Drake introduced…Ma de!This woman built for sexual fantasies was the Director of the CIA? It made his balls shrivel to be this close to her. She stared at him with those fathomless pale blue eyes as if she could see his soul. A devil witch.
Miranda walked past Liú Zuocheng’s extended hand.See how you like it!
The odd little woman stopped close in front of him. She did have truly daunting powers. And research had revealed that they weren’t only in crash investigation but also extended into research and development as well. She could be very useful.
“Hello, Miranda.”
She stared at the center of his chest. “You are averybad man.”
Please, ancestors, keep her mouth away from the J-20 crash.“If you say so, Ms. Chase.”
She responded, but the ancestors had been listening.
While she spoke, the two American aircraft restarted their engines and began taxiing for departure. There was no chance of Zuocheng hearing her accusations, which ran out before anyone could hear again. Perhaps ancestors, perhaps luck, but he’d make more than a paper sacrifice upon their graves at the next festival.
Having had her say, whether or not anyone could hear her, she stepped away to meet Zuocheng. But it didn’t stop the glare from the small ABC who accompanied her. American Born Chinese weren’t fit to soil the dirt under their shoes. So few felt the pride of their ancestors. They were far harder to buy or recruit than any average American.
“US Navy Commander Susan Piazza,” the attractive brunette was the first to offer to shake his hand. “I see that you are the pariah of this outfit.”
“Pa—” He didn’t know this word.
“The unwanted and perhaps evil second cousin.” She offered a companionable smile. Not sexual, at least not that he could see, but perhaps friendly.
“Are you too the pari…”
“Pa-ri-ah.” She shrugged in a way that said perhaps.
Then the sleek American jet, the X-54B, reached the runway. Unlike a fighter jet, it didn’t run three hundred meters and jump aloft. Instead it moved down most of the runway on the ground. Then it didn’t merely climb aloft. It leapt like a krait snake.
By the time it had climbed out of the pattern and circled to once more point northeast across the Pacific, a thump as loud as a handclap rolled down from the sky.
It had gone supersonic? That quickly? And no real supersonic boom. Impossible!
“How fa—”
“Classified!” The ABC snapped at him. Drake’s smile backed her up.
Drake had crossed the seventeen thousand kilometers from Washington, DC, in the last eight hours. It was a terrifying ability.
The leader of the honor guard, who had stood to the side during the introductions, now stepped forward. He was dressed in a white jacket with black slacks bearing twin side stripes of white. His company were dressed in white uniforms, with a curious knee-length bright blue kilt. The leader carried a sword, the others bore rifles.
“Greetings from His Majesty theSultanandYang di-Pertuan of Brunei, DarussalamHassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III. He regrets that he is unable to meet with you personally but he is pleased to offer you his country’s hospitality for your conference. Should you require a moderator, he or his son will make themselves available.Always in service with Allah’s guidance.That is our country’s motto and we hope that Allah leads you well.”
“Meaning he is smart enough to not tangle himself up in our mess unless we’re making it worse,” Drake nodded to the leader of the guard before turning to Zuocheng. “Let us take his guidance and do our best to not disturb his majesty.”
“Yes,” Zuocheng nodded.
“Perhaps, to impose as little as possible, we can all make a meeting upon our aircraft?” Ru indicated the 737. “It is quite comfortable inside.”
Zuocheng looked at him in surprise but then nodded at the sense of it. The advantage of home turf.
Besides, the chance to create ties with the Chase woman and find out how tightly the little Chinese girl was bonded to her country was too good to pass up.
“I would sooner burn in hell,” Drake said politely. “Knowing you, Ru, you’d try to poison us.” He turned to the guard. “I hope that his majesty has deigned to give a moment of thought of where we might find a place to meet that is appropriate, discreet, andneutral.”
The leader nodded, did a snap turn, and walked away. They all turned to follow him.
Ru wished he could interpret Zuocheng’s half smile, so similar to when he was watching the twins last night.
This was going to be a very long day.