Yuen-Mong's Revenge (46 page)

 
     
"According to Atun, you might be in for a surprise. Have separate
dealers approach each of the Young and Deng family members with 10
percent offers."

 
     
"And what about the agreement between the Youngs and the Dengs
about owning equal blocks? You are part of the Young family."

 
     
"Maybe in their eyes, not in mine. I’m not bound by any agreements
in which I had no say, and besides I’m a Shen." Her face took on a steely
expression.

     
"Yuen-mong, you are the toughest and most determined woman I
know. But it just raises you in my esteem."

 
     
They could see her smile. "See you soon, Syd… Atun, please take
yourself and Anouk into orbit and land again only two hours after my
commercial liner. I want you out of reach until then and want to be there
when you land. Bye, take care."

 
     
The screen went blank. Atun began packing the equipment. Syd Twan
remained standing, his face pensive. After a while he said: "She is not
just endangering herself, but also you. Can’t you make her listen to
reason?"

 
     
"I’ve full trust in her. The more impossible the obstacle, the more
likely she’s to succeed. That’s her secret weapon. She has saved my life
at least five times and some against all odds."

 
     
"Is she always as ruthless as she was with the ones that attacked you
at the space port?"

 
     
"She’s ruthless to anyone who opposes her, but she never kills
wantonly. I’ve seen her several times avoid confrontation in order to save
lives."

 
     
"What a school Aros must have been for her!"

 
     
"It’s not just Aros. It’s her… Mr. Twan, thanks you for your help. I
presume we may still use the transport you arranged to get back to the
space port, and then we’ll follow Yuen-mong’s plea to go into orbit."

 
     
"You really think that even now you are in danger?"

 
     
"I’m not willing to take any chances and besides, if she says so, I do
it.’

20

As the Palo’s liner got into orbit around Andromatis to await landing
clearance, Atun contacted her on the standard channel. He warned her
that an army of press and broadcast reporters was awaiting her arrival at
the commercial terminal. She had expected that and was steeling her
nerves against the ordeal. What surprised her more though was the VIP
treatment she got from all officials at the terminal. Her luggage was
brought to her on a driver-controlled vehicle before any other luggage
appeared. No documents were asked of her and she was ushered into a
totally packed terminal arrival hall. Banners hailing ‘Welcome home,
Yuen-mong’ were displayed on the walls and hung from the high ceiling.
Broadcast cameras were trained on her from several vantage points.

     
Her first instinct was to withdraw, and then she caught herself. She
forced a smile and stepped on the down escalator to the cheering and
waving crowd that was kept back by a cordon of uniformed police. Her
song ‘calling the soul of my parents’ playing softly over the public
address system was drowned out. At the bottom of the escalator, a man
who was introduced to her as Androma’s deputy mayor greeted her, and
a young girl presented her with a huge bouquet of red roses. She bent
down to the girl and kissed her cheek, saying "thank you," to the renewed
cheering of the crowd.

     
"Miss Shen, transport is waiting outside for you. But I’m afraid,
before that you have to meet the press and answer a few questions."

 
     
On cue, the cordon was opened and several dozen reporters and
camera crews rushed to her. Within seconds she was completely
surrounded, with questions shouted to her from all directions.

     
Holding up her free hand, she shouted: "Please, one question at a
time… I will answer six and I will choose the questioners myself."

 
     
She waited for silence, while some reporters continued shouting questions. Finally they fell silent. She surveyed the group. Several reporters
were holding up their hand. She pointed at a young man who had
remained quiet. The woman next to him immediately shot out a question.

     
Yuen-mong interrupted her: "Not you, lady, and don’t bother anymore. I want the young man next to you who has been waiting quietly."

 
     
The young man blushed, saying: "Miss Shen, your invention —"

 
     
"This is my father’s invention, I’m only the messenger."

 
     
"— your father’s invention means the end of UniCom’s monopoly in
space communications. UniCom as we know it may disappear. What is
your comment on that?"

 
     
"My father made this invention more than twenty years ago. If he
could do it, other researchers would sooner or later have come up with it
again. It was not a question of ‘if’ but only of ‘when’. It could have
already happened twenty years ago. So, UniCom has hugely profited
from the delay. It will break the HST monopoly, but UniCom is a highly
diversified company and hopefully will survive."

 
     
While she spoke, she probed the minds surrounding her and, as she
spoke the last words, pointed already at a middle-aged woman, whose
question she suspected would be embarrassing.

     
"Since this invention is very damaging to UniCom, do you know or
at least suspect that UniCom sent your father to Aros to get lost there,
with the intention of suppressing the invention."

 
     
She smiled. "People will grasp on various theories. I have a completely open mind. At this point, I have no evidence to support your
conjecture, and I hope that my grandfather, Chen Young, will still love
me after this."

 
     
She pointed to an older man in the back.

     
"Since your arrival in Androma four months ago, you have flouted
Foundation etiquette, destroyed the invincible Foundation security
system with a stone-age weapon, taken the galaxy by storm with the two
top music hits, left a carnage on the tarmac of the Soro Space Port. Could
you let us in on your next move so that we are ready when it happens?"

 
     
Widespread cheering and laughter greeted his question.

     
"Give me your business card, and
I will
let you know when it
happens."

 
     
"Business card? Lady, they went out of fashion over three hundred
years ago."

 
     
"Sir, forgive my ignorance. Six months ago I still lived in the stone
age."

 
     
Over the laughter of the spectators, she heard a shout: "What about
beating the best in sport?"

 
     
"That would be an interesting challenge, especially for somebody seen
by the majority of you people as a cripple. I might consider it… The
young woman with the pink hair."

 
     
"Miss Shen, we women have noticed that you never wear any
makeup. Would you tell us why?"

 
     
"Makeup? … You mean painting my face like the savages on Aros do
when they sacrifice one of their own to the appease the vultures? But to
answer your question: I like my face when I see it in the mirror and have
no wish to ruin it with chemicals. Everything in my face, and my body I
hasten to add, is real, exactly the way nature gifted it to me. Hence, it
makes me unique, not one of hundreds of thousands of imitation of some
sterile ideal. Maybe I can start a new fashion and also ruin the makeup
and beauty surgery industry." It was greeted with wild applause. She
suddenly started to enjoy this. "One more question."

 
     
"You said six."

 
     
"Sir, I answered one from the spectators. But you may have the last
one."

 
     
"There are rumors that one day you may return to Aros. Why and how
did you escape from Aros in the first place?"

 
     
"That’s two questions. Let me ask you one: Why do men tend to ask
several questions at the same time?"

 
     
Laughter.

     
"How should I know? I’m not a psychologist."

 
     
"I suggest you try to find out. I am sure many women would be
grateful for the answer. Which of your two questions do you want to have
answered?"

 
     
"How did you escape?"

 
     
"By a space shuttle."

 
     
More laughter.

     
"But how were you able to do that and nobody else so far?"

 
     
"Sir, I gave you the answer to your question. If you ask the wrong
question, that’s your problem. Thank you. That’s it."

 
     
Wild applause. She nodded to the luggage handler and started walking
resolutely through the reporters, ignoring their renewed questions and
calls, and down the aisle fenced off for her to the continued cheering of
the crowd. After a few steps, the deputy mayor caught up with her and
said: "Miss Shen, Dr. Twan is waiting with a car for you."

 
     
That was not what she would have wanted right then, if given a
choice. Syd’s car was, in fact, parked in the pedestrian area outside the
terminal exit, with him at the steering wheel. He got out to greet her.

     
"Yuen-mong, you had me so worried," he exclaimed and, taking her
by complete surprise, he kissed her on both cheeks. She liked the smell
of his aftershave and felt her heart beat faster.

     
"I can take care of myself —"

 
     
"Oh, I’m well aware of that and I admire you for it."

 
     
"— but thank you, Syd, for meeting me," she continued while
checking that all luggage was in the boot.

     
"It’s my pleasure."

 
     
She quickly turned to the deputy mayor, thanked him and shook his
hand. Twan closed the door behind her and then took the driver’s seat,
slowly easing the car into the traffic.

     
"I assume you will take me to the Soro Space Port."

 
     
"Yes… It’s good to have you once all for myself."

 
     
She had the sense that he was going to declare his love for her, and
she felt ambivalent about it. With a twinkle in her eyes, she replied:
"Syd, don’t you yet know that nobody can have me. They may only share
moments with me."

 
     
"You know what I mean, to be with you … alone. Except for those
first few minutes, I always saw you in the company of Atun."

 
     
"We were alone when you drove me to meet my grandfather."

 
     
"You are a tough woman. One gets away with nothing."

 
     
"You said you admired me for that."

 
     
"True, I do. I don’t just admire you for that. I admire you for
everything, your beauty, your wit, your determination, your warmth."

 
     
"My wealth?"

 
     
"Yuen-mong, stop playing games with me. Don’t you see that I am
serious, that I love you … even more than loved your mother? You are
everything that I could ever have wished for in a woman." He had
brought the car to a halt at the side of the road.

     
She felt her own emotions in sudden turmoil, vulnerable and trapped,
and tried to fight it, yet ready to yield and fearing it.

     
"You are my dream. I want to make you happy, look after you, spoil
you, fulfill your every wish. Please, Yuen-mong, marry me. I can offer
you so much, love, status, wealth. I will protect you. I will find the best
surgeon for you to restore your leg. You will never have to worry about
anything anymore." His eyes were pleading.