city was going to fall. That was clear to see.
“Jake, you have to leave there. I want you to—”
“Dad, no one is going to let me leave anywhere. I’m in a DCM Battalion. That’s almost like a Chinese penal battalion.”
“Don’t say that.” Certainly not over an open line.
“Dad, I’m going to die here. I might as well speak if the truth if that’s what’s stranded me here in the first place.”
Stan squeezed the receiver.
“Dad?”
“I’m here,” Stan said. “Maybe I can get you released from the battalion.”
“Sure,” Jake said. “You can call. But they’re sticklers for rules. Look, I have to go. The doctor needs the phone. Boy am I glad I got to talk to you, sir. I…I, ah, miss seeing you, Dad.”
“I love you, Jake. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. I…I, ah, love you too, Dad.”
Stan blinked again, and he wiped his eyes. This was so unfair. This was horrible. His son who he thought was dead, gone or captured by the Chinese, was alive again.
“Listen to me, son.” Stan paused. What should he tell his boy? This might be the last time he ever spoke to him. Should he tell Jake to play it safe? Stan squeezed the receiver harder than ever. For some reason, he remembered Pastor Bill from Alaska. That old soldier, his best friend, someday in heaven he planned to see Bill again. If his son died in Denver, he would see Jake again in heaven, too.
Stan shook his head. How did people make it without God? He had no idea.
“You listen to me, Jake. You’re a soldier of the United States of America. You fight hard. You beat those sons of bitches and survive. It’s so good to hear your voice. Jake, I’m proud of you. I’m proud how you stand up for yourself and stand up for the truth. I love you, and I know—”
Stan couldn’t speak anymore. It was too hard. His voice almost cracked up.
“Thanks, Dad,” Jake said in a rough voice. “That means a lot to me. I’m going to be like you, sir. I’m going to be like Grandfather.”
“You’re a Higgins,” Stan whispered.
“Just like my dad. I have to go now.”
“Bye son,” Stan said.
“Bye, Dad, and thanks for everything.”
Stan didn’t remember handing the phone back to the captain. He didn’t remember wiping tears from his cheeks. He stared up at the stars, barely noticing a dark shape—an owl—winging through the night.
“Help him, Jesus,” Stan whispered. “Save my son. Please, let me see him alive again.”
Stan swallowed. He wiped his nose. Afterward, he squared his shoulders. He had a job to do, and now he was going to do it right.
BEIJING, PRC
Guardian Inspector Shun Li woke to the sound of heavy knocking. She was in bed in a hotel in the city. She rolled over and felt the floor for her sidearm. It was dark, with thick curtains covering the window, although the edges of the curtain showed light, meaning it must be morning.
She was naked, with a thin blanket over her body. The room was extra warm, as she disliked smothering blankets over her or the cold.
The knocking continued, and it surprised her that the person didn’t call out. It couldn’t be East Lighting. An operative would have said something intimidating already.
Her fingers touched metal. She slid forward and clutched the gun. She wiped sleep from her eyes with her other hand and she sat up, aiming the gun at the door.
She heard a card slide into the outer locking mechanism, and a big man in body armor opened the door. Shun Li recognized him. He was a Lion Guardsman, one of the Chairman’s personal security operatives. She remembered him from the Ruling Committee meeting.
He noticed her gun, and it had no effect on his features. He didn’t even smile or lift an eyebrow.
She lowered the weapon. “Did your wife throw you out of the house this morning?”
The quip brought nothing, not even a flicker of annoyance. “The Chairman requests your presence, Guardian Inspector. You are to come with me.”
The Lion Guard intrigued her for several reasons, the most important of which was that he was one of the elite men who protected the Chairman. She put the gun on the bed and drew back the covers.
“Do you want me to come as I am?” she asked, as she revealed her nakedness.
The right corner of his mouth twitched. Finally, he gave a reaction. “The Chairman would prefer you in your uniform, Guardian Inspector.”
“What do you prefer?” she asked, as she