Sunday 31 May 2015

Get up Tang Gang! You're the kind of man we need in the Police...GAME OVER ...CHAPTER XVI

XVI

Years later in Beijing
January 26, 2008 Saturday

The Olympics are close. China prepares to welcome them. A cold winter night. One in the morning.  Cosmos plays music with his band in Tianjin. Gone are the days of rock and roll and playing Eagles’ songs. The time is gone when he dreamed of becoming the new Cui Jian. The current group is very New Age. They play tunes close to the Buddhist tradition. Cosmos has fully entered the logic of Falun Gong. For years, he has had no contact with his foreign friends. He’s driving on the outer ring of Beijing to get to his apartment in the western suburbs. Na is at his side. She is lost in her thoughts. Since her arrest and years of prison, she has changed a lot. Yes, years in prison. During the repression of Falun Gong in 1998, she was arrested. Torture, police, prison, trial and torture again. She was lucky. They didn’t remove organs from her body, and she is alive. The torture has given her a powerful will. Sometimes she can no longer really talk to Cosmos. 
Lulled by the sound of the engine she slumbers. Cosmos thinks about all these years. He couldn’t stay in touch with his foreign friends. Too dangerous. Sometimes he walks to the Friendship Hotel. Maybe someone he knows is back. But he dares not enter. Since Na left prison, things have worsened. Fortunately there is the music. In his mind he sees again the CD sleeve of "Resident in Valley", the songs he made with his group “The inhabitants of the valley of the universe”. The cosmos, again.
He chose his nickname well. His friend is standing, a guitar in hand, the singer, Xiao Juan is wearing a long white dress, like a goddess, with a guitar and he sits just beside with a tambourine. The images jostle in his head. The video was shot in the apartment of his friends. This haunting music, "wode jia," my house. He likes it when their three heads come together, the steaming tea, roses that appear here and there. He suddenly remembers his last conversation with Erwan:
"You're like a father to me, Erwan! Take me as your son."
Erwan did not answer but his attitude was eloquent. Erwan just wanted to be his friend. Erwan took him by the shoulders, affectionately. Erwan confided sometimes when he was in trouble with Cécile. Erwan wanted to learn Qi Gong. At one point, he tried to convert him to Falun Gong when Erwan came later to visit China.
"You should read this book, Erwan. All this is true."
And Erwan:
"Cosmos, I'm your friend but please spare me the over-religious zeal. This religion is yours, but I don’t want it! What's the point of leaving the Communist Party to go into something worse?"
And that discussion with Wang Jun, the last time he saw him. Wang Jun asked him to leave the Falun Gong:
"It will end badly Cosmos! The government wants to destroy Falun Gong! It’s enemy number one for the Party! They negotiate with the Kuomintang, but not with Falun Gong. It’s a war to the death. Especially as Falun Gong is also in the party."
He insisted. But there is Na. Na suffered in prison. They almost completely destroyed her. Fortunately there is music.
Cosmos does not realize that lost in his own thought he is driving too fast on the ring road and he’s gone round twice. He forgot to turn off. Where is he exactly? He hesitates, slows down and decides to take the first exit. He will go through the city center. Na wakes up and smiles. He heads for Jianguomen.
"You missed the exit again?"
She is used to seeing him do this stuff. He is not concentrated enough to drive a car, always in his dreams, always in his music.
"Yes, I went twice around. I will cross the city center. It will remind us of the past."
He checks the time displayed on the dashboard. Half past one. He lost a lot of time. He wants to go home.
...
Muxidi crossroads. A police car with a red light flashing. Two officers get out of the vehicle. Tang Gang and Du Jiansen are waiting for cars to check. Few people tonight. But the instructions are clear. For the Olympics, the city must be clean. Du Jiansen has a new task since the death of Lao Huang. He is responsible for the training of young officers, and a particular task, the integration of former soldiers into the police, like Tang Gang returning from Tibet. A special case. He studied his case. Occasionally, Du Jiansen accompanies one of his recruits in the field. It is the case tonight.
Tang Gang is nervous. He is familiar with this intersection of Muxidi. After several years in Tibet quelling demonstrations, he was invited to join the Beijing police. Why not! He is cured now. The doctors who took care of him for years reassured him. The disease which led to that violence many years ago is completely controlled. One condition, they told him: Do not forget the little pills. But since he returned to Beijing, so far so good. He has walked in sensitive areas without any problem for him. He feels good. He wanted to find that young woman, who loved him, Lin Hui, who had taken him in. He searched for her in vain. Suddenly he hears the voice of Du Jiansen:
“Hey! Tang Gang! Where are you? It's too cold to put yourself up in your head! Come back to the real world!"
Tang Gang turns to his instructor!
"But Chief! I was thinking of a girl I knew a long time ago!"
“Ha  ...Ha...It is time you got married."
Tang Gang says nothing. Yes he should find a girlfriend. Get married, have a child. Why not?
...
Cosmos has left the ring road and is driving on Tiananmen Square toward Muxidi. All these places he knows so well. His car is old. The engine is quite noisy and the silencer doesn’t work correctly. He realizes he has forgotten to change the headlight bulb on the right. The owner of the cabaret in Tianjin told him last week:
“Yu Zhou! You must change that bulb. It does no good to get noticed by the police. You should not ask for trouble. Do it as soon as you can!"
Cosmos promised, but all that bores him!
He suddenly thinks about the concert he gave in October 2007 at the Club Mao. What an atmosphere. An excited audience. He sang with a cap fitted with a Red Star. Xiao Juan began and then he continued. Everyone applauded. Na was not yet out of prison. Lost in all his thoughts he does not notice that his way of driving is a bit messy. He reaches the intersection at Muxidi. Na comes out of her doze.
"Yu Zhou! There are police officers pulling us over."
He sees them now. The flashing light is on. He slows down and stops abruptly after the checkpoint. Well, he will explain that he is tired. At this time, the police only want to go home. The vehicle is stopped and the two officers come straight over. Cosmos lowers the window. One of the policemen shouts:
"Park the car! Spot check! Get out of the vehicle!"
Cosmos has stalled the engine. He starts again and parks a few meters in front of the police vehicle.
"Let the engine run! Get out!"
Yu Zhou gets out. The car is small and it's hard to get out.
"Faster! The woman too!"
Na opens the door and stands beside the car. She is afraid. She wants to take her coat but the policeman yells again:
"Get out of the vehicle!"
She turns towards him. He scares her. His face is hard. She became accustomed to her tormentors in prison, she is suddenly afraid. She feels that this one has a serious problem.
Tang Gang feels the adrenaline rush. Du Jiansen lets him do it. He wants to test him.
She leaves the vehicle. She is cold. She’s just wearing a dress and a big wool sweater. She would like to put her coat on, but she knows that kind of person well. It is best not to irritate them. Cosmos asks the police.
"But she is cold! Why do you not let her get her coat?"
Tang Gang looks back at him:
“Silence! You only speak when I ask you! Do you want me to knock you out?"
He has already taken out his baton and taps it against his boot. Message understood. Yu Zhou is silent.
The officer goes around the car:
"The car is noisy, and it there’s a bulb missing on the right. Give me the papers! Is it your car? Maybe it is stolen! I feel like I’ve already met you somewhere!"
Du Jiansen is impressed. This Tang Gang has got a nerve. An excellent recruit to the police. What a good idea to integrate these soldiers into the Beijing police! He remembers Wang Jun and his hesitations to arrest anyone. Well, what happened to Wang Jun? He heard that after his marriage to the niece of Lao Huang, he was reintegrated into the Police. Besides traffic, there are not many services where he could be useful. And as a spy, the experience was not really conclusive.
Tang Gang continues to check the documents.
"Hum, Yu Zhou, a strange name. And you live in Beijing?"
« Yes, I live in the west, near Babaoshan!"
"And what are you doing here at this time?"
Cosmos is beginning to worry. What a crazy cop this one is? Overzealous no doubt!
"I am a musician and I work at a club in Tianjin. I’m going home."
"And the girl? Your girlfriend? "
"It's my wife!"
He addresses Na:
"Give me your papers!"
Na digs into her handbag. She takes out her identity card and hands it to the policeman. He looks at her, looks at Yu Zhou again:
"Wait for me, we'll check it all!"
He walks away towards the police vehicle and opens the door. He sits down and rummages in the glove box.
Na and Cosmos are perplexed. Na was released recently from prison. But it's just a check.
Du Jiansen approaches Tang Gang:
"What’s the name of this guy and what they are doing here at this late time?"
The response of Tang Gang suddenly reminds him of something.
Yu Zhou! The same name as the friend of Wang Jun! Is he the same? This guy they have sought for so long. Huang Yinghua identified him so easily. That chick was really skillful. Too bad the new Chief of Police did not want her nor her infiltration methods.
"Tang Gang, we will verify their identity on the Police computer. Turn off their car engine."
Tang Gang goes back to the vehicle. He turns out the lights, cuts the engine and returns to the police vehicle. Meanwhile the fog thickens. The cold is biting. After years in Tibet, he is accustomed to it. He watches his two victims. Yes, that man! He knows him: something far back. How old is he? He must be about forty. He did not pay attention to the date of birth on the ID card, but that must be it. Du Jiansen calls. He rushes. Cosmos anxiously watches him moving. He too, it reminds him of things. That way of moving. Not a regular policeman. And the other one that looks like a leader, a paratrooper style or Special Forces. He sees them talking together. The discussion is lively.
Some words reach him:
"Falun Gong ... search ... jail ... Tiananmen ..."
Fear suddenly seizes Cosmos. And now he realizes how things could be bad. He forgot to remove all the Falun Gong books from the car. The trunk is full. They have to run away. He comes closer to Na. He takes her in his arms.
"Na darling, these are not ordinary policemen. We must escape!"
"But Zhou, all of our stuff, our car ..."
"There are loads of books of Falun Dafa in the trunk. I forgot to remove them. They'll search the car and you’ll go back to jail."
"But where can we go!"
Don't worry. The fog is thick and we can hide into the area right here. I have a friend who lives nearby. We can hide. I have my phone on me."
At this moment Tang Gang returns to them:
"Come this way both of you. We'll search the car!"
Yu Zhou takes Na’s hand.
"Come on, let’s go!"
They run together to the buildings. Du Jiansen is surprised.
"Tang Gang they’re running away! Catch them!"
But Tang Gang is already running. He pulls out his weapon. He takes the magazine from his left pocket and places it in the weapon. He primes the first bullet. He moves into shooting position. Suddenly three people put themselves between him and the two fugitives. People he knows well. Ha...Ha...Ghosts. Tang Gang is surprised. He hesitates. And then he gets up and rushes. Yu Zhou and Na are about ten meters ahead of him. They have almost arrived in the block of buildings close to Muxidi. He must catch them. Suddenly, Na stumbles taking Yu Zhou in her fall. He gets up but Tang Gang is already on them, raises his gun and shoots him in the head. Du Jiansen arrives in the meantime. He wrings Na’s hands behind her, cuffs her and gives her a big kick in the ribs. All is suddenly calm. Tang Gang drops his weapon. He is strange. He stares at Jiansen who picks up the gun and hands it to Tang Gang.

"Get up Tang Gang! You're the kind of man we need in the Police."


THE END


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