Flags of Sin (19 page)

“How
much air support?”

“Enough.”
General Liang leaned forward. “You must realize that we cannot hope to defeat
the combined forces of the People’s Liberation Army. We must defeat the forces
in Beijing and the other target areas, replace the government, and then demand
the loyalty of the unit commanders, eliminating those who refuse immediately,
and replacing them with those loyal to us. It must be swift, decisive, and
unwavering. And done within twenty-four hours of the start of our operation, or
all will be lost.”

Bo
nodded, looking at the animated display of the planned Beijing assault on the
large screen to his right. His heart slammed against his ribcage in
anticipation.

It’s
so close.

“The
essential piece is the kidnapping of the American Ambassador. We’ve analyzed
his patterns, and found a weakness that should be easily exploited. Once we
have him, the Americans will demand a response. This will allow me to move my
troops in under the guise of providing that very response, which will allow us
to take key positions within the city before they even know what’s happening.”
The general leaned back in his chair, looking about the room. “If all goes
well, the coup will be complete within hours, and you, sir, will be our supreme
leader, and Emperor of a new China.”

Bo sat
back in his chair, having leaned forward during the description of the plan, it
playing out in his mind like a Hollywood blockbuster.

Emperor
Bo.

It
wouldn’t be his title at first, it would take time for the country to be
prepped for such a change.

But it
was a change he was certain they would embrace.

If they
knew what was good for them.

7
^th
District Police Station, Beijing, China

Today

Inspector Li Meng stood dumbfounded in his boss’ office. It had been
everything he could do to prevent his jaw from dropping, and even now, it still
begged to be open, if only slightly. He couldn’t believe what he had just
heard. It was incredible. It was insane.

It was
so Chinese.

He
stepped over to a chair and dropped in it as his boss, Superintendent Hong,
stood up and closed the office door. Returning to his seat, he lowered his
voice.

“I can’t
believe it myself.”

Inspector
Li, his head buried between his knees, looked up.

“Where
did the order come from?”

Superintendent
Hong waved his hands. “No no no no no!” he hissed. “Don’t ask that. Not this
time.”

“But—”

Hong cut
him off with a curt wave of his hand.

“You
don’t want to know.
I
don’t want to know, but I do, and it terrifies me.
Never before have I seen an order come from so high.”

Li
sucked in a deep breath, then sat up straight.

“When
will the trials take place?”

Hong
looked away.

“It’s my
understanding the trials have
already
taken place.”

Li
bolted from his seat.

“What!
He hasn’t even been in custody for more than a few hours!” Li paced the room,
shaking his head. “And we don’t even have the others
in
custody!”

“They
were all tried in absentia. There was no defense. There will be no appeal.
Justice will be swift and unwavering.”

“But
what were the charges?”

“Conspiring
to overthrow the People’s Government, and espionage.”

Li’s
heart almost stopped. “Espionage?”

Hong
nodded, staring out the window as if ashamed to make eye contact with Li.

“And
you’re certain about the sentence?”

Hong
nodded.

“With
espionage, there can be only one sentence.”

Li knew
he was right. And with the state apparently hell-bent on being seen as taking
action on the shootings and now kidnapping of the American Ambassador, he knew
the sentence would be carried out as equally swift as the trial.

“When?”

“Professor
James Acton will be executed by firing squad tomorrow morning at six a.m.”

Bo Yang’s Mobile Headquarters, Beijing, China

“You were right to have us follow them, sir.”

Bo Yang
nodded as he reviewed the display in front of him.
Of course I was right. I
am to be an emperor.
He looked up at the captain in front of him.

“They
met with an American State Department official, most likely to give him
information on what they had seen, but we ran his face.” The man placed a file
in front of Bo, opened to a summary page with a photo of the official. “He is
not
Mr. Virgil White. He’s a special forces operative.”

Bo’s
eyebrows went up slightly.

If
things go wrong, someone to pin it on.

“I decided
it was best to grab him, just in case. It was an easy takedown. The arrogance
of the police knows no bounds—they had no escort vehicles so it was a low risk
op. I figured foreign money, foreign operatives. We can leak photos and
surveillance video of him, along with his true identity. Blame the Americans
for what’s going on. It could cause confusion while we consolidate power.”

“Agreed,”
said Bo. “And the woman?”

“Facial
recognition has her as Professor Laura Palmer, British subject,” he said as he
placed another folder on the desk.

“A
professor? What the hell does that give us?”

“Nothing.
But a
mega
-millionaire professor? That gives us a valuable hostage, just
in case. She’s worth over one hundred million Euros.
Well
over.”

Bo
pursed his lips. He didn’t like to think of things going wrong, but it was best
to plan for the worst. He pushed the file aside.

“I took
the female cop as well. I figured it might be handy to have one of their own as
a hostage. It might make them more reluctant to shoot.”

“Or more
eager to find us.”

His
subordinate frowned.

“Yes,
perhaps taking her wasn’t wise.”

“It’s
too late now.”

The man
bowed in apology.

Bo
nodded. “Where are they now?”

“I put
them in the sleeping compartment with the Ambassador.”

“Very
well, you’re dismissed.”

“One
other thing, sir.”

Bo
looked up, his attention already back on the monitors showing his forces’
movements.

“Yes?”

“I took
the liberty of having our contacts order the execution of the other passenger.
He’s the one who interfered with our operation earlier today.”

“The
would-be hero?”

“Yes.
He’ll be dead by dawn. Our people have already convicted him and the others of
conspiracy and espionage.”

Bo
chuckled.

“Captain,
you are thorough. I think you will go far in the new China.”

The man bounced
on his heels and thrust his shoulders back, chest out.

“Thank
you, sir!”

Bo
dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Now go, I have work to do.”

The
captain bowed deeply, and began to back out of the room when Bo, constantly
planning for every contingency, stopped him.

“On
second thought, kill the American soldier. I don’t want to risk having him
getting loose in my headquarters.”

The
captain bowed even deeper.

“At
once, sir. I’ll do it myself.”

The door
closed and Bo leaned back in his chair, spinning it to face away from the desk.
He stared at the gold silk that hung proudly on the wall, and debated if the
flag should indeed stand side by side with the red Chinese flag when he made
his announcement to the nation, and the world.

A shout
from down the hall interrupted his reverie.

7
^th
District Police Station, Beijing, China

Inspector Li Meng sat at his desk, staring at the empty chair that
should be occupied by his partner.
I hope you’re okay, Ping.
He was at a
loss as to what to do. Any time now they would be here to pick up his only
witness for execution. He couldn’t interfere with that without risking being
accused of involvement and finding himself in front of the same firing squad.
And of course nobody had seen anything. CCT footage was being reviewed, but not
by him. That was another department. And would he be told if they actually
found anything?

He
doubted it.

He
sighed and picked up the phone to call his wife. Punching the numbers from
memory, he placed the phone to his ear and waited, but didn’t hear anything. He
hung up and waited a moment, then was about to pick up the phone to try again
when he noticed that several others around him were looking at their phones,
some yelling, “Hello, hello!”

Quickly
picking up the phone, he held it to his ear.

No dial
tone.

He stood
up as the entire room went dark.

Shouts
of confusion erupted from all around, and a moment later emergency lighting
kicked in, lending a dull glow to the proceedings, long shadows cast from the
glaring battery powered bulbs on the walls.

“Phones
are down, power’s out!” yelled someone as they rushed by him toward Superintendent
Hong’s office.

Li,
still standing, looked through several sets of windows and saw three soldiers
walking through security, unchallenged, the post seemingly abandoned in the
chaos.

They
must be here for the professor.

Li
watched them calmly walk past police officers running in all directions, then
proceed out of sight, toward the cellblock. Ignoring the confusion around him,
Li strode from the squad room, something not seeming right about the soldiers.

Why
aren’t they wondering what’s going on?

He
hurried through the doors separating the squad room from the admin area, then
through to the hallway that ran the length of the building on the outer wall. Turning
left, he headed toward the cell block and saw the three soldiers at the end of
the hall, one trying the door without success.

When
the power goes out, the doors actually seal.

These
couldn’t be the soldiers here to pick up the prisoner. They would never head to
the cellblock; they would merely wait at the front entrance for an officer to
retrieve the prisoner.

There’s
definitely something wrong.

He
started toward the end of the hall when he saw one of the men kneel down, then
the three turn their heads. A popping sound and a flash of light from their
position made him think of fireworks, but when the door to the cellblock
opened, and the three men disappeared inside, he began to run toward the end of
the hall.

Within
moments he was at the door, weapon drawn, peering into the darkness. A lone
emergency light over his head cast a beam down the corridor, and he could see
the three men at the far end. There was a moan to his right, and he saw the
officer on duty, who should have been behind a desk, actually lying in a heap
on the floor.

He aimed
his weapon down the hall.

“Identify
yourselves!” he yelled as another small explosion flashed at the far end. Two
of the men dropped to their knees, aiming weapons at him as the third
disappeared into the cell.

Li
continued to advance.

“I said,
identify yourselves!”

The
third man appeared, along with a fourth he immediately recognized as the
professor.

Maybe
they
are
here to pick him up?

He
lowered his weapon slightly, then realized how ridiculous the thought was.

He
raised his weapon again.

“Don’t
shoot!” yelled one of them, in English, the voice vaguely familiar.

It
must be the professor.

“He’s
the cop who questioned me earlier. He was attacked in the van, just like I was.”

The two
men on their knees continued to aim their weapons at him, but Li continued to
advance, realizing he was now committed, there was no escape to the sides as
the cell doors were sealed, and there was no escape to the rear, it too far to
go.

Adrenaline
fueled his courage now.

And
curiosity.

Who
are they? And why is the American going with them willingly?

“I’ll
get you to stop where you are, Inspector.”

This was
a different man, one of the three soldiers, and the only one standing.

Li
stopped.

“We’re taking
this man out of here. I suggest you turn around and forget what you saw.”

Suddenly
the lights flickered, then blazed above their heads. Li was momentarily
blinded, and raised his hand to shield his eyes so they could adjust. In
seconds he found himself in the grip of the two soldiers who had been aiming
their weapons at him only moments before.

One
removed Li’s weapon, then covered him as the man’s partner patted him down.

“You
won’t be getting out of here now,” said Li when the man was finished. “This
place will be swarming with my colleagues in seconds.”

“Then
help us,” said the professor, stepping forward. “You know I’m innocent.” He
nodded toward the third soldier, who Li suddenly recognized as the man who had
arrived earlier today from the embassy.

“Mr.
Brown!”

The man
nodded, an eyebrow climbing up his forehead.

“Inspector
Li.”

“What
are you doing here?” asked Li, shocked at the realization that two of the
soldiers were white, the third Asian, but not Chinese.
Korean?

“You
know very well that your government has given orders for Professor Acton to be
executed tomorrow. We can’t let that happen.”

Li’s jaw
dropped.

“How
could you know?”

Mr.
Brown didn’t answer.