BTW, sorry for the long waiting time. This chapter was pretty darn difficult to write, and I had to reread a lot of stuff to make sure it all fitted. But I hope most things are cleared up. Just a few more chapters now…three, or so. Or four. Or more if I get inspired.
Twenty: The Arrival of the KingLex returned to the hotel just after Chloe had her dinner to get something for himself. After sitting up for such a long time, the tremors intensified, and Chloe told him it was okay to 'abandon' her and go back to bed. He protested for a good ten minutes, then knocked over the glass he was trying to pick up and admitted defeat.
She wasn't alone for very long, though. Along with her evening pills, Crystal Shanyuang arrived, exclaiming loudly how terrible Chloe looked, and apologizing fervently for not coming by to see her sooner.
"It's okay," Chloe said. "What have you been up to?"
Crystal perched on the edge of the plastic chair, sitting on her hands and looking like a sparrow, or some other quick, black bird. Her dark eyes were shining with excitement. "I've been talking," she said.
"Talking."
"Yes. With our dear miss Zhen and her traitorous little brother, with Feng Lao, and with his wife, and the police—well, one of them, anyway." She winked. "Yesterday evening, I saw Miss Xue Minh, another woman who'd been kept prisoner in the temple. It WAS a temple, did they tell you that? I'm sure they did. You were right. I want to return there, but the police won't let me. Your friend, Mister Kent, he took pictures. I believe he knows another way. Do you think he'd show it to me if I asked?"
"Clark?" Chloe smiled. "Sure."
Crystal grinned. "He's very handsome. And big! I get a crick in my neck when I want to talk to him. But very nice. Verrrry nice."
"Yeah," Chloe said, and was happy to notice that the little quiver of regret no longer occurred, "he is. And I'm sure he'll take you to the temple if you ask him, but…well, he's spoken for."
Crystal sighed, then shrugged. "Of course. All the good men are married, all the handsome men are gay. Or something like that. 'Women', perhaps? Anyway, I've spoken to a lot of people. This evening, your friend Lois—your cousin?—we're going to see a girl whose friend's brother apparently belonged with the Phoenix Gang. Your friend met the girl's mother on Market, and told her to go speak to her." She lifted her weight with her hands, more like a perched bird than ever, then sat down again and placed her hands in her lap. "I'm close," she said. "I mean, I'm really close. I ALMOST know what's going on. I still need to seduce your Mister McCarthy so he'll tell me what's going on at the police station, but I think I'm ALMOST there."
"You mean with the Phoenix Fire and the Temple People and the Phoenix Gang? And Fu Yang?"
"Yes," Crystal said. "And Fu Yang. Though he is…difficult. And the Mayor and his brother, and blood debts to friends. It's…deep. Family feuds made more complicated with gang feuds and ancient legends…"
"Tell me," Chloe begged. "Tell me what you've found out."
"Tomorrow," Crystal promised. "Tomorrow I should know enough to make a plausible theory. I need to talk to this girl and her friend first, and to Mister McCarthy. But tomorrow I'll make presentation and show it to you here."
"A presentation?" Chloe smiled. "You mean like PowerPoint?"
"Yes. With pictures and everything. If I come up with a conspiracy theory, I like to be thorough." Crystal was smiling as well, but even in her joy was a certain manic severity; Chloe did not doubt for one minute that Sherlock Holmes came anywhere near this small Chinese woman's determination to find out the truth. The pang of regret she hadn't felt at the mention of Clark gorgeousness now sliced through her heart that she couldn't do her part of the investigation. It was hard to keep a friendly face with jealousy forming a lump in her throat…But it wasn't Crystal's fault Chloe was bedridden, and at least she was doing her best to involve her somehow.
She swallowed her envy, focused on the more ridiculous of her friend's plans. "Mmm. And how thorough are you going to be seducing Brian McCarthy?"
The other woman grinned widely. "Well…that depends," she said.
"On what?"
"On how cute he is without his glasses. And on whether he's married or not. I think not: no ring, but…well."
Chloe laughed, half shocked, half amused. Her side pulled but the pills were already kicking in and the pain had faded to the familiar dull ache. "You can't be serious."
"Why not? The chance we could ever get a serious relationship is about nil. But he speaks Chinese, he's witty, and I expect he looks great with his hair up in spikes and without those glasses. And his cigarettes are cool. I see great material for a short-term liaison."
"Cigarettes?"
"He wouldn't have smoked inside the hospital." Crystal checked her watch. "His cigarettes are stylish. Now, it is not often that I can praise a man for the cigarettes he smokes, so that adds to his appeal. And your Mister Kent, you say, is unavailable for a short fling. No, I will try my best with Mister McCarthy and try to win his trust so he'll divulge all confidential police investigation to me. Maybe I should get him drunk…"
Chloe wondered to what extent she was serious, about the seduction part at least. Crystal may be a rather unusual specimen of the Chinese people, but she had never struck Chloe as being even vaguely sluttish. Just like Ai-li, Crystal's rebellion had seemed more like a pose, or maybe not as much a pose as a deliberate mannerism, than a character trait.
Then again, if she wants to break free of the rigidity of her life by seducing someone, who am I to judge her?
Then she frowned. Ai-li. "Crystal? That girl you're going to see tonight…is her name Ai-li? Ai-li Lan?"
Crystal's mouth dropped open with surprise. "Lan. Yes! You know her?"
"She's one of the three kids I met who told me about Phoenix Fire."
"What coincidence! Or rather, what a small town."
Chloe smiled. It wasn't such a coincidence, really. In Smallville, everybody had known everybody as well. Every meteor freak was either a class mate or the sister or brother of one. Briefly, she wondered who was taking care of the meteor freaks now she, Clark, Pete and Lana had left the place.
And Lex.
Lex took care of the freaks, too. Even though he was one, himself.
Crystal was still talking, and she pulled herself out of her reveries. "I am meeting your cousin at eight, and then together we'll drive to the Lan residence."
"It's huge," Chloe remembered. "And stuffed with Orchid images."
"Ah," Crystal said with a funny little smile. "That kind of family."
"What do you mean with 'that kind of family'?"
"The kind that doesn't use historical symbolism but is strangled by it. I believe this town is crawling with these people. Like the Fengfei family, too. With their phoenix."
"In what way?"
"Well, the whole Fengfei family has a tattoo of the phoenix on their back. The men one facing to the left, the women one facing to the right. That's how they had the brother take the place of the Mayor: they roughed up his face to make him unrecognizable and then used the tattoo as identification as Fengfei."
Chloe nodded. Yes, if the man's face had been hidden behind bandages…that would make sense. Still… "What about the brother, then? Wouldn't he be missed?"
"Apparently he'd gone under ground some months ago. Left Shueng. But," Crystal interrupted herself, "I really need to investigate further. I just don't have the facts straight yet."
"I can help you figure them out," Chloe suggested hopefully, but Crystal shook her head. She glanced at her watch again.
"I have to leave in a few minutes. Tomorrow, I'll give you all the facts. I'll try to make sense of it all, and you can…no, you MUST help me figure it all out. You and Rex. He needs to help me too. It was your mystery in the first place," she added, and Chloe decided it could very well be she loved this woman.
"I'll keep you to it," she said.
Crystal nodded. "I will keep myself to it, too."
*
"Yo, Smallville. What deep and profound thoughts bounce round and round in that head of yours behind that stern expression?"
"Deep and profound thoughts indeed," Clark returned. "Far too deep and profound to share with you." Lois stuck out her tongue. As a matter of fact Clark was reflecting on the curious fact that Chinese orange juice definitely tasted different than the juice he usually drank in America, but he thought Lois would be happier with a snappy reply instead of the truth. He'd like her to think he was sharp, while in fact his thoughts often were as mundane as could be expected from a country boy. He wondered what they added to either the oranges or the juice to make them taste this different.
They were just finishing breakfast, again gathered in the dining room of the hotel with all the soldiers, the Sparkling Sources group and Shanyuang's body guards as if they were all in boarding school. The only ones missing were Lex, who'd said he'd already had breakfast when he woke up two hours ago, and McCarthy. Crystal had asked him if he'd seen Brian, but he hadn't. The General didn't know where he was either, but apparently Brian had left him a message that he'd be absent for breakfast, so he hadn't been kidnapped and shouldn't start worrying unless he hadn't returned by twelve.
Clark didn't care much what he was up to, although he was intrigued by the man's mystery. Whether it was yet another of his 'alien quirks', or just a good insight in human nature, he was usually pretty good at reading people. Apart from the Luthors, of course. His quirk had been off, when he'd decided that Lionel was decent and Lex was harmless. The thing was, when he liked people, they were usually worth liking, and when he didn't, they were usually worth finding objectionable. And he'd liked McCarthy. Didn't trust him, but he did like him. That alone was enough to make him interesting. Clark wasn't used to being wrong anymore. Well, not about his people perception.
There he'll be, he thought, as the swing doors opened—but they didn't open they way McCarthy opened them. McCarthy was the kind of man who gently pushed one of the doors open and slipped in, guiding the door back into place so it wouldn't swing. This time, both doors were forcibly pushed open, all the way open, and striding in on silent shoes but with body language that was doing a good job of replacing seven heralds with trumpets…was Lionel Luthor.
He didn't make a sound, apart from the whoosh of the doors, but everybody in the room, including the few guests that weren't part of either the Sparkling Sources group or the American delegation, looked up and stared as Lionel Luthor marched through the room, hair, trousers and jacket flapping, and came to a standstill in front of General Lane. Brian McCarthy quietly slid into the room, all but hidden in the bombast of Lionel's arrival.
Well. He certainly knows how to make an entrance, Clark thought wryly.
The General agreed, by the stunned look on his face. It lasted for less than a second, but for a moment he looked dumbfounded and rather stupid as he followed Lionel's progress with a piece of ham dangling from his fork just an inch from his mouth.
"General!" Lionel said. "No, no, don't get up." Clark hadn't noticed the General making even the slightest move to stand, but when Lionel said it, he automatically sat up straight and pushed his chair back, then remained seated as he caught himself. He shook Lionel's hand across the table.
"Mister Luthor. I wasn't aware you'd be arriving today. I thought…"
"Yes, well…" Lionel smiled, waved a dismissive hand. "My business in Shanghai was concluded sooner than I had expected, so I was able to depart ten hours before schedule. Brian," another wave that, no matter how vague, still managed to point at the exact place McCarthy was standing, "picked me up."
With Lionel in his face it was hard for Lane to glower at McCarthy without glowering at Lionel at the same time, but his brow furrowed, and he said, "With all due respect, Mister Luthor, you should have informed me. It isn't safe. We can't be sure we've captured all of the gang who kidnapped your son and my niece."
"I doubt the last scattered handful will retaliate by abducting the next American to enter their town," Lionel said indifferently. "Not after what happened the last time, don't you agree, General?"
"Desperate men may take desperate action," Lane said stubbornly.
Lionel refused to let him have the last word. "Be that as it may, I am here now." He cast his eye round the room, noticing and nodding at Clark and, with a small wink that made her bristle, Lois, before focusing on the General again. "I had expected to see my son here. Where is Lex?"
"In this room, I suppose," Lane replied. "I believe he said he had some business to attend to."
"I see." Lionel nodded sharply. "What room is he in?"
"251."
"Guarded?"
"No longer. I confiscated the extra key, though. I can…"
"I'll knock," Lionel said. "Thank you. I'm looking forward to speaking with you later." He turned on his heel and briskly walked out again, leaving the other Americans in a mild state of shock.
McCarthy came sauntering over with a plate containing a French roll, butter, and jam, and picked out an empty chair two seats away from Clark's. General Lane's foul look passed over him like a breeze over a marble statue.
"So this was your 'business', huh?" he rumbled. "I thought you were expected at the police office."
"No, I wasn't," McCarthy said, buttering his roll. "I was picking up my employer." He added jam. A small smile broadened his mouth just before he took a bite. Clark noticed his hair wasn't combed and gelled back as usual; as he bowed over his plate it fell over his forehead, lending him a somewhat casual, even rakish look, in a bookish kind of way. "Although I must confess I made no effort dissuading you from that thought. I will visit the police station later this morning."
Sam Lane sputtered a bit more before deciding he was making a fool of himself, and finished off his breakfast as if it had hurt him and deserved capital punishment. He and his men left shortly afterwards, not glancing back at the useless civilians.
Lois sighed, and fetched herself another cup of coffee. She had never been a morning person, but now she was on an even slower burn. Been busy, yesterday, Clark gathered. It had been over twelve before he'd heard her come in. She sipped the dark brew with mechanical greed. It wasn't a caramel macchiato, but it would have to do. Chinese coffee, Clark thought, tasted a whole lot better than their orange juice. He went to get himself a third cup as well. He had no clue whether his metabolism actually reacted to caffeine, but at least he'd look like an ordinary reporter if he drank it.
Crystal Shanyuang drifted over to their table as her group left the dining room, halting briefly at McCarthy's chair to speak to him. He said something back, nodding, and she flashed him a smile. He returned that smile with a secretive little grin of his own, and Lois murmured, "Oh my god, she HAS been sexing him up."
"Huh, what?"
She sipped her coffee, eyes still half-closed. "Those two. Banging. It's obvious."
"In what way is that obvious?"
Crystal had moved on and now approached Lois' chair. McCarthy went on with his roll. He didn't look particularly radiant, or guilty, or anything Clark always associated with having sex. Neither, he thought, did Crystal. With the exception of McCarthy's hair, they looked exactly like they always did. Whenever he overcame his fear of crushing Lana and got some, Lois and Chloe both noticed within ten seconds, and the first never failed to raise her eyebrows in some kind of knowing way.
She raised them now, at him, though, not Crystal, and stared at him as if he were retarded. Then she turned back and said hello to Crystal.
"Hi," Crystal returned, and dropped down on the seat next to her. She picked up one of the unused paper napkins and started folding it with quick, slender fingers, looking Lois in the eye while she did so. "It worked. I'm getting the last facts at, oh, two, I think. For confirmation. So, I should think we can start the presentation at three at the hospital."
Lois grinned. "Presentation, huh? So you really went along with the PowerPoint and all?"
"Yes." She glanced at her napkin. Turned it around and pulled at one of the folds.
"What about this Zhen guy?"
"He definitely was the one to pass on our maps and charts."
"And Fu Yang?"
"None of the other Temple People has mentioned him. So far, the kid's the only one who recognized him."
"Uh," Clark interjected, "what are you two talking about?"
"Woman talk," Lois said dismissively. "You'll find out this afternoon. You're invited too, at three at the hospital. Chloe's room."
"Yes," Crystal nodded. "And Rex, too. That man, was that his father? He can come as well, if he wants to." She carefully pulled at two corners of her folded napkin. To Clark's surprise, the wad of paper turned into a near perfect origami crane. "I'll need a beamer. And a white screen, or something. I have one at the lab, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to put it up."
"I'll take care of it," Lois said, with a sideways glance at Clark that told him he'd be the one to pick it up.
"Yeah," he sighed. Sure, keep him out but use him as a pack mule. "Sure."
Lois smiled at him. "Three o' clock?" she repeated.
Crystal nodded. "Yes. I need to speak to Han one more time, and show him Fu Yang's picture—I found another one. Huarang had taken pictures that evening we had the reception. And Mister McCarthy promised me to help me with one of the Temple People. So," she got up, dropping the duck on an empty plate, "I have a busy day in front of me."
"Call me if you need help," Lois said.
"I will. See you at the hospital. You to, Clark." She pronounced his name as 'Klaak'.
Now it was Clark's turn to raise eyebrows, but Lois ignored him. "What was that about?"
"Vengeance, boredom, and frustration," Lois said. She finished her coffee, fished a package of cigarettes out of her back pocket. It was empty. "And one hell of a detective, I must say. We should recruit her for the Planet. Of course I'd do just as well if I'd only spoken the language…" She crumpled the package to a ball, leaned over and said, "Brian? Can I please, please borrow one of your cigarettes? I'm all out."
Without a word, McCarthy slid his silver holder over the table. Lois took out one cigarette, clicked the holder closed, and slid it back. It bumped against the side of his hand and he tucked it back into his breast pocket blindly. "Thanks. Come on," she said to Clark, "let's go get that beamer, shall we? Might just as well take care of that now."
"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Still clueless, he followed yet another independent woman out of the door, wondering when exactly he'd turned into the flunky instead of the leading man.
*
Lex heaved a deep sigh as someone knocked on his door. It was a sharp knock, or rather three sharp knocks, delivered with two knuckles, not with fingers. Lois never knocked at his door, not ever. Clark's sounded different. And both the staff and the Sparkling Sources people had this scratching kind of knock. The General, then, or one of his overly masculine commandos.
Great.
Well, he was showered and dressed, even if he still curled up on the bed with his laptop or Brian's translations whenever he wanted to work. He was still tired all the time. Visiting Chloe yesterday had positively worn him out, unexciting as it had been. He really didn't feel like talking to Lane at the moment.
Lane, however, was insistent. The knock sounded again, sharper than ever.
Lex sighed again. "Coming," he said, slid out of bed and opened the door.
Two cool eyes studied him from a narrow face framed in graying beard and graying hair. "Hello, Lex."
Lex felt his jaw drop, and hastily pulled it up again. "Dad?"
The first thing he thought was What the fuck is HE doing here??? The second was, God, what am I wearing?
Lex had conversed with Lionel Luthor—who also happened to be his father, but who was, mainly, Lionel Luthor of the Luthor emporium—in various degrees of dress and undress; from tux to leather to ripped jeans to absolutely nothing at all, and he had concluded long ago that it was far preferable to face down Lionel Luthor covered from head to toe in Armani—the businessman's armor—than in damp t-shirts, ratty sweat pants or boxer shorts. (The last time that had happened incidentally had been about ten years ago, when he'd tottered through the hallways of his father's house high as a kite in the early hours of the morning. Up to this day he did not know what had happened to his clothes. The last time it had happened on purpose was four years ago, when he'd made a habit of walking around the Smallville Mansion naked to test whether dear old dad really was as blind as he claimed he was.)
Thankfully, the slacks he was wearing were only slightly rumpled, and while he knew the black sweater he was wearing made him look pallid and thin, it was clean and recently ironed by the dedicated hotel laundry staff. He wasn't wearing shoes, but no one could fault him for taking off his shoes in his own room.
Lionel studied him with his radar eye. Strange, as the laser-like glance passed over him, Lex felt the almost-faded scars of Fu Yang's name start to hurt again, as if Lionel had somehow reactivated them. He rubbed them through the fabric of his sweater, looked away from that piercing gaze.
"Why don't you come in? I didn't know you were here."
"I only arrived half an hour ago." Lionel strolled in, leaned against the table and took in the disheveled sheets on the bed. He looked back to Lex, who positioned himself against the closed door with his hands tucked nonchalantly into his pockets. "If you'd called me to tell me you were all right, I would have told you that I happened to be in the neighborhood and was planning to stop by."
"You were 'in the neighborhood'," Lex drawled. "In China. You just happened to be close to Shueng."
"A few hours' flight away. But yes, I was in China. Business continues, Lex, even when you let yourself get taken and…" He stopped, unclenched his fingers from their grip on the edge of the table. "Why didn't you?" he asked. "Call me."
"I assumed Brian had already reported to you," Lex said insubordinately.
"He did. His account was rather disturbing, and sadly incomplete. Drugs, torture, obsession…but no cause, no reasons, and no answers to my questions. I understand both you and Miss Sullivan were injured in the process?"
"Chloe wasn't tortured," Lex said, before Lionel could tell him it really wasn't done to take a girl on holiday and then let her get hurt by the nearest nutcase. "Fortunately. But yes, she was hurt when she tried to escape her kidnappers. But the doctors have good hopes she'll recover completely. Of course, I'll have the best doctors at LuthorCare have a…"
"Miss Sullivan's misfortunes, as regrettable as they are, are of no interest to me at the moment," Lionel interrupted him. "Yours are." His face softened, as did his voice. "You're a wreck, Lex."
Lex's chin reared up like a horse's; he totally agreed his condition was miserable, but nothing got his spikes up like Lionel remarking on his weakness. "I'll be fine in a few days. Really, Dad, it's too early to think about planning a coup. I've already read up on all the…"
"I wasn't referring to your ability to lead LuthorCorp," Lionel said, actually sounding scandalized. He took a quick step forward and gripped Lex by the shoulders. "Good god, Son, do you have ANY idea how much you scared me with that phone conversation you had Kent record? And why HIM? Why didn't you call me?"
That, Lex reflected, was actually a very good question, coming from Lionel. He was surprised no one had asked it before. His reply came practiced and smoothly: "It was dark, and I was on the run. I selected the first number that popped up in my phonebook. It happened to be Clark's."
"I see," Lionel said, cynical and—could it be?—somewhat hurt, but already half-convinced. "K comes before L."
"C comes before D," Lex corrected. He rather wished he could step away from Lionel's kneading fingers, but the door was at his back and he was neatly trapped. "Besides, I didn't program your number into my Chinese phone. I know it by heart. At the time…I had more pressing things on my mind."
Lionel refrained from asking why on earth he had Clark's number programmed into his Chinese phone. Lex congratulated himself on a lie well-performed. He steeled himself for another round of assessment. Those fingers had to feel the tremors that still passed through him occasionally; he himself could feel them very clearly. By the look on Lionel's face, he could as well.
He relaxed his grip, patted Lex's shoulders and released him, taking a step away, back to the table. "The man who did this to you," he said. "Is it true he was not apprehended?"
"No," Lex said. "The police did not get him."
Lionel nodded. "But you did."
"Yes. Unfortunately he got away again. He must have had help."
"He could not have escaped on his own?"
Lex smiled thinly. "No."
"Good. We will find him."
"You have men here, as well?" Despite it all, Lex was impressed.
Lionel's teeth flashed. "Not here. But I will have them get here. Brian's already working on it. What are we looking for? Brian's description, as I said, was…inconclusive."
Lex drew his finger in a double L across his left cheek. "I cut him, like so. He will have multiple slash wounds on his torso as well, and damaged hands. His face and fingers will most likely give him away. Those cuts were quite deep. And he lost at least one finger."
Another short nod. "Good. I will pass it on. Any other striking characteristics?"
Lex shrugged. "He's Asian. Black hair and brown slanted eyes. Average build. Average height. The only thing that is striking about him is that he is so very common-looking. A bit like Brian. No notable moles, freckles or other things. With different clothes and different hair, he could be anyone." His mouth twisted again. "Not so much anymore, with scarring like that."
Lionel answered his grim smile. "No. Well, it should make him easy to recognize." He looked Lex up and down again. "You're shaking. Not constantly, but you are shaking."
Lex pressed his lips more firmly together. Of course, a particularly intense shiver chose to run through him at that moment; he cursed inwardly.
"Is this the effect of the drug you were subjected to?"
"I believe so. I was never prone to convulsive shivers before."
"Lex. Will this be permanent?"
"No." He had no clue whether it was permanent, whether he had nerve damage, or brain damage, or whatever other possible damage. He was, however, resolved he would be completely recovered before he returned to Kansas. "It'll fade. It was a lot worse when I was…when I was going through withdrawal. I'll be right as rain in a week or so."
"This is the general medical opinion?"
"Yes." Brian would have told Lionel Lex refused to see doctors. Lex didn't give a damn. It wasn't a medical opinion. Opinions could be proven wrong. He was talking about facts, here. The shivers would be gone within a week. If not, he'd just start doing cocaine again, and kick that habit when that addiction overrode his Phoenix Fire dependence.
"I see," Lionel said.
Lex hoped he wasn't seeing nice young men in clean white coats—but he'd hardly have Lex locked up here in China. Was that fatherly concern he detected in his father's face? Huh. Perhaps it was Lionel who was ripe for the loony bin this time. Again. Insanity ran in the family. Hell, at times it ran thicker than blood if he were considering cultivating a cocaine habit just to get rid of an annoying shiver.
He rubbed his forehead and sighed. Lionel looked away, leaned against the table again.
"Lex?"
"What?"
"Tell me the truth. Will you be alright? Not to rule LuthorCorp, to work, not even right now. I know you aren't…well…now. Just…Tell me."
Their eyes met at the same moment. Lex's mouth quirked up in the bitter lopsided smile he'd tried to lose for ages. "Oh yes," he said. "I will be fine. Don't you worry, Dad. Like I said, I'll be right as rain."
*
It was three o' clock. Chloe was strongly reminded of her fifth birthday, the last birthday she'd spent in Metropolis as a child before moving to Smallville. She had badly strained her ankle the day before, and had spent her birthday lying on the couch, with all the visitors crowding around her as if she were a princess awaiting prince Charming's kiss.
She even felt the same anticipation she'd had as a child; when you still got Barbies and My Little Ponies, things you could unwrap, take out of their box, brush, undress and comb, presents were exciting. Books were nice, but as an adult, presents were a heck of a lot less of a surprise.
Well, apart from Lex's presents. They could be anything, including genuine Egyptian artifacts AND fresh chocolate chip cookies.
Right across from her bed a huge screen covered the painting on the wall; the beamer was on her lap. Crystal was standing next to the screen, Lois beside her with a laptop balanced on her knees. Lex, McCarthy, Lionel—LIONEL????—and her uncle sat on one side of her bed, Shanyuang and his men sat on the other side. The soldiers were spread about the room, one in the doorway, blocking the way to any curious outsiders.
Chloe felt as if she should be munching popcorn. The General was sucking on an unlit cigar stub. Lois was chewing gum.
"Can someone turn off the light, please?" Crystal asked, and the show began.
*
"I have put the following story together from evidence found at the scene, conversations I've had with the various victims of the Temple People, and with these I mean abductees, and statements made by the Temple People, with a few who called themselves the Phoenix Gang, and with several other people whose names are not important or will come up later.
'It's complicated," she warned. "I'm telling you in advance, it's complicated. So please feel free to ask me to elaborate if you can't follow me."
Her grandfather said something in Chinese, and his men smiled. Crystal laughed. "Well, I'll do my best," she replied in English. She slapped a thin, twig-like pointer against her leg. As she began to speak, McCarthy translated her words in an undertone to the Sparkling Sources people.
"For chronology's sake, I will start two years ago. Two men, both Shueng-born veterans from a war I wasn't even aware of happening, found the passage to the underground temple in the middle of the square, and so the temple and the scrolls in the temple." She nodded at Lois, and two pictures appeared on screen.
'These two men were Chen Hao and Fengfei Wei." Crystal said, tapping either of them with her rotan stick. "We've never met Chen—he's locked up at the police station—, but Fengfei Wei is the man we have come to know as Shueng's Mayor, but who is actually the original Mayor's brother. Now, as far as I know, Wei had some reason, some drug-related reason, to not want to be seen in Shueng. His brother was the town's Mayor, and he wasn't happy with his no-good little brother.
'Enough about that. Chen and Fengfei Wei found the scrolls in the temple; scrolls that contained a description about the creation of a drug that caused berserker madness, severe hallucinations and eventually death in those who took it. for some reason these two men thought that it might be lucrative to try and reproduce this drug, even though the recipe was faulty. I think," she added, nodding at Lex, "that Fu Yang must have helped them create it. As the creative force, I mean."
"Chen Hao is not Fu Yang?" Lex asked, frowning. "I thought he might be. He mentioned fighting in a war…"
She shook her head. "No. Chen Hao is sixty-four years old. He must have been quite old to fight in that battle—it was more of a guerrilla fight than a real battle. An uprising, I found it in a history book. I can show you later. It was in 1995, on the other side of the mountain range…Anyway. Fènghuánghuǒ. Phoenix Fire."
The pictures Clark had taken of the scrolls flashed by as she continued her account. "Even though they had no means to create the original drug—oh, Lois, can you go back one…thanks. Here you see that this scroll is damaged. It misses almost a foot from the lower half of the paper—the remains of the recipe did give them the basic ingredients. The most important of those ingredients was the purple flower that grows on the mountain sides facing the south. Not all of those flowers were suitable for their purpose. They needed to possess specific elements. For instance, only the male flowers could be used to make this drug."
Chloe smiled. Male flowers. She imagined a field of purple flowers with tiny penises jutting out.
Crystal waved her hand. "There are a lot of conditions that should be met, apparently. I know very little of the actual creation process."
From the corner of her eye, Chloe saw Clark nod and smile. Lex had noticed as well: he glanced from Crystal to Clark, and a considering expression pursed his mouth.
"What is important," Crystal continued, "is that at one point, they did create a drug that made people hallucinate and give them energy. It did not make them hyper-violent or even aggressive, but it did boost their adrenaline levels to dangerously high levels. They did not test it out on themselves. What I believe happened, and which is supported by the account of a seventeen-year-old boy named Li Yong Hai. He has been a member of the Phoenix Gang for several months, and, I believe, one of the earliest users of the drug."
"Ta's brother?" Chloe asked.
"Yes." The picture changed, showing the tattoo of a phoenix on a skinny male upper arm. "And the good thing is, he identified Fu Yang."
Lex sat up straight. "He did?"
Crystal nodded smugly. "Yes, he did. I showed him a picture of Fu Yang this morning, and he recognized him as the man who gave him the Fire. Only when he distributed drugs, he wore different clothes and had a small beard, here," she drew her finger down right below her lower lip, "and two moles on his cheek, here. At first he didn't recognize him. But then I accidentally dropped a biscuit on top of it, obscuring the top of his head and scattering crumbs over his face, and then he said it was Fu Yang. Well, he knew him under a different name." She shrugged. "Lung."
"'Dragon,'" Chloe muttered, and grinned when Lex shot her a surprised look. "Hey, I DO pick up the language, you know."
"Fu Yang must have been a friend to Fengfei Wei," Crystal said. "He and Wei founded Fènghēibāng, the Phoenix Gang. I'm not sure whether Wei or Chen Hoa was the instigator, but I believe it to have been Wei. Also because of the name of the drug, and of the gang. I think the basics of the gang already existed before they became the Phoenix Gang. But Fu Yang made it…official. With tattoos, like this one. Imagery is very important in this town. There are a few rich families: the Fengfeis, the Lans, the Kohans…they have put their symbols on the entire town. Names are important. Even if you were a nobody, you could become someone if you joined the Phoenix Gang."
"But," she clicked on to a piece of Chinese newspaper, "the drug was lethal. And one day one of Chen Hoa's two sons died of a heart attack after taking it. This newspaper reports of his death. As you can see, it is but a small article, and very simple: 年轻人在神奇情况死. 'Young man dies in mysterious circumstances'. No mention of the drug; the only reason it's more than an obituary is because he got a heart attack at the age of 27. At this point, Chen Hoa no longer wanted the Phoenix Fire to be created.
'At the same time, negotiations for your Glass factory and our pipelines started." Another nod at Lex. "Mayor Fengfei was very much interested in such a factory, because he was an ambitious man and wanted to make his town more attractive.
'On the one hand, Fengfei Wei and Fu Yang must have wanted the factory as well, because it would bring them more buyers for their drug. They must have improved it over time, because there were very few mentions of heart attacks. On the other hand…" Another five, six Chinese newspaper clippings sailed across the screen, "there were several drownings, two car crashes, and a few strange, lethal accidents in which young people found an early death, and guess what, four of those six had crushed and unrecognizable right upper arms."
"The Phoenix tattoos were on the right upper arm," Lois interjected for the slow of mind. Lionel sneered at her. She pointedly looked away.
"Hidden heart attacks?" Crystal asked. "Or youths high on Fènghuánghuǒcrashing to death? They aren't so keen on autopsies in this town. They prefer to keep things quiet and easy. Or maybe Fengfei kept it out of the papers, I don't know. In any case Wei and Fu Yang maintained the Phoenix Gang, and they were happy to welcome the factory. Just like the Mayor.
'According to the statements of several of the Temple People, the Temple faction then split into two. One followed Chen Hao, who was still interested in creating Phoenix Fire, but who didn't want to use it before it was perfected, or something like that, I can't be sure because no one will say what they were really doing down there; and the others followed Fengfei Wei and Fu Yang. The Temple People and the Phoenix Gang became two opposing forces.
'When Mayor Fengfei wouldn't listen to 'reason', and held on to his plans for the factory, the Temple People wanted to scare him off by tampering with his brakes. Something went wrong, and he and his wife crashed and died in the mountains. Chen Hao either was appalled by what he and his people had caused and stood back from that point on, or was taken out by Fengfei Wei, for killing his brother."
"Taken out?" Clark asked. "You mean dead?"
"No, he's alive. He kind of retired after the crash," Crystal amended. "Stepped back. I'll return to him later.
'Wei took the place of his brother as the Mayor of Shueng, which he could do because of the tattoo on his back. Everyone thought he was the original Mayor. His face was damaged, and he wore a bandage for many weeks after the crash to hide his facial differences, and kept to his house because he was 'mourning his wife's death'.
'Taking the job of the Mayor, Wei also gained access to all of our, and your, Rex, papers. He thought everything would be wonderful. Our people came here, once, to measure and take samples. The first stages of planning were carried out.
'Then, the Temple People started protesting in earnest, and they and the Phoenix Gang came to a real clash. One person died, and that person was Chen Hoa's second son." A young man's picture appeared. "It was at this point, well, one week later, that we arrived here."
Clark whistled. Lex snorted. "And I thought it was such a peaceful little town."
"We all did," Crystal said. "And it was. After that one fight, many of the Phoenix Gang members, especially the young ones, abandoned the gang. Or," she grinned, "were pulled out by the ears by their mothers and locked down in the basement. It was kept out of the media especially because of our arrival. Fengfei wanted us to think Shueng was just a sleepy little town without any potential for shenananins."
"Shenanigans," McCarthy whispered. Crystal shrugged.
"We arrived," she stated, "in the middle of a war that no one knew about because it had always been kept quiet. We only met one side of the fighters, and were never introduced to the other side. By this time Chen Hao must have become convinced that the whole Phoenix Fire revival plan was cursed, and wanted to get us out as soon as possible. With both his sons dead because of the Fènghuánghuǒ, he had nothing left to lose. He tried to take over the town by blackmailing those who welcomed the factory. For that purpose, he kidnapped several people, forcing their family to act as spies and accomplices by threatening to use the Fire on their loved ones."
"But what," Lionel asked, "Do you, or Lex, have to do with this all? Why attack you?"
"Because our lovely aide from Shueng, the young Mister Zhen, who also happens to be part of the Phoenix Gang, stole one of our charts and found out that our pipelines would ruin the biggest patch of usable purple flowers. Chen Hao either didn't know that it would, or was fine with it. I think he didn't know, because if he'd known we'd destroy most of the flowers, thereby destroying the main ingredient for the drug, he'd have helped us, not stopped us. Then again…no, I'll get to that later."
Her screen went blank. "This is complicated," she said apologetically. "But I'll try to explain it as best as I can. Fu Yang acted, must have acted, as two different persons in both the Temple and the Phoenix Gang. I have NO idea what it was he wanted to achieve personally. Maybe he thrived on his own secrecy. I don't know.
'The temple people tried to stop us. The Fengfei group first wanted us to build the factory, then, when they found out we'd destroy their flower fields, they wanted us gone. But because they were still fighting amongst one another, neither of them acted overtly against us. Perhaps Fengfei still hoped he could change our plans.
'In the end, Fu Yang forced their hand by killing James Wong. He led the Temple People at that time. Or, perhaps, Phoenix Gang people dressed up like Temple People. I really wouldn't know, and according to Br-Mister McCarthy, neither do the Temple People. That is to say, the Phoenix Gang accuses the Temple people and vice versa. After James' murder, the Temple People had no other choice but to kidnap those who were present to keep it all from blowing up."
Huh, Chloe thought, and stroked the bandage over her side. I was kidnapped, locked up, and pierced like a pin-cushion by accident. Isn't that briljant?
Crystal turned to Lex. "Why Fu Yang took you, however…"
"He was a psychopath," Lex said calmly, as if that explained everything. Lane and some of his soldiers shrugged, as if they could well understand why someone would want to take Lex and experiment on him. "Maybe he was preparing for the Western market."
Chloe winced, and studied Lex from the corner of her eye. Cool as a pudding. Mouth curling as if he were amused and interested. She could see every freckle on his face, and his hands were trembling. He wasn't cool, he wasn't amused, and his interest in Fu Yang was nothing short of murderous. He hadn't told her everything, she was convinced of it.
Lionel spoke up, his precise, drawling voice lending his word a sarcastic quality. "So, if I summarize your account, it comes down to the following. About two years ago, two men discovered an incomplete, ancient, myth-based formula for a lethal drug, decided that it would be a good idea to bring it on the market, then fought, killed, and dragged us all down into their private little war? And to stop this war, one of the men, who saw both his two sons die because of this drug, blackmailed the people he wanted to save from the ravages of the drug, by threatening to expose their loved ones to this drug."
Crystal was undaunted. "Yes," she said. "That's about it."
"Huh."
"And this Chen Hao figure?" Chloe asked. "You said they arrested him as well?"
"Yes," Brian McCarthy spoke up from his corner. "He is the one who told us, well, the police, about his background with Fengfei Wei."
"Does he know anything about Fu Yang?" asked Lex.
"If he does, he refuses to speak about him. The name means nothing to him, or so he says."
"Apparently, neither does the nickname 'Lung'," Crystal added.
"Goddamn it," Lex grated out, and for a moment his mask of collected calm cracked and showed a boiling fury that made both Lionel and Chloe stare at him in alarm. He shivered—then noticed the looks from either side, crossed his arms over his chest and smiled reassuringly. "The secrecy of these people is really getting on my nerves," he drawled.
"I'm sorry," Crystal said. "This is all I've managed to find out—with the help of Mister McCarthy, and a friendly policeman at the station."
"It's quite a lot," Chloe said. "Well done, you! And you, Lois. Good work. Very impressive."
The Chinese murmured something grateful as well, conversing softly with one another and with McCarthy, who was probably translating things again.
"I didn't do dicksquat," Lois said, and ignored her father's scowl. "I just lent Crystal my USB recorder and distracted parents when they needed distracting. And I petted a lot of ponies. I didn't understand a single word people said; I've never felt so useless in my entire life. Happy to help, don't get me wrong, but useless as fuck."
Clark smiled and nudged her shoulder. "I'm sure you were an invaluable help."
"She was," Crystal said earnestly. "And so was Mister McCarthy."
Brian, Chloe noticed, didn't look away from the other Chinamen, but his mouth turned up at one corner. Her own head was spinning with all the information. There was, however, one question that occupied her mind. It had nothing whatsoever to do with either the Temple People, the Phoenix Gang, or Fu Yang. It was a selfish question, and she hesitated for several minutes before asking it anyway. She was the only one here in a hospital bed; she was allowed to be selfish.
"So…now everyone but Fu Yang is apprehended and the guilty parties have been identified…when can we go home?"
The chattering fell silent.
"Soon," McCarthy said. "Maybe tomorrow."
"We are lequired to testify," Mister Hua said.
"As soon as we're cleared to go we're moving out," the General said.
Lex just looked at her. And she wondered if she heard him correctly when he whispered, almost inaudible because of the answers of Clark, Lois and Crystal, "I need to find him, first."
TBC