Diamond Rain: Adventure Science Fiction Mossad Thriller (The Spy Stories and Tales of Intrigue Series Book 2) (11 page)

Lau smiled and
indicated the screen.

“This man is called
Jiang.  His friend is called Shi.  Watch what happens to them.”

The first target of the
drone’s initiator word stumbled.  It was clear that he was affected.  Thomas
and Sue Ann watched as he searched his backyard for something.  He started
digging frantically with his bare hands until he uncovered a makeshift
knapsack.  He put it on his back and started walking.  Though he looked sure of
his moves as he opened the gate in front of his house, he felt strange and Sue
Ann could see his indecision when his neighbor, Shi, came into view with a
knapsack exactly like Jiang’s.  With only a nod, they both started walking. 
The silver reflection of a drone passing over them, visible to the video feed
but not to the men, left behind a trail of grayish mist that descended on
them.  As the fog passed over, their steps quickened as if they were somehow
emboldened.

Thomas knew how the
nano fog felt. 
Thousands upon thousands of them feeling the power of the
suits
, he thought.  He shuddered.  His conviction to find and exploit any
weakness in the Chinese technology was growing by the minute.  Cold drops of
sweat ran down his back as he watched the empowering effects of the fog on the
two young men in the video.

Lau stopped the video
once again.  He turned to his guests and invited them to comment.   When they
did not respond, he continued.

“Now you will witness
the miracle of telepathy.  Bear in mind that I am showing you but two examples
of Chinese progress.  The same occurred with millions of men all over China
that night.”  Lau clicked on his remote.  He grinned as English subtitles
accompanied the speech of the Jiang and Shi.

Shi stood staring at
his hands in the moonlight.  Jiang’s laughter burst into the night and his
words appeared in English at the bottom of the screen.

“Shi, my old friend and
neighbor, you should not wonder how those hands will feel on the breasts of the
women we will soon find.”

“What are you talking
about?  How do you know my thoughts?”  asked Shi.

“She smells sweet, like
fresh petals of Jasmine, does she not?”

Shi stopped and looked
at his friend and light shone in his eyes too.  The suit had just permitted him
to see into his friends thoughts.  Jiang took control of the situation.

“Now we walk to find
the others,” he said, in a commanding tone.

Thomas noticed that Shi
followed as if the phrase uttered by Jiang triggered a programmed response in
Shi. 
Some are leaders.  Some followers,
thought Thomas
.  That’s
significant.  I might be able to use that information.

When Jiang and Shi
approached their village, both of them covered their ears.  The young men of
the village were running amok, bumping into each other and looking distraught. 
Jiang recovered first just after a drone passed over the central square of
their village.  He did not speak but rather focused all of his attention and
his fellow ‘walkers’ snapped to attention.  They picked up their knapsacks and
started marching out of town.

Thomas could imagine
the onslaught of hundreds, no thousands of uncontrolled inner voices. 
These
young men
, he thought,
must have believed they were going mad.  Yet
somehow Jiang managed to get control of them in a few seconds after the drone
replenished the fog.  That’s it!  Replenishing is the key to the Chinese fog’s
weakness. 
Thomas sensed their collective sense of purpose.  He turned his
attention back to the screen.

“Please close
communication,” Shi was saying to Jiang.

Jiang nodded.  They had
learned the first lesson of their new collective being: how to silence the
throng without cutting themselves off from the power of unity.  They walked on
as new drones replaced the old ones overhead, always seeding the ‘walkers’ with
the energy of collectivity.  The second long march had begun.

Lau concluded the
recording and handed Sue Ann a memory key which he said contained the video.

“This interview is
over, but rest assured, we will be in touch.  Show the world our achievements,
Miss Sue Ann.  Tell everyone what awaits.”  He ushered them out of the room.

Lau walked behind them,
confident that he had misled them into believing there was a weakness in the
technology.  He rubbed his hands together as he thought of the next generation
Quantum computer that was being completed to his design. 
Very soon we move
to Phase Two
, he thought.  Today, replenishment was an issue.  Tomorrow, it
will be far less significant.  He smiled again as his guests entered the
elevator.

Qatar Falls

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of Colonel
Lau’s Gulfstream announced a change in the proposed flight plan to his two
passengers.

“Your original
destination has been altered.  We are flying to a private airport in Qatar
where transportation will await you. Colonel Lau suggests you will be
interested in covering an unfolding story.  Thank you.”

“He’s taking teacher’s
pet a bit far, isn’t he?” chided Thomas.

“I guess the stories’re
worth it, but it’s a bit creepy, eh?” said Sue Ann. Inside she asked herself
why she was drawn to Lau.

When they arrived, a
conventional helicopter stood waiting on the tarmac, courtesy of the Colonel.

The helicopter flew
over a U-shaped docking structure just off the Qatar Flour Mills.  Two medium-size
cruise ships were docked at a beautified section of Doha’s Port Facility.

“I don’t see any news
here.  Just some tourists arriving in Qatar,” said Sue Ann as they circled over
the thousands of people getting off the ships.

Thomas pointed his
camera lens and shook his head.  He spoke while looking through the viewfinder.
“They’re all Chinese and there’re too many people on the dockside for just two
cruise ships.  They must’ve been packed in like sardines.”

Sue Ann addressed the
pilot.

“Put us down over there
on top of one of the buildings across the harbour and turn off the engine when
we land,” she said.

“My orders are to keep
you secure.  I can’t stop the engines,” replied the pilot.

“Then circle some
distance from us so we can get some video without your engine noise.  You can
keep us in full view.”

“Roger that.”

Sue Ann and Thomas
couldn’t help but notice the festive atmosphere on the docks and all around the
Doha Port Facility.  People were milling about, thousands of people.  Men women
and children, all oriental, presumably Chinese, were disembarking in an orderly
manner to the blasting sound of pop music piped over loud speakers on the decks
of the two cruise ships.  Damaged signs in Chinese and English about China’s
Year of Marine Tourism still proclaimed “
renao
” or festivity from the
bulwarks of the upper decks.

At first, all looked
crowded but normal.  Thousands of individuals streamed off the ships.  The
whole recently improved docking area contained people mingling, laughing, or
just standing in place.  All of this was happening less than a 15 minute walk
from the ‘
Emiri Diwan’
, or the Emir’s Palace.  Lines of Mercedes taxis
stretched from the dockside all the way to
Al Corniche
Street.  Some
taxi drivers, anxious for a fare, were not so gently coaxing the newly arrived
Chinese tourists into transportation.  The Chinese, for their part, politely
resisted and remained beside the taxis.

“Let me see the camera
with the telephoto lens, Thomas,” Sue Ann said.   There was an insistent note
to her voice.

“Here,” said Thomas.
Sue Ann peered into the viewfinder, then lifted her head.

“Have you noticed?” she
asked. “They have the same expression as the guys in Samarkand and at Lake
Khanka. It’s some kind of peaceful invasion, but why here?”

“I’m getting great
footage and we got another scoop, thanks to your friend Colonel Lau.”

“He’s not my friend.”

“C’mon. Did ya see the
way he looked at you. He was eating you up with his eyes.”

“Fuck you. We got the
story because we do the best coverage of this issue in the world.”

“I hear ya. But I’m not
blind.”

“You’re insufferable,
but it stinks, doesn’t it?” Sue Ann said a little unconvincingly to Thomas'
ear.

“Who cares.  Get the
story.  What the-”

At that moment, several
Blackhawk military helicopters started circling.

 “Get this, Thomas,”
Sue Ann shouted above the noise.  Loudspeakers from the military helicopters
ordered the journalists’ transportation to leave the area.   Sue Ann and Thomas
remained on the Doha Flour Mills roof.  They lay prone. Thomas panned his
camera across the unfolding scenario.  The six helicopters landed at strategic
points around the passive throng of Chinese tourists and thirty-six Special
Forces officers established a perimeter around the tourists, effectively
blocking the only exit to the city proper from the industrial dockside. 
Snipers took positions on the highest buildings.

“I can’t believe
they’re letting us film this,” said Thomas.

“Save some film and
battery time.  It’s a developing story.  Is your phone working any better than
mine?”

Thomas checked.

“No, mine’s dead too.”

“Damn it.  We need a
live feed, yesterday.”

More and more tourists
got off the ships, forcing the Special Forces to give way a little as the
Chinese nearest them simply walked up to the soldiers in large numbers and the
press of the smiling crowd obliged them to move.

“There’s no luggage. 
They’re just walking slowly towards the city. It’s the same thing again,” said
Sue Ann.

“Eerie, eh?”

“You said it.”

At 10 pm local time,
the Qatari Special Forces widened their perimeter substantially, allowing the
Chinese tourists access to MIA Park, the sea and the Corniche Promenade.  The
Emir’s Palace, the seat of power in Qatar, was just minutes from them.  A text
message on Sue Ann’s Blackberry beeped.  She took her phone out and crossed
herself.

“Thank you God.  It’s
Al Jazeera.  Somehow they got through the electronic block on the phones. 
Thomas, take my phone and get us a live feed to your Internet camera.”

“I’m filming now.”

“Give me the camera and
get us that feed.”

“I’m on it.”

Sue Ann watched as
Qatari regular soldiers, arriving by truckloads, took positions some distance
behind the Special Forces.  “We’re live,” said Thomas. “Shut down that camera
and take this mike.”  He raised his hands and counted off with his fingers. 
“Three, two, one-”

“This is Sue Ann Lee,
live from the dockside in Qatar, where events suggest that a repeat of actions at
Lake Khanka and Samarkand are unfolding in front of us.”

Thomas was filming Sue
Ann and the dock area out to sea.  His face grew ashen.  Sue Ann turned to see
a familiar cloud forming over the Persian Gulf.  It was advancing fast.  As
Thomas filmed, Sue Ann lifted her microphone and spoke: “It’s happening
again.”  She pointed out over the Gulf at the grayish cloud as it changed in
hue.  “It looks like a sandstorm, towering above us as it approaches, but
sandstorms don’t come from the ocean.”

At ten thirty-two pm,
the tourists sat down in unison.  The precise timing of their action was
amazing to behold.  The cloud swelled in the direction the Special Forces
soldiers.  Holding their ground, they scrunched up their shoulders and covered
their faces with sandstorm masks.  These protective cloth visors had been
specially made to allow them to fight even during a storm.  They were putting
their faith in purely mechanical technology, and it was about to prove
inadequate.  The cloud enveloped them.

“I'm not sure what that
noise is,” Sue Ann reported into the microphone as she strained to look through
the darkness covering the Special Forces’ soldiers.  “Wait. It’s the sound of
metal hitting the ground and something else too.  Voices? I’m not sure what
that noise is.  Lord no. It's the sound of voices – of men crying out  in
anguished defeat.”

Just as quickly as it
arrived, the cloud lifted and returned to hover over the Persian Gulf.  Sue Ann
took a deep breath.  Her tone was incredulous.

“They all dropped their
weapons,” she said.  “The Special Forces dropped their weapons.  Wait.  What’re
they doing?  I don’t believe it. They’re forming up lines and leaving the
scene.”  She muted the microphone for a moment.  “Thomas, get a close up.”

Thomas panned the
confused looking soldiers.  Most of them had tears streaming down their cheeks.
All were mumbling uncontrollably.

Sue Ann continued her
broadcast in a hushed tone.

“Look,” she said. “The
tourists are getting up. All the soldiers are making way for them. It’s like
the parting of the Red Sea in biblical times.”

At that moment, the
communications channel closed and the live feed stopped.

****

Eight hours later world news networks would
report the handover of power from the Qatari Royal Family to a recently
promoted Chinese General named Lau, as General Chou wished to remain in the
background.  The accompanying photo shoot displayed the King shaking hands with
the new ruler.  Since all transport into Qatar was temporarily halted, Sue Ann
and Thomas had an exclusive interview with General Lau.  In the interview, the
General lauded Chinese efforts to spread oil resources more evenly over the
world when he announced the legal transfer of Qatari oil and infrastructure to
Chinese interests.  The world looked on aghast.  NATO leaders denounced the
annexation of Qatar by China.  China denied annexing the country and said the
King of Qatar had acted entirely of his own volition, stating, with an
unexplainable smile, that China would be better able to administer Qatari oil
assets in an equitable manner.

Sitting in his hotel
room that night, Thomas thought:
It’s so much responsibility. How can I stop
this madness? I’m only one person. But I have to try. I can’t forget the way
Kefira made me feel. Together we could do something about these marauders. If I
can free her, it’ll mean a new start for us and for the world.

Thomas’ live video of Sue Ann doing the
play-by-play report of the Qatar invasion went viral on YouTube and their
observations were tweeted worldwide, making the rising pair of journalists
household names.  To the surprise of the rest of the world, the situation in
Qatar calmed down as General Lau governed without interfering with customary
practice in the small island nation.  Since it would take some time to redirect
cash flows from oil production to China, life appeared unchanged after the
takeover.

****

Sue Ann and Thomas sat in Sue Ann’s opulent, smart
technology suite at The Torch, in Doha.  They were watching reruns of their
coverage.

“That’s your best work
ever, Sue Ann. The way you break up an icy cold calculated delivery with
controlled emotional outbursts blows me away.”

Sue Ann’s Blackberry
played a distinctive ringtone which disturbed their downtime.

“Damn, it’s my editor. I
have to take it.”

“Right,” Thomas said. “I
guess work never stops.”

Sue Ann shrugged.  She
pressed the answer button.

“Hello Paul," she
said, using his first name.  He did not appear to notice, or if he did, he didn’t
care.

“If you can believe it,
your ‘Berry’ was intercepted by some kind of security system before I could get
through,” said Paul.

“News to me.  What kind
of security was that?”

“Not sure.  I had to
press ‘1’ to speak to you, press ‘2’ for hotel reception, some damned menu.  I
hope you know I’m not footing the bill if you are really staying at The Torch?”

“Relax.  It’s
compliments of the new regime.  I’m told all visiting journalists get the same
treatment.”

“Gimme a break, Sue
Ann.  I know you’re a big star now, but we both know you’re the only journalist
allowed to release the story.  If the story wasn’t so big I’d have to let you
go for conflict of interest.  Did you ever read your contract?  You’re not
allowed to accept-”

“I get it, Paul.  It’s
a bit hard to hear you right now,” replied Sue Ann, using a code phrase they
shared for such circumstances.  She had just confirmed that the new regime was
listening in on all of her communications.  “There, that’s better.  So, I’ve
got good news and bad news.”

“Hit me with the bad
first.”

“I need an evening
dress to attend a formal meeting with the new leader tomorrow.”

“That’s not so bad. 
Dress the part, but don’t go apeshit with the gold lamé and sequins and then
bill me.  Now what’s the good?”

“Another scoop, of
course.”

“Really.”  He sounded
unconvinced.  “What is it this time?”

“Apparently they’re
going to let me interview one of the Special Forces commandos.”

“Sounds like a plant,
but get it anyway.  Gotta go.  Soon.”

The phone disconnected,
but not until there was a succession of chirping noises like a dozen recording
devices all shutting down at the same time.