Jason got his bag from the carousel. Jules already had his, and the two walked over to customs. As they approached, a man in a uniform came up to them. He was tall for a Chinese man, and wore a short cap, his hair short underneath. His eyes were pitch black, without pupils. In impeccable English he said, “You’re the heroes from America?”
They looked at each other. “Yes,” said Jules finally. “I’m Holder, and this is Fold.”
“We’ve been expecting you. Please come with me.”
Jules started, but Jason put a hand on Jules’ shoulder. “Who are you, and why should we go with you?”
“You would have to explain your pistols to customs,” said the man, dipping a hand into this pocket. He flipped out an ID. It was in Chinese, and had the Chinese flag on it with the man’s picture superimposed.
In English letters, his name was Bau Tuoheng. Jason removed his hand. “This is our contact,” he said.
Jules said, “I didn’t bring my guns for that reason.” He looked at Jason who didn’t look back at Jules. “Don’t tell me.”
Jason only shrugged. Bau brought them down to the airport’s tarmac to a white van. The two young men climbed into the back of the van along with Bau. He said, “I’m sure you have seen our website and read our dossier?”
“We didn’t have much,” said Jules. “This isn’t really an official visit from America to China. We didn’t have access to UNITY’s or UNTIL’s information.”
Bau said, “I know this is an informal visit between us. Your leader, Grimaulkin, was known by us for years. Of course, he was an enemy, and to hear that he’s turned over a new leaf is…refreshing.”
The two young men nodded. Both knew that Mike had been treading the dark paths for years now, and they had heard he got kicked out of other heroic groups because of it. Both believed that Mike’s husband Scott kept him in check, and this past week with Scott gone, Mike had started acting strangely. Jason said that Mike told him he was just trying to be “one of the guys”, but Jason didn’t believe that for a second.
“And especially hearing that he’s taken in so many young men who are just starting to use their powers, I thought that it would be a good idea to exchange students.”
“UNTIL probably wouldn’t go for that,” said Jules.
“Of course, it would be unofficial.”
Said Jason, “You seem to like doing things unofficially.”
“The bureaucracy in China is twice as bad as it is in your country, except everything is electronic. Getting clearance for you was simple – you are registered heroes. Our young heroes and heroines are registered as well.” He glanced out the window. “Your leader is known as a rebel. In my select circles, so am I.”
Jason glanced out the window but crossed his arms. He looked about the van warily, noting what could be used as a weapon. Jules looked out the window like a tourist, gaping at the highway and the monorails. “It’s like Disney.”
Bau laughed. “I assure you, this is nothing like Disney.”
