Chapter 1

My name is Chase Tan Nguyen Reynolds, and I was an oops baby. My parents, James and Kim Reynolds, met in Vietnam when Dad was stationed there during the war. They married when Mom got pregnant with my sister Cam. Dad stayed in the service, and the family traveled wherever he was assigned.

I arrived after my sister Cam married, and Dad was pissed. It screwed up his retirement plan, but Mom and my grandparents were overjoyed. I was anointed the “The Golden Child” by my Grandparents and Mom. Mom’s parents immigrated to the U.S. shortly after the war ended and lived with us.

Wherever we were stationed, my Grandfather would take me to the nearest Buddhist Temple, and I would train in martial arts and practice their religion. I learned early to meditate daily, exercise, and practice my forms. Mom and my Grandparents home-schooled me and stressed language, mathematics, and computer skills. At every post we visited, I had to learn their language, written and verbal.

Grandfather was someone important in Vietnam, so when we needed anything, he would make a call, and it was done. I had the most advanced computer available and all the learning tools I needed. But on the outside, we were not a showy family. Mom drove a five-year-old Toyota Landcruiser, and my Grandparents didn’t drive. We dressed nicely but not in designer clothing.

When Dad got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, he was assigned to the Pentagon, and we bought a home in Virginia. I turned thirteen shortly after we moved in and had a party. Then, I was awoken at midnight and taken to the basement. There stood my Grandparents dressed in ceremony robes and headdresses. Mom changed, had me stripped, bathed in scented water, and gave me a white robe.

The ceremony was short, but I kneeled before my Grandparents. They sprinkled something over me, placing a ring on my finger. I was given a drink, and we toasted to a successful life. That was the last thing I remembered, but my body hurt all over when I woke up. I was wrapped up like a mummy, and I called for Mom. She came in with Grandmother, and they removed the wrappings.

Suddenly I had to go to the bathroom and ran to it. Man, the stench was so bad that I had to hold my breath. After flushing four times, I opened the window to breathe. When the bathroom aired out, I showered and looked in the mirror. I was shocked to see tattoos all over my body.

Returning to my room, Grandmother and Mom rubbed lotion all over my body. I got a hard-on and was embarrassed, and they laughed. Mom told Grandmother my boy is only thirteen years old and bigger than his father. They laughed, then realized I heard what Mom said, and they laughed again. Then Grandmother explained that the makings on my body would disappear in a few hours. Suddenly, I felt tired, so I lay down and went to sleep.

Waking up, I took another shower and looked in the mirror. The tattoos were gone, just like Grandmother said. Then I looked at my body, and it was more defined. I took after my Mom in the face and skin but had my Dad’s body frame. He was 6’4” and 280 lbs. and overweight. I was 6’ now, 180 lbs., and in fighting shape. Dad let himself go when he was office-bound. The Marines required their officers to stay in shape but didn’t strictly enforce it unless they were obese.

I got dressed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. Grandmother said Tan, what do you want for breakfast. My grandparents and Mom always call me by my middle name when Dad isn’t around. I told her my usual and sat down, waiting for her to finish cooking breakfast. We ate, and Grandmother said I was going to the Temple with Grandfather today.

When we arrived at the Temple, the Buddhist Priest met us, ushered us into a private area, and then down a stairway into the basement. A dozen monks were kneeling, bowing to a huge Golden Buda Statue at the other side of the room. I could hear a soft chanting as I was asked to remove my clothes. I looked at Grandfather, and he nodded his head. Once I was undressed, the Priest brought out a small wooden chest and opened it on a table.

The Priest put on ankle bands, a thick waist belt, wrist bands, and a headband. They were gold with inscriptions, but I couldn’t read them. The chanting got louder as I was asked to drink the contents of a vial. Grandfather gave me a drink of water, and another vial was handed to me. After the fourth vial, the chanting was loud, and I was handed a scepter.

The scepter came alive and shook. I held on to the scepter, and my tattoos appeared, and the chanting was loud. The Priest took a golden disk from the wooden chest, put it on my chest, and chanted. The disk got hot, and I felt something enter my chest and then flow throughout my body. The Priest said you are “The Golden Child,” and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in my bed nude with Mom and Grandmother in chairs watching me. They whispered, and I could hear them as they talked normally. Grandmother said, look at Tan’s body. It’s almost like someone sculpted it, and Mom agreed. Then she added that his tool was impressive, too, and they giggled. Mom said it had to come from our family’s side because it sure wasn’t from the Reynolds side, and they giggled again.

I asked what was so funny, and it startled them. Mom said, “Good, you’re awake. Shower, and we’ll eat dinner.” Grandmother said, “I know you have many questions, Tan. Your Grandfather will answer them after dinner. When they left, I went to the bathroom, showered, dressed, and then went to the kitchen. I noticed Dad had been missing for a few days and asked about him. Mom said he’s on a European assignment and will be gone for a few months.

After dinner, we went into the living room, and Grandfather gave me a history lesson on our family. He said this is the story passed verbally over generations, so some will be missing. Our family is a direct descendant of the Qing dynasty in China. In the late 1800s, the Emperor sensed a rebellion was near and shipped his family to what is now called Vietnam.

The Emperor summoned the head Priest from the Temple and gave him a wooden chest. It was locked, but he gave the Priest specific instructions on what to do. It gets sketchy here, but most of the Emperor’s family was killed by a traitor. Rumor that his youngest daughter escaped and settled in Vietnam. My Grandmother had me tested for the royal signature like you were yesterday.

The combination of the four portions tells the Priest if they are of royal blood or carry the royal gene from the Emperor. I was of royal blood but didn’t carry the royal gene. No one knows how it works, but it seems the gene went dormant for a while. Then it showed up within you, Tan. We knew you were special when you were born and waited until you were thirteen to have you tested.

Tan, you passed all the tests yesterday at the Temple. As the Priest said, you are the last Emperor’s direct descendant and “The Golden Child.” Now it gets sketchy again, but The Emperor was said to have special gifts or powers normal people don’t have. If that’s true, you’ll have them, too. Tell us about it if you experience something unexpected; we’ll help you deal with it.

This last part is very important, Tan, so listen carefully. There is still a standing order in China to kill all of the descendants of the “Last Emperor.” But a world of riches will be given to the man who kills the “The Golden Child.” So, tell no one, and we’ll, as a family, help you navigate your way through life safely.

Then Grandfather asked if I had experienced something out of the ordinary yet. I said I could clearly hear Grandmother’s and Mom’s conversation in my room, and they seemed to be whispering. Grandmother and Mom blushed and said, “Oh my, you weren’t supposed to hear Tan,” laughing. Grandfather asked what their conversation was about and laughed when they told him.

After the meeting, we went to bed, and I knew where everyone was and what they were doing. My grandparents were talking about me and were worried about the bounty on my head. Grandfather said the bounty is a great amount of money, and people will sell their souls to get it. Ensure you tell Kim to report anything unusual while at home or shopping. If we have advance notice, we have a better chance of surviving.

Mom was researching divorce attorneys online. She knew my Dad was cheating on her, and his European trip was the last straw. My mind was going a million miles an hour, and sleeping took some time. Then, I felt a calming feeling radiating through my body, followed by something changing my body within. I was in a deep, relaxing sleep but knew what was happening around me.

When I woke up, I had a hard-on, but I had to pee. So, I had no choice but to take care of both in the shower. After dressing, I went to the kitchen, and Grandmother cooked me breakfast. Grandfather said Tan, I will take you a Master Sensi to train in martial arts. What you have learned at the Temple has laid the groundwork, but you need specialized training.

Grandfather dropped me off with Master Sensi Kim, and I was taken into a private room. Sensi Kim tested me and was impressed with my skills. He said Tan, your skill is the equivalent of a black belt for competition. Life isn’t a competition but kill or be killed. I will teach you to put your enemy down hard or end his life quickly and silently. And so my advanced training started, and it was intense. Master Sensi did tolerate failure, and I learned all the weak and killing points of the body.

I was given a dummy to practice on at home and given special vitamin supplements to take daily. The Sensi told me I would train three days a week, and he wanted me to join a gym and do a complete body workout on my off-training days. Grandfather picked me up, went to the park, and sat in a secluded area. He handed me a business card and said if something happened and we were separated, call the card number. He said to remember it and keep the card as a backup.

On the way home, I began to worry, and Grandfather sensed it. He said I’d had a feeling since we moved here that something would happen. When we get home, you’ll find your Grandmother and Mom have packed what are called “Go Bags” if we need to leave quickly. It doesn’t mean anything will happen, but we are prepared for it if it does.

Arriving home, I sensed the tension in everyone. Grandfather did a poor job selling the preparation angle, and it was when not if something happens. During dinner, Mom said she filed for divorce from my father, and he will be served at his apartment off base. I’ve also listed the house for sale, but a sign won’t be posted in the yard.

Grandfather picked up the conversation and said learn as much as you can from Master Sensi Kim in the next thirty days. During that time, we’ll slowly move out without causing attention. I have a friend in California looking for a place for us, and the conversation ended.

So, for the next thirty days, I trained and studied and rarely left the house but to go to the gym and dojo. In the end, nothing was left in the house but our go bags, two suitcases each, and of course my computer. I said goodbye to Master Sensi Kim, and he said I was well prepared now and to keep practicing. He gave me a business card and a year’s supply of vitamin supplements. He said to see my brother when you settle, and he will continue your training.

We left in the middle of the night and drove to California. It took four days to reach Southern California, and we settled in a house in Newport Beach. It was a lot bigger and better home than we had in Virginia. It was a two-story with a pool and an outside building that the previous owner used as a gym. We were the last home in the division, and our house backed up to a hillside with trees. Grandfather had security and CCTV systems installed before we arrived, so all we did was quietly move in without anyone noticing.

I loved the weather here and didn’t miss Virginia at all. Mom called her attorney after we arrived and put it on speakerphone. Her attorney said James was pissed that the processor showed up at his apartment. His girlfriend answered the door in a see-through robe and then called for James to come to the door. James showed up in boxers, and the process server took their picture, served him, and left laughing.

Her attorney said Mom would get what she wanted, and James couldn’t do shit about it. Mom agreed to call every two weeks, and the attorney would call if there were an emergency. For the next month, we got settled, and I got my gym set up in the building in the back. I rarely went out but enjoyed hiking the hillsides behind our house. I hiked the hill every morning, sat at the top, and meditated.

So, we were settled in our house in California, and for the next year, nothing happened until after my fourteenth birthday. I had gained several gifts since my transformation, as I called it. Now, I could read minds and move around quickly without being seen, and I was starting to move things with my mind. I called moving quickly “Flicker” because that’s all someone would see if I used it.

The day after my fourteenth birthday, I saw a man in an SUV at the end of our street. I used my Flicker move to cross the street and move behind the SUV. Then I read his mind. He was part of an organization with ties to China investigating Asian families in otherwise white neighborhoods. His organization aimed to drive out all non-white homeowners from what they called “Their Neighborhoods.” The Chinese connection was that if they could be paid to do it, all the better.

I was pissed, so I quietly walked up to the driver’s side of the SUV and punched him in the head, knocking him out. Then I pulled him over the front seat and went to work on him. His lower stomach and balls were my main focus, but three blows to the base of his skull would ensure he didn’t remember a thing. Then I searched his SUV, and the back was filled with equipment.

Thinking quickly, I drove the SUV out of our subdivision and to the back end of our hillside. I unloaded the SUV in the woods near our hilltop and drove it to the gully’s edge. I put him in the front seat, wiped down everything I touched, and took his wallet, cell phone, and laptop computer. Finally, I put the SUV in drive and watched it enter the gully. Hiking back up the hillside, I discovered a cave that went through the hill and had a few more turns I would check out later.