The military agents were feckless. The WPG was right out there
in the light and Arnie and the guys and the Execs had no problems as
they pressed on (Joni and Julio hiding out in Costa Rica). The NSA and
other suited agents were looking for the head of the organization - those
hologram hippies. But they were getting nowhere too, though DC and
Cincy were anxious about the coming barn check with the Platinum
pickup. Finally they were going to get their proof, they commed.
        Bill - the President - was enjoying it all. Something really
historical was happening on his watch. Of course, this was before the
impeachment. He was helping where he could, but had to keep it very
discrete. Meanwhile, DC was still trying to convince someone - anyone
- to get NRO surveil on the Truchas ranch where all the precious metal
was coming from. Cincy was working his contacts too. Congress was
hearing the speeches for and against the WPG. The polls were up to 88
percent for the PG. And America was excited, as was the world.
        "They've captured the imagination of the world, David," Cokie
Roberts commented on "Brinkley" that Sunday.
        "Maybe so, Cokie, but those hippies have every agent in the
government looking for them....Maybe they're holograms
themSELVES," Sam Donaldson mused. And that banter went on for
several minutes, along with that on other programs.
        The concert was still kickin', takin' names and raising the
humanitarian money. Some of the headliners from the first weekend
were back. And there were still way over a million souls out there in
the Valley. The music and vibes were stupendous.
        Kit and the girls had made it back to the Valley of the Gods one
night, flying the 401 in onto a dirt road out there, and had listened to
LE and Swan and the other spirits some more around that fire. But
that still is sacred and secret stuff they don't share with anyone. Even
if they could put it into words, they say.
        Costa Rica, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Tibet in exile, New Zealand and some other small nations had
signed the Declaration and were helping where they could. Arnie and
the other stars out in front were playing that for all it was worth,
making their clandestine announcements to the press. Those countries
might be havens, at least.
       Back at Truchas, Kit and Jess had asked Evan and Stef how
interested they might be in getting the ranch at Cody on its feet, and
got a big affirm in reply. Evan was always saying how he wanted to
farm. Sensimilia.
        Then they gathered their things, including some just-in-case
jewels and nuggets, made their loving adioses, the heartstrings all
plucking, drove out the trail with lights off under the cloudy half-moon
sky, and our three WPO, Julio, Evan, Stefi, Joshua and Kenja took
the Citation out of Santa. And that lone agent was there again to watch
them get aboard and depart, unbeknownst to the guys or computers.
        The Jeep was there at the airport in Wyoming for Ev and Stef to
take and Kit cut a quarter-million dollar check for the two's start-up
costs before they all hugged tender and hearty goodbys. Then the six
were off for Seattle.
        They finalized the arrangements in the morning for the puters
and the planes, headed up the coast to see Ally for lunch, and then
stopped in to see Amelia and the guys in Anchorage before flying on
to Rockhead.
        Well, that was some farking reunion. "What the hale's all the
fuss about...what, just cuz they come flashin' in here on a jet?...shute
fur..." Wiley razzed as the others up there clamored over their friends'
arrival. They spent a night partying, a day working on their cabinsite,
business with the guys and a flight in the Curtiss Jenny, then another
night for arrangements, telephone calls, Pute work, a $50 million
contribution to the WPG borrowed out of the new Plat money and
some sleep. Between the sex.
        Next morning they rolled the jet - 1-4-A-L - down Rockhead's
grass strip, admiring their classic fleet of airships as they roared by on
departure.
        "Wiley and the guys are buying all the great stuff, aren't they,
honey," Jess noted, waving with Kit to their amigas y amigos as they
took to the air, she and Kit doing the driving.
        "They're also buying that we know what we're doing, maj," ole
Buffalo quipped.
        They flew back to Anchorage and readied to take the Caribou,
loaded with computers that Amelia and others had bought with North
Air money, emptying out the local stores in the process. Then their
new DC-6 and Cessna single-turbine Caravan flew in from Seattle
loaded with computers and the three planes and crews headed out for
Provideniya together. They all did lunch with Rachel and Doc Rob
and Jess and Kit wrote them another check.
        The computer pipeline back to Seattle was all arranged. They
would be using regular North Air flights to replenish their supply for
Asia. Pute and Cygirl were taking care of customs arrangements, and
they were cleared into China. It was going to be kind of dicey, though.
The Chinese government was against any WPG activity. So their
"zippies" had them cloaked as a new networking company.
        They flew to Vladivostok and met friends and family of their
Provideniya friends, left some computers with them after enlisting
them in the signature effort and caught naps at one of the homes. The
morning brought rain and news via Sundance: WPG volunteers had
been jailed in Shanghai. Lawyers were on the case, but the
government wasn't letting go. And several other cases of arrest or
harrasment were reported from other places around the world, the
WPG legal staff working on those too.
        "It's looking a little dangerous," Flece mentioned quietly, to no
particular response.
        Kit wanted to take the women back to Alaska and bring back
some men. But Jess shut him up with kisses, and Joshua was getting
his first look-see at how things really were operating with his dad.
And the others felt like Jessy did - they were going on if Quixote was.
        Well, Kit felt that he had to. He had started the thing. And,
dammit, he didn't want to stop. And they were there. And prepared,
he hoped. Jess wanted to go straight to Shanghai and bribe the jailers
to let the volunteers go. And dam if that didn't become the plan, over
Cody's vociferous objections. They decided to send Kenja and Josh
back to Alaska with Frank and Trevor, in on a milk run, to get the
Citation (and bring back what computers they could). Bama and The
Trev had brought in putes, beer and WPG volunteers for the
canvassing to let the folks know where the signing centers would be
or to take laptops door to door.
        Jess and Kit talked things over with their crews and they were
all ready for action, Amelia and Hank included, captaining the 'Bou.
So they said their "Godspeeds" to the ones going back to Alaska
and their new Vladivostok friends and the fleet flew on to Shanghai,
through Chinese airspace, not wanting to chance treading near
North Korea's. They got hotel rooms and searched for friends, Pute
having some references for them from many in internet touch with
the WPG. They invited some to the hotel bar and hired several, one
as an interpreter - Hon Ni - who was excited as heck about joining
the team. And they found out that she had been one of the
participants at Tiananmen Square in '89 as they smiled at all the
agents watching them.
        They got the information on the jailbirds over the phone from
the WPG lawyers working the problem there in Shanghai, telling
them that they had brought computers and volunteers into Asia for
the cause on their nickel. The lawyers wanted to meet them, but the
guys figured it would be better to stay as anonymous as possible, and
they worked on their plan to spring the volunteers - a pair named
Jasmine and Sage.
        At the jail that afternoon, the guys told the police - through Hon
Ni - that they were family of Jasmine's and wanted to bail the kids
out. Hello, it's China. There was no bail. So the guys sagaciously
offered cash to the ones they thought they could - $1o,ooo each.
Then they went to $2o,ooo and $25,ooo. But the jailers were too
scared of punishment; it was too big a deal, besides too many guards
to get around. They finally offered $5o,ooo, Gold nuggets and plane
travel for them and their families to Alaska. But no go. And the guys
were stunned.
        Back in the car, Jessy said, "we can go see the Foreign Minister."
Widespread Panic was playing at Monument, they noticed on their
portable short-wave radio.
        "Aw bejeezuz, girl...you're not serious..." Kit looked up and over
to her, stopping his work on Pute.
       They took the Caravan, flew into Beijing by early eve, found the
Ministry's building and Jessica flashed Bill's White House
Gold-embossed card to get them to the Minister's outer office, where
she told the guards that they would just wait for the FM there when
finding out that he was still in his office.
        Well, Hua came out to the anteroom within the hour, looked
over to them and recognized Jessy right away.
        "Ahhhhh...Co-deeee..." he smiled as he walked over to her and
got her hug and kiss on the cheek. "And uncle Co-deee..." shaking
Kit's hand.
        "Wow, what a memory, Mister Minister!" Jess cheered, then
introduced Felecia, Juli and Hon Ni, the Minister reveling at the girls,
though vaguely recognizing the interpreter and grimacing at the
thought of trouble.
        "It is my business...it's Jessica, right?" he answered and Jess
again complimented his mental skills. "But, please, you call me Hua
...come in, come in..." and the big man escorted them into his office
as the secretaries and aides looked on in surprise. He offered them
things to eat, drink or smoke and showed them his mementos,
memorabilia and pictures, which they all admired, voicing their
amazement and pleasure, which he loved, especially Jessy's. At last
he asked, "why are you here? And how did you get in?!"
        Jess took it. He loved looking at her. "Well, your eminence..."
she poured it on, and showed him Bill's card, "we need to get our
friends out of jail..." and proceeded onward from there. Hua told
them how big of a deal it would be to free the WPG kids. Jess told
him how bigger a deal it would be to let them go. Hua told them
that the WPG would not be tolerated in his country, but privately
admitted that he was for the idea, at least the free discussion of it.
Jess told him that he was a great wise man and offered him a big
Emerald from the mine as a gift. He told them how beautiful that
darn Emerald was and asked where they got it. She told him some
good friends had a mine and asked again if Jasmine and Sage could
be freed. He called Shanghai and, within the half hour, as they
talked and waited, the kids in jail were released to WPG lawyers.

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