Bring Out the GIMP (Girls in Merciless Peril)
Stories

A CHANGE OF PLANS

By Fritz


Prologue

 

China – July 6, 2009

 

It was the second day of the Ürümqi riots and the violence was escalating.  Casualties among the Uygur insurgents were unknown, but more than twenty Han Chinese had been killed by the rebels in the first twenty-four hours of the conflict.  The People's Armed Police had been called in to quell the fighting but according to initial reports, their presence served only to intensify the turmoil.  Frustrated with the PAP's inability to beat back the Uygurs, the Han were beginning to retaliate, adopting the same ruthless and brutal tactics as their attackers.

 

Ürümqi is a city of almost three million people and the capital of the vast Xinjiang region in China's northwest.  Xinjiang is the only part of the country in which the Han constitute a minority, in this case to the Islamic Uygurs, amongst other ethnic groups.  Tensions between the Han and the Uygur communities had always run high as both groups claimed indigenous rights to Xinjiang. Not surprisingly the Chinese government conferred title to the Han, leaving the Muslim group classified as a “National Minority”.

 

As a result, an uprising by the Uygurs was not entirely unexpected, though Ürümqi with its primarily Han populace was an unlikely location for the revolt.  The Communist administration had anticipated trouble in the less industrialized Southwest of Xinjiang and was better prepared to deal with trouble there – especially as far fewer Han would be affected.  So when the riots erupted in Ürümqi, both the surprised government and the military were ill-equipped to contain the strife.

 

By the time the PAP arrived it was already too late. Innocent civilians were being slaughtered in the streets.

 

Chapter 1

 

“I want her out of there! I want her out now!!” Huang Chen shouted at the three uniformed men in the dark, smoke-filled room.  Chen was well-dressed, sporting a classically tailored three piece suit and a pair of elegant Berlutis. Puffing continuously on Sobranies since his arrival, he was the source of the dense, blue haze which dimmed the already minimal light emanating from a single forty watt fixture. Two of the uniformed men – corporals in the PLA Ground Forces – coughed at regular intervals, but neither their presence nor their discomfort was acknowledged by Chen.

 

Captain Zhao, the third man in uniform, was even more dismissive of the corporals, both of whom were under his command.  Zhao was a smoker himself and would gladly have joined Chen in lighting up, but as they were on base, he had to obey the no-smoking regulations while in the company of his subordinates.  Were the pair not present, the captain could have indulged himself, so he was more than a little annoyed they were there.  Chen on the other hand did not have to follow the rules – neither on the base nor most other places he frequented.  He had the money to make his own regulations, or to buy off the people who objected when he did.

 

The subject of Chen's tirade, which had continued more or less non-stop for fifteen minutes, was his wife Jade.  As he had explained repeatedly to Zhao, Jade had gone to visit her parents in Ürümqi just a few days before the riots had erupted. She now was trapped in the city along with thousands of others who were afraid to leave their homes to face the unrest in the streets.  Most had accepted the situation as unfortunate timing and would wait out the turbulence until order was restored.  However, a woman of Jade Chen’s standing could not be expected to be inconvenienced like the local commoners – nor was it right that she would be put at risk by events which had nothing to do with her.  At the first opportunity, she had called her husband, telling him to make arrangements to get her out of the trouble-zone – safely.  Huang Chen responded by calling in some favors.

 

Hundreds of people owed Chen.  As the wealthiest industrialist in Lintong District, he frequently used his affluence and influence to assist those who accommodated his own ambitions.  Deals had been made; underworld connections established; bureaucrats bribed.  If someone needed an obstacle cleared, Chen was the man to make it happen.  And yes, even the military had called on his help to arrange the covert transfer of a vast weapons shipment from Antwerp to the 47th Group Headquarters of the PLA.  Chen’s involvement had saved the government millions, and best of all, the potentially volatile matter of an influx of Western technology was never disclosed.  Chen had been paid of course, but he was savvy enough to make his continued silence conditional on the military’s cooperation should he need “minor services” in the future.

 

It appeared he needed them now.  And so in a matter of hours Chen was at the 47th Group base with Captain Zhao, who had been given the unwanted assignment of obliging this overbearing billionaire. Zhao listened carefully and was relieved to hear that Chen’s demands were not all that unreasonable.  He wanted a single Norinco VN3 armored vehicle, three trained foot soldiers and a female escort.

 

“It’s very easy,” Chen said patronizingly, explaining his rather simple-minded plan to spring Jade from Ürümqi.  “The three commandos drive the VN3 to where my wife is staying.  They get her out… into the truck, and then drive to a secret rendezvous a few miles outside the city.  The girl will be waiting there with a car.  She’ll escort my wife the rest of the way to the airstrip.”

 

“Why the transfer to a woman?” Zhao asked.

 

“We can’t risk drawing attention to this operation.  If the rebels suspect that a Han Chinese as renowned as my wife is travelling out of the city, she will be in grave danger. The three men are needed only to get her through the hot zone.  Once clear, my wife will continue in the company of a single female – two women travelling together in an unobtrusive automobile will not seem unusual. They will have a good chance of making the trip unnoticed.”

 

But a bad chance of dealing with any conflict, thought Zhao. He kept this concern to himself so as not to encourage Chen to increase the scope of his request.

 

“Why not get the PAP to help you?” Zhao asked. “Ürümqi is crawling with police, so they would blend right in.”

 

“The PAP does not owe me, so I cannot trust them.  You, on the other hand…”

 

“I’m so glad you trust us,” the captain said sardonically.  He never liked taking orders from civilians, least of all belligerent ones like Chen, but he knew he had no choice.  Zhao accepted the man’s perilous scheme with a passive-aggressive shrug and just one further comment.

 

“What about her parents?”

 

“What?” Chen wrinkled his brow.  It was clear he had not given any thought to the possibility that Jade’s relatives also could be in danger.

 

“Your wife’s parents. Don’t you want them taken with her?”

 

“Why?” Chen seemed genuinely surprised. “They live there.  Even if they did want to leave, what right-minded man would want to rescue his in-laws?”

 

Captain Zhao would have laughed had he thought Chen was joking, but the man was dead serious.  He intended to get his wife, and only his wife, out of Ürümqi.

 

And who could blame him?  Jade Chen was not only as stunningly beautiful as her husband was rich; she was also one of the most photographed models and celebrities in China. Within months of winning Huang Chen’s affections and financial backing, the former Bao-Yu Pei had been transformed into Jade – the anglicized translation of her name – a top-tier model and bottom-tier actress whose resplendent face and figure seemed to grace every magazine and television show in the country.

 

At 26 Jade Chen was less than half her husband’s age, but that hardly mattered given the terms of their less than traditional marriage. In essence, Huang had not wed, but rather bought himself a concubine, a status symbol, and ultimately an investment.  For her sexual services and frequent appearances on her husband’s arm, Jade had received not only a modeling career, but also admission to the rarefied world of Asia’s wealthiest and most prominent citizens.  Before marrying Chen three years ago she had toiled as a waitress in a Fukang restaurant. Now few people in China – at least among those who had access to the popular media – did not recognize her.

 

Zhao took another glance at the photograph of Jade her husband had provided. It was hardly necessary – the captain, as well as everyone else on the base already knew what the woman looked like.  Zhao figured the promo shot in his hands was hanging in half the barracks in China, and for good reason: it depicted a topless Jade looking at the camera with a sultry expression, her arms positioned coyly across her chest in a futile attempt to cover her remarkably abundant breasts. Her thick, dark hair cascaded down her back and the hint of a smile formed on her lips. She was wearing only tiny briefs for modesty; otherwise she blithely displayed an unblemished expanse of smooth, bronzed skin covering an improbably perfect body.  It was no wonder, thought Zhao, that her husband was so anxious to get her back.

 

Chapter 2

 

Senior Private Min Li waited impatiently in the extreme heat baking the barren landscape just past the outskirts of Ürümqi.   Min was the only female among the few dozen 47th Group enlisted personnel stationed within 500 miles of the city, so when the call came in that a woman was needed immediately to shepherd some VIP to an airstrip almost an hour’s drive away, she was chosen despite her relatively low rank and less than one year of service.  Along with three other men from her unit in Turpan, Min had been pulled from her field training exercise, quickly briefed, then choppered to an abandoned PLA checkpoint just off Route G216.  She had turned 23 only two weeks earlier and this would be her first official mission.

 

Like the others in her squad, Min had been relieved that the army had so far decided not to intervene in the conflict. Those who had witnessed the skirmishes said the fighting was arduous – mainly close combat in narrow streets, alleyways and buildings.  And then there was the barbarism of the Uygur rebels, a group that staunch loyalist Min detested.  When her sergeant assigned her to the mission, her heart sank.  Not only because of the danger, but because the purpose of the operation was so trivial and unnecessary.

 

Unlike the three men selected along with her, Min was not a fan of the famous Jade Chen. Min had contempt for celebrities in general and she had a particular dislike of this woman.  Jade had everything Min did not – wealth, a powerful husband, a modeling career, and a busty body that made men melt.

 

Although Min was far from plain, she was self conscious of her modestly proportioned figure. She resented that the males in her unit fawned over the bosomy bimbos who, unlike Min, could afford to artificially enhance their appearance. She also was embarrassed by her poor, rural upbringing and her less than feminine livelihood as a PLA foot soldier. Min dreamt of living the life Jade led and was bitter that she was stuck in the mundane military.

 

And now, as if to rub salt into the wound of her jealousy, her superiors had ordered her to chauffeur this privileged bitch through a hot-zone to a private airfield sixty miles away.  That meant she’d be with the woman for over an hour – probably being ignored but constantly reminded of her own ordinary and unglamorous existence.  Min sighed.  If she had to risk her life, why couldn’t she at least have been asked to do so for some noble cause?  And if she had to ferry someone through the desert for an hour, why couldn’t it be a handsome, young lieutenant?

 

Min looked at her watch.  It was almost time. She squinted down the dusty road leading to the outpost for any sign of the VN3. Nothing was approaching yet. The briefing sergeant had selected this spot not only because it was army property, but because it was off the main highway and virtually derelict.

 

A small shack with its windows knocked out still remained, and a few sandbags and shell boxes were lying about, but the former checkpoint had not been used in years.  The 1987 Dongfen which had been driven to the site just before Min’s arrival was the only indication other than Min herself that a transfer was about to take place.

 

Min examined the shabby vehicle and shook her head. She knew the plan was to remain inconspicuous during the drive to the airfield, but surely that didn’t require a car this old and battered.  She wondered what the pampered Jade Chen would think about riding in such a clunker. Min peered inside.  The key was in the ignition as promised, but there was no air conditioning.  She thumped her fist on the roof in frustration.  How could this assignment get any worse?

 

The summer heat in Xinjiang was at its highest, and as mid-day approached the temperature had soared close to forty degrees.  When the chopper dropped her off, Min was still attired in the full camo BDU she was wearing during the combat simulation she had been in earlier that day.  She had been told to stay in battle dress until the men arrived with Jade – that they would bring appropriate clothing for her to wear on the drive to the airfield.  Min rolled her eyes.  If her civilian outfit would be as “inconspicuous” as the car, she’d prefer to stay in uniform, despite the risks.

 

Min had done her best to follow orders, but after only a few minutes of broiling in the sun she decided to shed at least some of her stifling get-up.  Her flak jacket was the first item to go, and soon after, she pulled off her shirt.  Underneath, Min wore an old tank top which she had ripped apart just below the breast line so it would cover her chest and leave her midriff bare.  She hated  bras, and since her diminutive chest required little support, she chose to re-use her worn out tops instead. As much as she wanted to strip down to only her underclothes, Min naturally had to keep on her pants and boots – and her helmet too. If there was one thing soldiers couldn’t remove in the field, it was their helmets.

 

Min caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window of the Dongfen.  She was sweaty and smudged with grime from the day’s activity, but she had to admit she looked more than a little hot in a dirty-girl kind of way.  She smiled and swung her hips seductively.  She should dress like this more often, she thought. Maybe then some of the men would choose to spend time with her instead of dreaming about a fantasy babe like Jade Chen. After all, other than come-hither looks and big tits, didn’t she have just as much to offer as that vapid supermodel? Hearing the distant sound of an approaching vehicle, Min realized she would not have to wait long to find out.

 

Trailing a cloud of dust, the VN3 rambled along the dirt road until it reached the checkpoint, stopping about twenty yards from Min.  She did not move towards it. Instead, she waiting cautiously to ensure everything was unfolding as planned.  Ready to draw her side-arm, Min grew slightly anxious when no one emerged from the vehicle for over a minute.  Then she breathed a sigh of relief when the three men she had been expecting stepped out and signaled her.  She recognized one of them right away, a short, cheerful private named Tung Wu. Tung had enlisted with Min and was assigned to her squad at Turpan base.  As he jogged toward her, he seemed uncharacteristically displeased.

 

“What happened?” Min asked.  “Didn’t you get her?”

 

“Oh, we got her alright.  Look…”  Tung pointed to the VN3, where the other two men were helping Jade Chen from the back seat.  As they gingerly ushered her from the transport, Jade was overcome by the dust and heat which surrounded her and immediately began ranting at her escorts.  They stood patiently by as she loudly berated them for making the journey so miserable.

 

“She’s even worse than I thought,” said Min.

 

“It’s been like that ever since we pulled her from her parents’ apartment.” Tung looked exasperated. “Too hot outside, too cold in the VN3, no food, lousy coffee, bad radio reception – if you can imagine it, this spoiled bitch will complain about it.  You know, I thought spending an hour with Jade Chen would be a dream assignment, but you were right… she’s just like the gossip press describes her. I am so glad this is over.”

 

“For you,” Min sighed ruefully. “Now I’ve got to deal with her till I get her to the airstrip.  Any problems with the rebels?”

 

“No, we were lucky.  We took the backstreets and stayed away from the areas where we knew there was fighting.  We did see quite a few bodies – mainly Han I’m afraid.  And we ran into some PAP patrols, but they didn’t seem surprised to see us.  I think things are getting worse, though.”

 

“I just hope the Uygurs aren’t setting up ambushes for people heading out of the city,” Min said. “I still don’t understand why the three of you can’t drive your precious cargo all the way to the airstrip. Or why we can’t fly her there in a chopper. If I get caught with her out here, I’m toast.”

 

“That’s the point – you won’t get caught.  You remember what we were told in the briefing… the rioters in the city are just Uygur and Han citizens attacking each other, but out here is where the organized and well-equipped terrorists are operating.  They’re targeting the military and police.  Two of our patrols have been attacked in the past month alone, and you probably remember the chopper that was hit with a SAM in April.  But regular traffic is getting through okay – there’s so little of it, it’s not worth anyone’s time.” 

 

“Sure.”  Min didn’t sound convinced.  Something about this plan didn’t feel right to her.

 

“Besides, you seem awfully confident,” Tung broke into a wide grin and whistled, gesturing at the scanty attire covering Min’s upper body. “I can’t say I disapprove, but isn’t it a bit risky ditching your flak jacket while you’re standing in the open in a potential strike zone?”

 

Min blushed.  She’d forgotten to cover up when the men arrived.

 

“Better to be killed in action than to die of heatstroke,” she said, trying to act indifferent, but her heart fluttered on hearing Tung’s admiring comments.  She was tempted to reach for her shirt, but decided not to.

 

“Practical as always,” Tung said, “but it sure looks like a baited hook to me.  And just in case…” he stammered a bit. “Just in case it is, perhaps after this mission is over, we… we could…”

 

“That would be nice,” Min replied with a slight smile, blushing further. “But speaking of my, um… attire, I was told you’d be bringing a change of clothes for me.”

 

“Oh right.  We have some things in the transport.  But first, let me introduce you to the wicked witch.”

 

Min and Tung walked to the VN3 and joined the two men, both corporals. They were still being scolded by a fuming Jade Chen. She was smaller than Min imagined, just five foot three or so, and was dressed to kill in skin-tight jeans and a snug, fitted top cut deep enough to reveal a generous amount of cleavage.  Her knee-high boots with two inch heels seemed like a dubious choice, but Min guessed they likely were the most sensible footwear in the woman’s wardrobe.  Thanks to the heat and her anger, Jade was sweating profusely, leaving her top clinging to her curves and making it more than apparent that she was brazenly braless.

 

“Who the fuck is this?” Jade suddenly stopped sniping at the corporals and turned to Min.

 

“This is Senior Private Li,” Tung interjected quickly to spare Min the awkwardness of announcing herself. “She will be escorting you to the airstrip.”

 

“Alone?” Jade looked alarmed.  She reached out and tugged on Min’s tank top.  “And what’s this?  Doesn’t she know how to dress herself?  She doesn’t look like an official military escort to me – more like she’s out to pick up guys at the base saloon.”

 

Min was about to shoot back an insult referring to Jade’s own inappropriate outfit, but thought better of it. Instead she said, “Don’t worry, I have a change of clothing,” reminding Tung that she needed whatever they had brought for her.

 

“Actually,” Tung began, suddenly nervous,  “all we have is what Mrs. Chen brought with her.  We figured you and she are about the same size, soooo…”

 

“Wait a minute!” Jade had clearly not been informed of this part of the plan.  “She’s going to be wearing some of my stuff?!!  Over my dead body!!”

 

“It may come to that if you don’t agree,” said one of the corporals, bravely pointing out that they didn’t have much choice.  “If you were to encounter hostiles along the way and if they saw Private Li in camo garb, I suspect you would immediately lose any chance of survival.”

 

“I don’t give a shit… she can strip naked for all I care.”

 

“Mrs. Chen,” the other corporal added, “we had hoped you would be reasonable…”

 

Jade let out an exaggerated sigh and relented.  “Very well.  There are some old jeans in my valise, and a pair of flats – I hope she takes a seven – and well… with her quail breasts, I don’t know what we’ll do about a top.”

 

Min wanted to sink into the ground and disappear from sight.  In less than a minute, Jade had made her feel like a sexless frump.  She couldn’t believe these men were so callous and dense as to assume a woman like Jade Chen would willingly share her clothes.  As all three men tried to keep the diva calm, Min pulled the valise from the transport and put it on the hood.

 

“Do you want…” she began, motioning to the small case.

 

“No, honey, just help yourself,” Jade shot back huffily.  “Seems what’s mine is yours.”

 

Min opened the case and quickly found the jeans and a pair of flat heeled strap sandals.  There were only two tops, both of which were tailored to Jade’s far more generous bust line. Min would look ridiculous in either of them. And since there were no T-shirts or sweats in the valise, she reluctantly decided to keep wearing what she already had on.  After all, it wasn’t nearly as revealing as Jade’s low-cut, almost transparent top.

 

Min removed her helmet and stepped behind the transport, partially out of view.  She pulled off her combat boots and pants and struggled to get into the denims.  The men were right – she and Jade were the same size, at least below the waist, but Jade obviously preferred outfits of the painted-on variety.  Out of the corner of her eye, Min caught Tung sneaking a glance at her as she wriggled her legs into the jeans.  She couldn’t resist winking at him.  He blushed but didn’t turn away.

 

The sandals fit well and soon Min was properly disguised as “just another civilian”.  She looked down her body and sighed – just another slutty, exhibitionistic civilian, she thought to herself.  Still, she made a believable match for Jade, and it would take a lot of imagination to suspect she was an army escort.  Min rubbed at the stains on her top to clean it up a bit, but soon realized it didn’t matter.  No one other than Jade would get a good look at her during the drive to the airstrip. And if they were intercepted, she would have bigger things to worry about than grubby clothing.

 

Returning to the other side of the VN3, Min drew appreciative glances from the three men and a friendly whistle from Tung.  She sashayed in front of them to show off and giggled shyly.  Jade rolled her eyes and shook her head.  She did not enjoy sharing the spotlight even here, and certainly not with a lowly PLA private playing dress-up in her jeans.  She was quick to interrupt the fun and cleared her throat noisily.

 

“If Little Missy is through amusing the troops, I might remind you that I have a plane to catch.”  Jade strode toward the car and motioned for Min to follow her.  “And don’t forget my case.”

 

Min waved goodbye to the men, giving Tung a particularly warm parting smile, then grabbed Jade’s valise and carried it to the Dongfen.  As Min expected, it took Jade just a few seconds to notice the battered condition of their vehicle.

 

“You can’t be serious!” Jade stood next to the car with her hands on her hips and looked at it in disbelief.  “This heap won’t make it back to the highway, let alone to the airstrip.”

 

“It’s all we’ve got,” replied Min flatly. “I’m sure the army wouldn’t give us an unreliable automobile.  It’s just supposed to look like a run-down clunker.  Remember, we don’t want to stand out, and a stretch limo on the G216 isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”  Min put the valise on the back seat. Jade remained hesitant, looking as if the car was about to bite her.

 

“Once again, it seems I have no choice,” she said at last, instinctively opening the rear door to get in.

 

“No,” Min said sternly. “You ride in the front with me.  On the road, we’re just friends driving to Baluntaizhen. You can return to celebrity status when you’re on the plane.”  Min’s blunt gibe caught Jade off-guard.  It even surprised Min herself.  But Jade did not retaliate with derision or a threat.  She understood that her safety was now in Min’s hands and that it was in her own best interest to annoy her escort as little as possible.

 

Min, feeling empowered by her role as Jade’s surveillant, not to mention by wearing her flashy, civilian attire, got behind the wheel and started the car.  With a quick honk at the three men, the Dongfen drove past them, leaving behind a cloud of dust as it travelled toward the main road.

 

Chapter 3

 

To her credit, Jade Chen did her best to suppress her demanding, strident nature once she and Min got underway. She did this by crossing her arms tightly across her chest and remaining utterly silent for the first ten minutes of the trip. This was fine by Min.  Given only two choices, she would rather be ignored than berated.  If the journey was shaping up to be a long and awkward one, at least it would be peaceful.

 

But a woman like Jade could not stifle her temperament for long, especially if her own comfort was being compromised.  When her celebrity passenger spoke at last, Min was momentarily startled to hear Jade’s girlish voice break the silence.

 

“Stop the car!” she commanded.  “Now!  I have to piss.”

 

“We can’t,” Min said with a sigh.  “Didn’t the men give you our instructions?  You were supposed to take care of that before we left.  Sorry, but this is a non-stop cruise…”

 

“Then someone should have provided a car with functioning shocks.  I was fine when we left but we’ve been bouncing around like monkeys on a trampoline since then, and my bladder is not built for this type of abuse.  So unless you want a really bad smell to add to this heat and dust and endless jiggling, I suggest we bend the rules a bit.”

 

Min knew Jade was not the type to bluff, and with less than a quarter of the trip complete, there was no chance she could last for the remainder of it.  Again Min wanted to express her frustration, but she bit her lip and reluctantly pulled the Dongfen over to the side of the road.

 

“Make it quick…“ she said, trying not to sound annoyed. “Please.”

 

Jade got out and walked about twenty yards from the car.  They had stopped in open desert with no bushes, scrub or even rock formations nearby, so Jade had no choice but to pull down her jeans and squat in plain view of her escort.  With almost no other cars on the road, there was little danger of being seen by anyone else, but even with Min keeping a close eye on her, she seemed completely indifferent.  If anything, thought Min, Jade was enjoying the attention.  Why else would she make such a production of slowly wriggling out of her jeans, clearly revealing she wore no panties over her shaven crotch?

 

“This slut has no shame,” Min said to herself.  “Why is it women like her get all the breaks?”

 

As Min felt her ire rise, she suddenly was distracted by a familiar thumping sound in the distance.  She rolled down her window and realized with alarm the noise was closer than she had thought.  It was a helicopter, no more than a mile away and heading in their direction.  She hoped it was a PLA patrol, but that was unlikely given their route to the airstrip was to remain clear.  Instead, it probably was an unfriendly craft, one which would put her and Jade in imminent danger.

 

“Get back in the car!” Min yelled at Jade.  “There’s a chopper coming… it will see us any second.  We’ve got to get back on the move!  Now!!”

 

Jade did not acknowledge her. She continued to squat half-naked on the sand, nonchalantly relieving herself.  When the helicopter came into view a minute later, it was too late.  The two women and their battered vehicle were caught in the open and impossible to miss.  Even as the chopper hovered less than 200 yards overhead, Jade refused to move.  Instead, she looked up, shielded her eyes with one hand, and waved with the other.  Min shivered.  She wasn’t sure if her travelling companion was incredibly fearless or just plain stupid.  She suspected the latter.

 

Min gripped the car’s steering wheel tightly.  She expected that at any moment, the chopper would either descend to the ground or release a barrage of gunfire.  When nothing happened, she forced herself to look out the window and tried to identify the craft.  It definitely was not PLA issue, but Min’s knowledge of foreign makes proved insufficient to narrow down its origin.  She suspected it was a Shahed from Iran, but couldn’t be sure.  Not that it mattered – since it wasn’t Chinese, it was bad news no matter where it was from.

 

After hovering overhead for almost three minutes, the helicopter began to rise higher, and eventually continued on its way.  Min breathed a sigh of relief.  It seemed whoever had spotted them bought the ruse that  she and Jade were just two ordinary women on the way to Baluntaizhen. Although making a pit stop on the highway might briefly attract the attention of rebel scouts, it’s hardly an unusual occurrence. What could be remotely suspicious about a young woman relieving herself by the side of the road?  Min felt silly for being paranoid.

 

When Jade at last returned to the car, Min was ready to chastise her for being so careless. She wanted to explain how much danger they were in when they were spotted by whoever was in the helicopter. But as Jade tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable in the passenger seat, grumbling about the “oppressive” conditions she had to put up with, Min could not help but laugh.

 

“What’s so funny?” Jade asked her, wondering if this lowly army private was mocking her.

 

“You.”  Min said honestly, but with a smile and no hint of acrimony. Jade glared back, perplexed and suspicious.  And then, quite unexpectedly, she smiled.

 

“Oh you mean… me?  Out there?  With my pants off… with that helicopter?”  Her grin grew wider, and then she too began to chuckle.  “Yeah… I guess that was kind of humorous, wasn’t it?  Good thing I’m not shy,” she added, as her laughter increased.

 

“I… I would’ve been… mortified!” Min sputtered, slapping her thighs.  “Humiliated for the rest of my life…”

 

“You gotta learn to loosen up, babe.  It’s not the end of the world if someone catches you taking a leak.  Now being caught fucking… that’s kinda embarrassing, especially when it’s on tape and winds up on the internet… but then, nawww… even that can be fun.  It certainly helped my career.  But I know what you’re thinking… that I’m just an exhibitionistic whore…”

 

“Well, to be honest… yeah, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Even though she was laughing uncontrollably, Min regretted saying the words almost immediately.

 

“Well, babe… you’re right.  But boy does it pay well!”  Jade did not take offence.  She just continued giggling as Min started the car. Neither woman was able to contain her laughter as they drove off.

 

Chapter 4

 

Both Min and Jade were surprised that the hostility between them melted so quickly.  They were from very different worlds, but being about the same age, the women found they had more in common than they would have guessed.  As the trip continued, they chattered amicably about the men they liked, their favorite movies and music, and even their political views.  In particular, they discovered they had a shared dislike of the Uygurs and the other Islamic tribes who were beginning to outnumber the Han in the West.

 

“Uncivilized barbarians,” sniffed Jade.  “That’s the best one can say about these people.”

 

“Not to mention the many rebel factions and terrorists among them,” added Min. “The PLA says some of the groups are supported by Middle East militants like Al-Queda. That helicopter we saw… I’m pretty sure it’s from Iran or Pakistan. These insurgents are everywhere in this part of Xinjiang.”

 

Jade shuddered.  “Let’s hope they stay away from us.  I’d hate to think… well, I’ve heard stories…”

 

“Don’t worry.  I’ll protect you.  That’s my job, remember?”

 

Jade looked at Min’s waif-like body.  It was no bigger than her own and therefore one hundred pounds at best.  Private Min was attractive enough, but she could offer no more protection than a flyswatter.  Jade knew her escort meant well, so she kept her thoughts to herself, but if they ran into trouble – serious trouble – both of them would be completely defenceless.

 

Once they reached the half-way mark, the women grew more relaxed. In about a half hour they would be on the cut-off to the airfield.  Jade would fly home to her husband and Min would be choppered back to Turpan.  Their fear had turned to boredom and they amused each other by sharing dirty jokes.

 

Suddenly Min screamed.

 

Without warning gunfire rang out, seemingly from all sides at once. Some of the shots pelted the Dongfen, but most of the salvo came in low.  Min realized their attackers were aiming at the tires, trying to bring the car to a stop.  She bent over and forced herself to drive on, peeking up just enough to see the road.  Around her, she noticed the desert – formerly flat and unobstructed – was now peppered with rocky outcrops which provided perfect cover for ambushers. How had she not seen this?

 

“Get down!” she shouted at Jade, but the terrified woman had already crouched as low as she could.  The firecracker bursts and occasional metallic pings continued for just a few seconds.  Min felt the car drive erratically and she heard the languid thumping of flat tires.  It seemed all four had been shot out.  She rounded a curve and was startled to see a large object blocking the road.  It was a helicopter… the one they had encountered earlier.

 

Min gasped and hit the brakes, but without proper traction she lost control.  The Dongfen careened off the side of the road, narrowly missing the chopper before plunging down an embankment.  The drop was only a few yards, but enough to flip the vehicle onto its roof.  Without seatbelts, Jade and Min tumbled unrestrained inside the automobile, their bodies slamming against each other. 

 

When the car came to rest, Min found herself hanging upside down with her left foot awkwardly trapped under the driver’s seat.  Jade was slumped next to her, eyes closed, either unconscious or dead.  Min’s side-arm was in the glove compartment, now just out of reach.  Yet even if she managed to get the gun, she knew there was little she could do to ward off her assailants.  It was clear someone had planned their attack after spotting the women earlier.  In hindsight, Min knew she had been incredibly naïve to think the chopper’s occupants had been fooled.

 

After a brief silence, the passenger-side door opened.  Through a cloud of dust, Min saw a large, swarthy man enter the overturned vehicle and twist Jade’s limp body until it was facing him.  The man touched Jade’s neck and felt for a pulse, Min watched his expression beam, his mouth breaking into a wide, broken-toothed grin.  He let out a deep, bellowing laugh followed by a loud, excited announcement in a language Min did not understand but recognized nonetheless – Turkic!    She guessed he was boasting that they had captured the celebrated Jade Chen, apparently alive.

 

And to Min’s horror, she realized she was responsible. She imagined the next day’s headlines: “Jade Chen Kidnapped!  Incompetent PLA soldier to blame.”  Being captured by insurgents was what she had feared most, and now it had come true.

 

“Please…” she whispered as the man pulled Jade’s unconscious body from the car.

 

But no one heard Min.  In fact, it seemed like she would be abandoned, contorted in the Dongfen as the rebels headed off with their prized captive.  Apparently they would just leave Min trapped in the car to die.  After all, though Jade Chen was worth a fortune to them, Min had no value.  She heard some more heated discussion outside the car followed by some reluctant murmurs of agreement.

 

Seconds later the driver’s-side door opened and Min felt two men grab her by the shoulders to pull her out of the vehicle.  Unaware of her trapped foot, they simply applied more force when she didn’t slide out as expected.

 

“Aaaaiigh!” Min screamed.  “My foot… damnit!  It’s caught under the seat!”

 

But before the men understood what she was saying, they yanked as hard as they could and ripped her body free.  There was a sickening snap as Min’s ankle was broken and a nasty gash opened along the side of her calf.  Min cried out in pain as she was dragged from the car and dropped to the ground on her back.  She looked up at the large man with the missing teeth.  He sneered, then spoke to her in fluent English.

 

“Stupid Han bitch.  You are lucky we let you live.  My comrades say you are worth nothing to us.  But we do not know who you are.  Perhaps you will be of use to us.  If not, we can always kill you later.”  Min lay motionless on the sand, her limbs splayed and her face a mask of anguish.

 

As if in a dream, she watched the gap-toothed Uygur raise his rifle high before bringing the butt of the weapon down on her head.  Min felt a stab of pain as the wooden stock crashed against her skull, and then her world instantly went black.

 

Chapter 5

 

Min had no idea how much time had passed before she groggily regained consciousness.  It felt like days had gone by, but she guessed it was no more than a few hours.  Her first sensation on waking  was pain, a sharp, pulsing ache in her left ankle and a dull throb where she had been bashed on the head.  She moaned and tried to reach down to her injured leg, but found she could not move.

 

Min was seated in a rickety wooden chair, her forearms tightly bound with coarse rope to the armrests and her ankles to the front legs.  More rope ran around her bare midriff, securing her to the chair’s backrest as well.  She was in a dark, squalid room, poorly lit by a few bare bulbs dangling from a ten foot wooden ceiling.   The walls were made of thick stone and the floor was covered with faded tiles, several of which were missing.

 

The air was fetid and extremely hot, even more so than the desert sun Min had sweltered in earlier. She was covered in perspiration; sweat dripped from her forehead and ran in streams across her exposed skin.  The tiny tank top which barely covered her breasts was soaked through and virtually diaphanous.  Min shamefully noticed her dark brown nipples were clearly visible through the flimsy fabric. She remembered that Jade deliberately had flaunted herself this way – but Min definitely did not want to draw attention to herself, especially as a captive of brutal terrorists.

 

Thinking of Jade, Min wondered where she was.  She looked around the room and saw another chair on a slightly raised platform.  This one – conspicuously positioned in the middle of the chamber – was empty.  Two spotlights, both turned off, were mounted on stands facing the second chair, one to the left and one to the right. A video camera secured to a tripod was placed directly in front of it.  A small table was on the far side of the platform, but in the dim light Min could not see what was on it.  Other than that, the room was empty. There was no sign of Jade Chen.

 

For almost an hour, Min sat in the back corner of the room, helplessly bound to her chair and growing more frightened by the minute.  She cursed herself for being so easily captured by the rebels.  How could she be so stupid and fail her first mission?  For such incompetence, she was sure she would be discharged from the service – assuming she would even get out of this situation alive.

 

Though Uygur insurgents rarely killed their captives, the hard-line Islamic guerrillas in the region were far less merciful.  And with a prize like Jade Chen in their clutches, these agitators would have little use for Min.  Worse still, if anyone suspected she was a PLA soldier, she would undoubtedly be executed regardless of the affiliation of her captors.  Min prayed that Jade would not give her away.

 

At last a door opened.  Across the room, Min saw three men enter.  They appeared to be Turkic – swarthy, bearded and unkempt. They were pushing a petite female ahead of them, slapping and groping at her as she tried to dodge their brutish assault.  It was Jade.  Her arms were cuffed behind her back and she could do little to defend herself other than curse and kick at the men with her feet,.  The men just laughed at her futile attempts to ward them off, becoming more aggressive as their victim’s protests grew louder.

 

The largest of her assailants, the lout with the missing teeth, pushed Jade to the wall, squashing her big breasts flat against the rough stones.  He rubbed himself against her, pretending to take her from behind. The others chortled and egged him on.  Jade cried out, humiliated and afraid, but could do nothing to resist.  When he was done, the large man grabbed Jade’s hair and pulled her back, tripping her across his leg so that she fell clumsily to the floor. She landed on her back, her eyes wide with terror as the trio of savages closed in on her.

 

“Please… please don’t…” she pleaded as the large man reached for his zipper.  With Jade lying just a few yards away from her, Min could tell the poor woman had already endured some mistreatment at the hands of her tormentors.  Though still attired in her jeans and boots, Jade’s low-cut top had been torn off, leaving her abundant assets exposed for all to see.  There were a few bruises on her torso and a cut on her cheek. Her arms were awkwardly twisted behind her.

 

As the men prepared to rape Jade, Min realized none of them seemed to notice she was in the room.  Or if they had, they were so focused on ravishing their celebrity captive that they had no interest in an unknown like her.  As much as she envied Jade’s fame and beauty, she had no desire to trade places with her now.

 

Just as the large man began to lower himself onto his prey, someone else entered the chamber.  It was another Turkic male, this one even bigger than the would-be rapist hovering over Jade.  Unlike the others, who wore non-descript camo fatigues, he was nattily attired in an officer’s uniform and was well groomed.  Min guessed he was the leader of the other three.

 

“Alim!” the uniformed man shouted at Jade’s attacker.  “What are you doing?”  Once again, the words were in English, which they all apparently could understand.  Perhaps the men did not share the same heritage and this was the only language they had in common.

 

“I… I was j… just about to teach this bitch a lesson,” Alim stammered.

 

“You have the audacity to defile the woman who is the key to our triumph… the one who can enrich us beyond our dreams?  Do you know who she is?”

 

“Of course, commander.  She is the famed Jade Chen.  She is celebrated by the Han… and so she is to be reviled by us.  We must treat her for what she is… a piece of noxious filth, useless and beneath contempt…”

 

“She is all that.” The commander lowered his voice.  “But we have not captured her to satisfy our own base desires.  Jade Chen is an invaluable commodity.  Her husband is among the wealthiest men in this country, and he will pay handsomely to have his wife returned safely.  Until he does, we must not be so foolish as to damage the merchandise.  Do you understand?”

 

“Yes sir!” Alim replied diffidently and backed away from Jade. 

 

“Kamil, Tahir… secure her to the chair.  We have work to do.”

 

The two smaller men lifted Jade by the shoulders and dragged her onto the platform.  While Tahir positioned her in the chair, Kamil took some rope from the table and tied her wrists to the armrests, just as Min’s had been.  Jade turned briefly to look at Min, then quickly averted her eyes as if she had not even recognized her companion.

 

“Why are her breasts exposed?” the commander asked, as if he had only just noticed Jade’s topless state.  “This is not a titillating freak show!”

 

“Her… her covering came loose as she struggled,” Kamil said.  He sheepishly pulled Jade’s shredded top from his pocket and held up the evidence.  What once could barely conceal its owner’s bounty was now no more than a tattered kerchief.

 

“Idiot!”  The leader  scowled.  “You expect me to believe it was an accident? I should make you remove your own shirt to cover her.” Though this would suitably humiliate Kamil, the commander knew all three were likely responsible so he let it pass. “Do what you can to hide her shame.”

 

Instead of tying the rope around the woman’s midsection, as he had done with Min, Kamil wrapped the cord twice around Jade’s bosom, doing his best to shield her nipples from view.  Not only was this ineffective, it caused her considerable discomfort as he fastened the rope tightly to the backrest.  Once Kamil had tied the final knot, Jade was secured to the chair looking not unlike one of the sexy cover shots she had posed for in the past.

 

The uniformed man walked up to her. “My name is Commander Yusuf Otkur and I am a member of Uluk-Gar. We are fighting to drive the Han from West Xinjiang.”

 

“You… you are Uygur,” replied Jade in fluent English.

 

“We are Islamic, but not Uygur,” said Otkur.  “Nonetheless, we are doing all we can to encourage the rebellion.  The more unrest and danger there is in this part of China, the more Han will leave.  Your capture will not only add fuel to the fires of dissension, it will line our pockets as well.  You see Mrs. Chen, your falling into our hands is not only a powerful symbol of Han vulnerability, it also makes you our hostage.”

 

“Hostage?  What do you plan to do with me?”

 

“If all goes well, nothing at all.  Once your husband pays fifty million yuan for your release, we will free you.”

 

“You bastards… you are nothing but pathetic extortionists.”  Jade could not hide her anger.  The thought of being used as a pawn by these terrorists repulsed her.  “Whatever my part is in this ridiculous scheme of yours, I won’t cooperate.”

 

“I’m sure you will.”  Otkur’s eyes narrowed.  “There are so many ways to assure your compliance.  For example, this young lady in the corner of the room… we captured her along with you, but you’ve done all you can to avoid drawing attention to her.  You must know who she is.”

 

“She… she is my… my assistant.  Her name is Min.”

 

“You see, already you are cooperating,” said the commander.  “And unless you want to experience the inconvenience of replacing your assistant, you will continue to do so.  Do you understand?”

 

“Y… yes.”

 

“Good.  I’m sure Min is very relieved to hear you agree.” Otkur turned to look at his second captive.  Even from several yards away, he could see Min shiver noticeably despite the oppressive heat.  “Now then, your first task is to announce your kidnapping to the world.”

 

Without being asked, Tahir turned on the spotlights, firing two bright beams of light at Jade.  The additional heat made her swoon and the glare caused the sheen of sweat which coated her tanned skin to glisten enticingly.  Tahir turned on the video camera and adjusted its position.  When he was ready, he nodded at the commander.

 

“As a woman accustomed to being in front of the camera, you should have little difficulty with this,” Otkur said wryly. “In fact, we’ve even provided you with your lines.  Alim, please hold up the teleprompter.”

 

Standing off to one side, the large man leering at Jade raised a poster on which her lines, in English, had been printed in neat block letters.  She turned back to look at Min who shook her head ever so slightly.  But Jade knew to disobey this man would lead to dreadful consequences. She bit her lip and hoped her ordeal would be over as quickly as possible.

 

“As you all know, I am Jade Chen, and as of 2:00 PM, today, July 6, 2009, I am a captive of Uluk-Gar…”

 

Chapter 6

 

The two men sat rigid and stone-faced in the briefing room.  Captain Zhao had called Huang Chen back to the Lintong base the moment he was informed that Jade and her military escort had not arrived at the airstrip on schedule.  It took less than a half hour to find the wreckage of the Dongfen and to decipher the tell-tale signs of an ambush by Uluk-Gar insurgents. There was some blood in the car, but Zhao suspected both women were still alive.  He had witnessed the same scenario many times before.

 

In fact, he already knew the location and pass code of the online video which laid out the rebels’ demands.  The recording was at the same untraceable site where Uluk-Gar kidnappers, perhaps the same ones who had abducted Jade Chen, had previously posted their stipulations.  As usual, the captive had been forced to read the scripted details of the conditions to be met to secure her release.

 

“…and once Uluk-Gar has confirmed the funds have been transferred to the account mentioned earlier, I will be released.  They expect the ransom to be paid in full within twelve hours…”  Zhao paused the video on the projected computer display.  A close-up of Jade Chen’s frightened face was frozen on the screen, her features dimmed by the haze of Huang’s incessant smoking. The video was short, less than three minutes, and in almost all ways it was no different than the others Zhao had screened in the past.  Except this time the hostage was Jade Chen – and the ransom was considerably higher.

 

“I knew that plan to withdraw my wife wouldn’t work,” bellowed Huang. Zhao bit his tongue, resisting the urge to remind him that it had been Chen’s idea from the start.  “It’s extortion…  but I suppose I don’t have any choice, do I?”

 

“I’m afraid not.” Zhao had gone through the motions many times before, always with less wealthy and powerful victims, but the drill was the same.  “The one time we attempted to rescue Uluk-Gur hostages, the kidnappers blew up their own compound before we got through the front gate.  Later, when we sifted through the remains, we had to use DNA samples to separate the rebels from their captives.  It was a mess.”

 

“And if I pay… what are the chances that my wife will be released safely?”

 

“If the ransom was paid, Uluk-Gar released almost all the 53 people they kidnapped over the past two years.  Still, I’m afraid there are no guarantees.”

 

“And you say that almost all the kidnap victims are female?” Chen found this curious.

 

“Yes.  Mainly Han Chinese women – often visitors to the region, like your wife.  The rebels have no qualms about killing men, and they specifically target military and police figures for assassination. But they know it would look bad if the authorities were to ignore ransom demands and jeopardize the lives of innocent women – so when it comes to kidnapping, Uluk-Gar prefers to abduct females.”

 

“But my wife… she is also famous… and she is a celebrity among the Han.  Won’t that change the situation this time?”

 

“Perhaps.  They certainly are asking for a lot more money to release her than the others they have captured.”

 

“And if I do not pay?” Huang Chen did not want to ask this question, but as a businessman, he insisted on knowing all his options.  “You said most captives are freed when the kidnappers receive the ransom… what happens when they do not?”

 

Captain Zhao did not answer him.  Instead, he let the video of Jade continue to play.

 

“Please Huang…  I beg you…” Jade was no longer reading from the script her captors had given her.  She was pleading directly to her husband.  “Please pay these men soon so I can…” Before she could finish, a clenched fist came into frame and smashed Jade across the face. Her head whipped sideways and she yelped in pain. For the first time, a male voice could be heard on the soundtrack.

 

“You are to say only what is on the cards!” As Jade sobbed in response, the camera pulled back to reveal more of her body.  Huang and Zhao now could see she was topless and that she had been tightly bound to the chair.  The male voice continued, but this time the speaker addressed his audience – in particular, the husband of his hostage.

 

“Huang Chen… your wife may not follow instructions well, but she is right.  You must meet our demands quickly.  You must transfer the funds as specified, or the consequences for this Han bitch will be most severe…”

 

Once again, a disembodied hand came into view – this time clutching a knife. The hand’s owner was partially visible in the wider shot, but unrecognizable. Jade gasped as the edge of the knife was pressed against the top of her left breast, causing her soft flesh to bulge around the blade.  Her face contorted as the sharp steel sliced just deep enough into her chest to draw a trickle of blood.  The thin red stream meandered across her flesh until it was absorbed by the ropes running across the center of her swollen bosom. Jade’s sobbing grew louder.

 

“As you can see,” the male voice continued, “we are not afraid to draw blood – even the blood of famous and beautiful celebrities like your wife.  In fact, her fame and beauty make her a particularly tempting target.  There will be no shortage of volunteers to obliterate this slut if you fail to pay.”  The camera zoomed back in on Jade’s tear-streaked face and after ten seconds, the image faded to black.

 

Huang Chen shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  He inhaled deeply from a freshly lit cigarette and released a plume of smoke with an audible sigh of resignation.  He knew he was beaten.  He nodded at Zhao, indicating wordlessly that he understood the consequences of not paying the ransom.

 

“I will meet their demands,” he said with a sigh.

 

“By the way,” Zhao added,. “there was no reference to Private Li.”

 

“Who?”  Chen seemed distracted.

 

“The military escort who was accompanying your wife.  We assume she was captured as well, but there is no mention on the video that the kidnappers expect any ransom for her release.  I’m afraid the situation does not look very good for her.”

 

“Who cares?  Stupid bitch failed her mission and let Jade fall into the hands of these hoodlums.  Even if they asked for something, I’d tell you not to pay it.  Let ‘em take out their frustrations on her after they release my wife.”

 

Chapter 7

 

“Look what those bastards did to me,” whimpered Jade, sitting uncomfortably on the stone floor.   She ran a finger across the shallow cut in her breast.  “Look… it’s still bleeding. I’m sure it will leave a scar”

 

“You’ll be fine.” Min sat next to her and tried to offer comforting words.  “I was grazed by a bullet a few months ago during a drill – just along the side of my boob.  It was bleeding for hours, but now you can’t see a thing.  Don’t worry about it.  We’ve got more serious problems to deal with... like whether we can get out of here.”

 

The two women were in the same squalid chamber as before, but now they had been confined to a small alcove with a hinged iron grate separating it from the rest of the room. Min looked around the tiny enclosure – a makeshift jail cell which offered little opportunity for escape without the key to open the grate.

 

Though Min knew the frequent kidnappings in the region almost always ended with the release of the captives, she worried that this time circumstances were different.  For one thing, Jade Chen was no ordinary hostage. For another, their captors seemed excessively ruthless and insensitive.  Although Commander Otkur had warned his men to resist the allure of their famous prisoner, he did not think twice about cutting her, nor had he asked anyone to provide her with a shirt. If their abductors were not treating a prize like Jade with care and respect, that did not bode well for either of the women. 

 

“We don’t need to escape.”  Now it was Jade’s turn to reassure Min. “My husband will pay the ransom.  Soon.  Once these terrorists have the money, they will let us go.  I read about this in the news all the time – the kidnappers in this region always release their hostages.”

 

“I know,” said Min, keeping her concerns to herself.  “But if we have the opportunity to free ourselves, we should try. Those four men have left us unguarded for almost an hour –  they’re probably in another part of the building.  This may be our only chance.”

 

Although Min had already tested the grate a half dozen times, she crawled over to do so yet again.

 

“Damn it!  For such an inadequate facility, you’d think it would be easier to break out of it.”

 

“Looks like we’re stuck here, babe,” Jade said in resignation.  “Might as well make the best of it.”  She joined Min at the grate, turning to face her. Min dropped her gaze and found herself inadvertently staring at Jade’s breasts.

 

“They… um… it… it looks like the bleeding has stopped,” she sputtered, feigning interest in Jade’s injury.  Jade did not reply.  She reached out with one hand and gently pulled on Min’s sweat-soaked tank top, stretching it to expose more of her pert breasts.

 

“Show me…” Jade said in a soft voice.  “Show me where the bullet grazed you…”

 

“I… I think… it was here.”  Min traced along the side of her left breast with her finger.  She did not resist as Jade continued to tug at the flimsy material until Min too was rendered topless.

 

“You’re right.  No scar at all.” Jade moved her hand to Min’s breast and stroked it gently.  Min quivered.  She blushed as she felt her nipples harden and swell.  Her mind raced as she found herself succumbing to Jade’s allure.  She wanted to give in, to let herself go, but she knew what drew her and Jade together was fear not ardor.  She knew it was wrong.

 

“No…” Min said, pulling away gently. “We can’t.  Not here.”

 

“I understand.” Jade nodded. “Still, I’m glad you’re with me.  I don’t think I could get through this by myself.”

 

“I…  I’m… I guess that’s why I’m here… why I was sent to escort you.”  Min didn’t know how to reply.  She certainly wasn’t glad to be “here” with Jade, but she too was happy that she was not alone.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Your husband wanted someone to keep you company… to protect you.”  Min sighed. “I suppose I’m not doing a very good job.”

 

“I wouldn’t say that exactly. I’m still alive, and you’ve shown you’re pretty good at keeping me company.” Jade grinned.

 

“We have to get out of here.” Min changed the topic. “We’re wasting time.”

 

“It’s okay.  I already told you – we just need to wait till Huang pays these crooks and they’ll let us go.”

 

“You don’t understand.  It’s my responsibility to make sure you are unharmed, and as long as you are in the hands of these terrorists, you are in serious danger.  More than you might think.”

 

“And you – with a busted ankle – are going to break us out of here, fight off four, maybe more, armed rebels and lead me home?  Look at us!  We’re half-naked for god’s sake!”

 

“I know it looks bad, but I have to try.”  Min picked up the tiny piece of cotton which was her top.  She fiddled briefly with the soiled, soaked garment, then deciding it would serve better as a tourniquet to cover the gash on her leg. She folded the cloth and tied it around the wound. If Jade wasn’t bothered being topless, why should it worry her?

 

Once again she looked around the cell.  Although Min had noticed earlier that the grate was a poor fit for the alcove opening due to the uneven surface of the stone walls, the space between the grate and the stones was less than ten inches – not quite enough for her to squeeze through.  Yet by observing the wall from a lower point of view, Min could tell one of the stones was crooked, as if it had come loose and been carelessly pushed back into position.

 

“Look at that,” she said. “We can make the gap a little wider if we move away that slab.  Give me a hand…”  Together, Min and Jade were able to jostle the loose piece back and forth until it was clear of the wall.  By bracing herself and pushing with her good leg, Min shoved the stone further away until there was nothing to support it. It fell over sideways with a thud. For just under two feet, the distance between the grate and the wall was now a few inches wider.

 

“I think I can get through there,” Min announced optimistically.

 

“You’re crazy.  That’s barely enough space for a kid.  And even if you can squeeze through that crack, there’s no way I can make it with these puppies on my chest.”  Jade shook her head and looked down at her enhanced assets. She didn’t want Min to leave her in the cell alone.

 

“Don’t worry.  I’ll find a key to the door and come back for you.  Or maybe there’s some way out of here and I can get help.  Anything is better than waiting around to see whether or not these maniacs keep their word.”

 

“Okay… you might be right.”  Jade’s concerned look didn’t change.  She was planning to protest some more, but was taken aback as she watched Min suddenly strip off her jeans.  “What the hell?  Are you nuts?”

 

“If I’m going to slide through that gap, the pants are going to make it more difficult.”  Min winced as she pulled the left leg of the garment over her injured ankle, careful to keep the bandage in place. Now attired in only her panties and sandals, she handed the denims to Jade.  “I’ll need those back,” she said with a smile.

 

Already sitting on the floor, Min lay down sideways and snaked her way close to the opening.  She pulled on the grate for leverage and managed to get her head and shoulders through the gap with relative ease. Her chest, on the other hand, proved more of a challenge.  She exhaled as much as she could and rocked her body back and forth, inching forward ever so slowly. Min groaned in pain as the iron grate compressed her rib cage and the stone behind her scraped over her back.  Her breasts ached as they were squashed and contorted against her sternum.  For the first time in her life, she wished they were smaller.

 

“Are you okay?” Jade noticed Min’s progress had come to a virtual halt.  “Do you want me to push?”

 

“Aaaghh…yyyy… yyesss..”  Min could barely get enough air to speak.  Jade grabbed Min’s hips and thrust forward with all her might.  Min yelped in agony, but her body wouldn’t budge.

 

“Oh god… I’m… I’m stuck… “  Min gasped.  “Push harder!”

 

Jade tried again, still without success.  In a panic, she pulled in the opposite direction, but this maneuver failed as well.  She looked around for anything that might help the situation and noticed a small puddle on the floor at the other side of the grate.  It was oil that had leaked from a generator elsewhere in the room, then streamed to collect in a hollow where a tile was missing.

 

Jade went to the puddle and lifted as much oil as she could in her cupped palms.  After returning to Min, she poured the viscous liquid on the trapped woman’s torso and quickly rubbed it over her skin.  Soon Min was coated with oil from her neck to her waist on both sides of her body.

 

“Wh… what the… f.. fuck are you… doing?”  Min’s breathing was getting shallower and she was too light headed to understand what was going on.  It felt for all the world as if Jade was giving her another massage, this time with the worst scented lotion ever made.

 

“Trust me,” Jade reassured her. Then once more she pushed on Min’s hips with all her might.  The slippery oil did its job, and with a sudden lurch, Min’s upper torso slid through the gap.  Her tiny waist had room to spare, but Min’s hips and butt required a slathering of more oil before she was able to slither completely free of the cell.  She had made it out.

 

Min used the grate to pull herself upright and put pressure on her injured leg.  The pain was excruciating, but she could hop and hobble if she leaned against the walls. To provide further support, Min took apart one of the spotlight stands, which provided a handy four-foot metal pole she could use as a cane.  After a bit of practice, she was able to limp about without too much difficulty.  Jade gave her a thumbs-up and snickered.

 

“What’s so funny?” Min asked.

 

“You.  You’re naked.  And you look like you’ve been working on an oil rig.”

 

Min blushed. While struggling to get out of the cell, she had lost the last of her clothing when her tiny thong had been ripped apart by the grate.  She now stood nude, except for her shoes and the bandage around her ankle, her pale skin glistening with a sheen of sweat and black streaks of oil.

 

“Actually, you look pretty hot – at least to someone who’s into gimpy, petro chicks.”

 

“Har-har.” Min was unimpressed.  “Now give me my pants you little bitch.”

 

Jade laughed and threw the jeans to Min, who wriggled about awkwardly until she was partially clothed once again.  Using the metal pole, she hobbled to the door of the room and slowly opened it. On the other side was a dim hallway with two more doors leading off it, one from each side.  Min turned back to Jade and told her what she saw.

 

“So what’s your plan?”  Jade asked.

 

“To get us the fuck out of here.”

 

“Well be careful.  And stay out of sight.  You don’t want those nasty men to see your tits, do you?”

 

“That’s the least of my worries.”  Min groaned and limped down the hallway, leaving Jade behind.

 

Chapter 8

 

After reaching the first door in the hallway, Min gingerly opened it and peered into a room no bigger than a large closet.  It contained a desk, a chair, some storage racks and most importantly, a short wave radio.  Most likely, the rebels used this somewhat primitive device to communicate unobtrusively.  By varying frequencies, they had less risk of being monitored than if they used satellite based cell communication.  For Min, the radio would allow her to contact the Turpan base – if she could remember the correct VHF band for sending distress messages.

 

She was tempted to try calling for help immediately, but thought it wiser to further investigate her surroundings first.  Perhaps she could find out where she was or whether there were more rebels present than the four she had seen so far. The more information she could relay to the base, the better were the chances that she and Jade could be rescued.  Min walked past the radio room and proceeded down the corridor.

 

As she approached the second door, she heard voices.  Her kidnappers were arguing loudly, still speaking in accented English. Min recognized the most aggressive and dominant voice as that of the brutish Alim, the man who had tried to rape Jade.  Two others, Kamil and Tahir, were less vocal and sounded almost fearful as they squabbled with their comrade.  Min did not hear the comparatively calm and reassuring voice of Commander Otkur.

 

Although the door was closed, Min could see what was on the other side through a tiny peep-hole drilled into the wood.  The three men were standing in a room similar to the dingy, stone-walled chamber she and Jade had been taken to, though this one was a bit brighter.

 

Along with Alim, Kamil and Tahir, Min noticed that Otkur was in the room as well – though unlike his men, he was not engaged in the conversation.  He, or rather his dead body, lay face up on a table next to the others.  The front of his uniform was soaked with blood from numerous bullet wounds in his chest.  Alim was still holding the gun which he had used to shoot his commander.

 

“I had every right to kill him,”  Alim explained to Tahir and Kalim while carelessly waving his side-arm. They had witnessed the shooting and were questioning Alim’s motives. “It is the goal of Uluk-Gar to drive the Han out of West Xinjiang – and eventually from the entire province.  We will not accomplish this by filling our coffers with more money than we will ever need.  The currency we must use includes fear and terror – we must instill dread in the hearts of our enemy, not complacency.  I say that this time we use a different strategy. We will not release our hostages. Whether or not the ransom is paid, they will die!”

 

“But our orders…” Kamil replied nervously. “Our orders are quite clear.  We are to follow the usual procedures.”

 

“That hardly matters now that the commander is dead,” Tahir added grimly. “We most likely will be tried for mutiny and executed.  I think I’ve changed my mind and agree with Alim. If we do not follow through now, we are certainly doomed. Perhaps if we kill the hostages, Uluk-Gar will become more formidable and gain power. If so, the council will praise our initiative.”

 

“Very well.”  Kamil realized it was now two against one.  He hesitantly concurred, but suspected the real reason Alim had killed Otkur was to fulfill his desire to ravish the lovely Jade Chen.  Kamil had known Alim for several years and this was the first time the sex-crazed murderer had spoken of any Uluk-Gar strategy.  Usually he defied orders for only one reason – to satisfy his own perverse desires.

 

Min’s heart skipped several beats as she heard the men’s new plans.  She wanted to bolt –  to get away from this place as quickly as possible and save her own hide, even if it meant leaving Jade to a heinous fate at the hands of the rebels.  But Min knew that would be cowardly and unbefitting of a PLA soldier, even a lowly senior private like herself.  It was her duty to protect Jade and she would fulfill it at any cost, including her life.  Min forced herself to stay at the door, hoping to pick up more information.

 

“Believe me… we will be vindicated if we demonstrate the unyielding resolve of Uluk-Gar,” Alim continued. “We cannot do this if we show mercy and weakness. We must make examples of our prisoners, not release them.  And what better time than now… when we have in our hands the most celebrated and beautiful hostage we have ever captured.  The people want blood.  Let us give it to them by sacrificing their enemy’s idol, the celebrated Jade Chen!”

 

“But are you sure the people want to see more bloodshed and savagery?”  It was clear Kamil was still not convinced.  “After all, many of the Islamists love Jade Chen as much as the Han do.”

 

“Perhaps some do,” Alim acknowledged. “But those who are in the streets fighting for independence want action.  All around us, Uygur citizens are being killed as they protest in Ürümqi.  They will want revenge, and no matter what they may think of this Han harlot, they will be happy to destroy her if it drives an arrow of anguish into the heart of their enemy.  But I will be fair.  When the time comes, I will let the people decide.  The Uygurs will determine Jade Chen’s ultimate fate.”

 

Min swallowed hard.  Alim’s words sent a shiver down her spine. She decided to wait no longer.  Now that she knew she and Jade were in Ürümqi, it would be easier for the PLA to find them.  Still she needed more – a landmark or reference point.  She had to see what was outside.

 

Min hobbled to the end of the corridor to a small stairway which led to a landing next to yet another door.  With considerable effort she made her way up the five steps to the landing.  The door was made of solid steel and was locked.  Min sighed.  It seemed she was trapped in some sort of underground bunker, and even if she did try to escape without Jade, there was no way for her to get out.

 

Set in the door was an eight inch square window, grimy with soot and providing a paltry view of what was outside.  Min pressed her face to the glass.  Luckily, it was still light – not that there was much to see.  About thirty feet away was a concrete wall topped with razor wire, and off to one side Min could see what looked like part of a vehicle.  Looking more closely, she saw a heavy metal tread and a long, thick barrel pointing slightly skyward.  It was a tank, though with no insignia or markings, she could not tell what kind it was or who it belonged to.  Still, it was better than nothing.

 

Ignoring the pain in her ankle, Min made her way back down the corridor.  She passed the door with the peep-hole but decided not to look in on the three men again.  She could still hear them arguing, though by now Alim was doing almost all the talking.  Eventually Min reached the radio room.  This time she went inside, sat down and fumbled with the transmitter controls.

 

“Damn… what was the distress frequency?” she muttered to herself.  She had learned it as part of her training just a few months ago. “Of course… 233.3 Megahertz!”  In a flash, the mnemonic she had used to help her study came back to her.  The numbers 23 and 33 were her waist and hip measurements. Min twisted the dial until 233.3 showed on the display. She prayed someone was monitoring incoming transmissions at the base.

 

“This is Senior Private Min Li, PLA, SN CA-028956 to Turpan base… urgent… urgent... do you read?”  Min wanted to shout the words into the microphone but kept her voice as low as possible.  “I repeat… do you read?  This is Senior Priv…”

 

“This is Turpan base.  What is the nature of your emergency? Over.”  Min almost jumped for joy.

 

“I… we have been captured by Uluk-Gar rebels.  Mission to escort Jade Chen… compromised.  We are being held in Ürümqi.  Over.”

 

“Understood.  47th Group HQ is aware of your situation.”  Min heard the rustle of papers as the radio operator looked for his script.  Apparently her transmission was not unexpected. At last, he continued. “Ransom demand has been received.  Payment is imminent.  Suggest you and civilian await release.  Over.”

 

“No… No!!” Min’s voice grew louder.  “They… Uluk-Gar insurgents intend to kill us.  Soon.  There are at least four of them. I overheard their plans. Over.”  There was a long pause.  After almost a minute of silence Min heard a different voice reply.

 

“Private Li, this is Sergeant Sun.  Do you know your location?  Over.”

 

“We are in Ürümqi,” Min wanted to be more precise, to provide proper coordinates, but she did not know what to say.  The tank and the concrete barrier seemed like such worthless markers, she felt embarrassed when she mentioned them.

 

“Can you be more specific?” Sergeant Sun sounded frustrated.  “There must be hundreds of tanks in the streets of Ürümqi.  Over.”

 

“It’s all I know.  We are in some kind of bunker… mainly underground I think…”  Min was close to tears.

 

“We must have more location details,” Sun said gruffly.  “Otherwise, rescue operation is not possible.  Repeat… rescue not possible!  Over.”

 

“It’s… it’s all I know,” Min repeated.  “Please… please help us… we are in grave dang…  Aaaauughh!!!” Before Min could finish she let out a sudden cry and fell from her chair. She collapsed to the floor where her body sprawled unconscious at the foot of the table.  Standing over her were Alim, Tahir and Kamil.  Alim still held the gun with which he killed Otkur, the weapon he had just used to smash over Min’s head and knock her out.  He raised a finger to his lips, then pointed at the radio.  For a moment there was silence.

 

“What the hell was that?” Sergeant Sun’s voice barked from the speaker.  “Private Li… are you there?  Private Li, please respond.  Over.”

 

Alim turned off the radio and smiled broadly.  He looked down at Min and admired the smooth, gentle curves of her exposed flesh.  He nudged her breast with the toe of his boot, but got no response.  Except for a thin trickle of blood dripping from the back of her head, she looked quite peaceful, her modest bosom rising and falling rhythmically with each breath.

 

“It seem Mrs. Chen’s so-called assistant is not who we were led to believe,” Alim said with mock disappointment.  “How very unfortunate for her.”

 

Chapter 9

 

Jade Chen was bound crosswise over the blood-covered table that had previously borne the body of Commander Otkur.  On Alim’s orders, Kamil and Tahir had dumped Otkur’s corpse to the floor, then arched Jade face-up across the middle of the table, leaving her legs dangling over one side, and her head hanging upside-down over the other.  Rope was used to pull her limbs apart, keeping her struggles to a minimum.  The purpose of Jade’s awkward position was clear even to her.

 

She was still attired in her tight-fitting jeans, but she knew that the last of her clothing would be removed before long.  Her upper body remained completely exposed, and her stiletto boots had been removed, leaving her barefoot as well.  Jade was used to being naked, stripped to entice her many fans… but this was different.  She did not feel sexy.  She did not feel desirable.  She felt like a piece of meat on display in a butcher shop.

 

Alim of course insisted on being the first to sample Jade’s enticing charms.  He had made no secret of his lust for the stunning star from the moment he recognized her.  Now, with Otkur no longer in the way, Jade Chen was his at last – to do with as he pleased. With his prize half-naked and splayed out before him, Alim leered at the radiant young woman like a starving peasant ogling a finely cooked roast.

 

Alim unzipped his grubby camo pants and let his already erect penis thrust outward.  His thick, oversized member bobbed lewdly as he walked around his captive, circling her like a scavenger closing in on its prey.  He began with Jade’s mouth – holding her by the neck and thrusting the full length of his manhood down her throat.  With his testicles hanging across Jade’s eyes, Alim rocked back and forth, groaning contentedly as his fervor grew.  Jade could only grunt and gurgle in response.  Her air-supply all but cut off, she nearly asphyxiated while her unconcerned assailant kept his cock stuffed down her gullet for almost two minutes.

 

Alim waited until his victim’s face turned a deathly shade of blue before he pulled out of her, a slimy trail of pre-cum, saliva and blood drooling from between her lips.  With Jade gasping to refill her oxygen-depleted lungs, Alim strolled around the table to stand between her parted thighs.  Drawing a large hunting knife from a sheath strapped to his belt, he slipped the oversized blade under Jade’s tight jeans, then sliced it upward to cut them open.  Soon the fine denim hung in tatters.  Alim ripped away the remaining strands of fabric from her hips to fully expose the neatly trimmed mound of her vulva.

 

Once again, he plunged his rigid cock deep inside his victim.  This time she could protest.  This time she could beg for mercy.

 

“Nooo… Don’t!  Please don’t… please… don’t… do this…” Jade wailed and sobbed, but her pathetic pleas only increased Alim’s arousal, while also drawing laughter from Kamil and Tahir.

 

Alim’s thrusting became more forceful; his orgasmic moaning louder.  The table rocked in a steady creaking rhythm, accompanied by the telltale sound of slapping flesh. Jade’s breasts lolled about on her chest, her limp body offering no resistance to the brutal assault.  She had stopped her pitiful pleading and stoically accepted her defilement.  There was nothing else she could do.

 

At last Alim erupted inside her. Jade fought the urge to vomit; she did not want to anger her tormentor by revealing the disgust which overwhelmed her.  Instead, she thought of Min, and how she wished she had listened to her.  If only she had not been so complacent, so certain that no harm would come to her as long as the ransom was paid.  If only she would have tried harder to escape.  If only she could have broken free as Min had.

 

“Forgive me Min,” she said to herself.  “I was wrong not to trust you.”

 

When Alim had finished, he let out a long, lusty grunt of satisfaction.  Standing triumphantly over the ravaged Jade Chen, he claimed her rape as a personal victory.

 

“You Chinese whore!” he bellowed. “You flaunt that body of yours to the world as if you are something special… as if you are some goddess who deserves to be worshipped by millions of men and women.  But you are no different than any other Han bitch.  You deserve no more than to be fucked and thrown to the mercy of the poor people your culture continues to oppress.  And so shall be your fate.”

 

With unrestrained savagery, Alim clenched his hand and punched it hard against Jade’s groin, burying half his fist into her already plundered sex.  Her eyes wide, she let out an unrestrained shriek of agony.

 

“That is so you won’t forget our little tryst,” he said. “Perhaps I will help myself to more of your delights later, but first I must attend to my other guest.  I suspect she should be reviving shortly.”

 

Still recovering from the vicious blow, Jade’s heart sank when she heard Alim mention a second captive.  Perhaps Min had not escaped after all.  Could it be she had been recaptured?

 

“Min… Min?” Jade said in a dazed, husky voice, her head slumping backward. “You… you are… you have Min?”

 

“Of course.  Did I not mention that we easily foiled your stupid friend’s foolish plan to escape?  And since we now know she is a PLA soldier, I’m afraid her destiny has become exceedingly grim.  Believe me, she will not receive the considerate and kindhearted attention I have been showing you.

 

“No!  Please don’t hurt her.  She’s innocent… she was just assigned to protect me.”

 

“She is in the Chinese army.  She is our foe!  Just as you will suffer a fate befitting of your undeserved status as part of the oppressive elite, hers will be appropriate to her role as our sworn enemy in the military.”

 

“But neither of us has done anything to harm you… or your so-called people…”

 

“You don’t understand.  I have nothing against you personally.  It’s about what you represent.  You see, unlike my former commander, who now lies dead on the floor beneath you, I am not interested in the ransom.  Instead, you and your friend will become examples… examples to demonstrate the relentless determination of Uluk-Gar.” Alim paused for a moment to let his gaze travel over Jade’s naked body.

 

“But first, there is no reason we cannot enjoy the bountiful fruits with which we have been blessed.  Yours in particular are exceptionally ripe and tempting.  Now that I have had an opportunity to taste them, it is only fair that Tahir and Kamil have their chance as well.”

 

Alim nodded at the two men and smiled.  As Jade Chen whimpered, he turned and left the room.

 

Chapter 10

 

Sergeant Sun had wasted no time informing his superiors of the interrupted communication from Private Li, and they in turn immediately relayed this latest development to 47th Group Headquarters.  On hearing the dispatch, Captain Zhao flew from Lintong to Turpan to coordinate efforts to rescue the two women.  As Li had radioed that she and Jade were being held in Ürümqi, Zhao needed to get closer to the besieged city. Along with providing the best location for a command center, Turpan base was also where Private Li was stationed.  Perhaps Zhao could pick up more intelligence there.

 

Captain Zhao had tried to keep news of Li’s transmission as quiet as possible.  He knew rumors of Jade Chen’s kidnapping already were beginning to leak out within group HQ, but he had hoped to stall the spread of information so that the entire debacle would be resolved successfully before the press got wind of it.  The fact that a communication from the lone PLA trooper assigned to escort Jade had been cut short would just add fuel to the fire – not to mention that the escort was an inexperienced female private who had barely turned 23.  Zhao was sitting on a powder keg and he knew it.

 

So far, Zhao had managed to contain most details of the botched mission, though Huang Chen’s constant threats to make the story of his wife’s abduction public added constant stress.  Somehow – certainly not from the captain – Huang had learned of Li’s distress call, and when he’d heard Zhao was flying to Turpan, Huang insisted on accompanying him.  The last thing Zhao needed was Jade’s bellowing spouse interfering with attempts to rescue her, but as always, Huang Chen got his way. 

 

“What do you think it means?” Huang shouted to make himself heard above the noisy propeller plane. Zhao was reviewing the transcript of Private Li’s call and pretended not to hear him.  Huang sat less than three feet from the captain, puffing Sobranies despite an earlier, heated exchange with the crew.  A wad of bills had settled that debate and once again, Huang was victorious.  As only he and Zhao were in the cabin, this time the PLA officer was able to profit from the man’s belligerence, allowing Zhao to happily savor some cigarettes as well.

 

Still, the rare privilege of smoking on duty, on an aircraft no less, was small consolation for having to constantly respond to Huang Chen’s incessant questions, suggestions and more often than not, directives.  The din of the engines provided an effective cover to ignore his often garbled statements, but Huang soon caught on and simply repeated his words at ever increasing volume until Zhao at last replied.

 

“What do you think it means? The sudden break in Li’s transmission… she must have been caught while radioing for help.  And she said they were in grave danger, isn’t that right? So they must be in trouble.”

 

“Not necessarily.  Private Li may have heard someone approaching and cut the communication in order to hide.  There are many possible explanations, and not all of them are bad.”  Zhao tried to calm him, and it seemed he had succeeded.  He knew Huang had read the transcript, which included all the intelligible text of Min’s transmission.  However, it made no mention of Min’s blood curdling cry at the end – and for this, Zhao was grateful. 

 

He was quite certain that Private Li and Jade Chen were in far greater peril than Chen or anyone other than their abductors – and the two women themselves – could know.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Flying over the hostile territory under cover of night, the plane arrived safely at Turpan base. Captain Zhao, with Huang Chen in tow, was met by a small contingent of troops selected to assist in the rescue mission.  There were seven men and three women – and like most of those stationed at Turpan, they were green recruits.  Sergeant Sun was the highest ranking of the lot and the only senior NCO on the team. Zhao let out an audible sigh, then took Sun aside to speak with him privately.

 

“Is this the best your superiors could do?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “That’s not exactly a crack outfit.  In fact, it looks like they just pulled these kids off the training field at random.”

 

“I’m afraid my commanders do not see this as a high priority situation.” Sun’s tone was apologetic. “They still believe it is just a routine Uluk-Gar kidnapping and expect the hostages will be released when the ransom is paid. They wonder why you are wasting resources to attempt a rescue.”

 

“Huang Chen transferred the funds as per the rebels’ demands at 16-hundred,” Zhao said in frustration. “That was over six hours ago, and there has been no confirmation that the money was received.  Normally, Uluk-Gar leaves an online acknowledgement within an hour or two.  They may be terrorists, but they’ve always been punctual.  It’s to their own advantage to play it straight and square.  This time, it’s different…”

 

“I agree.  Something is wrong.” Sun nodded. “I heard Private Li’s voice on the radio… I heard her cry out at the end of the transmission.  I fear this will end badly if we do not intervene.  Perhaps you can ask for more support when the base commander returns tomorrow.”

 

“We can’t wait that long.  We’ll just have to make do with what we’ve got for now.  Let’s get these folks briefed and see what options we have.  And Sergeant Sun…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Keep a lid on how bad this looks.  The man with me is Jade Chen’s husband, and I’ve learned it’s best not to get him upset.”

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Half an hour before midnight, the rescue team convened in a Tarpan base briefing room.  In less than ten minutes, Zhao and Sun were able to share what little information they had.  As Huang grumbled and smoked at the back of the room, the assorted privates and corporals listened intently as Zhao described the aborted mission to evacuate Jade Chen, followed by Sun reviewing the details of Min Li’s distress call.

 

“I know we don’t have much to go on, but if anyone has any suggestions, I’m all ears.”  Zhao looked around the room and saw nothing but blank faces.  All the recruits were in awe that they had been assigned to free the famous Jade Chen from Uluk-Gar, but none had much previous field experience. In fact, when Zhao asked if anyone had ever been in Ürümqi, only Sergeant Sun raised his hand.

 

“I’ve gone there often,” he said. “Of course, not since the riots started, but at least ten times in the past year.  The city is divided into four districts – the three largest are almost exclusively inhabited by Han Chinese – the remaining district, Shuimogou, is quite poor and run down… that is where most of the Uygurs and other Muslim minorities are, though some poorer Han live there as well.”

 

“Do you know where the hot spots are?” Zhao asked.

 

“I was told the PAP has secured two of the larger districts to protect the Chinese citizens.  They are trying to protect the third Han district, but here the police are meeting much resistance from the rebels and there is much fighting between the PAP and Uygur agitators.  Shuimogou, the Muslim district, is completely controlled by the insurgents and there are no police there.  The situation in Shuimogou is very turbulent.  It is where the Uygurs have killed most of the Han – and any Chinese who have not left would be in great jeopardy.”

 

“So if Jade and Li are in Ürümqi…”

 

“They would most likely be in Shuimogou.”  Sun shook his head.  “Not good for them, I’m afraid.”

 

“And based on Private Li’s transmission, we believe the women are being held in some kind of bunker, possibly with a tank parked nearby. Does that help if we narrow the search area to Shuimogou?”

 

“Our most recent satellite photos are two days old, and based on these I have identified eleven possible locations.  Of course, there are many tanks in Ürümqi, and during this conflict, they rarely stay in one place for long...”

 

“Well, it’s better than nothing.” Zhao thanked Sergeant Sun for his efforts and looked at the smoke-shrouded Huang Chen, who had remained curiously silent throughout the briefing.  He considered asking him for his thoughts, but figured a silent Huang was always preferable to an opinionated one.  Instead, Zhao flipped through the satellite photos and mapped out a route past the eleven possible locations Sun had identified.

 

“We’ll move into Shuimogou two hours before daybreak. Sun will prep the vehicles and the rest of you be battle ready in one hour.  It’ll take us three hours to get to the city, so we don’t have time to lose.  Any questions?”

 

One private timidly raised his hand.  “Don’t we need a mission ID? We were told in Strategy 101 that a code name must be selected for each operation so those assigned to it can challenge imposters and potential infiltrators.”

 

“Really?” Zhao was a bit taken aback.  He hadn’t used a code name in years, but decided to indulge the eager recruit.  He thought for a minute then said, “Elephant… the code for this mission is Operation Elephant.”  The recruit smiled and joined his comrades as they left the room, chatting excitedly about how they were going to rescue Jade Chen from terrorists.

 

“It’s almost midnight,” said Huang Chen, at last breaking his silence.  “You realize the ransom deadline is just two hours away, don’t you?  Maybe Uluk-Gar will release my wife then.  Maybe they are just trying to make us sweat.”

 

“With all due respect, sir… as Uluk-Gar has received your money eight hours ago, it makes no sense for them to continue to hold Jade hostage.  And why would they suddenly break the pattern they have set in the past?  Besides, by the time we are in Ürümqi, the deadline will have passed, so if your wife has been released, we will know by then and call off the mission. I do not see what we have to lose…”

 

“I just feel this could… perhaps… escalate the situation.”

 

“That only would happen if your wife’s captors know of a rescue attempt – and as they are expecting us to wait for her release, that is unlikely.  I would think you, of all people, would support any effort to free her.”

 

“I suppose you are right. Will I be able to accompany you and your men on this… what did you call it? Operation Elephant?”

 

“Unfortunately, sir… this time I will have to leave you here at the base.  No matter how much you may want to pay me, even you can see why it would be inappropriate to have a civilian join a military operation to rescue his wife.”

 

Huang took a long drag on his cigarette and realized this was one time he would not have his way. It was a refusal he was more than willing to accept.  Why risk his life entering a war zone to rescue his spouse when he could leave it to others?

 

“Good luck, captain,” he said and calmly left the room.

 

Chapter 11

 

As Min slowly regained consciousness, she found herself back in the dark and fetid chamber where she and Jade had been imprisoned earlier.  Along with a pounding headache, Min felt incredible pain in her shoulders and legs.  The throbbing of her injured ankle was as bad as ever, but this new sensation – feeling like her joints were being torn from their sockets – seemed even worse.  She tried to move her limbs to minimize her distress, only to find that she had been rendered completely immobile.

 

Min was lashed to the outside of the grate which divided the tiny cell from which she had escaped from the rest of the room. Her arms and legs were pulled wide apart and stretched to their limits. Her wrists and ankles, even her neck and midriff were tightly tied to the iron bars, leaving her spread-eagled and pinned to the grate like a specimen in an insect collection. The position was extremely uncomfortable.  Min let out an anguished moan as she became aware of the dire circumstances she was in.

 

She was still topless, though now that seemed to matter less than ever. With some relief, she realized she had not been stripped of her jeans. This meant it was unlikely that her captors had violated her while she was unconscious, though of course she could not be certain of this. Min wondered how long it had been since she was knocked out.  An hour?  A day?  She couldn't tell.

 

And where was Jade? Because of the rope around her neck, Min could only turn her head a few inches – enough for her to see the cell was empty.  There was no one else in the chamber, so it was obvious the men had taken Jade away.  Was she in the room down the corridor?  Outside?  Perhaps Jade had already been executed – like Alim was planning.  Maybe she was being killed that very minute.  Min's heart was pounding; her body shivered with fear.  She had a powerful urge to urinate and fought to control her bladder.

 

For over an hour, Min remained alone in the room, the pain in her distended limbs growing more severe by the minute. She felt almost relieved when at last she heard the door to the chamber being unlatched. But the feeling soon passed when the hulking figure of Alim entered and walked toward her.

 

For several minutes he stood silently, his face just inches away from hers, his piercing eyes glaring with menace.  Min tried to conceal her rising panic, but her quivering, sweating body betrayed her.  Alim let the intimidation go on until it seemed his prey would collapse from sheer terror. Then finally, he spoke.

 

“Welcome back, bitch.  I figured you'd have recovered by now – strong girl that you are.”

 

“How… how long… has it been?” Min's voice faltered.  “What time… what day is it?”

 

“Tuesday.  About one in the morning.”  Alim saw no reason not to tell her.  “You’ve had six hours of beauty sleep.  And now that you’re awake and refreshed, I think it’s time for us to get to work.”

 

“Wh… what do you want from me?”

 

“What do you think, you treacherous little twat?  You are a soldier in the PLA, are you not?  You will tell me all about your mission, your detachment, your base… anything significant you have learned during your time with the military.  The more you have to say, the longer you will live.  The more valuable the information, the more merciful will be your death.”

 

“But… but I’m only a private,” Min pleaded.  “I know nothing important.  I haven’t even completed my training yet.”

 

“Then why were you selected for a solo mission?  Why would someone of such low rank be trusted to escort a renowned civilian?  I think you still wish to mislead us.  When exposed, all undercover operatives will assume the lowest rank in hopes their captors accept they have little information to share.”

 

Min realized it was pointless to argue with Alim.  “My assignment was to escort Jade Chen from Ürümqi to a remote airstrip east of the city. It was at the request of her husband, who wanted to get her away from the conflict.  He suggested the best approach was to keep a low profile.”

 

Min had no qualms about revealing the details of her mission – it was no longer a secret and her cover was blown anyway – but she decided not to give up any information about the PLA.  Even though she could think of nothing that would be of use to these terrorists, she would not risk assisting them inadvertently.  Besides, it revolted her to think she might help these animals; she would not allow them the pleasure of breaking her.  Min knew her resistance would lead to a slow, torturous death – but she resolved to hold out.

 

“You will have to give me something more interesting than that to earn any compassion from me,” Alim said flatly.  “But I do thank you for delivering Jade Chen to us so efficiently.  I don’t think I could have handled the job any better had I done it myself.”

 

“You bastard… you knew all along, didn’t you?  How?  How did you know we would be travelling along that road?”

 

“You must remember that I am the one who asks the questions here.  But you are wrong, I did not know the identity of our target.  Perhaps Commander Otkur, may he rest in peace, had the name. But if he did, he did not tell us. Nonetheless, when I discovered whom we had captured, I was most pleasantly surprised.”

 

“Where is she?  What have you done with Jade?”

 

Without warning, Alim pulled back his arm and drove his fist into Min’s abdomen.  She let out an anguished cry, then gasped for air.  Min wanted to double over but her restraints kept her in position, forcing her body to absorb the full force of the impact.

 

“For a low-ranking soldier, you do not listen very well. I said that only I ask the questions.  Unless you want more of that, I suggest you do as I say.”  Alim rubbed his knuckles to emphasize the point.  “Still, you’ll be pleased to know that Jade Chen is in the capable hands of my two comrades. I’m sure that at this very moment they are showing her a great deal of, ummm… hospitality.  You see, unlike my former commander, I believe it would be a waste not to partake of what your lovely companion has to offer…”

 

“You perverted freaks!  You can’t!  You  can’t defile her like that. I know what your commander was planning – he wanted a kidnapping… he wanted money – he did not want to hurt us… to rape and abuse innocent civilians…”

 

“What can I say?” Alim said glibly.  “Plans change.”

 

Chapter 12

 

Jade Chen had lost count of how many times Tahir and Kamil had plunged their cocks into her body.  Neither of the two men were as well endowed as the brawny Alim, but their equipment was substantial nonetheless – and they never seemed to tire of using it.  Jade was certain that each of them had come at least twice, but somehow they managed to stay erect, excited and apparently insatiable.  Alim’s assault had been harsh and degrading, but all things considered, relatively short.  Now she wondered if her continued violation would ever end.

 

Jade’s nude body was still stretched in an arc across the center of the table, her arms and legs pulled out as before. Her head and hips were positioned so the men had easy access to all three of her main orifices – and both Kamil and Tahir had repeatedly buried their bloated organs in all of them.  The pair’s spent ejaculate glistened on Jade’s face and genitals; small globs of the sticky fluid dripped from her lips and groin.  The salty taste of their semen in her throat left her nauseous and gagging.

 

It had gone on for almost an hour, but still the pair’s desecration of Jade continued.  Kamil, naked below the waste, stood between her spread thighs, his rigid manhood perfectly aligned with his victim’s moist vagina. He took one step forward and thrust the full length of his penis inside her yet again.  Jade moaned, more in disgust than pain, and certainly not in pleasure.  Kamil just grunted contentedly.

 

Tahir stood across from his comrade on the other side of the table.  He too had stripped off his trousers and sported a seemingly permanent erection.  For the third time, or perhaps it was the fourth, he decided to sample Jade’s oral pleasures.  With her head still hanging over the edge of the table, he forced his cock into her mouth with ease, adjusting her neck slightly so that he could slide his sex down her throat to the hilt.

 

By now, Jade had learned how to draw in a moderate supply of air while being forced to fellate her captors, but the experience was agonizing nonetheless.  She retched and struggled, inadvertently arousing her assailant even more.  Tahir bent over her and grabbed her plentiful breasts with both hands.  As his passion grew, he tightened his grip, squeezing and mauling the soft flesh until Jade wanted to cry out in distress.  But with Tahir’s penis jammed down her esophagus, all that emerged was a series of guttural gasps, like those of a dying animal.

 

“What lucky men we are, Kamil,” Tahir said to his accomplice. “Who would have guessed that someday we would feast on a ravishing bitch like this – one who is not only beautiful, but renowned across the country?  We are truly blessed.”

 

“Indeed we are…  Arrghhh…”  Kamil bellowed as he quickly came to another orgasm.  Jade’s body rocked back and forth as the two men alternately pushed into her, first Tahir to one side, then Kamil to the other.  But when Kamil climaxed, he thrust harder than before, carelessly jamming Jade’s head against Tahir’s genitals. Reacting by instinct, Jade inadvertently clamped her jaws shut, biting down on Tahir’s cock and drawing blood.

 

“Son of a bitch!” screamed Tahir, pulling his injured organ out of Jade’s mouth.  “The fucking cunt tried to bite off my pecker!”

 

In a rage, Tahir tore at Jade’s already bruised breasts as if to rip them completely off her chest. Jade screamed in agony, pleading for mercy.

 

“Sorry!  Sorry!!  I didn’t mean to… I was pushed… I couldn’t… No!  Please stop!!”

 

But Tahir continued his attack.  After brutalizing Jade’s breasts, he began pounding his fists into her, pummeling every part of her body.  Kamil stepped back, worried that his comrade was going too far.

 

“I’m sure it was an accident,” he tried to mollify Tahir.  “That’s probably enough punishment for what she did.  If we damage her… if we damage her too much, Alim will not be pleased. I do not think it wise that we anger him…”

 

Tahir stopped and regained his composure.  “Yes… perhaps you are right.  But she must pay for such insolence!”  He paused for a moment, looking down to examine his damaged member.  “And I think I know just what to do.”

 

After cutting the ropes restraining Jade, the two men pushed her off the table, letting her drop to the floor with a thud.  Tahir instructed Kamil to grab the woman by the arms and pull her to her knees. Groggy and murmuring in pain, she dangled limply in his grasp.

 

Tahir crouched next to the dead body of Otkur and used his knife to cut off the commander’s clothing.  He dragged the blood-soaked, naked corpse in front of Jade and with some effort, lifted it until the cadaver’s withered genitals hung directly in front of Jade’s face.

 

“So you like to bite off men’s pricks, you big-boobed bitch?”  The tone of Tahir’s voice was a mix of unrestrained outrage and pure evil.  Jade’s expression was one of infinite terror; she knew the punishment she faced.  “So bite it off…  bite it off… chew it… and swallow it.  Eat Commander Otkur’s cock or die a slow and agonizing death!”

 

“No!  You can’t… Alim will not allow you to kill me…”  Jade pulled her head to the side.  She could not stand to look at the already decomposing flesh of the dead man.

 

“Alim cares less about you than you think,” Tahir lied. “If we tell him you attacked us, that you tried to escape, he will understand if we kill you.  You are just trash to Alim… to all of us.”

 

“Noooo!!  I won’t do it.  Not this…”

 

Tahir braced Otkur’s body against the table to keep it upright, then pulled out his handgun and pushed the barrel against the side of Jade’s breast.

 

“This is your last chance, bitch.  Chew off his cock, or I blow your tits off.”

 

Jade felt the cold steel of Tahir’s weapon dig into her flesh.  Horrified, she imagined what a powerful gunshot to her prized bosom would do to her.  If it did not kill her outright or leave her slowly bleeding to death, it would certainly mutilate her perfect body, destroying her femininity as well as her career.  No one would want to set eyes on her again, not even her husband – who would surely discard her for a flawless substitute.  Jade knew that without her looks, without her stunning physique, she was nobody.  She would do anything to preserve her beauty.  Anything…

 

Suppressing her compulsion to retch, she moved her head forward slowly, the nauseating stench of blighted tissue making her queasy and light-headed.  Her lips touched the slimy, dank skin of Otkur’s penis and she realized it was not all that different from the many live ones she had sucked in the past.  It was colder and smellier of course, and clearly it did not respond like the others had, but was a dead cock that much more disgusting than a living one?  Jade closed her eyes and pretended there was no difference – that she was just giving head to barter for what she wanted… as she had done so many times before.

 

Jade slid her tongue along the length of the drooping organ, an instinctive motion which came from force of habit rather than any expectation that she might pleasure a corpse.  “What am I doing?” she thought to herself.  She knew what Tahir wanted.  She knew she had no choice but to proceed.  With an audible slurp, she sucked the full length of Otkur’s cock into her mouth and held it in place by clamping her jaws shut around it.  Her body shuddered as she heaved.  She desperately fought the reflex to spit out the detestable thing.

 

“Now bite down!” Tahir yelled at her.  “Bite it off and eat it!  Just like what you were trying to do to me…”

 

Jade felt the muzzle of Tahir’s gun plunge deeper into her breast.  She thought he would pull the trigger at any moment and in a panic, she pushed her teeth together with all her might.  Otkur’s penis seemed to explode in her mouth as blood and fatty tissue burst from the ruptured skin.  Jade bit down three more times, grinding her incisors side to side to make sure the flesh was completely severed.  She yanked her head back, leaving the tattered stump to spray blood over her face.  Her body shuddered. She wanted to scream and spew out the gory contents in her mouth – but again she resisted.

 

“Chew it!  Chew it you slut!”  Tahir shouted.  “Then swallow it all!”

 

In a stupefied daze, Jade obeyed him.  She masticated the remnants of Otkur’s sex, mechanically moving her jaws up and down repeatedly in hopes of satisfying her tormentor.  She blocked the vile taste in her mouth and pretended the rubbery texture was just a badly cooked piece of beef.  Somehow she continued until she thought it was enough. She looked up at Tahir and saw he was smiling. Her expression pale and blank, Jade swallowed the finely chewed remains of Commander Otkur’s cock.

 

She watched as the corpse was left to flop sideways to the floor, blood still pouring from the crater Jade had ripped in the man’s groin.  She knew it really didn’t matter.  He had been dead anyway.  As for her, she had done the unspeakable, but it was necessary to save herself.  She could not allow these evil men to extinguish all she had worked for.  Perhaps now they would let her go.

 

Jade breathed a sigh of relief as she felt Tahir remove the gun from her chest.  Kamil let go of her arms and she fell forward, collapsing on top of Otkur’s carcass.  Shattered and drained, Jade could not summon the strength to pull herself up.  Overcome with shock and terror, her mind faded to black as she succumbed to the welcome respite of unconsciousness.

 

“You see how weak she is?” said Tahir.  “These Chinese whores will commit the most grotesque acts for reasons of pure vanity.  Alim is right.  They must suffer a most odious fate.  They do not deserve to live.”

 

Chapter 13

 

“Aaaaiiaaargghh!!”  Min’s harrowing cry of agony echoed through the chamber as she endured yet another of Alim’s pernicious blows to her slender body.  Unlike Jade, who was forced to bear repeated sexual violations, Min’s punishment entailed pure physical destruction.  After raping the busty celebrity next door, Alim’s libido had been sated, leaving him with little desire to ravish the small-breasted private.  In fact, after almost an hour of thrashing her, he had not even bothered to remove Min’s jeans.  He had no interest in defiling her sexually – at least not yet.  Alim felt anger toward Min, not lust, so he preferred to use his fists on her instead of his cock.

 

Still spread and lashed to the iron grate, Min’s battered body was a testament to the power of those fists.  Dozens of bruises covered her formerly smooth and unblemished skin.  Blood streamed from several lacerations where Alim had managed to split open Min’s flesh.  Both arms were dislocated as was her jaw; two broken teeth had fallen to the floor. The delicate features of her pretty face were swollen and discolored, proof that Alim had no regrets about spoiling his captive’s beauty. As far as he was concerned, she was just another PLA soldier.  Man… woman… it didn’t matter – he would treat her no differently than any of the others.

 

Of course, petite Min was considerably less robust than her male peers.  With Alim standing well over six feet and weighing 260 pounds, the poor woman suffered far worse at the hands of this hulking brute than any man would have.  The fact that she was helplessly restrained and unable to offer even the slightest defence increased her torment further still.  It was remarkable that Min was still conscious, let alone breathing.

 

She remained pinned and on display as she bore the wrath of her maniacal foe. Alim pummeled Min’s torso again and again, his fists striking her intermittently. Each fleshy thump was followed by a plaintive cry, an involuntary howl of pain which Min could not suppress no matter how hard she tried.  On occasion, Alim would shout out questions, demanding information about the PLA or any classified intelligence Min might be aware of. But mostly he just pounded her while she screamed and whimpered and pleaded for him to stop.

 

Min had always suspected she would never hold up under torture. Under Alim’s ferocious onslaught, it had not taken her long to break her vow of silence. Already she had given up everything she thought would be of interest to him – the schedule and location of the training simulations, the rarely used radio frequencies, a partial layout of the Turpan base, the command chain of her unit at the 47th Group Headquarters, even the latest arms acquisitions – but Alim had sneered that this was all common knowledge, public information that anyone could retrieve on the internet.

 

“I’m just a private,” Min repeated over and over.  “I don’t know anything that would help you… please believe me!”  As always, her feeble pleas were followed by yet another painful blow, this one a straight-on punch directly into her left breast.  For a moment, Min thought the small, fleshy gland had burst open and exploded across her chest, but amazingly it had survived Alim’s blow intact. Unfortunately, the ribs behind it did not.  Min heard the sickening sound of her bones snapping as her body was mashed against the iron grate.  Blood spurted from her crushed nipple and leaked from between her lips.

 

“You know something, you fucking bitch!” Alim shouted. “I don’t think you’ve experienced enough incentive to help you remember the important stuff!”

 

“No!  No…  I know nothing more… NOTHING!!”

 

With equal force, Alim thrust his fist into Min’s right breast, with the same devastating results.  More ribs were shattered.  More blood welled up in Min’s throat.  She released another ear-splitting shriek, but nothing she babbled to her interrogator satisfied him. For five minutes, Alim punched at Min’s diminutive chest, carefully gauging his blows so as not to kill his victim or knock her senseless.  Min wailed continuously throughout Alim’s assault, but not even this relentless barrage could elicit some trivial fact which might appease him.  If Min had any valuable secrets for Alim, she was unable to recall what they could be.  Even if her life depended on it.

 

“Stupid cunt!” Alim yelled in frustration.  “You must know something!  No one cares about the money.  We want… information.  If I can provide PLA plans… strategies… anything which will give Uluk-Gar an advantage, then the council will be unconcerned with the death of Commander Otkur.  I will be a hero, not a traitor.  You must talk, bitch… you must!”

 

“I… I’m just… a private…”  Min sputtered yet again.  She could not believe that this sadistic fiend did not believe her.

 

“You will talk.  You will tell me something.  I just have to find the right way to jog your memory.”

 

Chapter 14

 

“That damned screaming breaks my concentration,” grumbled Kamil as he contemplated his next move in the chess game he was playing with Tahir.  Both men were sexually spent, and with Jade out cold, still slumped naked over Otkur’s body, they were whiling away the time engaged in a less profligate activity than usual.

 

“Really?” Tahir seemed surprised. “I find her cries to be… inspiring.” 

 

They were discussing the incessant screams of agony which echoed throughout the bunker.  In the room down the corridor, Alim was continuing his relentless interrogation of Min, and with each escalation of the young woman’s torture, her anguished howls grew louder and more intense.  Kamil found the sounds distracting; for Tahir, they were sweet music.

 

“That was a silly move,” said Tahir as he dragged his rook across the board to take Kamil’s bishop.

 

“Shit!  You see?  How can anyone think clearly with that fucking bitch squealing like a hog in a slaughterhouse?  Can’t she take her pain in silence?  I tell you, these bitches have no dignity whatsoever…”

 

As Kamil complained about the noise, another sound suddenly rang out. 

 

“Fuck… that’s Otkur’s cell.” Tahir looked up with a startled expression. “Where is it?”

 

“Probably with his clothes…” Both men rushed to the remnants of the commander’s uniform and rifled through the pockets until Kamil found the ringing phone.  “Now what?”

 

“We’d better not answer it,” said Tahir. “Just get the number.”

 

“Why bother?  Only one person ever called the commander on his cell – and we know who that is.” Kamil looked at the display anyway, not that the number meant anything to him.  But he was sure who was calling nonetheless.

 

“The council?” Tahir looked worried.

 

“Who else could it be?  The commander spoke only to the Black Dragon.”  Kamil waited uncomfortably for the phone to stop ringing. 

 

“We had better tell Alim.”

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

After being informed of the call, Alim took a break from brutalizing Min and joined the men in the other room.  He barely reacted to the two nude bodies heaped on the floor and went straight to the cell phone.  Unlike Kamil, he did recognize the number on the display.  Alim shook his head and sighed.

 

“I was expecting this, though not so soon,” he said. “We had better deal with it right away.  If the Black Dragon does not get a response, he will suspect something has gone wrong, and that would be very bad for us.  It is better that I talk to him before he hears from someone else.”

 

Alim pressed the call-back button and waited nervously for an answer.

 

“Yes… this is UG-7 reporting,” he began.  There was an expected pause as the Black Dragon asked about Otkur.  “No.  Commander Otkur is not available.  This is Acting Commander Alim Habib responding to your call…”

 

No one had appointed Alim acting commander, or anything else for that matter, but he knew he had to make the situation seem under control and as official as possible.  He figured someone had to be in charge of the operation, and Tahir and Kamil seemed to accept his leadership – or at least feared him enough to follow his orders.

 

“No.  I’m afraid Commander Otkur is dead.  It was…  an accident.  Sniper fire.  He left the bunker for only a few minutes and he was shot at the edge of the compound.  Yes.  Most likely it was a Uygur insurgent shooting from a nearby building.  We can’t be sure, but I believe he was mistaken for Han because of the uniform.  Only the PAP and a few PLA soldiers are wearing BDUs, but he insisted on…” 

 

Alim glanced at Otkur’s corpse as he spoke and noticed the gaping, bloody hole in the man’s crotch.  He furrowed his brow, glaring at Tahir and Kamil.  “No, we have been unable to recover the body. It’s too risky – maybe once the fighting dies down – if it’s still there.” 

 

There was a long pause as Alim listened to the Black Dragon.  Suddenly his expression changed to one of surprise, as if he had forgotten something.  In fact, he had.  It was the reason the Black Dragon was contacting the men sooner than expected.

 

“So the transfer did not go through?  The ransom… was not paid?”  Alim looked at his watch.  2:55 AM.  It was almost an hour past the deadline.  In his crazed desire to interrogate Min and make an example of Jade, Alim had become oblivious to the original purpose of the kidnapping.  He quickly recovered from the oversight.

 

“Yes… well I just assumed our demands were met – they always have been in the past.  And this time… with a celebrity hostage like Jade Chen, one would expect there would be no question…”  He was right of course.  Even the council would have taken it for granted that the ransom would be paid this time.  But for some unknown reason, it was not.

 

“And what do we do now?”  Alim listened for several minutes as the Black Dragon relayed instructions. 

 

“I understand,” he said at last.  “And we must do so quickly because of this… this military operation.  Agreed.  Thank-you sir.”

 

When the call ended, Alim was smiling broadly.  It had obviously gone much better than he had feared.  Not only had the Black Dragon believed his story about Otkur’s death, the unpaid ransom meant Alim had official clearance to dispose of the hostages.  His own plans now aligned with those of the council.  He happily explained the details to Kamil and Tahir.

 

“So we have been ordered to kill them?”  Tahir was taken aback.  “How?”

 

“The Black Dragon has left that up to us,” Alim said gleefully.  “It is as if all my wishes have been granted.  But there is some bad news as well.  The council has received recent intelligence from one of our PLA informants. There is a covert military operation targeting Uluk-Gar, and as our two hostages were mentioned, we can assume they are part of it.  The Black Dragon suspects the PLA private and Jade Chen were used as bait to expose our kidnapping activities.”

 

“You mean the PLA wanted us to abduct them?” Kamil asked in disbelief.

 

“It would explain why someone like Jade Chen virtually fell into our hands, and why she was being escorted by a solitary private.  The capture was all too easy.  And now, the unpaid ransom suggests they do not want the women released until they get to us.  They think we will just hold on to them a while longer – after all, we have usually treated our previous hostages well.”

 

“But the ransom was always paid,” Kamil remained doubtful.  “And what about the private’s distress call?  The PLA must suspect something has gone wrong. I can see them risking the life of a mere private, but to put someone as renowned as Jade Chen in jeopardy… it doesn’t add up.”

 

“The council admits they do not know all the details.  But they want us to act quickly, in case we have fallen into a trap.  Of course, if we have, there is at least one person who can tell us.  I had almost given up on that stupid PLA bitch, but whatever this is about, she has to know.  If I can get her to talk, we may be able to turn this situation to our advantage. I just need a little more time.”

 

“And what about them?”  Tahir pointed at Jade and Otkur.

 

“Take the commander and bury him so he will never be found.  I’m not sure why his cock is ripped off, but thanks to your carelessness, we cannot let his body be seen by the council… or anyone else.  As for the woman, let her sleep. My plans for Jade Chen have not changed – and she will find out what they are soon enough. In the meantime, I must continue to question her friend.  At least now I know the name of the secret she is guarding so stubbornly…”

 

Chapter 15

 

“Please… you have to believe me!  I’ve never heard of Operation Elephant!!”  Min’s voice was hoarse, her vocal chords ragged and raw from hours of screaming.  She thought she had told Alim all she could, even embellishing some information to make it appear more important than it was. And for a short while, he seemed to believe that she had told him everything she knew.

 

When Tahir and Kamil had summoned him, Alim grumbled that there was little of value that he could extract from her.  “A useless piece of shit” he had called her before leaving the room.  Min knew what that meant – an end to the pain.  Although she did not want to die, she realized a quick death was preferable to one followed by hours, perhaps days of torture.  When Alim left, she slumped in the bonds tying her to the metal grate, resigned to her fate and thinking that her ordeal was finally over.

 

But her relief was short-lived.  All too soon, Alim had returned – and he resumed Min’s interrogation with renewed purpose and vigor. His obsession with Operation Elephant was driving him to greater heights of savagery.  Relentlessly, he questioned Min about what was obviously a PLA code name for a covert mission.  Of course, Min knew nothing about Operation Elephant; it had not even come to be until after her capture.  Regrettably for her, Alim did not know this either.

 

“Bullshit!” he yelled back at her. “Both your name and Jade Chen’s were identified in the dispatch my superiors received from our military informants.  In fact, yours were the only names mentioned.  As the Chen woman is a civilian, I might believe she is a hapless dupe in this little PLA scheme, but you… you had to know all about it.  Now tell me bitch… or suffer.”

 

Alim had a pair of pliers clamped around the ring finger of Min’s left hand.  He had already crushed her pinky and was working his way toward her thumb.  The five digits of her other hand had already succumbed, one by one, to his cruel and systematic efforts.  Alim squeezed the pliers tighter to get a response from his subject.

 

“I don’t know… ANYTHING… about Operation Elephant!!”  Min shouted as loud as she could.  “If I did, I would have told you… long ago…  Gyyaaaaagghh!!”  Min’s familiar cry filled the room as Alim closed the jaws as tight as he could, splintering her bone just below the second knuckle.

 

“You stubborn slut!! TALK!!”  Alim was adamant.  He simply could not accept that this woman, a PLA soldier, would be so ignorant of her own mission. He moved the pliers to her middle finger and repeated the torture yet again.

 

“I am quickly running out of fingers… or should I say YOU are running out of them.  And believe me, when I have finished pulverizing all ten, things will get much worse for you.  Much, much worse!”

 

His threats did nothing to loosen Min’s tongue, and just a few minutes later her left thumb became the last of her fingers to be destroyed. Min let out another shriek of distress and slumped in her bonds.  Alim looked at her slender, girlish frame and wondered how she could take so much abuse without breaking.  From the waist up, almost every inch of her body was covered with bruises, welts and bleeding cuts.  He had beaten her, whipped her, lacerated her flesh, dislocated her arms and jaw, and he had crushed every one of her fingers.  He had even smashed her right shin repeatedly so that now both her legs were broken and useless.

 

It obviously had not been enough.  His captive clearly had a high pain threshold, and the methods he had been using were too crude and ineffective to intimidate her. He would have to raise the stakes and try something more persuasive.  He looked around the room and realized he already had the perfect tool at hand.

 

But first he wanted to make the young private as vulnerable as possible.  He wanted her completely naked as she faced her next ordeal.  Using his knife, he cut away Min’s jeans, the last of her clothing except for the sandals which remained strapped to her feet.  As he tore the denim away from her hips, Alim was surprised to see the woman wore no panties, not even a thong. He had expected such indecency from the wanton Jade Chen, but it appeared that this debauched private was equally impudent. Alim whistled in mock disbelief.

 

“And here I thought you were such a prim and proper bitch,” he laughed.  “It seems I was wrong about you in more ways than one.  Not only are you tougher than you look, you’re a fucking nympho to boot.  Well, don’t worry, I’ll find something to get you nice and wet… before you die.”

 

Min didn’t know why it mattered, but she felt ashamed nonetheless. She wanted to explain that she lost her underwear during her escape, but realized Alim would not care in the least.  Her modesty hardly mattered as her tormentor prepared whatever horrors awaited her. 

 

Still, once she was completely nude, spread-eagled on the grate as she was, Min felt as exposed, humiliated and helpless as she ever had in her life.  She had become a sexual toy for a master sadist who reveled in her suffering.  She was no more than an animal stretched out for the slaughter.  All hope was gone.

 

Chapter 16

 

The Shuimogou streets were dark as the pair of unmarked Wolf 4x4s rolled into the district. Power to the streetlights had been cut by the police in an attempt to curtail night-time skirmishes, but the sporadic eruption of gunfire, screaming and occasional explosion indicated the tactic was not entirely successful.  At night, there were no mass riots as there were in the daytime, but there was still enough fighting and chaos to make going outside a dangerous proposition.

 

Most of the population, particularly any Han who were still trapped in Shuimogou district, stayed indoors at all times – and even there, they would not always be secure.  During the day, packs of Uygur rebels, sometimes hundreds at a time, would drag innocent Chinese from their residences before parading them through the streets and executing them.

 

Inside the two personnel carriers, Captain Zhou and the ten soldiers from Turpan base watched the nocturnal conflicts in relative safety.  The Wolf vehicles were strong enough to withstand attacks by the rebels, most of whom were equipped with no more than AK-47 rifles – and the carriers’ A/V systems allowed for tracking any outside action in the safety of the cabin. The only real threat would come from the few stolen tanks in the district or from home-made IEDs.  But as neither the PAP nor the PLA had formally occupied Shuimogou, heavy ordnance in the district was relatively rare.

 

“So if there’s no police or military around, what’s all this street-fighting about?” asked a particularly inquisitive corporal, who had been pestering Sergeant Sun for more details during their ride to Ürümqi. 

 

“Many of the Han civilians have banded together and are fighting the insurgency,” said Sun.  “They are sneaking into Shuimogou at night, after the street lights are shut down, then target whatever Uygur rebels they can find.  During the daytime, any Chinese would be spotted and killed by the thousands of rioters – a Han wouldn’t last five minutes in all that bedlam.  But at night, it’s quiet enough for them to take out a few of the Uygurs from the rooftops or in back alleys.”

 

“I suppose that’s why we’re entering the city so early?”

 

“Exactly.  Both the insurgents and the Han are used to seeing a few army vehicles, but so far we’ve been ignored – at least after dark.  Three or four hours from now, I can’t say that would be true.  The rebels have been getting much more aggressive, and by now they might be willing to take on the army as well as the police.”

 

“So we don’t have much time to find Jade Chen and Min… I mean Private Li…”

 

“No.  Not much time at all, er…”  Sun strained to look at the young man’s name tag, “Corporal Wu is it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Weren’t you  one of the men assigned to take Jade Chen to the checkpoint yesterday?  Tung Wu, right?”

 

“Yes, that was me,” Tung replied somewhat sheepishly.

 

“Is that why you volunteered for this mission? You still feel responsible for Jade Chen?”

 

“In part… but you might say there’s a bit more to it as well.”

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

The first of the eleven locations Captain Zhou had identified on the satellite photos proved to be a disappointment.  The tank that had been there a few days earlier was gone, and what looked like a bunker from directly overhead was actually an underground storage facility for a potato crop.  The team from PC-Alpha took less than five minutes to rule it out as the site where Jade and Min were being held.  Fortunately, not too much time had been wasted, but it was wasted time nonetheless.  And since Zhao had thought this was the most likely of the possible alternatives, he wondered whether any of the others would prove to be the site they were looking for.

 

Operation Elephant was off to a less than auspicious start.

 

Chapter 17

 

“Oh God!!  No!!  Not that!” Min pleaded with Alim as he dragged the heavy, filth-covered generator next to her.  She looked down at the infernal machine – the same one she had seen leaking oil across the floor during her escape.  She knew instantly what Alim had in store for her.  The device was used to recharge industrial batteries such as those used in tanks and other large vehicles.  It generated a continuous stream of electricity which could be turned on or off with the flick of a switch.

 

Min feared electric shock more than death itself.  Less than a month into her training at Turpan, she had run headlong into an electrified fence, becoming trapped in a tangle of charged barbed wire.  Almost five minutes passed before someone responded to her screams and cut the power. By the time she was extricated, Min was a shaking, blubbering zombie, the powerful current having temporarily scrambled her mind.  She spent a week in the infirmary to recover, but the experience left her terrified of being electrocuted.

 

And now, as if he had the ability to uncover her most deep-rooted phobias, Alim prepared Min to submit to her worst nightmare.  The thought of being tortured this way was more than she could bear.  Paralyzed with dread, Min finally lost control of her bladder. A stream of urine cascaded from between her spread thighs onto the floor, spraying the generator and Alim.

 

“Fucking bitch!” he exclaimed, moving away a bit too late. Reflexively, he punched Min repeatedly in the abdomen, which only increased the surge of piss pouring out of her.   The fear and pain and endless suffering had become too much for Min.  Worst of all there was nothing she could do to stop it.  She hung limply on the grate as her draining bladder slowed to a dribble, her mind reeling with terror.

 

Min’s panic grew further as Alim lifted one of two oversized cables connected to the generator.  Attached to the end of the thick electric cord was a massive, serrated clamp which was meant to latch onto a battery terminal.  It looked like those used on automobile jumper cables, except it was over twice as large.  Alim held the menacing device in front of Min’s anxious eyes with one hand, then reached for her right breast with the other.

 

“No!!” She begged, shaking her head. “NNOOOOO!!”

 

Alim paid no attention to her protests.  Slowly and deliberately he continued his work.  He squeezed her breast together so that the hefty copper jaws could fit around it.  Then he released pressure on the grip and let the clamp close on her soft flesh.

 

Min howled as the powerful, spring-loaded jaws bit into the sensitive gland.  Like some medieval torture apparatus, the clamp engulfed virtually her entire tit, compressing it flat as if it were in a vice.  The serrated edges pierced her skin, chewing into the tissue beneath and sending thin streams of blood trickling across her sternum.

 

Alim gave Min only a minute to catch her breath before he raised the second cable and fastened it to her left breast, with expectedly similar results.  Only this time, her cries were twice as loud and twice as long.

 

With the two clamps snapped tightly around his subject’s breasts, Alim wasted no time continuing the interrogation.

 

“In a moment, I will start the generator and release 240 volts into those tiny tits… but you still can spare yourself a great deal of agony.  Tell me about Operation Elephant!”

 

“N…no… nothing… to tell…”  Min stammered.  She could barely get out any words at all. “I… I’m… just a… private.”

 

“You obstinate slut!” Alim reached down and started the generator, which sputtered to life with a low-pitched rumble.  Min had hoped it would be louder, that it would drown out her inevitable screaming and make her deaf to the sounds of her own torment.  But the machine proved to be surprisingly quiet.  Even Alim’s relentless demands for information still could be heard.

 

“This is your last chance.  Talk!!”

 

Min raised her head and looked into the man’s anger-filled eyes. She did not say a word.  Neither did Alim as he used his foot to flick a switch on the side of the generator.

 

For less than a second, Min released a bestial shriek, but it was cut off instantly when her nervous system became paralyzed by the cascading current. Her body seemed to fuse against the metal grate, the electricity making any voluntary movement impossible.  Having lost control of her limbs, her fingers, even her eyes and tongue, she could not signal or speak, only suffer helplessly as her breasts absorbed the powerful charge.

 

With Min’s cries stifled by the discharge, only the low rumble of the generator and the hum of electricity coursing through her torso could be heard.  Unable to struggle or scream, she showed little evidence of the incredible pain which consumed her. Only her unblinking, horror-filled eyes revealed the depths of her suffering.  Otherwise, she remained petrified in the grip of the powerful current, with only her breasts jiggling reflexively as the metal clamps administered the charge.

 

Min’s ordeal at the hands of Alim was far worse than the accidental electrocution she had endured at Turpan.  This time her peril was intentional – and this time she knew there was no hope of rescue. The pain was beyond anything she had ever experienced. Yet even as the current grew stronger, she did not lose consciousness. Instead, she became more immersed in her torment. No matter how much she prayed for death to end her misery, it was denied her.

 

Alim let the electricity surge through Min’s body for almost ten minutes.  Only when tendrils of smoke began to rise from her squashed and bloody breasts did he finally move his foot to the switch. Once the power was cut, Min shuddered violently, panting and gasping for nearly a minute before fading into semi-consciousness and sagging in her bonds.

 

Alim knew that time was running out.  If he was going to get anything from the stubborn PLA wench, it would have to be now.  Once again he demanded she tell him about Operation Elephant… about her mission… about the PLA’s plans to suppress Uluk-Gar.

 

But Min did not respond.  Her bloody, broken body remained motionless.  Her head, partly supported by the rope around her neck, slumped awkwardly forward as if she were already dead.

 

Yet she still breathed and whimpered and shuddered weakly.  Alim cursed her obstinacy, as if her inability to offer information were a sign of willful resistance.  In his eyes, the hapless PLA recruit was being insolent and uncooperative.  In reality, Min would gladly have told him anything he wanted to know – if only she had something to offer.

 

“TALK!!” Alim shouted yet again. 

 

Min let out a pitiful mewling sound and struggled to lift up her head. Once more she looked into Alim’s cold, merciless eyes.

 

“N… nothing…” she muttered. “I’m just… just a private… I know… nothing.”

 

“Then die, cunt!” Alim flicked the generator switch with his foot. Again the electricity surged into Min’s breasts like a volcanic blast of agony.  Again, her body stiffened and thrust against the metal grate. And again she endured the indescribable pain as the unyielding current fried her body.

 

This time Alim did not care whether Min would cooperate. He had done all he could to make the woman talk, and in the end she had resisted every attempt to break her.  Perhaps if he had more time he could loosen her tongue. But time had run out, and any secrets the PLA private still guarded would die with her.  Not once did Alim suspect that his captive was telling the truth, that she might not have valuable intelligence to share, that she was no more than the uninformed private she claimed to be.  Alim remained certain that Min could have revealed so much more – that he simply had failed to crush her loyalty and defiance.

 

“It looks like you won,” Alim said as he watched Min’s grisly electrocution. “I hope it was worth it.”

 

For almost twenty minutes, Alim enjoyed the sight of Min’s naked body subjected to the inexorable current.  He laughed as her trapped breasts began to smolder and smoke as the clamps turned red hot and incinerated her flesh.  Her skin became blackened and charred, finally erupting in a plume of flame as the electricity ignited the fatty tissue of her bosom.  With her chest in flames, Min released a wail of agony. Only when the generator ran out of fuel was she finally set free from the deluge.

 

As the machine sputtered to a halt, Min again collapsed in the bonds suspending her from the grate. The perpetual swell of the current had caused her to bite off her tongue, and so she had been rendered mute.  Even if she had something to tell Alim, she could no longer do so. Blood poured from between her lips and more spurted from her crushed and incinerated breasts.  The last of her urine and other bodily fluids dribbled from between her spread thighs.

 

Alim cut the ropes binding Min to the bars and let her drop to the floor. Her back was scarred with the cross-hatched impression of the metal grate, the pattern seared into her flesh during her electrocution.  Alim ripped the two metal clamps from his victim’s chest, callously tearing some of the flesh from her breasts. Min remained motionless. He assumed she was dead.

 

He called for Kamil and Tahir who arrived moments later, proudly announcing they were ready to prepare Jade Chen for her rendezvous with destiny. Alim nodded and pointed at Min.

 

“Take this piece of trash and use it to warn our PLA assailants that Uluk-Gar takes no prisoners!”  He kicked Min’s badly maimed body, rolling her onto her back.  Somewhat surprised, he noticed she still was taking shallow breaths. Blood bubbles formed between her lips and her limbs twitched ever so slightly.

 

“But… but she still lives,” Kamil said, somewhat perplexed.

 

“Does that matter?” Alim replied. “Put the bitch where people will see her.  She’ll die soon enough.  And now, let us make an example of the illustrious Jade Chen!”

 

Chapter 18

 

Tahir and Kamil each lifted one of Min’s ankles, dragging her down the corridor and out to the debris strewn yard surrounding the bunker.  The acute pain of being pulled by her fractured legs brought Min back to consciousness.  She was too weak to cry out, and even if she had had the strength to beg for mercy, the mangled stump of her tongue would prevent her from being understood.  Instead, the only sound she could muster was a breathy whine, occasionally interrupted by the gurgle of blood in her throat.

 

Once outside, Min was left to lie on chunks of rubble while Tahir and Kamil searched for a way to obey Alim’s command.  It was less than an hour before daybreak and there was just enough light for them to see around the compound.

 

“We could just leave her spread out on the ground like that,” suggested Kamil.

 

“That’s not much of a message.”  Tahir reminded him of Alim’s instructions.

 

“Maybe we can cut her tits off and put one in each of her hands?”

 

“Her tits?  Look at those bitty boobies.  Besides, there’s not much of ‘em left.” Tahir scanned the yard. “We can do better.”  His lips formed a wicked grin and he pointed to a metal fence post rising over four feet from the ground.  The chain link it had once supported had been torn away, so the post now stood like a lone sentinel in the middle of the compound.

 

“Perfect,” said Tahir. “I always thought men should put women on a pedestal.”

 

They dragged Min to the post and lifted her upright against it as she groaned and blubbered in protest.  Together, Kamil and Tahir grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her off the ground.   They spread her legs and positioned her torso so that the top of the pole was directly below her crotch.

 

In horror, Min realized what the men were about to do, but she could offer no more than feeble resistance.  She squirmed and flailed her arms uselessly.  A kittenish whimper was the only sound she made, at least until the men viciously dropped her onto the pole

 

Despite being completely drained of energy, Min managed to release one last bestial scream of anguish as the cold steel shaft instantly penetrated her sex and plunged deep into her abdomen.  Her cry seemed to rise from the bottom of her soul, increasing in volume until it echoed through the surrounding streets.  It was a sound of pure terror and torment so ferocious, Kamil and Tahir covered their ears.

 

With nothing else to support her weight, the fence post readily ripped through Min’s vaginal tract, then speared her cervix and perforated her uterus, effectively obliterating her reproductive system. The steel shaft continued up through her viscera, shredding her intestinal tract until the top of the pole became lodged against her rib cage, preventing her body from sliding further down the pike.

 

Tahir could not have been more pleased.  Impaling their captive on the derelict fence post had worked exactly as he had hoped.  With a foot of the metal rod thrust inside her, Min was suspended seemingly in mid air, perched puppet-like on the pole with her sandal-clad feet hovering a few inches above the ground.  Her body was limp and her head drooped forward on her chest.  Blood spurted from her mutilated groin with each beat of her heart.  Miraculously, she still clung to life.

 

“Now that’s what I call a message!” said Tahir, slapping his hands together with satisfaction.

 

“I have to admit, she looks damn sexy like that.” Kamil whistled in admiration.

 

“Sexy?  She’s almost dead for fuck’s sake.  You are one sick bastard.”

 

As the two men savored the sight of Min skewered on the fence post, Alim joined them and voiced his approval.  The sun had just come up over the horizon, and the young private’s bruised, burned and blood-streaked body was bathed in a soft orange light which accentuated the gruesome evidence of the obscene abuse she had endured. 

 

“You have done well,” Alim told the men.  “Now help me with this bitch.”

 

On hearing his words, Tahir and Kamil turned to see the lovely Jade Chen standing behind them, naked except for a strip of cloth which gagged her.  Alim had marched Jade into the yard, his side arm pushed into the small of her back to ensure her cooperation.  Jade’s eyes betrayed her terror, and on seeing Min impaled on the pole, she let out a muffled cry.  She shook her head from side to side and babbled incomprehensibly through the gag.

 

“It is time for our guest of honor to meet her destiny,” said Alim, as if pronouncing a sentence.

 

“The ransom has not been paid?” asked Kamil.

 

“Even if it were, it would make no difference. The deadline has long passed. Besides, our plans changed quite some time ago, and I do not intend to change them again.”

 

Chapter 19

 

When Alim had roughly pushed her outside into the chill morning air, Jade Chen had hopes that she and Min would be released.  Although the men had told her the ransom had not been paid, the thought that her abductors would take more extreme measures – perhaps even killing their hostages – had not crossed her mind.  She realized the tortures and rapes were meant to terrify her, to let the world know that Uluk-Gar would not be denied its due. But she never imagined the situation would get worse.  In fact, on being led from the bunker, she figured her ordeal was almost over.

 

Then she was shown the mortally wounded Min, lewdly mounted on the fence post, her slender, shapely body ravaged beyond repair. Instantly Jade realized how wrong she had been – that no methods were too extreme for this psychopathic band of insurgents.  They reveled in hate and brutality.  The two women – originally abducted as economic bargaining chips – had now become the targets of their captors’ misguided wrath. Otkur’s death had changed everything, and she had been too blind to notice.

 

Min had sensed the danger when Alim had changed the group’s original plans, but Jade could not accept this until it was too late.  She thought her celebrity and status would protect her – that her husband’s wealth would buy her freedom.  But now Jade knew she could not depend on anything or anyone.  If the ransom had not been met, it meant she had been abandoned.  How could this be?  Was her fame and affluence just an illusion?  Did no one care if she lived or died?  Never before had she felt so alone and forgotten.  It seemed Min was her only friend, and it appeared she too would soon be no more.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

As her life slowly slipped away, Min’s thoughts and perceptions became indistinct and distant, as if her mind were trying to escape her shattered, pain-racked body.  She heard the sounds around her – the men speaking, the loud rumble of an engine, people yelling as the raucous rebels began filling the streets for another day of rioting. Her head remained bowed, her sight fading as she looked down along her ruined torso to the ground beneath her dangling feet.

 

Only when she heard Alim mention Jade did Min summon the strength to lift her head in hopes of seeing her fellow captive.  What she saw filled her with sorrow and dread. 

 

Though her vision was blurred by tears and blood, Min recognized the tank she had spotted earlier.  Its markings had been painted over, but she could see now that it was an old Type 62, probably decommissioned by the PLA before Uluk-Gar acquired it on the black market.  Kamil, looking out from the driver’s hatch, had started up the beast, which now idled noisily as it belched thick plumes of smoke and filled the air with the acrid stench of diesel exhaust.

 

But it was not the sight of the tank which distressed Min.  It was Jade… naked, gagged, arms pulled high overhead and bound at the wrists, suspended from the inclined gun barrel of the infernal machine.  Jade’s body was battered. She had obviously suffered considerable abuse at the hands of the men, but she still looked exquisite. Seeing her hanging nude and helpless from the gun of the rusted, mud splattered tank, Min could only surmise Alim intended to further desecrate this beautiful creature – the woman Min had been assigned to protect, the woman who had become her friend.

 

“Jade… please forgive me.” Min could only say the words silently to herself – a final admission of defeat. The feelings of failure which followed her realization that all was lost seemed even more intolerable than the devastating physical pain which consumed her body.  Unable and unwilling to continue watching Jade suffer, Min let her head droop forward.  Her eyes welled up with tears and once more she prayed for death.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

“Okay, let’s move her out!” shouted Alim above the din of the engine. He clambered up the tank’s turret and positioned himself in the cupola to get a clear view in all directions.  Tahir joined Kamil in the main cabin, poking his head up through the driver’s hatch to act as navigator while Kamil manned the controls from inside.

 

Jade Chen felt the massive machine lurch as it began to move.  She hung facing forward from the muzzle of the ten foot long gun, so she could only see behind her by swiveling her body and straining her neck.  Despite the pain this caused her, she could not resist twisting around to look at the menacing metal hulk which was propelling her ahead.

 

She saw Alim perched on top, his head and shoulders visible above the open hatch.  He was grinning broadly, obviously relishing the spectacle of the buxom beauty hanging stripped and exposed for all to see.  Tahir, who had an even better view from the forward portal, let out a loud wolf whistle as he watched Jade wriggle from the ropes suspending her.

 

“Fuck you evil cocksuckers!” she cursed, but the gag muffled her words.  Only the rage visible in her eyes indicated that her fear had finally given way to anger.  After seeing what these ruthless brutes had done to Min, Jade resolved not to succumb like some frightened, pathetic wretch.  She would die with as much dignity as she could muster, damning her captors until she took her final breath.  She slackened her arms and let the ropes spin her back so she faced forward, away from the gawking men in the tank.

 

“Kiss my ass, you shit-faced pricks!”  Jade thrust her buttocks back to emphasize the point, but unable to interpret her insult, Alim and Kamil just laughed at her.

 

“I can’t understand a word she’s saying,” said Alim, “but it looks like she’s really pissed.”

 

“Then let’s give her a fun ride to put her in a better mood.” Tahir bent down and shouted through the hatch. “Kamil… Full speed ahead!”

 

Looking out through a glass porthole, Kamil steered the tank toward a gate in the concrete barrier surrounding the compound.  Navigating the ungainly vehicle was a challenge at the best of times, but with Jade’s luscious butt swaying directly in his field of view, Kamil’s driving was less than spectacular.  Hitting the brakes a bit too late, he rolled closer to the gate than he had intended, thrusting Jade painfully against the metal bars and leaving her shrieking in agony. Addled by his mistake, Kamil fumbled with the controls, eventually backing up a few feet.

 

“Fucking moron!” yelled Tahir, jumping out of the hatch and running up to Jade.  “You’d better not have killed the bitch.”

 

Fortunately, Kamil had stopped before serious injury was inflicted.  Jade’s breasts had taken the worst of the collision, but aside from ruptured implants and two bleeding lacerations, she would remain alive and conscious long enough to serve her purpose.  Jade moaned in pain but forced herself to show no sign of weakness when she noticed Tahir examining her.

 

“Cut me down, you idiot!” Jade struggled to speak through the gag, but her indignant demands came out as garbled as ever.  Not that it mattered.  Even if Tahir had understood her, he would only have mocked her empty bravado.

 

Once satisfied that Jade’s injuries were superficial, he opened the gate and returned to the main hatch. He gave the okay sign to Alim and told Kamil to resume driving. More carefully this time, Kamil maneuvered the tank through the gateway and onto the streets of Shuimogou district.

 

Left behind, Min remained luridly impaled on the fence post, the last traces of life slowly and torturously ebbing from her body.  She could no longer see, nor even lift her head, but she could hear the tank drive away, the noise of its engine gradually fading into the distance until it was gone.

 

Min was gripped by overwhelming misery and grief. She could not believe that life could be so incredibly cruel and unfair. She was young, attractive, honest and kind.  How could this atrocity be happening to her?  How could she be forsaken, violated and left to die?  Min thought of poor Jade – strung up, helpless, and taken away to suffer still more horrors at the hands of her barbaric tormentors. Why would an innocent woman be martyred simply for being beautiful and famous?

 

As these fragmented, dismal thoughts streamed through her mind, Min found it more and more difficult to breathe.  The last of her stamina seemed to drain away, and with it so did the strength to draw air into her lungs.  She could feel her heart beat slower and slower until it ultimately surrendered, and for a moment she perched on the precipice of eternal darkness.  Then a colossal wave of pain and agony thrust her into the bottomless abyss of oblivion.  For almost a minute, her body gasped and shuddered until with a final death rattle, Min expired.

 

Chapter 20

 

“It looks like the locals have come out to party for another day,” said Captain Zhou as he looked at one of the monitors inside PC-Beta.  It was less than an hour after sunrise, and already the Shuimogou streets were filling with rioters, looters, vandals and even a few legitimate rebels. 

 

The two PLA carriers were being pelted with bottles, stones, bricks… virtually anything the rowdy insurgents could throw.  Of greater concern, bullets occasionally ricocheted off the vehicles’ armored exteriors, reminding the Operation Elephant recruits that they were amidst armed fighters who would like nothing better than to kill them.

 

“It’s getting a bit hairy out there,” said Sergeant Sun.  He had done his best to keep the crew away from the hot spots, but once daylight broke, even the back streets and alleys were becoming precarious.  “Maybe it’s time we consider getting out of town…”

 

“No!  I mean… we can check a few more locations… can’t we?”  Tung Wu impulsively objected to aborting the mission, instantly regretting his self-serving dissent. He knew it was not his decision to make, and he quickly apologized for questioning his superior.

 

“Corporal Wu feels responsible for Jade Chen,” Zhao explained.  “He was on the evacuation team yesterday, so you can understand why he might be a bit… reluctant to give up the rescue effort.”

 

Sun nodded and let it pass.  Tung, who of course felt little responsibility for Jade, decided it was best not to reveal his feelings for Min.  After all, Zhao was half right – he was passionate about rescuing one of the hostages.

 

“We’ve checked five locations,” said Sun. “There’s no way we’ll get to all eleven before these people swarm us and rip apart the carriers with their bare hands.”  He sighed and looked sympathetically at Tung.  “I figure we can get to one more.  The site at Hainan Crossing is along the route to the main highway.  We can stop there on our way back.”

 

Tung thanked him and silently prayed that this would be the location where they would find Min and Jade.  The others had been dead ends, with all five looking nothing like what the team was expecting.  Only one of the tanks in the satellite photos was still where it had been in the pictures, and it proved to be a burned out hulk next to a firing range.  At every stop, the team found no sign of either a bunker or the two women.

 

And now, there was one more chance.

 

The concrete barrier surrounding the site at Hainan Crossing looked no different than the others the team had seen, but curiously the gate at this location had been left open.

 

“It could be a trap.” Sergeant Sun knew enough to be cautious.  Few residents of Shuimogou district would be so careless.  And with the rioters running rampant, an open gate was downright lunacy.

 

Zhao agreed and ordered PC-Alpha to stay outside while Sun gingerly drove the other vehicle through the entranceway. Once inside the compound, the PC-Beta team scanned the monitors, using the cameras to evaluate their surroundings. Almost immediately, Zhao suspected this was the place they were looking for.  Once again, there was no sign of a tank, but this time, there was a doorway which led to a bunker.

 

“I think this is it,” Zhao said in a hopeful tone. “The tank might have been here earlier. It may have been driven out through the gateway.  That’s why they left it open.”

 

“Could be.” Sun seemed less certain.  “What the hell is that?” he said, pointing to something at the side of the screen.  Zhao used the camera controls to zoom in on the object and bring it into focus.  Both men recoiled in horror.

 

“Oh… fuck!” Sergeant Sun brought his hand to his mouth and took a step back.  “It’s…. it’s… it can’t be…”

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

While three of his comrades struggled to pull Min’s mangled corpse off the blood-covered fence post, Tung was hunched on his knees a few yards away, vomiting and pounding his fists on the ground. Zhao crouched beside him and tried to offer some comforting words, but there was nothing he could say to erase the scene they had witnessed.  He now realized Tung’s feelings were for Min, and he better understood why the young corporal was so anxious to continue the search.  In hindsight, he would never have let him join the rescue mission.

 

“I’m sorry it turned out this way.”  Captain Zhao knew his words would ring hollow, but he felt he had to say something.  “Private Li must have been a very courageous soldier to… well… to resist these murderous bastards.”

 

“How could she resist?” Tung sobbed. “She didn’t know anything.  She was just a private…”

 

“Maybe that’s why they did this to her.  If they thought she had information… well, I’ve heard Uluk-Gar can be quite vicious.  Usually they let their hostages go free – unharmed. Apparently, this time it was not just about the money. Perhaps this is some kind of message…”

 

“But you said the ransom was paid long before the deadline.  What sort of message are they sending by brutally killing a young woman and leaving her on display… like… like that?”

 

“Then maybe they killed your friend for some other reason… perhaps she insulted them or fought back.”

 

“No.  Min wasn’t like that.  She wouldn’t needlessly risk her life, and she wouldn’t neglect her responsibility to protect Jade Chen. She was always so dependable.”

 

“I’m sure she was…”  Zhao’s voice trailed off.  He left Tung to grieve alone and joined the others.  Min had been laid out on the ground and a corporal with medical training was examining her body.

 

“She’s been dead less than hour,” he said.  “Still warm.”

 

“How did she die?” Sergeant Sun asked.

 

“It’s hard to say.  Someone really let loose on her.  But my guess is that post they rammed into her… um… that post she was on when we found her did massive internal damage.”

 

“You mean she was still alive when they put her on… on that?” Zhao pointed to the fence post.

 

The corporal shrugged.  He didn’t want to admit the possibility, even though he knew it was likely true.

 

“Do me a favor and keep that nasty detail from Corporal Wu.  If he asks, lie.  We can’t know for sure, so let’s assume she was already dead when those maniacs did this to her.  Now cover her and load her body into the PC.”

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

A search of the compound revealed no sign of Jade Chen, or anyone else.  Zhao guessed the terrorists had moved out in the tank at sunrise, leaving Private Li behind to die.  Apparently she was of no further use to them, but Jade Chen, either dead or alive, had been taken along – perhaps as a memento to demonstrate that no one was beyond the reach of Uluk-Gar.

 

“If only we’d come to this site first,” Zhao said with regret. “We might have been here in time to save them.  It’s my fault for not realizing this was the most likely location.”

 

“We had almost no information to go on,” Sun reassured him. “You did the best you could. We all did.”

 

“But we can still find Jade Chen, can’t we?” one of the corporals offered.

 

“How?” Sun shook his head. “We have no idea where she is, or if she’s even alive.  We’d have to scour the whole city, and that’s assuming the bastards didn’t leave Ürümqi altogether.”


“We can’t just go back to the base…” The corporal looked dismayed.

 

“We have no choice,” Zhao said grimly.  From across the compound barrier he could hear the rising shouts and tumult in the streets.  Soon they would be trapped in the city, at the mercy of the rioters.  “I’m afraid we have to abort the mission.”

 

“But… but Jade Chen…”

 

“Didn’t you see what they did to Private Li?  Most likely, Jade Chen is dead, too.”

 

The PC-Beta team returned to the Wolf and drove out of the compound, joining the other carrier to make their way out of the district.  The clamor outside had grown significantly, and once again, the vehicles became the targets of assorted projectiles and occasional gunfire.

 

The rioters gathered in packs, some of which would band together to form even larger crowds, often with hundreds of screaming participants.  The Operation Elephant recruits quickly realized that Zhao had been right – to continue the search would have been suicide.

 

For Tung Wu, the mission had ended the moment he saw Min’s body barbarically displayed in the compound.  Now she lay lifeless on the floor of the carrier, surrounded by the rest of the PC-Beta team.  One man’s jacket had been used to cover her torso, but her lithe, feminine legs remained completely exposed.  The flesh was bruised and bloody, and her calves were twisted awkwardly where her bones had been fractured, but Tung could only imagine how he would never have the chance to enjoy the charms of his once lovely comrade.

 

Min still wore the sandals she had slipped on the previous day.  Tung remembered how he stole a sly peek to watch her change behind the VN3 transport. He recalled how she had caught him looking, but remained unashamed, giving him a sweet smile and a wink.  And then there was her shy acceptance of his request for a date – a date they now would never have a chance to share.

 

“Why?  Why did it have to be Min?” Tung said quietly. And then he started crying once more.

 

Chapter 21

 

It did not take long for the gathering crowds to converge on the tank rumbling through Shuimogou. When they first heard the roar of its engine approaching, the rioters thought the PAP had descended on their district as it had on the others. But when they saw there was only one vehicle, and that it was old, dilapidated and unmarked, they realized it was not a threat.  Quite the opposite in fact.  The naked woman hanging from the gun barrel, apparently a captured Han, was being flaunted for their amusement – a living effigy of their despised enemy, someone they could disgrace and punish.

 

Citizens who had read the early morning papers knew more.  The story of Jade Chen’s kidnapping had been leaked to the press and was now public knowledge.  It did not take long for those who got a close look at the hapless beauty swaying from the tank to make the connection.  This was not just another Chinese resident who had become trapped in the district; it was the famed Jade Chen herself.

 

That such a celebrity would be in Ürümqi during an uprising, apparently unescorted, seemed astonishing to the people of Shuimogou. But there was no denying who it was.  With Jade’s dazzling face gracing magazines across the country, she was among the most recognizable women in China.  Many could identify her from her body alone.  Still, were it not for the news of her abduction, few would have guessed it was Jade Chen hanging at the end of the ropes.

 

“I can’t believe it’s her,” said a man walking alongside the tank, unable to take his eyes off Jade’s curvaceous form as she swung to and fro just a few yards away from him.  “She must have been incredibly stupid to fall into the hands of a band of rebels.  I wonder if the Uygurs captured her.”

 

“I heard it was Uluk-Gar, and that she was being held for ransom,” said a young woman walking next to him.   “The papers said the kidnappers’ demands were met.”

 

“Then why was she not released?  Uluk-Gar must have made a fortune for someone this famous.  Her husband is worth billions.  Besides, the hostages they have taken in the past were usually let go.”

 

“Perhaps they changed their plans,” suggested the woman. “This one is not like most hostages.  Perhaps they have something special in store for her.”

 

“I hope so,” said the man, his eyes still riveted on Jade.

 

News that Jade Chen was being paraded through the streets of Shuimogou spread quickly.  At first, just a few dozen people had come across the bizarre scene, but in less than ten minutes, hundreds of rioters had flocked to see it for themselves.  They surrounded the slow-moving tank, but kept a respectful distance from the woman dangling from the gun barrel.

 

A few of the more venturesome gawkers, all of them male, approached within a few feet of Jade to get a better look.  They admired her perfect figure and her exquisite features.  Her expression was stoic; she gazed straight ahead, never once looking down to acknowledge the throngs of people staring at her.

 

Tears ran down her face, but otherwise she was no more than a lifeless marionette dangling from her strings. The gag prevented her from pleading, but even if she were able to speak, she would not have said a word.  Jade did all she could to maintain her dignity, even as the lumbering tank caused her nude body to undulate enticingly, her maimed breasts sensually gyrating on her chest.

 

Alim sat proudly in the turret, basking in what he imagined was the appreciation of the cheering crowd.  In fact, few people acknowledged him.  They knew he and the other men in the tank were Uluk-Gar terrorists, most likely foreigners, but this mattered little to them.  It was Jade Chen who captured their attention.  They were enthralled by the celebrity in their midst.  The fact that she had been captured and disgraced added to their excitement, but they would have been equally delighted if she were appearing willingly to sign autographs.

 

When Alim noticed people were more fascinated by Jade than angry at her, he realized his plan to use his captive as a symbol of Chinese imperialism and domination was not going as intended.  He decided to make the purpose of the demonstration more apparent to his audience.

 

After ordering Tahir and Kamil to stop the tank, he grabbed a megaphone from inside the firing chamber and stood on the turret.  The crowd stopped as well, growing silent as Alim’s voice suddenly bellowed around them.

 

“Citizens of Ürümqi… My name is Commander Alim Habib of Uluk-Gar. By now you most certainly have recognized the rare and splendid prize I have brought to you.  We have captured the illustrious Jade Chen in the name of the revolution to reclaim the Xinjiang districts, the land stolen from the Uygur people by the greedy Han despots.  She is one of them.  She is the enemy!  And we shall use her to persuade her countrymen to cease the oppression of non-Chinese minorities.”

 

Alim did not mention that he was not among these minorities, nor that Uluk-Gar had little to do with the rebellion, but he knew that the martyrdom of Jade Chen would draw the acclamation and notoriety he craved.  He knew the Uygurs already despised the Chinese – and those in the mob were impassioned enough to take their anger to the streets – so all he needed to do was channel their outrage against his ill-fated captive.  Doing so proved to be surprisingly simple.

 

“We do not want money from the Chinese.  We do not want patronizing platitudes.  And we do not want to be ignored.  By taking what the Han value most we now have their attention.  By destroying it, we will get their cooperation.  When we captured this bitch, we stole a symbol of all our enemies hold dear – wealth, fame, beauty, and especially power.  It is time you show them you too have power.  Let them know you are not afraid.  Show them you do not respect their hollow icons, and they will see we are not like they are, that you do not share their values.”

 

Alim paused to gauge the crowd’s reaction.  A low murmur slowly increased in volume as the people discussed the meaning of his words.  Their expressions became more serious as they remembered the purpose of the revolt. With almost all the Han driven from the district, the rioting had grown aimless and haphazard, degenerating into random acts of vandalism.  Now, the rebellious Uygurs had a target once more.  And what a target it was!  Their voices became louder as their resentment increased.

 

“The Chinese whore must be punished!” someone shouted out.  A half-eaten apple was launched toward Jade and bounced off her body.

 

“Agreed!”  Alim spoke into the megaphone. “She must be punished publicly so all her countrymen will be outraged and terrified.”  He sensed the crowd growing more volatile, but he did not want to lose control of the situation.  He wanted Jade’s fate to be in his hands – the work of Uluk-Gar. Having her torn to pieces by a mob of hooligans would not serve his plans.

 

Alim ordered that the tank continue its slow passage through the streets and alleyways, signaling an increase in speed whenever he sensed the rioters surging too closely toward Jade.  Some fired weapons into the air, but none dared shoot at the woman swinging from the lumbering machine.  Alim was pleased to see that many in the crowd now jeered at her.  Some pelted her with rotten fruit, empty bottles and stones.

 

Among the hundreds of people trotting alongside the tank, Alim spotted at least a dozen individuals recording the macabre parade on their cameras and cell phones. This was exactly what he had hoped for.  Soon his efforts would be known around the world.

 

Chapter 22

 

Long before the Operation Elephant team returned to Turpan base, Huang Chen had been informed about the failure of the mission. Captain Zhao had called ahead as soon as the two carriers had made it past the Ürümqi city limits and onto the highway.  It had been a short conversation in which Zhao had spoken to Huang directly.  Zhao had felt it best to tell him the bad news as soon as possible, but when Huang realized his wife was most likely dead, he had ended the transmission.

 

Zhao called back later and spoke to the base commander.  It seemed Chen had broken down completely on hearing Jade’s probable fate and had locked himself in his guest quarters to grieve.

 

“That’s to be expected,” Zhao said.  “They were an odd couple, but I could tell how much he loved her.”

 

The commander agreed and went on to tell Zhao that Jade’s kidnapping had become public knowledge.

 

“I’m not sure how it got out,” he said, “but it’s the day’s top story.  So get ready for the shit to hit the fan, especially when we announce the rescue attempt failed.”

 

“No.  This mission will remain classified.  We have nothing to gain by letting the world know we fucked up.”

 

“But we can’t let everyone think that we didn’t try to save them…”

 

“The press doesn’t know they are dead.  And for now we won’t tell them.  The official story should be that Huang Chen paid the ransom, but Uluk-Gar didn’t keep their end of the bargain, which is the truth. We will announce that both women are officially missing – and in Jade’s case, that’s true as well. We’ll say we were unable to find the hostages, and in time, it will be assumed that they were killed by their captors. End of story.”

 

“But what about Private Li?” the commander asked. “You have her body…”

 

“MIA,” said Zhao grimly.  “The media isn’t interest in Li anyway.  We’ll give her an anonymous burial at the base.”  The captain hung up and noticed Tung Wu staring at him in disbelief.  The young corporal had heard everything Zhao had said.

 

“You can’t just dump Min in the ground without telling anyone!” Tung could barely contain his anger. “What about her family?”

 

“I’m sorry… but it has to be like this.”

 

“And her bravery… Min deserves a posthumous medal for risking her life to contact us.  Any soldier would be buried with honors for doing half as much. We can’t just pretend she vanished into thin air.”

 

“I’m afraid that’s exactly what we have to do.  All of us.”  Zhao gave Tung a long, hard look so the corporal would understand the grave consequences he faced if he released classified information.

 

Tung nodded and lowered his head sadly.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

Once back at Turpan base, Zhao immediately went to see Huang Chen – to give his condolences, to apologize and, he assumed, to drown in an ocean of verbal abuse.  Most likely Chen would hold him responsible for Jade’s death… or rather her disappearance, even though he didn’t support the hare-brained plan to pull her from Ürümqi in the first place.

 

Huang was already packed and waiting to be taken to the airstrip when Zhao arrived.  He wanted to return to Lintong as soon as possible, despite the risk of flying across the hot zone in daylight. 

 

“When your lover and closest friend dies – especially under such horrific circumstances, you tend to devalue your own life,” said Huang, trying to explain why he wouldn’t care if his plane were attacked on the return journey.

 

Zhao was surprised that there was no sign of the fury and blame-throwing he was expecting.  Instead, Huang was melancholy and reserved, as if his misfortune had drained him of all his bluster.  Most likely it had, thought Zhao – it would be how most people would react.  Still, it was not what he anticipated from Huang Chen

 

“We don’t know that she’s dead,” said Zhao, not sure whether this would give Huang hope or add to his despair.  “In any case, it would be best, at least for now, if you did not suggest that Jade is… no longer alive.”

 

“What?  You mean I’m supposed to pretend that these cocksuckers might still release her? We both know that’s not going to happen… we both know that… that she’s gone.”

 

“Even if she is, I’m asking you – as a favor to me – to assume she is still a hostage until we know otherwise.”

 

“And what about the other one… that useless private who was supposed to protect Jade?  You said you found her body.”

 

“That’s classified now.  As is the rescue mission.  Again, I’m asking for your discretion with regards to all of this.”

 

Huang grumbled, letting a bit of his crotchety persona come to the fore, but he realized the captain was right.  If he were to publicly dispute the PLA’s version of what happened, he would need to betray his own involvement in the incident and reveal his ties to the military.  Both men knew he could not afford to do that.

 

“Very well.  I’ll keep quiet… except about the ransom.  I want everyone to know I did what those bastards asked.  I did everything I could to save her.”

 

“Of course.  But I still don’t understand why this time the money wasn’t enough.  It’s by far the largest amount they’ve ever received.  Are you sure the transfer went through… and that it was deposited in the right account?”

 

“Don’t you think I checked that a hundred times by now?” Huang was offended that Zhao would think that such a trivial mistake could have been made under such serious circumstances.  Nonetheless, he felt the need to prove there were no mistakes.  He unpacked his laptop and signed on to the account from which he had drawn the funds.

 

“There’s the statement,” he said opening up the transaction confirmation.  Zhao could see the requested amount had been transferred to the correct account long before the deadline had passed.

 

“I guess the only explanation is that Uluk-Gar decided to get out of the kidnapping business.  They must have figured the windfall they got for your wife was enough to retire on.”

 

“That still doesn’t explain why the fucking pigs had to kill her…”

 

“We don’t know,” Zhao repeated what he had said earlier.  “We don’t know for sure that Jade is dead.”

 

Chapter 23

 

For almost two hours, Jade Chen hung from the tank’s gun barrel as the machine meandered aimlessly through Shuimogou district.  Supported entirely by her arms and the rope running up from her bound wrists, her body was jostled uncontrollably as the tank advanced over the uneven and broken pavement.

 

Both Jade’s shoulders had been dislocated and intolerable waves of pain shot along her spine and down her legs.  She could no longer feel any sensation in her hands or forearms, both of which were covered in blood from the gouges the rope had cut into her flesh.

 

The crowd, which continued to follow alongside the vehicle, never seemed to tire of throwing things at her. She had been pummeled with hundreds of projectiles, including some of the most disgusting detritus imaginable.  She was bruised by stones, splattered with decayed produce and cut by the glass shards of broken bottles.  At times she wanted to scream, and perhaps now – dignity be damned – she would have.  But even the privilege of crying out in agony was denied her by the saliva-soaked gag in her mouth. 

 

Yet for Jade Chen, the worst part of her ordeal was the constant cursing and contemptuous taunts of the increasingly unruly mob surrounding her.  Over and over her name was shouted in tandem with every vulgar expletive and epithet she had ever heard, and many she hadn’t.  Some of her tormentors took delight in trumpeting descriptions of the many devious and inhuman punishments which might await her once her torturous ride came to an end.  Despite these threats, Jade breathed a sigh of relief when it finally did.

 

The tank stopped at the edge of a town square, a sunken plaza surrounded by steps on all four sides.  Alim decided this would be the perfect location to enact the final chapter of Jade’s ritual comeuppance.  The plaza was large enough to stage a suitably dramatic and dire performance, and the steps provided ideal seating for the hundreds of townsfolk who had come to witness the inevitable downfall of the comely Chinese celebrity.  The crowd seemed to agree and raced to sit along the steps closest to the center of the square.

 

Kamil gingerly maneuvered the tank down the steps.  The incline was almost forty degrees, but easily traversed by the ponderous contraption.  As always, Jade swung about like a child’s toy as she dangled helplessly from the muzzle of the gun.  Once upright on the concrete tiles of the plaza, the tank advanced to the middle of the site and stopped.

 

Like a circus ringleader, Alim again stood on the turret with his megaphone to address the Uygurs, all of whom sat attentively on the steps like expectant spectators in a Roman amphitheater.

 

“My friends… it is time that we decide whether the Han bitch suspended before you is innocent… or guilty.  And if it is the latter, it is you who will choose her punishment.  After her capture, I vowed I would leave this vile female’s fate in the hands of those her people have oppressed.  And now, the time has come to fulfill my promise.  It is you who must determine her culpability.  It is you who will choose her destiny.  Look closely, my friends, because it is only by examining her beguiling physical attributes, her ability to deceive and seduce her enemies, that you can determine her guilt.”

 

Alim descended through the hatch into the firing chamber and used the targeting controls to rotate the turret, slowly spinning the naked, abused body of Jade Chen around and around in front of his rapt audience.  The onlookers murmured among themselves, obviously impressed with Alim’s showmanship.

 

Jade grew dizzy and disoriented as she watched the blur of the assembled mob pass in front of her eyes.  After ten revolutions, she vomited across her chest. After twenty, she lost control of her bladder, releasing a stream of urine which splattered some unfortunate spectators sitting closest to the action.

 

At last, Alim stopped the revolving turret and once again climbed out of the hatch to stand on top of it.

 

“You have all seen the evil wench before you,” he announced through the megaphone. “You have seen her naked, her provocative charms exposed from all angles. She is wealthy, worshipped by the Han, and wed to one of the most powerful of those who wish to exploit us. This bitch is corrupt and obviously willing to use her god-given gifts to distract us.  Just look how she shamelessly displays herself in magazines and on television. Clearly, this loathsome woman is a tool of the Chinese imperialists.  Clearly, she is guilty!  How do you rule?”

 

Befuddled and in agony, Jade could barely make out Alim’s accusations.  She realized she was on trial – if that is what one could call such an unjust onslaught – but she could not understand his diatribe against her.  She wondered why this man hated her so much.  Why was she being made to suffer in front of all these people – people she had done nothing to offend or anger?

 

“GUILTY!!”  the crowd roared.  There was no doubt the onlookers had been swayed by Alim’s impassioned “prosecution”. Those sitting on the closest steps, the ones still wiping Jade’s piss from their clothes, seemed to be the most vehement of her detractors.

 

Yesterday, the women in the audience had regarded Jade Chen as a role model, or in some cases a figure to be admired and envied; for the males, she was a masturbatory fantasy.  Now, beyond her wildest imaginings, she had become an object of derision, a war criminal, despised and at the mercy of a throng of strangers who lusted for her blood.

 

Chapter 24

 

“And her punishment?” Alim shouted to the crowd, his question drawing murmurs among the onlookers.

 

It did not take long for the more outspoken ones to shout out suggestions.  Hot irons, the rack and electrocution were among the favored tactics.  Some of the more creative spectators proposed everything from covering Jade with carnivorous insects to slowly crushing her breasts in a giant vice.  Though many of the ideas were cruel enough to satisfy Alim’s lust for sadistic torture, most were not practical.  The punishment had to be meted out with whatever implements were at hand, and there was not a giant vice, hot iron or carnivorous insect in sight.

 

In the end, it was a rather mundane but suitably harsh penance that proved to be both feasible and popular with the audience – Jade would be flogged.  An old cattle farmer graciously donated a bullwhip he had on hand, garnering cheers from the crowd when Alim held it high for all to see. It was a sizable instrument, with a tightly braided, leather thong almost fifteen feet in length.  Alim cracked it through the air with vigor, sending an emphatic clap echoing through the square.  The spectators applauded and voiced their approval.

 

“Whip the bitch! Whip her bloody!”

 

“How many times?” Alim called out to them. True to his word, he would let the people decide the severity of the prisoner’s penance.

 

“Ten lashes!” someone yelled.

 

“No… Fifteen!!” shouted someone else.

 

“Twenty!!” another person jumped in as if participating in an auction.  A moment of silence followed.  Few among the mob had witnessed a woman whipped, but most suspected that more than twenty strokes with the oversized knout might prove excessive.

 

“Twenty it is,” said Alim, himself satisfied with the number.  He walked up to Jade and took a minute to delight in her terror.

 

Strung up as she was, already stripped bare, Jade Chen was perfectly positioned for her punishment.  She trembled with fear, the awful anticipation of the anguish to come almost causing her to faint.  Her vision blurred as her eyes welled with tears.  The thought that her body would be torn apart by a bullwhip was appalling.

 

Alim pressed the gnarled surface of the knout against Jade’s skin, slowly dragging it over her soft curves to let her imagine the damage it would cause.  She writhed to get away from it, which only encouraged him to taunt her more.

 

“Now you will suffer for the sins of your people, evil wench.  You will descend the stairway to hell and writhe in agony with each step you take.”  Alim reached up and yanked the gag from Jade’s mouth.  “This time, you will regale us with your screams.”

 

He walked away from her, taking five purposeful strides before turning to face his victim.  Once again he held the whip aloft, bringing more cheers from the crowd.  He let it unfurl, and after taking a moment to orient himself, he drew it back and swung it forward with all his might.

 

To the sound of another mighty crack, the thong curled around Jade’s midsection, slicing into her flesh as Alim expertly jerked the handle to snap the lash.  Jade let out a lusty shriek as a torrent of pain engulfed her.  It felt as if someone had cut her in half, bisecting her at the waist.

 

“ONE!!” the crowd shouted wildly, obviously pleased with Alim’s effort.  As they had earlier, many of the onlookers recorded the proceedings with their cameras.

 

Alim pulled the whip back, leaving Jade’s body swinging forward and twisting from the ropes.  A thin red line encircled her waist like an ornamental belt, her skin broken just enough to draw blood.

 

Waiting for almost a minute, Alim let his audience enjoy the sight of the battered woman spinning from her bonds.  Jade was panting for breath, her breasts rising and falling quickly as she gasped.  She was still rotating slowly when Alim raised the whip to launch the next stroke.

 

With his target momentarily twisted to one side, the second blow cut across her back, leaving a diagonal stripe from her right shoulder to her left hip.  Again, a loud crack rang out, followed immediately by Jade’s tormented scream.  This time, the force of the impact sent her swaying back and forth.

 

“TWO!!” came the excited count from the audience.

 

Again, Alim let the anticipation build as Jade danced and dangled in mid-air.  He waited till she had turned to face him, then landed a lateral strike across her bobbing breasts.  This brought a clamorous hurrah from the spectators as well as the loudest cry yet from the much-abused captive.  Thin rivulets of blood streamed down her bosom and dripped from just under her nipples. Once again she swung limply to and fro, bouncing puppet-like from the rope.

 

“THREE!!”

 

Like a master showman, Alim continued Jade’s flogging, always maintaining the undivided attention of those in the crowd.  For them, the woman’s slow and brutal destruction had become more than just an act of rebellion or vengeance, it was entertainment – a live performance of spectacular cruelty meted out to a beautiful and helpless female.

 

Alim knew that with the support of the rioters, this act of terrorism would be much more than just a kidnapping gone awry, a failed attempt to extort money from a Chinese fat-cat.  It would become a political statement and a powerful challenge to the Han imperialists. In his eyes, it was now a justifiable action. The complicity of the hundreds watching him made it so. The Uygurs newfound loathing of this lovely symbol of oppression legitimized any atrocity he wished to commit against her.  All he needed to do was keep his audience amused.

 

“FOUR!!” the people yelled as the whip coiled around Jade’s hips, digging deep into her buttocks. 

 

Alim was careful to keep things interesting.  It would take almost half an hour to administer twenty lashes, and there was a danger the show would bog down and become repetitive. To add some spice, he varied not only the placement of his strokes, but also their style, frequency and intensity.  This provoked a diverse array of reactions from Jade, as well as from those watching.  By the time Alim had applied the first five lashes, he had become quite adept at aiming the knout, invariably hitting his dangling target exactly where he wished.

 

“ELEVEN!!” The mob clapped fiercely as a vertical stroke slashed along Jade’s breastbone, drawing a river of blood through her cleavage.  She swiveled and released yet another howl of pain. The next blow came quickly, striking unexpectedly upwards between her legs and thrusting the leather thong directly into her sex.

 

“TWELVE!!” The crowd erupted in whoops of laughter and derision, but even at their loudest, they could not drown out Jade’s agonized shriek as the whip ripped apart her clitoris.

 

“That’s it!  The slut’s snatch is destroyed!  She is done for!!” screamed one of the male onlookers.  Many of the women reached for their groins and winced, imagining the unspeakable torment of enduring such a savage stroke.  Jade’s wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression barely hinted at her excruciating pain.  Only when blood spurted from between her thighs did the less empathetic spectators grasp the extent of the damage.

 

But Jade was not yet done for.  Alim continued to flail the lash, putting all his strength into every blow.  More and more, his victim’s flesh was torn apart, her body gashed repeatedly by the relentless knout.  And then, at last…

 

“TWENTY!!”

 

Jade gasped for breath and continued to struggle.  She was in agony, but at least her torment had ended.  Having survived the twenty strokes, perhaps she would now be released.  Perhaps the crowd’s bloodlust had been sated and at last her ordeal was over…

 

“It is not enough!!” came an indignant cry from the mob.  Soon others chimed in, all voicing their obvious disappointment in Jade’s apparently paltry punishment.

 

“Oh god… nooo…” Jade muttered silently. “It can’t be.  How can they want me to suffer more?”

 

“She deserves twice that!  Another twenty strokes!!”  The heckling grew louder.  Soon the air was filled with deafening chants of “Twenty more!!  Twenty more!!  Twenty more…”

 

“Very well.”  Alim held up his hand to acknowledge the hundreds of onlookers.  “The people have spoken.  The judgment is amended.  The bitch will suffer forty strokes in total!”

 

Jade let out a mighty wail of anguish even before the next stroke had sliced into her already ravaged torso.

 

And so Jade’s ordeal did not end after just twenty lashes.  Nor did it end when Alim placed three more across her left breast, ultimately tearing away her nipple.  Nor did it end with the scourging of her thighs and ass.  Even when he used the whip to break both her arms, Alim had only reached thirty strokes. He was tired and covered with sweat, but he happily continued his work.

 

Four more powerful slices across her midsection made mincemeat of Jade’s perfectly toned abdomen.  The resulting cuts unleashed more blood to stream across her body and drip into a growing red pool beneath her feet. The next stroke landed several inches lower, further desecrating her already shredded pudenda.

 

“THIRTY-FIVE!!”  As the final crack of the whip approached, the fervid counting of the crowd grew louder.  Jade’s cries, on the other hand, had become ever more muted – her energy and spirit depleted by the relentless thrashing forced upon her.

 

From her neck to her knees, she was etched with lacerations both shallow and deep – each of Alim’s strokes tallied with a painful furrow.  Virtually every inch of Jade’s skin, save her face and forearms, was covered with blood.  More blood and flecks of gory tissue was on the ground, and some had even splattered against the tank. 

 

“FORTY!!” the crowd screamed exuberantly as Alim’s final stroke tore into Jade’s flesh, this one again targeting the ample expanse of her chest.  The audience rose to its collective feet and cheered for several minutes.  Alim smiled broadly and took a bow.  His performance had been a resounding success.

 

For Jade Chen, every second had been an eternity of horror. Again and again she had tried to pass out, to will herself into unconsciousness, but each time she began to fade away, Alim’s whip brought her back to full awareness.  The man had been right – she had walked down that stairway to hell, and every step was more inhuman, more painful, more vicious than she ever could have imagined.  And now at last it was over.

 

Or so she thought.

 

Chapter 25

 

As he had done before the flogging began, Alim proudly displayed the condemned prisoner to the jeering mob.  Once again, he climbed into the gun turret and used the firing controls to slowly rotate the barrel from which Jade was suspended. He wanted the audience to get a good view of his artistry, and by using the turret to spin Jade 360 degrees in the center of the plaza, everyone could appreciate the barbaric flogging she had endured.  As her bloody, whip-scarred body passed before them, the onlookers hooted with both delight and derision.

 

Alim’s lash had reduced Jade to a parody of the feminine ideal she had once been.  The famous curves were still there -- the pneumatic breasts, the svelte waist and the flaring hips were as alluring as ever – but the smooth, copper skin and tantalizing flesh had been transformed into what looked like glistening scraps of raw meat.

 

Her arms and several ribs had been broken, leaving her body oddly twisted as it dangled from the ropes. One nipple was missing and her genitals had been all but obliterated.  Blood loss from the dozens of gouges cut by the thong was significant.  As Jade’s ruined body swayed before them, many wondered if she had even survived her ordeal.

 

“She still breathes,” said one man, his gaze fixed on Jade’s wounded breasts as she drifted by. “It seems she will live.”

 

“Perhaps,” replied the woman sitting next to him.  “But why would she want to?  Her career is over, and that rich husband of hers will ditch her the moment he sees her like this.  For a woman whose entire life is defined by her looks, she may as well be dead.”

 

As Jade circled before them, she heard the spectators gossip.  A few seemed to pity her, but most agreed her ordeal was deserved, if not by her, then by the pernicious people she represented.  It didn’t matter that she had committed no offence.  Making the evil Han – any evil Han – suffer was payback for the years of subjugation the Uygurs had endured. 

 

Had she any strength left, Jade would have called out to her adversaries.  She wanted to proclaim her innocence – to have a chance to prove that she did not deserve such dreadful treatment.  But as the macabre exhibition of her battered body continued, she grew too weak to utter a word.  She could only gasp and let out pitiful mewls, barely able to draw breath.

 

Jade did not want to die.  Despite the heartless comments she had heard, despite her grave injuries, and despite the inevitable loss of her fame and wealth, the fact that she had survived this horrendous experience made her realize that whatever lay ahead, she would find the courage to carry on.  There was still hope.  All was not lost.

 

Jade was thankful that Alim had not whipped her face.  At least some of her beauty had been spared from the lethal lash. And perhaps the damage to her body could be repaired – after all, she had money and access to the best cosmetic surgeons in China.  And Min… poor Min… maybe she too was still alive.  She was in bad shape when Jade last saw her, but a PLA rescue team may have found her in time.  Certainly someone had come to look for them… to save them from these monsters.  Perhaps her rescuers were approaching the square that very minute… to kill the terrorists… to free her from this nightmare… forever…

 

As Jade lost more blood, the last of her stamina ebbed away, and the blurred panorama of colors which spun before her slowly grew dark. By the time Alim stopped rotating the gun barrel, she was unconscious, her body suspended limp and broken like a side of beef in a slaughterhouse.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

“DEATH!!”

 

The crowd bellowed the word with a passion driven by hatred.  So tumultuous was the people’s cry, that it revived Jade from her brief respite, bringing her back to a grim reality.

 

Her heart sank on realizing she was still hanging from the tank.  Why had her captors not cut her down?  Hadn’t she served the brutal sentence they had given her?  Had she not atoned for the imagined crimes she was accused of?  And why was the mob calling out for death?  Certainly it could not be hers – not after all she had been made to endure.  She had suffered more than enough.  She had earned her freedom.

 

“Then it is agreed.  The prisoner is condemned to die at the hands of those she has oppressed.”  Jade quivered with fear as she heard Alim’s megaphone-amplified voice.  Apparently the ruthless flogging had not been enough to absolve her.  In fact it had only whetted the depraved appetites of the spectators.  If at first they had not intended to kill her, she assumed Alim had easily convinced them otherwise.  Most likely he simply added to the list of abominations that she, or rather her countrymen, had perpetrated against the Uygurs.

 

Of course, from the moment he shot Otkur, it had always been Alim’s intention to orchestrate the destruction of the celebrated Jade Chen.  Ransom or no ransom, the change of plans had sealed her doom.  Her murder would be a staggering insult to the Chinese, an act both notorious and vile enough to elevate the profile of Uluk-Gar as well as Alim’s standing within the organization. Once again, by implicating the Ürümqi insurgents, he had slyly sanctioned his motives. Jade’s demise would not be seen as senseless and uncalled-for by the Muslim minorities; it would be a legitimate act of terrorism – fallout from the local uprising.

 

“Execute the bitch!” yelled a woman in the audience.  The crowd was growing restless – perhaps impatient to see the performance continue; perhaps nervous that their complicity would be revealed to the police.  If the PAP knew of the mock prosecution being held in the Shuimogou square, they could quickly descend on the proceedings from one of the neighboring districts.

 

“Yes get on with it!  Kill her!”  Another voice rose from the crowd.

 

“KILL HER!  KILL HER!  KILL HER!” the mob chanted over and over, growing more unruly.  Some of the rioters raised their rifles overhead and fired into the air to add emphasis.

 

Jade’s head lolled forward onto her chest. She continued to shudder, consumed by the panic and dread of a woman facing death.  It all seemed so unfair, so wasteful.

 

“Please don’t kill me,” she pleaded in a whisper inaudible to anyone.  “Please let me go…”

 

Alim adjusted the turret so the gun faced forward, then lowered the barrel until Jade’s toes dangled just an inch above the cement tiles of the plaza.  Looking down between her breasts, she watched the blood drip from her flesh to form another puddle beneath her feet. The pain of her assorted injuries was grueling, but it was the sight of her once ravishing body ruined and on the verge of being exterminated forever that filled her with overwhelming sorrow. 

 

Any hope Jade had left vanished as she heard Alim call out for volunteers to form a firing squad.  Like some third-world traitor, she would be executed in public.  At least it would be quick, she thought, though it distressed her that she would be killed naked, no doubt to further satisfy the crowd’s deviant desires.  Then again, how much humiliation could she feel after she was gone?

 

Still the consummate master of ceremonies, Alim selected a half dozen lucky members of the audience to act as Jade’s assassins.  Surprisingly, two were female – perhaps envious young women eager to eliminate a prominent source of their own physical insecurities. All six were armed of course, each bearing an automatic rifle they had hoped to use while rampaging through the streets.  They were pleased that their weapons now would serve a far more practical and enjoyable purpose.

 

The shooters were a motley bunch of greenhorns in their twenties. They were attired in ill-fitting camo outfits, probably stripped from the bodies of PAP militia killed in the conflict.  Though they affected the politics of the radical Uygurs, they joined the conflict as much for the opportunity to raise hell as for any deeply entrenched utopian ideals.  In short, they wanted to loot, fight and kill.  As there were limited opportunities for the latter activity, Alim’s invitation to execute a captive Han, particularly a busty media star like Jade, was more than the disorderly ruffians could have hoped for.

 

As per Alim’s instructions, the six rebels lined up side by side, facing their target from a modest twenty feet away.  Jade hung before them as if already expired, her head still slumped forward and her body swaying slightly in the breeze. If nothing else, thought Alim, she would make an easy target for his misfit executioners.

 

“She looks dead,” complained one of them.  “Where’s the fun in shooting a corpse?”

 

Alim had to agree.  Neither the shooters nor the audience would get much satisfaction in watching Jade dispatched if they could not see her face.  They wanted to witness the prisoner’s anguish, to see her expression of fear and hopelessness as she succumbed. He raised the megaphone to his mouth and aimed it at his lethargic captive.

 

“At least have the courage to face your assailants, you sluggish slut,” Alim taunted her.  “Are you so cowardly that you are afraid to look at the heroes who have so generously offered to release your soul to the hell you deserve?  Are all you Chinese bitches such craven curs – afraid of their own shadows?”

 

Jade heard his words.  For almost a minute, she remained motionless, ignoring Alim and effecting a final act of defiance… by doing nothing.  And then she realized he was right – by hanging her head she was displaying fear, submissiveness and shame.  This was not how she wanted to die.  As much as it angered her to comply with the demands of this merciless tyrant, she did as he asked. 

 

Slowly, Jade lifted her head and stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the four men and two women lined up before her.  All six already had raised their weapons.  She knew she had only seconds to live. In the little time she had left, she struggled to overcome the panic rising within her.  How did people die bravely under such harrowing circumstances?  How could anyone not be overwhelmed with fear?  Jade fought to maintain her composure, but in the end she foundered.

 

“Please…no…”  Again, her plea was no more than a soft murmur, unheard among the boisterous throng. But all saw her mouth the words – a final, pathetic appeal for mercy that would naturally go unanswered.

 

“Much better,” said Alim. He turned to the firing squad and added one last instruction, a final, cruel conceit to draw out Jade’s suffering as long as possible.  “Make sure you don’t kill her with the first volley.”

 

Alim directed an evil smirk at the naked, blood-drenched woman and signaled the rebels to fire.

Six shots rang out, leaving the target jerking noticeably as she was hit.

 

Jade’s executioners had done as they were instructed… not a single shot proved fatal.  One bullet tore into her left shoulder, another penetrated her right breast, and two more – fired by the female rebels, who aimed much lower – entered on each side of her groin.  The remaining two men missed entirely.  The assault was powerful – the projectiles drilled completely through Jade’s torso, blasting nasty exit wounds from her back – but it left the target alive and in greater pain than ever.

 

The agony of being simultaneously perforated by four rounds had Jade writhing from the ropes with newfound vigor.  Desperately she pulled at her bonds, instinctively struggling to get free, or at least to avoid another onslaught like the one she had just endured.

 

“Good work!” Alim praised the shooters who grinned proudly.  “Now for another round.  Once more, see if you can keep her alive.  Make her die slowly!”  Again, Alim gave the signal to fire.

 

This time, only one shooter missed.  Two slugs hit Jade in the lower abdomen, one struck her left thigh, another bullet ripped into her right shoulder, and for the second time a shot was fired through her right breast. As before, the damage was considerable, but Jade’s vital organs had been spared.  She continued to squirm and thrash in undeniable agony, but she clearly was still alive. Alim smiled approvingly.

 

The audience hooted with glee. The squad’s merciless marksmanship was certainly enlivening the performance, but Alim knew that he could not carry on Jade’s torture forever.  Many in the crowd were filming the climax of what he hoped would be an extreme act of terrorism.  As much as Alim too enjoyed the extended suffering of his victim, he knew her ultimate destruction had to be decisive and shocking.  The exact moment of Jade Chen’s death must be apparent to all.

 

“This time, kill her!” he instructed the squad. “Shoot her in the chest! It’s certainly big enough.”

 

Following another signal from Alim, the six rebels fired a third volley, this one proving far more deadly than the first two.  Five rounds perforated Jade’s sumptuous bosom, decimating her heart and both of her lungs before exiting from her upper back.  As if to leave no doubt the executioners had accomplished their task, the sixth shot struck Jade in the center of her forehead, cleaving her brain and blowing out the back of her skull.  Instantly, her gyrations ceased.  Jade drooped down and hung flaccid from the ropes, once more swaying gently from her bonds.  Again her head slumped forward onto her chest – this time, forever.

 

For a moment the crowd fell silent, impressed with the sudden and ghastly finale.  They watched in awe as geysers of blood squirted from the assorted bullet holes in Jade’s body.  Given all she had endured, many found it hard to believe the show was over.  But when they realized it was, they stood up to give Alim and Jade’s killers a standing ovation. 

 

Those with video cameras dashed off to the nearest internet cafes to upload their prized footage.  They knew that soon everyone the world over would be playing and replaying the incredible recordings of Jade’s ordeal.  In time, the rebels’ grainy clips would become almost as renowned as the videos depicting the 9/11 attacks on America.

 

And Jade Chen would become a bigger star than she had ever dreamed possible.

 

Sadly, that no longer mattered to her.  Jade Chen was dead.

 

Epilogue

 

The military transport was less than a half hour from the 47th Group base at Lintong.  Its sole passenger, Huang Chen, sat alone in the cabin, scanning his laptop computer, captivated by the countless stories, images and videos depicting the latest developments in Ürümqi.  It had been just over 24 hours since he had called on Captain Zhao for PLA support to have his wife evacuated from the trouble zone.  Now, only a day later, she was gone – the victim of a botched kidnapping, gruesome tortures, and a public assassination seen around the world.

 

Jade’s grisly murder had sent shock waves throughout China and had renewed international calls to crush terrorist organizations like Uluk-Gar. The outrage of the public, particularly the Han Chinese was boundless.  Never before had a luminary of Jade’s renown been singled out to be brutally butchered in the name of some crackpot ideology.

 

Jade had no interest in politics, had taken no sides, had harbored no ill will against the people who killed her – she was targeted solely for her beauty, her fame and her innocence. Yet the qualities that endeared her to her many fans also made her an ideal mark to demonstrate the ferocity of her captors.

 

Perhaps the complacent public should not have been surprised.   Terrorists were well known for attacking the symbols of the powerful and elite organizations they wished to overthrow.  What better such symbol than a vulnerable female adored by many, a privileged member of an oppressive society?

 

In hindsight, the terrorist’s scheme, though contemptible, proved quite ingenious: kidnap a celebrity, collect an enormous ransom, then publicly torture the hostage to death to stir up as much turmoil as possible.  In retrospect, the plan made perfect sense.

 

But it did not make sense to Huang Chen. 

 

He had expected events to unfold quite differently.  The more he watched the material posted to the internet and the more he garnered from the initial newscasts, the more he wanted to know why this had happened – why there had been a change of plans.  He picked up his cell phone and dialed a number, the only number for which that particular phone was used.

 

As usual, the conversation was short and to the point.  Huang did not know his contact well, having spoken to him only once before. But since the death of Otkur, the man named Alim Habib was his sole connection to what was happening in the field.

 

“After the ransom deadline passed, when I told you to kill the hostages, I assumed you knew what to do,” Huang told him. “It had all been carefully laid out in the plan I had given Commander Otkur. Believe me, there was no mention of having Jade Chen paraded through the streets, whipped bloody and shot to death in front of hundreds of witnesses. The killing was to be… discrete.”

 

According to Alim, Otkur had never mentioned any plan to his comrades, preferring to keep his untrustworthy team in the dark.  After his commander’s untimely demise, Alim took it upon himself to make a spectacle of Jade’s martyrdom to raise the public profile of Uluk-Gar.  Huang sighed as he realized it was something he could not have foreseen.  He was angered by Alim’s recklessness.

 

But Alim had succeeded beyond even his own expectations. In a single day Uluk-Gar had risen from an obscure group of insurgents scattered throughout Mid-west Asia to an implacable terrorist organization feared world-wide.  This would certainly open doors for Huang, with respect to both power and wealth.  His anger dissipated, and he ended up praising Alim for his initiative before ending their conversation.

 

Power and wealth is what first prompted Huang Chen to buy his way into Uluk-Gar.  Repeatedly stymied by the corrupt Chinese bureaucracy interfering with the expansion of his industrial empire, he decided to ally with underground and insurgent groups who could use unsanctioned methods to remove political roadblocks.  This had worked particularly well when Huang set his sights on the emerging markets in Xinjiang. There, Uluk-Gar had used its formidable skills to intimidate whoever stood in his way.

 

Soon he was not only a primary sponsor of the terrorists, he had bought himself a seat on the leadership council. As the overbearing Black Dragon, Huang was able to extort his way to newfound fortunes and influence.  He could safely hide behind his secret persona to use the most unsavory and criminal tactics to his advantage.  After all, who would ever suspect that a leader of Uluk-Gar, a Muslim group fighting the Chinese, was of Han descent?

 

Though Huang’s deception paid handsome dividends, it could not provide him with all he wanted.  As his wife’s fame grew, she realized she no longer needed the financial support of the frequently abusive old man she had married. Jade Chen announced her plan to divorce him. Huang knew this would be costly – he had been both unfaithful and physically violent, more than enough to allow Jade to cut deeply into his fortune.  Further, his pride and public image would suffer if he were tossed aside by a woman – a woman he had transformed from a rural peasant into a star.

 

Huang had mulled over a plan to dispatch his greedy, ungrateful wife long before she forced his hand.  But when she revealed her plans to leave him, he was ready.  As the Black Dragon, it was all too easy to set up Jade’s kidnapping.  The Ürümqi riots proved to be the perfect cover, and the army’s disinterest in what had become routine abductions by Uluk-Gar ensured that they would be unprepared when matters went awry – and that was simply a matter of convincing the kidnappers the ransom had not been paid.

 

Having access to both his own account and that of Uluk-Gar allowed Huang to document the transfer of the funds, clearing any suspicion that he had not met the terrorists’ demands.  By immediately withdrawing the money after the transfer, Huang ensured the kidnappers would think the payment had not been made.  They would have no choice but to kill their hostage.  Jade would be eliminated, and her death would be treated as an act of terrorism.

 

During his first call with Alim, Huang already heard the pride and arrogance in the man’s voice.  He knew the type well – ambitious, egocentric, power-hungry – someone not unlike himself.  He was quite sure Alim had killed Otkur, that the sniper story was bullshit.  He also suspected Alim had intended to change the plans of the kidnapping from early on – eager to grab some of the glory for himself, if not for Uluk-Gar.

 

It was a risky ploy which could have cost Alim his life, but in the end it had worked out well. Jade was dead; Uluk-Gar was stronger than ever; Huang’s position was secure; Black Dragon’s secret was safe; and the PLA was as clueless as ever.  Even that pesky private had been disposed of.  And as a bonus, Huang could savor online videos of his wife’s gruesome demise.

 

He sat back, and for the third time gleefully watched Alim cut Jade to pieces with the whip.

 

“Good riddance, you annoying little cunt,” Huang muttered to himself as the plane descended toward the Lintong airfield.




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