Kung Fu Panda fanfic6
Conspiracy
Following the head servant back into the council room, Master Shifu exhaled swiftly before approaching the table, not yet bothering to set down. He had left Crane back to assist Messenger Zeng recover his breath and strength, that and this was something he needed to handle alone. Today - right here and now - he was going to expose the spy and make sure he'll have what's coming to him.
He stood beside Dove Wong as he watched the Emperor enter the room and take his seat upon the throne, and as Marshal Sao took his spot as the speaker - whatever he had to speak of seemed obvious that it would include the possible terrorist threat he always rambled about. As far as he was concerned, Sao could go on about whatever he wanted, Shifu was certain he would see the end of this nonsense.
"Master Shifu," Wong greeted, glancing over to the elderly master, "you seem to be in a good mood this evening. Are you actually looking forward to one of the Marshal's consults?"
"None of the least, Dove Wong," he replied, "I have no real interest to hearing the same bill requesting the aggressive military actions and options. Frankly, I question his 'sources.' My sources, on the other hand, had just informed me the possibility of a spy in the Imperial Palace."
Wong gave him a anxious, mildly surprised look, "And you believe Sao could be the so called spy - that he is deliberately trying to make the Emperor and the Imperial council agree to his request and demands for his army and security to..."
"...To engage everyone in a war," Shifu finished, "Yes, I do believe so."
"This is very interesting, it could be the reason why he's always so ambitious and determined to enforce his bill upon us. The Marshal wants to transform China into a war country, starting with a civil war."
"Well, you certainly caught the true idea fast."
"Why yes, I've known the Marshal for quite a while, but I never expected he would be apart of this conspiracy." Wong said, "But in any case, if you are looking to expose him as the traitor you claim, then I shall assist you in his downfall."
Shifu smiled at him, at least there would be one aid to his goal in exposing the spy, and at least this will all be over before the end of the day. For right now, he was feeling the upcoming victory in full wake, but somehow, remotely, he felt a little more suspicious now. But as the Emperor tapped his scepter onto the table to call everyone to attention, he decided he'd worry about it later.
"Everyone, please come to attention for the Imperial Marshal Sao," Emperor Yuu boomed, as everyone seated themselves at the long table.
"Thank you, your Highness," Sao began, bowing to the old goose as he turned to the rest of the politicians, "Good people of the Imperial council, it has come to my notice that the terrorist threat is real. According to an onlooking agent, Sy Sia shipyard has been completely destroyed by an unknown force, of which appeared to have happened last night. And during the following morning, a convoy of ships appear, dock, and deliver mysterious cargo to another convoy of land vehicles that drove them to an unknown location - likely the rebel village."
"And what makes you so sure of that, mind me asking Marshal?" Wong asked, standing up to pace, "In fact, why is it that your spies are so gifted in acquiring such accurate intelligence?"
"I pay them good and generously in order to get the information I want to know."
"Yet to you only appear to share half of the information with the rest of us. Is there more to what you're telling us, to this possible terrorist threat, or is the rest of it something you don't want us to know?"
"Wha-? That is an insult!" Sao exclaimed, his anger visible, "I am sharing as much intelligence as I can with you all. To keep secret important information of our problem would be considered treason."
"Treason? How ironic of you to mention," Wong began, "because just before you began your consult, a friend had just spoke with me about a possible terrorist conspiracy. Likely a conspiracy of dissidents against us, not only of the Xi rebels but also the Lang Shadow Army and perhaps many other conspirators involved. And that they had a spy among us, a traitor who is deliberately trying to encourage the people of the Chinese Imperial council to fight with this rebellion that is uprising."
"A spy?" The Marshal repeated, "Me? That is absurd, I am the Marshal of the Chinese Imperial council..."
Just as he gave his conclusive excuse, the entrance doors to the meeting room swung opened, and three figures sprinted through and stopped, exhausted from all of the running they must have been doing. Shifu stood from his seat and started for his three students, anxious of their sudden arrival, "Monkey, Viper, Mantis, what is wrong?"
"Master - Master Shifu," Viper panted, trying to capture her breath in order to form words, "we... we went to the Black Market and found General Lang, they were smuggling modern weapons through Li Rai. We stowed away with the cargo and ended up at the rebel village. It was all a conspiracy - a set up! The rebel chieftain and Lang, they're conspirators, we heard them speak of it, and heard them speak of a spy in the council."
Shifu turned his attention to Wong, who smile and turned his attention back to Sao, "Well then, I guess that pretty much concludes the traitor theory. Guards!"
Suddenly, the Imperial sentinels charged into the council room, as two specific rhinos grabbed the Marshal roughly by his forearms and held him off the floor, restraining him away.
"What? This is - Let me go! This is injustice! I am not the conspirator! I am not the spy!"
"Oh, do save you description of injustice, Sir Sao," Wong told him, "this conspiracy of your doing is finished. You will understand that the Imperial Council will never engage in your silly military options bill, so you can tell your associate - Kio - that for when he and the rest of the conspirators are brought to justice."
Shifu thought he would feel proud, feel the relieve and peace he had been long waiting for, but that last sentence triggered the heart of his suspicious directly. "Kio?" He repeated the name, that had not been mentioned until now, "Rollo Kio?"
Wong glanced back to him, his eyes wide. "Yeah, Rollo Kio," Mantis began, "he was one of the conspirators Lang was talking about back at the village. He said he and his..." - the insect ceased - "Wait a second. We didn't even bring that up yet, how'd you know?"
"Well, uh..." the Dove studdered, "I just... happened to know... Look, that's a good question..."
"Yes, that is, in fact, a good question," Shifu began again, "and I have plenty more. Dove Wong, as a peace worker in politics, I understand that you would be in a council such as this to make sure we don't get engaged with violence, but mostly advise that we don't fight back to encourage it more.
"However, Dove Wong, I cannot help but be curious as to how you know of a lot of things that have gone on in the past few days. When the reports of the Chor-Gom Prison break came, you already knew the inmate - my former student's name; Zhan Fray, and none of us had even said hsi name once.
"Then there was report of the Blackhuff's raid of the Jade Palace, of which stated they had possession of modern weaponry - but what strikes my suspiscion is that you were the first to read the reports, and more over, know the type of firearms they were. The reports said nothing of the weapons' origin, we've all read it to know that, but you happen to know they were Soviet weapons of the Union.
"And just when I arrived, just as we had both spoke about the suggestion that Sao could be a spy among us, which I had mentioned possible to you - but what I didn't mention was a conspiracy, a conspiracy of which you happen to have a good speech already ready for the occasion. It's an interesting understatement that you know about it, as well as know one of the higher conspirators was the merciless Rollo Kio - however, it was all completely new news straight from the door, and you already knew it before it was even brought up.
"So I think we all understand why all of this sounds rather suspicious, so I think it would serve us a good step forward if I were to ask the big question - Dove Wong, how do you know all of this?"
It was the big question, in fact it was the ultimate question, and everyone knew it. Wong was silent, suspiciously silent, for Shifu could easily read his gesture and expression, and after being kept in the shadows long enough to see the truth, he knew straight away that Marshal Sao was just a pawn in all of this - he was innocent - but Wong, Wong was the real traitor, the real spy.
"Well, Master Shifu," Wong began, "I was actually hoping you were as blind-sided as everyone else to have missed all of that during these last few days. But seeing you're not as stupid as everyone else in this hopeless empire, I am left with only with my last resort option."
Before Shifu could even get a single warning, Wong drew a hidden item, a pistol - a Stechkin APS - sticking out from his robe's sleeve, pointed it at the old kung fu master, and fired. The bullet pierced him right in the center of his chest and knocked him off his feet, as he feel onto the hard, marble floor.
Many shrieked with fear as fallen master hit the ground, and the treachorous Wong sprinted for the door, shooting the two rhinos that released Sao and tried to capture him. As the real spy, the true traitor, sprinted out of the council room and down the corridor, he smiled.
...
