There was plenty of respect to go around. The young Chinese
knew of our guys' Bosnian work and the WPG computers effort
back in June; our guys were learning of the sacrifices their new
friends had been having to endure there in Beijing and elsewhere. Jess
mentioned Hua and the proposition and debate ensued. At the same
time, they were learning from runners that government tanks were
being mobilized to break up all the demonstrations and resistance -
1989 revisited.
        The guys had carried a message from Hua to the young leaders:
he would bring them into his government if they would help the
country get there, outlining his agreement with practically all of their
ideas and demands, and he would sign the WPG Declaration in Paris
if the US and Russia also sign. The revolutionaries did not believe it
at first, but Jess was getting them to agree to go back to Hua's with
them to hear it for themselves.
        "But there're still the tanks..." she said, then looked like she was
listening to someone. Between Hon Ni's telling the leaders in Chinese
what Jess had said and the virulent responses to the tanks by those
who already understood, Jessy added, "...uh...can anyone bring me a
horse?" And Hon Ni dutifully translated that to the Chinese,
perplexed herself.
        "WHAT?!" Kit looked at her with a totally puzzled, very
concerned face, wondering what in hell was going on in her mind. And
the others were wondering the same. One of the Chinese there, one of
the primary leaders, though, answered her in the affirmative.
        "We won't need any tack," Jess told him, through Hon Ni. And
he had some spirited repartee with the other leaders before departing
with some others, telling Hon Ni that they would be right back with
Jess's request.
        "JESS!" Kit piped up again. "What the...fuck...are you doing?!"
        "Are you all right, cowgirl?" Flee asked with deep concern.
        Sage and Jas were just nodding in Jess's direction, with the
imperceptable-est of smiles.
        "Honey...are you OK?" Kit leaned over to his girl and looked
into her face with real worry. "What's up in there, maje?"
        "It's just what we need....they're right..." she answered, looking
very serious.
        "What?" Flece said, feeling like she was not understanding at all
where her best friend had gone.
        "Who's right, precious?" Kit was just trying to reconnect with his
love, feeling that she had snapped, considering Sarajevo.
        "Lion and Swan, Hote...didn't you hear them?"
        "Ooooomyyyygod...babeeee...nuh unh...no you did not hear
them say anything...Jessee, no...you didn't hear them say anything to
you...come on, sweetheart...we're going to get you some rest..." Kit
kissing her face as he responded.
        "I did hear them. I thought you heard them too," she came right
back.
        "No, honey. Come on, let's go. We'll get you a doctor."
        "No, Kit. I'm fine. They were whispering to us."
        "Well why the....can't they whisper so I can hear?! I saw them
first! GodDAM!" Kit was starting to believe her, but not wanting to.
        "Shhh, honey...they can hear you," Jess answered.
        "JESS!...don't do this to me, sugar...." Kit got up from his seat,
paced around in a circle, then stopped in front of her and leaned over
to look into her face as she sat. "So did...did they tell you what the
hell you're supposed to do with a HORSE?!"
        She was quiet and looked at him, then Flee, then around at the
others, not wanting to tell Kit.
        "O...my...God...J.C...." Felecia stumbled, "...you're not thinking
what I think you're thinking of doing?!..."
        "What the hell's she thinking, Flee?!" Kit added in exasperation.
How come I don't know what she's thinking?! Will someone tell me
what's going on here...Jessica!..."
        "It'll be fine, honey...Lion and Swan have never led us wrong,
have they?"..." she answered.
        Before Kit responded, Flee asked her, "Lady Godiva?"
        Jess just nodded.
        "Lady Go...! Oooooo noooooo...Jessseeee..." Kit cried. "Have
you gone nuts?! What the hell makes you think they won't fucking
shoot you ...or torture you...awwww Gawwwddd..." He paced
around some more, then returned to face her. "What makes you think
it would do any GOOD?!...I'm not letting you do that! I am not going
to let you do that!" And he was pacing again.
        "Honey...don't trust me.....Trust them." She was still just
matter-of-fact.
        "I didn't HEAR them! Did you hear them, Fleesh?!" Flee shook
her head. "SHE didn't hear them! You've got to give me more than
that! These Communist leaders are butchers! You are NOT doing
this! Did they whisper they'd guarantee your LIFE?!"
        "Yes," she answered, softly, with a pensive look. "I guess it's
my thing I can do for the cause."
        "Your thing for the cause?! Jeezuz! You've DONE your thing!
And it won't even work. It can't work. I'm sorry, but you can just tell
Lion and Swan that they've FLIPPED! You think - do they think -
the tanks are going to stop for some young girl on a HORSE?! Come
on, precious...we're in China."
        "I'm not going to argue with ya, Quixote. I know it sounds crazy
....Kit...wait...listen!...They're whisperin' again...."
        "Well, tell them to speak UP!" he came back.
        "Shhhh..." she pleaded, and Kit shut down and in a few
moments started hearing Lion Eagle and Goldenswan. And they were
telling him about what little faith he had despite all their proof already.
        Well, he humbled up real fast and became awed to max, looking
around the room, then walking to doorways and looking into other
rooms for the spirits, while he and Jess heard more details of the plan.
Flece and everyone else stood around watching them and wondering
what that word was.
        "God, Jess...I'm sorry..." Kit said after their Native friends had
apparently finished. Jess just winked at him and started telling
everyone the plan, Hon Ni interpreting, and all of them were agreeing
with it, though still concerned for everyone's safety, especially Jess's.
        Then the guys showed up with the horse outside. And Jessy
proceeded to take her clothes off. Every stitch. Flee took them and
put them in a bag to carry. Then Jess hugged Kit and Flece and they
all went outside, and our naked heroine mounted the large white
mare and started leading them all up the street in the direction of the
tanks.
        The word went out from there - like a firestorm - for everyone
to join their walk, and the folks were coming! Then Goldenswan,
naked on top of Heart, came out of a side street and joined up
alongside Jessy, more and more people joining in behind, and our
ladies on horseback led them toward the two lines of tanks coming
down the main street toward them.
        Jess and Swan did not stop the horses until they were right up
against the lead tanks, which stopped at the same time, just feet
away. The cameras were rolling, and all the people filled the street
for more than a half mile behind the two beautifuls.
        A few miles away in Chairman Jao's mansion, just outside the
Forbidden City, Lion Eagle was appearing in Jao's office, the
Chairman there monitoring the events with his staff. Lion, looking
forefatherly as heck in the finest of chieftain garb, told Jao in
Chinese that he still had a choice - go with the revolution or go from
power. The Chief fleshed it all out for him, giving some history and
all.
        The guards tried getting ahold of LE, but just ran their hands
right through him, so then they looked, fruitlessly, for holojectors.
One guard even took a shot at him. The Chief finished what he had
to say and vanished, then reappeared in a side street behind our
guys, walked out and made his way forward to Kit and the others
behind and beside the ladies on the horses.
        The commanders in the lead tanks had been talking with Swan,
herself speaking to them in Chinese, and were agreeing to follow the
"Godivas" and people to Jao's mansion, being not hep at all on their
own leaders' idea of harming the beauties and their own people. Swan
and Jess guided Heart and the mare up between the tank columns,
touching the outstretched hands of the tank crews as they passed, and
everyone followed, then the tanks turned around and brought up the
rear. Flee, Sage and Jas were making sure Kit was all right, offering
him physical and emotional support, but he said he was OK,
considering.
        Lion made it up next to Kit. Code looked over at him and the
sight of his spirit friend jolted his body as he recognized him, though
casually dressed then like them, and LE smiled at him.
        "Aw my God..." Kit barely got out of his mouth as they walked
together, Jas, Sage and Flece smiling over to Lion. "...How're you
doin', Chief? Man, I'm sure sorry about earlier...."
        Lion nodded, still smiling, then answered, "forgiven, Cody...I'm
doin' good, thanks. Quite the sight up there, aren't they?" nodding in
the direction of the ladies up ahead, who were talking with each
other.
        "Well, that's the awesome truth," Kit slightly chuckling in
amazement at LE's down-to-Earthness. "But...what the heck are we
going to do at the mansion?...Is she going to be safe?!"
        Lion nodded yes, then said, "she's in a very good place. Don't
worry, Cody," and smiled at Swan and Jess, who were looking back
at them with big smiles.
        "God, just don't let her get hurt," Kit said under his breath. "I'd
...die to keep her from getting hurt, LE...."
        The Chief nodded at him. "I know. Have faith, Cody."
        When they arrived at the mansion, the palace guard and a large
part of what remained of Jao's still-loyal army stood between them
and the mansion entrance, and flanked their sides, so our heroines
stopped the horses and everyone stopped behind them. Then the
commander of the army barked out orders for the crowd to disperse
and go home or back to work, pretty much.
        Swan told him that they were there to meet with Jao. Some of
the revolutionaries had gone to get Hua, and were just then showing
back up with the Minister. And the intensity was building quickly.
The cameras were rolling still. The threats and counterdemands were
flying back and forth. Then the general ordered for the soldiers to
take aim, and the soldiers raised their rifles. Swan signaled for Jess to
follow her. Jess was scared, but feeling a peacefulness she never had
experienced before. Swan walked Heart up to the commander, Jess
followed her on the white mare, and the Chief was holding Kit back
and keeping him quiet, which was not easy.
        Swan said to the commander, "love is stronger than hate...",
then added some proverbial Chinese sayings, all in Chinese, and Hua
went forward and the young revolutionaries started leading the people
in a chant for Jao to come out - "JAO!...JAO!...JAO!" And the
gathering of hundreds of thousands chanted until Jao showed up in
the opened door at the top of the steps, then they stopped.
        The Chairman yelled for Hua to tell the people to go home. Hua
yelled back that there had to be change, and the multitude cheered.
Jao yelled he would have to order his army to start arresting people,
and would have to use force if there was resistance. Hua yelled back
that if he did that the tanks would open up on the door he was
standing in and what was left of his army and he would be gone,
couched in another Chinese adage. (Hua admitted later that he wasn't
sure the tankers would, but figured it was good enough of a gamble.)
And then there were some moments of very pregnant silence.

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