Sheng could now see the police cars in the roadblock clearly enough to tell that they were two deep. When it became obvious that the huge fire trucks weren't going to stop, the police officers who had been hunkered down behind their cars began to scatter, but as they took up new positions they pointed their side arms at the convoy. It was then that Sheng heard a crack as a small round hole appeared in the windshield. The bullet pa.s.sed to the right of his head and within two inches of Brett's face.

"Don't shoot unless you have to!" Jim shouted into his radio. "Focus on getting into the emba.s.sy grounds any way you can."

The American Emba.s.sy in Beijing sits on ten acres northeast of the Forbidden City just outside 3 Ring Road. Nine hundred officials, employees and Marine guards reside there in five buildings surrounded by a high wall enclosing a tree lined compound, all of which cost the American taxpayers more than $434 million, the second largest construction project in State Department history.

The compound's residents could all clearly hear the approaching sirens now, that and the smoke in the courtyard prompting some to wonder if the emba.s.sy was on fire. The amba.s.sador had awakened and was in the elevator heading down from the eight story main chancery.

Sheng had lowered his silhouette as much as he could and tightened his grip on the enormous steering wheel when the truck hit the outermost two police cars. An ear-shattering clash of steel propelled a blizzard of broken gla.s.s into the air as the huge truck tossed the lighter cars aside, causing secondary collisions and more showers of gla.s.s shards.

The violence of the crash momentarily stunned the officers around the disintegrating roadblock, and by the time they coalesced again behind the wreckage, the convoy was pulling away. Shouting at each other to shoot, they began firing their side arms at the fleeing convoy. Bullets buried themselves harmlessly in the pile of neatly folded and stacked fire hoses in the pumper truck; several ricocheted off the thick tread plate b.u.mper.

One struck Jun in the neck.

The police car swerved as he grabbed his neck, feeling the blood that had already begun to flow from the 9mm hole. Struggling to keep the car pointed forward, he covered the wound with his hand, applying pressure as best he could as the convoy picked up speed. Two more bullets punched holes in the windshield in front of him and with one hand on the steering wheel he swung the car left and right, trying to throw off their aim.

Jim pointed at the long shape of the emba.s.sy wall in the distance, telling Sheng that he would have to make a right turn just before the wall to reach the gate where the Marines were waiting for them. Sheng, loathe to slow for a corner with police officers shooting at the convoy, nodded his head and shoved the pedal to the floor, resolved to get to the emba.s.sy any way he could.

With the speeding trucks nearing the corner, Jim shouted into his radio to prepare for the turn at the wall. It was then he saw the tank pulling into the intersection, stopping squarely in the middle, its turret rotating until its main gun was trained on the approaching vehicles. While the heavy fire trucks could easily swat aside a much smaller police car, the fifty-four ton main battle tank might as well have been a mountain. Without even firing its 125mm main gun, it could stop any vehicle dead in its tracks. To the men in the fire trucks, there were no options to consider. The opening between the front of the tank and the corner of the building on the right side of the intersection was more than large enough to drive through at ten or fifteen miles per hour. However, even if they slowed slightly, they would still be doing at least fifty miles per hour over that when they hit the intersection or the tank.

Sheng now had about a half hour's worth of experience behind the wheel of a fire truck, his fellow defector the same. In less than sixty seconds, they would have to throw their twenty ton fire trucks into a maneuver that defied several immutable laws of physics, and they would do so without hesitation simply because there was no other choice. The Seals knew what was about to happen and yet could offer no advice; no one trained for such things. Only fools and the desperate attempt the impossible. They grabbed what they could and held on as Sheng threw the wheel all the way to the right just as the truck reached the opening between the tank and the building.

The fire truck struggled mightily to make the turn, its wide dual tires leaving smoking black protestations on the pavement. As the truck leaned sickeningly, the extension ladder was jarred out of its bracket and swung wildly to the left, nearly shearing off the part of the soldier that protruded from the tank's turret. Only the heavy machinegun's mount interrupted the ladder's arc, propelling it back toward the center of the fire truck, its weight slowing ever so slightly the truck's leftward lean. It was at that point that the heavy gauge aluminum side of the fire truck slammed against the steel skirt that protects the tank's road wheels, upon which its tracks are mounted. The concussion heavily dented the side of the fire truck and punctured one of its left rear tires, but it also caused the fire truck to rebound off the side of the tank, righting itself.

Sheng, whether in shock or locked in fear, had never taken his foot off the accelerator and the fire truck continued surging forward, its tires screaming black smoke. It was then that Jim noticed the Oshkosh logo on the dashboard. A product of America's premier fire truck manufacturer had just survived a collision with a Chinese main battle tank and was still drivable - barely. The emba.s.sy gate was now less than a block away.

The pumper truck had nearly collided with the rear of the hook & ladder truck when it was slowed by the collision, but an instant before, it had surged forward out of the way. The pumper truck's left front quarter now struck the right front corner of the tank full on, tearing off the truck's fender and severely bending the left front wheel a.s.sembly. The dual rear wheels continued spinning wildly, leaving hot, burning rubber on the pavement. With the useless left front tire now acting more as a brake than a wheel, the truck struggled to maintain its momentum, the tank's front fender gouging a ragged tear along the entire length of the truck.

A police officer, hoping to take advantage of the reduced momentum of the truck, jumped on the side board and opened the door, pistol in hand. Upon entering the cab, his head was met by Brett's fist and the hapless policeman was catapulted from the truck onto the stump of a broken traffic light. The wounded pumper truck willed itself forward like a dying animal, its left front wheel now almost sideways, impeding its forward momentum while the dual rear wheels, obscured by a cloud of black smoke, continued spinning. Tires screaming, engine roaring, it finally disengaged itself from the tank and continued plowing its way toward the emba.s.sy entrance.

Jun's smaller vehicle was able to negotiate the turn, but its driver was losing consciousness due to loss of blood. Doggedly, he forced himself to focus on reaching the emba.s.sy, swerving erratically to shake off the officers attempting to stop the vehicle and spoil their aim.

The emba.s.sy gate opened just as the hook & ladder truck reached it, eight heavily-armed Marines surging out to help their comrades. Jim jumped out and ran back toward the pumper truck while two Chinese police officers attempted to drag the flailing Sheng away. George flattened one and the other raised his pistol, only to be dissuaded by two Marines who aimed their M-4's at his head, allowing George to drag Sheng through the emba.s.sy gate.

Jim, joined by Brett and Rad, ran to Jun's car, now besieged by Chinese police officers trying to drag him out. Brett launched a head kick that staggered one and Rad leveled another who had decided to demonstrate his Jiu Jitsu. The others responded by drawing their weapons. Rad raised his Kalashnikov just as George arrived to join them. Brandishing two Kalashnikovs, the Seals stalemated the police officers while Jim and Brett dragged Jun out of their clutches and carried him back toward the emba.s.sy gate where Marines waited.

Rad and George walked slowly backwards, weapons pointed at the heads of a group of Chinese police officers whose raised gun barrels were almost touching those of the Seals. Both sides knew that the first shot would ignite a firefight that would result in many deaths. With Jun inside the emba.s.sy, Brett ran to back up Rad and George. Seeing that the fugitives were almost to the emba.s.sy gate and the protection of the Marines, one Chinese officer, recognizing Brett from police bulletins and aware of the hefty reward, unwisely attempted to grab him and drag him away from the other Seals into a group of police officers. He was rewarded with a kick that would quash his s.e.x life for many months.

The slowly retreating Marines and Seals were now pressed into a small knot, their weapons leveled at a far larger group of Chinese officers whose weapons were also poised. No one wanted to be the first one to shoot or die. Short of starting a gun battle that could ignite a war, there was little the Chinese could do as the Americans slowly backed through the emba.s.sy gate. When the last American pa.s.sed the opening and was firmly on US territory, the heavy gate closed unceremoniously in the faces of dozens of furious police officers whose side arms were now leveled at a blank steel door admonishing them: No Parking.

President Li Guo Peng was in the War Room deep underground with his staunch ally from the PLA, General Han Changfu and Admiral Chen Lei when they were joined by two other members of the Standing Committee of the Politburo.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on?" demanded Yin Weimin. "The army is in the streets and now we have been informed that two of our most modern warships are on the bottom. You've been president less than a month and already there is chaos!"

"The Americans sank our ships!" Li retorted, "Do you want me to send them flowers?"

"And you know this how?" asked Li Shingling. "I have been told that it was the Vietnamese who sank them."

"Don't be a fool!' retorted Li. "We proved that the Vietnamese cannot even protect a container ship, much less their own warships. Clearly it had to be the Americans."

"You have yet to explain to me how it was that the Americans accomplished this," persisted Li Shingling.

"Clearly they have a new weapon," answered the president.

"Clear to you, perhaps, but we do not start wars upon conjecture," responded Li Shingling. "Furthermore, there was another escape from Tianjin Hospital #77, resulting in the destruction of part of the hospital. Would you care to explain?"

"It was the dissidents, obviously," Li lied.

"What dissident escaped?" demanded Li Shingling. Li said nothing. "Why do you continue to lie? You know it was the father of one of the Americans on their honeymoon kidnapped for profit in an obscene scheme that has already disgraced this nation. What on Earth possessed you to repeat that hideous plan?"

"Shut up old man!" Li shot back.

"Do not try shut us up," Yin Weimin retorted. "I am told that you have ordered an attack on the US 7 Fleet. Is this true?"

"I do not have time for this nonsense," responded Li. "I am about to return this nation to the pinnacle of greatness, and you interrupt me with this nonsense. Either leave immediately or I will have you thrown out!"

"We shall see who is leaving," said Yin Weimin ominously.

The door behind them opened and Ma Wen was pushed into the room in a wheelchair, accompanied by his personal physician, Dr. Chen Zu. Li turned, eyes wide, mouth agape as though a ghost had entered the room. The murder he had arranged, the funeral, the grieving family everything had been staged by his enemies to entrap him, and they had succeeded.

"President Li Guo Peng," Ma Wen said solemnly, "you are hereby placed under arrest for the crimes of treason and conspiracy to commit murder." Three senior officers from State Security entered the room and approached to soon to be ex-president. "There are other crimes for which you will be charged," he added, "but these will do for now. Admiral Chen Lei, you are hereby ordered to recall all naval and air a.s.sets to their bases immediately."

"Yes, Sir," saluted Chen, clearly relieved.

"They're turning, Sir," the XO said.

"What did you say?" Captain Johnston asked incredulously.

"I said they're turning, Sir. The fighter-bombers are turning, they're turning around."

"Well I'll be d.a.m.ned," said the captain. "What about the destroyers?"

"They're coming about too."

"What on Earth just happened, XO?" said the captain.

"d.a.m.ned if I know, Sir. Someone must have changed his mind in Beijing. It's the only thing that could force all those war machines to turn around and head home."

'Order the fleet to stand down, XO, and start bringing the birds in, two at a time until we're certain this isn't a feint. Then let's go get that container ship and escort her the h.e.l.l outta here."

There was blood on the fine white leather couch.

"Move him into the back," a voice ordered.

Turning to see the amba.s.sador standing there, glaring disapprovingly at the a.s.sembled ex-Navy Seals and Marines, Jim snapped, charging the amba.s.sador and slamming him back into a pillar. Only the combined efforts of Brett and Rad managed to peel Jim's fingers from around the amba.s.sador's neck.

Jim returned to the couch in the formal s.p.a.ce where diplomats greet each other. There he knelt before his fallen friend, the man who had saved all of them. Selfless and courageous, Jun lay still on the couch, his blood bright and moist on the white leather. The other Seals approached the couch and knelt in honor of the man to whom they and the dissident movement owed everything. A taxi driver and a cleaning lady had changed the course of China's history in the 21 century.

71.

Molly hoped the paper lanterns didn't look too corny; the backyard was festooned with them. From the kitchen, she could hear Ping humming the melodies of her youth as she happily prepared food for the picnic. Banquet would be a better word. As the planning stretched from hours into days, the number of dishes and hors d'oeuvres grew, each a metaphor she suspected for the reasons they had to be grateful.

While not yet fully healed, Virgil and Molly had resumed a more or less normal life, the fear and nightmares having gradually subsided. Virgil was spending his days at the Capitol, the challenges demanding his attention having only grown since the shooting.

The upheaval in China was profound to say the least. The country had been shaken to its roots. Li Guo Peng had not been heard from in weeks. It was rumored that there had been a purge and, like so many before him, he had become a non-person, living in obscurity or perhaps prison.

Among his many unforgivable sins, perhaps the worst had been loss of face for a nation that had only recently a.s.sumed a place as one of the truly great nations. His precipitous descent toward war had resulted in a military chastened by its own overreaching ambitions. Chinese warships now primarily patrolled the coast; none had challenged another nation's shipping in weeks. Though few believed this to be permanent, it gave China's neighbors an opportunity to rethink their strategies.

China had not chosen to float its currency, one of the underlying factors of economic instability, but she now realized that other nations' concerns regarding free and, above all, fair trade could no longer be cavalierly ignored. In a spirit of rapprochement, the United States had suspended many but not all tariffs. Washington made it clear that mercantile success must be based on hard work, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, not cheating and bl.u.s.ter. But the Congress remained prepared to resort to tariffs as needed. More importantly, Congress set up a dramatically streamlined process to deal with trade issues, thereby a.s.suring that abuses would be dealt with promptly.

In what was the most significant change, Washington had voted to lower the corporate income tax from 35% to 18%, the average in the developed world. While most Americans had blithely taken as gospel that it was China's low wages that prevented compet.i.tion and encouraged outsourcing of jobs, the reality was far different. With the 17% headwind removed, corporations could now compete more favorably, leveraging their superior efficiency, productivity and the negation of the trans-Pacific shipping equation. China would continue to pay their workers somewhat less, but the disparity with the United States was diminished and mitigated by the fact that China still had to ship its containers across thousands of miles of ocean.

Many companies were repatriating jobs, jobs that put dollars in the hands of more Americans. An economy that had been contracting was now showing signs of growth. With greatly reduced revenue, the dramatic expansion of government had stalled. Public workers were being displaced and there was pain, but a spirit of cooperation was in the air and many former government workers began to find jobs in the private sector. Some were starting businesses and with real signs of growth, banks had begun to lend, cautiously at first, but money was flowing into the economy.

Venture capitalists who understood business and risked their own money, not the taxpayers, now replaced bureaucrats as the engines of innovation. Government agencies that had become bloated Frankenstein monsters, riddled with waste, duplication and fraud were being pruned, some eliminated altogether. Washington's new motto was 'Yes You Can' not 'No You Can't'. In perhaps the most promising change, people had begun to feel empowered, confident that they could provide for themselves and their families. More importantly, they were encouraging friends and neighbors to do for themselves and for each other. The spirit of charitable giving was gradually supplanting a culture of ent.i.tlement.

With his bureaucracy on a stringent diet, the president's grand dream of an all-powerful federal government was slowly withering. Predictably, he continued to blithely take credit for the growing economy and shrinking debt level, but each week the media devoted less time to his speeches and p.r.o.nouncements. He was quickly becoming irrelevant, a tragic figure whose beautiful smile and impressive oratory had been squandered by dogged adherence to policies that had been shown time and again to be unworkable and ill-conceived. Yet he still clung to them desperately, perhaps dreaming of the day when the world would recognize his greatness.

Senator Baines, who had been the driving force behind the confrontation with China as well as the battle against big government and soaring debt, now found himself dealing with the many collateral issues. Unemployment was still high; the fact that it was gradually moderating put little food on the tables of the unemployed. The challenge was not simply to create more jobs, but to foster a spirit of self-reliance that had been eroded by a system that had increasingly rewarded all the wrong behaviors.

Furthermore, China had in no way experienced a change of heart. They had not simply decided to do the right thing. They had acted upon the same two principles that have always governed their actions: self-interest and naked power. They had been forced to back down from a confrontation because it was negatively affecting their bottom line, not to mention their sense of face, but they had certainly not rolled over. They would resume a more aggressive posture in the future and Baines knew it. Therefore, it was imperative to monitor and address issues as they occurred and not allow them to slide. The days of one side playing hard ball while the other side played cream puff were over.

On a Sat.u.r.day afternoon, an event that had been postponed for months finally came to pa.s.s. Molly and Ping scurried around the kitchen making last minute preparations while Virgil set up the back yard. They had never seen Ping happier; her friends from China had all accepted the invitation and Holly and her extended family would attend as well. Several news organizations had requested invitations but were politely declined.

Numerous toasts would be made during the course of the afternoon and evening, the two most notable being the announcement of Virgil and Molly's engagement and one to their fallen comrade, Jun. The Seals had clipped several locks of his hair which they reverently placed in tiny, embroidered boxes and presented to his friends. One was given to his family. He would not be forgotten.

In a separate remembrance, Doris and Gladys were honored, innocent souls caught up in an international showdown not of their making.

The piano tuner refused to implicate anyone and now resides in Kansas, where his abbreviated digestive system is rumored to be curtailing his enjoyment of prison food. Holly's Paris a.s.sailant was never identified. Jimmy and Grace were apprehended while attempting to escape on their yacht. They have since been 'volunteered' by the Chinese government, in secret, to become organ donors at the PLA No. 1602 Hospital, where convict transplants are rumored to continue, though this is emphatically denied by the Chinese government. Tianjin Hospital #77, as a result of damage sustained from the explosives planted by the dissidents, has been condemned and is due to be demolished.

Many dissidents either lost their lives or simply disappeared during and after the unrest. Their ranks have been replenished by Chinese citizens who will not rest until they are allowed to speak freely in their own country and accorded the right to vote for their representatives and leaders. Their cause is supported by free people everywhere.

Author's Note.

Two Peasants and a President is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents described in the story flow from the author's imagination or have been used fict.i.tiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is pure coincidence.

The kidnapping of foreigners for the purpose of organ transplants is solely a novelistic device and in no way an a.s.sertion or intimation that such a practice exists either in Tianjin or anywhere else in China.

I should add that I have spent many amazing hours in Hong Kong. I cannot think of any city I like more, and I would recommend visiting it to anyone. I have also enjoyed many cities on the mainland. There is so much history everywhere you look. Regarding personal safety, one should always exercise caution and good judgment when traveling anywhere, especially abroad. Oh, and by the way don't break the law anywhere!

Also by the author.

Absolute Zero.

Two Peasants and a President.