffered the same fate as Katia?, she quizzed herself. She studied her surroundings. Maybe he’ll never come. Then what do I do? Maybe I have been dupped.
As she turned her head she noticed a wheelchair in her vicinity. An elderly woman with a scarf covering most of her head was sitting quietly, unmoving. Beneath the tatters of her ragged skirt Leona noted what appeared to be strong, muscular legs, leading her to wonder just what had crippled her. The elderly woman smiled at the American visitor and beckoned her with a slight hand movement. Fearing confusion should she try to talk with an invalid unable to speak English, Leona walked over and gently placed a hand of affection on the sitting woman’s shoulder.
Leona could hear an indiscernible mumble. She leaned down and in a strong whisper said, “I’m sorry. I don’t speak Chinese.”
Then Leona heard the voice speak with forceful whisper, “Cyrus Twelve,” in unmistakable English. “Push me, Miss Foxx. I’m Bernard.”
Leona’s face remained expressionless but her chest pounded with the feeling of unexpected surprise. “For the sake of Breslau,” she mumbled. Soon she was pushing the wheel chair out the temple gate and along the sidewalk. No conversation took place. Leona simply pushed forward, awaiting the next directive.
It came at the corner. “Here,” said Bernard. “This van is waiting for us.”
Leona could not read the red Chinese characters painted on the side of the white van. A large sliding door opened. Down dropped a hydraulic platform. Leona pushed the wheel chair into place. Bernard Lee was hoisted into the vehicle. Leona found a seat near the rear. The side door closed and the van entered the traffic.
Chapter 16
Taipei
“What’s it say on the side of the truck?” Leona asked the man in the wheel chair.
“This is a Presbyterian transportation service for disabled persons,” responded the man in a normal tone of voice.
“Why the disguise?” she asked.
“After last evening, it’s clear that one of us, if not both of us, have been identified. The secret’s out. I don’t know for certain what secret, but at least one of us might be followed from time to time. Even if you were followed this evening, you’ll look like a kind-hearted American visitor helping a stranger. No one will suspect.” Mr. Lee began to take off his disguise, revealing his jean shorts and tee shirt underneath.
“You’re handy with a snake knife Miss Foxx. I wonder if that goon is still fastened to the table top?”
Both laughed.
“Now, just how should I address you, Mr. Lee?”
“Huh? Oh. Just call me Bernie.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Well, your nearly twice my age. And, you’ve got a doctorate. Out of respect I should address you as Dr. Lee, right? Or, would you prefer Mr. Lee?
Dr. Lee laughed with a look of opportunity on his face. “We’re colleagues, aren’t we? You’ve got a doctorate. Biology is it?”
“Yes, biology with a special focus on astrobiology.”
“Well, then I should call you Doctor Foxx, right? You can call me doctor and I’ll call you doctor. We’ll never be able to say anything because we’re wasting time with formalities.”
“This is getting ridiculous,” said Leona. “I simply wanted to show appropriate deference to my honorable senior.”
“Okay. You call me Bernie. I’ll call you Leona.”
“But, my nickname is Lee.”
“So, should I call you Lee and you call me Lee?”
Both laughed.
“Bernie and Lee!” he said emphatically. “That’s it. If you want to show me senior deference, then simply obey me: Bernie and Lee.”
“Okay. Gotcha, Bernie.”
“Do you have the chip with you
?” asked Bernie.
“Yes, of course,” answered Leona.
“May I?” He held out his hand.
Leona loosed the laces on her left running shoe, a New Balance 967. From a hidden pocket just under the arch, she withdrew a tiny plastic pouch and placed it into Bernie’s open palm.
From under his tee shirt, Bernie turned on a miniature flashlight held around his neck by a lanyard. He studied the object carefully. He nodded with satisfaction. Then, he placed the chip into his right front pocket.
“I’ll give this back to you tomorrow or Sunday, Lee. Then, you’ll pass it to Katia and she’ll return it to its rightful place at TaiCom before Monday morning.”
“I have some bad news for you, Bernie. Very bad news.” Leona continued, recounting the murder of Katia.
Bernie displayed an almost uncontrollable disturbance. He put his head in his two hands and sobbed. “Poor Katia,” he said repeatedly. “This just shouldn’t have happened!”
A few minutes passed as Bernie attempted to gather his emotions. Leona sat quietly resting her hand on his in an effort to provide some consolation. Bernie eventually forced himself to sit up straight.
“Did Katia have a chance to pass on details? Such as the exact location at TaiCom where she would return the chip?”
“No. I’m afraid she had no time to say anything. I received the chip. That’s all.”
Bernie shook his head in dismay. Silence followed.
Chapter 17
Taipei
“Where are we going?” asked Leona. The van droned on, halting occasionally for traffic lights.
“Actually, I’m not going to tell you.” said Bernie. “It would be good for you not to know some things, such as the location of our lab. Nevertheless, you’re coming along. You’ll get to see everything, even if you won’t know where you are. You and I will need time to debrief one another. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
Bernie glanced at the driver. Leona looked past Bernie through the windshield, but she saw nothing to aid her in ascertaining her location. She shrugged her shoulders in compliance.
A half hour later, Leona heard a downshift and then felt the van ascending a hill on a curved road. Her body rocked from one side to another with each curve. Bernie smiled at her.
“Kinda like a Disneyland ride,” he said.
Leona nodded. She then felt the vehicle slow to make a sharp left turn, then stop abruptly. The driver rolled down his door window. A guard approached to speak with the driver. The two exchanged sentences in Chinese. Through the windshield Leona watched as a large garage door opened. The driver then entered the garage with the door closing behind them. When the engine had been killed, the side door was opened for them. Both Leona and Bernie exited, this time with Bernie walking.
In the spacious garage Leona noticed two other parked vehicles, one a Toyota Camry and the other a three-wheeled mini-truck. A uniformed guard, a young man, bowed and bad them with hand gestures to follow him. He led them as far as an open door, then stopped while Bernie and Leona entered the building proper. The two visitors walked down a lengthy hall with closed doors on either side. No decorations. No door labels, save for one exception. Midway down the hall hung two pictures, one on each side facing the other. On the left hung a picture of Chiang Kai-shek. Directly opposite hung a picture of Mao Zedong.
Toward the end of the hall, a door opened. Out stepped a young woman, dressed in a white lab coat, standing stiffly to hold the door open, assuming that Bernie and Leona would know they should enter. She bowed her head slightly as they passed her.
Leona found herself in a small non-descript room with only a wooden bench against the wall to the right. In front of them stood a large metal door with a frosted glass window. Once the woman in the lab coat had secured the door behind them, she walked around to place her hand on the handle of the second door. Then, she looked at Bernie and spoke in Chinese. Whatever Bernie said in response communicated understanding.
The woman pressed down on the handle and opened the large metal door. Leona felt a slight blast of air as the door opened. She and Bernie stepped into an even smaller room, about the size of a large closet. The door closed behind them. Bernie looked up at Leona.
“This is a low pressure chamber,” he said. “The next room is high pressure. We don’t want to take any contaminated outside air into the lab with us.”
Leona studied the tiny chamber, finding nothing interesting or curious to fix on. It was painted gray and looked as sterile as the air was pure. Though she was not prone to claustrophobia, this suffocating space could provoke it.
After thirty long seconds, the second door opened. Leona eagerly stepped through. Bernie had done this routine multiple times so was nonplused. Again, Leona felt the slight blast of pressurized air rush past her. It was refreshing. They were now in one of the favorite playgrounds of the spy world, the analysis laboratory.
Chapter 18
Taipei
The large room had a warehouse feel about it, high ceilings with visible joists and ducts. Every inch was painted or furnished in white. It was immaculate and obviously well-maintained. The research stations were lined up in rows, separated by artificial walls head high. The one row fully visible to Leona was lined on each side by computer terminals interspersed with additional equipment such as printers, microscopes, oscilloscopes, freezers, a walk-in Faraday Box, and some unidentifiable machines on desk tops.
The two new arrivals were greeted by a young Chinese man— slender, glasses, with random tufts of hair standing straight up. Geeks look the same the world over, Leona thought. The geek bowed perfunctorily and Bernie responded. Leona added her bow.
Bernie passed the chip in its clear plastic pouch to the geek, who immediately held it up to background light to get a good look. He smiled and started to turn away. Bernie spoke in Mandarin and pointed his arm and hand toward the right. The geek nodded and then hurried to his workstation, where he placed the chip under an electron microscope.
After following Bernie for a hundred paces or so and then through a door, Leona found herself with Bernie in a smallish lounge area. Comfortable, colorful divans lined the walls accompanied by floor lamps. Bernie motioned that they sit at the dining table.
“We’ve missed our dinner, Lee. I trust you’re hungry.”
Leona nodded affirmatively. Bernie called over his shoulder, again in Chinese. Soon a woman appeared in a kitchen apron, smiling and bowing. After a few seconds of interchange, the woman disappeared back into her kitchen, returning with two large soup bowls, which she placed before the two dinner guests, along with napkins and soup spoons. On a second trip she brought a pot of tea, two handle-less cups, and a small bamboo dish with six hard boiled eggs. The eggs were shelled and dark brown in color. She placed the brown bomb-like globules between the two diners.
“What’s this, may I ask?” Leona said to Bernie.
“Oh, these are hundred year old eggs. We bury them in the ground, leave them for a century, and then dig them up to eat. Appetizing, eh.”
“Really?”
“No, of course not. They’re buried for only one year.”
Bernie turned and addressed the kitchen woman, who was watching, as the meal commenced. She exited and returned with two twenty-ounce bottles of beer and small drinking glasses. “The beer will help wash down all tastes,” Bernie said with a knowing smile.
Leona looked at the miscellany swimming in her dark colored soup. A shrimp was identifiable. Maybe some seaweed. But, what was that? A chicken’s foot?
Bernie was busily eating. Leona asked, “Where’s the rice?”
“Rice?”
“Yes, rice. I always have rice with Chinese food.”
“Oh.” Bernie called for the kitchen woman to bring some rice. Momentarily she appeared and placed a small cup of white steamed rice in front of Leona along with a pair of chopsticks. I suppose I should forget the idea of asking for brown rice, she thought. She dipped the spoon into her soup just deep
enough to siphon off the surface liquid, which she sipped gingerly. Now, how can I appear gracious and still avoid eating those repulsive eggs?
“This is an expensive chip,” said Leona. “It’s already cost at least one life. Why’s it so valuable?”
Bernie sipped his soup, much more joyously than Leona. “It’s a brain implant. TaiCom’s been working on it for some years now. It’s alleged purpose is Intelligence Amplification. But, that’s a misnomer, because nobody knows how to actually enhance intelligence. What it does is provide artificial memory, access to data through thought. It may also extend the range of computational capacity, just like your laptop.”
“Would you call this an advance in medical research?” asked Leona.
“If that were be all it was, then we wouldn’t be trying to steal the design,” said Bernie.
At that moment the lab door opened and the geek walked in. He joined the two soup eaters at the table and requested the kitchen help to bring him a beer.
“Perhaps introductions are in order,” said Bernie. “Leona, this is Pang Boo Wah, or Boo Wah Pang for you, a Westerner. Boo Wah, this is Leona.” They shook hands. Boo Wah then poured himself a glass of beer and drank through the foam.
“What’ve you learned?” asked Bernie. “Can you copy it?”
“It’s copying right now,” said Boo Wah. “My computer is tracing the circuits as we speak. I have not analyzed it completely yet, but it’s quite a device! I found a segment coded for DNA interface. It includes nano-activators to stimulate DNA replication with special promoters for specific genes. What I think this means is that TaiCom plans to implant it surgically and have it grow into the recipient’s brain tissue, just as if it belongs there. If they pad it with sample DNA from the recipient, they’ll avoid immune rejection. Clever.” He took another slug of beer.