The Elephant Game Read online

  “We believe so, yes.”

  The president said, “Let’s pretend for a moment that Jinshan is continuing his war plans—are we seeing other signals that are consistent with a war drumbeat?”

  Director Buckingham said, “This is the other item that we need to discuss. While we are seeing coastal military activity and Chinese naval activity decrease, we’re still seeing a flurry of movement with the Chinese army and air force at bases located several hundred miles or more inland. Our analysts are in disagreement over what this means. It could be that the inland military activity is unrelated, and that the coastal and naval military activity is them complying with our demand that they stand down after last week’s hostilities.”

  The president said, “I’m guessing that I’m not going to like the other theory, am I?”

  “No, Mr. President,” said Director Buckingham. “Sir, the other theory involves electromagnetic pulse weapons.”

  The president closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them, turning to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Let’s start talking about how we can prepare for the worst.”

  The attorney general said, “Look, gentlemen, my background is in law. And the evidence that you’ve presented is highly speculative. Bullets at a crime scene at sea as evidence that the Chinese military did it? A picture that shows an Asian woman with half her face covered as evidence that the Chinese kidnapped someone on American soil? Let’s just slow down. Yes, there has been a tragic event that has occurred in China. But, Mr. President, if I may…this could present us with new opportunities. If Secretary Zhang is installed as their new president, that could be very good for US-China trade relations. And that would mean jobs, Mr. President…”

  David could see the twinkle in the eyes of both politicians. Jobs. Approval ratings. Votes.

  The president said, “General, what is your take? Give it to us straight. Is China preparing for war?” He spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  “With all due respect to Director Buckingham and the excellent work that his staff has done, I would urge caution against shouting that the sky is falling just yet. Yes, someone has just killed the Chinese president. Yes, there may be evidence of a continued conspiracy against the United States. But I find it hard to believe that China could be planning for a massive war without a making a much more visible footprint. I agree it would be prudent to take precautions. But with all that’s going on in the region—including options that we’ve discussed to tame North Korea—I don’t want to overstress our armed forces by taking unnecessary action. Our military is spread pretty thin as it is. And we have a strong presence in the region that serves as a deterrent to China.”

  The president said, “What’s your estimate for worst-case scenario, General?”

  “Worst case, Mr. President?” The general rubbed his chin. “Well, I was concerned about the report I read that they were purchasing equipment for up to ten million troops. Blood bags, I think it was. I even read one of General Schwartz’s memos on the increased military recruitment they’ve been doing.”

  “So you are concerned?”

  The general took his time. “Honestly, Mr. President, I just don’t see the Chinese military capable of long-range power projection. There are strategic disadvantages they have, based on the makeup of their armed forces. It is possible that if they became truly belligerent, I would say that perhaps China finally makes a play for Taiwan. But anything beyond that is just not realistic, in my view. A large-scale war would be settled by the US Air Force and Navy in the far Western Pacific. Our bases in Korea and Japan, and our carrier strike groups in the region, simply have too much firepower for them to test us there.”

  Director Buckingham surprised David by speaking. “And, General, what if the Chinese did get past our fleet in the Western Pacific, and were able to neutralize US and allied military forces in Japan and Korea?”

  The general said, “The Pacific Ocean is very large. And we have critical military strongholds on Guam and Hawaii. Those are very strategic locations. Our aerial refueling program allows us to project air power all across the Pacific. Our airborne early-warning aircraft and other radar assets provide us advance notice should anything go wrong. As long as we have Guam and Hawaii, and air superiority, China could never challenge American dominance in the Pacific.”

  The president said, “Thank you, gentlemen. General, please take precautions as you see fit. But let’s not do anything that might provoke China during an unstable transition period.”

  Director Buckingham, in an unusual breach of protocol, spoke after the president. “Mr. President, excuse me. One more question for the general. What if, to play devil’s advocate, China were able to find a way to neutralize all four of those locations—Korea, Japan, Guam, and Hawaii? What then, General?”

  The general let out a snort, frowning and shaking his head. “It’d never happen.”

  “What if?” the director pressed.

  “Well, then, we’d be shit out of luck, wouldn’t we?”

  12

  Lin Yu walked through the crowded marketplace. Carts of food and cheap goods were stacked along the curb. Young men carrying heavy burlap bags of produce on their shoulders hustled to restock the outdoor shops. Mobs of people moved in and out of the street like ants. Salesmen hawked their products. The old women bargain-hunters had made their way down from tiny high-rise apartments, eager for their daily entertainment. Young and old alike, their heads were buried in their mobile phones when they weren’t actively doing anything else. The normal fast-paced bustle of life in Guangzhou, China.

  But there was something new in the crowd today. A tension that hadn’t been there the week before. Before the president and his family had been murdered on live TV.

  People were kinder to each other. More polite to each other. More open in their conversations with perfect strangers. “That poor girl.”

  But there was something else. They were unified. Angry at foreigners, and at the religious zealots that would attack their peaceful leader.

  Lin Yu’s social network feed was a volcano of fury. People wanted revenge on the man responsible for the terrorist attacks on their president and his family.

  But it was too late.

  The police had killed the Christian terrorists as they’d entered the building. Four white people. Americans, they said. The leader was a Christian advocate against the Chinese government. He had posted videos online, and everyone had been sharing them. The lunatic had called for their president to be killed. He was obsessed with abortions and religion.

  Lin Yu stopped at the market to purchase some vegetables—his mother wanted them to make dinner. He overheard the conversations ahead of him in line. An older woman was speaking to the owner of the small outdoor shop.

  “Our poor president. And those poor women. I just hate the people that did this.”

  The store owner was nodding in agreement. “Yes. Yes. Especially for what they did to the daughter. Crazies, all of them. Religious fanatics.”

  “Have you heard that the government has started to come down hard on the local churches?”

  “Yes. I saw one two streets over. They had rocks thrown in the window. Now, I don’t think people should throw rocks at them, but—”

  “And why not?” asked the woman. “They’re responsible for this. We shouldn’t allow them to spread their hateful message.”

  The store owner shrugged.

  Lin Yu said, “Sir, may I buy these?” He held up a pair of bell peppers.

  The man and the woman both shot him a look for interrupting.

  The woman, spurred on by Lin Yu’s impatience, finally handed the shopkeeper her items. The owner rang her up as she continued talking.

  “I hear that the daughter was being taken out of the building, but that the religious leader—the American man from the video—he called her back in because he wanted everyone to see her being murdered. He knew that the TV cameras were on.”

  T
he woman shook her head. “Despicable.”

  “And the only one who is standing up for the citizens of our country is on trial. Did you hear? Cheng Jinshan is going before the Politburo on TV next week.”

  “I have heard that. I’ve never seen them do this before. A publicly broadcast corruption trial. They must know how much people care about the outcome.”

  The woman paid for her things and left. Lin Yu handed the man his peppers. “Who is Cheng Jinshan?”

  The store owner scoffed. “You young people need to pay more attention. Don’t you read the news? He is a businessman who was appointed by our late president to root out corruption in our government. And now they want to try him for conspiracy.”

  “What do they say that he did?” Lin Yu had heard of Jinshan, but he wasn’t sure about the charges against him.

  “Something about the military. He and an admiral from Guangzhou were training to defend us against the American military. Some say that he didn’t ask permission. And somehow the American training accident that sank our navy ships was related to this. It’s complicated. Not so easy for a young man like you to understand, I think. But Jinshan is a good man. He wants China to be strong and protect itself from other nations that would see us become nothing but their workers. You should watch tonight. Everyone else will be.”

  Lin Yu paid for his food and thanked the man, heading back home.

  Lin Yu sat on his couch the next morning, half-watching TV while he scrolled through his social network feed on his phone.

  “Hey, you see this?” His friend was pointing to the TV.

  “What?”

  “The government is looking for new employees. It will help you get training in technology and pay for college. Good pay and benefits while you serve your country. I think it’s some military job.”

  “What, as a soldier?”

  “I don’t think so. Why would they talk about training you in technology if they wanted you to be a soldier?”

  Lin Yu cocked his head, looking at the TV advertisement. He searched for more information on his phone. “I found it online. They say you can start work immediately. Oh, wow. They pay twice as much as I’m making in the phone parts shop.”

  His friend said, “Are you really interested?”

  “For that much money? Maybe. I’ll check it out on the way to work today.”

  An hour later, Lin Yu was walking into the Guangzhou recruiting office of the People’s Liberation Army.

  A pretty woman in a green uniform greeted him at the door. “Hello! Are you interested in signing up for our new program?”

  Lin Yu pretended to be disinterested. He shrugged. “Maybe. I just wanted to hear about it.”

  The woman gently grabbed him by the shoulder, bringing him further into the small office. There were a line of young men and women signing up at a table on the other side of the room. Two other uniformed men sat behind the table, smiling and helping the new recruits to fill out their paperwork.

  The woman looked Lin Yu up and down. “You have graduated from school?”

  “Yes, last year.”

  “You speak any other languages?”

  “Just Mandarin and Cantonese.”

  “Are you good with computers? Do you know how to do any programming?”

  “Not really.”

  “Why don’t we have you take a short test, and we can tell you what type of work you would qualify for? It’s fun, try it!”

  Lin Yu frowned and checked the time on his phone. “I don’t know. I need to get to work in an hour.”

  The woman pulled out a chair at one of several empty desks and grabbed a laptop that was already set up. “Here. It will only take a few minutes. We’ll get your results and have you on your way. You might be eligible for a big bonus if you score well. Trust me, you will want to know. Here, type in your name to start, and your birthday. Yes. There you go.”

  Lin Yu shrugged and began the test. The first question was easy. Simple math. The woman was still standing over his shoulder. She said, “There’s a timer in the corner. See that? That tells you how long you have to answer each question. Okay, I’ll be back. Let me know if you finish and I’m not here.”

  She walked back to the entrance, greeting more kids as they came in. Lin Yu was annoyed. He didn’t want to be taking a test right now. But if there really was a better-paying job that could help him pay for university fees, he wanted to know about it. And lately, he’d felt a sense of patriotism that he’d never really felt before—ever since President Wu had been killed by the Americans. And he was very tired of sitting behind an empty store counter all day, hoping to hawk leftover cell phone parts to American suppliers in for the weekend.

  The recruiter was right; the test went by quickly. Ten minutes and he was done. He turned around and she was leaning over him again, looking at the results screen. He could smell her perfume.

  “Oh, yes, this is very good. You have done quite well.” She smiled and tapped him on the arm. “You should be very proud of this score. Ninety-five percent. You are very smart.”

  “So, what does that mean? Ninety-five percent?”

  She took out a booklet and thumbed through the pages. “Hmm. Hmm. Okay, yes. I think we would most likely place you in our mobility program.”

  Lin Yu said, “What’s that?”

  “It is for most of our best-qualified candidates. Are you physically fit?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay. You will need a physical examination before we can give you any guarantees. But…” She turned to check who was listening, then whispered, “I’m pretty sure that this score will get you into our exceptional candidate program.”

  “Really? Do you have anything that I can read about what I would be doing?”

  “Of course.” She reached over to her desk and handed him a brochure, opening it to pictures of good-looking young men and women in uniform.

  “You would do a few weeks of accelerated training here in Guangzhou. Then, depending on what you select after that, you might be able to travel. Many of our recruits are promoted right away out of training if they’re smart like you. You would probably be promoted right away. Maybe you will be my boss someday?” She smiled.

  “What’s the pay?”

  “Oh, the pay is very good. Very competitive. You can find all that in the brochure. And after you’re in your job for two years, you become eligible for college tuition financial aid. This will help your career if you decide to leave the military.”

  Lin Yu checked the time again. “I think I need to go.”

  “Sure, no problem. Just sign this form first, please. You can come back to this address tomorrow and we can get your physical examination done. Once you do that, we’ll know for sure about your signing bonus and how much that will be.”

  Lin Yu liked the sound of that. The only bonus he had seen in the past few years was when his uncle had given him extra hours of work during the busy season.

  He signed the form and they said goodbye.

  Lin Yu walked out the door and headed down the street.

  The woman recruiter waited until he was gone and then headed over to someone else who had just finished their test. She leaned over and looked at their screen. She said, “Oh…this is a very good score! Ninety-five percent!”

  Lin Yu had to hurry to work. He didn’t want to be late. But he had an added spring in his step after acing the military aptitude test. He hadn’t failed to notice that the woman who was recruiting him was somewhat attractive. Perhaps after he joined the military—if he decided to do so—he could ask her out on a date?

  The wide road sloped down and curved around near a park, large green willow trees providing shade from overhead. It was warm and humid, even this time of year.

  There were a lot more of the volunteers walking around, wearing those red armbands. The armbands had Chinese characters in yellow that said “Security Patrol.” They were just normal people. But they acted like they were police. Stopping foreigners to check t
heir passports. Telling people not to take their pictures. And standing outside the churches…

  There were boisterous crowds gathered ahead. At first, Lin Yu thought he was just hearing the usual city noise. But as he passed the food carts and outdoor markets, filled with people hawking street food and trinkets, he noticed something else.

  A temple. No, a church. There was a construction crane pulling and tugging at the top of the church. And the crowd was chanting below. Dozens of police were there, holding the crowd back. Even more of the volunteers in red armbands stood behind the police. Onlookers had clustered around the activity.

  A snap from overhead, and a large wooden beam fell down to the ground. The crane had tugged the cross down from the top of the church. It landed with a smack and splintered into multiple pieces.

  A woman thrust a pamphlet towards him. She said, “End the persecution of Christians. They say that we are free to worship, but we are not. End the persecution of Christians. Stop the…”

  A police officer with a black club came over, grabbing the pamphlet. “What is this? Stop what you’re doing. You are not allowed to give this out. You do not have permission. Who are you?” He pointed the club at Lin Yu.

  “No one. She just…”

  The woman screamed and pointed across the courtyard as two of the people wearing red armbands began beating a man wearing white robes—a priest, by the look of him. The police stood by, doing nothing.

  Several people had their phones out. They were taking videos. Some in the crowd were yelling to stop, but it wasn’t clear whom they were commanding—the police or the Christian group.

  More police vehicles arrived, and the crowd spread out. Two cracks and then tear gas canisters plummeted from the sky. Lin Yu ran away from the scene, coughing, his eyes burning.

  He arrived at work a few minutes later, out of breath and wondering what he had just seen. He went to the bathroom and washed his eyes out in the sink. Then he went to the shop and began speaking with the girl who was working the shift before him.

  He told her what he had seen.