Chapter 4

My voice was rather loud. “We’re going where?”

“Just for fuel. Effective January 1^st, they opened their airspace to transients and for refueling. It’s a hell of a lot safer than the checkerboard landing at Kai Tak. You know to land there, you’re in a forty-five degree banked turn at a hundred fifty feet off the ground over the damn city. Meaning you literally have to fly between buildings.”

I lowered my voice. “Actually, Cassandra, I did not. That doesn’t give you squat for room for error, does it?”

She shook her head. “Not in the least. I wasn’t thrilled about it, but we could do it. When we were talking with the ground crew people at Kai Tak about refueling, they asked if we knew about the new airspace rules. Everything’s been confirmed and double checked with both Japanese officials and the American Embassy people here. I filed the flight plan, and it was approved. Keep in mind that with as light of a load as we have, and our extended tanks, we could make it without stopping, but there’d be no margin for error. So, four hours, land at Yinchuan, and we’ll be the first western aircraft to ever land there, an hour on the ground to refuel, and then four hours to New Delhi, over the roof of the world.”

It was nine in the evening, local time, and I was wondering what other changes in the world that I’d missed.

Chuck nodded. “That should be fine, then. I think everyone would like the chance to see Mount Everest from the sky, and with the changes in the policies of the Chinese government, we may as well be first. Politely, I’ve flown into Kai Tak before, and the pucker factor was more there than flying into Saigon.”

Gage asked, “Do you think they’ll have any problem with us being armed?”

Greg shook his head. “I’ve flown into China before on diplomatic missions. They’re so polite and correct when dealing with foreigners it’s almost not funny. As long as you’re not smuggling, of course.”

“Cassandra, I’m just the owner of the airplane. You’re the pilot-in-command. If you’re okay with it, then we’ll do it,” I said.

“Sounds good. We can’t leave here for four more hours, due to the protesters at Narita having screwed up the airlines schedules, and a bunch of their flights having to divert here. That actually works better for everyone to see the Himalayan mountains, anyway,” Cassandra said. “We’re on a ground-power unit that’s been provided for us for free by the airport due to the inconvenience, and the fueling and all of our pre-flight inspections are done, so if you all want to go ahead and get comfortable in the back, we’ve got things under control here. There’ll be a little bumping when we do get clearance, and the noise, of course, but other than that, we’ve got this for the next thirteen or so hours.”

“Movie time, then,” Margie said. “Wally, can the ground unit handle both TV’s being on at the same time?”

He chuckled. “Without an issue. It’s designed to provide power for something a lot larger than us, and with so few people on here, not an issue. I’ll fire up the APU about half an hour before takeoff, so it’ll be ready. You’ll see the power blink when I switch from ground, but I’ve also put surge protection on the gear since it’s always possible for us to get hit by lightning while we’re flying.”

Carrie’s eyes got wide. “It is? What happens then?”

“Nothing. We’re not grounded, so even if we get hit, it’ll just dance along her skin and keep on going. As a rule of thumb, every big plane gets hit about once a year.”

My ladies went back to the bedroom, taking Carrie with them. Angela and her girls turned on the front television, with Gage and Wally joining them. Chuck motioned with his eyes for me to join him in the work area.

“We’re still on the ground in Tokyo, and I’m not drugged, damn her, so I’m awake now. I’d like a bit more of an explanation.”

“Not to sound like I’m being difficult here, but of what, specifically? Do, I personally, need someone to take a bullet for me? Not only no, but hell, no. Do I need someone to protect the mothers of my children, protect the people I love? Most definitely. Chuck, I’m sixteen years old. I’m making this shit up as I go. My dad didn’t even know for sure that I was going to live, because the capsule was experimental. I’ll show you what’s left of it when we get back to Kansas. Which isn’t much.”

“I just have issues believing that you’re really this young, with everything else you’ve been doing and have going on,” he complained.

“Different lengths of planetary rotations. Keep in mind that when I landed, about the only thing I knew was that the color spectrum here was totally messed up, and because we’d been listening to your radio programs for years, we knew your language. I didn’t know I would have all these powers, and when I found out about them, I was trying to impress Beth because I’d never had a girlfriend before.”

I spent the next two hours confiding in him. I told him what I’d told Mike, but also the stuff I hadn’t told Mike. My fears, self-doubts, concerns for the girls and, finally, my biggest worry, that the mysterious council was still out there, since it was obvious that Hannah’s father had only been the financier, and wasn’t the brains behind it.

He frowned at that. “Shit. I didn’t even think of that. You know that Tamotsu-san and Prince Nayef are part of the council. So are the Rockefeller brothers. But who else? And what’s their status regarding you? You being Cal, not you being ... you know.”

“Thank you. Tess wanted me to be their puppet, running the world government. She had no idea that taking over the world actually is part of my plan. I certainly didn’t have that in mind when I first went to Lebanon and then Iran, but ... like Wendy said, I don’t have time to change the world the easy way. Those assholes with their manipulations behind the scenes have brought this planet to the brink of destruction a couple of times already. I’m sure not going to wait and let them succeed.”

I shook my head. “As far as what’s going to happen with this mysterious council? It sounds like they’re fractured now. But I just don’t know. I hesitate to ask Nayef, but considering things in England will probably be slightly ... testy ... when we stop there to get Hannah’s things, it’d probably be best if I did.”

He chuckled. “Good. I’d hate for things to be boring.” He sat back in his chair for a few seconds, then nodded. “Good enough. I just had to get my head wrapped around a couple of things is all. Good night, little brother.”

I stood up when he did, and he gave me a hug, then went up to the front of the plane. I shook my head, then opened the door to our sleeping compartment.

“About time you showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you and Chuck were going to talk the entire time we were on the ground.”

“He had a lot to figure out, Margie. I think he’s okay now,” I replied.

“Of course he is,” Hannah stated. “He’s a professional. You’re still his protectee, even if you don’t need it most of the time. The first movie just finished rewinding, if you want to switch it with the second one.”

I pulled the tape out. “Not what I was expecting.”

“I haven’t seen any of them,” Carrie said. “Even if they’re not supposed to, they let us onto the Navy base to shop and use their facilities, since we supply them with fresh fish. But their theater only gets one movie a month, typically a long time after it’s showed on the mainland. I missed it when the first one came out.”

Helen nodded. “I saw the first one and thought it was silly, all things considered. But with your abilities now, well, that’s given me a whole new look on things.”

“Well, then scoot over, and pass the popcorn,” I said. I put the second tape in and pushed play. I took over a spot on the bed, with Helen under one arm, Margie under the other, and Hannah laying across our legs, with Carrie on the other side of Helen from me. I motioned with a couple of fingers, flipping off the lights, so it was easier to watch as the theme from John Williams began playing with the opening crawl on the screen.

“Did you just do that from here?” Carrie asked.

“Yep. Saves on getting up when I have beautiful women draped over me. And no, I’m not going to do a lot of experimenting when we’re riding in the back of a very expensive airplane full of electronics.”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to ask anything like that. I just thought it was cool that I’m not the only one that can do that.”

Helen said, “Let’s just watch the movie and make it through the trip until we get back to Kansas before we do any playing with those abilities, shall we?”

“Yes, Dear,” I said, using my abilities to lightly touch her breasts through her clothing.

She leaned over, whispering into my ear. “Not with Carrie in the room.”

I stopped and behaved through the rest of the movie.

“Could you choke someone to death like that, Cal?” Carrie asked.

“Probably, but what’s the point? If I needed to make someone die and look like an accident, I could just stop their heart. If I don’t need it to look accidental, then I simply kill them.”

Later in the movie, before Carrie could ask, I opened the door to the small refrigerator we had, brought out some cans of soda for everyone, then closed it. “Yes, pulling a gun out of someone’s hand is a piece of cake, now. I don’t know about something as big as a small jet, but I could just pick that up normally.”

The intercom came on just as the credits started rolling. “We’ll be starting the engines in about five minutes, so turn the movies off until we get those going. And we should be taking off about fifteen minutes after that, so you all know the drill.”

The ladies got up, turned things off, then put robes on over their nightgowns. They just moved to the work area, for the seat belts there. Carrie joined them, while I walked up to the cockpit.

“All secure in the rear of the plane, so we’re ready.”

“Thank you, Cal. We’re starting things up now. Just as a heads up, you’ll think you were in Kansas when we land in Yinchuan. It’s a whopping 28 degrees with snow. We plan on keeping our APU running while they refuel us,” Greg said.

I was rather amazed to see that Cassandra was sleeping peacefully in the crew rest area. She had a belt lightly in place over her waist, but even when the ground tug pushed us back a bit and there was a little jar, she didn’t stir. I shook my head, a slight grin on my face, then went back through the compartment. Wally and Marshal Gage were waiting for us to take off so they could start another movie, but the other four had their seats reclined with blankets and earmuffs on.

“I don’t have any idea how Miss Marcia got a copy of Beverly Hills Cop, since it’s still in the theaters, but we’re halfway through it. It’s hilarious, if you want to join us,” Wally said.

“I’ve got two girls in the back who’ve never seen the third Star Wars, so we’re going to watch that next. Looks like they gave up on you.”

Gage said, “They gave me this shift, so I don’t get to nap until we’re on the ground in China. But I also had to get them to promise to wake me up before we get to Nepal, so I can see the Himalayas from the air.”

“Sounds reasonable. I understand they’re something to see from up high. I better grab a seat and get buckled in, I’ll see you guys later.”

I went back to the work area and joined the ladies.

“Just curious. Wally mentioned that Marcia had a tape of a movie that’s still in the theaters. Obviously, she’s got connections, but why’d she give it to us?”

Margie explained, “You wouldn’t have noticed, but one of the things that she’s been getting in the mail ever since she moved to Kansas, are copies of the latest movies. Our Marcia is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She has more connections in Hollywood than Ma Bell.”

She paused, expecting me to be confused.

“I get it, the telephone company. I read about their breakup.”

She shook her head a little, a smile on her face. “You’re learning. Anyway, her father had apparently done something that advanced the field of pyrotechnics in motion picture production, to help make things safer for the actors and the film crews themselves. You set off explosive devices, and there’s always a risk of injury. I don’t know the specifics of what he did, but there was a movie that he and Marcia worked on that used his new system, and it’s pretty much been adopted industry wide now. There was a ‘behind the scenes’ film clip that showed Marcia at the age of 12 setting up, and then firing off, a whole series of charges and compressed air explosions, while basically standing right in the middle of them. It was in a John Wayne movie, so the Academy didn’t want to take notice, but you may have noticed from some names, there is a bit of a Jewish contingent in Hollywood.”

“I’ve gathered that, yes,” I replied.

“Well, they decided to push for something, so they gave Howard an Honorary Academy Award in 1976 for advances in safe special effects, and got Marcia her own juvenile Honorary Academy Award for her assistance to her father. Which means she’s a full member, and gets to vote for the Oscars every year. The studios send out advance copies of movies to voting members, so they can decide which ones to vote for. And lots of swag, of course, too. So, we get lots of movies, and now that she has the money, one of the things she’s going to start once we’re safely ensconced at Stanford is getting the movie made from that book Helen recommended.”

I noticed that Carrie was yawning a lot, even though we were now speeding down the runway. “I suggest that, instead of watching the third movie, the four of you sack out. It’s going to be cold in China, and we’re not going to be on the ground very long, so you may not want to bother getting up until we’re closer to the Himalayas.”

“That’ll be nice to see them with my own eyes,” Margie said.

Hannah nodded. “I’ve seen them a couple of times, but never at sunrise. We got some new cameras in Japan that aren’t even for sale in the rest of the world yet, so I’m hoping we can get some good pictures. They’re a new, Minolta automatic SLR.”

“Can’t hurt to try. That sounds like a good idea, Cal. Come on, ladies, we’re in the air now, let’s get some sleep,” Helen agreed.

There wasn’t enough room for all five of us in the bed for sleeping, so I went back up front to one of the reclining seats and stretched out. I went into my review mode, to continue integrating things I’d read with what I knew. I noticed when Wally turned off the TV. I also noticed when the pilots, about half an hour later, wagged the wings on the plane. It didn’t seem to be an issue, so I ignored it.

After not quite four hours, we started descending for the runway, and that brought me to full awareness. Amusingly enough, I was the only one awake in the back of the plane. I got up and looked outside the window. There was a fighter jet tracking with us. That was enough for me to walk up to the cockpit.

“Anything fun, wonderful, and exciting I need to know about?” I asked.

Cassandra was in the left seat. “Not really. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force has been playing nice. We picked up a fighter escort about an hour after we crossed their border, and they asked permission to use us as a training exercise. Since they could do that whether we gave them permission or not, it was easy to do so. Their fighters don’t have the range we do, so this is the fourth escort we’ve had.”

“Is that normal?”

“Cal, there is no such thing as normal any longer. Not with the level of cooperation the US has been seeing with the Soviet Union, and now with China. That they’ve opened their airspace like this is incredible, from our perspective. Keep in mind we trained our whole military careers to fight these people. Now they’re our allies? Hell of a mindset change, for all of us,” she said.

I heard something come in over the radio. I perked my ears up. “That doesn’t sound right. Confirm if he’s using meters or feet.”

“Teach your grandmother how to suck eggs, Cal. We already know they do things in metric here. You’ll note that my illustrious co-pilot has the whiz-wheel already working for the conversions,” Cassandra chided me.

“Oh. Sorry. I’ve just made a couple of errors because of conversion systems.”

“You’re forgiven, and not just because you’re paying the bills.”

She picked up a microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, and Wally, we’re going to be landing at Yinchuan, China, in approximately 5 minutes. Please make sure you have your seat belts on. It is snowing lightly, so visibility shouldn’t be too bad. The city of Yinchuan will be on our right, and if you look to our left, you’ll see our friendly escort plane for another minute or so. He will not be landing with us. Thank you for flying with Salthawk Air, and stay seated until we’re at least done with our landing roll. It’s a positively balmy 28 degrees outside, so we may have a couple of slick spots on the runway with the snow.”

She turned her head. “If you want to take the jump seat, you can. Just no kibitzing from the back row.”

“Yes, Ma’am. You’re pilot-in-command,” I said.

“Damned right I am.”

I quietly watched as she lined us up. There was a slight crosswind, so she purposely put the plane slightly sideways in the air to compensate. “Just for your information, this is called crabbing. We’ll do a half de-crab at touchdown, because I don’t know how slick the runway is. Probably fairly slick is my guess, but that won’t be an issue for us.”

The landing gear touched down, with the nose immediately following right down the middle of the runway. They handled the controls with the ease of experience, so there was nearly no bump to notice when we landed. The only issue was that the roll-out to stop did take a little longer than anticipated, because the runway did have a couple of small stretches where the snow had melted to ice.

“Copy that, ground control. A7 to the taxiway, then D3 to the terminal. Clear.”

Cassandra turned to me. “You might want to let everyone know we’re getting a terminal jet bridge, so everyone can stretch their legs, like in Seattle. We’re the first American plane to ever land here, so they want to make us welcome.”

I nodded and unbuckled. I went to the back, where security was sitting up. “We’re getting to see more of China than anticipated, we get a jet bridge to the terminal. I’ll tell the ladies to put something on more than nightgowns,” I said.

“We’ll be ready, one way or the other, Cal,” Chuck said.

I didn’t think anything about it, until I saw them reaching for their cases.

The girls were all in the work area again.

“Slip something on. Apparently, we get to see inside the terminal. Maybe do a little shopping, duty free.”

That got them moving, although they were all a little sluggish with only a couple of hours of sleep. I slid the door closed to the front of the plane, so they’d have a bit more room to change clothes.

Wally had splashed a little water on his face to wake up, and was looking outside one of the windows. “Good. Always nice to see something working like it should.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Look out there. Our wings are obviously wet, but there’s no frost or ice forming. I had faith in you, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in real life. You can tell it’s slippery out there, from the way they’re going slow. That’s probably why we’re pulling in, because it’s going to take a little bit longer than normal to refuel.”

“Hopefully. You’re supervising things, right?”

“Of course, boss. Why?”

“I’m a bit paranoid. Make sure that they top off the tanks and don’t put two thousand liters in, instead of two thousand gallons.”

Wally laughed. “You forget, Cassandra is pilot-in-command. She won’t allow them to make that mistake, either by accident or on purpose. Even if she has to go out and have them pull the dripsticks to prove it.”

Chuck pulled me over to the side. “Calm down, Cal. You’re an American billionaire, they’re going to treat you like royalty here. They want to use your designs, and to be on the best of terms with you.”

I blinked a couple of times, then sheepishly nodded.

“One thing you seem to have done a decent job of so far is compartmentalizing things.” He glanced to the back of the plane. “I know why you’re concerned. I wouldn’t be, not at this point.”

The plane stopped and a jet bridge came out, hooking up to us. Wally opened the door of the plane. There were two men inside the jet bridge, one with coveralls and earmuffs on, the other in an ornate Chinese Army uniform.

In quite good English, the man in uniform said, “Welcome to the People’s Republic of China. I am Lieutenant Colonel Jin Shuren, Assistant Military Commander for the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, stationed here in Yinchuan. Do I have the pleasure of addressing Mister California Lewis?”

I glanced at Chuck, who nodded. Raising my hand, I said, “That’s me, Colonel.”

“Ah, very good. While your aircraft is being refueled, I offer you the opportunity to utilize the facilities in our airport. You will be considered in transit and not subject to passport controls, as this is an international airport.”

“Thank you for the courtesy, Colonel. I realize that it is very early in the morning, but if there are any shops or restaurants open, I’m certain we’d like to see them,” I said.

“Of course. If you’d like to follow me?” When I didn’t move, he said, “My apologies. I forgot to mention that, as you are considered diplomatic guests of our country, your personal security officers are allowed to remain armed.”

I started forward, then. The ladies had come from the back, wearing comfortable, but warm, clothes. There was a cold breeze working its way around the seal of the jet bridge, but it was just right there, and not an issue, otherwise.

While we were walking down the jet bridge, I said, “Colonel, I have to say, I’m rather impressed at our reception, considering the hour.”

He chuckled. “This is a momentous occasion for us. Yours is the first of what we hope to be many western aircraft, using our facilities for refueling. We have international flights to Mongolia and Thailand from here now, but adding Japan and India would increase our usefulness.”

Stepping off the jet bridge into the terminal was almost like any other airport. There was a boarding lounge with a ticket desk. The woman behind that desk was also wearing a military uniform. She smiled at us as we walked off. I used my abilities to look through the walls, halfway expecting to see a large contingent of soldiers hiding in other rooms. There weren’t any.

There were several people working, cleaning the floors. There were restrooms with the international symbols for men and women at the entrance, which we bypassed for now. There were two shops and one restaurant that were open.

“Would you care for a late night snack, then a little shopping? It will take approximately an hour for your plane to be refueled.”

“Of course. I leave it to you to order for us. However, three of my ladies are expecting and may not be able to handle certain spices.”

He laughed. “I understand completely. I, personally, have perhaps a softer palate than many of the locals, myself. Please, be seated,” he said, waving at the tables and chairs. A waitress brought out pots of tea, while he went to the counter.

In rapid Chinese, he ordered four servings of congee and xiǎobāo with bean paste filling, four orders of gong bao ji ding, and an order of char siu and mild mápó dòufu.

In Chinese, I said, “Please, make the mápó tofu traditional. I prefer the spices, myself.”

Colonel Shuren blinked, then started laughing. He waved at the cook to do what I’d said. “I did not expect you to speak our language like you were born here.”

“I’m already doing business with Germany, the Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Mexico. I am on my way to do business with India. I would like to be able to do business with China. I was taught that many misunderstandings can be avoided if translators are not needed.”

He nodded. “‘To know your enemy is to become your enemy.’”

I replied, “‘The greatest victory is that which requires no battle’, for after all, ‘It is easy to love your friend, but sometimes the hardest lesson to learn is to love your enemy.’ After all, ‘opportunities multiply as they are seized.’”

He grunted. In English, he said, “I was warned about getting into wordplay with you. I see that I should have heeded that warning.”

“Really? Why is that?”

“I could not imagine why our new Minister for Western Trade called me eight hours ago, when your pilot requested permission to come here to refuel, and had me fly here so that I could personally meet and talk with you. Now, I understand. ‘Die Luft der Freiheit weht’.”

“Yes, it does. In many ways. When did you attend Stanford?”

“Class of 1970, Master’s degree in Physics. We have ... well, you no longer have a CIA, but with the KGB now working with your President ... a research facility in this region. Normally, I am there, working as a scientist. It is convenient for me to also be in the People’s Liberation Army, so that I can function as a military attaché during diplomatic meetings abroad. It was quite useful during your Three-Mile Island incident, which is why I am, quite frankly, two ranks higher than I expected to be at my age.”

I smiled. “That does not explain ... ah, here’s our food. Chuck, the kung pao chicken is for the four of you. It may be a little spicier than you’re used to from home. Ladies, the rice porridge will digest easily, and the little buns with bean paste should be dipped in one of those sauces. And traditionally prepared mápó tofu with fork roasted pork for me.”

Margie was sitting to my immediate left. She got up and moved to the other end. “I still remember when you ate all those peppers. I can tell from the smell that I don’t want anywhere near that.”

“If you’ll forgive me for being rude by talking while eating, Colonel, your explanation still does not explain why you personally are here to talk to me.”

He grinned. “No, of course not. We have been taught a lesson, one that could have been much worse than it was. The government in Beijing is ... no longer composed of the old guard. The Glorious Revolution of 1949 is no longer seen in the same light that it was before a small portion of our country was laid to waste. Please, don’t misunderstand me, because having spent ten years in California, I understand your American views on life. But ... there are two quotes that come to mind, regarding what happened to us.

“The first is attributed to Stalin. He supposedly said, ‘If one man dies of hunger, it is a tragedy. If millions die, that’s only statistics’. The second is one I learned from a young woman in California, who was quite enamored with my being a Chinese Communist. ‘The foulest stain and scandal of our nature became its boast – one murder made a villain, millions a hero. Princes were privileged to kill, and numbers sanctified the crime.’ We have done whatever we wanted to do, because we are the Central Kingdom. Ours is the oldest civilization. It was all hubris.

“The population of our nation reached one billion people five years ago. It increases by nearly twenty million every year, simply because we have that many more people born than die. We need more resources, and at the same time, we need to stabilize our population at a number that we can support. This airport is one of the newest and most modern in the nation. Yinchuan is mostly empty now, but it is under construction so that it can hold nearly ten million people, just within the city itself. Yet travel fifty miles from here, and you will find people living in stone huts, still plowing their fields with oxen pulling the plows. They’re not doing it because of their religion, like your Amish, they’re doing it because that’s all we can give them! And Beijing didn’t care, because they’re simply peasants to them.”

I’d been eating while he was speaking. “It sounds like you care,” I quietly said.

“That’s the other reason I am stationed out here. Too smart to purge, but too radical to totally trust. Now ... I almost wish I’d been in the chambers, when the old fools were turned to ash, for their arrogance. I did see the news report from the BBC, later. He’s right, the Messenger from Above. We are responsible for our own government, and for its actions. These past two months have been an awakening for us. I’m sure you’re aware that we are supporting the actions of your government and the Soviet Union in destroying the drugs in Mexico and then into South America. We were arrogant, and we paid the price.”

“So, you would not be sitting here, presumably with a political monitor nearby, if you didn’t want something from me. I’ll freely admit, since it’s rather obvious, that I’m not your typical, ordinary, American teenager.”

That made him laugh. “The political commissioners are no more. Some of them are now in prisons, for committing acts of corruption. Many of them joined their former masters in the afterlife. No, we are now having another revolution, only this time we’re trying not to kill as many people as we have in the past. Ideally, none, of course, but so far that’s not realistic.”