The Last Invasion
Chapter Fourteen
Su Yi spoke to Commander Hsu-Feng Chou in Chinese. She brought him news of his family in Hankow. They were doing well, she told him, but his daughter Ke Xin had aligned herself in opposition to the Chinese occupation of America with the student majority. Hsu-Feng’s wife back home refused to take either side and longed more than anything for unity in the family.
Lee Kuan Yew tapped on the door and then entered into the Commander’s office having already overheard them talking. “Yi,” he said, “the commander and all the occupation forces here in America only speak English. So, it would probably be best for us to do likewise.”
“Very well,” said Yi, “how do you feel today Lee after our journey?”
“Now you sound as Yankee as Enron,” he said, taking a seat.
Yi and Hsu-Feng laughed.
“I am quite well, thank you,” Lee Kuan said and politely nodded. “Those ships always make me dizzy. I think it is probably psychological. Thinking about all the continual spin, although we can’t really feel it. Actually though, it was a very good trip and quite pleasant. Fast, I’ll say that.”
“Very good to hear that,” said Hsu-Feng. “Yi was just telling me about my family in Hankow. However, now that you are here we will start our discussion about the situation here and what we are trying to do.”
“Very well,” said Lee Kuan.
He had never been in America before, although he had studied all about the United States and learned English from the University as many Chinese did. He and Su Yi had some bad news for Commander Hsu-Feng and he was wondering how to break it. He would take his time. Maybe she would say something first. In one way, he wasn’t sorry. But on the other hand the news they had would bring some intense personal reckoning and there might be considerable denial. It is hard to comfort those of a totalitarian mind-set. They view any such sentiments as weakness, even in themselves. And weakness is not allowed into their belief system. Lee Kaun often had to go along with these hard-liners to avoid being liquidated or put behind bars. He had become an expert at tap dancing. He was tired of that. Some were totally swept up in these quasi-patriotic movements but he had always maintained a different concept and among the hard-liners no different concepts were allowed. He had been continually grieved ever since the militarists got the upper hand in China once again. But, now he knew, the old rigid unbending thinking from the days of Mao would soon come to an end, he was sure of it. Just like the dinosaurs, he thought. It was only a matter of letting the dragon down easily as he expired. After all, dragons were human beings too underneath, although they didn’t like to admit it. Hsu-Feng was not going to like what they would eventually tell him and he hoped that Su Yi and himself would be able to break it as gently as possible. That was their orders. Hard-liners like Hsu-Feng did not like to hear bad news anytime and had a tendency to take it out on the messenger who brought it. He was ready to duck. But he had confidence that the orders from the Supreme Chairman would see them through.
“I wish to apologize,” said Commander Hsu-Feng. “The attack yesterday was entirely expected by us but it wasn’t stopped as fast as planned and unfortunately six of our soldiers were killed along with the attackers. Our secret representative inside the local resistance did warn us in plenty of time but there was a logistic mix up and the information to the correct people was delayed. We try to keep a full eye on everything, especially anything violent that might arise, but this resistance movement all over the United States has not even gotten off the ground yet. Those three fools yesterday were do-it-yourself cowboys and you saw the results. Yesterday’s action will reduce the local resistance to only a handful and our secret representative is the successor to the leadership. So, we are right where we want to be.”
“We would like to meet this person,” said Su Yi, “when could we do that?”
“Today, if you like.”
Lee Kuan felt it was best to explain things right then. “Commander Hsu-Feng, please understand that Yi and I are under orders from Chairman Wu and this meeting with the local resistance leader must be private.”
“I don’t understand. Why is that? I have already been dealing with him for quite some time and we have a relationship. Please explain.”
“We can’t,” said Su Yi. “It’s just that the Supreme Authority now desires there to be a... private relationship with our people involved in... subverting the underground. You will learn more as we talk today but our meeting between us and this resistance leader must be private.”
“That is absurd!”
“You are not being shut out, Commander,” said Lee Kuan, “so I ask you to simply accept this situation right now. I know you have your questions and we will do our best to keep you informed. You have seen our credentials from Chairman Wu and we have full authority to handle this and anything else as we see fit.”
“What is Chairman Wu doing? What’s he up to? What has changed?”
“Much has changed Commander,” said Su Yi.”
“Tell me right now! This is utterly absurd!”
Lee Kuan looked over at Su Yi who showed no expression and then looked at Commander Hsu-Feng. “Commander Feng... let me ask you a couple of pertinent questions, okay?”
“Ask.”
“How often do your troops practice with the beam weapons at the firing range?”
“Twice a week. Why?”
“And how often do the tanks and other mounted beam weaponsystems practice firing?”
“Twice a week also. We have to stay in practice with those weapons. We have designated large areas for practice including the old U.S. military ranges. They certainly won’t need them anymore and will never need them again,” he chuckled.
“Commander... ” Su Yi began, “the scientists have uncovered a major problem with all the beam weapons.”
“What!? What problem? They work perfectly every time!”
“Yes, they work. They were manufactured by the millions when Norenco got the go-ahead and they were then distributed to the People’s Liberation Army. Yes, they were tested for efficiency and they do work well. That’s not the problem.”
“What is the problem?”
Su Yi looked over at Lee Kuan and said, “you’d better be the one to tell him since I was on the team that discovered it.”
“Discovered what?”
“Commander,” said Lee Kaun, “everyone who ever stood closely behind one of those beam weapons when it fired... was poisoned.”
“Poisoned!? What do you mean? How? No one is sick! We have never had even one soldier get sick from firing a beam weapon!”
Su Yi looked at Lee Kaun then back to Hsu-Feng and said, “Commander Feng, my team of micro-biologists discovered that there is an unshielded energetic back-wash from using the beam weapons that immediately starts a biological deterioration of the brain stem. The more anyone uses it the faster the progression. And... it is irreversible. There is no cure for it.”
Commander Hsu-Feng Chou was astonished. He didn’t know what to say. He just stared. A million questions raced through his mind. They must be lying to him. They were probably political dissident and trying to manipulate him. They were spies. That was it. “Get out!” he shouted. “Get out! And do not talk to me again until tomorrow! I am making some phone calls! You are trying to do something and I don’t like it! I am phoning Chairman Wu myself right now! This is a ruse and I see through it! You will be arrested for this! I will have you behind bars and get the truth out of you! Yes I will!”
Su Yi and Lee Kuan Yew stood to their feet, saluted the Commander, turned and left his office. They would find and contact the local resistance leader on their own without his help.
They walked out the doors of the building and their transportation vehicle was waiting. A blue uniformed soldier who was their driver held the back door open.
“It is very strange.” said Su Yi as she got in first, “It is very strange how history can completely reverse itself in only a few seconds.”
Chapter Fifteen
Chp. 1 : Chp. 2 : Chp. 3 : Chp. 4 : Chp. 5 : Chp. 6 : Chp. 7 : Chp. 8 : Chp. 9 : Chp. 10 :
Chp. 11 : Chp. 12 : Chp. 13 : Chp. 14 : Chp. 15 : Chp. 16 : Chp. 17 : Chp. 18 : Chp. 19 :
