Chapter 2

As I readied myself, I noted that there was a great benefit after all in reaching a city earlier than one must, just for work. It had been a long time that partying or sightseeing held much of an attraction to me; but this was different, very different. I again felt like a boy ... a boy readying himself for a date with his first love.

Noon, I remembered he had said noon.

'Why am I so nervous?' I asked myself again.

I looked at my watch, then the clock in the room, finally calling the desk. 'He said noon. Did he mean to be at his home by noon, ready to leave here by noon or what?'

Yep! Like when on my first date. Finally the chimes rang. I think I opened that door in like 1.75 seconds. Two men were standing by.

"Mr. Parker?"

"Yes."

"Please to follow us!"

It was not a request as much as a command.

I started to go to the lift. A hand stopped me. His head shook 'No'. I was confused. He opened a suite door. We went inside. It was another lift. We entered and took it 'up' not down. More confusion if not some fear even.

I heard the sound of rotors as the lift door opened. We entered a 'Changhe Z-11.'[1] It was a civilian version of a Chinese military helicopter. This variant had all the bells and whistles and could even fly in a blizzard. Not your everyday transportation, even in Hong Kong.

I guess I got a bit side-tracked with the view. It was breath-taking to say the least. My 'minders' were just looking at me, and smiling. Yes, I was impressed. Rightly so, I was flying in a Million dollar transport. Not a G-IV, but still, sure beats driving!

The ride should have been an indicator of what was to come. We came near an island, then began to hover. Chinese came across the speakers and earphones at about the same time as 6 fully armed ships flew in front and to the side of us... 3 were the Z-10 or 'Fierce Thunderbolt' (Pi Li Huo), the nickname of Qin Ming, while 3 were the smaller Z-19 called 'Black Whirlwind' (Hei Xuan Feng), the nickname of Li Kui. All made by Changhe Industries. If I had to guess Mr. Chang had some interest in Changhe Industries, but what did I know?

It was a greeting that was unexpected, to say the least.

I am not certain as to how long we hovered, but there was a lot of radio chatter in Chinese, and then two fly-by views. Then we continued. Our 'escorts' were right there, too.

Landing where we did was also a bit unsettling for me. We landed at a small version of an armed camp. Five armoured cars pulled up next to us. My minders and I got into the Black MB-600 in the middle. I could have walked. We pulled into a hanger just one kilometre away. We got out and entered a lift. Up, up and away we went. When the door opened, I was shown out. What stood before me, was a view overlooking the sea. I was high on some hill or mountain and I now knew what inspired the phrase: 'Master of all he surveys.'

If it was Mr. Chang's intent to impress me, he'd succeeded by far.

It was not his intent though, I found out later. I would better understand when Chang Wu Mei would show me her home, here. It was their smallest, and one of many, she would say.

I felt that 'pet' would be more appropriate to call me, rather than an 'Enigma.'

The home here was a 'business' place. The Hawaii home was bigger, and was near their hotels. Seoul and Taipei were more in line with their shipping concerns. California was her design, and she loved the open air and smell of the sea. The family compound was near Beijing, and had been a family residence before either War. There was little love lost for anything Japanese, I learned.

Note to self, don't take her out for Sushi!

There was one question in my mind. Ok more than one, but I wondered why this short Goddess would be interested in me? Okay, I also had to know just how old she was and if ... If...

I never finished that thought as she entered.

"Beautiful, is it not?'

"Yes, you are," I answered.

That started our little tour that lasted for two hours.