Mankind will be forever doomed to destruction, if we continue to ask for the truth but then... refuse to listen. - Unknown
From Author: 05122010, It's finished and been on the list of stories for a year. Enjoy and comment.
Shattered Citadel: The Warning
Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, Earth [Sol], 08082055
“Missiles inbound. Warning. Missiles inbound!” His F-24 dove straight down towards the South China Sea. He pulled up fifty feet from the water and released a volley of flares into the night sky. Those flares left a trail of white smoke as they drifted slowly down into the water. Two of the flares exploded into a fireball when two enemy missiles went for them instead of his aircraft. He began to rapidly ascend again. His computer screeched as more enemy aircraft entered his airspace. Taking a quick glance of the screen he could see that the enemy had them outnumbered ten to one in everything from ships to aircraft. The F-24 pilot locked on a target five miles away and launched a fire and forget missile at it.
His flight leader yelled over the radio, “The USS Ronald Reagan is sinking. All available birds cover the evac to Taiwan.”
He put his F-24 in a sharp dive and headed towards the stricken super carrier. He flew low over the waves and strafed any enemy transport he came across. His dual .50 cal cannons tore through the transports flimsy bulkheads, but for every transport he sank another fifty were behind it. The entire strait was full of enemy ships, it was impossible for him to miss hitting the enemy. As he approached the sinking carrier he swung into a wide circle around the ship. The USS Ronald Reagan was engulfed in flames and leaned slightly to its starboard side, its escort ships were sailing as close as possible to the ailing flagship of the American Pacific fleet. These escort ships were plucking sailors and marines from the burning water as Chinese artillery and missile barrages rained down on them. Enemy aircraft streaked into range and he banked hard to engage them, as soon as his computer locked onto a target he released his missiles towards it. He did this until he was completely out of anti-air missiles.
His fellow airmen were fighting a losing battle against the swarm of enemy fighters, although the U.S. Fighter was more advanced then anything the Chinese or CFR had in the air, ammunition for the Americans was scarce. Budget cuts had reduced the fighting capabilities of every branch of the U.S. military and a war between China and the United States was supposed to be impossible. What was originally a simple show of force for the United States in defense of Taiwan had turned into a full scale war. No one on the U.S. side was prepared, and it showed in the form of sinking ships and floating bodies. “Break, BREAK!” His flight leader ordered them all to retreat and he immediately broke from the battle and flew east. It was everyman for himself at this point. The entire U.S. Pacific fleet was either sinking or heading to Taiwan for a last stand. The U.S. Fleet was completely surrounded by the joint Chinese and Russian fleet which had boxed them into a small kill zone and decimated the Americans with a constant barrage of shells and anti-ship missiles.
He was heading south, if he made it to Singapore he would be OK, he would be able to save himself and his aircraft to fight another day. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. He already had six Chinese fighters on his tail. The only thing keeping him alive was the sheer distance between his fighter and the Chinese fighters. He was just beyond their range. The U.S. fighter had a slight edge in speed so he felt confident that they would eventually get frustrated and turn back.
Twenty minutes into the flight and the Chinese had not dropped their pursuit, he looked out and down from his cockpit and spotted the jagged coasts of Southeast Asia. His computer wailed as more enemy aircraft scrambled to intercept him from the ground. Weaponless, he could not defend himself and he was trapped. Inside his head he reviewed the ejection procedures for his aircraft and leveled his fighter to the recommended ejection altitude. As the first enemy missile locked onto his aircraft he nervously pulled the eject lever. He shot out of his cockpit with such violent force that he felt like his body was slammed into a cold brick wall. Outside in the freezing air he felt himself floating upwards in slow motion and watched in detached amusement as his aircraft was torn apart by the missile. He suddenly snapped and cried to himself. Both for his dead baby who took care of him for seven years and his very close call with death. He started to rapidly descend towards the ground and jerked up as the his parachute automatically deployed. He drifted down towards the jungles of Southeast Asia and became entangled in the canopy. Dangling from his seat he released his buckles and fell fifteen feet to the jungle floor.
From Author: 05122010, It's finished and been on the list of stories for a year. Enjoy and comment.
Shattered Citadel: The Warning
Taiwan Strait, Taiwan, Earth [Sol], 08082055
“Missiles inbound. Warning. Missiles inbound!” His F-24 dove straight down towards the South China Sea. He pulled up fifty feet from the water and released a volley of flares into the night sky. Those flares left a trail of white smoke as they drifted slowly down into the water. Two of the flares exploded into a fireball when two enemy missiles went for them instead of his aircraft. He began to rapidly ascend again. His computer screeched as more enemy aircraft entered his airspace. Taking a quick glance of the screen he could see that the enemy had them outnumbered ten to one in everything from ships to aircraft. The F-24 pilot locked on a target five miles away and launched a fire and forget missile at it.
His flight leader yelled over the radio, “The USS Ronald Reagan is sinking. All available birds cover the evac to Taiwan.”
He put his F-24 in a sharp dive and headed towards the stricken super carrier. He flew low over the waves and strafed any enemy transport he came across. His dual .50 cal cannons tore through the transports flimsy bulkheads, but for every transport he sank another fifty were behind it. The entire strait was full of enemy ships, it was impossible for him to miss hitting the enemy. As he approached the sinking carrier he swung into a wide circle around the ship. The USS Ronald Reagan was engulfed in flames and leaned slightly to its starboard side, its escort ships were sailing as close as possible to the ailing flagship of the American Pacific fleet. These escort ships were plucking sailors and marines from the burning water as Chinese artillery and missile barrages rained down on them. Enemy aircraft streaked into range and he banked hard to engage them, as soon as his computer locked onto a target he released his missiles towards it. He did this until he was completely out of anti-air missiles.
His fellow airmen were fighting a losing battle against the swarm of enemy fighters, although the U.S. Fighter was more advanced then anything the Chinese or CFR had in the air, ammunition for the Americans was scarce. Budget cuts had reduced the fighting capabilities of every branch of the U.S. military and a war between China and the United States was supposed to be impossible. What was originally a simple show of force for the United States in defense of Taiwan had turned into a full scale war. No one on the U.S. side was prepared, and it showed in the form of sinking ships and floating bodies. “Break, BREAK!” His flight leader ordered them all to retreat and he immediately broke from the battle and flew east. It was everyman for himself at this point. The entire U.S. Pacific fleet was either sinking or heading to Taiwan for a last stand. The U.S. Fleet was completely surrounded by the joint Chinese and Russian fleet which had boxed them into a small kill zone and decimated the Americans with a constant barrage of shells and anti-ship missiles.
He was heading south, if he made it to Singapore he would be OK, he would be able to save himself and his aircraft to fight another day. Of course, it wouldn't be easy. He already had six Chinese fighters on his tail. The only thing keeping him alive was the sheer distance between his fighter and the Chinese fighters. He was just beyond their range. The U.S. fighter had a slight edge in speed so he felt confident that they would eventually get frustrated and turn back.
Twenty minutes into the flight and the Chinese had not dropped their pursuit, he looked out and down from his cockpit and spotted the jagged coasts of Southeast Asia. His computer wailed as more enemy aircraft scrambled to intercept him from the ground. Weaponless, he could not defend himself and he was trapped. Inside his head he reviewed the ejection procedures for his aircraft and leveled his fighter to the recommended ejection altitude. As the first enemy missile locked onto his aircraft he nervously pulled the eject lever. He shot out of his cockpit with such violent force that he felt like his body was slammed into a cold brick wall. Outside in the freezing air he felt himself floating upwards in slow motion and watched in detached amusement as his aircraft was torn apart by the missile. He suddenly snapped and cried to himself. Both for his dead baby who took care of him for seven years and his very close call with death. He started to rapidly descend towards the ground and jerked up as the his parachute automatically deployed. He drifted down towards the jungles of Southeast Asia and became entangled in the canopy. Dangling from his seat he released his buckles and fell fifteen feet to the jungle floor.
People Liberation Army Navy Super Carrier
Type 0808 "The Hammer of the People"
Type 0808 "The Hammer of the People"
SC: The Warning
Wed, 1st December, 2010
An American fighter pilot is shot down over Vietnam where he uncovers a grave warning.
Feel free to leave a comment. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Feel free to leave a comment. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
“GODDAMMIT!” He painfully pulled broken twigs from his legs, he stemmed the bleeding with bandages from his first aid kit and limped away in the direction of the city he saw from above. Judging from his last known position on the map he surmised that he was somewhere in central Vietnam. The Chinese had invaded Vietnam in concert with its amphibious invasion of Taiwan, the only two American allies in Southeast Asia. As far as he knew, Vietnam was still resisting and he was safe. He took three steps forward into the thick underbrush and felt the hot muzzle of a rifle press against the back of his head. He froze and lifted his arms to surrender. A voice screamed at him from behind in a language he had never heard before, he stuttered and received a sharp blow to the back of his head.
He awoke on his back and opened his eyes. He was greeted by eight smiling faces. One of them pointed at his American flag patch and gave him a thumbs up. That same man helped him up to his feet and lifted his finger to his mouth in the international “shush” gesture. “Vietnamese?” He asked still groggy from the blow to the back of his head. The leader of the group a small brown Asian man nodded and they all gave him the “shush” sign. They beckoned him to follow them and he did. He followed them through the thick jungles, shallow creeks, and five foot tall elephant grass. His legs throbbed in pain with every step that he took, his Vietnamese hosts slowed their pace to allow him to keep up, but they never stopped. Not for a minute. Finally they stopped at the foot of a cave and his Vietnamese protectors pointed towards him and then to the cave. He nodded and waved goodbye. They smiled and waved back. He turned and entered the cave. As soon as he entered flood lights filled the cave with a bright light that temporarily blinded him. He lifted his arm to shield his eyes and made out the figure of a man approaching him from deeper inside the cave.
“Welcome G.I.” The mystery man greeted him.
“Who are you?”
“Not important. Here come.” The man turned and ran back into the cave. The American tried desperately to keep up with the man. No matter how fast he moved, he could not keep up or even catch a clear glimpse of the man. “Almost there G.I.”
“Christ! Slow the fuck down, I have a busted leg!” He collapsed under the weight of his own tired body. He tried to crawl forward, but his body began to shut down. His muscles refused to budge and he let out an anguished cry, “Don't leave me here goddammit!” In the darkness beyond he heard several voices talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers. His eyelids felt heavy and he felt himself slipping into a deep sleep.
The American awoke suddenly to the harsh smell of smelling salts, he looked around the room and was greeted by several smiling faces. “You are one lucky sonofabitch. You do know that right? One of our patrols found you in the middle of the abandoned tunnel system left here from the Second War of Independence. What were you doing down there?”
“What?” The American replied to the Vietnamese officer while still dazed from the smelling salt.
“What were you doing in the tunnels?”
“I don't know, following a man.”
“Was he one of mine?” The Vietnamese General said as he pointed to the flag of Vietnam patched to his uniform's arm.
“I think so. Never got a good look at the guy.”
“Sir, that's impossible. We have no other patrols in the...” The other much lower ranking officer cut himself off as his superior lifted his eyebrow and shot him a quick glare.
“Well Captain Golden, were glad we found you. We need your help. We happened upon some Intel your government may find very interesting. Agent 88 please come here.”
A beautiful Asian woman who had been hidden by the crowd of Vietnamese officers stepped forward from the group and stared blankly at the American. She immediately stood out in her red formfitting dress and long jet black hair. She wore make up that brightened up her youthful face. The Captain could not help but stare at her large breasts and wonder if they were fake. He pushed that thought from his mind and looked directly into her Vietnamese eyes.
“Vietnam has been spying on China since their last war of aggression against us in 1978. Since then we've learned much about their plans and intentions. In the last few years they've gotten sloppy, although they have gone to great pains to keep their true plans secret. We've been able to put the pieces together of all the bits of Intel we've accumulated and it is deeply disturbing. We didn't believe it when we first put it together, but I've recently extracted information from a PLA general that confirms our worst fears.” The beautiful Vietnamese spy handed the American a black folder with the words “Operation One Kingdom Under One Heaven” etched on the front in big bold white letters.
AGENT 88 - File Photo
Captain Golden opened the black folder and began skimming through its contents. As he read through it, he became more and more uncomfortable and began to nervously shift in his seat. He closed the folder and said nothing for a full minute as if his brain was having difficulty understanding what it just saw. “That's insane,” he finally said.
“We thought the same thing at first, but the evidence does not lie.” The Vietnamese General said as he collected the black folder from the table.
“How would a PLA General even discuss such sensitive information with a woman?” Captain Golden said in disbelief.
“It's amazing how much a man talks after a night of sex and drinking.” Agent 88 adjusted the straps on her red dress and it appeared as if her breasts grew by another cup size.
“The Chinese are proud, the Chinese are stubborn, and the Chinese are boastful and it has always been their undoing.” The Vietnamese General said with a devilish grin on his face.
“The missing Western scientists...” Captain Golden was interrupted by Agent 88.
“Those that weren't killed are being forced to work for the Chinese. The kidnapped scientists are developing weapons of unspeakable power that we still know little to nothing about.”
“Like Project Red Eye?” Golden asked.
“We believe it is some sort of super soldier project.” The beautiful agent replied.
“Project Water Dragon?”
“Troop transports capable of stealthily crossing an ocean in hours with a whole division worth of men and equipment. Already 24 are confirmed built with another 76 in production. They will be used in the invasion of Hawaii and then America itself.”
“What about Project HAVA? I saw nothing in the folder about it except its name.” The American said looking for an answer.
“We know nothing about Project HAVA except that it will be China's ultimate weapon. No one in the PLA knows anything about it and those that do are afraid to even speak of it.” Agent 88 said staring off into the distance with a blank look on her face.
“This is too much. A full nuclear attack followed by an invasion of America itself. China has come a long way, but it does not have that kind of capability. Its madness. Only a nation hell bent on its own self destruction would go toe to toe with America like that... even with our weakened military.” Captain Golden said trying hard to maintain his cool.
“The Chinese have been planning this for decades. You just skimmed through the folder. They have thought of everything. They have safeguards. Your nuclear shield won't count for shit, there are even elements within your country that are working against it. America's days are numbered.” The Vietnamese General said.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“You must go back to your people and warn them.” Agent 88 said without a hint of emotion.
“How?”
“It has been arranged.” The Vietnamese General gave Golden a small disc and continued, “That disc is a copy of everything in that folder. Make sure it goes to someone you trust within your military. Your government is infested with the enemy.”
“Why are you helping us? Our great great grandfathers were bitter enemies, by doing this you are possibly saving the United States.”
“Our people were enemies for decades in the Second War of Independence, but China has been our enemy for a thousand years. Their future is not our future. In their future they have planned, Vietnam and all of its people do not exist. Its a future based on a mad fantasy and if this world and all of its people are to survive, America must survive.”
The American nodded and turned back towards the beautiful agent, “Thank you. You've sacrificed so much for my people, I sincerely thank you for that.” Her stone face softened and she bowed her head in appreciation.
Unknown, Vietnam, Earth [Sol], 10082055
Captain Golden's body was pressed hard against the ground in the middle of a field of tall elephant grass. He was lying on top of a nest of fire ants. They swarmed over him and bit him, their bites felt like someone was poking him with red hot coals all over his body. It took all of his discipline to keep himself from standing up. Just above his head bullets whizzed by and a few struck the ground right by him. He was caught in the crossfire of hundreds of Vietnamese and Chinese troops fighting it out over a small patch of open ground in the middle of the jungle. These Vietnamese soldiers had escorted him here to be picked up an American helicopter, but the Chinese had ambushed them as soon as they arrived. Golden slowly crawled forward on his belly towards the Vietnamese and in the distance he could hear the distinct low rumble of a helicopter.
Six black helicopters appeared in the distance, they flew just a few feet above the tree canopy. Their smooth black shark-like form floated above the battlefield for a second and unleashed a blistering hell upon the Chinese on the ground. Their missiles slammed the Chinese positions along the edges of the treeline. The blast wave lifted the Captain off of the ground and tossed him against a six foot termite mound. The Captain slammed against the rock solid mound and cracked it wide open, spilling thousands of termites on his broken body. Golden tried to lift himself up but a searing pain shot up to his brain. He was certain he had broken many of his bones. He screamed desperately trying to gain the attention of anyone that could help him, but he began to choke on the swarm of termites covered his entire body. Everything went black as the swarm of termites covered his face and crushed him under his combined weight. He felt himself losing consciousness and the thought of an America burning, occupied and wiped clean of its people. He had failed his mission and he had failed his people. He stopped breathing under the crushing weight and darkness and let himself die. He was a broken man and he had neither the will or strength to live.
“Wake the fuck up!” The Captain suddenly awoke on the floor of a helicopter. A doctor stood over him and stopped performing CPR on him as soon as he was resuscitated.
Captain Golden tried to speak, but instead he turned his head and vomited all over the floor. The vomit was full of termites, some of which still squirmed in the white fluid. Captain Golden spit the last of them out and spoke with the last of his energy, “The disc. The disc.” The doctor injected him with a drug to induce coma and the Captain passed out mumbling to himself.
Dover Airforce Base, Dover, Deleware, United States, Earth [Sol], 21122010
“Wake up Robert.”
Robert Golden opened his eyes and immediately went to dig into his pockets, but soon realized he was in a hospital gown. “Where's the disc?”
“What disc?”
Robert became angry and asked again, “The damn disc in my uniform. I have to give it to the Joint Chiefs. It has sensitive information of the highest priority.”
“Your uniform was destroyed. Everything that was in your pockets was stored in this box.” The doctor handed Captain Golden a small black box and smiled. “The CIA will be here soon to debrief you. I've let them know your treatments are over and your bones are completely healed.”
Robert opened the black box and dumped its contents on the bed. He looked through everything frantically searching for the disc. “Where the fuck is it?”
“Everything that you had on you is in there.” The Doctor replied.
“It isn't here.”
“Then you probably never had it.” The Doctor said without looking up from his clipboard.
“Look you little shit. I had it on me. Now its gone.”
“Calm down Captain. Doctor Lambert you are dismissed.” The doctor clearly relieved, left the room without saying a word. “I am Assistant CIA Director Drumm. Tell me about this disc.”
“Do you know where it went?”
“No, but your raving like a lunatic for it. What was on it?”
“I don't care if you are CIA, I don't know you. I can't trust you with that kind of information.”
“This is standard procedure. You have to talk.”
“Not going to happen.”
“It would be wise if you did, you don't need anymore charges over your head.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Cowardice, Desertion and Failure to Obey an Order.”
“Cowardice?! Desertion?!” Robert yelled with a mix of anger and utter surprise.
“You failed to obey a D.I.P. order and ran off to Vietnam. You left 28,000 of your brothers and sisters to die.” Drumm shook his head at Golden in disgust.
“You got some fucking balls! Who the fuck do you think you are telling me I am a coward? No one gave an order to 'Die In Place,' our flight leader told us to break.”
“How convenient that he is dead, you can just put words in his mouth.”
“You cocksucker!” Captain Golden threw the black box he had on his bed at Drumm's face. The box hit Drumm and he stumbled backwards as three CIA agents stormed into the room and pinned the Captain down.
“Your under arrest Mr. Golden. You can add Assault and Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer to your list of charges.” The Assistant CIA Director wiped the blood off of his chin and continued, “I hope you rot in jail you coward and if we're lucky you'll get the damn firing squad.” The agents lifted Golden from his hospital bed and dragged him out of the room. Drumm now stood alone in the room and pulled a small bag out of his pocket. He felt the broken pieces of a disc inside of the bag with his hands. His headset phone dialed his office. “I need a disc recovery job. Utmost importance. Make sure no one sees the contents of the disc. I don't care if you have to plant an armed agent by the tech guy. My eyes ONLY.” Drumms phone automatically powered off and he smiled to himself.
Constitution Cafe, Washington D.C., United States, Earth [Sol], 24122055
Drumm entered the busy restaurant and scanned with his eyes for his contact. He spotted the man he was looking for, a tall man in a gray power suit with an American flag tie. Drumm took a seat across from the man and smiled. Drumm spoke to the man in perfect Mandarin, “*Hello. It's been a while. How's the misses?*”
“*She's doing better, the cancer treatments are going well.*” The Chinese man replied. Drumm let out a sigh and was relieved the man gave him the proper response to his challenge phrase.
“*Well I am glad to hear that. I have a gift for you and yours. In the spirit of Christmas.*” Drumm took out a disc from his pocket and slid it across the table. The Chinese agent picked it up and looked at it carefully.
“*What's on the disc?*”
“*Your family will love it. It's a good suspense movie.*” The waitress came over and poured them both a hot cup of coffee. She smiled and Drumm smiled back at her. When she left their table he continued, “*It's about a man who uncovers a secret while abroad, not just any secret, a big secret that will change the world. It's loaded with special features and deleted scenes that will surprise you in its attention to detail.*”
The Chinese agent who was emotionless before, now was looking at the disc with wide eyes. “*Who made this disc for you?*”
“*A friend of mine.*”
“*Do I know this man?*”
“*No, I am sad to say that he has recently fell on hard times.*” Drumm smiled as he spoke.
“*Has anyone else seen this movie?*”
“*Just me, its an indy film.*”
“*Thank you so much, my family appreciates this. Expect a Christmas gift from us.*” The Chinese agent put the disc in his briefcase and dropped a twenty on the table for his meal. He straightened out his American flag tie and left the restaurant.
Drumm smiled at the waitress when she returned. The waitress smiled back and asked him if he was ready to order. “Give me a cheeseburger. Sweet potato fries and a Doctor Pepper.” Just as she was going to leave for another table he stopped her. “Actually scratch that entire order. Give me the juiciest steak you have and a bottle of your finest wine. I want to treat myself, and pour yourself a cup.”
“Whats the occasion?” The waitress asked happily.
“Darling, I just made a fortune in the entertainment industry.”
“Wake up Robert.”
Robert Golden opened his eyes and immediately went to dig into his pockets, but soon realized he was in a hospital gown. “Where's the disc?”
“What disc?”
Robert became angry and asked again, “The damn disc in my uniform. I have to give it to the Joint Chiefs. It has sensitive information of the highest priority.”
“Your uniform was destroyed. Everything that was in your pockets was stored in this box.” The doctor handed Captain Golden a small black box and smiled. “The CIA will be here soon to debrief you. I've let them know your treatments are over and your bones are completely healed.”
Robert opened the black box and dumped its contents on the bed. He looked through everything frantically searching for the disc. “Where the fuck is it?”
“Everything that you had on you is in there.” The Doctor replied.
“It isn't here.”
“Then you probably never had it.” The Doctor said without looking up from his clipboard.
“Look you little shit. I had it on me. Now its gone.”
“Calm down Captain. Doctor Lambert you are dismissed.” The doctor clearly relieved, left the room without saying a word. “I am Assistant CIA Director Drumm. Tell me about this disc.”
“Do you know where it went?”
“No, but your raving like a lunatic for it. What was on it?”
“I don't care if you are CIA, I don't know you. I can't trust you with that kind of information.”
“This is standard procedure. You have to talk.”
“Not going to happen.”
“It would be wise if you did, you don't need anymore charges over your head.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Cowardice, Desertion and Failure to Obey an Order.”
“Cowardice?! Desertion?!” Robert yelled with a mix of anger and utter surprise.
“You failed to obey a D.I.P. order and ran off to Vietnam. You left 28,000 of your brothers and sisters to die.” Drumm shook his head at Golden in disgust.
“You got some fucking balls! Who the fuck do you think you are telling me I am a coward? No one gave an order to 'Die In Place,' our flight leader told us to break.”
“How convenient that he is dead, you can just put words in his mouth.”
“You cocksucker!” Captain Golden threw the black box he had on his bed at Drumm's face. The box hit Drumm and he stumbled backwards as three CIA agents stormed into the room and pinned the Captain down.
“Your under arrest Mr. Golden. You can add Assault and Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer to your list of charges.” The Assistant CIA Director wiped the blood off of his chin and continued, “I hope you rot in jail you coward and if we're lucky you'll get the damn firing squad.” The agents lifted Golden from his hospital bed and dragged him out of the room. Drumm now stood alone in the room and pulled a small bag out of his pocket. He felt the broken pieces of a disc inside of the bag with his hands. His headset phone dialed his office. “I need a disc recovery job. Utmost importance. Make sure no one sees the contents of the disc. I don't care if you have to plant an armed agent by the tech guy. My eyes ONLY.” Drumms phone automatically powered off and he smiled to himself.
Constitution Cafe, Washington D.C., United States, Earth [Sol], 24122055
Drumm entered the busy restaurant and scanned with his eyes for his contact. He spotted the man he was looking for, a tall man in a gray power suit with an American flag tie. Drumm took a seat across from the man and smiled. Drumm spoke to the man in perfect Mandarin, “*Hello. It's been a while. How's the misses?*”
“*She's doing better, the cancer treatments are going well.*” The Chinese man replied. Drumm let out a sigh and was relieved the man gave him the proper response to his challenge phrase.
“*Well I am glad to hear that. I have a gift for you and yours. In the spirit of Christmas.*” Drumm took out a disc from his pocket and slid it across the table. The Chinese agent picked it up and looked at it carefully.
“*What's on the disc?*”
“*Your family will love it. It's a good suspense movie.*” The waitress came over and poured them both a hot cup of coffee. She smiled and Drumm smiled back at her. When she left their table he continued, “*It's about a man who uncovers a secret while abroad, not just any secret, a big secret that will change the world. It's loaded with special features and deleted scenes that will surprise you in its attention to detail.*”
The Chinese agent who was emotionless before, now was looking at the disc with wide eyes. “*Who made this disc for you?*”
“*A friend of mine.*”
“*Do I know this man?*”
“*No, I am sad to say that he has recently fell on hard times.*” Drumm smiled as he spoke.
“*Has anyone else seen this movie?*”
“*Just me, its an indy film.*”
“*Thank you so much, my family appreciates this. Expect a Christmas gift from us.*” The Chinese agent put the disc in his briefcase and dropped a twenty on the table for his meal. He straightened out his American flag tie and left the restaurant.
Drumm smiled at the waitress when she returned. The waitress smiled back and asked him if he was ready to order. “Give me a cheeseburger. Sweet potato fries and a Doctor Pepper.” Just as she was going to leave for another table he stopped her. “Actually scratch that entire order. Give me the juiciest steak you have and a bottle of your finest wine. I want to treat myself, and pour yourself a cup.”
“Whats the occasion?” The waitress asked happily.
“Darling, I just made a fortune in the entertainment industry.”
Taiwanese civilians flee the rapidly advancing Hegemony while being covered by Taiwanese Marines.