The Limpid Sky

The protagonist of this novel is Surakiat , the same one in 'The Security Guard and the Haunted Building'. He was trained by the government agency to be the most formidable assassin in the world who possessed the superpowers which kept expanding endlessly. This had been written chapter by chapter via my facebook Atthasit Muangin for months.

                                                    1

Bang Kwang Prison 2003

Surakiat was always appreciative of the sky in the winter, which was so blue , but he preferred it to be emblazoned with the little white lumps of clouds penetrated by the lively sunlight like some sort of contemporary art in a luxury gallery. But now the sky above his head turned to be cloudy and so dark while it was rumbling to signify that the heavy rain was underway. He was just standing there in the open lawn surrounded by the gang of the brawny brutes who were glaring at him. They were the bastards , the dangerous inmates who had committed the crimes like murders , rapes , armed robberies or any atrocious ones we had ever imagined. Although Surakiat was sturdier and his height towered above theirs , their number -probably 10 - seemed to well compensate for this.

The short man with a deep scar on his face kept ordering the other men to show that he was their unlikely boss. His hostility toward Surakiat also was more noticeable than anyone . He stepped forward and shouted at the young man:

"For more than half a year , I find you the most bugging punk I have ever met! How come the fuck you have incessantly caused me the hassles by being so haughty ? I remember you refused to do anything we told during the hazing. Worst of all, you have taught the other punks to rebel against our sacred orders. I should have finished you off a few months ago but for some reason the warden took you under his wing. Now the old codger is being transferred to another jail and you are on your own and look , can those sissy punks help your now ? Ha ha."

Surakiat chuckled before retorting,

"How dare you call me punk, asshole ? Actually, you are all my punks all along but you and your minions don't come to your senses . What a shame this honorable status of yours will be expiring today !"

The thugs burst into laughter. They didn't notice that Surakiat intended to distract them while cautiously sizing up their movements. Every thug armed themselves with the simple but also deadly weapons and they were gradually narrowing the circle around him.

The boss said,

"To be frank , I am enormously impressed with you and would say that I was going to give you the last chance : just knee down and swear to be eternally loyal to me , in other words, to lick my ass until you die. But now your fucking time has come , cocksucker! "

The boss then ordered his men :

" Hey, everyone, beat him to a pulp and don't stop until he writhes to death on the ground ! "

The first guy was about to strike Surakiat with a big wooden stick. The young man punched him in the face extremely swiftly. The poor guy fell on his back to lie unmoved while still holding the stick. Everyone saw that his face was severely damaged : his nose was broken in the shape that didn't resemble a human nose anymore while one of his eyeballs was out of its socket. The thugs were all aghast and reluctant , so they didn’t dare attack him at the same time , hoping that one of them would conquer Surakiat first. A guy stabbed Surakiat with a knife stolen from the prison's kitchen. Surakiat moved his body a bit to evade the knife and locked his arm tightly before forcefully twisting it , so a large fraction of broken bone abruptly rose above his skin. The middle-aged guy screamed in utter pain but then stopped when the young man snatched his throat. He quietly fell down to lay on the pool of blood. The other guy struck Surakiat with a hammer but he intercepted it and locked his arm to punch that guy’s chin repeatedly until his jaws were terribly crushed. The young man at last used the hammer to hit his forehead , drawing the red blood to gush from a big wound. Now that minion's face was disfigured , looking like an alien's but luckily, he was too dead to witness this. The gangly man desperately attempted to knock Surakiat's head from behind by the brass knuckle on his fist. The young man turned around quickly to grab his punch , twist and chop his arm with his bare hand. The poor arm was horribly torn apart while its owner squealed hysterically. Surakiat pushed the bone inside the severed arm to stab his face and the blood was seen splashing from one of his recently blind eyes.

Before anyone would do anything more, the young man jumped into the air and kicked the other minions' heads or necks nimbly as if he were hovering or at least performing as a world-class kung fu fighter. Those thugs- turned- pathetic victims concurrently fell down ; some were dented in the heads and the others were twisted in the necks like being pounded by iron pole. The remaining minion who was quite young and naïve was standing breathless. Much to his indescribable fright , he dropped the weapon and ran away , abandoning his boss who was shaking in extreme fear. Surakiat approached the boss in the blink of an eye , while the latter tried to defend himself by pulling the long knife out of his pocket . The young man grabbed hold of it so easily and playfully acted like going to stab him. The boss bent his body and knelt down. He began to wail , begging for his life.

Surakiat laughed sinisterly , threw the knife away and said,

"It almost makes me laugh my ass off to see you suffering a nervous breakdown like an elementary school student,  ha ha ! At first , I thought I was going to spare your lowly life and feed you as one of my pets like you always do to other inmates. But I change my mind as I have learnt so much about your depravity before being jailed and even here. The important information about you and your clique outside the prison has also been sent to the HQ now and you become useless for me. So , I think it would be a sweet revenge for your countless victims in the past , if I send you to rot in hell forever."

The young man then punched the boss in the chest : the proximity of his heart. The punch was so powerful that the heart stopped beating. The boss's eyes opened wide by the time he had uttered just a few slurred words and lay still on the ground along with his deceased minions like the forlorn mass graves without coffins. Surakiat felt the little raindrops on his face and stared at the rainy sky while the thunders kept rumbling like it was congratulating him on the mission accomplished. Amidst the cold downpour , he saw other inmates , including the guards, trembling in horror in the building not far from here. He felt that they were staring at him like he was a ferocious monster. But he didn't care because he would be getting out of this hellhole soon.

                 A florist’s shop at Sukhumvit Soi 5 , one month later

The clock on the wall showed that it was almost 9 PM. A bespectacled thirtysomething woman was busy writing something on an accounting book at her desk while a younger woman was enthusiastically closing the shop. The girl lifted up some boxes and the bunches of the artificial flowers to the shelves in the storeroom and gladly said to the woman :

“ Pi Nada , I have already finished the work now.”

Nada kindly smiled. She didn’t even bother to check on whether the girl had done like her claim. She merely looked at her wristwatch.

“That’s OK , Ice, it is quite late at this hour. You have done a great job today and should leave to take a good rest. Don’t forget tomorrow will be a very very big day for us as we have to be here before dawn to take all our stuff to the hotel. I will call to remind Somdet again of picking Taew up at her house and then us here.”

Ice quipped,

“Wedding of the decade ?”

The woman handed out the newspaper to her.

“Don’t you already know ? It is the wedding in the evening of the son and the daughter of the 2 moguls who both have the incredible connections with the bigshots in the government. I bet you will be overexcited since the prime minister is scheduled to attend the wedding himself. Despite being just the workers , you and I could also stay to witness the greatest number of VIPs , actors and singers in the history of Thailand as the guests."

The girl sighed.

“ I really wish my wedding in the future would be like this. But in reality its grandeur would be one million times less than this pompuous ceremony..”

Both laughed and Ice seemed to reminisce about something.

“Sorry that I have been absent for so long and I still haven’t visited Nong Fern - your baby since she was born. Is she so cute ? Taew told me that she is so white and plumpy that she can be a model for the advertisement of baby powder.”

Nada chuckled.

“Thank you. Her proud father will be over the moon to hear this. If I am less busy , I will take her here. You can hug or kiss her as much as you're pleased. OK, Ice , you can go now otherwise you will get up late , and that would be a little catastro …”

She paused as she was stunned to see someone outside her shop. He was standing at the other side of the street , staring at her. But when she rushed out of her shop, he was  miraculously gone –after merely a few vehicles passing by.

The woman muttered to herself :

“Kett !”

Kett was the nickname of Surakiat.

                                          2

                    The wedding ceremony , 6 : 45 PM

No sooner had Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra stepped out of his luxury Mercedes- Benz than the reporters all dashed to surround him. Their hurried questions and microphones toward the prime minister, however, were regrettably hampered by his stern-faced bodyguards. Mr. Thaksin just grinned and walked past them to receive the warm greetings from the hosts : the parents of both bride and groom , followed by the couple who was so majestic like a match made in heaven. Like Ice's speculation , it was the wedding of the decade. Hundreds of dignitaries in the exorbitant and glistening suits and evening gowns had been strutting along the green floral embroidered carpets of the hall of more than 5 star hotel .The guests also immersed themselves in the lively chatters with one another while sipping the expensive wines or champagnes. At the center of the hall illuminated by several gigantic lamps was the large white arch which resembled a temple of enigmatic cult decorated by the colorful flowers. It was keeping guard over the extraordinarily towering white cake delivered from France via the airplane the previous day. The pianist was playing the vibrant jazz music , sometimes accompanied by the black singers.

Despite its utmost grandeur, the wedding had been proceeding in a traditional way. The bride and the groom gracefully marched along the line of the bridesmaids and the groomsmen who kept brandishing the colorful flags above them to the arch amid the resounding music. Then the couple helped each other cut the cake with the long knife and went back to sit with their parents on the stage for the opportunity that the groom would put a diamond ring on the bride's slim finger and bestow upon her the dowry worth 100 million baht. After that , the video via the large screens displayed their pictures since they were still young until the recent days of their courtship along with the song 'Only Our Love Conquers All'  (เพียงแต่ใจเรารักกัน) from a live performance by Wiyada Komarakul Na Nakorn.

Mr. Thaksin ,the most important guest in this evening,  had made an impressive speech to gush for half an hour about the bride and the groom and their parents who had known him well for decades. But like other seasoned politicians  : at the end he also mentioned  the Universal Coverage Scheme  (โครงการสามสิบบาทรักษาทุกโรค)  and even the successful war against drugs (สงครามต้านยาเสพติด) initiated by his government before receiving the thunderous applause by the guests. The prime minister then invited them to propose a toast to the bride and the groom. The parents of bride and groom later were invited to make the speeches which were so stark and boring because they were too thrilled , whereas the bride and the groom's lively speeches created the bruhahas and the laughter especially among the young guests with their humors and wits.

Nada had smilingly stood near the tables of the staff and the organizers of this wedding along with Ice and Taew. Although they were just hired to decorate the ceremony with the flowers from their shop, they also helped the staff do a variety of works according to the contact with the organizers. Nada's 2 employees were exceedingly excited to see plenty of actors and singers whom they used to watch only via the series or the concerts on TV. Those celebrities kept darting to be taken the photographs with the bride and the groom who had been walking around the specific part of the hall for greetings and photos with the exclusive guests. Thongchai Macintyre, the crooner of the century, and the beautiful actress like Suwanan Kongying embraced both bride and groom intimately.

As soon as the bride and the groom walked near the staff's tables , the groom said something to the bride and walked through several people toward Nada who was now standing alone because her assistants were urgently called to do some errands.

"Hello , Nada ! " greeted the groom.

Nada looked unfazed ; she just smiled cordially and said,

"Hello , Tham."

Tham walked to stand beside Nada like he was trying to blend in with the guests and looked around thanks to his cautiousness. But he suddenly chilled up when seeing his bride laughing and talking with a large group of her friends at some table nearby and became a new limelight of the hall.

Nada teased him :

"You are so mean not to invite me here. "

Tham greeted some guests who were passing by before saying,

"That's absolutely ludicrous! Your name was the first on the list of the guests tonight even before the prime minister , but that was just my imagination because I know that you wouldn't come anyway."

Nada chortled.

"So , you ordered the organizers to hire my florist's shop along with  the 5 other ones which are the largest in Bangkok , even though mine is quite small. And they lured me into staying here long enough to meet you, right ? What a great plan!"

Tham nodded and stared at Nada intensely.

" But you still join my party, don't you? Wow ! You are extremely gorgeous tonight , especially without that silly eyeglasses. I want to say that I am more than willing to trade everything around here tonight with you - to be with you forever. Look , they are so phony and boring. As an open secret , this  is the arranged marriage. I have known my newly wife for only months."

Nada sneered.

"You are still the same old Tham : always bored and frustrated with everything around you. C'mon , we are all grown up now , not the childish graduates from university. You are Dr. Thamthai Leucksirichot, the heir of the billionaire. Your father is probably the richest man in Thailand today and the second is the father of your pretty bride. Look , she was staring at us now ! I hope she can be your loving wife who can carter to your every whim. What about me ? I am already married..."

He interrupted ,

" To the guy named Charnon who is working as a HR officer in the company that , sorry to stay , is a part of my conglomerate. You recently had a baby whose name is Fern because you like the ferns so much."

Now Nada looked agitated.

" You never cease to amaze me with your downright impertinence ! I guess you have hired the detectives to closely surveil me and my family. That is not cool , man ! Please stop stalking me ! "

The vice chairman of the largest conglomerate in Thailand looked guilty.

"Please accept my heartfelt apology , Nada. I won't do that again. Can we sometimes meet again please?"

The young woman shook her head.

"I am afraid that is inappropriate for the married people like us. By the way, I think last night I saw Kett outside my shop."

Tham's face suddenly turned pale.

"Really ?  So , the rumor of his death is unfounded. Did you talk to him ?"

"Nah , I just saw him for a few seconds. Perhaps that was his ghost who bade farewell  to me before going to the next world or it was just the figment of my imagination , the remnant of my memory of him."

Tham looked visibly uncomfortable before proffering her a handshake.

" I've got to go now , Nada. Hope to see you again."

Nada refused to shake his hand and smiled coldly instead.

"Goodbye, Tham. Hope to never see you again ! "

The groom looked despondent and grudgingly went back to his puzzled bride by the time Ice and Taew walked back to Nada.

Taew looked electrified.

"Oh, my goodness , Pi Nada ! I can't believe my own eyes that the handsome groom was talking with you just now."

Nada said ,

"Your eyes are telling the truth. But he just asked me the direction to the seat of Pi Damrong , our main organizer. I think we should leave the ceremony now !"

                                     The HQ , the same night

Surakiat was slouching on the sofa and drank beer absent-mindedly. On the table near him was a large pile of its empty bottles. Still , he seemed not to get drunk or even tipsy at all. The large television before him was playing the video of the renowned stand-up comedian, Udom Taepanich, performing his 6th album , Tudmuek (ตูดหมึก)  , drawing the intermittent roars of laughter from the audience in the hall. But Surakiat looked brooding. He sometimes chuckled and the reason for that reaction certainly wasn’t from Udom’s performance.

The middle-aged man in the dark suit entered the room. He brusquely put a large album of pictures on the table and said bluntly,

“  I wonder how come you always rebel against my orders. I know that you don’t always really regard me as your commander or superior anyway. But you should at least have had played by the rules of our agency. Merely taking a glance at those pictures , my stomach churns violently as those are such a brutal carnage - 9 corpses which caused the nightmares for the poor doctors who performed their autopsies. You didn’t have to kill them because we had already gathered the vital intelligence about Mr. Somrit from you , and that is enough to dismantle his network of crimes in Thailand and the neighboring countries. And you could just have asked for the release from the prison before Mr. Somrit decided to gather his minions to fight you.”

Surakiat snickered.

“ My dearest director , you are merely the armchair executive of this secret agency : surfing the internet in the air-conditioned room and going back to your family after work. Please try to be in my shoes : languishing in that dreadful prison for months and trying to outmaneuver those bastards who could slash my throat the minute I was unguarded. That was driving me into insanity !”

His director frowned.

“Aha, who could have terrorized you ? You are one of the … no no..  you are both the deadliest assassin and the most competent spy in the world and you are almost invincible. The prison warden told me that only months in prison , you had intimidated everyone. The old codger said that you could have either led the inmates to bring down the prison authorities or even killed everyone in the prison in just a heartbeat. But luckily , you are one of our guys.”

Surakiat cleared his throat like the kid whose lie was just exposed by adult and changed the channel of TV to the news program.

The director sat on the sofa near him. One of his secretaries knocked at the door before entering the room to send him the papers for his signatures. When the young woman left, the middle-aged man said,

“kett , you are also the most paradoxical person in the world. I know you love justice and protecting the vulnerable like many inmates in the prison, but I am not certain whether you killed those bastards for the right thing or to pander to your destructive instincts. Or actually , you kill people for pleasure on the pretext that they are villainous , correct ?”

Surakiat smiled to his boss.

“ My director, you supervised the program of training me to be the assassin 4 years ago. You and those scientists should know me well. Want some drink ?”

The director nodded and sipped the beer from him.

“  I suppose that our program has gone too far , so we have already suspended it for a while. Nonetheless , I am certain that even if James Bond or Jason Bourne really exist , they can not beat you since you have something that they lack – the ever-expanding superpower. So,  you are more like the X-men of Marvel but as a real person. We are so proud to have you , even the CIA or the FSB (the security agency of Russia) must be envying us.”

Surakiat waved his hand.

“Enough ! I am so grateful for this kind of your gross flattery. But sometimes I think I am way more comfortable with your sincere criticism. Please tell me what my next mission will be . If not, I will find another job myself.”

The director said,

“I know you really hate to face the emptiness when you have nothing to do. But please hang in there ! I can’t do anything but wait for the upcoming orders from my superiors. Wait !  The thing plunging you into the deepest melancholy like this is the time you have just seen your ex-girlfriend ,  isn't it ?”

Surakiat became contemplative.

“ You can read my mind so well ! In the prison I kept thinking about her every single hour and that was the only thing which enlivened my life in such an abyss. There are numerous times I have felt deeply frustrated why I couldn’t marry her. Of course, you know that she is the owner of a small florist’s shop. I am mighty glad to run that shop with her more than working with you or any governments else in the world only if I could turn back the clock , even though she is now the married woman with a baby !”

The director closed his eyes. It was almost beyond his wild imagination that Surakiat was wearing an apron and using a sprayer to water the fresh flowers in the shop. He tried to hold back his laughter and said,

“Kett , when you signed your name to volunteer for the training program 4 years ago , you were warned that you had to abandon your ordinary life in the world. You just did this for a revenge for your 2 friends who got killed in the Blood May in 1992 , that’s true ? I agree that you discovered by yourself this kind of power 7 or 8 years ago in that haunted building, but it is us who help you unleash and control your own power , so you can use it wherever you are. Please stop thinking about your ex-girlfriend because it will without doubt be your Achilles heel and concentrate on your job for the sake of our agency. There are the vast number of scoundrels in this country waiting for you to kick their assess , bear in your mind!"

The next news on TV was Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra making the speech in the wedding ceremony.

Surakiat asked,

“Does the prime minister know about our agency and this program ?”

The director grabbed another bottle of beer. He began to enjoy it too.

“Sort of. He knows it roughly, but he is still high on the success of his war against drugs which cost more than 3 thousands of lives. For me,  whether those perishing were the vicious drug traffickers or the innocent, it depends on interpretations.”

Surakiat muttered,

“He is thus not different from me at all.”

The director only giggled instead.

The television panned and ended at the groom , Thamthai, who was grinning and humbly nodding to receive a colorful garland from the prime minister beside his bride.

Surakiat stared at the groom and mumbled,

“You are darn right that there are the vast number of scoundrels in this country waiting for me to kick their assess.”

                                        3

Surakiat previously planned to infiltrate by staying in that prison for only 2 months. The director repeatedly begged him to 'lick the ass' or to ingratiate himself with Somrit  , so as one of his minions , he would successfully gather some valuable information about this crime boss. However ,when the young man was really there , the prison's conditions were so appalling and inhumane. He thus became sympathetic toward the fellow inmates - just the petty criminals - falling victim to the abuses and the violence of Somrit's minions who were either sadistic or psychopathic. Surakiat then transformed himself into the rebel leader who trained those wretched prisoners to fend for themselves. Still , Surakiat managed to know the secrets of Somrit from the factions of inmates which were so hostile to this crime boss. Or the young man even had been snitched by the betraying minions who were impressed with his heroism. But after all, Surakiat’s over-the-top performance always kept the agency on edge even after Somrit had been killed.

The more Surakiat had dug up dirt, the more he surprisingly found that Somrit had the perplexing connections with a multitude of the big guys in the public sectors and the government. The 42- year-old man had lived in the special air-conditioned room of the prison and had been treated like a king. Worse still, Somrit was capable of commanding his network from the prison with the 5 mobile phones or computers and he was frequently allowed to sneak out of the prison to stay somewhere briefly. Even the prison warden couldn't do much because that was the order from his superiors. But Surakiat was quite sure that the old man himself had been bribed by Somrit - the reason why the agency couldn’t rely on only information from him.

There was a time that Surakiat had been incarcerated in the dark room for a week due to his brawl with Somrit's minion. Despite the cooperation with Surakiat's agency  , the old prison warden had to punish him to appease Somrit because that minion was sent to the ICU unit for a week. And when he was discharged , none of his friends any longer remembered him thanks to his severely damaged cheeks and chin. In the cavernous, little space Surakiat survived by thinking of Nada numerous times : her alluring eyes and white skin which was so soft like snow, titillating him when caressing it. Surakiat always compared himself to Florestan in Ludwig Van Beethoven's famous opera. That man was the brave journalist who had exposed the crimes of a governor of the prison in Europe during the 19th century. The wicked governor finally jailed Florestan in the dungeon and the young man had to endure an immense suffering in the suffocating dark room. But then he found solace in reminiscing about Leonore , his loving wife. Lenore was like Nada to Surakiat but in the opera Leonore disguised herself as a young man to rescue her husband whereas Nada merely sank into despair that her boyfriend had already either forever disappeared or died in a deep jungle.

After the carnage in the prison's lawn , the agency had to negotiate with difficulty with the prison to help Surakiat from the prison for fear that he would escape from there by himself , as it would certainly lead to the unwanted casualties of the guards.  Now Surakiat was in the invisible prison of his own when he had to anxiously wait for the next mission indefinitely. The plan to track down the senior soldiers , responsible for killing his friends in 1992 , bogged down because those officers were well protected by the military even after their retirements. Surakiat became aware that he was betrayed by the agency to coax him into the experiment 4 years ago , but he could not do anything because other careers looked too boring for him. He thus killed time by being obsessed with Nada : he always loitered to watch her in her florist's shop from afar and avoided being seen like that time. Thankfully, the shop's window was transparent enough to fulfill his desire. But to bluntly show himself before her would put both of them in a predicament as she was the married woman and his life of the secret operative  , a ghost , would be inevitably exposed.

Recently , Surakiat found that a retired colonel , one of the soldiers on the bridge that night,  lived alone not far from the headquarter. 

                     A ramshackle house in Soi Chokchai 4 , 10.23 PM

" Who are you  ? What are you doing in my house ?"

The old man asked in quivering voice to see someone in his room although his vision was blurred as a result of diabetes. He was desperately lying on the bed , even raising his hand to lift up the mosquito net seemed to be so difficult.

The intruder said,

"You don't have to know my name and fear me not because I am not here to steal or rob you anything, Colonel Eakaphan Satapornchak , the ex-commander of the special force of Thai army."

The old man chuckled.

"Aha , you know me so well ! It is my great pleasure to meet an avid member of my fan club in the dead of the night . What brings you here, young man ? Want my signature ? Sorry that my arms and my hands were too feeble to hold anything, even a little pen."

The intruder sat on the chair near Eakaphan's bed.

"I am so surprised to find the dying murderer like you still have a great sense of humor."

He then turned on the flashlight after lifting up the mosquito net, so the old man had to squint his eyes and still couldn't see the intruder's face. The intruder showed something on his hand - 2 pictures - and held them close to the old man's face while saying,

"I am not going to ask you whether you know them or not. These are my friends who died during the savage suppression by your regiment in May 1992 : Den and Praew. I want you to remember their faces and names before you go to the next life or to the utmost abyss of hell , I presume."

Eakaphan sighed.

"I know this time will finally come , but I still have an ample time to repent for my sins , do I ?  The army have cruelly deserted me and slapped me in the face with only a scant pension. My wife passed away in a tragic accident 3 years ago , leaving me drowning my sorrows and later in this frail body due to this accursed disease – the excruciating karma !  Young man , you can kill me at this moment and I will be eternally grateful to you."

The intruder laughed quietly.

"Why do you think I have the desire to kill you , old man ?"

He said after violently coughing ,

" Yeah , I can smell the scent of killing and violence around you even from kilometers ;  you are the murderer just like me. We have both fed our famished souls with killings and never yearned for their end. Why don't you think the descendants of the persons you have killed would hold the grudge and be willing to exact the bloody revenge on you someday ?"

The young man's voice seemed to be sarcastic.

"They were the scum of the earth  ! They had committed the unspeakable crimes which have thrown the countless lives of the decent into the living hell - good riddance ! If someone's determined to avenge them , fine!  I will welcome them with utter joy and show them that their vengefulness is eventually futile."

The old colonel chuckled again , irritating the younger man a little.

"Really  ?  That was what I thought before ordering my men to open fires on the people on the bridge that night. Sorry to say that I had to follow the orders from my superiors and I also had previously been told that those people were the commie bastards who were aiming to wreak havoc on our beloved Nation , Religion and Monarchy. Seeing their bloody bodies lying lifeless on the ground , I was overjoyed from thinking like you - good riddance ! But when I learnt later that they were merely the innocent protesters , I shed my tears and resigned from the army 2 years before my retirement in disgrace. Nobody gets  revenge on me except myself : for years I have been tortured in the prison of my own conscience. And I hope you won’t end up like me in the coming days."

The intruder was quiet for minutes and asked ,

" Do you know Sergeant Ongart Lampian ?"

The old man was quiet briefly and said,

" Of course , he was the soldier in the unit of my friend. I knew him because he was infamous for being the most reckless and sadistic in the regiment. Many years ago, I found in the newspapers that he died after accidentally falling from the building. Why do you know him ?"

The intruder chuckled.

" He was one of your accomplice and his death was not from the accident. I know this because I threw him from that building with my own fair hands. By the way, I accept that your account is straight from your heart by fathoming the way of your speaking and the rhythms of your breathing and I won't refuse that you have a point. Here  : "

He put down the large parcels of food and the big cartons of milk on the table beside Eakaphan.

" I know your daughter still hires someone to take care of you during the daytime. These are the nourishment for the diabetic like you. Don’t be so bemused since I had a hunch that our encounter tonight would end up like this. I could have just now stifled you by putting my palm softly on you nostrils for a few minutes , but your current suffering life is what you deserve. The longer it is, the merrier I am. See you again sometime as I need to talk with you about that night in 1992. You can leave your legacy in this world by shedding more light on something which even the greatest historians don't know like who the ultimate mastermind behind this massacre was.”

The old man nodded. The intruder thought that he heard him sobbing. He grinned and slowly vanished into the dark.

                           A  Chinese Food Shop ,7.00 PM, the next day

That almost century-old Chinese food shop became Surakiat's most favorite place for dinner because he had developed the brotherly bond with its owner who was so kind to provide him the seat which was quite secluded. And the man in his late 50s was fond of talking to him incessantly about the Chinese philosophy and the martial art flicks of Hong Kong especially during the 80s. Surakiat felt that the middle-aged man and his kind-hearted wife were probably his only friends in the world, but he still lied to them that he owned the newspapers stall in a market mildly far from there. It was painful that he couldn’t even tell the people he liked who he really was.

That night of his pleasant dining was ruined when the 2 brute guys walked into the shop, bringing the white letters and the yellow tote bags around their arms. They introduced themselves as the workers of a temple and asked a dozen of customers in the shop for donations. When a customer declined , one of them shouted at her and intentionally showed some part of pistol inside his trousers. Surakiat knew that it was a robbery in disguise and all customers half-heartedly had to give them their purses , watches or gold necklaces. Surakiat shunned the idea of playing the hero who gallantly saved the innocent again ; he did not want to end up killing anyone who was not the target of his agency.  That was the inspiration from the conversation with the old man last night. Or he was afraid that he might be noticed by the police because his fake identity was now quite dubious. The shop owner hurriedly walked to negotiate with one of the robbers but was forcefully pushed in the face. The weak lanky man helplessly collapsed ; he himself would certainly be the next victim. Surakiat was about to rise to his feet but restrained himself and put on the sunglasses. Finally, the fat man with thick moustache and beard walked toward him before saying in his gruff voice :

"Brother ! It would be a tremendous merit if you donate your precious things with all your heart. Our temple is in dire straits now and a new chapel is badly needed."

Surakiat smiled and obediently handed in him his wallet. By the time that guy was about to touch it, Surakiat dropped the wallet and slapped him in the face with his backhand for a very split of second and grabbed the wallet before it would reach the floor. The robber screamed and sank to his knees while covering his face with his hands but the blood still spouted from those cute plumpy fingers. Surakiat gladly hoped that the guy would at most have the broken nose or the bleeding mouth. The other robber heard this and ran to briskly draw the pistol toward him. The young man approached him at incredible speed and tweaked the barrel of his pistol so it was totally bent. Everyone was extremely petrified to see that while the guy shrieked and ran hysterically out of the shop. Instead of running after the robber , Surakiat helped supporting the shop owner who was struggling to get up.

The middle-aged man was out of breath ; he saluted to the young man and said like he was in the Chinese novels about the martial art masters in the past :

"Don't know that thou art such the great warrior ! I would kowtow to thee in awe !"

                                                4

Berm was only 3 months shy of 35 year old years. He had put everyone around him in the great miseries since he was a teenager. He became the high school dropout who loved to join his gang to terrorize the neighborhood as the dilapidated slum. He loved to drink booze on a daily basis and when his mother couldn’t give him enough money , he always beat her up. His father was lucky enough to pass away many years ago , otherwise he would fall prey to this unfilial son. When getting tipsy in the night, the hoodlum always launched the motorbike racing with his gang on the main road, causing so much noise and traffic congestion. Regrettably, when his bike was forfeited by the police , his only leisure was walking around the slum or hanging around the bridge to bully or extort money from the passers-by. There were plenty of men who were attacked by Berm and his friends ; some were seriously injured or even permanently disabled. When Berm smiled , it was such a hateful smile because it was from his anger or contempt for someone or something. It was also full of bloodthirstiness like a hyena’s to its preys.

Sexually harassing women was his favorite hobby as well. But Berm was forced to tie the knot when he was in his early 20s as one of his victims was pregnant and her parents threatened to notify the police. Many years later his wife couldn’t tolerate the daily domestic violence before taking their daughter away. Berm was extremely furious. He found his wife while she was escaping to Rayong and killed her in a fit of rage. The hoodlum had been in jail for years even though his neighbors wished that he would be executed with a machine gun. Back in the slum Berm improved himself by becoming a mule for the drug traffickers who were in the networks of Somrit. But Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra’s war against drugs forced him to abandon this job and lie low for months. Berm was recently short of money since his mother had already died and he couldn’t extort money from her ghost. He and Win , his close friend who was equally despicable, thus initiated the audacious robbery by disguising as the workers of the temple and walked for donations in the places like lone houses or grocery stores. But when they weren't still arrested , they became emboldened and found some places which were more and more crowded. At a Chinese food shop , Berm was so stupefied to see the man with sunglasses twisting his pistol. He ran away like a lunatic and didn’t even bother to be worried about Win who was later handcuffed mercilessly on the hospital’s bed while he was almost dead from the excessive bleeding . And what a pity that Berm didn’t care much about the news that the guy with such a superpower disappeared before the arrival of the police.

         A temple near Slum Klong Toei , 6.54 PM , several days later

Berm was walking to and fro toward the bridge near the temple , carrying a large bottle in his arms. The hoodlum was quite drunk and had to walk alone due to a bickering with his friends. He was off the hook from the incident at the Chinese food shop at least for a while because Win blamed someone else as his accomplice and the cops were too busy with other cases. But the hoodlum felt that his friends’ faith in him was likely to falter down since they saw his reaction as a coward’s. Berm suddenly saw a guy leaning against the railing in the middle of the bridge and waving his hand to him cordially. At first, the hoodlum thought that was some of his friends but was shocked that he was the guy with sunglasses. Berm was about to run away but decided to just stand still because he didn’t want to make a fool of himself once more.

That guy was walking toward him slowly before saying cheerfully,

“Hello Berm ! Why are you walking alone today ? You are always accompanied by your base friends like a gang of leprous dogs , aren’t you ?”

Berm became livid.

“Why the fuck are you stalking me ? I have never expected to see your face again ! ”

He chuckled and Berm really hated to see that.

“I should have had let you go, to continue living your stinking rotten life. But you happened to run away with the distended tote bag ,and I happened to hear one of your victims wailing and complaining about the future hardship of her family because her wallet with all the salary was in your darn bag.”

The man then mimicked Win’s voice :

“Brother ! It would be a tremendous merit if you return all those things to their owners and you will not see me anymore because I thought that your face is so repulsive and nauseous.”

Berm said angrily,

“How the fuck would I give them to you because I have already sold them all ? Remember you damaged my pistol and that cost me a hefty sum of money ! Even if I don’t do that , I will still not give in to your fucking demand. I know I was too surprised to fight you back then but now I am ready to crush your bone with my bare hands ! So, piss off if you don’t want to get hurt !!”

The man chortled so hard that he bent down a bit like he was watching the nightly comedy shows in the restaurants (ตลกคาเฟ่).

He laughingly said ,

“See  : the large goosebumps were across my arms due to my extreme fear. Berm , I know that you used to go to the prison and become a minion of the mafia named Somrit. You had learned so many criminal tactics from him and were so fortunate to be released months before I was sent into the prison. So , you are still alive to poison the youths in this area by selling drugs. How pathetic you are  !”

Berm was shaken in fear because this man knew too much about him. The hoodlum mustered up his courage to smash the bottle against the railing. The broken bottle became pointy like a bundle of diminutive knives and was exploited by him to stab that guy for multiple times but to no avail. The guy with sunglasses evaded it adroitly and said ,

“C’ mon  ! I think hurting the drunkard like you will only destroy my dignity. I know you still have some wallets and watches left. Give them to me and surrender to the police. I am now so kind to guide you when you are in jail again  : try to change yourself and look for a new life opportunity. After the release , do a decent job while being nice to your neighbors. In the future you might be a head of the community , leading your people to do the useful activities. You would probably receive a golden plaque for a good citizenship.  Wow , that’s awesome !”

Berm was short of breath after moving the broken bottle wantonly. He paused and yelled out ,

“No ! Not a chance in hell ! I’d rather stomp on your father’s head than follow your damn advice ! I know you are just like me – the murderer , but you are pretending to be a good guy. Be sure that you will burn in hell like me in your afterlife. Fuck you ! Fuck you !”

The guy was abruptly enraged and grabbed Berm’s neck firmly ;  those words had triggered him. The hoodlum took a chance to stab the guy’s stomach but it miraculously bounced off. Berm was stunned and even more when seeing the guy’s eyes turning red like a demon’s through the sunglasses. The nearly 35-year-old man’s body was elevated easily above the guy’s head in spite of its enormity.

The guy roared,

“ Sorry , bro. You are putting me in a tight spot ! I really despise your filthy mouth and would be so delighted to see you shut up for good. By the way, I learnt that you strangled your wife to death a decade ago. Can you now feel the suffocation and the bones slowly being crushed like she felt ?”

Despite utter pain in his neck , Berm couldn’t even groan. He  waved his arms desperately and the bottle fell from his hand. The suffocation gradually made him lose his consciousness. Still, he gathered his last strength to defiantly show his middle finger. The guy rapidly smashed Berm’s head against the ground before it burst violently like a crushed tomato. The young man could feel the blood splattering on his face. He didn’t bother to clean it and instead turned around to watch the dark river below. He tragically found that he was finally submissive to his own wraths and that irresistible urge to kill again : they were almost impossible to be bridled. Everyone he had met : the director , Eakaphan and Berm were absolutely right ! The young man sighed and was not certain whether he should embrace his new self apart from an assassin- cum- spy : a serial killer with 'noblesse oblige’. The sudden thought about Nada made the tears roll from his eyes which color turned to be the same. The young woman was like an angel who was so congenial and always made everyone around her smile with happiness. This meant that their worlds seemed to be more and more asunder. He should stop stalking her from now on and live in the dark like a creature beneath this river’s surface.

The boat with long tail was about to pass under the bridge. It was quite dark  , so the passengers saw only the tall guy wearing the sunglasses, which was comical to them. A little boy waved his hand to him , so the guy smiled and waved his hand back. He quickly came to terms with this reality and was amused at least by a coincidence that Berm was the latest minion of Somrit he killed , though outside the prison.

A moment later Berm’s gang noisily walked toward the bridge. The 4 men were frivolously chattering, and some were playing rough with one another like the regular thugs. They were searching for Berm for fear that their leader might have felt slighted by their little insubordinations. They suddenly stopped when seeing the guy standing near the corpse on the bridge. Surakiat smilingly beckoned those to step before him and when they were reluctant, he walked toward them. 

                                                5

                                  La  Noblesse Building , Sirom , 4 : 35 PM

Police Captain Narongdetch Worachaisan took a deep breath , perhaps the deepest breath he had ever had. The young policeman was sitting straight on the large modern chair not far from the elegant secretary who was busy typing computer. She received the call and told him :

" Dr.Thamthai is ready to meet you now ; please follow me ,sir."

Dr.Thamthai was slouching in the large swivel chair behind the desk which was almost taken up by the pile of papers. He looked haggard , greeting the officer before telling his secretary to clear those papers away and bring some drink to the guest. Narongdetch was breathless while holding a plastic file firmly as this was the first time he met  tête-à-tête one of the most promising and richest businessmen of Thailand and Asia , even several times ranked by the Time Magazine. The pictures of Thamthai shaking hands with some of  the CEOs of the world's famed corporates were proudly hung on the wall or stood on the shelves. Also, some pictures showed that he was playing golf with the powerful politicians. They looked cheerful and so close like the colleagues.

The businessman said,

" Please accept my apology to keep you waiting and my gratitude for your presence is too much to be mentioned here. This darn long conference is too urgent , draining all my energy away. Take a seat. "

The policeman just nodded while sitting humbly opposite to him. The silence fell on both of them for a while before the secretary brought a cup of coffee to him and put a large white box on the desk. He glanced at it , feeling his heart was racing.

He said,

"That's all right ,sir. I can wait for you even much longer than this . To be frank I am indescribably honored to meet you in the flesh as I used to see you only on TV or newspapers."

Thamthai grinned. He knew what Narongdetch was thinking.

"Thank you. I am really flattered , Captain Narongdetch. Ah .. that is a little gift for your thoughtfulness and a token of our friendship ; don't worry since all your higher-ups are familiar with this thing. So , where are the dossiers I requested ?"

The dossiers from Narongdetch were the pictures. Many of them were the various angles of the men's corpses which were severely mutilated. Thamthai looked emotionless while perusing those pictures. The policeman was quite puzzled because even his fellows who were the hardened police cringed in disgust when seeing them.

Thamthai muttered,

" Can't believe only a lone perpetrator could commit such a grisly crime with almost 10 victims at the same time. What is his name ?"

"Mr.Wisanu Satiwan, sir . He spent only 12 minutes finishing them all- only one survived because he ran away like hell. The excellent record , isn’t it ? But after that carnage the prison claimed that Wisanu killed himself thanks to his trauma, but we didn't see his corpse yet. All his photographs were stolen as well , so we can not see exactly what he looked like. Although we attempted to investigate more , the prison warden refused to cooperate with. He was the corrupt officer but he was too scheming and unreliable for us.”

Thamthai nodded and glanced at another picture - the headless corpse on the bridge. He said,

"I can't help myself assuming it was the same perp doing it !"

Narongdetch nodded.

"Probably , sir . The height and the face behind the sunglasses of that man were similar to the descriptions of the perp in that prison. I believe he smashed the big guy's head against the ground in just one strike. The eyewitnesses , the 4 friends of the deceased , Berm, said that they saw him standing above Berm's corpse and walked to slap their faces or grab their necks almost simultaneously and tell them to surrender to police for their past crimes, otherwise he would hunt them down. His strength was so incredible , though those thugs were all well-built and one of them was even a boxer. It is funny they later all fainted and when regaining consciousness , they found themselves tied up into a bundle and hung from the bridge in the morning . The passers-by laughed their assess off to see the macho men wailing like the desperate crybabies."

Both men burst into laughter ; Thamthai said,

"So , it presumably meant the prison lied to us after secretly letting that man go and.."

He then showed the picture of the bent pistol and laid it on the desk.

The policeman said,

" This happened several days before the incident of the headless corpse. According to Mr. Win the robber, the man in sunglasses rushed to tweak the pistol of his friend in just an eyeblink. Can't believe how a normal human could act like this. The owner of the Chinese food shop and his wife told us that he was the first time customer of their shop but I think they were lying."

Thamthai pondered for minutes , so the policeman wondered why he seemed to be so much curious about this stuff. Perhaps that guy in sunglasses was his acquaintance or old enemy waiting to settle score with. The young man then seamlessly turned their conversation into other topics like he didn't want Narongdetch to pry into his mind.

The suave businessman at last shook hands with him.

" Call me up right away if there are more evidence or clues about him or that guy is out for blood again. By the way , convey my heartfelt gratitude to 'Than Rong' and tell him that I will certainly attend his birthday party next week."

'Than Rong' was an honorific for the high ranking policeman who was Narongdetch's superior and ordered him to visit here. The policeman smiled and doubted : what would be his birthday present for Than Rong ? A beautiful car or the plane tickets and the accommodation fees for him and his family to travel in Europe ?

After the policeman left, the owner of this building turned on the computer and opened his E- mail. Someone had just sent him the pictures of Nada carrying her baby daughter , surrounded by her smiling assistants in the florist's shop and sitting at the desk was a man , Nada's husband. Thamthai used the photoshop program to cut everyone out , leaving only Nada and the baby. He kept on smiling while clicking the mouse incessantly like a boy was playing an online game. The sign at the corner of his computer’s screen said that someone was calling him via Skype. Thamthai accepted the call ; the sixtysomething white man with the thick mustache appeared on the screen. Thamthai smiled to show his delight and greeted him in the Russian language. Their conversation had lasted for 15  minutes. The young businessman looked lively and then made a call.

" Sir , Mr. Davankov said via the Skype that the Kremlin is deciding whether to give us the green light , but the luck seems to be more on our side . In  the next several months I might have a chance to meet President Putin in Moscow !"

The person on the other side of the phone said,

" Fabulous ! We were so unfortunate not to have met the president in Bangkok several months ago. We should thank PM Thaksin for drawing his attention to the small country like us. But this is you who have lobbied with perseverance the Russians for this kind of business."

Thamthai almost bowed his head although he was on the phone.

" But without your connections, I would never get to know Mr. Davankov , the close friend and the adviser of Vladimir Putin , sir."

That man chuckled.

"Boris Davankov is an oligarch who had played a vital role in catapulting Putin into the presidency in 2000. He is quite greedy and crafty but if you know well how to handle him , he will be like a vast treasure for your companies. After the collapse of the USSR in the early 90s , Russia had endured the tumults of economy and society but now it begins to thrive under the regime of Putin , the ex- KGB operative. This country is currently longing for other sources of its wealth and power , not relying on only the firms of the Americans and voila ! That’s us. ”

He droned on like lecturing as if to flaunt his knowledge to the persons nearby and …

“By the way , Thamthai , do you already look into the carnage in that prison ?"

Thamthai said,

"Yes , I have the photos of the dead. If you want to see them , I will send them to you. But be warned that you should do it after your meal , even for a long time is better because it was too gut-wrenching."

That man laughed heartily.

"That's true ? I had witnessed a great deal of gruesome deaths when I was in the battlefields, so try me !  And the perp ? "

The businessman hesitated before asking ,

" Sir, do you by any chance know the secret agency of the government and its program?"

The man paused for a while.

" It is controversial. Many assume it is just a rumor or even a legend and I myself don't actually know about it - the agency to train personnel to assassinate or spy on the government's dissidents or the bosses of the crime syndicates, you name it. But even If this agency really exists , only the top echelons of the government or the circle of prime minister know about it. Why did you ask ?"

The young man sighed.

" I have vaguely learnt about this a long time ago. Perhaps the perp has the superpower and is the upshot of this program because his killings have the specific and noble purposes ,not are random like other killers."

The man was quiet and chuckled. Thamthai thought he deep down inside was scared.

"That's interesting ! Let me investigate this. If your presumption is true, he will be our gravest threat we have ever met. But I hope yours and those news on TV will be just a hoax. Time to go now , Goodbye ,Thamthai."

Much later the secretary walked into the room after carefully knocking at the door.

"Sir, your wife just now called to ask if you will have dinner at home tonight ? "

He looked a little irritated and said bluntly,

"Tell her it is in my schedule to have a dinner with the Japanese clients and will come home quite late. Listen to me : you shouldn’t care much about her temperament. Just tell her this and hang up , OK ?"

Thamthai walked out of the building by the time it was already dark. He was lonesome tonight as the married guy who felt that his marriage didn't change or make his life better except the great deals in plenty of projects between the conglomerates of the 2 richest families of Thailand. The businessman suddenly reminisced about an opera in the theater far from here. But his stomach growled so he told his chauffeur to pull over the limousine car at a side of the road and walked into a 7/11 convenience store by himself to buy a cup of instant noodle and Coca-Cola. The customers and the employees there kept gawking at him like they were seeing the well-known flamboyant actor. The young man relished this but then felt bored with it at the same time. His solemn bodyguards who kept tailing him on another car were waiting in front of the 7/11.

Thamthai eventually felt that was hilarious to end up having ' Mama' (มาม่า) in his own car and watching the comedy show of Chuanchuen troupe (ตลกชวนชื่น) via TV although he could have asked his wife or some friends to sip the expensive wines and nibble the European foods together in a 5-star restaurant. But most of all, he strongly yearned to eat anything, even a fried egg, with Nada.

                                                6

                         Phonwalai Theater , Huai Kwang , 8.30 PM       

Giacomo Puccini was unarguably one of the most renowned composers in the world. His works bearing the hallmarks of the world operas like Madama Butterfly and La bohème had moved the audience around the world to tears for more than a century. But Thamthai's most favorite was Turandot , the very last work of this Italian maestro who passed away even before finishing it. The theater owner was heavily indebted to the young man , he was , therefore, granted a privilege to be ensconced at the special place like a private box to watch this opera. But the young man didn't feel thrilled at all because he even watched it in the La Scala Theater, Milan , Italy where it used to be premiered in 1926.

Thanks to his fatigue , Thamtai was sleepy while watching it alone , even though the plot of the first act was interesting and the scene was spectacular : centuries ago, the foreign young prince suffered the downfall of his kingdom. He at last found his blind father, the deposed king, along with the faithful woman slave, while they were wandering on the street of Peking, China.

All of a sudden , the businessmen felt that someone walked to sit on the chair beside him - the guy with sunglasses.

"Hello , Tham, long time no see," said that guy gently and took off his sunglasses.

Thamthai was startled.

"Kett ?  Is that you ? Can't believe my own eyes because I thought you were dead ages ago."

Surakiat grinned. He fixed his eyes on the opera and said ,

"This is first time I have watched the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra ; its performance is quite good , above the standard of the world symphony orchestras. But we still need its improvement and have to catapult the new generation of Thais into the world-classed conductor like Zubin Mehta (the Indian). The voice of the tenor here is mediocre but he could perform mildly well ."

Thamthai said in shaken voice ,

"Where have you been all these years ? And what the hell are you doing here ? You could have called me up or visited me at the office. We terribly need your explanations about that incident."

Surakiat stared at him.

" It is not in my interest to answer these but I just want to say hi to my ex- best friend. It is extremely creepy to say that I miss you but you are always on my freaking mind and remind me of the treacherous friend who put my life on the threshold of death."

Thamthai said,

" I have nothing to do with this !! I and our company had tried so hard to search and rescue you, but you were like vanishing into thin air. Mr. Din and Mr. Warut were brutally shot dead at the wrecked truck near the jungle. We thus had the presumption that it was the robbers who had done this because the goods were gone. We thought you might have been either kidnapped or conspired with the robbers yourself. So , what is the truth, Kett ?"

Surakiat sneered.

" Robbers , my foot ! They were the assassins at your behest , weren't they ? But I am a kind of forgiving person : let bygones be bygones. However, I am quite superstitious and believe that someday the karma might possess me and order me to avenge those 2 innocent men, who knows ? Tham , in this opera the princes had joined the contests by the palace to answer the 3 riddles from the princess , so that they could marry her. But their failures made them beheaded one by one. You would probably end up like them."

Thamthai was exasperated.

"Are you threatening me ?"

Surakiat laughed.

"Sorry , that is my bad : I'm just joking ! Remember a decade ago I and our friends always played the pranks on you and you didn't harbor a grudge at all. But now you are the great businessman who looked down on the world with vainglory. How the time can change a man ! Ah,  I watched the news of your wedding. Congratulations!.Your wife is so pretty ; she seems to love you to bits ."

Thamthai said,

"And what brings you here , Kett ?  You dare ruin my pleasure at watching the opera without the good reasons !"

Surakiat kept on watching the show below.

"Don't lie to me ! I know that you have watched Turandot numerous times and the boredom makes you often yawn to tears  - your habit. Tham , I had searched in the computer of the mafia, Somrit ,  in the prison and found the names of your henchmen who had the connections with him."

Thamthai almost shouted at him.

"  You are accusing me of being in cahoots with that fucking mafia ?  I have been wondering for days whether you are that guy with sunglasses. You even know where I am at this moment , that means you have spied on me with some special skills and try to frame me !"

Surakiat's put his finger on his own lips.

"Shush ! You are disturbing other audience. That is another sin. My friend ,  it appears to me that even though Somrit was dead, his successors still have contacted your henchmen. If you don't know the fuck about this , investigate those persons in your companies - you know who. Or perhaps you are the mastermind behind these : Somrit was one of your minions , am I right ? Stop playing innocent and halt those dastardly businesses , or I will take matters into my own hands. I am willing to bring your entire conglomerate down if it is necessary !"

Thamthai became furious.

"How boastful you are ! You think you are a superhero in DC Comics , but  you are just a  2- bit killer. Stop bullshitting me and surrender to the police for your horrible crimes. Wait ! I know that you could enter this box because you beat my bodyguards up in front of the door."

The bulky guys in the black commando uniform abruptly descended on the box and aimed their submachine guns , Scorpion EVO 3 , at Surakiat.

Thamthai turned to smile and said,

"You are such a smart guy but one thing you don't know is that my bodyguards have the special devices which will send the emergency signals and my whereabout to the special force of my companies which is ready around the clock. They are the ex- soldiers from the royal Thai army who had been trained well with the martial arts and the weapons. They can kill anybody under my commands because the police and the politicians are on my payrolls."

The businessman stood up and said to the head of the commando unit :

"Send him 'home'. Hope you won't let me down this time."

He walked past Surakiat who was standing emotionless and said,

"Goodbye , Kett. Happy to see you and especially when this is the last time we meet. Sorry that your superman things can't save your ass this time. "

Thamthai then was a little startled when seeing a faint smile across the face of his ex-friend. Surakiat said quietly,

"No , we will meet again at least in hell , so don't be late ! I will crush you soul into a speck of dust."

The businessman left the theater in a hurry with another group of bodyguards. The commando searched Surakiat’s body ,handcuffed him and lead him along the corridor into the rear of the building. The young man heard the music quite loud from the hall. It was the most notable aria of this opera : Nessun dorma. He sniggered and thought it could be the superb soundtrack for what would happen next. In a moment the young man freed himself by yanking the handcuff apart. He then swiftly darted backward to stand beside the 2 commandos who were walking behind him and grabbed a knife from the right man's sheath to slash the throat of the person in his left before twisting his arm a bit to stab the heart of the knife owner though he was wearing the armor vest. The commandos standing in front of him were unguarded and before they would trigger the submachine guns , Surakiat threw that knife to stick into the forehead of one commando through his helmet. The other man shrieked and began to shoot but the young man swiftly evaded the bullets and leapt to kick him. That commando could not shoot any longer because it was too close , so he tried to deter his kick with the submachine gun. But Surakiat's right foot broke it into 2 parts and went on to impale his chest beneath the armor vest. He quickly withdrew his foot from that bloody lifeless body and pulled the knife from the other dead man's forehead.

The other 2 commandos heard the noises and quickly rushed back from surveying the way they were about to pass. They maniacally shot their submachine guns at him, but Surakiat grabbed the body of their fellow as a shield for seconds before forcefully throwing it at them. They collapsed on the floor and struggled to rise to their feet but after finding that the young man hovered above them and drew the knife to cut off their heads adroitly like a butcher. The men who used to be the mercenaries in Myanmar for years became the headless corpses with the blood gushing from their necks like the red fountains. Their heads hurtled to touch the ceiling before falling down on the floor. It was such a horrible sight although those heads were enshrouded in the  helmets and the sunglasses. Surakiat thought about how to get away from the corridor which was quite slushy and stained with the blood but he heard the commotion not far from here. Suddenly , the light went out and he knew that another unit of commandos was coming after cutting the power supply to help them attack him more easily.

The 4 commandos with the night vision goggles had held the submachine guns with the red dot Lasers while walking cautiously along the dark corridor. When they saw the corpses on the floor , they shot them for half a minute to ensure that Surakiat probably hiding below would be dead and some even shot at the ceiling repeatedly, showing their utmost fears. When they found nothing , they obviously chilled up. The young man then appeared out of nowhere and shot them from behind with the submachine gun mercilessly. A hail of bullets ripped the 4 bodies to shreds. Surakiat later felt angry with himself because he had used his power to trick their minds into not seeing him. This belittled his skills of fighting but he just wanted to wrap up the fight.

Thamthai’s mobile phone rang while he was in the running limousine car , watching the news from CNN about the US troops capturing the ex-Iraqi president , Saddam Hussein, who had been hiding in the hole. When he picked it up , the man from the other side said that all his men were already dead. Thamthai’s face became ashen and he quite panicked. He immediately told the chauffeur to change their route from his house to one of his safehouses with the codename : B 34 ; it had a medium bunker below but that bunker was impregnable with the special materials. He then ordered the man on the phone to send the remaining unit of commandos there. But he knew that it was useless if Surakiat really intended to kill him. The businessman quickly brought a pistol out of the small safe in the car ; at least he should be able to protect himself a bit after Surakiat had attacked this car. But nothing still happened until he arrived at the safehouse. At first Thamthai would call his wife but then changed his mind to call Nada instead. He really wanted to hear her lovely voice to soothe his mind or at least to distract him from that demonic killer. The person picking up the phone was Nada’s husband. He abruptly hung up , thinking this was the retribution for his misdeeds in the past. Somrit was out of the blue on his mind. That uncouth guy was the ugliest thing he had ever met but he was useful for him as the secret partner for the illegal businesses. One day Thamthai met Somrit in person for some negotiations in this very safehouse. When the middle-aged man offered him a handshake , he refused and openly cringed with revulsion.

In the bunker Thamthai stared mindlessly at a picture kept in the cabinet for years : he , Surakiat and another friend standing together in front of the gate of Chiang Mai University. He was reminded of the time they had spent together while studying in the university. Despite studying in the different faculties , they happened to live in the same dormitory for years. They were very close thanks to Thamthai’s peculiar habit : he liked to disguise himself as the son of grocery store owners because he assumed that to show off his true wealth would put him into the shallow relationships as the people would treat him with the uglily servile manners. Both young men graduated and accidentally met again at one of Thamthai’s companies. The businessman still disguised himself as an ordinary newbie to see how his company was really like while Surakiat was working as a security guard. Thamthai was amused by seeing his friend enjoyed this lowly career. Sometimes they had lunches together at the canteen although Surakiat was regularly on the nightshift. That was a wondrous sight – the lunch between the heir of the billionaire and the poor security guard.

Their fates had a quirky twist when a new secretary arrived and that was Nada. The beautiful girl seemed to be intrigued by Thamthai first but as the poor employee who had brilliant ideas about business. However, she later deemed him the spoiled brat whose some habit was unbearable. One night while Nada was working quite late , a man broke into the office to assault her. Surakiat became the knight who without delay rescued her before they would fall in love and become a couple. Thamthai was extremely furious. He used to be a lady-killer : surrounded by loads of girlfriends whose backgrounds were from the well-to-do families too. But he loved Nada wholeheartedly because she was so genuine and angelic. Out of jealous , he secretly ordered the commandos of the company to attack Surakiat while he and his colleagues were on the mission to convey the unknown goods to the warehouse in a rural province. And this was proclaimed by the company and the police as the robbery. Even though Surakiat mysteriously disappeared ,Thamthai saw his victory and showed his original background to Nada, but this didn’t impress her at all. The bereaved girl resigned from the company and the rest was history.

Thamthai was now slouching in the sofa. The news of Prime Minister Thaksin responding to the criticisms about sending the soldiers to Iraq to appease President Bush on TV wasn’t absorbed by his mind at all. Suddenly , the phone rang and the caller was the same man who helped Thamthai with the Russian connections. His message at last helped the young man breathe a big sigh of relief.

“Thamthai, I have already talked to the prime minister. He knew this agency and ordered it to stop that guy. He would be severely disciplined for his insubordinations and overstepping his roles. Don’t worry even though he was like a dangerous wild animal , the agency planted the special device in his body to disable him ; probably they have already done it by now !”

                       7

              Iraq  2003

General Kasim al-Halbousi had been one of the most loyal and brutal henchmen of Saddam Hussein for more than 2 decades. His childhood was so humble as a young street hustler before participating in the political activities of the Ba'ath Party in the 70s. With his unfathomable wits and sadism , Halbousi tremendously impressed Saddam and was accepted as the outstanding member of the party. He subsequently congratulated himself on choosing the right side when Saddam became the leader of the party and later the president of Iraq in the late 70s. Halbousi as the ambitious young man finally managed to be the general of the army and the head of the fearsome Internal Security Ministry. There was a multitude of abhorrible things he had done to consolidate both Saddam's and his own power like murdering the politicians of the opposition parties and the journalists who audaciously criticized the president. Halbousi frequently ordered his secret police to raid those people's houses at night on the pretext to protect them from the imaginary enemies and took them for the cold-blooded executions one after another in the forlorn places , including their wives and children -some even aged 2 or 3.

When the US-led forces invaded Iraq in March 2003 , Halbousi was ordered by Saddam to do at all costs to quell the uprisings which grabbed this opportunity to undermine his power,  hence the horrendous massacre of the Kurds in the north. The invasion succeeded after  1 month of not much endeavor of the foreign forces to bring down Saddam 's proud authoritarian regime and end his reign of terror. Halbousi became one of the targets of the US authorities . But thanks to his unrivalled knowledge of all areas in Iraq , the general had successfully eluded the captures by the troops for months. His connections with the French bigshots whom he had nurtured since the Iran–Iraq War at last helped him flee from Iraq to France. In Paris Halbousi could be ensconced on the sofa in a luxury penthouse to watch the news of his former boss, Saddam Hussein, disgracefully dragged from the hole by the US troops in December 2003.

                  Paris , April 5, 2004 , 8 : 30 PM

Surakiat was lying still on the long plastic covering the rough and dirty table in a deserted penthouse. The depression began to rein in his mind again when he was engulfed in the emptiness and the loneliness - the worst enemies in his entire life. His lullaby now was the songs in the MP 3 files ,a medley of Thai oldies in the 80s,  which also alleviated his homesick. It was already several months at this moment that he was like being banished from his home country. The agency pressed the button to disable him when ordered by the prime minister but the price the agency still had to pay was to incur the reprimands by Thaksin , bringing about the great chance for the PM to send his men to reorganize it. The agency finally found the way to appease him by lending Surakiat to the CIA indefinitely. The most infamous agency in the world later assigned the young man to hunt down General Kasim al-Halbousi as a top priority because Halbousi kept contacting the heads of the militants in Iran and Syria. Some analysts of the CIA speculated that the general was planning to launch the series of terrorism which would put the lives of the thousands of American soldiers in jeopardy or even to support Saddam back to power , that was not beyond the realms of possibilities. US President George W Bush even mentioned Halbousi's name in the cabinet meeting. Surakiat and his team spent several months tracing the bloody general and ultimately learned his hideout. There was then the unanimous agreement of the top echelons of Washinton that to kidnap Halbousi out of France and put him back to Iraq for a fair trial were too risky and costly. To eliminate him was the most pragmatical way they ever conceived of.

Surakiat now tried in vain to get some sleep. He wondered why he condoned being treated like a pawn by both agencies ; he should escape and hide some place forever. But he was always grateful for the agency to have saved his life. That was the time he was in the truck and being assailed by the commandos of Thamthai on that fateful day. The agency had recently learnt his potential of superpower for months and attempted to approach him but to no avail. However,  putting Surakiat under the constant surveillance finally paid off. Along the lonely road , Surakiat's truck was peppered with the bullets  , so it veered off the road and turned upside down. There was some mysterious smoke from the truck and the commandos had to wait for minutes so the smoke became thinner. Drenching in blood, Surakiat was found himself adeptly dragged by several guys who were also dressed in the commando uniforms to another car.  He unexplainably disappeared in the eyes of Thamthai's commandos but 1 of Surakiat's 2 colleagues who also survived was shot dead on the spot (Thamtai lied that both were shot).

Surakiat finally learnt that Thamthai was the one who tried to kill him from some officer in the agency, but his motive was still unknown. The young man wanted a revenge for this but he told everyone only about his vengefulness for the deaths of his friends in 1992 since there might be a mole in this organization. But when he meet Thamthai again , for the old times’ sake, he just warned him to stop the criminal activities. Now if he were unfettered , Thamthai would certainly be a dead meat. But the only person who helped him through this resentment was Nada , the angel who lived in the heaven far above him. All she left to him now was only an old photograph of her which he kept with himself all the time.

The melodious MP 3 song came to an end , followed by the muted sound of alarm on the wristwatch which woke him up from the bitter reverie. He immediately pressed its button and stood up to check on his best friend which was standing still on the table not far from the window - the B&T USA 300SPR Pro , one of best sniper rifles in the world used by the U.S. Military forces.  Beside it were the leftover of Hamburger and the plastic glass of coffee which were his third best friends (the second was the mp3 player).Now was the time Halbousi came back to his penthouse along with his bodyguards. Surakiat kept watching the 60-year-old guy's routines for days and lay low as possible as he could in that apartment. He had numerous opportunities to pull the trigger and burst off the general's head but he begrudgingly had to wait for the green light from the CIA headquarters in Langley – 7,000 miles from here. Their reason was to thoroughly investigate whether that guy was the real Halbousi. He was probably his double set up to deceive the assassins. Or perhaps this delay was from either the red tape or the bureaucratic politics in Washington , Surakiat didn’t know. He had merely received the instructions and the advice from his team via the old pager. Out of the boredom and the fears of being found, he was struggling on a daily basis , feeling that he was going nuts. He thought about using his power to trick everyone’s minds into not seeing him like in the theater and shot Halbousi with just a pistol but his power was greatly diminished , attributed to the working of that device in his body. Tonight, the green light appeared as the code on the pager- much to his delight.

Through Surakiat's crosshairs , Halbousi tonight was not alone but with a hot chick who was tall , slender and had a big boob. From her dress , Surakiat knew that she was a high-paid escort. Several bodyguards in the black suits walked around to check on the room ; one of them stood in front of the glass door , checking the balcony and staring outside for a while. Luckily , it was too dark for him to see Surakiat's window ajar so his rifle could have some space to fire through. The young man felt amused that they were foolish not to have checked the opposite apartment like his. Perhaps It was beyond their imaginations that there was someone like the operative of the CIA hiding and waiting patiently to put the bullets on their boss’s head for days. That guy was about to close the curtain of the glass door but his boss forbade him. Surakiat smiled ; he used to read Halbousi's biography that the general was presumably claustrophobic or even exhibitionistic : he had the immense pleasure to let his neighbors witness how awesome his sexual prowess was.

Saddam's ex-henchman changed his clothes to the bathrobe and comfortably sank into the couch to sip brandy from a glass while watching the girl beginning to get undressed and dance at the same time. Both began to make love on the couch after the general took off his bathrobe. In the missionary position, the general turned his tanned podgy back to the crosshairs - the perfect time to pull the trigger !  The girl all at once bounced up from the cough and pushed Halbousi’s chest to change the position without knowing that she became a shield for him. The bullet violently hit her back, sending a large splash of blood on Halbousi's face. Surakiat was enraged ; he exclaimed in French : 'Merde! ' which meant 'shit! ' in English and เชี่ย ! in Thai. The general screamed and plunged himself to the floor to narrowly evade the second shot which tore the middle part of his expensive couch to shreds. The bodyguards swiftly descended on the room before one of them took the third bullet for his boss who was shakily crawling on the floor like a cowardly dog. One bodyguard rushed to close the curtain. Surakiat trembled in frustration; this could put all his team’s months-long efforts into an utter shambles. A bodyguard shot at his direction from a window ;  they now knew his spot. Surakiat decided to shoot at that window and the glass door alternately to scare them off before jumping from the window to the general's penthouse. He still had some superpowers left which helped support him because the distance between both places was too far for ordinary humans. He went through the glass door before rolling over on the floor to stand magnificently in that room. Some shards of glass cut his face but it was fortunate that everyone was too surprised to shoot him by the time of landing. A bodyguard then began to shoot but the young man ran to hide behind the counter and grabbed the pistol from his pocket to shoot back. The man in black collapsed on the floor- his third victim.

The other bodyguards gathered to use their bodies as the shields and fiercely exchanged gunfire with Surakiat. 2 were shot dead while the remaining managed to take their boss out of the room. Surakiat followed them but was kicked by someone lurking beside the door. He fell down on the floor and the pistol bounced off from his hand. He then saw the bodyguard , the tall and brawny black man whose height was perhaps about 200 centimeters. That guy smiled teasingly and beckoned the young man for the fight. Surakiat dashed to him but then was punched in the face so he lay face down still. The black man laughed triumphantly. Surakiat abruptly turned over to send a large shard of broken glass to stick into his throat. The man gasped while his eyes opened wide seconds before he fell down to his knees, trying to cover a gush of blood with his both hands but this didn’t work. The young man picked up his pistol , ran past the dead black man to the balcony and saw the bodyguards helped Halbousi who was trying so hard to get dressed run to a parked car. The young man grabbed a piece of furniture and threw it from a balcony to delay their escape and ran like hell downstairs. No sooner had he gone out of the building than the car left in a big hurry. An unlucky biker passed by and was robbed by Surakiat like the Hollywood films. The young man rode the small motorbike to closely follow the general's car and the latter ground to a halt in the traffic congestion after only 5 minutes. Surakiat tossed out the bike and hastened to shoot Halbousi who was sitting anxiously in the car, but his window was regrettably bullet- proof. The young man was furious ; he kept shooting hysterically but these only could cause the little dentures on the glass.

The people in the cars nearby were startled by the gunshots. They didn’t dare venture out of their vehicles or even wind down their windows. Halbousi’s bodyguard tried to drive the car away by hitting other cars but it still got stuck. Surakiat heard the roaring of the engines not far from here and knew that soon all the cars would begin to move along the street again. He was desperate ; he didn’t know whether his team would follow this operation and come to his aid because all the devices for communications were left at his penthouse. Or he was probably left alone to carry out this mission all along ? Surakiat threw the pistol away and meditated to boost up his inner strength. A moment later it was like the same process while he was in that haunted building. He saw his childhood : he was lying on the grass lawn to watch the lingering white clouds in the limpid sky , sitting near was his beloved big dog and lastly the beautiful smile of Nada who was strolling along the beach. He then saw the white aura wrapping around his body and knew that his power had returned- that goddam device in his body probably was out of order by now. Surakiat ripped Halbousi’s door apart with his hands. The baffled bodyguard got out of the car and shot him but not a single bullet could be discharged. Surakiat threw the torn door to knock him out and then followed Halbousi and his last bodyguard who were escaping on foot to the dark alley nearby. But they were out of luck as it was the dead end.

The last bodyguard showed his true colors by running to climb up the wrought iron fence quickly, reminding Surakiat of Somrit's young minion : the self- preservation prevailed all. He aimed his pistol at that guy's back but changed his mind to confront Halbousi who was lying and trembling near the messy garbage bins.

         “400,000 !” roared the young man.

          The general became relieved and said in broken English,

         “Do you want the money ? I can give you more than that : 4,000,000 or even 40,000,000 dollars ! Please don’t kill me !”

       “No ! That is the rough estimation of the persons you had killed for 2 decades under this oppressive regime but perhaps 3,000,000 or more had lived the miserable lives because they were the families of those 400,000  ," he said.

        The general stammered,

        “ Nah, hah … if you had been me , you would have done the same. Most of those cases were from the orders of my superiors. If I hadn’t obeyed them, I myself could have fallen victim to that brutal system of Saddam.”

        Surakiat chuckled.

       “Your reason sounded like the alibis of the Nazis when being on trial in Nuremburg. Anyone knows that you were more than utterly pleased to use other people to forever replenish your hunger for power and money. The blood is on your depraved hands , General. Now you should repent for your sins in front of the door to hell !”

         Halbousi tried the last argument for his survival.

         “And what about your country, American ? Your country has invaded countries around the world for centuries and plundered them for wealth and power. How many the guiltless have been killed by America ?  If I would be executed for this , your presidents should share my fate !”

          “Yeah , America is exactly like your condemnation : all the American presidents should have been hanged for this. But this doesn’t alter the fact that you had committed the crimes against the innocent people. This is true even if America doesn’t exist. And one thing : I am not American !”

Halbousi was about to say more but his mouth was left wide open when the bullet hit his forehead. Surakiat shot him more for multiple times - the merciful method comparing with others he had generally done to the targets. The young man suddenly heard the sirens of the police cars increasingly nearer. Rapidly climbing the wrought iron fence  , he thought of Halbousi’s words: maybe he should go to the White House and kick President Bush’s ass. He then sniggered.

                       8

Nada was strolling on the beautiful and serene beach -probably at Kao Sam Roi Yod or Koh Chang Island. She was wearing the long white shirt with the lines that resembled the green leaves of coconut tree , her favorite one. Her blue denim shorts showed her delicate white calf gently caressed by the sea's waves while her slick black hair was majestically spread by the breeze. The gorgeous young woman on her bended knee picked up a cute white shell from the sand after the tiny waves receded. She then proffered it to Surakiat who was staring at her adoringly. He received it and quipped that it might contain a pearl priced at more than 10,000,000 baht. Nada giggled , cuddled his arm and went on walking. She playfully asked him : if it were true , what would they do with the money ?  He answered that he would spend it on their bridal house and honeymoon trips abroad. She said that in actuality ,they needed to work their butts off for this kind of future together. Surakiat quipped again that they should resign from their works and spend a great amount of time here scrabbling around for the tons of the pearls instead of toiling or buying lotteries and hoping in vain to win. She chortled and stole a kiss from him before running away ; he laughingly ran after her.

All of a sudden, Nada vanished mysteriously and how hard he tried to look around, he still couldn't find her. The blue sea tinged with green abruptly turned to be red under the sky which was now covered with the grey clouds and the gale stirred up the sea into numerous restless waves - a sign of a coming big storm. He panicked and ran as fast as he could to find his girlfriend but it became futile. The young man then became surprised to see a huddle of corpses buoyed up along the seashore. Though watching from a distance , he remembered those belonged to the people he had killed. He felt this turned his stomach and screamed at the top of his voice but the sound of the alarm on his wristwatch resonated out of nowhere.

                       8

Nada was strolling on the beautiful and serene beach -probably at Kao Sam Roi Yod or Koh Chang Island. She was wearing the long white shirt with the lines that resembled the green leaves of coconut tree , her favorite one. Her blue denim shorts showed her delicate white calf gently caressed by the sea's waves while her slick black hair was majestically spread by the breeze. The gorgeous young woman on her bended knee picked up a cute white shell from the sand after the tiny waves receded. She then proffered it to Surakiat who was staring at her adoringly. He received it and quipped that it might contain a pearl priced at more than 10,000,000 baht. Nada giggled , cuddled his arm and went on walking. She playfully asked him : if it were true , what would they do with the money ?  He answered that he would spend it on their bridal house and honeymoon trips abroad. She said that in actuality ,they needed to work their butts off for this kind of future together. Surakiat quipped again that they should resign from their works and spend a great amount of time here scrabbling around for the tons of the pearls instead of toiling or buying lotteries and hoping in vain to win. She chortled and stole a kiss from him before running away ; he laughingly ran after her.

All of a sudden, Nada vanished mysteriously and how hard he tried to look around, he still couldn't find her. The blue sea tinged with green abruptly turned to be red under the sky which was now covered with the grey clouds and the gale stirred up the sea into numerous restless waves - a sign of a coming big storm. He panicked and ran as fast as he could to find his girlfriend but it became futile. The young man then became surprised to see a huddle of corpses buoyed up along the seashore. Though watching from a distance , he remembered those belonged to the people he had killed. He felt this turned his stomach and screamed at the top of his voice but the sound of the alarm on his wristwatch resonated out of nowhere.

              CIA Headquarters , Virginia , USA,  April 30 , 2004

The formal name of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) headquarters was The George Bush Center for Intelligence , named in 1999 after the former president , George H.W. Bush who also used to be a director of this agency briefly. It was extremely complex and maze-like , probably the most enigmatic place in the world like its global operations . Surakiat was jogging in its park which looked so vibrant under the strong sunlight in the morning and the merry chirps of the birds sounded like the sacred hymns to enliven his soul. Despite not much sleep , he still had an abundant energy to run even faster than some officers who then slowed their jogging down and gawked at him in wonder.

On his pathway the young man found the bespectacled guy in sportswear doing push-up deftly on the large log  - Ken Landon , the deputy director of the CIA. The fiftysomething was glad to see him , greeted him and joined his jogging. As soon as both were running on the lonely pathway full of colorful flowers , the deputy said ,

"Congratulations , son ! You are an American now. You will hold the dual citizenship – American and Thai - and henceforth become the full time operative of the CIA. I intended to tell you about this at my office , but this lovely place is also fabulous for you to learn your new status in America."

Surakiat was flabbergasted.

" Last month I heard you dismissively told your aid that you were gonna kick the dude , that is me,  back to Thailand. Is that rumor merely a lame joke , sir ?"

Landon smiled wryly. He was now drenched with sweat from exercise, which made his eyeglasses moisten.

"Sorry ! That is my wickedness. Racism played the great role back then. I accept that I underestimated you since your success in Paris exhibits your superb skill of operations that surpasses our best guys now or even in the past. We thus currently make it up to you by speeding up the procedure of your naturalization which would normally take at least months to complete. By the way, your agency in Thailand soon is going to be dissolved because its existence was leaked to the opposition parties and they are now trying to grill the government for this. I just talked to Mr. Somboon , your former boss ; he gave you the fulsome praises and felt so glad about your future. He said he was also gonna retire next month and hoped someday to visit you here."

Surakiat sighed out loud to show his melancholy. The deputy director grinned.

" Kett, I guess that the homesickness will grip you firmly but we will frequently assign you to work in your native country , the land of thousand smiles , right ? It could also be our collaborations with the Thai government : we will allow you to work for them every now and then (this implies that we really own you, not borrow you any longer).Or you can have the long annual holidays in Thailand or elsewhere in the world with a hefty sum of money to splurge.  In your record , your parents had been gone for a long time in a sad plane accident and your ex-girlfriend were already married during your training – the sheer tragedies ! But for us they are the blessings in disguise because we need a single and lone person who devotes himself or herself to our agency and also possesses the superpower like you – Wow , I am deeply awed by the report that you destroyed the door of the armor car with you bare hands. I can proudly say now you are our national treasure."

Surakiat chuckled and retorted,

"And also be the disposable toy like in Paris ?"

Landon raised his eyebrows.

"No , no !  Don't get wrong about us. The problem lied in the failures of your operation team. They had previously some altercations with the police and the intelligence agency of France before they would be at their wits’ end : they didn’t know how to contact you. Don't forget the old geezer, Jacques Chirac , the French president, has fervently opposed the war in Iraq. That is the reason why we didn't ask for their cooperations to send Saddam's henchman to us. Worse still, some influential guys who put him under their wings will help him flee in no time. And bear in mind that the helter-shelter that night came from your failure as well because you couldn't finish the general off in just one shot. You were then off the grid while in pursuit of Halbousi ; our satellite lost contact with you. After all ,  I won’t deny that that it is a usual tactic of the CIA or the US government  : automatically disowns you and your team in the public if there is the serious mistake. But we will try to help you behind the scenes later."

Surakiat curled his lips.

“That means I have already been in a French jail for months or a year before the rescue , correct ?  Is this all you have to tell me ? I got to go now, Mr. Deputy Director."

Landon said aloud,

"Hold on ! Now I realize the warning from Mr. Somboon that you are rebellious , cynical and grumpy.   I want to tell you that President Bush is impressed with you tremendously and tells our director : someday you will be invited to the White House. Kett, you are now unofficially one of the ambassadors of your country and also a valuable token of the friendship between our 2 countries. Remember that President Bush declared Thailand as a major non-NATO ally last year (2003). Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra is also his great friend and was invited to have the chats with him like the comrades-in- arms in the oval office also last year, remember? I bet your prime minister will doubtlessly love you to bits if you wholeheartedly throw yourself into the work of our agency."

Surakiat said louder,

“Their meeting brought about the imposing pics! It embodies an ultimate dream of the world leaders who feel deeply honored to visit the White House even the enemies of America. But in Thailand they later arouses the hatred and the enmities from hardline nationalists who assume that Mr. Thaksin is currying favor with the American imperialist and this even exacerbates the unrests in some provinces of Southern Thailand where the majority of people are the Muslims. They argue America is the adversary of the Muslim world since it invaded Afghanistan in 2001 and its so-called War on Terror while Thaksin’s foreign policy is embroiling Thailand in this war. He thus has received a barrage of criticisms from those people who , I suppose , are secretly supported by the Thai establishment.”

Landon clapped his hands though he was  still running.

“You know well the politics in your country ! We are now in the new world order written by the  9/11 terrorism. By the way , thank God that I was bound to do some business in one building of the World Trade Center that day [September 11, 2001], but some urgent task from the government made me grudgingly change the plan , otherwise I wouldn’t be able to run with you now. If you are in my shoes or you were the families of the victims of 9/11 , you will despise the word ‘terrorism’ to the bone.”

Surakiat said,

“Wow ! Perhaps it is our destiny to meet one another at last. But please remember that Osama Bin Laden , the mastermind behind the 3 planes hitting the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon, used to be supported by the US government when he was just a member of the Afghan mujahideen. These guerillas ferociously fought against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan since its invasion in 1979.”

Landon smiled.

“ That's the fact we don't deny ! It was the US government’s selfishness and lack of vision how to deal with those warriors since the Soviet’s troops withdraw from Afghanistan. We were too preoccupied with the collapse of the USSR and our forthcoming status as the only superpower in the world to follow what those radicalized men would do next. You can really blame Mr. Bill Clinton , the kinky president ; all he cared about was the things under the women's skirts."

Surakiat interrupted,

“But it was the US forces stationed in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War (1990-1991) engineered by Mr. Bush senior which mainly led Bin Laden to harbor the vendetta against the US as he saw this as the colonization and hence 9/11 , right ? Do you think the doctrine of Mr. Bush Junior ‘with us or against us’  will really lead the US to the victory or it is just a machination to enhance the US hegemony in the world?"

[Bush senior , George H.W. Bush, was the 41st US president and father of Bush Junior ,George W. Bush, who was also the 43rd president.]

The deputy waved his hand.

“ Such a scathing question ! As a devout republican I think that it was beyond the capability of Ex-President Bush to know or predict this and I believe the war against terrorism will finally pay off when the US makes the world safe from those accursed terrorists in the future : the next 10 or 20 years , who would know ? The world then will kowtow to the US with the utmost gratitude. I think we should end our conversation here. But if you still long for more sensible answers , talk to Mr. Powell or Ms. Rice. I know them personally well and can arrange you to have the academic discussions with them , OK ? But you can wait to talk to President Bush himself ; he would really be glad to answer !”

[ Colin Powell was the secretary of state and Condoleezza Rice was the national security advisor in the Bush’s administration.]

The young man laughed and bowed to Landon before running on a different pathway.

In the afternoon Surakiat turned on the computer while sitting alone among the vast empty rows of computers in the recreation room of the headquarters. The young man checked his E-mail to learn that someone sent a mail to him. That was from his own detective who was assigned to do some business in Thailand like visiting the ailing Colonel Eakaphan and providing him something like food and nourishment. The detective told Surakiat that the old man was always treated perfunctorily by his carer hired by his daughter who rarely went to visit him. According to the detector , the old man’s health deteriorated a bit and tearfully showed his gratitude for the aids from the young man who claimed that he killed his 2 friends in 1992. Funny that the detective empathized with the old man so much that he visited him more often than the order from Surakiat. The young man smiled. Probably the old man became like the detective’s father figure , he guessed and thought that he himself began to feel that way too.

Surakiat then turned to the website of Bangkok Post. After several news had passed his eyes , he stumbled on Thamthai who was among the group of Thai businessmen to visit Moscow and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The picture of him shaking hands with the president was outstanding in the news as Thamthai was much taller than the diminutive Putin and also couldn’t suppress the radiance of the world business leader who looked dangerously Machiavellian like the Russian president. Surakiat recalled threatening Thamthai that he would bring his entire conglomerate down. The young man himself wondered whether he could do it at that time -perhaps he was just unintentionally bluffing. But today he might be able to exploit the CIA facilities or colleagues to achieve that kind of ambition as he was certain that his ex-friend wouldn’t halt the illegal businesses with the network of Somrit or even now Thamthai might be furthering them with the oligarchs in Russia ? That was a hell of his missions in the future.

The late afternoon conference began. Surakiat there made some new friends who were the sophisticated CIA operatives even though they were about his age or slightly younger  : George , Abbott and Armas. The head of their special unit was a middle-aged man named Gilders standing in front of the room. He looked prudent but quite arrogant , reminding Surakiat of Thamthai.

            Guilders said aloud,

           “ Good afternoon , everyone. I suppose  all of you have already chummed up to Mr. Songphai (surname of Surakiat) or you can call him Kett if you like. Now let’s guess what country our next mission would be ?”

                     9

Pyongyang , North Korea, May 10, 2004

That was the Piano Trio KV 496 written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1786 - 218 years ago. Its grandeur was manifested by the Korean youngsters who were on the stage , immersing themselves in those pieces of western musical instruments : piano ,cello and violin. This music was Surakiat's most favorite part in this afternoon shows after the spectacular performances of the North Korean traditional dance and music which were quite bewitching but rang hollow. He remembered buying the CD of Mozart's this trio and playing it while he was on duty as the security guard in the haunted building one night. That made his colleagues raise their eyebrows and think that was a weird music because their usual music was either Mor Lum (หมอลำ) or the Northern folk music (ดนตรีซอ). For the young man this trio was so heartwarming as it irrationally evoked the pleasant memories of the greenery rice fields in his hometown.

The trio performance ended elegantly before the 3 young musicians stood up to take a bow amidst the applause from the audience . The background of their performance was the gigantic portrait of the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) : Kim Il-Sung who passed away about a decade ago. The classical music signified the endeavors of his son : Kim Jong-Il to show that his country was open to the western culture and tolerated the multiculturalism at some point. This was also attributed to their presumption that Mozart wasn't certainly a citizen of America - the North Korea's archenemy. The audience who were almost 100 % Chinese tourists had to leave the theater now ; they were all quite elderly and diminutive. Surakiat , the only (American) Thai tourist with 189 centimeters in height,  made them look like a group of dwarfs. Apart from this difference ,  the young man didn't know Chinese and those Chinese didn't know English either. But one old man knew Thai quite well and became his warm interlocutor  , so the young man didn't feel much lonely. Surakiat was bemused why the hell the CIA assigned him a mission in this most secretive state in the world as he looked quite conspicuous. His colleagues - the sophisticated  CIA operatives - were currently stationed in China. They had previously arranged his travel with this group and were ready to back him up around the clock. Surakiat came to terms with the fact that he had to carry out the mission as a lone wolf as usual.

The next destination of the tourist group in North Korea was the highlight of the day  : the Mansu Hill Grand Monument or the monument of Kim Il-Sung which was mildly far from here. On the bus Surakiat saw the passers-by on the streets in the drab and old-fashioned dresses like a throwback to the 60s. Both men and women , however, looked relaxed and many were chattering to one another while walking, which didn’t look like the society under the totalitarian regime. The traffic in Pyongyang was noticeably light because there were scanty cars at that time while the cute traffic ladies (policewomen) in the blue uniforms made their gestures to help direct vehicles on the streets. But this seemed more like they were performing to impress the tourists. The buildings , mostly constructed during the 60s and 70s , looked stiff and grim. Comparing with Seoul , the bustling capital city of South Korea, Pyongyang absurdly became like the updated version of Joseon [old kingdom of Korea].The portraits of Kim Il-Sung with a benevolent smile were ubiquitous and held in high esteem by the North Korean government as a part of its restless cult of personality. The surveillance cameras to put every citizen under the watchful eye of the state were omnipresent as well like an open prison. Surakiat supposed if George Orwell visited this country, he would weep with immense joy that it perfectly fit or even surpassed the dystopian society in his famous novel ‘1984’.

The friendly woman guide on the bus spoke fluent Chinese and English. She was eloquent but cautious to say everything exactly in line with the state's propaganda and nationalist version of history. Surakiat frequently sniggered when listening to her lecture on the North Korean history. There was some question he really wanted to ask the guide :  was it true that the US and South Korean forces invaded North Korea first , starting off the Korean war 50 years ago like she told ? But it was way wiser for him to shut up because in this country only a minor verbal mistake could land anyone in deep water. He assumed that the guide assistant - the 40-year-old man- was the secret police who kept watching the tourists : whether they were too inquisitive about the specific places in Pyongyang, implying that they were the spies ;  whether they showed some opinions which sounded skeptical or critical of the sacredness of Kim Dynasty or the North Korean ideology like Juche. The persons with such penchants might involuntarily prolong their stays in this country for more several days or even a month under the tense interrogations by the secret police. The guide probably didn't know that at least someone in the tourist group like Surakiat could communicate in Korean well. That was one of the foreign languages he had to learn while being trained in the camp run by the Agency in Thailand. He guessed that perhaps the CIA ordered Mr. Somboon (the director) to prepare him beforehand for this mission. And this became useful for Surakiat when the guide emphatically told her assistant to keep an eye on him.

The bus pulled over at the roadside after the guide told the tourists to be more solemn while they were in front of the gigantic bronze statue of Kim Il-sung. They were later all compelled to salute to it by bowing their heads simultaneously. Surakiat knew that this was a cunning way for the government to deceive the world that even the foreigners were mesmerized by the greatness of the late leader. Taking photos with the statute was also under the hilarious rule. The tourists were warned not to let any parts of the statue like the hands or the head miss from their pictures which meant disrespects to the Eternal President. The wrongdoer risked being meted out since the authorities always checked every picture in the tourists’ cameras. The Chinese old man told Surakiat that this was the political frenzy like the cultural revolution in China during the 60s but here was the permanent one.

After the end of the religion-like ritual, the tourists were told to wait around that place 'for a while' since their bus broke down. On the way to the public toilet , the 2 guys walked toward Surakiat and asked him the riddle in English - a secret code. Surakiat answered before following them to the parked car nearby. They finally arrived at the complex building with the large compound surrounded by the tall fence. The young man knew that it was the infamous Ministry of State Security which unfailingly kept the people nationwide awake at night in fear. He was then ushered into the room on the 3rd floor to meet the middle-aged guy who  was the director of the North Korean intelligence agency according to the briefing at  Langley (the metonymy of the CIA). He was writing something near the pile of papers. Upon the wall above him were the dual portraits of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il - compulsory for every place in North Korea. A ceiling fan whirling quite aloud was creating a serious vibe for the visitor.

The man showed his delight to see Surakiat and affably offered him a handshake. But before the latter would say anything , the man called his aide outside to check every nook and cranny of his office with an equipment. He told Surakiat that it was for checking the listening devices which could have been secretly set up by his hidden enemies in the ministry and he did this everyday - what a paranoid state  ! Their conversation then started with the great surprise for the young man that the man was fluent in Thai and even the Northern Thai dialect (กำเมือง). He introduced himself , Kim Jin-Kyu , the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau , the counterpart of the US CIA. He told him that he used to work covertly in Northern Thailand for 5 years , especially Chiang Mai , Chiang Rai and Phayao. His favorite dishes were ลาบ (spicy minced pork salad) and ข้าวซอย (Khao Soi). However, Mr. Kim's later revelation about his missions in Thailand made Surakiat stop smiling ; those were to investigate and trace his compatriots who had escaped from North Korea to China and had the southbound journey to Laos and Thailand respectively in order to be arrested by the Thai authorities before the deportations to South Korea. Mr. Kim would enthusiastically collaborate with other agents to kidnap them back to North Korea. This meant those people would face either the executions or the life sentences in the 'gulags' , the prisons with inhuman conditions. Most of them would pitifully die after only years-long of extreme hard working  , starvation and lack of medical care, to mention but a few.

" Take a look at this! "

Mr. Kim yelled out after telling his aide to play the video. That was President George W. Bush giving the State of Union address in the congress in January 2002. In that speech he included North Korea in the Axil of Evil , along with Iran and Iraq.

He looked at Surakiat.

" I wonder : what relations between 2 countries in the world would be more complex than the US and North Korea ? You have long sanctioned us because we are merely a country with dictatorship like many which are the US allies and we have just developed the nuclear weapons to defend our motherland. But you have secretly opened the channels to talk with us and hoped our mutual friendships to thrive while openly displaying the enmities to us like this. We know that your government will not invade us for now but we can’t help uttering out loud : what a hypocrisy! "

The young man chuckled.

"Mr. Kim, you should know that in the American history the inconsistencies of the US  foreign policies has been caused by the different POTUS. President Bush thought that to be more hawkish with North Korea than President Clinton would be relevant with his Manichean doctrine [which believed that good and evil were the fundamental existences of everything] to fight against  terrorism. This would also boost his popularity and image as the toughest world leader though he had never really planned to attack your country. I think the US government knows that your country will acquire the weapons of mass destruction by any means -despite a myriad of lies of abandoning them to the world. To be friend with North Korea sounds the most fruitful even though the political values of both countries extremely differ. But those nuclear tests are greatly nerve-racking to the US allies like South Korea and Japan. How can those of your neighbors be certain that your government would not use those weapons to strike them or at least blackmail them in the future ? If America acts like it is ingratiating itself with North Korea , it will enormously diminish its dignity in the eyes of those countries. Remember that Clinton sent his secretary of state , Ms. Madeleine Albright , to clink glasses with uh … Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang in 2000. That made the hawks in the governments of Japan and South Korea scoff in disdain. Thus, to furtively use both carrot and stick approach with your country would be more practical for the US aims to create the balance of power in East Asia and your leader knows this , hence my presence here to be at your service."

Mr. Kim gave him a thumb-up.

" Very very good insight ! Mr. Songphai. Considering that you are originally Thai and just have the dual citizenship lately, I wonder what the feeling to serve the government once considered foreign for you is like.

Surakiat blushed , thinking that was a rebuke.

" I know tons of ugly sides of the American Governments , Mr. Director, but I don't have much choice. I don’t know what else to do because I had been trained so hard to do this for years and suddenly the Thai government sold me off to the CIA. Even though I used to be a happy security guard in Thailand before ,  I feel that I can't return to that career. But someday I may quit this job to show the US or the Thai government can’t totally bridle me like a trained monkey (like you), if those missions go astray from my moral compass , so to speak. Now please tell me more about my mission here. "

The middle-aged man stood up and proffered the cigarette to Surakiat but was refused. The director lit his own cigarette and blew out its smoke while staring at the view outside his office.

“ Mr.Songphai , no offense. Since you are so straightforward and there are just the 2 of us in this room and outside are my loyal henchmen who are ready to die for me in any moment , I am going to be super frank from now on.  If my words uttered next are leaked to the people outside, I will end up in a labor camp for sure. Mr. Kim Jong-Il is actually not wholeheartedly revered by all his subordinates or people like the propaganda from the North Korean government to around the world. His failures of many policies, especially on economy in the 90s had disillusioned plenty of elites in our country. Now , our supreme leader has several health problems. Although he is still in his early 60s , he is quite lethargic and doesn’t have a sharp mind like when he was younger. His lack of heir apparent is also perturbing the elites tremendously. What would happen if he unexpectedly becomes incapacitated or even dies  ? “

[Kim Jong-Un , his son and successor, was revealed to the world in 2010 , barely a year before Kim Jong -Il’s death.]

Surakiat almost yelled out,

“Civil war !”

Mr.Kim nodded.

“ That’s what half of the country are freaking out to see in the murky future of this totalitarian state , in spite of the endless travesties of the supreme leader as the immortal. Mr. Songphai , there are now numerous powerful generals fiercely vying for power. We are living in the country replete with pretensions and betrayals. Have you seen the news that they are always surrounding the supreme leader, smiling and doing everything to appease him ? That is such a top-notch performance. Notice that they are writing something on their books like they are paying attention to every word our supreme leader is uttering ? Nah , they are just doodling and doing everything like the automatons. They deep down inside strongly yearned to snub him or smack his head with a jar of Kimchi. I know it because my men found these kinds of resentments in the diaries of several high-ranking soldiers who had already been purged for good. And I believe most of the soldiers have shared the same feelings."

Surakiat laughed quietly. The director still droned on,

“ However , lately we received the tips that some generals have gone rogue and planned to stage  a coup d'état ; perhaps their patience to see our supreme leader gone is running out. The problem for the world is that they are such hard-liners and are determined to start the Korean War again. Imagine if they are in power ! "

[Both North and South Korea didn’t really put an end to the war in 1953. They just signed the armistice agreement.]

Surakiat couldn’t believe his ears.

“Really ? Why do they want to do so ?”

Mr.Kim finished his cigarette and went on smoking another. He looked dead serious.

“ There is a deep-seated belief among the top brass of the military that we are superior to our Southern brethren. We thus should resume the war to conquer and rule over those barbarians. Developing the nuclear weapons emboldens them that they can beat the crap out of the US imperialist. Those generals are unwittingly falling victim to the state’s overblown propaganda. But our supreme leader is more practical and sensible because he wants the peaceful co-existence with the enemies. That was why he joined the 2000 inter-Korean  summit and shook hands with South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung hospitably like the blood brothers. Our country might burst asunder in any days or months!"

(The ultimate version) 

                     10

"Sir , do you think he was lying ?" asked the young woman.

Surakiat shook his head.

" Not really,  he didn't intend to trick us but his mind was clouded by the jitters that coerced him into eluding some of our questions which seemed to put him in jeopardy. From my evaluation, he is doubtlessly not 'one of our guys'. "

"Hmm..." she then became silent. Both of them in military uniforms were walking along the roofed pathway out of the main building of that barrack. Their car with the driver was waiting outside and its engine was running.

Sarakiat was exhilarated by his new mission ,  a secret token of friendship from the CIA to North Korea. He formerly assumed that Mr.Kim would have assigned him a daunting task of being the North Korean officer to work with some generals they had suspected of. But it was the brilliant idea of the supreme leader himself that Surakiat was transformed into 'The Inspector of Morality and Ideology' who was scheduled to visit and interview (or interrogate) approximately 20 generals of the North Korean forces within a few weeks. The young man supposed that the supreme leader was weary that the time was running out before the coup would emerge. Some advisors had previously told him to launch the purges but the supreme leader feared that the such a rashness might spook the rogue generals and compel them to stage the surprise coup to thwart their downfalls. He told those advisors that the indiscriminate and ruthless purges of the high-ranking officers by Stalin severely weakened the Red Army , encouraging Hitler to launch the Operation Barbarossa to invade the USSR in 1941 and he couldn’t let that happen to North Korea.

Surakiat moreover wondered why Mr. Kim Jong-Il chose him even though he was a foreigner and had a slight knowledge of this country. The answer from Mr. Kim the director was that the supreme leader distrusted his own compatriots who had imbibed the culture of power and the hierarchy of North Korean society all their lives. This kind of mindset probable deterred them from using their proper judgements to decide who had been hatching a plan to overthrow the regime. Surakiat's visits were officially imparted by the government beforehand to those generals along with Surakiat’s sham introduction that his name was Lee Kuk-Ryol , the newly appointed major of the North Korean armies. He was the son of a diplomat who had been abroad , especially in France,  for a long time. That was why he was exceptionally tall [average North Koreans were short because of the malnutrition rampant in the country since the 90s] ; his accent and etiquette were also quite unusual since he had studied in Europe for half of his life. Though those generals were prepared to defend themselves with the raucous jingoistic speeches or the brazen lies , the supreme leader believed in the power of the mind of Surakiat from a close study of his record that he would be capable of finding the treasonous generals at last - what a bold gambling !

But Surakiat was not alone when a young woman , Park Chung-rye , the lieutenant who worked as a liaison of the military was assigned a task of secretary for him for several days already. As the daughter of a high-ranking civil servant and the graduate from the Kim Il Sung University , one of the best in North Korea , she looked so sublime comparing with her fellow countrywomen. But she seemed not to know the ulterior motive for this mission , presuming that it was the plan of the supreme leader to find the undisciplined generals for just the punishments or the attitude adjustments. Surakiat thought she was the perfect pawn for the powers-that-be : innocent and ready to sacrifice her life for them. It was the stern-faced driver , Mr. Kim's  henchman, who knew all and had been recording everything they said in the car and also guided them where to have lunches or dinners (they had breakfast at the hotel). The restaurants they had visited were already selected. They would always find the secret police who kept guard over them around those places. Those police in plainclothes also were ordered to tail them from a distance.

Their car fell completely into silence while it was on the way to another barrack almost 100 miles from here. They had gone past several checkpoints  ; the sacred pass from the driver without fail made the solemn soldiers or police salute with utter respect. Surakiat was amused by the law of this country that the citizens were obliged to ask for permissions before going to many parts of the country ,especially the capital city. The freedom of movement in this country was extremely elusive. The regime might be cautious that  the disgruntled citizens would someday travel en masse to Pyongyang for uprisings.

Park finished writing the report on her book. Noticing that Surakiat looked haggard and absent-minded , she began to speak French - her minor in the university.

Êtes-vous fatigué? (are you tired ?)

Surakiat smiled. He could speak French too , but it was mediocre. He used to have a short field trip with the Directorate-General for External Security (the French foreign intelligence agency) for only months during the training. He explained to Park that he mostly spoke English while studying in France.

He said,

"Un peu  (a little). I was just reeling in the amusement at those generals : when they were in the national ceremonies , they wore the full uniforms with a hundred of medals on their chests - such gallant warriors ! But when I interviewed them , many of them wept and broke down like they were on the verge of insanity in any minute. To be frank , I also felt pity for that old man as he had to endure such a pressure although he was innocent. He was probably going to pee his pants."

Park giggled but said nothing as a good North Korean citizen who shunned denigrating the authorities. But Surakiat thought that was the most adorable giggle he had ever seen. The young woman then kept prattling in French for almost an hour after learning that Surakiat had spent an ample time in Europe. She was probably too bored not to have met the like-minded or the person with the same lifestyle at her office or her daily life. She talked about her experience of the 6 months of study in Paris for certificate in a prestigious university and also enjoyed a part-time job as the waitress in a cafe. There a few ‘parisiens’ (Parisians)  attempted to hit on her , thinking that she was a Chinese girl. She loved to visit the Louvre Museum and spend a whole day soaking up the beauty and the grandeur of western art.

Surakiat was fond of listening to her while nodding sometimes. He accidentally found that they shared a passion for the Impressionistic paintings like Claude Monet’s or even the novels of Victor Hugo. He also noticed that her white full cheek was tinged with red ; her thin lips were so alluring that without the military uniform, she would look more like a South Korean model or actress he saw on TV. Her liveliness exactly like Nada's finally made him conclude that the young woman was the best thing he had met in this country. But Surakiat saw the driver's face via the rearview mirror : her talks aroused much of his annoyance because he didn't understand a single word of French.

The driver turned around a bit to Park who was sitting behind him to say something but Surakiat suddenly heard a bullet pierced the windshield and hit the driver's head. The blood splattered around his backrest before the car would swerve for multiple times and skidded across the roadside into the forest like an uncontrolled wild horse. Surakiat tried hard to wrestle the steering wheel from the unconscious driver amid the screams of Park. The car swiveled and one of its sides was about to bump into a large tree ; that was the outside of Park's seat. Surakiat surged to grab her and used his body as the shield. The collision was so serious but it finally halt the car. Both of them were still in the firm embrace even though the situation was already calm. They seemed to get lost in the eyes of one another. Nobody was sure that this was from a shock or some feeling else. Park then looked away and screamed again to see Suarakiat's back stuck on the door which was totally damaged. She hysterically grabbed his back to check thoroughly but everything was intact ;  the young man seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Let's get away from here now!" Surakiat said tensely.

" No, stay still!  There might be something wrong with your inside. Sir , do you feel nauseous or cramped? I know the first aid well because I learnt it in the second year of university, " spluttered she.

Surakiat tried not to smile. He shook his head instead and examined the pulse of the driver : he was gone. The young man said,

" Don’t worry ; I am alright. But like I said : let's go ! We have just been attacked by a sniper and the other armed assailants will come here to get us soon."

Park got into a panic. She was shaken and her face looked pale though her complexion was so white. But Surakiat grasped both of her upper arms and stared at her beautiful eyes.

" Ms. Park , regardez-moi ! ( look at me !) Take a deep breath ! If you do exactly what I have told you , we will get out of this darn forest unharmed. Can you do that ?"

Park spent a minute gathering her wits and nodded. Surakiat grabbed her arm to leave the wreaked car. He thought even if the car was in a good condition , it would be too risky to drive it on the road again as the next ambush was awaiting. He brought the pistol out of the holster after hearing some commotions not far from them ; he had a hunch that the group of assassins was approaching. He led Park to hide behind the bush a second before a man was walking by. That guy was dressed in the uniform resembling the military’s but wore the balaclava to hide his face. His modern submachine gun however showed that he was the soldier - the well-trained ..... Surakiat shook his head with boredom - not commando again ! He all at once walked to confront that guy and yelled out before raising his both hands and dropping the pistol. The assassin looked delighted and rushed to arrest him. He lowered his submachine gun a bit to search for the handcuff at his waist. The young man at incredible speed grabbed the weapon from him so easily like snatching a toy from the kid. He then used its butt to hit that guy's face. He just collapsed on the ground - not a single squeal. His balaclava was utterly drenched with blood : perhaps there was a big hole on his face.

Surakiat handed in the pistol to Park who gasped in astonishment and said,

"You must look behind our backs , Ms. Park. Have you ever used a gun ? If you can't shoot , just call me aloud when you see someone , d'accord (OK)  ? "

Park nodded and looked into his eyes. He felt that she always held him spellbound with those eyes which were mystic like the bottomless ocean. The group of assassins showed up and shot at them. Surakiat swiftly took Park to hide behind the tall tree. He exchanged gunfire with them and sometimes glanced at her. The young woman covered her ears with her hands and curled up behind him. The shooting from both sides then seemingly paused briefly ; Surakiat heard those guys shouting a string of expletives. He knew that it was a psychological trick to make them nervously break down. He managed to keep his composure , but those bastards managed to infuriate him by threatening to gang-rape Park if both of them were caught and they would force the young man to join the rape or lick their boots like a dog. He shook in anger and his both eyes suddenly turned red. Those assassins began to shoot again but the young man could see the bullets flying at his direction clearly like a slow motion in a movie and through his head resounded the music of Mozart : Requiem -Sequentia. The young man tossed aside the submachine gun and ran zigzag at full throttle to evade all the bullets before reaching those men who were extremely flummoxed. The young man punched a guy in the face. He felt the bone of that guy's face violently broken and both of his eyes and nose were terribly crushed. The poor assassin fell down to his knees and folded down his head to show his demise.

The other guy pulled the trigger of his submachine gun but Surakiat pushed its barrel up , so the bullets went skyward. The young man snatched his Adam's Apple and threw it at the other man who was shooting behind him. He evaded the bullets and kicked the trunk of that guy who was distracted by the bloody Adam's Apple. The guy screamed out loud and fell down to his knees. The young man at last chopped off his head with his bare hand. The headless corpse then collapsed on the top of his friend’s corpse whose throat was severed. The 2 assassins darted to shoot him while shrieking like the crazed. Surakiat this time didn't dodge the bullets ; he just flicked them off with his hands before grabbing at the necks of both guys and lifting them up. His strangulation was so powerful that those guys could not direct their weapons to him. They just shot randomly to the ground and dropped them when they became unconscious and died.

Only a moment later Surakiat saw a large jeep running toward him. The assassin there shot him maniacally with a long unwieldy machine gun but to no avail. The young man hovered above that vehicle , kicked the machine gun away and impaled the shooter’s chest with his hand ; his fingers could reach and squeezed that guy’s beating heart until it exploded. The heart owner fell from the jeep like a falling leaf. The other commando on the jeep pulled the trigger of his pistol but it couldn’t be discharged. The young man swiftly yanked the machine gun out from its stand to hit his head. It was split into halves , splattering the blood on the driver who shrieked in horror before leaping out of the jeep. The jeep then swerved violently over and over again. Surakiat simply jumped away to firmly stand on the ground to witness the jeep flipping upside down.

A black car ran from another direction and stopped about 30 meters from him. The guy in police uniform stepped out of the car and shouted while waving his hand :

" Don't shoot ! Don't Shoot!  I am the subordinate of Director Kim. I am here to help you !  "

Surakiat smiled by the time the color of his eyes turned to be normal again. He recognized that guy so well. He turned around to tell Park the good news but was stunned to see the young woman aiming the pistol at him. She was almost crying and said in quivering voice,

" Major , who are you .... no.. what  are you really ?"

                     10. (continued)

                   Instant karma

It was like a happy ending of the run- of-the- mill fairy tales. Director Kim lost  4 of his men to those commandos while they were tailing Surakiat's car. But the only commando who survived by jumping from the jeep was forthwith arrested and confessed who his masterminds were via the tortures in the North Korean style. Those were the rogue generals who had not met Surakiat yet and wanted to silence him for good before the interviews. They were swiftly under arrest simultaneously and executed after the standing in the Kangaroo courts. This country now was safe from the poisonous vermin like the coup d'état and the supreme leader was happy because he would be able to rule North Korea with the same oppression happily ever after. Director Kim was happy because he was promoted to the higher position in the ministry while the CIA and the US government were happy because this tremendously enhanced the closeted relationship between 2 countries with the hidden aim to unsettle both China and Russia who were the traditional allies of North Korea. But there was only one who was very unhappy : Surakiat. He kept thinking of the grimace of Lieutenant Park Chung-Rye only seconds after he had finished off most of those villains. It was like being pierced by a thousand needles to see her looking at him in disgust ; he preferred her to shoot him with that pistol. But she just aimed it at him briefly before dropping it like she was utterly exhausted. He tried to walk toward her and say something , but  the nurses out of nowhere rushed to take her to the ambulance even though it was his body which was drenched with blood (of those he killed).

During the short break for an auspicious chance of meeting with the supreme leader tête-à-tête , the young man became brooding and even felt worse to learn from Director Kim that his request to see Park once more was refused. The director told him that she was now under a doctor's care thanks to her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  The young man was increasingly taciturn even though he was given the privilege to travel to every place he wanted in this Hermit Kingdom with the private guide. The people around him thought that he was suffering from a trauma. One of Director Kim 's subordinates tried to comfort him by giving him a beautiful embroidery. She told him that she stumbled upon it while collecting all Park's belongings at her hotel room. The embroidery displayed the funny caricature of an angry man which looked like him reminding him of one day when he was a little irritated at her since she forgot to bring some important papers for interview while they were already at the barrack. Beside him was also Park's own caricature which was much smaller showing a repentance along with the words in French from her mouth : Don't get angry , my boss. He almost laughed but wanted to cry instead. He supposed that she had persevered with making it in the nights and intended to give him as a souvenir or a token of their special relationship. He just kept it with him all the time, even the time he was sleeping. Waking  up , he reminisced about those mornings when she did not fail to wake him up via telephone and pestered him to go to have breakfast with her quickly like she was his fussy little sister. She brought him the laughter or the smiles every day they were working together.

When the important day came, Surakiat's excitement of shaking hands with Mr. Kim Jong-Il, the deity for millions of the North Koreans, was greatly diminished until it was like nothing. He deep down inside wanted to tell Director Kim that he strongly yearned to trade this with a chance of meeting Park to grab her soft and white hand for even once. Mr. Ken Landon , the deputy director of the CIA, arrived in Pyongyang to pick him up and pay a visit to the supreme leader with him. The supreme leader was much shorter than he thought but the style of his hair seemed to be outstanding as usual. The sixtysomething looked thrilled to meet Surakiat and shook his hand in awe. He in murmur quipped to General Jang who was his most trusted friend and aide that the young man was like a giant who could wreak havoc on the North Korean armies like tossing popcorn into his mouth. The supreme leader also jokingly persuaded Surakiat to work for him and he would appoint him as the 7- Star general in no time.  Everybody burst out laughing.  At the end of this secret ceremony the young man was bestowed a hefty sum of money and the golden plaque to show a deep gratitude by the supreme leader. He just wanted to dump or leave them somewhere . Landon also had the lively conversations with the supreme leader and his subordinates, sometimes via the interpreter - what a view of the kissing between the imperialist and the Axis of Evil ! But that meant nothing because Surakiat thought about Park all the time even while he was shaking hands with the supreme leader.

On the way to the Pyongyang International Airport for their departure,  Landon noticed  Surakiat's silence and it was making him uncomfortable. He asked him,  'Has the cat got your tongue ? '. But the young man replied nothing. So , the bespectacled surmised that the young man was either exhausted or frustrated that he had worked alone while 3 of his colleagues were ensconced in China. The deputy director reassured him that those would get almost nothing whereas Surakiat would have his salary increased. His bonus and privileges would also be so enormous that even the director of the CIA envied him. The young man snickered.

Before stepping inside the airport's building , Surakiat took a glimpse of Pyongyang for the last time. All those buildings and people he had passed were nothing comparing to someone here he sorely missed. The young man at this moment realized that his recurring nightmares since he was in the Langley were a metaphor for his life. That was the same old philosophy he had been pondering for years : he became a prey of his own wraths and aggressions which were like the brewing storm above those corpses ; the women he loved thus were doomed to disappear from his life. His heartache now was the instant karma from brutally killing the human beings. He squeezed the heart of that commando guy until it burst and now he was feeling this pain. The song Pi Jae , Danuphol Kaewkarn's song 'พิษรัก' which was very popular in the 80s reverberated around his mind.

The young man sighed while carrying his luggage and thought that this was his fate to be forever broken-hearted and lived the lonely life just to keep depriving numerous people of their lives in the name of so-called virtue or something until it was his turn to be killed.

                     10 (continued again)

La Maison de Claude Monet, Giverny, France, a week later

Despite not being an art buff, Surakiat always loved the impressionism like the works of Claude Monet, especially his landscape paintings (and he somehow loved the music of Claude Debussy, the French music composer in the impressionist style as well). They conjured up in his mind not only the rustic rice fields in his hometown but also the tranquil garden around his house - his mother's beloved hobby. These soothed him so much whenever he was agitated or in the deep water. The visit to Monet's house today became possible by the bonus he arrogantly demanded from the CIA:  the hefty expenses and the great amount of time of doing nothing but travelling, especially in Europe.

But the main reason the young man ambled around the house of this master was Park who used to tell him that she strongly desired to visit here while she was working in Paris but didn't have a chance to do so. He wanted to do that for her. He was so eager to take photographs and intended to buy the postcards or the souvenirs from the shop which looked like a museum before sending them all to her in North Korea via (Ex-) Director Park who agreed to help him on this mission. This was the best the young man could do. He would be so ecstatic that she would hate or find him replusive less and more fondly reminisced about the time they had spent together.

The garden around Monet's house was exquisite, full of colorful flowers, especially the red and orange ones which resembled plenty of his paintings Surakiat relished in the book he bought from a book store in Kad Suan Kaew Department Store many years ago. The limelight of the garden was the Japanese bridge across the pond full of water-lilies which became one of the most iconic paintings in the western arts. The foundation responsible for his house and garden tried to preserve them to be like during the time the master was alive. Surakiat tried to imagine Monet with the unkempt moustache and beard hobbling along these pathways with his rotund body about a hundred years ago. Upon learning his today fame after a resurrection, the old man must have been immensely proud or, quite the contrary, felt offended since tens of thousands of strangers swarmed his house every year.

The old lady who worked for the souvenir shop in the compound of Monet's house looked gentle and friendly. She seemed to like Surakiat, an Asian customer who spoke French well (his French seemed to be unexpectedly much improved thanks to Park) and restlessly walked around the shop.

She asked him teasingly:

"Monsieur, are you coming here alone? Where is your wife or girlfriend?"

Surakiat smiled wistfully.

" Je suis désolé (I am sorry), Madame. I don't have both, but I wish with all my heart that someone who is so special to me would come here with me at this moment. She is crazy about Monet's works and this place."

The old woman smiled.

"Oui (yes), I hope your wish will come true, at least next time when you come here again. I guess she must be so gorgeous. You can freely spend time looking for the most beautiful postcards or souvenirs for her as there are not many visitors here at this hour. By the way, where is she now? "

Surakiat smiled and nodded to thank her but didn't say anything more. He kept looking around the shop again. His mobile phone rang, and it was Landon.

"Hi! So sorry to interrupt your pleasantness at Monet's house (he always knew where Surakiat was from the satellite above). Ask the old lady in the shop to switch on the television behind her. Don't be so surprised; I came here last year. She is very nice. C’mon, do it now!"

The breaking news of CNN on TV sent shivers down Surakiat's spine. He saw the tanks running along various streets of Pyongyang accompanied by the hurried trucks conveying the fully armed soldiers to occupy many important places in the capital city. The anchor said that the military captured Kim Jong-Il after the bloody carnage of all his prestigious bodyguards. The supreme leader was currently under house arrest while all his loyal subordinates were either arrested or shot.  The coup d'état in North Korea now was accomplished. 

                                11       

   The White House , Washington D.C. 10 hours later

By the time Surakiat was ushered by the female staff toward the cabinet room in the White House , a chubby and bespectacled guy was waiting for him at its front door. He was the White House cabinet secretary, looking quite haughty.

"Everyone is waiting for you. Please go inside real quick ! "

He said curtly and opened the door for him. Inside were about a dozen of people huddling at the large round oak table. The chairman of the meeting, George W. Bush, sitting before the American flag waved his hand to him delightfully,

"Speak of the devil ! We meet at last , Mr. Songphai !"

The young man nodded and shook hands with the 43rd president of the United States of America. Others were all staring at him and then clamored by excitedly chattering to one another. Those people were the well-known (and controversial) members of the Bush administration. Condoleezza Rice , Colin Powell , Ronald Rumsfeld and even Paul Wolfowitz , the foremost architect of the Iraq  War. Landon also was sitting among them  ; he was recently appointed as the new director of the CIA after the incumbent had to resign for the health reasons. The middle-aged man chuckled and made some gesture to tease Surakiat as this was the first time he saw him wore a black suit neatly with a necktie and a vistor ID card of visitor clipped on the pocket above his chest.

Bush told everyone while standing with Surakiat:

"Now our hero has arrived and I would like to thank Mr. Surakiat Songphai for his remarkable services for our country and expect more from him because he is so unique among the CIA or any intelligence agents with his superpower and superb insights. I am sure he will be bestowed a ton of medals for his bravery in the near future. But now I will honor him by giving this."

The president then unfastened the presidential lapel pin from his collar to put on Surakiat’s hand amidst the enthusiastic applause. He  shook hands with the president again before sitting near a staff on the seat in the second row. The young man contemplated his desire to kick President Bush's ass after killing Saddam's henchman that night. It was certain that he would probably spend 30 or 40 years behind bars after doing that. So , the only thing Surakiat could do right now was to snigger with contempt to himself. He should stop being hypocritical as he didn't have a critical mind or a will to criticize the US foreign or military policies like he was younger because he gradually became an indispensable part of this murderous and rapacious imperialist (Mr.Noam Chomsky , please accept my apology!) This stemmed from the feeling that he became somebody in the US whereas he was like a ghost in Thailand. Why made such a fuss when he was like a heinous serial killer anyway ?   He then saw the light from the huge chandelier above the table reflecting off the portrait of Harry S. Truman - the president who ordered to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945- hung on the wall not far from his seat.

The president looked around.

" By the way ,our belated meeting should start right now. Brian, can we reach General Jang after the endless rounds of our calls ?"

The cabinet secretary looked at his aide before saying,

"Not yet sir , not even a slightest response from him. Everything in this country seemed to be shrouded in mystery amid the disturbing calmness in Pyongyang or the cities nearby."

The president nodded and said,

" Now I want Mr. Landon , our new CIA director, to brief everyone on the development in North Korea before the coup d'état has unfolded."

Landon cleared his throat a little , waiting for the picture of General Jang to appear on the big screen in front of the cabinet. He droned on,

" Like we all know that the CIA collaborated with the government of North Korea to search for the generals who had long connived to overthrow Mr. Kim Jong-Il. Mr. Songphai or Kett finally played the great role in unmasking the clique of those traitors while he was on the way to interrogate them according to Kim Jong-Il's plan. After the failed ambush on Kett, those generals were immediately arrested and had to stand trial in the Kangaroo court. But those trials had been , in my opinion, too perfunctory , full of trumped-up charges and the conspirators were also too resilient to spill the beans about the real mastermind  - General Jang Jong-Won , the close confidant of both Kim Il- Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Perhaps the old man was utterly trustworthy for the supreme leaders so he was always off their radars despite being amid the great purges decades ago during the era of Kim Il-Sung. We also should know that the coup was staged while Mr. Kim Jing-il were on his way to visit a coastal town. This was the schedule that only the circle of the supreme leader knew. Having planned so meticulously , General Jang’s forces spent only 2 hours completely seizing the power from all political institutions. Of course , the North Korean people were the passive onlookers as usual. According to the eyewitnesses, the troops surrounded the parked train of the supreme leader on the rail and fiercely traded gunfire with his famous bodyguards. Finally , those bodyguards were all gunned down while the supreme leader looked scared shitless and tried to flee in the embarrassing manner. But the soldiers managed to drag him mercilessly to the truck like he was just a petty criminal. That is all we know about. Our source couldn’t reach the headquarters of the junta any longer."

Powell , the secretary of state,  said ,

" Mr. President, It was 11 hours already after the coup that we still don't know General Jang's  intentions. They don't broadcast their announcement via the state televisions to tell the public about their motives for a coup and their current political stance like many juntas in many countries (including Thailand) . Even the neighboring countries like China or Russia still cannot  contact General Jang either. So , they don't have the confirmed information except the rumors swirling around like us. Mr. President, I have just talked to the South Korean foreign minister and he said that he and his boss , President Roh Moo-Hyun, were  kept in the dark too. Their intelligence agency was working extremely hard but it yields almost nothing.”

Bush stared at the new director of the CIA.

"As we have been told a long time ago , the rogue generals are hell- bent on waging war with the neighboring South , that's right ? Mr. Landon,  please confirm this again."

Landon made a gesture to Surakiat to speak for him. The young man tried to refuse but finally caved in to his demand. He nervously looked around and said in a little quivering voice:

"Mr. President. This is what the director of the North Korean intelligence agency had emphatically told me. But I think he might have misconstrued or even slandered those generals. Kim Jong- Il had been secretly abhorred by the elites for so long due to his incompetence and indecent lifestyle. I therefore assume that the issue might not have been about his pragmatic views of the foreign policies ; the military probably has another intention which is unimaginably noble for us like bringing democracy to their country. In addition,  to start war with South Korea and the US would certainly lead the nation into the inevitable catastrophe and only the deranged or the totally brianwashed leader will decide to do this. But I met General Jang once and found him genuinely prudent and erudite. Even Director Kim didn’t suspect that he would be a great Judas but regrettably , his assumption is now proved to be wrong. But I think General Jang's betrayal should not be much under our scrutiny here comparing to his hobby of writing the articles in the newspapers about the nation’s prosperity and also the pacifism which he believed to be the true path to people’s well-being. This was almost impossible to find in the North Korean military top brass which unbelievably contrasted with the much touted ideology ‘Songun’ (Military First)  of Kim Jong-Il. In a nutshell , I want to risk guaranteeing that he won't start the war so easily."

Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense, interrupted,

"That's purely your conjecture , young man ! No hard feeling if I say that you are too optimistic. As far as I know , the North Korean elites long to exact revenge on us and South Korea since we label them the member of the Axis of Evil apart from ruthlessly boycotting their country for decades and the goal of reunification of 2 Koreas by force is always their obsession since the end of Korean War. I believe there are still a dozen of the generals who are extremely ultra-nationalist and megalomaniac like Jang. They would be  more than pleased to engulf the Korean Peninsula in flame. Mr. President , I think we should prepare our forces in East Asia for another war. The South Korean military forces are on the high alert now , so should our troops near the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone  - a region on the Korean peninsula that demarcates North Korea from South Korea].”

Surakiat was startled by the last sentences of Mr. Secretary as the beautiful face of Park suddenly appeared in his mind. His worry about her had increased more and more.

Landon said quite emotionally,

“ With all my due respect , sir , Mr. Secretary. But our satellite displayed the troops of General Jang were scattering around the strategic places in Pyongyang and some cities but not around the DMZ. That is what a procedure of the coup. If we prepare our military forces at full throttle , General Jang might fear that we are going to strike his country and the conflict will without necessity be escalated."

Rumsfeld looked agitated.

“And how the heck would we know that Jang isn’t planning to invade South Korea right now ?”

Before anyone would say anything, the secretary’s aide who kept monitoring the computer nearby shouted ,

“ Look ! The general is on TV now !”

General Jang on TV was in the full military uniform and sitting in front of the North Korean flag. He looked haggard and his eyes were bloodshot like he did not sleep much. But the general still showed his equanimity and resolute voice so well under such a distress.  The immediate interpreter in the cabinet room helped everyone to understand his explanation of the reasons behind the coup. The general unrestrainedly blamed all the serious problems in his country on Kim Jong-Il which seemed extremely extraordinary in the country replete with the cult of personality. He also said the newly founded revolutionary council would without further ado launch the investigations into the supreme leader’s crimes like killing , kidnapping , corruptions ..and so on to properly punish him (an execution with machine gun for sure). This reminded everybody in the room of Nikita Khrushchev  , the Soviet leader, who brutally roasted Stalin posthumously at the conference of the Communist Party in 1956 and this was called the ‘De-Stalinization’. For the De-kimization , General Jang promised that he would preside over the end of North Korea’s totalitarianism and Kim Dynasty, which meant that this country was walking a path to the real democracy. The multi-party system , the free elections and the freedom of speech would be allowed , while the political prisoners would all be freed. The outdated command economy ravaging the country would be abolished ;  North Korea would fully embrace the capitalism in tandem with the good relationship with the world especially South Korea and the west which implied that the nuclear projects would be totally abandoned.  The peaceful reunification of both Koreas was very near to be achieved.

Some attendees in the cabinet room yelled out and clapped their hands. Bush breathed a sigh of relief ; he couldn’t wage war on 3 countries [Afghanistan , Iraq and North Korea] in a row. This was too costly and politically risky for him.

Rice , the national security advisor, said abruptly ,

“In my opinion we should not fully trust all he had just said because it might be the ploy to distract us. Those promises appear too good to be true and there are so many question I would like to raise here. Why did it take so long for him to appear before TV ? Did he and his underlings have the serious disagreements before ?  What about other elites in this country ? Have they supported or vehemently protested him ? Could there be a countercoup by Kim Jong-Il's loyalists or even Jang's underlings from now on ? We must continue keeping an eye on their situation for a while as I think it is still very precarious. The collaborations with Russia , China and South Korea were crucial for us to keep abreast of what is unfolding in North Korea. But after all our intelligence community is important as well.”

She then look at Landon who smiled broadly.

Bush nodded.

“ Yes , Ms. Rice , you have a point. I deeply admire you for your punctiliousness. Everybody  still has loads of work to do. I will talk to President Putin and President Hu [Jintao of China] immediately. They must be utterly delighted to learn General Jang’s political standpoint by now. But they might feel like a cat on a hot thin roof to learn that the new government of North Korea will be pro-western , ha ha.”

The urgent meeting finally came to an end. Walking out of the room with other attendees , Surakiat saw President Bush smiling at him and playfully pointing to him with his 2 forefingers to show an admiration for his accurate prediction. The young man suddenly had an urge to walk to the president and said that he would volunteer to North Korea again as an observer , a goodwill ambassador or even a political consultant for the fledgling government. This was with an ulterior reason - only to meet Park. But even if the president allowed that, he wondered how General Jang could accept him with open arms when his heroism led to the executions of his comrades-in-arms. Surakiat at last decided to walk away quietly.

                                12

           A bar in Virginia , 2 days later, 7 : 29 PM

Perhaps the hilarious thing for the customers who were drinking while playing the pool was the Asian guy aged about 30 sitting at a corner of the bar , drinking beer while being engrossed in a book. Surakiat tried to brush away the derisive smiles or the faint chuckles from some people and pretended not to hear somebody saying within earshot :

"What a bookworm he is , even in a place like this !"

Amid the song of Eagles ' Lyin' Eyes',  the sound of the television behind the bartender not far from him called his attention to a scoop about an Asian country like Thailand. It mainly discussed how consequential the current prime minister , Thaksin Shinawatra, was to the Thai politics and society. Surakiat stopped reading and watched it attentively. He supposed that without Mr. Thaksin , the agency still existed and he probably ended up working covertly somewhere in the deep south of Thailand right now and became like a desperate ghost looking for the bad guys like the terrorists to massacre. The prime minister was also important to his life too ! The scoop said that Mr. Shinawatra was the most populist politician in the Thai history with various policies that had impressed millions of poor people in the rural. Nonetheless , the scoop said, his huge popularity transformed him into the authoritarian leader who had a little patience with the criticisms and condoned some level of corruption in his administration.

Mr.PM later had the bickering with one of his dissidents , Mr.Sondhi Limthongkul ,  a Thai - Chinese mogul (like Thaksin) who was the owner of a well-known television station and newspapers. Sondhi had lately begun to draw the increasing attention from the middle class by bitterly criticizing Thaksin whom he once used to admire as one of the best prime ministers Thailand ever had.  The people's disillusionment with the current prime minister was being fomented but Sondhi’s role might be just a little voice that had gradually trailed off - only time would tell. But Surakiat had a hunch that Mr. Sondhi was the ominous sign of the deeply troubled Thai politics in the future. The scoop raised the question at the end : whether Thailand was suitable for democracy since its ingrained culture was blindly admiring and following the strong man who came from either coup d'état or even election like Thaksin.

The young man heard the uproar from a pool table and saw a brawny bald guy with moustache and beard furiously pulling the shirt collar of the man who was much smaller than him. He remembered that harassed man was George Ferguson, the CIA operative, who was recently supposed to accompany him to North Korea. He thought he should mind his own business but then changed his mind. Surakiat rushed to grab the punch of the thuggish man before it would land on the face or the chin of his colleague. That man was furious but could not free himself from his grasp no matter how hard he tried. He kept chiding Surakiat and tried to use his other hand or both legs to attack him. But the latter squeezed his hand and then twisted his arm firmly until he could not move his body at all. He began to feel dizzy while his arm hurt like it was going to splinter into pieces. The bald man groaned and asked for Surakiat’s mercy. After being freed, he still had a nerve to glare at the young man before taking the wobbly steps to flee the bar. Surakiat smilingly raised the bottle of beer to the people in the bar who used to tease him. They were all quiet and pretended to play the pool like nothing happened. The young man could smell their fears.

George gladly showed his  gratitude to Surakiat and offered that the next drinks were on him. He said,

" Without you , I would be a dead man. Thank you so much ! He is my ill-tempered and grumpy creditor - in case you are wondering. " said George while sipping beer.

Surakiat laughed.

"You are gonna be beaten to a pulp for your failure to pay off your debt to that man. I guess that is a lot of money and you also have been indebted to him for a long time , right ?"

His colleague was surprised.

" How do you know that ? "

Surakiat said,

"It is my speculation based on that guy's furor and your reaction since we don't know each other well. You probably are incorrigibly prodigal or get addicted to something like gambling or shopping. I now feel sorry for that guy who is frustrated that his own money won't return to him easily. I almost did a terrible thing: if I had twisted his arm a little harder, it would have been seriously maimed and he henceforth would have become the one-armed old jerk."

George smiled wryly.

"To be frank , this was the reason why 3 of us just let you have a solo mission in Pyongyang and the head of our unit seemed not able to change our minds. Remember ,  Kett , we don’t have a superpower like you – just the mediocre skills of martial arts and shooting. No hard feelings if one in our group said that you were a dangerous freak who could put our lives in peril even though I disagreed a little bit. We were mighty glad to let our salary docked and work without bonus this year- Mr. Landon’s punishment. ”

Surakiat blushed with irritation but thought this was fair enough : he had talked to George harshly first and the scathing remarks from this guy could reveal the truth. He said,

" I see. I become accustomed to that kind of feeling from the people around me. And you all must have studied my record thoroughly."

George whistled and said,

"Do you mean the pictures of the dead inmates in the Thai jails  ? Wow ! They were so mind-blowing that I had the nightmares for 3 consecutive nights.”

Both of them burst out laughing. Surakiat said,

"You have a point , man ! I feel that I am a serial killer in disguise. I just kill for thrills under the illusion that it is for righteousness or something that is so exalt."

George disagreed.

"Not really. Serial killer is a real psycho who can’t separate the truth and his fantasy and has no mercy on anyone. From our study of your life , you are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You probably mean well ,according to your superego. You want to protect the weakling and the righteousness but your id works otherwise , like Sigmund Freud said. And what book were you reading ? Wow , The Soldier and the State of Samuel Huntington ! It is such a great book and that is Dr. Jekyll part of yours.I thus suggest you go visit a shrink (psychologist) to learn the method of anger management to contain your bottomless aggression. Due to your record , you will kill when only being enraged but you could keep your cool when you dealt with some thugs like my creditor. Perhaps I and my colleagues can be your friends and work closely together in the future if you get improved.  Most of all , you should no... must find someone who is very nice , someone who can change you for the better. Look at me : I used to feel that I am the worst scum of the earth 10 years ago , but I later found my girlfriend and then the mother of my 2 children. My soul became like experiencing a salvation. You are lonely ; that is your problem ! "

Surakiat began to be inebriated and muttered to himself :

" That's true , absolutely true."

George smirked.

" Kett , you are always a lone wolf. Do you ever have girlfriend ?"

The young man said,

" I used to have one but the fate didn't smile upon me as she was married to someone else. I later became enamored of another girl real fast , so fast even I myself was baffled because I thought I was still obsessed with my ex-girlfriend. It looks like an easy change of heart but it is good not to fall with love with the married woman any longer, isn't it  ?  The life must move on and that girl helped me with this. However ,  even though the object of my affection changed ,  I at last met the unrequited love again."

George nodded.

" Your life abounds with tragedies and heartaches- similar to some superheroes in Marvel. I think numerous decent girls are so overjoyed to be in the arms of the guy like you. I have many cute female friends who must be even clicking with you at first sight. Are you interested ? But like my suggestion , you have to restrain yourself , your wraths."

Surakiat said,

" I have attempted to warn myself like that all the time. Even though I was repeatedly hurt by its retributions , it is still a kind of inner struggle. By the way , there is something I want to ask : I just learnt that there are the CIA’s moles in the North Korean forces or government. Could they find the traitorous generals without me ?"

George ordered another bottle of beer and said,

" That is a conundrum. I believe the moles could find that valuable information but how could we tell the North Korean authorities about the traitors since this is to tell them that we have the moles inside their organization ? "

Surakiat ordered a shot of tequila. He said,

" I guess I was the one whom both the supreme leader and the CIA were waiting for, right ?"

George sniggered.

"Probably ! But I think the truth is way uglier : both sides probably planned to use you as a bait to lure those generals. Ain't you curious why the supreme leader had sent you to interrogate those generals at their barracks one after another ? Mr. Kim could have ordered them to have the tense conversations with you at some place simultaneously. To travel much was tantamount to being exposed to the ambush. "

Surakiat thought about the driver and Park. He almost yelled out,

"That is so outrageous ! He put the people's lives in jeopardy. That's why many people said that Kim Jong-Il was such an obnoxiously Machiavellian leader."

George said,

"You have studied his life too , right ? He and his father killed numerous people : the so-called counterrevolutionary and their innocent families or even the comrades who had fought alongside both Kims.This was just to climb up to the apex of leadership in this country and to consolidate their power as well. It is a shocking truth that the country’s beloved leader like Kim Jong-Il lived a very luxury life like a billionaire while millions of North Koreans were starving to death during the 90s. But our president , Mr. Bush, whom you have just met has the blood on his hands too : the demises of the innocent Afghans and Iraqis. The protesters against both wars are damn right ! Tens of thousands of lives , including our soldiers' , have been lost for fulfilling his political ambition."

Surakiat sniggered.

"  But those powerful people have the charms offensives to deceive us with their courtesies and cordialities."

George said,

" Innumerable tyrants in the history were always like this , pal. They were cunning to exploit their personalities to lure the crowds into wholeheartedly supporting them. But Kim Jong-Il now becomes a history. It is going to be in the news around the world this midnight that the North Korea’s special court unanimously reaches the verdict : the ex-supreme leader is guilty of all charges and has to be executed next week. He would be gone more quickly than Saddam Hussein , ha ha. Besides, North Korea is going to change its formal name from Democratic People's Republic of Korea to Republic of North Korea as it has abruptly abolished all those beautiful but senseless ideologies and dismantled the political system of the Ancien régime while the America style will be vigorously applied. Funny for General Jang : the US government conspired with the supreme leader to almost sabotage his plan but he still loves it."

Surakiat put the glass down on the table although it was not really empty because he thought that was enough. He chuckled.

"He is a kind of down-to-earth man – the practical leader who can kiss even the ass of the enemy to reach the goal."

George laughed out loud.

" Yes , funny that we can find a great number of people with this penchant in the White House or  the Capitol Hill. Ah , don't you know that this evening General Jang also appointed the interim president to prepare the democratization of North Korea and his name is Mr. Park Soon-Jae. This 62-year-old man was the brilliant and highly respected economist who had long worked with the ministry of economy. He was behind the idea of liberalizing North Korean industry and business for a long time but his ambitious plan was regrettably thwarted by the conservative elites in the Worker’s Party [North Korea’s core political party like China’s communist party]. Does his name ring a bell ? "

When Surakiat shook his head , George went on,

" He is the father of Lieutenant Park Chung-Rye who used to work as your secretary in North Korea. Do you ever keep in close contact with her  ? It would be so cool if you are a friend of the president's daughter. In the pictures she is so cute and charming !"

Surakiat blushed, but before he would say anything , the ill-tempered creditor returned to the bar again. Now he was walking before several guys who tried to make themselves look like the tough guys or the hardened thugs but they were just a ragtag of factory workers consisting of a lanky naive teenager and the drunk obese middle-aged men; one of them was even shorter than George.

The bald man said haughtily,

“Ha ha , minutes ago I was caught off guard. Now the fags like you will witness how formidable I am. I am the bigshot around here with my fierce minions ! You are fucking messing with the wrong guy."

He then looked around the bar ; all the customers stopped their activities and quickly left. The bar owner who was his acquaintance tried to urge him not to lay waste to his bar but to no avail. The owner walked away, not even bothering to call the police. George was extremely frightened. When there was no one around here and amid the incessant insults like this, it would increase the chance greatly for Surakiat to kill them all. The bar soon would be the terrifying place strewn with the pieces of shattered organs and the large pool of blood.

George spluttered,

“Mr. Victor, please don’t do this ! I .... er... promise to pay you all by next week. Please leave, otherwise .... um.....you all will be in a grave danger !”

Victor laughed , assuming that he was bluffing.

“George , that is what you have told me over and over again. Your boyfriend also hurt my arm so much that I have to spend some money on a treatment at the hospital tomorrow. But I promise if you let us beat him up until we are satisfied, perhaps I will forget about this and forgive all your debt. Hey , Chink !  If you are so scared now , lick George's ass , I will forgive you too ! ” [Chink : a derogatory slang for the Chinese because Surakiat looked like a Chinese.]

George stared at Surakiat and shook his head like imploring him to spare their lives. Suddenly , the young man pounded the thick steel table beside him and it completely collapsed. Everybody was petrified. The astounded teenager swiftly drew the pistol out of his pocket to Surakiat. The latter used his hand to cover its barrel before saying,

“ Pull the trigger ! The pistol will explode in your face, making you blind or causing the countless scars on your nose or cheeks for the rest of your stinking life. C’ mon ,  it’ll be a great fun ! ”

The teenager trembled so much and was drenched with sweat. He hesitated for a while before letting the pistol go. Surakiat threw the weapon away and walked toward Victor who shrieked and immediately bent down in fear when the young man brought something out of his pocket. But that was the money. He said impassively before leaving the bar :

“I hope this will be enough to pay off George’s debt and for the medical treatment for your arm. Sorry to have hurt you , bro.”

                                             13

Lieutenant or Ms. Park Jung Rye, the daughter of interim President Park Soon-Jae, became the new and glamorous face of the modernized North Korea. She was appointed a goodwill ambassador to visit South Korea and many countries around the world to rekindle the relations between them and North Korea which had bogged down for decades under the Kim dynasty. The epithet ' Hermit Kingdom' thus wouldn't do justice to this country anymore as it embraced the world even more than China in 1978. Nonetheless, the fanatic global media seemed to be more preoccupied with Park as if she were a great superstar. But many agreed that the moniker: Princess of North Korea was more appropriate for her.

Paris, France, June 29, 2004

No sooner had Park stepped out of the building than the reporters and the paparazzi swarmed her with the microphones and the camera flashes, but they were promptly deterred by the solemn bodyguard in dull black suits, opposite to Park’s bewitching dress which was like coming straight from a fashion show in Paris. Surakiat was standing behind the crowd not far from her. Thanks to his skill, he could enter and restlessly wait around for her in the Élysée Palace, the French president's office and residence, in the guise of a reporter. Now it was 10 :15 AM:  the first time that he saw her again in the flesh, not in the reminiscences or the sweet dreams. It was so like slow motion in film: Park turned around to show her smiles to the people who were enthusiastically clapping their hands for her. They were obviously enlivened by her irresistible charms; even the veteran paparazzi pressed the shutter release too many times like they were hypnotized. Surakiat felt the warm blood running across his face while standing still. In this hour he felt it was like he was only several steps from the most precious paintings or sculptures in the world's best museum. The guilt over just imagining touching her overwhelmed him after he had realized that she was out of his league now.

Park told the reporters that she had just cordially talked to President Jacque Chirac and his wife for an hour. She was highly impressed with the warm welcomes from them and the French people, hoping for the better relations and the deeper cooperation between the 2 countries as North Korea was still seriously in need of assistances from the international community. She also said she was utterly delighted to visit Paris where she had spent several months sojourning in. The next destinations in her schedule were her former university and the cafe she used to work with. The young woman however probably didn't see that her old friend quietly muscled his way through the crowd to get out of the Élysée Palace.

The next place after the cafe was the one that Park intended to be secret - the forlorn walkway along the Seine River. She just rambled along it with a girl who was her secretary while all the security guards kept walking not far away from her but tried to make themselves unseen as the president's daughter needed some privacy and relaxation. All of a sudden Surakiat walked from behind the trees toward her. He felt that his voice was a little shaking and his body was quite benumbed because of an excitement which was even more huge than when he was in the White House.

He greeted her:

" Bonjour , Mademoiselle (Hello miss) ! How are you doing?" (That was all he could think right now as he became suddenly dumb.)

Unlike her secretary who paused, Park was unfazed and affably smiled back at him. For him, that was the smile he could die for.

She said cheerfully,

" Hello , Kett, it has been a while !"

The bodyguards then ran toward them in astonishment and were ready to draw their guns. This happened after Surakiat stopped using his power to hypnotize them - the tactic he rarely resorted to because it made him lose his self-respect. But when Park waved her hand, those men stopped and walked to keep watching them from a distance while the young woman told her secretary to leave them alone. Park and Surakiat resumed walking down the walkway quietly. The Eiffel tower could be partly seen from time to time.

Surakiat said,

"Aren't you surprised to see me here ?"

Park stared at him.

" Why ? I knew that you would come to see me the second I stepped on the soil of this country. Let's say it would be more surprising if you didn't come to see me."

Surakiat chuckled.

" And you will not be surprised to see me walk through the perimeter of your bodyguards who were the members of the North Korea's special forces ?"

She said,

"I know you have such a formidable power and you can do anything beyond human abilities. Anyway, it is my gratitude that you didn’t hurt them."

Surakiat muttered,

"Director Kim must have told you a lot about me."

Park raised her eyebrows.

"Director Kim ? No! I hardly met him. After we had been apart, I just saw him once only to beg him to let me see you once again or at least to tell me how to contact you but he refused. It looked like the authorities didn't want us to meet again when our mission was unexpectedly accomplished."

Surakiat looked astounded.

"Really  ?  You want to see me again?  I saw you looking at me in disgust and directing the pistol at me. And they said that you were hospitalized for treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. So, I couldn't reach you."

Park giggled.

"Oh, Kett. My mental condition was not that appalling. I would like to apologize to you for this:  I was shocked at that time to see such a gruesome carnage and need some time to gather my wits. I eventually come to terms with you: you are a good guy. You saved my life. Though you have the dual personality, I guess I can live with that decent part of yours. It is certainly beyond the realms of possibilities that you would slash my throat while I am sleeping or throw me out of the train during our honeymoon trip.”

Surakiat grinned before Park told him to look around: the Seine River in the afternoon looked so serene; the sunlight reflected off its rippled surface and the river was so glittering that the beholders had to squint their eyes, so they could see its reflections of the buildings along the banks which looked like a contorted but beautiful painting on the colossal frame. There were not many people around the walkway even the boats with the tourists rarely passed by. The 4 bodyguards were still tailing them, but their remoteness displayed their trust that Ms. Park was with someone who was more powerful than them combining. One of them even turned to talk and laugh with her secretary instead.

The young man said,

" Ms. Park, I thought that you hated me so much from that emotion on your face. That horribly broke my heart. But it can't stop me from thinking of you and longing to see you tremendously, every hour, every day."

Park looked shy while her face was reddened. She said meekly,

" I know that. ! I know that you are obsessed with me. But that obsession won't be so strong if there is only you who has it."

Surakiat looked excited.

"It means..."

Park spoke in French,

"Je pense a toi jour et nui. (I think of you day and night.) There is not even a single hour that your face or your voice has not haunted me. This kind of mutuality makes our feelings increasingly stronger for each other."

Surakiat became over the moon and almost grabbed her hand like a child but then stopped.

"Wait ! You said that you have never talked to Director Kim about me in detail. So, how do you know my nickname and my superpower? I also guess that you even know that I am Thai, not Korean."

Park became solemn.

"Mr.Surakiat Songphai ,  I think that you are either a liar or a dementia sufferer. Do you know why I chose this place just to wait for you? Aren't you curious why did we feel so strong about one another despite only 5 days of working together? "

Surakiat was dumbfounded. The young woman then held out her hand to him. When he grabbed it, it was surrealistically like he was watching the film in a dark theater. That was many years ago that he went to Paris for a field trip with the French intelligence. He and his friends were walking past a cafe, and he noticed a beautiful young waitress who looked like a Chinese was staring absent-mindedly outside the cafe window. Bedazzled by her wistful eyes, he urged his friends to visit that cafe and fixed his eyes on her like a shameless stalker. A drunk middle-aged man out of nowhere tried to pester that young waitress to go out with him, much to her consternations and her fellow waitresses seemed to be of no help. Surakiat suddenly walked to twist that guy's arm like he did to Mr. Victor. The drunk man was scared shitless and fled with his tail between his legs. That was how the young man and the young woman got to know each other. They had several but passionate dates before he would tell her many things about himself whereas she didn't tell him anything but only the fact that she was a university student. One day she told him to meet her here: the walkway along the Seine River to tell him everything about herself and her true feelings about him. But unfortunately, he did not show up and disappeared ever since, leaving her frustrated and disoriented.

Park pulled her hand from his and the movie came to an end. This was certainly the restoration of his memory which was lost. Surakiat realized that actually , he had known her for 5 years but his ever-expanding superpower along with the hard trainings seemed to take a toll on his mental health - the selective amnesia. He out of the blue totally forgot everything about her especially when he went back to Thailand. [the selective amnesia: a type of amnesia in which the sufferer loses only certain parts of their memory]

She sniggered.

"If your superpower is so superb , you should rummage through my mind like you did to my bodyguards and be absorbed in what I had been through these years even when I returned to North Korea. It is not a coincidence that we would meet again in Pyongyang. One day Director Kim went to my office and wanted to recruit someone to be your secretary; he somehow showed your picture to me and my colleagues. I remembered you at first glance and successfully outwitted the other girls for this job. Meeting you again, I was startled that you didn't remember me at all like you were pretending but I grudgingly surmised that it was your illness. And I desperately wished either you would regain some of your memories or in my morbid thoughts I could exact revenge on you. But when I was with you, I was so elated and forgot my intrigue. You didn't still remember me, and I hadn’t pandered to my vendetta yet. It was like a top-notch performance that I pretended to meet you for the first time and worked with you as a good secretary. I smiled and laughed with you, but my heart was consumed with fury. But then I tried to forgive you before I would start to hate you again.  - an inner struggle ! I tried to talk gibberish or look lively just to gloss over it. Please learn this , Kett."

Surakiat trembled and felt that his eyes moistened.

"I am truly  sorry ; I don't know whether you will believe me that it was my unexpected selective amnesia behind this. I want to tell you that you unwittingly managed to get even with me. I endured so much pain after our separation in Pyongyang. I still keep your embroidery with me all the time like my fondness for you in my unconsciousness which will never be undisturbed by that darn amnesia and it gradually resurfaced when I saw you for the second time."

Park looked delighted.

"Really ? I am so glad to hear that. I was so distraught when it mysteriously disappeared from my belongings and Director Kim's man didn't  tell me about this. And I believe now it serves its purpose !  By the way, it is not an issue about vendetta but our reunion at last. Our forgiveness and affections for one another will eventually navigate us through this crazy world. I wholeheartedly believe you about that amnesia. You are the most genuine person I have ever met but the most inscrutable one as well."

The young man smiled and then looked despondent.

"You are absolutely out of my league. I am but a lone vagabond while you are the princess whose perfect life is surrounded by the loving family , along with the entourages in the cozy castle. Our future together is like a dark wilderness with flickering light."

Park covered his mouth with her soft hand. He could smell its fragrance. She said,

"Don't use the metaphors like that ! I am just an ordinary silly girl and a low-ranking military officer, and my father someday won't be the president anymore. It is my trustworthy hunch that our lives are destined to be with one another. We have thrice crossed paths, full of passion and plight. I am utterly certain we will meet again and fulfill our desires when that time comes. Or if you can’t wait, let's go back to Pyongyang together and I will introduce you to my parents."

Surakiat chuckled since there was no way he would do that right now because it would defile her with his lowliness. He was overjoyed to watch her magnificence from afar whereas he still longed for her - what a conflicting feeling! Most of all, General Jang did not want to see the guy who killed his comrades for sure. A song lingered softly from somewhere; he wished it would be La Vie En Rose, the anthem of Paris,  but it was just a crappy pop song. He however didn’t care because his heart was singing the melodious song right now. After going on walking briefly, they finally found the end of the walkway and stopped.

Park said,

" Why is the walkway so short ? Kett, is it marvelous if we would walk together like this for days, for years or forever ? But what parcel is in the pocket of your overcoat? It is so large!"

Surakiat showed it to her.

"It is a present from me. Let's guess, they are the pictures and the souvenirs from the place you told me that you really yearned to visit for such a long time. It is one of the most beautiful and tranquil places on earth."

The young woman smiled broadly with tears in her eyes. She embraced him and stood on tiptoe to steal a kiss from him. She then whispered into his ear:

"Mercy , mercy beaucoup , mon cher [thank you , thank you very much, my darling] ! I am so grateful for your endeavor to go to Monsieur Monet's house just for me. You really love me! And I am happy to say that in this parcel we will at last find a perfect model for our happy home and garden in the future or we can call them a sanctuary for our souls to dwell in for eternity. saranghae !"

                       14

         Kabul, Afghanistan, 2 days later

The helicopter's landing skid touched the ground in the dark but partly illuminated by the spotlight from the top of the building nearby. The 2 guys of different heights darted out of it. George and Surakiat in military uniforms were carrying the luggage and walking as fast as they could. They were greeted by the 2 guys whose dresses were quite like theirs, but they also were carrying the submachine guns with slings around their arms to display that they were ready for attacks from the terrorists all the time.  They were the mercenaries, working for the Black Water, the notorious private military company hired by the US government to do special missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. George later had some conversation with the head of the mercenaries on the balcony of the building, letting Surakiat watch the helicopter flow away before disappearing into the dark sky with the beautiful afterglow. Its disturbing whirring eventually trailed off amid the peaceful evening of the valley around these premises. This building once was the factory for manufacturing the bricks before the US forces invaded Afghanistan and now it was made adjustment to be the secret prison for the CIA to detain and interrogate the prisoners suspected of being the terrorists.

When both the CIA operatives entered the building, they found its interior greatly revamped and became complex like a maze, dim and stuffy - the conditions deliberated to make the visitors feel uncomfortable or being tortured. George and Surakiat were led into the room and found that at the center of the room was a male's half-naked body lying on the inclined bench and bound in the firm shackles while his face was totally covered with the wet cloth. Surakiat abruptly knew that it was the waterboarding, the most infamous method to coerce the prisoners into confessing like the torturers wanted, whether those words were true or fabricated to save themselves. This method was invented perhaps a century ago, but the world became alarmed by it during the Afghanistan and the Iraq wars, and the CIA was the main culprit. The US government was vehemently criticized for authorizing such tortures by many countries and the human right groups around the world. The US henceforth lost its credibility as the so-called champion of democracy and human rights although the government would always claim that this was not torture but ‘The Enhanced Interrogation Techniques’ which looked like a cunning euphemism. Or some hawks in the Bush administration accepted it as torture but said it was like fighting fire with fight during the War on Terror like this.

The guy responsible for this interrogation looked utterly exhausted while sitting on the chair near the prisoner - Williamson Keith, the CIA agent who gained the nickname 'The Butcher'. No one knew how many the prisoners whether they were the terrorists or just the innocent men died from his unsparing methods.

The Butcher greeted both men after blowing the cigarette's smoke out of his mouth.

"Hello fellas, I have been doing this to him for more than an hour, but this fucking guy still keeps his mouth shut. What species is he to withstand such pains? I have never met a guy with toughness like this."

Surakiat said before George would say anything.

" He had been trained to be resistant to all methods of tortures for years. I guess you have previously tried various ones with him, but it was still far from a success, right?"

Williamson nodded.

"Yes, I know that! Sleep deprivation, starvation, electrocution, or simply beating him up. He squealed all the time - music to my ears but he still didn't fucking say anything useful for us. Hold on! You are the famous Kett, right? I have seen all your killings; those are the masterworks, man! I wonder what your background is. Are you the son of the superman or the alien or something? "

George interrupted since he noticed Surakiat's face:

"C' mon, William. Let's try it again! Otherwise, we will resort to Kett's method."

Williamson sighed and threw away the cigarette. He poured the water from the bowl on that guy's face and the water permeated the cloth very fast, so, the prisoner shuddered violently like being drowned. Surakiat rushed to grab Williamson's hand making the bowl fall on the floor. He knew that this was the process authorized by the US government, but he didn't know why he had done that. Williamson was furious and stood up. The bearded guy who looked savage and slightly taller than Surakiat yelled and shoved Surakiat's chest. But he bounced off like he was doing this to the wall.

" Knock it off, everyone!"

shouted the sixtysomething who walked into the room along with the head of the mercenaries. He was the leader of the office here - Ruth Gedney, the seasoned CIA operative who was a member of the operative team to help the military topple Salvador Allende, the Chilean president in 1973, paving the way to power for General Augusto Pinochet.

"William, do you want to be another masterwork of his?" said he stiffly. Williamson then looked frightened and stepped away from this extremely dangerous Asian guy. Surakiat felt that he was like a monster or a murderous freak again though he inured to this kind of reaction.

Gedney said,

"There is no need to squeeze the truth from him with violence anymore because like Kett said, this guy is totally immune to all kinds of tortures. He will at most die before saying anything and you will get nothing but indulge your own sadism."

Surakiat said,

"May I ask who he is , sir ? I suppose he must be so important that you send for us here."

Gedney smilingly said,

"First, I want to praise that you are so awesome because I saw your works in both Paris and North Korea , let alone Bangkok. Keep up the good work, pal! You will someday become a legend in the intelligence community like me."

He then removed the white cloth from that guy's face. Both George and Surakiat flinched a little to see it full of serious wounds and it was enormously swollen to the extent that they could not see his left eye; the prisoner groaned and writhed in agony.

" George, I bet you know him so well though his face is now unrecognizable: Majid  Al-Benyan , he had worked with Osama Bin Laden for decades. It is so horrible that some parts in the 9/11 attacks were from him, for example, he recruited a quarter of the terrorists who hijacked those planes. We can call him the most valuable right-hand man of Bin Laden."

George suddenly looked satisfied. He bent down to Al- Benyan and acted like he was strangling him.

"Serve him right! Hey, fuckface, do you know my Aunt Tilda died in one of the WTC [World Trade Center] buildings? Did the founder of your religion teach you to resort to murder like this? Nah, you will without doubt burn in hell eternally!"

Gedney almost laughed and said,

"It is so humiliating for the US government that it had spent billions of dollars on invading Afghanistan 3 years ago but could not arrest the ultimate mastermind like Bin Laden who had enjoyed the support by the Taliban ruling Afghanistan. We know that he successfully escaped to Pakistan, but Al-Benyan who was caught several days ago will be of a great help for us to learn the exact whereabout of his boss."

Surakiat said,

"So , you’ve summoned me to make him confess with my power ?"

The head of the prison nodded.

"That is what I and Mr. Landon expect. But to be more precise: this is an order from the Whitehouse. Kett, you can save him from a great deal of pains while we still can have the clues to arrest or kill that motherfucker - justice for more than 3, 000 people who died that day. The pictures of a bunch of people jumping from the WTC buildings to their deaths to escape the unbearable heat as the fire was burning still haunt your memory today, don’t they? Please help us get his confession now."

Surakiat knew that the Jihad warriors also had their own reason for the 9/11: the US governments were a head of the terrorists who had caused the millions of deaths in the third world countries for decades. The 9/11 attacks were merely a retaliation for those wretched people who were dispossessed of everything in their lives even their beloved ones thanks to America's greediness which had propelled the proxy wars during the cold war. But the young man knew that this idea was extremely controversial, and he would be fiercely rebuked or branded apologist for the terrorists. Perhaps he was still Thai and lacked the understanding of the deep wounds in the American minds.

The old man said angrily,

“Kett, do it now, for Christ's sake! He might die in a minute. "

Surakiar said bluntly,

"I can't do that, but I can delve into his mind and investigate his memories. Please wait for a while, sir."

He then gently put his hand on the prisoner's forehead. An officer whose desk was nearby began to record his voice while everyone was in total silence. The young man was amused that he became so like a medium now.

"The face of Bin Laden is quite fading from his memories; this means they have not contacted one another for a long time. Incredible that he keeps thinking of his wife and 3 children all the time - a family man! He always reminisces about the day of his wedding as a mechanism to soothe his pains. I thus will go further. Yes, he escaped with Bin Laden while the US forces were beginning to bomb Kabul. In his mind, an officer, probably the leader of Taliban, urged them to seek a refuge at a valley which was quite far from here and quite difficult for the American soldiers to follow him or assail his henchmen because it was inaccessible for the jeeps and the helicopters. I can't say its name properly, as it was quite strange, beginning with M."

Gedney smiled.

"We can make a guess about that afterward with our geologists. Go on, Kett!"

The young man droned on,

"Bin laden said he would go to that valley with a few men, though this guy passionately pestered his boss to let him accompany with. Bin Laden said that it was way wiser that they would meet again in Pakistan. I think Bin Laden was clever to keep his escape as a secret in case Al-Benyan was arrested. No one around him fully knew where Bin Laden had fled. It was such a cunning tactic! Even his wife was kept in the dark. This means Al-Benyan was speaking the truth to William, but he was still tortured endlessly. Hold on! Several weeks later he talked on the phone with someone - yes, the word ISI came from his mouth. He asked the person on the other end of the line where Bin Laden was, but he was probably refused as he looked disappointed."

Gedney said furiously,

"ISI is the Inter-Services Intelligence, the military intelligence agency of Pakistan. This means the Pakistani armies have secretly supported Bin Laden all the time- that poisonous snake! They are so deceitful even though they always claim that they are our staunch alliance and receive a hefty annual assistance from us. And what else? "

[This was just a theory, but it should be noted that Bin Laden and his entourages were killed during the raid by the US Navy SEAL at his compound in the Abbottabad of Pakistan in 2011 under the administration of President Barak Obama.]

Surakiat shook his head.

"That's all for the traces of Bin Laden. It looks like Al- Benyan was not allowed to know anything about his boss. There might have been some estrangements and distrusts among 2 men. Bin laden trusts some of his sons more than anyone. We need to arrest them. But the question : which ones ?"

The head of prison told the officer who recorded Surakiat’s voice:

"Tell Mr. Landon all about this. We might use our spies in the Pakistani military or try to bribe the generals for more information about Bin laden. They are extremely corrupt and greedy, which is a boon for us."

He then looked at Surakiat.

"Thank you so much , Kett, you are of such a great help. Why are you so pale and sweaty?"

The young man briskly sat on the chair.

"They are the symptoms after I have used this kind of psychic power. I used to be a bit dizzy and exhausted, but it became unexpectedly exacerbated this time. I need some rest and no need for medicine at all."

Some officer showed him the room. It looked like Surakiat was going to have a deep sleep, but he dreamed about Park again- 3 nights in a row. In his vivid dream they stood together on the bridge which looked like the Japanese bridge near Monet’s house and watched the colorful and lovely waterlilies in the pound while talking about the plan to build their house together. When the young man woke up, it was almost midnight and he found everyone still gathering at the dining room, drinking vodka or beer and enjoying the show on TV.

Williamson smiled cordially and offered Surakiat a handshake.

"Hey Kett , my man. Thank you so much. I just talked to Dr. Ross. He said that if I had interrogated Al-Benyan a little longer, he would have been dead for sure, and the blood would have been on my hands again without any usefulness. We are good, OK?"

Surakiat smiled, shook his hand and sat near George. The guy named Wes kindly brought him some food and vodka, but the young man preferred drinking water.

On the TV a young woman dressed in western style was singing in both Dari and English. It was impossible for this kind of entertainment under the rule of Taliban during the second half of the 90s. Afghanistan that time was the Islamist state with the extreme interpretations of Islam which forbade the women from workplaces or schools and their appearances in public without the religious dresses. The western cultures like cinemas or concerts were deemed sinful. This show on TV was a symbol that Afghanistan was westernized under the Americans who drove the Taliban away to the countryside. And this was enthusiastically welcomed by the Afghans who hated tremendously Taliban's oppressions. The show came to an end for the hourly news program; suddenly, the first news showed up. 

              14  (continued)

Someone rushed to record the news since it was the duty for the CIA to collect every piece of news in this country for a colossal archive. Everybody was then palpably thrilled to see this first news but it was one of the most unsettling news Surakiat had ever met in his life. A middle-aged man with eyeglasses walking to shake hands with Queen Elizabeth 2 at Buckingham Palace in London and behind him were a woman about his age and a beautiful young woman walking slowly but gracefully. That was the Park family considered by the new North Korea the first family because those people were the president , his wife and also his daughter who had previously visited France and President Jacques Chirac alone. The young woman then shook hands with Queen Elizabeth who looked very fond of her. The crowd outside the palace were noisily cheering and waving both flags of UK and North Korea (a new one).

Williamson looked amazed.

"Wow, what a cutie ! She really looks like a princess and an actress in one person. I have never found such a charming Asian woman !"

He then looked at Wes who was British.

"The UK media now adoringly call her the Princess Diana of Asia , right ?"

Wes nodded.

"I thought it was just a hype by the frenzied media as no one would ever replace Princess Diana [ who passed away in a tragic car accident in France 1997] but in this news I accept that she deserves such an honorable sobriquet. She also looks like my ex-girlfriend but she is Japanese. What a pity that we split up several years ago and I still think of her so much. So lucky that I don't meet her new fucking boyfriend yet , otherwise I might kill him in the blink of an eye !"

George laughed and said,

"Everyone, don't you know that the president's daughter , Ms. Park Chung-Rye, used to work with Kett as a secretary in North Korea just several months ago ?"

Everybody all stared at Surakiat and clamored wildly.

Williamson said,

"Really ? " He wanted to ask Surakiat impertinently whether he had banged her , but the Asian guy's sulky face drenched with sweat made him change his mind. He thus asked him :

"Kett , how close were you to her ? Or did you ever try to hit on her ?"

Surakiat pretended not to hear him but later found that everyone pestered him with the same stupid questions.  He finally begrudgingly answered , but it was just a lie :

" We had worked together for only several days while our group had so many members. Besides, she was quite haughty and distant, so we had just talked to one another as much as we thought was necessary. To sum up : we're a kind of colleagues who wish to never see each other again after the job is done . "

Everyone sighed at the same time. George looked incredulous as he knew that Surakiat had worked with her alone all the time, not counting the driver. That channel also intentionally presented the lengthy news about Park's solo activities in London like she went to visit the orphanage and greet those wretched children who looked so miserable. She picked up a small toddle and embraced her amidst the incessant camera flashes while the anchor said that her act was greatly authentic and admirable, comparing with Princess Diana hugging the HIV-positive child in New York in 1989.

For Surakiart, that was true because Park used to tell him that she enormously loved children. The young man all at once felt something pricking his heart. He felt so much pain in his chest and bent down. Was this from his sick body or his agonized mind?  The picture of Park holding the child looked so angelic - so like Virgin Mary holding Infant Jesus in numerous paintings in the history of Western art. It was a symbol of cherishing life, diametrically opposite to him who had mercilessly destroyed it. The painful sentence ' she was not his league’ returned to his mind. He felt that the fever was gripping him and was increasingly dizzy.

George yelled out,

"What's wrong, Kett? Are you OK?  You look like shit now! "

Surakiat waved his hand. Before he would say anything, the news showed the pleasant evening of the Park family and the British Royal family in a luxury palace in London. The notable royal who accompanied the king, queen , Charles, Prince of Wales and his girlfriend: Camilla Parker Bowles was the handsome Prince Michael who was the same age as Park. The eligible bachelor desired by the girls around the world looked very enchanted to meet Park and they became acquainted quickly in the party. The highlight of the party now was Prince Michael and Park dancing together. They looked vibrant and smiled all the time while moving their bodies around the floor surrounded by the delightful guests who cheered and sometimes applauded them. This was the first time Surakiat saw her in evening dress and smile with such a bliss. The anchor said that this minute they finally found a match made in heaven which had been absent in the British society for a long time. The public was expecting with heart and soul that the romantic relationship between 2 in the future would blossom. Surakiat abruptly fell from the chair and Wes helped him back to the same spot. George urged him to go to have some rest, but the young man only nodded his head and kept watching TV even though he was shuddering quite hard.

Wes said after seeing the news panned to all the dignitaries in this party :

“Look at them! They are such beautiful people whose dignities were so great that they are like living on the different planet from us. Look at us: we are nothing but a motley of bastards: I, the heartless motherfucker, who shot at even the children in Iraq; William who even loses count of how many people he has killed; George who can do anything for money even a cyber heist. Do you admit it, George? OK. Good for you ! And you Kett …. I saw the pictures of your victims and there is no need to describe you at this hour. Bear in mind that those people on the TV right now are all in heaven whereas we are all in this shithole or to be more precise: hell.”

Surakiat rose to his feet and walked unsteadily out of the room. George was about to follow him, but Williamson grabbed his arm and shook his head. He knew that Surakiat wanted to be alone and would at last manage to reach his room by himself. The word on Surakiat's mind now was ‘hell’ – yes, he was in hell and why would he attempt to drag Park to be here with him?  It was such a grave sin! She should be with Mr. too-good-to-be-true like Prince Michael in the place million miles above his head. Walking past a room with the 2 guards standing before its door,  Surakiat heard the screams. He asked the guards to open the door and felt stupefied to see other CIA operatives torturing the prisoners with various devices. One prisoner was lying almost naked in a pool of blood, gasping and grunting like he was dying. That prisoner happened to look Surakiat in the eyes; those eyes were full of agony , despair or other feelings that he couldn’t describe. He knew this was going to the picture haunting him for the rest of his life. Although he didn’t inflict the pains on those with his own hands, he did play a great part in assisting those depraved sadists who could do anything to their fellow humans on the pretext of duties but actually pandered to their wickedness. That guy lying on the floor might be the innocent whom the wife and the children were desperately waiting for but it was certain that he would be dead or languish in this shithole indefinitely. Surakiat screamed out loud and tried to run away but all he could do right now was walking to and fro out of there. He thought that he was descending into madness. 

              3 :15 AM

George still could not sleep right now. He thought about quitting the CIA thanks to his frustration that Mr.Landon ordered him to take care of Surakiat. But he was extremely terrified that the Asian guy might one day go berserk and snap his neck which was so easy like whistling. He mustered up his courage to knock on the door and call Surakiat. There was no voice behind , so he decided to open the door and found the young man still sitting on his bed and bowing his head like someone who was completely sinking into despair or melancholy. This was even scarier since he didn't see his face and his body was so stiff like a sculpture in the dark.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, bro , but I suggest that you go to see the doctor at least in the morning. Is this a side effect from using your power to read that guy's mind ? Whoa , it is so serious. I have never seen you like this and everyone is worried about you, "

George said and felt that his jaws were shaking. Surakiat was in silence for minutes before saying in raspy voice.

" Don't worry about me. They are just the irksome symptoms like I used to say. Go to bed now as I just want to be alone for a while. In the morning, I will feel better."

George was about to say something but was interrupted by an explosion outside the building , followed by several others which sounded increasingly nearer. Soon the blaring siren resounded through the premises. Everyone woke up to find that they were under attack after the guards in the towers along the fence were all gunned down. The Americans didn't spend much time finding the answer that the perps who dared to do this were the army of Al-Qaeda fighters who was ready to shed even the last drop of their blood to rescue their fellows ,especially Al-Benyan. The fusillade could be heard not far from the building as it was not difficult for them to get through the long fence and barbwires.

George watched the attack outside the window and was scared shitless. He shouted at Surakiat,

"Kett , ready to fight ! It looks like we are going to be overrun by those damn terrorists ! "

He then ran hurriedly to the headquarters to find the submachine gun but stumbled on 2 corpses of the mercenaries lying along the veranda. They were shot by the helicopter which had strafed just now. Williamson and several CIA operatives ran toward him while turning around to shoot back at the terrorists who were now seen so clearly and they were on the verge of the close combat.

George asked him:

" Have we asked for helps from the nearest military barrack ?"

Williamson shook his head.

"The terrorists used the special devices to jam our radio signals and the internet was cut off. Now dozens of them are approaching our building while plenty of our men were already dead. Go find Kett now ! Only he can help us."

A CIA agent near them suddenly collapsed from the gunfire. The survivors scrambled to find the shelters and found that the enemy’s sniper took over the tower to shoot them. The other American tried to run to some place but was shot dead too. The severity of attack showed either the company's unforgiveable failure or the superb plans of those Jihadi fighters. But one could not help surmising that it was the karma for the American's enormous sins in this prison. Much to their chagrin , Wes was also found dead among those corpses. Suddenly , everyone saw someone surging forward through the window of the building like the superman. Surakiat ran extremely fast and dodged the bullets adroitly. But this was just his habit since when many of them hit his body , they rebounded and went back to hit the shooters. The young man intercepted a bullet and threw it back to hit the sniper’s gap between the eyebrows and that guy fell from the tower. He later went past a group of 10 warriors who had been about to shoot him but their bodies were suddenly paralyzed before completely ripped apart. Surakiat then grabbed a rifle from the dead to hit the other fighters like a sword. They either lost their severed heads or were torn limb from limb. The helicopter from above opened fire at him maniacally , but the young man jumped incredibly high to get into it. He threw the shooter out of the helicopter and brutally attacked the other fighters , splashing the blood around the cockpit. The helicopter was about to go into a tailspin but he could control it and led it to crash into the jeep and the fighters below. They were all decimated by explosions. Surakiat walked intact out of the raging fire and guessed that the number of his victims now exceeded 50. He was on a dark side now , so the sympathy for those people always dogging his conscience should be totally erased.

But the young man felt giddy and exhausted again ; this was not from the explosion as he had an insight that his superpower was rapidly dwindling to less than a half that he almost became like an ordinary man now. A fighter showed up and shot Surakiat with a bazooka but he could not either withstand or evade it. He just fell to the ground and lied still. The 2 fighters holding rifles gradually walked toward him among the smoke. The young man got up and knocked them out. His body now was maimed with some serious wounds and the blood gushing from it unstoppably covering his body with his own blood. He felt the enormous pains but still tried to resist them- the brand new feelings as retribution for his crimes in the past. He tottered to the remaining group of fighters , including their ageing leader , the senior commander of Al-Qaeda. They were completely stupefied but a brave fighter shot the young man in his stomach  ; he almost collapsed but used his left knee to sustain his body. This time the blood gushed from his mouth and his trunk convulsed violently. The same man was about to shoot him again but was fatally shot by Williamson and other mercenaries who came to his rescue. The Americans then shot most of the Afghans dead but their leader escaped with his minion who deterred them with the submachine gun. It worked as the bullets hit many of the Americans.

The last 2 jihadi fighters rushed to the parked jeep nearby and suddenly , Surakiat appeared  to grapple with the larger one. He punched the beard guy in the face , so the submachine gun fell on the ground.  But the bulky Afghan skillfully drew his knife from the sheath and kicked Surakiat's legs so he fell over.That guy without delay knelt down above him , trying to stab him with the knife. The struggle was so fierce that the old man had to stand still to watch it breathlessly. The young man felt that all his energy was already used up but tried so hard to push that guy's knife away from him. He also tried to attack the fighter with his legs and knees but to no avail as that guy was overpowering him. Finally, Surakiat decided to let the knife slowly go through his chest until the Afghan's face was near his. The young man grimaced and screamed out loud in agony but he was able to headbutt his face. That guy shrieked by the time the blood from his nose splashed and drew back to hold his broken nose. The young man swiftly pulled the knife from his chest and slashed the Afghan's throat. The heavy body fell on the floor. Surakiat then threw the knife away because he even could not wield it anymore ; he just tottered to the helpless man who was shivering so hard. He grasped his body and both collapsed together. The commander almost got up to flee but Surakiat crawled out on the ground to the catch his waist. But he then saw the commander drawing the large pen gun from his pocket to his face and he wasn't able to do anything to defend himself but simply close his eyes. He heard the gunshot and opened the eyes to see the bloody hole on the forehead of the old man. A mercenary whom he didn't even know the name saved his life.

Surakiat was carried to lie bleeding on the ground. After the simple first aid by his rescuer , George and Williamson came to tell him that the team of medics was about to come here and immediately take him to the nearest hospital. The young man knew that he was dying whether he would be hospitalized or not. He lamented that he would never finish the businesses in Thailand and grudgingly let the persons whom he loved or hated continue their lives without his meddling - Nada or Thamthai. But there was a silver lining that his death would clear the path for Park to move on with her perfect life and with someone else who was worthy of her affection. She might be crying her eyes out when learning about his death but she would soon get over it. Her father was speculated by the media that he would win the upcoming election, the first in the history of North Korea, due to his huge popularity , prolonging his presidency for other 5 years. In the future his prestigious daughter like Park would probably follow in his footsteps and the young man would gladly observe that from his grave.

Surakiat gradually got up while he was alone and staggered to the building , letting the trace of blood along the way. He then trudged up the stairs to the dining room , turning on the TV and the video player. The young man quickly sank into the sofa before convulsing and coughing up blood again but he seemed not to care about that. He played the news about Park's visit to London back and forth ,especially while she was dancing. She was so ethereal and exuded the utter happiness to the people around her like Nada. Surakiat began to sob before he would slip into coma.  In his hallucination before the last  breath would leave his body both he and Park were merrily dancing on the Japanese bridge in the warm sunlight and amidst the bucolic beautiful garden which resembled Monet's - the eternal sanctuary for their souls.

The young man murmured when Park smiled at him:

"I love you."

                        15

Bangkok, December ,2004

Thamthai in the blue Yukata sat with crossed legs on the recliner chair while watching the live American football via the large-screen TV in the dark. He sipped Brandy and sometimes cast a glance at the girl who was sleeping peacefully on the bed beside him. Due to the cold in the room, she enshrouded herself in the thick blanket which comically looked like the giant white worm curling up. The young man put down the glass before slowly caressing the part assumed to be her legs to tease her as a sign for more lovemaking. There was a faint giggle below the blanket, and he knew that she was already awake. He was about to pull off the blanket but the buzzing sound of Skype on his computer notified him that someone was calling. Thamthai hurriedly walked to accept the call before a 50-something man would appear on the computer screen. The young man smiled before nodding and greeting him in the Russian language. That was Vladimir Putin, the president of Russian Federation, who looked delighted to see him too and began the lively conversation. It was already midnight in Thailand but about 8 PM in Moscow; the ex-KGB agent was still in the neat suit and looked haggard. He said that he just finished the cabinet meeting with the silent but unfriendly vibes from his ministers. Putin then asked the young man for the opinions about some economic policies he had just given to his ministers and was so happy that Thamthai supported those.

The 2 men then went on chatting about many things which looked way more trifling, not even Thamthai's fledging business in Russia. The young man noticed that the president also looked bored and lonesome; this conversation was likely the way to alleviate them or just kill time. Since his visiting the Kremlin many months ago, the 2 men happened to like one another so much and had developed the brotherly bond. Putin was like Thamthai’s older brother who was a seasoned politician and could guide him to the zenith of this career someday - his hidden ambition. And he was probably like the little brother Putin never had since the president was the youngest of 3 children of his parents. One of his brothers tragically passed away in infancy and the other also died of starvation during the siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany's forces in World War 2. This probably made him feel lonely or even paranoid all the time like Stalin, incredibly resulting in his hostile policies toward the West in the future.

Thamthai also knew that Putin always distrusted or was immensely irritated by his own inner circle who hid well the daggers behind their smiles and beset him with a string of corruptions - the nature of the Russian politics since being just a part of the USSR. But the young man was about 7, 000 Kilometers away from the Kremlin– far from being a threat to Putin. Furthermore, the young man impressed him with his deep insight into business and economy. His impeccable Russian which was even better than of any of the president's henchmen also made his jaw drop.

Suddenly, the young woman in sexy lingerie sneaked to stand behind Thamthai out of curiosity but she looked bewildered when seeing whom he was talking to. She screamed softly with embarrassment and ran away.

Putin laughed and said,

"Tham, that is not the same woman accompanying you while visiting me in Moscow months ago. Who is your real wife? But anyhow, you can’t deny that you have cheated on your wife since your society ostentatiously extols monogamy."

Thamthai chortled and knew that Putin as well had numerous flings with the beautiful young women despite the Kremlin's propaganda that he was the admirable family man- father of 2 beautiful daughters.

He said,

"Mr. President, have you ever heard the conversation between Mao Zedong and Henry Kissinger when the latter and President Richard Nixon visited Beijing in 1972? Chairman Mao wondered why the fat guy like Kissinger had so many girls, and the Jewish national security advisor arrogantly replied: Power, Mr. Chairman, is the ultimate aphrodisiac. "

This time Putin genuinely roared with laughter, even though he was infamous for being poker-faced and humorless in public. The president struggled to stop laughing before wiping off the tears in his eyes. Probably this was from a reflection on himself.

Putin said,

"I can't agree more, brother. Although we are the different nationals, we men knew that the more we have the girls, the more it displays that we have the power. Sex is an avatar of power indeed like that old geezer said. I meet him sometime; Kissinger is wise and far-sighted and appears to appreciate me a lot. Most of all, he must agree with us that monogamy is just a crock of shits bourgeois societies and religions attempted to brainwash us for centuries! "

The 2 men heartily laughed and kept on talking for half an hour before the farewell. Thamthai turned off the computer and walked to bed. He swiftly pulled off the blanket and voraciously groped the young woman's bosom. Her irresistibly delicate skin and fragrance titillated him so much.

She mumbled,

"Pleaseee ! Tomorrow I must go for the shooting of my current film early morning. The director strongly urged me not to be late again. I guess he is ready to bite my head off at any minute."

Thamthai was livid.

"Let me talk to that damn director!  If he was so finicky, he should be looking for a new job! Don't you know that the film producer was my friend who I can order to do anything like a tame old dog?"

The young actress smiled broadly and sweetly kissed him; her naughty tongue wriggled into his month. Both then were completely naked and snuggled up to one another passionately. His hands and lips fondled every corner of her voluptuous body amidst her incessant moans like a curious scientist was surveying the most mysterious object in the world. The cold breeze in the winter could not discomfort them at all as they became like one body which gave them incomparable warmth.

In the morning Thamthai's chauffeur drove the young actress to the film studio. The CEO of the year for the famous magazines still lingered on the recliner chair and waited for the next match of American football on the television. He just now called his secretary to take a day off, surprising her tremendously as he had never done so. Thamthai wanted to tell her that he was burnt out and wanted to do something anew to spice up his ivory-towered but monotonous life. Everything even sex seemed to be pointless and boring for him. He thought about his wife who was in the house all the time because she was the housewife. But it was ironic that she did not the hell know how to do even a single piece of chores. He wondered what she was doing now but didn't bother to call her up because they had just had a bitter fight yesterday. One thing he was certain that she knew that he had barefacedly indulged himself with numerous women. Their divorce, however, looked impossible at least for now because she was the good daughter who even sacrificed her whole life for her family's glory and her father's avarice for endless prosperity which all depended on Thamthai's family.

The young man chuckled from thinking that he now was even worse than the protagonist in Leo Tolstoy's famous novel: Anna Karenina. That guy agitated his wife by sleeping with just one woman: his family's governess, but he loved sleeping around. The young man also doubted even if he married Nada, would he still end up with other women on bed? He was probably cursed to be promiscuous like this forever.

Several tinging sounds of the computer turned on an hour ago showed up - the messages from Putin. The president also woke up early or even still didn't sleep - he didn't know. He smiled: even if Putin wasn't the president, the young man still cherished their beautiful comraderies. One of the messages said,

" You used to ask me about your ex- friend who has worked with the CIA. And here are the pictures from my men who have infiltrated the French intelligence. Enjoy them like your activity last night."

Thamthai almost laughed aloud and clicked the clips one by one: Park Chung-Rye, the gorgeous daughter of the president of the newly democratized North Korea, was walking out of the building in the Élysée Palace in Paris for the interviews by the reporters. It was like in the news Thamthai used to watch many months ago but in different angles.  He could see a tall young man who was supposed to be the reporter but stood still not far from her. That guy was wearing the sunglasses, but he remembered that was exactly Surakiat. His heart raced; the guy made him unable to sleep peacefully for a week after the incident at the opera theater. Even though the ex- general told him that Surakiat was incapacitated by the special device and was sold off to the CIA later, Thamthai still had a series of nightmares this diabolic killer would come to get him someday perhaps after he accidentally gained his superpower back. The other clip displayed that Surakiat was fixing his gaze upon Park for a long time. What was his ulterior intention? He probably was ordered by the CIA to merely keep an eye on her, to see how she had been ushering North Korea into the embrace of the West. If that killer had planned to assassinate her, she would lie in her grave right now.

Putin also said in the next message that it was unfortunate that there were the great purges of the Russian moles in the CIA, so he did not know much about Surakiat's fate. All he knew was Surakiat became the unlikely hero to expose a clique of rogue generals in North Korea. There was also a news that the young man died during the Al-Qaeda's attack on the CIA's secret prison in Afghanistan, but it was just a baseless rumor. The president at last lamented that now North Korea was rapidly moving out of the orbit of Russia’s alliances like in the past. He felt ashamed to witness that like many countries, once a part of the USSR: Ukraine and Gorgia, which persevered in applying to be the members of the NATO.

Thamthai sent the message back to show his gratitude to the Russian president. He also suggested the president that now North Korea had the free elections, so he could find and support the politicians who still adhered to the ideologies like communism or nationalism and had the penchant for authoritarianism (like Putin himself) which would steer this country to be close to Russia again in the future. The president said that he had already planned to do so but thanked him and wished him a good luck in business today.

The young man ambled to watch the view from the window. He eventually envied Surakiat's life. Even if his old friend died, at least he could spend his life to the fullest. Or if Surakiat didn’t die, he would escape the oversight of the CIA to Thailand and finish him off thanks to his vengefulness. The young man thought about the help from Putin, but he knew that even the armies with the most sophisticated weapons to guard over him would not be able to withstand this deadliest killer in human history at all. Perhaps Thamthai’s days were numbered. So, he should do the things that he had avoided for a long time. He changed his mind not to be ensconced in this condominium all day. He took a shower, wore casual dress and left the building. He told his chauffeur to pull over his Mercedes Benz not far from Nada's florist shop. He intended to make a surprise visit to her to order the flowers for an exhibition held by one of his companies, which was a blatant lie. He knew that she would welcome him with resentment or a cold look, but it was better that he would talk to her in the flesh, not hiring the detective to photograph her like in the past. He flinched when seeing her husband cheerfully talking to her there but decided to continue walking into the shop.

It was hilarious that the couple reacted to his appearance in extremely different ways. Nada was noticeably sulky and looked in another direction whereas her husband gasped in astonishment when recognizing him as the big boss of the company he was working in. It was like the king visiting the hut of the paupers. The guy smiled , bowing down over and over again to Thamthai until the latter felt disturbed. His obsequiousness reached the point that the young man wondered whether the guy would dare refuse if he asked him for permission to sleep with his wife. He felt sorry for Nada who lived with such a deplorable man. Finishing his fake business, he politely nodded to Nada who was looking away and still said nothing. He gently said,

“Thank you so much, ma’am, for your cordiality.”

Nada out of the blue stared into his eyes and he felt like he was hypnotized by her charm although it was a gaze of hatred. He got the answer now: if he had married her, he would doubtlessly be a very faithful husband and go on loving this headstrong woman for the rest of his life like that dude beside her. But tragically, it would never be possible. She quickly turned her back to him and talked to one of her employees at the counter. Her husband felt horrified to see his wife’s impoliteness and spluttered to ask for his forgiveness. Thamthai smiled kindly and left.

                                             16

A pub in Pattaya , 7 :54 PM of that day

'It Never Entered My Mind' , an immensely popular song of Miles Davis,  lingered around the pub Thamthai was hanging about now. The musician’s scrawny face suddenly appeared on his mind. The black dude was one of the world's finest Jazz trumpeters of all time. He died in 1991 , about 13 years ago - Aids was the culprit. When Thamthai studied in the university - around the time of Davis's death- he always bought the cassette tapes of his albums and played them loudly in the dormitory's room. All his roommates  , including Surakiat, always teased him and played the songs of Phonsak Songsaeng , the popular Mo Lam crooner, to compete with. Thamthai chuckled even while he was smoking which was the bad habit he had struggled to kick for years. He strongly yearned to go back to live those days - the time of carefree youngster.

This luxury pub was quite empty with a few customers enjoying the chitchats. The middle-aged pub owner told Thamthai that the pub was always crowded in the night like this. The young tycoon jokingly said that the divine right he possessed scared off the people. Both laughed out loud. He then was left alone to sip whiskey and engulf himself in the smoke at the seat not far from the counter. Thamthai reflected on his precious experiences of today. After the bitter visit to Nada's florist shop , he managed to shake off his own bodyguards who had furtively tailed him since he left the condominium he bought for the young actress. He frequently lambasted them that they were more like his captors , not bodyguards in spite of the fact that it was their duties . The chauffeur was ordered to go home before he hastily drove his car into the Bang Na- Trat road. Turning off his mobile phone seemed to be such a boldness as he knew that this would trigger the tumults in all his companies. A plethora of his employees and business partners might have fanatically looked for him. But they only found the awkward secretary who repeatedly imparted his 'business leave' to them like a talking parrot. Thamthai didn't care ; he wanted his life back after his insane devotions to this conglomerate almost non-stop for years. He had lunch at a little food stall near the roadside for the first time since graduating from university. He relished chattering away to the folks there so much as they were genuine and innocuous ; now he realized why he had to listen to Putin babbling on Skype. He also stepped on the Bang Saen beach with his bare feet and found the gentle caresses of the sea waves so blissful. The cute stray dogs there became his friends after devouring the meat balls the young man bought for. He contemplated coming back to adopt them later.

The young man deep down inside felt grateful for Surakiat.

Eventually, Thamthai turned on his mobile phone and found a staggering number of calls desperately contacting him. 3 of them were from the young actress and she finally sent the message to tell him that this afternoon she had a heated argument with the director and was fired. Thamthai sniggered and didn’t call her back. The young man then felt glad that a call was his wife's. He thought he should buy a flower bouquet for her for a reconciliation tomorrow. Despite some fights , she was an affectionate wife and companion , (grudgingly) condoning his debauched lifestyle. But the call number that took his breath away belonged to the ex-general, which meant something good was befalling him. He was Thamthai's confidant - the father figure. The young man always thought that his own father had treated him coldly and regarded him merely the valuable asset for the conglomerate since he was still young.

Thamthai called him back immediately and found his right hand trembling a bit

" Congratulations , son !  I guess you just find the meaning of life outside your glided cage, " said the old man after listening to his adventures.

Thamthai said,

"This was perhaps from my fears of death , sir. To be frank , despite the rumors about his death , I have the morbid thought that Surakiat is alive and someday would return to Thailand to find me and tear me into pieces. But this unexpectedly sparked my joie de vivre which had been subdued for such a long time. Or I can say that this dead (inside) man is resurrected.  "

The general laughed.

" Look at me , Tham,  I am old and senile. I guess my days are numbered now. But you are still young ; you must go back to your normal life tomorrow. President Putin like you enormously and this meant the lucrativeness of your businesses in Russia or the Eastern Europe . I somehow have the premonition that some members of his inner circle like those oligarchs would backstab you out of envy. But I wholeheartedly believe that the smart guy like you will prevail at last. By the way , don't you wonder why I called you today ?"

Thamthai said ,

" Not a slightest clue , sir."

He said,

" My men finally keep track of the 2 men with superpowers who used to be Surakiat's colleagues in the now defunct agency. They have currently done the odd jobs and mired down in the lives of debts. Thank our Lord Buddha that they don’t become the criminals  , otherwise our country will be in deep water. It is consequently easy for us to hire them to fight with that killer. Be reassured that the power of money can motivate them to kill him without a qualm despite their beautiful friendships (if they have). But if Surakiat has already died , we can still use them to kill our other enemies.”

Thamthai felt like something so heavy was pulled off his chest. He expressed the heartfelt gratitude to the old man. After the conversation , he gulped the whiskey to quench his thirst and congratulate himself. Some unsavory question however popped up: if Surakiat was still alive and at last defeated those guys ? He always had a hunch that his old friend’s skills of fighting were still unrivalled even if he had to face the fellows with the same power. He finally scolded himself for being such a coward.

The 2 pretty women entered the pub ; they were foreigners,  probably from the Eastern Europe. They sat down at the table not far from Thamthai and clumsily tried to order some drinks to the waiter. Thamthai impressed them by being the interpreter and chummed up with them easily. They were the Ukrainians who roamed around the world and particularly felt in love with Thailand. Their gestures and words implied that the foxy ladies were ready for 'the thrilling adventure' in which he would become their guide tonight.

A guy who looked conspicuous with his flattop albeit in plain clothes walked into a pub. He nodded to Thamthai who then introduced him to the 2 girls that he was his friend and they were about to do some business before returning here in no time. Thamthai exchanged phone numbers with one of those girls and left the pub.

They got on the decrepit old truck which he later knew used to be a stolen one and confiscated by the police. Thamthai sat behind the policeman and lit another cigarette.

"Captain, is the merchandise ready ?" asked the young man.

Police Captain Narongdetch Worachaisan was about to start the car's engine. He stopped and said,

"Yes , sir. I had called you several times but your phone was turned off. I was utterly afraid that you had already forgotten our project."

Thamthai chuckled,

"No no, I will never do that. What about your job here,  in Chon Buri ?"

The police man politely said,

"Fabulous , sir. If you hadn't started a talk with Than Rong (ท่านรอง) , I would still fritter my life away at the same boring police station in Bangkok. My gratitude for you is unfathomable indeed."

He then heard the CEO of the year snicker and mutter, which sounded quite creepy :

"Good for you. Good for you."

Their truck went out of town and arrived at the deserted factory surrounded by the sparse forest.  Its inside was very illuminated by the large spotlights set up by Narongdetch's subordinates who were standing around the site which looked like a ritual. They then rushed to smilingly greet Thamthai. He felt that they were shamelessly vying for his attention with the same silly flattery. Someone was lying on the floor. Thamthai leant over a bit to see him before grabbing some tools on the table nearby : the goggles, a pair of rubber gloves and a pair of brass knuckles. The young man slowly wore them while saying ,

"Captain, please brief me on our merchandise. Is it like I ordered ?"

Narongdetch read the report on his hand :

"Exactly like your order , sir. This guy is a beast. He is a junkie in a village not far from here. One night he became berserk and hacked his mother to death. He had been in jail for just 6 years. After the release , his wife divorced him when he beat her so hard that her jaws were broken. Unfortunately,  she left the 11 -year-old daughter with him. This bastard had raped her brutally almost every day for months. That was not enough ; sometimes he invited his junkie friends to gang-rape her. The poor girl tried to escape one day. He punched her face and strangled her while she was lying on the floor before smashing her head with a large stone for multiple times."

Thamthai clicked his tongue and checked on the guy’s body with his foot. He was half unconscious due to a drug. Narongdetch told him that this drug not only paralyzed him but also increased his sensitivity to pain 10 times.

The young tycoon looked emotionless.

" I guess he will serve time in jail for this crime not more than 5 years , do you agree ?"

The police officer nodded.

" Of course , it is sad but true , sir. The justice system in this country is extremely corrupt and the prisons don't know how to properly deal with the overcrowding of the inmates but the quick perfunctory releases. The rehabilitation programs in the prisons are deeply flawed and inefficient as well.  But I feel relieved that now this scum is here. He is about to be put on trial next week but it doesn't mean anything to him at this moment."

"Did you test his blood ?"

"Yes , it is free from HIV and Hepatitis. Don't worry , sir, the doctors are also on our payrolls. They will make the false report about this guy's death which is supposed to happen in a cell and his corpse will be immediately cremated. There are no relatives who will grieve for this - only the neighbors who feel ecstatic to see him gone forever."

"Marvelous !"

Thamthai said and forcefully trampled on that guy's face. The junkie screamed faintly but still could not do anything to fend himself off.

"Time to rise and shine , cocksucker ! " The young man shouted out. He quickly grabbed the diminutive guy who still looked giddy to lie on the table , so many things fell down on the floor. He punched him in the face repeatedly. He felt the bones of that guy's face were all broken while his blood splattered on his gloves and shirt. The small pieces of flesh were also on the points of both his brass knuckles . He threw that guy's body on the floor again and wildly kept trampling on it.

"You motherfucker , you are a scum of the earth ! You should end your depraved life now ! Why the fuck did you do that to your mother and your daughter?"

The young man shouted hysterically. Narongdetch was frightened to see Thamthai became like another man he had never known. His suave handsome face seamlessly turned diabolically baleful. The young man stopped while panting .He guessed all this guy’s ribs and important organs were smashed to smithereens. He then told Narongdetch to check on the guy’s pulse.

“Sir, his pulse is now extremely faint. I think we should leave his…..”

Narongdetch barely finished the sentence when the young man smashed that guy’s head with the hammer he grabbed from the table while the policeman was still crouching down. Narongdetch found the blood and the tiny pieces of brain splashing on his face. He was encountering someone’s death within a hair’s breadth , even closer than he had shot the perps dead. His subordinates who had cheered for Thamthai like the boxing just now were totally dumbfounded. Thamthai put down the hammer, took off all the bloody tools and held a can of energy drink from the shelf for a big gulp . He began to soak up what Surakiat felt like to kill the terrible guys although he was a bad guy himself. The dead man was a junkie and the drugs he had taken were from the illegal businesses Thamthai’s minions owned.

The young man then politely asked one of Narongdetch’s subordinates about the water tank so he could clean up the blood stains on his body. Everyone enthusiastically fawned over him again like nothing happened. The guy’s mangled corpse was swiftly put in the large bag for a fake autopsy at the hospital.

Thamthai told Narongdetch to drop him off at one of his houses near a beach of South Pattaya to take a shower and change his clothes before returning to the pub. While driving,  Narongdetch felt humiliated that he was a policeman but had to aid and abet homicide. But how could he do anything when the young man owned the police (and also the public prosecutors and also the judges…)  ? It could cause the downfall to his career or even his life if he happened to agitate the young tycoon a bit. But the policeman comforted himself with the fact that the victim was the sub-human bastard who deserved to die , which was way better to see him marching triumphantly out of the prison 4 or 5 years later. He should have been proud to help Thamthai finish him off as the honorable vigilantes.

Thamthai’s phone rang. He then talked to Narongdetch after the lively conversation in foreign language :

“Malena , one of our farang girls, just called me to hurry. Captain, since you are so good to me. Do you want to join us ?  I think a threesome is too tiring. You can choose the girl you like.”

Narongdetch blushed. He thought about refusing but was afraid that it would probably lead to the unhealthy relationship with his real boss. Furthermore ,  he was still single and those girls were too hot to resist.

The policeman smiled and said gleefully,

“This is my utter pleasure , sir ! I think your house is not far from here now, sir. Wow , this night is still young !  But won’t it be inappropriate if I pick the girl before you ?”

                      17

                    Ghosts in the Haunted Building

Surakiat suddenly woke up with loud gasps and sweats across his body. The first thing he saw was the ceiling with the colour of cream , his most favourite , even more than the apple green , although both conveyed a sense of serenity to him. When the young man looked around , he learnt that it was his small decrepit dormitory room while he was working as the security guard in that haunted building. He was suddenly quite startled to find that the television in front of his bed was still turned on with the music video  : 'Tomorrow’s Still Not Too Late' (พรุ่งนี้ ...ไม่สาย) of the superstar , Tata Young. It was the song he chanced upon during the interview with Mr. Atthanit at his office. On the TV Miss Young- pretty and charming with her tomboyish appearance-  hooked up with the boy who studied in the same school , an international one in Bangkok. The sort of puppy love music video finished and followed by a series of advertisements so familiar to him. The hourly news later started with Mr. Banharn Silpa- archa , the current prime minister of Thailand, who was presiding over the ceremony for the agricultural fair in Nan province. The civil servants all stood in line with extreme sycophantic gestures to the PM who looked comically much shorter than all of them.

Yes , Surakiat was in 1995 now like the female news anchor just mentioned in the news! But he then was curious : why was he surprised to learn that it was 1995 ?  He had merely overslept and perhaps had a very long and arduous dream full of pains and adventures that probably misled him that he had ever lived in the future. But it was extremely peculiar why he couldn’t recollect them even a bit now.

Getting out of bed , Surakiat had to squint his eyes to learn the time from the clock on the wall - 4 : 30 PM. He surmised that he must have gone to bed since 6 or 7 AM after the tiresome nightshift. Unbelievable that he had slept for more than at least 9 hours without even waking up to toilet or having lunch. Someone called his name aloud down from the dormitory's lawn. Teerasak chided him a bit and urged him to hurry up because Mr. Atthanit the manager called for a meeting at exactly 5 PM and they had to work on the nightshift after that. The native of Chiang Rai spoke to him in the Northern dialect and Surakiat felt strangely comforted like he had never heard and spoken this dialect for years.

Surakiat swiftly took shower and looked energetic in security guard uniform. He descended the stairs from the second floor to meet Teerasak before saying,

" All this day I had a lengthy weird dream for a long, long time which had seemingly lasted almost a decade or something. Strange that despite its vividness, I have already completely forgotten it like my mind becomes a blank sheet or is probably swallowed by the darn Alzheimer's."

Teerasak snickered.

" Don't fret about this. The young man like you will never suffer from this disease for now. But everybody working in this building and encountering the supernatural phenomena on a daily basis will have mental problems like this. You should frequently make merits at temple and have meditations to calm your mind. By and large, Lung Tongbai is our spiritual mentor ; you should consult him more often. He is the one who have protected us from those nefarious spirits in either that building or anywhere in the world.”

Surakiat nodded but couldn’t help laughing. He found Tongbai too superstitious and eccentric which occasionally cracked him up. Walking to the building with Teerasak , he had incessantly the weird feelings which turned the banal environment he was passing by to be like the old friends who greeted him with pleasantness : the narrow alley , the neighbour’s shrine of household ghost and even the lively dogs poking their faces out of the aluminium gate. The meeting of all the security guards at the office was full of boring stuff as usual but Surakiat deemed it so amusing as he met up with Mr. Atthanit who looked fastidious and grumpy but was actually the kindest boss he had ever seen , including the fellows like Thongbai and Somkuan who always ended up bickering with one another but that was just hilariously childish especially when they were reconciled like nothing ever happened. A colleague called Surakiat ‘college boy’ and he found so heart-warming to hear it again. Something faintly jogged his memory that this was the distant past which returned to him. Perhaps the young man was encountering the things like the idea of famous German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche : the eternal recurrence.

The meeting ended and everyone had been given a handful of snacks and the cups of orange juice made by Teerasak’s girlfriend. He then revealed later these were the product samples , so everyone should sometimes buy them from her. They all burst into laughter.

That night was strange too when Surakiat found no residents at all in this building. Thanks to its enormity,  It was like the deserted holy place during war or epidemic more terrorizing 2 security guards who felt like they were alone in the world crawling with the otherworldly creatures. Teerasak looked jittery and pestered the young man to accompany him while inspecting around the building again. During the sluggish walk, the middle-aged man prattled ceaselessly to him to alleviate his own fear. He told Surakiat that he really wanted to resign from the company so that he wouldn’t be intimidated to death by the ferocious ghosts here someday. But his girlfriend who was even slightly older than his daughter from his previous marriage urged him to tie the knot. So , he had to save a hefty sum of money which was impossible if he was unemployed or worked with less salary than this job. He then asked Surakiat whether he had girlfriend or wife. The young man shrugged and said that his mediocre look and lack of charms made him absolutely single. Teerasak chuckled , promising that he would tell his girlfriend to introduce her friends who worked in beauty salon or restaurant to him. Surakiat simply grinned. The obscure face of a mysterious girl appeared on his mind. Perhaps he had met her in that long dream.

On the 3rd floor with flickering light Surakiat found himself walking alone. He attempted to look around and call Teerasak's name but to no avail. Or had the ex-boxer found the ghost and run away like hell like he always did ? But why didn’t he hear his loud footsteps ? He then went back to the 2nd floor to search for his fellow but found a bulky Western guy standing before a room with his head leaning against its door. He abruptly remembered that this was Mr. Peter, the German whose life was tragically cut down by the broken heart and the excessive consumptions of alcohol after the Thai wife left him. The old ghost stared at Surakiat with his melancholic bloodshot eyes. Unexpectedly, Surakiat was not afraid of him at all. The young man was supposed to scream and run hysterically but he felt like he used to have numerous experiences which were way more horrible than this. Surakiat calmly blessed the German that he would be able to rest in peace soon. The old man gratefully nodded and continued his bizarre activity of self-torment.

Surakiat suddenly had the urge to continue going upstairs for some reason but on the 5th floor he found the door of a room ajar. Its Inside was the ghost of the girl who had committed suicide to protest her boyfriend’s infidelity. She was standing to and fro with her bloody mutilated body and glared at him. When he wished her to rest in peace soon too , the girl bitterly screamed and surged to jump from her balcony. Surakiat assumed that she had to do this over and over again for eternity. The young man then out of the blue felt compelled that he had to go down to the room 415 – Den and Praew’s. Much to his sheer delight , the spirits of the 2 dearest friends were there to greet him before he would tearfully embrace them. Surakiat profusely apologized to them that he didn’t join the protests in Bangkok in 1992 . If he had done this , both of them would still be alive by now. This became like the needle pricking his heart every now and then.

[There were the massive demonstrations in Bangkok in 1992 to protest General Suchinda’s illegitimate premiership. After the protesters had been suppressed and massacred by the military, Suchinda resigned and still has lived with impunity until today (2024).]

Den said,

“There is no need to apologize , Kett , since nobody really knows the future. It is your thought and good will that count. Our spirits are in peace at this moment , but the only thing we are greatly worried is about you.”

Praew agreed with him.

“Yes , all you should ponder right now is yourself. By the way, I implore you to go to the rooftop deck , so you will really understand what we mean.”

Over there they met a woman who was holding the baby in her arms absent-mindedly. She nonchalantly glanced at them , walked over to the rim of the rooftop deck and threw her crying baby out of the building. Surakiat was unfazed as he knew that both of them were the ghosts who were condemned to repeat this like the other spirits he had just met. The insane ghost then vanished into the thin air.

Den said,

“Kett , due to the horrifying condition of your body caused by various kinds of weaponry ,  your mind is trapped here- the world of restive spirits which goes on back and forth endlessly like a circle as you have just witnessed. But you are currently in limbo - neither dead nor alive.  Probably the ghosts here, including me and Praew, are nothing but the avatars of your obsessions with deaths and destructions in your coma since you have killed a lot of people , combining with your lingering memories 9 years ago of this building. Such confusing realms have caused you to incur the sudden loss of memories and feel like you just had the longest forgotten dream, but they have tried to resurface all the time.”

Surakiat was speechless after some memories had been revived. He was in his throes of death at the CIA’s secret prison in Afghanistan in 2004. That was not just an arduous dream at all ! Den pointed his finger to the dark corner which used to be occupied by the gigantic water tank but now it was empty. He said,

“ That was the very same spot that you gained your superpower and now it will usher you into the gateway to the life in your real world. You must go back there since you still have a lot of things  to do. Stand on that spot now and concentrate : think about the most stupendous thing in your life.”

Surakiat cried out,

“ Den and Praew, I really want to stay with you guys much longer since I have missed you tremendously !”

Both his friends stared at each other. Praew smilingly said,

“We miss you too , Kett, but it is not the time yet. You have the inscrutable duties to this world which I believe are good, and someone very exalted is awaiting you. Don’t worry ; we shall meet one another again when the right time comes.”

Den interrupted,

“Ah , one more thing : we know that you are so vengeful for our deaths, so you have abandoned your ordinary life to pursue our killers. We feel grateful for this but passionately persuade you to unshackle yourself from this kind of feeling which is so tormenting and ludicrous. See : even we are liberated from it now ! We realize that those soldiers have been facing their own retributions like that old man you used to meet. Goodbye , Kett !”

Surakiat sighed loudly. Standing still there for minutes, he saw the beautiful smile of Park Chung-Rye somewhere on his obfuscated mind. The young man then felt the white aura gradually engulfing his body ; the picture of his 2 friends and the dark rooftop deck faded into all white.

                    18

Min Hyun-Back always suggested Park Chung-Rye that she should enter the political arena at least once in her life ,given her immense popularity in North Korea. Park's secretary believed that the young woman could be the successful politician or even this country's president a few decades from now with the great charisma like this. And the newly democratic North Korea really enhanced the woman rights not a lip service like in the past . Min, however, met the astounding response from Park that she deep down inside wanted a commoner's life. She would return to work as the liaison of the army when her father finished his presidency in the next 5 years (he gained a landslide victory in the latest election like all media's speculations). Or she might consider being a writer or a painter to fulfil her longing for a reclusive life. This even perplexed the secretary since her boss looked so extroverted and sociable. Park was also the trusted aid of her father and occasionally became his representative for many social activities which draw more attention even than her father. Some netizens even quipped that if she had been a candidate for the presidential election , she might still have been the runner-up after her father even if at a young age.

Recently, Min also suspected that Park had a dual personality. She appeared to be the socialite whose vibrancy delighted the public whereas she became taciturn and brooding in private or with her few acquaintances. One more thing the secretary found so puzzling : Park always kept  a pack of postcards with her and stared at it in her free time. Min eventually had the assumption that Park terribly missed that guy who gave it to her in Paris. Near the Sein River the young man and the young woman sweetly embraced for a while before being begrudgingly apart. Park looked over the moon and the smile rarely faded away from her face until she went to bed. But Min had never seen her meeting him again or even talking to him via mobile phone (that tall guy was the only one whom she mostly conversed with in French). The young woman moreover had not mentioned anything about him to anyone at all. Min thus couldn't fathom what kind of relationship her boss and that guy had or what was happening between them. Park simply told her curtly that he was merely her friend who came from the exotic country like Thailand.

This also could help explain Park's relationship with Prince Michael who used to visit her in North Korea so often , becoming the global limelight. And their friendship had been warmly supported by the families of both sides who wanted to see the burgeoning relations between the 2 countries via marriage. But it gradually bogged down and disappointed the people around the world who also wished to see the wedding of the real prince from Britain and the non-royal 'Princess Park' (this sobriquet was vigorously voted by the Korean public). Finally, it was the final straw that Michael was ruthlessly declined by Park for a meeting even though he had stood outside her house for more than an hour. The prince seemed to completely give in and had never visited Park again. This was worldwide circulated in the newspapers and the websites for days.

Manila , the Philippines , February 17,  2005

After visiting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Malacañang Palace [the official office and residence of the Philippine president], Park's group was scheduled to visit a school 45 miles in the North of the city. It was the sanctuary for the abused street children who were ubiquitous in the Philippines' cities since 1980s and became one of the most intractable problems attributed to the grinding poverty of this countries. In the car while Min was trying in vain to coax Park into talking to her , she found their convoy being jerkily stopped. The incessant gunfire was heard ; one of their bodyguards rushed to tell them that they were being ambushed before he was gunned down right before their eyes. Their driver tried to get out of the car but was shot dead as well. The group of men with balaclavas surrounded their car and all aimed their assault rifles at the 2 women who were trembling in fear. Mercilessly dragged out of the car ,  both found themselves the only survivors. The corpses of the staffs , the police officers and the bodyguards scattered around the wrecked cars stained with blood. Park was being kidnapped now.

A small guy who seemed to be Asian talked to them in broken Korean that they would let Min go with the letter telling the North Korean government that it must unconditionally release ex-General  Lee Tae-Bok within 72 hours. The old codger was a die-hard loyalist of Kim Jong-Il who had just been apprehended after the long escape and was in custody for standing trial. It was widely known that General Lee was tremendously respectable for the military officers and plenty of them had been harbouring the resentment against her father's pacifist government for attempting to dramatically cut the military budget which used to be exorbitant under the Kim’s regime. Park also thought of the intelligence saying that those soldiers had allegedly secretly joined the rebels which had been working underground supported by foreign countries since the coup d'état last year. It without doubt masterminded her kidnap. If this mission was accomplished,  the rebels could exploit General Lee to overthrow the current government and turn the country back to be under the communist or at least military authoritarian regime even though Kim Jong-Il himself was in the grave now. What a pity that her father made a grave mistake by dismissing the rebellion as a hoax during the conference of the National Security Council early this year.

Park was blindfolded and escorted to the car which had run for about 5 or 6 hours to somewhere on the rugged road full of curves and holes. Sometimes it got stuck in the mud. She heard her kidnappers talking to one another in Russian or even Japanese. Those guys also had troubled relationships as sometimes they had quarrelled to the point that they were ready to kill one another in any minute and she thought that she might die in a car crash if the fierce struggle happened. The young woman felt relieved that the car arrived at somewhere and she was taken to the 4th floor of a building and incarcerated in the room which was quite in good condition with all furniture except television or radio. Even all the window glasses were covered with the cardboard outside to deter her from seeing the view. The mercenaries, however, were kind enough to leave the old magazines and newspapers to her for killing time.

A Philippine old woman was ordered to take care and keep an eye on her around the clock. The young woman supposed that there were the guards outside her room and building night and day too. She knew if the North Korean government failed to comply with her kidnapper's ultimatum , she would be shot in the head before being photographed as evidence that their ultimatum was for real. She suddenly thought of Surakiat as she did not want to die before meeting him even once. She longed for his kiss and embrace passionately. But if the government decided to release General Lee , this would certainly be catastrophic for her family and millions of Koreans who wished to see their lives thriving amid freedom , aided by the benevolent and liberal government. Park toyed with the idea of escaping, but for a woman who didn’t how to fight, the success was preposterous. She therefore tried to negotiate with her kidnappers but to no avail as the little guy who knew Korean was not here and nobody knew French either. Worst of all , their leader was nowhere to be seen and appeared incommunicado.

2 days passed as Park's anxiety rapidly grew. She knew that the North Korean government was too reluctant. She hoped her father would sacrifice her for the sake of their country, and she would calmly accept her fate. The young woman finally chummed up to that old woman who later manifested herself that she could speak English. The Filipino told her that those mercenaries recruited her from the nearby village and threatened to massacre the whole members of her family if she snitched on them or even showed the slightest sign of disobedience . Helping Park escape was therefore not even a figment of her imagination. But the old woman was impressed with Park’s congeniality , so she treated her kindly and told her the useful information : this place was forbidden for the authorities. it was the turf of a notorious kingpin of a criminal gang who hired the mercenaries to kidnap her (certainly, he collaborated with the rebels from North Korea) . He also had constantly bribed the police and the local government. Even if North Korea coerced the Philippine government into combing this area to find her, the search might not be successful as the latter secretly dragged their feet.

But in the afternoon Park all at once heard the fight outside her room. The men shrieked and fell to the floor ; the door was then opened clumsily after the key was stuck in its hole. Surakiat was standing there with an assault rifle. The young woman burst into tear and rushed to pound his chest in anger. He gently held her and asked for her forgiveness but said he would explain the reasons of his disappearance later. The couple finally embraced in a touching moment of reunion. The young man warned her they still were not out of the woods because he did not have the superpowers like in the past and he had just avoided those mercenaries by climbing and sneaking into her floor (after knocking out several mercenaries). Outside the room Park saw the 3 guards lying unconscious on the balcony; it was true like Surakiat's claim because if he still had those powers , they would become the mangled corpses or even be shredded into pieces right now. But this displayed that the young man still had the formidable skills of fighting.

Surakiat held her hand to swiftly but quietly walk downstairs. They flinched when the bullets passed their heads closely. Surakiat tried to shield her with his body as usual , which touched her heart so much. Hiding in an abandoned room on the second floor,  she hugged him tightly from behind and attached her cheek to his back. The young man blushed from euphoria but had to tell her to let him go , so he would be able find the way out of here. But their room then was fiercely peppered with bullets for minutes , so the couple had to lie as low as they could. Surakiat got up swiftly and hid behind the door before swiftly opening it and shooting back. When those mercenaries seemed to stop , the young man ventured out of the room and fired his rifle at full throttle. It really worked. When Park was beckoned to follow him outside , she saw plenty of bloody corpses along the stairs. Surakiat told her that they needed to get in the jeep he secretly parked behind the building. He then revealed how he could reach her : he had disguised himself as one of those mercenaries after spending 25 hours with the great help from his fellow CIA agents searching for her whereabouts and preparing everything , including travelling here.

But their plan turned to be awry when they saw the spectacular stampede of the army of mercenaries in their jeep and trucks towards the building to help their fellows who were hiding among the coconut trees and the water tanks outside. Surakiat was stupefied that their reinforcement was way faster than he had calculated. He should have asked all his friends to join this operation. Park told him that they should go for a hiding in the basement as the old woman told her that there was a panic room there probably with a radio to contact outside. [panic room : a secret room in a house or other building that is designed to be invulnerable to attack or intrusion.]

The old woman was right. But before they would step forward to the panic room with the door ajar,  the 2 Filipinos rushed from the dark corner of the basement to attack them with machetes. Surakiat couldn’t shoot them because it was too close , so he used the assault rifle to wrestle with a guy and managed to break his machete in half. The young man hit him in the face and turned around to violently kick the second guy’s legs. The machete bounced off the hand before that guy would use it to chop his head off from behind. The Filipinos fell to the floor but quickly rose to go on fighting. Surakiat showed the fair play by throwing the rifle away ; he knew that he had still got time as the mercenaries outside did not dare enter the building yet. After a brief fight , Surakiat shoved one guy’s throat with the right hand and grabbed his neck and body toward him so he could strike his stomach with his knee repeatedly. That guy screamed in pain before collapsing. The other guy punched him from behind, but Surakiat evaded his fist and kicked him. The guy barely dodged his foot and unwittingly came close to the young man who then poked the fingers in his eyes. The Filipino squealed and bent down letting his poor neck be kicked by the young man. The 2 seriously injured men lied still on the floor.

Surakiat turned to Park to ask her whether she was alright , but the third guy who was extremely burly darted out of nowhere to bump into him. He collapsed and his head hit the steel file cabinet nearby. The young man was too dizzy to fight back. That Russian guy then drew his pistol to him but with a little difficulty because it had been stuck in his pocket. His head was, however, smashed by the assault rifle swung by Park from behind. That fatso fell to the floor loudly like a big tree was cut down , unable to have seen that his bullets narrowly missed Surakiat's head. The young woman then struggled to help carry the apple of her eyes because he was much bigger than her and became quite incapacitated due to the concussion.

When both successfully entered the panic room , Park hurried to close its steel door in time before a hail of bullets from the other mercenaries who had just arrived entered the room. Surakiat’s condition became better, but he still could not move his body much. He told her to search for the radio to contact the authorities before the men outside would penetrate this room with equipment. But tragically , the young woman found the radio was irreparably damaged ! 

                       19

At this moment Surakiat found himself overwhelmed with a quirky blend of opposite feelings. He was rejoicing in the embraces and the touches of his beloved woman like his dreams whereas he was lamenting how fleeting this happiness would be. He still lay on the floor with his head on Park's soft lap. The young woman kept staring at him adoringly and caressing the upper part of his body , especially his face. He suspected that it was her long-time suppressed desire. Both had chattered about many things they wanted to say or at least showing up on their minds in such a precarious moment. They heard the incessant grating sounds of the machine from outside. The mercenaries were hell-bent on penetrating this panic room at all costs. They knew the couple still had to surrender within 3 or 4 days since there were no foods or water inside this panic room and the deadline in their ultimatum could be delayed. But it was embarrassing for those guys since they were seriously admonished by their boss. Reaching the couple as fast as they could seemed to be the greatest redemption for this.

Park said meekly,

"Do you think it would be wiser if we escaped by the jeep you prepared ?"

Surakiat smiled as he thought that just keeping his face emotionless or sulking would exacerbate her mood.

"That would be such a daredevil act , Ms. Park. They could reach us in a heartbeat and bombard us with bullets without our chance to escape or fight back in such vast rice fields. I will never allow this to befall you even if I have to pay it with my life. Don't grimace like that ! My death is just like a tiny drop of water falling back to the ocean, but your death will turn the world upside down, considering your utmost meaning to your country or even the world. "

Park turned to pout instead and squeezed his lips softly.

" Kett ,you use the ludicrous metaphors again : a tiny drop of water ; turn the world upside down, duh. Stop bringing to the fore how we are different since humans are all equal ! My perfection is based on everyone’s delusions especially yours. Just wait for my father to be impeached by the parliament or lose in the next election. What will those people see me ? And don’t I tell you that I will return to the same life I used to have in the next 5 years ? The military liaison or even the painter. Here listen to my plan now : if we survive this , let's tie the knot in the Chilgol church in Pyongyang. I wish for so long to see myself in white bridal gown in the pantheon of deities. You must be so handsome in your suit. What colour do you like ? Black or blue ?"

Surakiat snickered.

" It is in my daydream as well. But I'm afraid that won't happen because when those bastards catch us , they would kill me , not instantly but torture me to horrible death thanks to rancour of the deaths of their comrades. But they will spare you as you can serve a priceless purpose for them. Be nice and try to win over them with your usual charms."

Surakiat stopped talking when Park's stare penetrated his soul and captured his heart. He was extremely fond of her wistful eyes like the first time he met her in Paris.

She said in shaking voice :

"I'm afraid that this scenario won't happen either ! I will threaten them that if you get killed , I will kill myself. Let's die together. Well , isn’t good that after our deaths it will prove where our souls are destined to ? Mayhap our house and garden resembling Monet’s would be somewhere in the twinkling mystic stars above our heads.”

The young man closed his eyes. It would be superb if their fates turned out to be like that.  But if one had to go on his or her own way after death ? He probably went back to that haunted building and worked as a security guard in the year 1995 over and over again like those ghosts.

The young man said ruefully,

"Don't say like that ! I am willing to die so you can live. On the way to the Philippines, I saw the news that your government had a penchant for releasing General Lee ; it was under the immense pressure from the public who were descending on the streets nationwide or even in many countries to support you and demand your freedom. But I come here to rescue you anyway. Don't ask me why."

She interrupted,

“Do you know it is not necessary for them to keep me alive ? Those villains can trick everyone by using the clips of me forced to read some note , which was recorded yesterday and the government will still release General Lee from this deception. You make the right decision!"

The young man looked stupefied.

“Aha ! That is why I deep down inside worry so much about you ! But let’s hope that your assumption is wrong. By the way, many believe that  even if that general guy runs free , the North Korean military would still be able to crush the rebellion to smithereens. But I believe it would result in the civil war and the heavy casualty if the rebels is so large. Still , it is entirely my fault because I can’t help you flee. Ms. Park , would you please forgive me ?”

Park said,

“ Don't look so guilty ! You are certainly forgiven. It is your love and determination that matter most to me. Besides, you come here alone without those powers.”

Surakiat nodded,

“ I’m so grateful for this. In case we will never meet again , I want you to know that before my mind reached the threshold of death in Afghanistan , I saw none but your alluring smile at me.  My yearning now is joyously catered as I can really see your face again to witness how divine you are. I thus urge you to keep this moment indelible in your heart until your last breath and this will put my poor spirit to rest in everlasting peace."

Park began to sob and held Surakiat tightly. He had fondled her right cheek before she grabbed his hand to press against it for a long time. He was so despondent to find her cheek moistening as the tears were rolling on it. The sounds of the cutting-edge machine became increasingly louder to show how successful those mercenaries were. The young woman seemed to think about something ; she lowered her face to him and said,

"Kett , have you ever passionately kissed ? I have never done that in my life , so be proud that you will be the first one for me like in Paris but longer. We thus will never regret it regardless of what will happen in the coming hours."

Before the young man would say anything , her lips sealed his tightly. He could see a myriad of stars in that kiss. All of a sudden , it was like an ignition : the eruption of enormous power which started to run across all his blood vessels. Surakiat felt like his body was being electrocuted and swiftly stood up with an insight that those goddam superpowers were back ! His eyes turned red which was brighter than ever. Park was so thrilled to see that and was told to hide behind the large cabinet file. Surakiat stood in front of the steel door and pounded it with a few punches. The door was completely crushed. Park heard the shocked brouhaha from the men outside followed by the fanatic gunshots. Despite the deafening sounds of guns, she still could hear the sounds of the cracked bones and the shattered bodies of many people who desperately fought with Surakiat. The screams and the groans were almost unremitting.

By the time the Surakiat's swift movement sounded far away , Park went to the door and saw the countless severely mutilated bodies. Some of their torn organs were strewn along the corridor which was partly covered with a ton of blood like in the horror film 'Alien'. The young woman looked away , covered her nose with handkerchief and ran zigzag to the second floor to observe the young man’s supreme power in that large compound in the strong sunlight of the morning. She saw Surakiat surging to the group of the mercenaries who were gasping in astonishment. Although they shot him simultaneously with various kinds of guns, those bullets became like the cute vermin gently touching the young man's body. Surakiat then shredded their bodies and weapons into pieces with his almost invisible movement. The horribly slaughtered guys all fell to the ground like the withered old leaves. Park felt nauseated although she was supposed to inure to this kind of violence.

Some survivors jumped in the jeep and drove it to collide with Surakiat while a guy fired crazily at him with the machine gun on its rear. He did not evade the running jeep at all and punched it with his right fist. It was crushed and spun around. The people in the jeep were flung in the air and the young man hovered to cut their heads off with his bare hands even before their bodies touched the ground. A helicopter also showed up and strafed him fiercely. Some stray bullets hit the parts of the building, which were quite near Park, so she quickly got down on the floor.  Surakiat then yanked out a part of the jeep and sent it to hit the helicopter which some part later exploded. It went into tailspin and crashed.

Park assumed Surakiat was way more powerful than she had ever seen in Pyongyang. Perhaps his ever-expanding powers would bring him to come close to be Superman someday. The young woman decided to walk carefully out of the building after the situation looked visibly calm. There was only man whom Surakiat spared - a middle-aged Filipino with moustache and shifty eyes. He was the kingpin who had masterminded the army of mercenaries. But now he was so pathetic that he did not have even a single of minions to fight for him (or run away from with cowardice like Surakiat used to meet twice). The guy was helplessly crouching on the ground and spreading his arms to ask for Surakiat's mercy like a wimp.

The young man tensely interrogated him about the rebellion in North Korea, but he still baulked at answering. Noticing Park nearby , the kingpin quickly drew the pistol from his back and shot at her. Surakiat glanced at the young woman and then the flying bullet which he could see so clearly in slow motion, but it was quite far from him. The young man squeezed out all his powers , so he could stretch his body to the direction of bullet and almost failed to intercept it. The bullet bounced off near tips of his fingers not his palm. The kingpin rose from the ground and was about to shoot again, but Surakiat rushed to cut his arm off and slash his throat. The short guy fell down on the same spot and writhed in agony. The young man stood before him and said,

“Mr. Alberto, you have done terrible things to your wretched compatriots all your filthy life. Now even the vice president or the mayor, your faithful minions, can’t save you. Any last words before you go to the fucking hell ?”   

The kingpin grunted with difficulty. He gasped for the last time and died even though his eyes were still open wide. Surakiat turned to Park and looked upset to see her trembling and sweating in utter terror. He did not say anything but helped her climb up the truck and left there. The slave labours , including the old woman , walked out of the building and waved their hands to the couple. They were happy to be liberated now even though the place they were standing on was one of the messiest places of massacre in the history of Philippines as the death toll was 44.

All the way , the couple was in totally awkward silence even for several hours. The truck was finally pulled over by the young man beside the forlorn building about 100 meters from the North Korean embassy in Manila. Both got off the truck and found nobody there.

Surakiat said while watching the embassy :

" Truly sorry that I could not extract any information from that guy. But I believe the intelligence and the military will be great enough to uproot the rebels since General Lee will never be released. You'd better go there fast as everyone was anxiously waiting for you. I will watch out from here and please don't look back because the guards outside the embassy will know that I am here. Go now !"

The young man turned back and quietly exclaimed when Park got down on one knee with a ring on her hand. The young woman said,

“Kett, will you marry me ?”

Surakiat blushed. He tried to lift her up and mumbled,

“  No , no no. Get up , Ms. Park. Please don’t do that ! I am dying of shame right now.”

Park wiped off the tears in her eyes and said,

“Why not ? You have risked your life for me too many times until I lose count. Why won’t I give you back with my heart and soul ?”

Surakiat suddenly did something she had never even imagined : he collapsed and burst out crying. Park was startled and walked to hold him.

The young man stammered,

“ Look , what have you done to me ? You cruelly put me on the emotional roller-coaster. Don’t you know that I was scared to death that darn bullet would hit you. While driving here , I kept asking myself what would I have done if you had been shot ? Perhaps I would have hated myself for the rest of my life. And it was like a recurring nightmare that I saw you looking at me in disgust again. That’s what I am , Miss Park ! With those powers I can’t pull my punches when beating those bastards. But now you surprise me with this kind of sweet thing. I think I can’t take that anymore !”

He found that the ordeal from relationship with Park was even more distressing than the trainings by the agency of Thai government many years ago - arguably one of the toughest in the world.

Park said in gentle voice,

“Why would I still look at you in disgust or something when you are so good to me more than anyone in the world ? I used to tell you that I can live with it. I am still struggling sometimes but that’s bearable. Kett,  I am mighty sorry. I now realize that I put the pressure on you too much. You in actuality have gamophobia (fear of marriage) , don’t you ?  That’s OK. I can wait until you are ready or already cured of this disease - whether it was 1 year , 5  years or 10 years. Remember Je t’aime beaucoup [I love you so much].”

The young man finally smiled faintly , so Park peppered the kisses on his face and wiped off his tears with her warm lips. Surakiat held her tightly and kissed her back. After a brief conversation , he saw Park walking with reluctance to the embassy. They however had a secret pledge to see one another again. The guards ran breathlessly out of the guardhouse when her identity was known. Park turned back to glance at Surakiat again with tear. The young man nodded calmly to her like his outburst never happened and kept watching until she entered the embassy. He then looked at the ring in his hand. It was too small to wear but he would certainly keep it close to his heart forever. The young man eventually smiled from imagining that it must have been freaking hilarious if he had closed his mouth with both hands to show the sheer delight while being proposed by Park just now.

                                                   20

                                          Surakiat’s conundrum

It was absolutely true that Surakiat had perennially feared marriage. It was also absolutely true that he craved the affections from women (or a certain woman at a time as he was not a philanderer like Thamthai at all) and believed that he could be her dedicated lover. But being a wonderful husband was another issue which was like a thorn in his side. This was one of the reasons why he chose not to return to Nada after that horrible ambush. Before that fateful day his gamophobia had intensified because she began to pester him to get married like Park did. It was thus probable that to avenge the deaths of his friends was not the only reason he volunteered for that arduous experiment of the Thai government’s secret agency. Surakiat at that time contemplated that the age of 24 or 25 was too young for him to settle down and have family. Now he was more than 30 years old and still thought that he was not ready for this. As an introvert like him,  having dinner with the wife nagging and the naughty kids messing around was such a nightmarish scene indeed.

For this kind of irrational fear , Park was even far more complicated than Nada. The up-to-date news was that both North and South Korea had vigorously developed a series of plans of reunification and Park was also enormously popular in South Korea like her own country. She had often visited Seoul, and a great number of people unofficially bestowed upon her a status of its honourable resident. She also enjoyed participating in the South Korea’s TV interviews but declined the invitation to star in TV series or films. Still,  her gorgeous face constantly appeared on the magazines or the newspapers. In the future if the 2 countries became one , her love life would be under public scrutiny more intensely :  the people in the South who generally were more literate than in the North would dissect Surakiat to pieces if he was introduced as her husband. The gossips in the social media in South Korea were fundamentally harsh and would harm the young man’s mentality if he couldn't measure up to the public expectations. Surakiat knew that he was the notorious agent of the CIA, whose name was hilariously equivalent to either massacre or gut-wrenching killings in the slang dictionaries of governments and illegal organizations around the world. If his true identity was leaked to the world outside, everything around him including Park's dignity as his wife would be an utter shambles.

Amidst the pursuits by some famous South Korean stars, Park also found that the handsome Prince Michael of the UK made headlines once more by visiting her with a large flower bouquet after the kidnap and was cordially welcome. The young woman showed her repentance for letting him wait in vain like that day and promised it would never happen again. Surakiat became wary that her heart might be wavered by the prince's charms even though she passionately professed her love for him. He knew that the prince's prestige tremendously belittled him in the eyes of Park. And if the public happened to put him and the prince to stand together , he would be like a circus freak.

Surakiat always woke up in the middle of the night and aimlessly strolled outside the dormitory in the CIA headquarters like the lost soul. He sometimes exercised in the gym for an hour to exhaust himself so he could be sleepy (but unfortunately with his superpowers, he was not tired so easily). These finally helped him disturbingly reach the old conclusion like in Afghanistan: love was sacrifice. He should take a bow before leaving the competition quietly to witness Park spend her dignified life with the prince. The couple thus would become a match made in heaven. Michael would help the once secluded North Korea be blessed on the international stage. Saving Park from that kidnap had already fulfilled the aim of Surakiat's lifetime and he was so certain that her father’s government would not allow anyone to put her in jeopardy again. He was satisfied now.

But he now was extremely bored with killing people even they were the nasty villains. Joining the clandestine activities by the CIA which many times were quite difficult to pinpoint whether right or wrong also put his moral compass to the test.  Surakiat seriously planned to quit everything in the US soon and quietly return to Thailand to work as a humble security guard some place , probably his hometown – Chiang Mai. Nobody, even Mr. Landon, the CIA’s director, or President Bush, could prevent him from doing that. 

                        Kiev, Ukraine, March 17, 2005

Being ensconced on the sofa, Surakiat didn't find the book in his hands much absorbing since his mind kept going astray. He could well hear the incessant clickety-clack from George's keyboard. The American completely immersed himself in the computer not far from him. He sometimes mumbled and tapped his fingers on the table -amusing for Surakiat. The young man then got up and walked to the window to see the view of Ukraine's bustling capital city in the afternoon- the 4th time he did this.

“Comrade , you are looking so bored. Don’t know that your patience is so little like the spoiled brat who grew up in the stinking rich family of New York city. This reminds me of Donald Trump, ” said George. He still had some humour although they were left to languish in this apartment for 3 days already. [Trump had been famous as a mogul and a TV personality since 1980s]

Surakiat chuckled.

“You still have some work to do,  but for me apart from reading,  even walking to the convenience store only 2 blocks away from here must be in a darn discreet manner. I am dying to go outside for jogging or travelling around the city.”

George said even though his eyes were still on the computer screen:

“It is a precautionary measure from the Ukrainian intelligence. The spies of Russia are everywhere even in their offices to the extent that they became wary of one another. This mission we are assigned is utterly secret and you are also conspicuous since you are Asian , which was quite rare to find in Ukraine. Be patient a bit and we will kick some asses in a jiffy.”

Surakiat cracked up and walk to sit on the chair beside George.

“To kidnap or assassinate someone in a prison of Belarus ? He must be so special as this is from the collaboration between the US and the Ukrainian governments. But do they really need the man with superpowers like me ? ”  [Belarus was the neighbouring country of both Ukraine and Russia]

George said,

“ You bet !  And this is his information I have been trying to collect and analyse on the computer for a couple of days. Regrettably, I can’t reveal him to you much until the conference with our higher-ups and the Ukrainian authorities begins in the next few days. By the way, I don’t believe that you hungered for money so much that you spent your free time working part-time for the North Korean government to rescue Miss Park Chung-Rye in the Philippines,  turning the army of the best mercenaries in the world into one big mess. And you had just incredibly recovered from your extremely serious injury , being deprived of all superpowers. These sent the shivers down my spine.”

Surakiat said,

“That’s what I had said during the investigation by the special committee of the CIA. Pal, I need some money to pay those exorbitant bills : car , food and luxury things. Luckily, I was not fired.”

George smiled but he knew what really happened. He recently hacked into a computer of the Philippine police station in Manila , linking to the CCTV at the building near the North Korean embassy. A file displayed Park sweetly making out with Surakiat. The American knew that he could have sit comfortably on the heap of dollars if he had sold this video to the voracious press. But Surakiat was his best friend who saved his life. He also feared that the shrewd Asian guy might manage to trace the identity of the seller ; he would never live to spend that money or see his family again. George also decided to delete that file to deter the sleazy police's exploitation if they accidentally found it. The relationship between 'the killer and the princess' would be an everlasting secret guarded by the ex-hacker like him who used to expose tons of secrets of the VIPs and the governments around the world , bravo !

George stopped working and said,

“I know you are off the hook because Mr. Landon seriously took you under his wing and claimed to everyone that your heroism contributed to the country’s prestige and good relationship with North Korea although it was not initially from the order of the agency. Come to think again : the agency feels so insecure about you. How can they be sure that you won’t work for the foreign governments or the devil magnates and their organizations after being fired ? Your superpowers are so intimidating. This and your deep knowledge in the agency can morph into the most destructive weapons to them , including Washington. Kett , even if you want to leave this organization , you will never find the way out. They are ingenious to find the way to assassinate you or at least clip your wing. Despite your superman-like power,  don't think that you don't have an Achilles heel.”

Surakiat felt the warm blood running across his face. But he believed he would finally manage to outmanoeuvre this agency and become free like ‘un oiseau rebelle’ [a rebellious bird].

George suddenly had the urge to tease his friend just for fun. He then turned on the video clip on the website of the BBC. That was a lively exclusive interview with Park 2 weeks ago.

“Look at her : she was not only beautiful but also spoke English so fluently ! It is understandable that Ms. Park wouldn’t mention your name or tell anyone who you were, but I notice that she had praised you profusely. Can’t believe that she did this to the person who had rescued her because of money. Let’s analyse some of the English words she was using. Wow , they were poetically beautiful . And look at how she blinked her eyes and touched her hair . These were implying her feeling… for you.”

Surakiat blushed and said aloud,

“ Ridiculous ! Remember she is like a politician who adeptly crafts her words and gestures to impress the public. Ah , I remember now. Along the way back to Manila city,  I urged her to speak highly of me , so it would indirectly enhance her image perfectly : why such a good guy risked his life for her.”

George tried to suppress laughter and said,

“If so, she should become an actress with top-notch skill of performance. Kett , you are such a terrible liar , ha ha."

Surakiat was about to argue this but then perceived with his special sense that something was  piercing air from outside of the window toward them both. It was exceedingly fast and silent , but the young man just flicked his wrist and cut it in half - a bullet from the cutting-edge rifle with silencer.

He shouted,

“Get down , George ! The sniper !”

Other bullets soon swiftly approached them, but Surakiat could grab them all. George darted behind the sofa and cowered behind it. But he was relieved that the bullets did not hit the computer. The young man ran to the window and saw the guy with the rifle from the roof-top deck of the building opposite to his apartment. The guy shot him one more time, but Surakiat caught the bullet again. He changed his mind not to send it back to the forehead of the shooter like he always did because he wanted to learn who his mastermind was. He then soared into the air through the window towards that sniper. Now Surakiat was moving so fast that it looked like he was teleporting himself , not flying - the new level of his superpowers.

The sniper in black suit and balaclava threw away the rifle and was about to flee. Surakiat kicked his right leg but was startled that that guy’s leg was so strong like he was kicking the pole. That guy stopped being a coward and squared off with him. Surakiat punched him in the face, but he evaded his fist adroitly and kicked his trunk. The young man flinched as it hurt ! Now he knew that he was fighting the guy with the superpowers like him. He faintly smiled because it was his yearning for long to meet his counterpart . The last time was when he practiced the martial arts with his friends in the gym of the agency in Thailand. Both men’s eyes were now turning red.

The fight seemed to be packed with fun when Surakiat found that guy - much smaller than him - could dodge his attacks and retaliate against him multiple times until he fell to the floor and found the blood dripping from his nostrils. He was amazed at how swift and skilful that guy’s move was, like a ballet dancer. The sniper kicked his neck but was intercepted by his left hand. The young man then grabbed his ankle and smashed his body against the concrete floor. The sniper prevented his own body from hitting the ground with both of his stretching arms and successfully shook off Surakiat’s grasp. He hovered above the ground to thrust his left foot at the young man but missed when Surakiat quickly stepped backward. That guy turned around and kicked him but was counterattacked by his powerful punch. The sniper screamed as he felt that the bones of his foot and leg were broken. Surakiat wasted no time in pounding him on the chest and stomach repeatedly. His both fists moved so fast like the fluttering wings of bird. The guy gushed the blood and fell to the ground before lying still. If he were the ordinary human, his body would be ripped into pieces by now. The young man knew that his superpowers were increased exponentially within just several minutes. This occurred after they had returned to him in the Philippines. Even he himself was scared of this since he did not know what they would lead him to, or would they leave him again like the capricious wind ?

The Ukrainian intelligence operatives and George rushed out of the room adjunct to the rooftop deck. Surakiat noticed that guy’s left leg was miraculously in the little flames. Thanks to the sudden premonition , he waved his hands and shouted to them,

“ Don’t come nearer !!!”

The body then exploded violently, decimating the poor flower beds and the deck chairs nearby. Some parts of the fence were in ruins while the floor shook like it was going to collapse. Fortunately, the floor merely had the large cracks, otherwise the building residents would be in grave danger. Everybody ,except Surakiat, fell backwards and sustained the minor injuries since they were still far from the explosion. The young man was standing on the same spot -absolutely unscathed like nothing happened. But he looked flummoxed and shouted even when this pandemonium had barely gone :

“George , can you tell me who the heck we are encountering here in Ukraine ?”

                                                   21

"That sniper was the Russian operative who worked for the Russian government’s secret project. It is a hangover from the cold war initiated by Leonid Brezhnev which had trained men and women with superpowers for various missions like espionages , sabotages and especially assassinations. This inspired the US government under Ronald Reagan to launch its own project. The countries around the world also followed suit. Regrettably, this kind of project was proved too costly and risky ; a great number of governments were severely reprimanded by opposition parties and press. Most of them, including the US, shut down the projects one after another. The last one was the agency in Thailand almost 2 years ago. But we are proud that its product is still here with us now,”

droned CIA Director Ken Landon on via the big screen in the room of the Ukrain’s intelligence centre. It was partly the teleconference as Landon was still in Langley , Virginia. Everyone looked at Surakiat who sighed not so quietly. The word ‘circus freak’ returned to haunt him again.

George smilingly whispered to him,

"Looks like you have found your ancestors now."

The young man said nothing but "shush !".

The Ukraine’s intelligence director , the guy in his 60s, said,

"Thank you so much , Mr. Landon. At least we are enlightened now in who we are really dealing with. The Orange Revolution [the large protests] last year thwarted the ambition of Viktor Yanukovych , the puppet of Putin , for the presidency. Our new President Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned, and it disfigured his face until today. We are thus certain that this failed assassination was from those sons of Putin."

Landon agreed.

" It is not beyond our speculation that Putin dusted this project off to train the new generation of assassins several years ago. He is so scheming. This is the Machiavellian kind of thing that he believes to help him achieve the ultimate goal : power like killing the European politicians who express their disapprovals or criticisms against him. The victims also include the ones whose policies are to distance their countries from the orbit of Russia’s power. Every operative also has the devices in their bodies ready to explode when the mission fails. This prevents them from being arrested and spilling the beans about their organization. How cruel and inhumane Putin is! He is hell-bent on dominating Eastern Europe again. Be certain that he is ready to 'resovietize' his country [to make Russia great again like the USSR]. The agency responsible for those assassins is the FSB  or the Federal Security Service, the reincarnation of the KGB , full of the hardliners who used to work with this agency and are passionately nostalgic about the greatness of the USSR. "

Surakiat all of a sudden said,

"Director Landon , the attempted murder happening to us yesterday shows that they have already known who we are and probably what we are up to."

Landon nodded and talked to the Ukrainian.

" Mr. Director , no offence if I doubt that the Russian spies have successfully infiltrated the upper echelons of  your agency. Perhaps he or she is sitting right here with us ! Will you consider postponing this operation at least for a while for the sake of your men ?"

Surakiat snickered. What about him ? Having superpowers meant nobody should be worried about him ?

The Ukrainian discussed with several of his subordinates who were sitting next to him. He then said,

"Mr. Director. I’m afraid we can't do that. We learn from our reliable source that the Belarusian government is contemplating sending our target to its Russian counterpart soon. And we believe that the persons in this very room are all trustworthy. The Russians might only be aware of your men's presence in Kyiv. To delay thus is to put us at a disadvantage."

Surakiat asked the Ukraine’s intelligence Director :

"But what if they have already known our ulterior motive ?  Everyone in this operation : your well-trained commandos and me will be in great jeopardy !"

The middle-aged man looked vexed.

"Mr. Songphai, If you’re afraid for your life , you can quit this operation and go travelling around our country as you are pleased. I believe my men , the best commandos in the Ukrainian history, can pull off this operation alone as we also have the special devices to fight with those Russian motherfuckers. Some of them will lose their lives at last … but they are more than willing to shed their blood for our motherland."

Surakiat flushed and almost shouted,

"No , Mr. Director. I’m really concerned about the lives of your men. I guess many of them have families (whereas I am still pitifully single).  I have a hunch that those Russians' superpowers surpass your so-called special devices. Won't reassure you that I can protect your men all if I am overwhelmed by them. The worst scenario : your elite troops will be totally annihilated for nothing !"

Mr. Landon interrupted.

"Kett , I forget to tell you that our Navy Seals commandos will be their reinforcement as they are now in a ship in the Black Sea. They will be right behind your back in the night of operation. Please have faith in our technologies and the insight of Mr. Antonovych [the Ukrainian director]. Remember this operation is authorized by the presidents of both countries , so you can’t disobey the orders despite how much you are frustrated. By the way , George , can you corroborate to everyone why we need to risk some lives and the international conflicts with this operation ?"

George cleared his throat a little and began to read the papers on his desk :

“ The ultimate target or the reason why we are here is the British once considered one of the legendary spies of MI6 – Mr. Frank Cole. He used  to work in Southern Europe and the Middle East between the 70s and 80s. The British government found that he was indeed the double spy : he had surreptitiously worked for the Soviet government at the same time. Mr. Cole then looked like vanishing into thin air. There were constantly rumours about his presences : some claimed to have seen him in Poland , Turkey or even Syria. We eventually found that he had worked with the Belarusian government for years before being arrested for selling the government’s information to Russia months ago. The British government tried to persuade Belarus to send him back to the UK, but the latter declined. Prime Minister  Tony Blair couldn’t do anything because both countries didn’t have an extradition treaty. Mr. Cole at last would be sent to Russia according to the backroom agreement between Putin and Alexander Lukashenko , the bald Belarusian president. The 2 autocrats looked like already burying the hatchet about Mr. Cole’s betrayal. Why is this guy so precious ? While working with Belarus , he sneaked into Russia to join Putin’s project and found that he himself had superpowers but…”

George cast a glance at Surakiat and went on,

“ Due to his small frame : 5' 5 in height (165 centimetres) and no skills of fighting, he does not become like Superman or a fierce warrior like Mr.Songphai. Still, he has the powers to control the people’s minds and also some materials. The analysis from the CIA is that he could be exploited by Putin to interfere with the Ukrainian government by all methods even beyond our imaginations. The most reasonable possibility is that he will collaborate with the Ukrainian politicians who had the secret connections with Putin. We happened to learn  the secret machination of the opposition parties that they will oust the present president with impeachment. Their candidate for the next election will be groomed and helped with the most powerful propaganda by Mr. Cole. This guy is far from being a demagogue but when he speaks, the people will kneel down in awe like he is a prophet.  If this plan ultimately succeeds ,Ukraine 's fledgling democracy after the era of Leonid Kuchma , one of the most corrupt presidents , will be irretrievably ruined. Starting from stopping Ukraine from applying for the NATO membership,  the new president will bring this country to be a part of Russia like when the USSR existed.”

Landon added,

“ We , the Americans , the world champion of democracy and human rights can’t let Ukraine fall into the bloody hands of Putin or anyone as the dictator who disregards everything we ideologically cherish !"

Surakiat grinned. He knew that the US democracy was also deeply flawed. Landon’s remark was the hypocritical statement driving the US foreign policies and its self-righteous views on other countries for decades.

He said,

“And how could the Belarusian authorities arrest and imprison this guy since he had such a great power ?”

George smiled.

“ They caught him while he was drugged by a woman who managed to seduce him ; that was his weakness. She was specially trained to resist being controlled by his power. The Belarusians also have the special device to incapacitate him by planting it in his body to suppress those superpowers like your case. His cell is built with the special materials as well. And don’t be curious whether Mr. Cole will obey the orders from Putin. The guy worships the Russian president so much like his secret adoration of  Stalin and communism decades ago. But we won’t overlook his ambition : in the future he might become a governor of Ukraine if it is annexed to Russia or even the Russian president after being naturalized. He might dominate the world or start World War 3 to satisfy his boundless hunger for power and flesh…”

The Ukrain’s intelligence director looked surprised,

“Flesh ?”

George said,

“Yes , Mr. Director. Cole is like Hannibal Lecter in the film ‘Silence of the Lambs’. He is a closeted serial killer and cannibal. He had killed 36 people in the small towns of Belarus with impunity. Our lad was also the good chef who used human fleshes and organs for his dinners and also scrumptious meals for his poor guests , including President Alexander Lukashenko who visited his house one day, ha ha.”

Surakiat cracked up.

“Wow ! The perfect plot for the new thriller film. That should be the sequel to Silence of the Lamb : Silence of the Puppy. This is about a guy with psychic power who happened to be a cannibal ! Imagine the face of Lukashenko when learning that he had just gobbled up the remains of his fellow humans. ”

Some attendees in the room burst out laughing . Landon looked solemn and said,

“Kett , you should not think this stuff is light-hearted ! You must lead the commandos to sneak into the Belarussian prison to kill him before he would be become free on the Russian soil. Remember, Kett, the White House considers that to assassinate him is the most convenient way, not to kidnap anymore. We can do that while the special device is still in his body. Apart from Cole’s cell with sophisticated technology , that prison is quite in excellent condition with the best-trained  guards who have changed their shifts every 4 hours. Fortunately, if you don’t encounter the group of the Russian operatives , the commandos will pave the way for you to reach that room. Cole's superpowers will be revived by the guards when they find that you or anyone can reach him. So , do everything as quickly and quietly as you can ! Otherwise, he might have a bloody chance to manipulate and control your mind until you become his discipline. This means all hell breaks loose indeed !  But I believe you will be able to resist him because you have the psychic power as well.”

Surakiat ruefully said,

“ I am sorry that my psychic power has forever gone since that horrid day in the CIA’s secret prison in Afghanistan. Precariousness of our operation will be increased.”

The CIA director sighed.

“ I am afraid we don’t have much choice. I will repeat it again : we can’t let him in the hands of the Russians !”

Surakiat became mute ; he had been fed up with sitting among these jerks who thought about nothing but using him and some people as their pawns. He was wary that both Landon and George might create a pack of lies to lure him into serving the US ambitions to dominate Ukraine and Eastern Europe or even to advance their own interests. He should be extremely mindful of this.

The conference then moved to other topics which were extremely boring like the further cooperation between the US and the Ukrainian governments to fight against terrorism or crime syndicates. George briefed the attendees on the statistics from some research he had done to support the new projects. Surakiat was merely busy writing something on his paper : the list of activities after his resignation from the CIA and return to Thailand :  In Bangkok the old military guy he planned to kill to exact the revenge for Den and Praew would die anytime soon. He would go to his funeral to show respect and would tell his corpse in the coffin that his friends finally forgave him. He also would do nothing with Thamthai since the latter's growing influence was insurmountable for him. Perhaps Surakiat still could destroy him, but he was afraid that this would put his life as an ordinary security guard in the limelight of the country and mark the end of his desired peaceful life.

The young man, moreover, hoped that he would manage to suppress those superpowers and use them when it was extremely necessary. He didn’t want to be the repulsive killing machine again. He would also never show himself to Nada even once since his love for her all evaporated like dew in the late morning when he fell head over heels with Park. Maybe before 40 he would get married to the daughter of the owner of a small laundry in the condominium he was working in  (if there was one) . Surakiat then was startled to learn that his left hand kept fondling the ring given by Park all the time. He was certain that when everything went as planned,  he would be a tormented soul for the rest of his life as Park’s smile would always haunt him through every breath he took. And what about this ring ? Would he dare throw it away ?  He had kept it in the pocket near his heart all the time even while he was sleeping.

All of a sudden, the young man emphatically crossed those activities out and wrote the only one with a long sentence  : why would he abandon that woman , the only person on earth who truly loved him and vice versa ? Love was selfishness not sacrifice. He didn't give a damn about Park's perfect life any longer and would take her to somewhere in the world to spend their lives together until the end of time , or at least when Russia and the NATO ended up striking one another with a hail of nuclear missiles over the conflict in Ukraine. Fuck gamophobia ! Fuck going back to Thailand ! He didn’t care about them anymore. Perhaps the young man would even bite the bullet if Park wanted to have a baby with him.

The conference came to an end with the conclusion : the operation with the name: Maidan Fight would be carried out tomorrow night.George would support Surakiat and the commandos with various IT technologies and usher them with the prison’s plan he had stolen by hacking into the prison architect’s computer.

Surakiat quickly went into George’s room in their new safe house. He turned on the computer and a program specially designed to operate like telephone. This program was guaranteed by his IT wizard friend that it was extremely confidential and undetectable. He made a call to Park’s mobile phone. The young man’s heart raced so fast that he could barely sit still.He had to wait for a while until his call was taken. That was her voice, but their conversation was quite inaudible since the dance music behind her was so loud; she was in a nightclub. The young man tried to say louder,

“Ms. Park , this is me. I am so sorry not to call you since that day!"

Park was in silence while the music seemed to recede. She then laughingly said,

“ That’s OK , Kett. I know you well. You are so boring : you look ambiguous and change your mind all the time. What is it that you want ?”

Surakiat was in a daze.

“I ……”

The young man then heard a woman’s voice beside her. That was her secretary.

“ Ms. Park , Prince Michael is looking for you !”

Park said briskly to Surakiat :

“ If you don’t know what to say, I am at my wits’ end. Next time, try to figure out what you are going to say. But you should call my secretary first. Goodbye !”

The young man felt like he was falling from skyscraper. He gradually got down on the floor and stared blankly at the wall for an hour.

                                                   22

                            8.34 PM , outside a maximum-security prison in Belarus

Surakiat wryly grinned when reminiscing about his comical fate. While he was in Bang Kwang , one of the most dangerous prisons in the world , he was the most fearsome inmate who sent the shivers down the spines of even the toughest prisoners with merely a glance. He thus didn’t grapple much with helping the young men from being the victims of molestations by them especially Somrit's minions. Now he found himself being the victim of molestation by a woman  ,the person he loved most. That was their time in the panic room in the Philippines : she both caressed and kissed him. He was then certain that those touches of hers were extremely desirable , but he was currently bemused whether they were the same anymore since she ditched him like a worthless piece of garbage.

Now he should celebrate the fact that it was Park who ended everything. He should not be melancholic like in the secret prison in Afghanistan as he would risk losing his superpowers and taking everyone in this operation in jeopardy. Someone laid the hand on his shoulder ; that was Colonel Oleg,  the head of Ukrainian commandos. The hardened soldier was scared shitless even to see Surakiat had been a little startled when being touched. He too heard a lot about the young man's boundless ability to kill and destroy. Surakiat's mind was back to reality and he saw a group of the elite troops quietly sitting around him behind a large mound in the dark sparse forest. Ironically,  the previous years he always had this kind of operatives as his nemeses (or victims of his slaughters). But at this minute they became like his comrades-in-arms.

Oleg whispered to him that George had told everyone it was time to make a move since the CIA’s satellite showed no signs of humans or living things on the way to the prison (but the young man had taken off the earpiece). Surakiat became irrationally wary that the satellite might have been deceived by the Russian operatives with their superpowers. The young man felt the grave threats to his fellows and even his life even though he had the superpowers. Although the Navy Seals were supposed to help them , they would eventually fall victims to this invisible deadfall like the Ukrainian team. He hoped if anything happened , he could sacrifice his life for everyone. And the death shall unbridle him from his irksome mind and unreliable ever-expanding superpowers which he feared might even consume his life at the end.

All the commandos rose to their feet and moved forward slowly with the submachine guns , AK-47.  Some wielded the strange-shaped weapons to cope with the Russian operatives. Surakiat had the AK-47 in his arms too. Even though his body was far mightier than this weapon , the latter helped him belong to the group. Via their night vision goggles, the prison not far from them appeared typical : the dark buildings in the large compound with the tall fence and the long barbwires. The spotlights were being shined around the buildings and the courtyard restlessly while the guards with weapons were standing in the watchtowers.

Their furtive advance was uninterrupted until one of them a little tripped over the tree’s root.  Surakiat shook his head , wondering whether they could accomplish their goals even despite the absence of the Russians. The camera on Oleg’s helmet made young man guess that the presidents from both countries were watching this operation breathlessly from their offices. It was hilarious that once President Bush mentioned about meeting with Putin in 2001 : "I looked into his eyes, and I saw a soul. I trusted him." The West had unfailingly misinterpreted this ex- KGB tyrant : even the record of his work in East Germany during the cold war was overpraised. It had never been investigated whether he was such a brilliant spy or just an errand boy who was always scolded or jeered at the office. But overall, the fears of those Western leaders were their own karmas as the US and the Western coalition’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq emboldened the Russian ultra-nationalists who wondered why they had to be the only well-behaved actor on the international stage. This highly influenced the foreign policy of Putin who used to show his conciliation to the West like his predecessor , Boris Yeltsin. He now believed the grandeur of Russia as the imperialist and the USSR could be revived by dominating other countries as well  ; that was whether infiltrating or invading them [Russia invaded Georgia , once a part of the USSR, in 2008 - 3 years from now on].

Reaching a forlorn side of the fence, Oleg nodded to Surakiat. The young man flew to the watchtower above with incredible speed like he was disappearing and stood between 2 guards who were not even aware of his presence. The young man swiftly prodded some spots of their bodies to make them unconscious. Their bodies fell to the floor of the watchtower without uttering any words. It was the new tactic he learned from an underground website , so he could avoid shredding them into pieces or beheading them like his habit. He was proud of this but then sighed. If he had done this a long time ago , Park might not have been disgusted with him.

George told everyone (Surakiat now wore the earpiece) that the alarm devices were disabled by his hacking and the computers in the guard's headquarters would also be hacked and out of order for a while , so their surveillance cameras didn't work.  It would take about 5 minutes before the guards would stampede to check on them. The commandos hurriedly climbed the fence with the rope ladder unfurled by Surakiat. He was quite irritated that they were too slow and toyed with the idea of solo mission by going to render everyone in the headquarters unconscious. Or he should assault the guards who were responsible for Frank Cole before they would find a chance to let that ex-MI6 guy on the loose. But these were not in the plan, and he was afraid his heroism might humiliate the Ukrainians who believed they too were capable of saving themselves.

Surakiat saw the group of 6 commandos slither across the dark courtyard and dodge the spotlights which became more active when the guards learnt that there was something wrong. Oleg told Surakiat that they were about to reach the building where Cole was incarcerated. The young man had to look behind their backs before joining them when the signal was given. Surakiat then wondered why the guards were yet to be seen even though several minutes passed. On the way , the Ukrainians were surprised to find a large container. Surakiat all of a sudden shouted to those commandos :

“It is a trap !!! Get the hell out of there !”

The elite troops were taken aback and began to panic. George told them to calm down but didn’t know what Surakiat was trying to say. Suddenly , the container was automatically opened , letting a huddle of dark bodies dart out. They looked combative and snarled fiercely. Surakiat was later told by George that the government of the Soviet Union used to conduct the experiments on the operatives with special powers by injecting them with the newly found substance and turning them into the zombie-like creatures who could kill anyone mercilessly. Those experiments were later suspended by Yuri Andropov , the successor of Leonid Brezhnev. (but the more benign project about grooming the operatives with superpowers still lingered until the era of Mikhail Gorbachev several years later). The CIA's hacker did not have even the slightest idea that Putin would cross the threshold to refurbish these inhumane experiments. The commandos began to hysterically shoot them. The bullets however seemed to be inutile as the zombies still surged forward to attack them. The 2 commandos resorted to the special devices, but the results were still the same.

Surakiat wasted no time in flying to the container to help his colleagues. But a few commandos’ blood was already spouted like the fountains after they had been savagely bitten. The young man swiftly held the sub-machine gun to obstruct the long fangs of the zombie from impaling a commando. He then was startled to see the steel was easily chewed like Auntie Anne’s breadstick. Surakiat punched the zombie in the face but it evaded his fist by lowering its body and sprang to its feet to attack him back with its fangs. The young man flinched and almost fell down. He kept fighting and found that despite several punches on its face, he was not capable of knocking this creepy creature out. The story then became like coming straight from a horror film when that zombie showed the long tail with a head resembling an ugliest deformed cobra which tried to attack him. Surakiat dodged it adroitly but felt disgusted to see it near his face. The young man then grabbed the zombie’s tail and hurled it away in the air before soaring to successfully cut its both heads off. Landing on the ground and turning around , he was despondent to see those zombies had almost finished off all those commandos. The last one still alive was the guy whose eyes were open wide to Surakiat for help while his legs were being gobbled up by the zombie. The young man became furious and rushed to stab that zombie’s back numerous times until he was exhausted. But it at last paid off when the zombie found its chest exploding and screamed like an injured animal before lying still on the ground. Regrettably,  the commando was already dead while still holding his hand out to Surakiat.

All the zombies hurried to gang up on him. But the young man felt grateful that his superpowers were enhanced tremendously thanks to the mixture of his fear and anger. He grabbed and tore their bodies apart like doing to the harmless animals although he staggered and almost collapsed multiple times from their attacks. A zombie vanished and appeared again to stab him in the back with the fist which was sharp like a sword. But the young man’s skin was invulnerable. Surakiat turned around and disembowelled it with just 2 fingers. The other zombie became malleable and wrapped itself around his right fist and arm before twisting them so hard ,but Surakiat’s were too strong. He attempted to shake it off but to no avail while the other zombie was sitting on his shoulders , trying to gnaw his head. The young man then used the zombie’s soft body as a punching glove to hit the one above his head. Both fell down before Surakiat would trample on them until they were shattered like the broken bags with black blood. Now the young man found himself standing alone, heavily panting among the piles of bloody and severe corpses of both Ukrainian commandos and zombies. He grabbed the little camera above Oleg’s helmet and said to Bush:

“ Mr. President, is it what you want just to achieve your political machination ? Of course , that is what you always do after the 9/11 –  exploiting the lives of the innocent. ”

But he heard the voice of Landon instead.

“Kett, calm down !  We have already called the Navy Seals who are stationed only 2 miles from here. And they would reinforce you in no time. Don’t lose your heart  ; just take a break.”

Surakiat roared,

“Don't lie to me. They will never come , won't they ? Fuck you ! ”

The young man threw the camera away and ran into the building. He still followed George’s guide of direction and assumed that the sly ex-spy was already unshackled. At this crucial moment he was about to encounter one of the most formidable mind manipulators in the world. He took a deep breath,  trying to quip to himself : perhaps this guy was a little glibber than the members of Amway company who were so determined to coax him into being their downline while he was still the university student. The young man at last needed some focus and the picture of Park’s smile out of the blue descended upon his thought.

Surakiat entered the building by simply opening the doors one after another – no locks or signs of guards. He became increasingly more anxious. Not far from Cole’s cell , he heard a song faintly. It was supposed to be the Goldberg Variations of Johann Sebastian Bach like Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s favourite in Silence of the Lamb which made him both elegant and mystic at the same time. But in this prison it was Frank Sinatra’s lively song like I Got You under My Skin. The door of the cell was already open. The young man felt his arms and jaws shaking a bit while stepping inside. A diminutive man was standing and staring at the view outside the window with the iron bar. His cell was tidy and clean with the white wall attached by the large poster of a famous painting of Rembrandt . On his table were a bottle of expensive wine showing how privilege he had received. Beside it were several books like Merchant of Venice of William Shakespeare and Oliver Twist of Charles Dicken. Surakiat was amused to see several postcards of the Thai tourist attractions on those books. Or Cole was probably tricking him into seeing these ?

The 60-something guy was dancing along to the song from the record player. After the music stopped , he turned his back and smiled at the young man. He eyes fortunately looked less menacing than Anthony Hopkins who played Dr. Hannibal. He was in the cream casual dress not the inmate uniform. With the neat haircut and the soft manner , Cole looked more like a British professor or businessman. The guy said,

“Bonne Soiree [good evening] , Kett. I have seen your bloody work from this room and feel very impressed. You could beat the shit out of those horrendous creatures which I have detested for a long time. Mr. Putin is admirable for his insights and leadership but this work of his is quite perfunctory. But kudo to your superpowers ! There is not even a single scratch on your body. ”

Surakiat stood emotionless. He was feeling that Cole’s psychic powers were rummaging through every corner of his mind. George told him to go away but the young man threw the earpiece out of the room.

“By the way, you must be so exhausted and estranged from being the pawn for the CIA for a long time. I understand that since I used to be like you with that darn MI6 which cared for nothing but their greed and power.”

The young man said,

“As far as I know , you are the ardent follower of Putin’s creed. Can you enlighten me what the difference between the Western hypocrite leaders and the Eastern dictator like Putin is ?”

Cole smiled and made his mouth like hissing. That made him even more vicious. He said,

“ Kett, you are Thai. Despite becoming the American national now , you can’t abandon your origin. Don’t forget that your motherland and Russia have such a robust relationship since King Chulalongkorn. Don’t be so surprised ; I used to read the history books about your country. I visited there and had to do once more the next year since I was enamoured of people’s kindness and unique culture. What a pity that they had been blemished by the US cultural indecency since the Vietnam War. This was exactly like the UK after World War 2 , so we are on the same boat. Has Russia ever done this to your country ? Nah.  Do you think the US president is different from the allegedly dictatorial Putin ? Nah. Do you think the US is such a paragon of democracy ? The Bush administration promulgates the law to limit the people’s freedom of speech and stirs the public fears in the name of national security. Furthermore, Mr. Bush has massacred innumerable people in the third world countries under the veneer of the so-called War on Terror. Has Mr. Putin ever done that ?” [but Cole intended not to mention the 2nd war in Chechnya in which the Russian armies under Putin slaughtered thousands of Chechens during 1999-2000].

Surakiat smiled but said nothing. He felt that Cole’s powers were beginning to hold sway over him. The middle-aged man still said meekly,

“ But Kett,  I know you are very smart and were briefed on my biography through and through. You must really know that my ambition is not just a stooge of the Russian government. This is between us : Putin is just a dunderhead - the alibi I have used to help myself achieve my personal goal. I could use my superpowers to do anything to the world but now need some helping hands. And you are that one ! There are plenty of us - the people with superpowers- around the world who are way mightier that those nasty Russians you just killed. If you join me to recruit them , we will make our invincible army and we are going to rule the world while you are my only heir. Look at my age , if my era passes, you will be the next supreme leader of the world government – my brilliant legacy ! What about the noble young woman occupying your mind all the time ? She will finally prostrate herself on the floor to profess her love to you after realizing how majestic you are.”

Surakiat appeared to be completely hypnotized  : he didn’t move a bit or even blink the eyes. Cole delightfully said,

“Son , kneel down and be bestowed with my blessing and mandate. Make a solemn pledge that you will be loyal to me for the rest of your life.”

Surakiat easily followed his order. The ex-spy smirked and stepped closer to him while holding his left hand out above his head. Suddenly , the young man surprised him by saying ,

“Sir, I appreciate your good wish for my future. Here’s a present !”

He briskly put something down on the floor quite far from his knees. That was the bloody liver he snatched from a corpse of the Ukrainian commando and hid well in his pocket. Cole’s composure suddenly vanished into thin air. His eyes turned red, and the little fangs appeared out of his mouth. It was utterly irresistible since his tongue had not tasted the human organs for ages. The British forgot everything and crouched down to devour that liver.

Surakiat stood up and laughingly said,

“ Mr. Cole,  I totally agree with you on everything you’ve just said. But I know that the cannibalistic serial killer like you will never hold this world in peace or do anything good to the people. I won’t be a pawn for either you or the darn US government anymore since I will quit this job after killing you, which is my last magnum opus !”

Cole stopped having his delicious meal and looked up. No sooner had he said something than he was decapitated. 

                        23

                December, 2005, Chiang Mai

"Can't believe that you look so well-educated and smart but finished only Mattayom 3 [a level of Thai high school] and earn a living for years as a security guard like me  ! "

The old man muttered while almost burying his face in the thick blanket. Surakiat chuckled. It was almost a decade ago now when he used to work in that haunted building and always encountered the remarks of eyebrow-raising as the people assumed his bachelor’s degree (or his charisma now)  and such a lowly career were incompatible. The young man used to be vexed by their scepticisms but now relished them since the persons with this kind of silly question were the ordinary people who happened to meet him for the first time or knew his superficially like the old man who kept asking him like this , not the CIA or the foreign agencies which knew every nook and cranny of his life.

Surakiat sipped the hot tea from a mug and gave him an explanation which was partly concocted :

"Don't judge a book by its cover , Lung Pan. I will never be intelligent enough to study in college and do the 9 to 5 job of the white-collar. I really hate the work full of papers and numbers and just yearn to let the time pass by while I can do my favourite thing -daydreaming. And the job can provide this kind of chance to me since I have plenty of time at night before checking on the place and the things I am responsible for.”

Lung Pan (ลุงปั๋น) however looked quite absent-minded. He responded to him with only a soft ' aha' or ' umm'. The old man was probably too naive to understand it and might be even disoriented if Surakiat told him the truth that he was the erstwhile operative of the CIA and wanted to be off the radar of his former friends who still aimed to exploit him or his adversaries who still held the grudge against him.

Both guys were in this night not so ensconced on either the camp bed or the plastic chair outside the large warehouses storing dried longans , the iconic fruit of Chiang Mai (and Lamphun). This year it was freezing nationwide , so the 2 security guards had to make the bonfires while they were on their nightshifts. Still , they had to endure the blustery nights which gnawed their skins and probably their souls like other poor fellows.But Surakiat found the blissfulness from watching the clear sky with the twinkling stars and believed that sometimes the milky way was seen faintly along those stars. He was more than delighted that he didn't have to kill humans or work for the dastardly CIA any longer.

After the mission was accomplished, young man just left the US without the letter of resignation , knowing so well that it would be tenaciously rejected anyway.  His saving could have helped him live comfortably (though modestly) somewhere in the world for 10 or 20 years ,but he would certainly be driven to insanity with such an empty life. He also found Chiang Mai still haunting him with the nostalgic and warm memories of his youth, enticing him to use it as his sanctuary. But he chose to live and work in another town (อำเภอ) , not his own hometown since he was afraid that his intelligence would be insulted if ‘the foreigners’ could pinpoint his hiding very easily. But he was certain that someday they would find him anyway – a matter of time. If surviving this, the young man might further his education and change his work in the future , but to seek the new challenges in the countries he had never even set foot in was still his option. He always congratulated himself for not resorting to his superpowers at least for the time being, but he felt that they were dogging him all the time like the voracious hyenas. Would he use them again when being found ? That was the terrifying question. The nightmare like the sea of blood awash with corpses still beset him from time to time , so Surakiat finally decided to make merits with the monks of the temple near his workplace for those whom he had slain. Although he didn't buy into the existences of spirits , this was the perfect way to a peace of mind. The young man always sat near the river in the afternoon , watching several guys fishing and wondering how different between him and those baits at the end of their rods was. Sometimes he stared at his own reflection in the water : he looked growing old terribly.

The old man held his hand out of the blanket to turn on his little black radio and accidentally found the hourly news of a radio station. It was about the daily activities of the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) , a group of cantankerous citizens wearing the yellow shirts and the blue scarves. This was the symbolic way to legitimize their protests against the government of Thaksin Shinawatra since the yellow represented the monarchy. The prime minister later became deeply embattled as this group was a pawn for the group of elites who were hell-bent on overthrowing his regime. Apart from their enormous hidden powers in military and police , they wielded clout in most of the media in this country and had the cunning ways to instigate the middle-class who had deemed Thaksin another face of the corrupt tyrants since the day 1 of his premiership. The yellow shirts thus became increasingly larger and more dangerous. But Surakiat imagined if Frank Cole whom he recently decapitated (and he made merits for him too)  were brought to life and joined the protests, the government would become nothing but a rubble in just one day.

Surakiat said teasingly,

"Lung Pan, what do you think about this ?"

The old man scoffed.

"A gang of the lunatic ! Mr. Thaksin is the best prime minister of all time. Even if he isn't from Chiang Mai like us, I still wholeheartedly support him as he comes from democratic election and immensely contributes to well-beings of people in this country. Look at that : who's behind the 1,000,000 baht-per- a village fund [กองทุนหมู่บ้านละล้าน but its official name was National Village and Urban Community Fund] ? "

The young man smiled.

"But those yellow people have criticized his abuses of powers and those corruptions rampant in his government , including his own conflicts of interests like several of the government's projects have been illicitly helping his own businesses thrive."

The old man shook his head.

"To hell with those allegations !  I want to enlighten you that they are the political mudslinging from the persons who envy his success. You learnt a lot (I knew that you lied about your education) and should know the Thai history well : all the prime ministers were selfish and corrupt , one way or the other. I was born long before you and have witnessed this since Field Marshal Plaek Phibulsonggarm. Do you want a Buddhist saint (พระอรหันต์)  to run this country ? No , that is totally ludicrous - an unashamed wet dream of those yellow shirts ! Sondhi (the head of PAD) used to praise Mr.Thaksin as one of the best prime ministers of Thailand , but now he lashes out at him wantonly. I heard that this bastard had barefacedly asked Mr. Thaksin for a hefty sum of money but been refused. That was an extortion !  Shame on him ! Sondhi disguises his boundless greediness under a veneer of the erudite and patriotic activist , and those people should have their heads examined after they have followed him like a flock of silly sheep."

It was the turn of Surakiat saying, " Umm". He had underestimated Lung Pan's wisdom. From the words he used , perhaps he had the prestigious education and career background but glossed them over , so he could live humbly as an old security guard. The young man found this amusing, but little did he know that about several years later , the old man would join the group calling themselves the Red Shirts , the hard-liners ,who worshiped Thaksin like their messiah. Despite disagreeing with both him and the PAD , Surakiat became silent and stared at a dark figure of coconut tree not far from them . The old man searched and found another station which played the North's traditional music (เพลงซอ) before being totally immersed himself in it and seemingly about to doze off . Surakiat knew it was time to patrol the factory again , so he just stood up and left quietly , not to bother the old man. He was impressed that this town was incredibly peaceful as he didn't come across even a single crime during several months of working here. There was only a drunken man asking for someone he didn't know and ceaselessly demanding to enter the factory. It could have been a brawl but when another colleague arrived , he told Surakiat that guy was his cousin who suspected that his wife was having this factory as a tryst with her lover. Everything returned to be seamlessly normal.

But the thing that made him never feel normal in this rustic town was Park. Surakiat now realized Jean- Paul Sartre's maxim 'Hell is the others' : although she was at another corner of the world, he felt as if she were living next door , torturing him with her luscious smiles and the memories of the time they shared together.  Worse still , he stumbled on the news of her too many times, especially her upcoming engagement to Prince Michael. That would be a limelight for the global media and the seismic change of North Korea. Their future marriage would be like a symbol of this former communist country's unwavering espousal of the West. It was also the first time in the history for the British Royal to get married to the Asian who was a commoner, proving that the royal family adjusted to the modern world by embracing the diversity , initiated by the idea of Charles , the Prince of Wales, who someday would ascend the throne. Surakiat now and again sat dejectedly and desperately suppressed his urge to wail like a child. He should come to terms with this grim reality and promise himself that he would cherish the memories of her until the end of his lonesome life. But being a self-proclaimed materialist [who believed souls came to an end after humans died] ,  he hypocritically hoped that they might reunite in the afterlife if they were still destined to live together.

The sound that awakened him to reality was some metals hitting each other repeatedly. Surakiat hurriedly walked to one of the warehouses and shone the flashlight to see the young burglars daringly breaking into the warehouse with difficulty. The bodyguard yelled out to scare them but one of them became furious. He rushed to confront Surakiat with a large crowbar though their heights were absolutely different : that sinewy guy was only 160 centimetres in height. He was probably high on something like amphetamine whereas his friend who was quite chubby looked scared and ready to run away at any minute but still had a nerve to follow him step by step.

The burglar yelled out,

“Motherfucker, go away or do you want to be beaten to a pulp ? Come , make my day.”

Surakiat laughed.

“ You are the burglar and demand me to leave you and your friend grasping the things I am supposed to protect. How bravado you have ! I give you 2 choices : leave here quick or surrender to the police as I will escort you to the station without hurting or paralysing you , so you won't be bedridden and taken care by your mom for the rest of your life. “

The youngster became livider and said ,

“Fuck you !  Do you think I am a joke to you ? You are a dickhead who takes care of the possessions of the rich but lives the fucking poor life. How pathetic and foolish you are ! Die !”

The teen surged to attack him with the crowbar. Surakiat firstly wanted to grab his tiny body and push it down against the ground, but he became too disgruntled. The young man slapped him in the face and was petrified that the teen screamed at the top of his lungs , collapsed and closed his face with the hands which were now drenched with blood. The other burglar began to run away in horror , but his legs were hit by the club thrown by Surakiat. He fell down on the gutter nearby and cried like a toddler.

Lung Pan darted from behind and shouted hysterically,

“That’s I (ไอ้) Tin and I Rong. What the fuck are you doing here ?”

At the hospital , Surakiat was like a culprit instead as Lung Pan and those teens’ families bombarded him with the reprimands that he had gone too far ; he should have only warned them or brought them to Lung Pun who was like their respected grandpa for a proper education and most important of all , this incident would not have been known to the police. Surakiat’s boss was not there since he had been on a business trip in another province , so the young man was on his own. It looked like the light-hearted incident comparing to the ones he had been through, but this disturbed him greatly since he wanted to live the peaceful life here. Worse still , the teen’s nose was still bleeding no matter how hard the doctor and the nurses tried to stop it. The policeman looked solemn while telling Surakiat that he couldn’t use the excuse of ‘self-protection’ as his retaliation was too violent. The young man was about to face the serious legal problem but knew that he could easily escape this because all his identities were fake, even his name was Thitiwat or Wat, and nobody could stop him at all. But he had to move away to another province which was far away and start everything anew as a fugitive. Or should he go to live in one of the Caribbean islands and had a stint as a fisherman ?

The policeman’s mobile phone all of a sudden rang. While talking on the phone, he looked extremely obsequious, and the young man heard him saying ‘sir’ in almost every sentence despite his quite muffled voice. The officer then returned to join everyone and said that his colleague investigating this case told him that Tin attempted to kill Surakiat first with the object which could be considered the deadly weapon , so his merely slap was justified - an act of benevolence- since Surakiat had the right to kill him to protect himself. The policeman promised he would henceforth deal with this case fairly for everyone. Everyone turned to be very exasperated and tried to protest him, but the middle-aged man managed to walk away from the hall of the hospital. A young nurse came to tell everyone that Tin stopped bleeding with a bandage covering all his facial trauma on the bed ; Surakiat breathed a sigh of relief and almost cracked up from imagining that guy might be like a partial mummy.

After the boisterous families had rushed to see the patient , the nurse asked Surakiat gently whether he was hurt or not , even though it was utterly evident that he was intact. She later said that she sympathized with him because it was clearly a self-defence, and the teen deserved this as he was a real pain in the neck in this neighbourhood. The nurse and Surakiat had known each other for a while since he repaired her motorcycle’s flat tyre on the way to the hospital one day, followed by her heartfelt gratitude. Before he would say anything , the young woman smiled mischievously and grabbed his hand ,claiming that she had seen a bruise on his wrist. Surakiat blushed before thinking that he became the victim of molestation again , but she probably was his soulmate (if the fate existed) at last , who knew ? It was not impossible for the people in the same class – not like him and Park.

The telephone on the nurse’s desk rang. She energetically walked to pick up the phone and looked surprised before telling Surakiat that someone with weird accent wanted to speak with him. He was flummoxed.

                        24

The owner of that weird accent was one of  the persons Surakiat tried to shun terribly in his life : George.

"Sawasdee Krub  (สวัสดีครับ)  , comrade. It's been a while  ! " His voice was cheerful but teasing , unsettling the young man more , even though his call was not beyond his expectation at all.

Surakiat said , trying to make his voice unfazed :

" I have a hunch you will find me someday, but this is quite a boring delay."

The American said,

"No no no. We don't just stumble on you. We've kept you under the strict surveillance even before the minute you stepped on your native land. Do you already forget our operation in Belarus ? We have the most edge-cutting satellite in the world and your biometrics leading to your presence have been tracked by our supercomputer linking to that satellite all the time . We know your every move , including everyone and everything around you especially when they are online since I can hack them all. But we just cut you a break and pretend that your whereabout is like a needle in a haystack. Mr. Landon consider that you deserve the long holiday , otherwise you will suffer the nervous breakdown. What would happen if the man with the most devastating superpowers in the world becomes mad ? The aftermaths of your wildness may be not less than World War 3 !! He strongly believes this especially since you cursed at him, ha ha. By the way, how's my Thai ? I just began to learn it a few months ago and well, I suggest you have to ask your girlfriend. "

Surakiat chuckled and noticed that the nurse was eavesdropping him, but he couldn't do anything as the sound of TV at her office wasn't loud enough to drown out his conversation.

The young man said,

" She isn't my girlfriend, and I guess Mr. Landon thinks my holiday is now over, so I can talk to you and learn that your Thai sucks. Sorry , despite those incredible surveillances,  I'm afraid that I can't be the valuable asset of the agency anymore since my mission is already completed. I believe there are still the good guys who could serve the CIA with utmost loyalty , not the goddamn sceptic like me. But if your boss still longs to leech me off like the old days , we have to fiercely square off and I will resort to every method to change your boss' mind even President Bush's. Please don’t underestimate my ability to stop your scheme."

George laughed.

"Mission is completed , my foot !  It is your bad to have jumped to the conclusion of your last magnum opus -yeah , I still heard your voice albeit faintly-  you didn't even follow the protocol. You should have waited to cool down a bit to confirm the death of your target and collect the evidence , but I know that your hostility toward the US government became unbearable after those commandos were dead and you felt that you were like its pawn. You were off the grid while rushing to go back to the US to finish some of your business before leaving and we even know that while working as a security guard here, you had sneaked into the municipality (อำเภอเมือง) several times to use computers in the internet shop. Your frequently visited websites were of CNN and BBC ,especially the news of Ms. Park Chung-Rye - your obsession , but you refrained from checking your e-mail since you were afraid that the agency would keep track of you. What a pity that you missed our news sent to you repeatedly that Frank Cole wasn't dead yet even though you claimed to have decapitated him. No , you just cut his left hand !"

Surakiat looked bewildered.

"Really ? But I could feel that my hand went through his neck and saw with my own eyes that his head was rolling !"

George's voice sounded meeker.

" I know. It is a major oversight of our intelligence : we don't know that  Mr. Cole have also developed the psychic ability to conjure up anything on his victim's mind. Actually , he could have made you cut the air multiple times like the crazed man or even do that to your own head, but your attack was utterly swift , so all he could do back then was to let you cut his hand instead. The British was then too feeble to hypnotize you more , so he just lay still to trick you."

The young man trembled.

"What happened next that night after I had left ?"

George chuckled when noticing the change of his voice’s tone.

"According to the information I stole from the Belarusian government, barely 15 minutes after your departure, the officers went to rescue him and sent him to the hospital. The next day the Russian government came to pick him up via a private jet of Putin guarded by the large fleet of warplanes to Moscow. We can’t do anything since then , so there is no need for us to urgently contact you via telephone like this. However, you did what I've desired to do for so long  :  the first time someone ,as a government's employee, ever openly chiding both the US president and the CIA boss  , ha ha. I think they deserve this and wholeheartedly admire you. You are one of the coolest guys ever roaming the earth ! "

Surakiat found he was at his wit's end. He could have said that was currently their own business since he had already renounced his American citizenship and indeed didn’t care if Cole became the lethal weapon to help Moscow gain a great leverage in the rivalry between the 2 major powers like the US and Russia. But with a sense of responsibility , he said,

"I think I finally can't help myself being dragged into the whirlpool of the CIA's clandestine mission again. That's OK. I will return to complete my mission even if I have to climb down to hell to cut his real head. But my next hunch is that I'm still indebted to your agency since you bribed the high-ranking police to help me from the crime of slapping the boy who tried to hit me with crowbar."

George said,

" You bet ! You still owe us countless things even though you hate to work with us. Don’t despise yourself as it is quite normal for plenty of operatives in the past to feel this. They- like you - have a sense of decency while our agency has to do loads of things whether decent or depraved to help our government beat the bad guys around the world - let’s called it ‘the necessary evil’. Since the birth of this country , our political elites believe that any forms of virtues or moralities will unforgivably weaken us, Kett , and there is no place for such a weakling except the lowest rung of the global powers. Ha ha , come to think again, it is a quirky twist of fate that you valiantly beat the hell out of the ferocious armies of commandos or mercenaries ,  but now you only hurt the tiny young junky. But I do admire you that you could have lived your luxury life with your saving for years and moved on to work with warlords in Africa or mafia bosses in Europe. Also working as a bodyguard of a billionaire prince in the Middle East is so lucrative  (I really envy you) , but you enjoy living like a pauper. I think you are following the philosophy of Diogenes although still fall victim to your own wraths from time to time, but I believe you will manage to control yourself better in the future."

Surakiat felt vexed.

"Enough ! I've fed up with your fulsome praises to death! I know that I am still desperately grappling with the demon named anger , but at least I'm proud that I don't kill anybody here. And what am I supposed to do now, George ? Catch a flight from Bangkok tomorrow or fly with my own superpowers to Moscow to finish what I started ?"

George sounded quite stupefied.

"No ! Mr. Cole still has a convalescence although many months have passed. He is quite frail and requires the long intensive care for his severed hand , plus I have no faith in the Russian medical science. According to our analysis,  assassinating or doing him harm in Russia is enormously risky as both the US and Russia still need to keep their fragile relationship from deteriorating more , so we have to wait and see what his next move is. Whether he will back up Russia’s FSB to meddle in the Ukraine’s politics , our Ukrainian fellows will keep abreast of it.  Or perhaps he might be looking for you with a sinister desire of revenge , ha ha. Nonetheless, there's something more important for you."

Surakiat felt that George knew and talked too much but assumed that he was the mouthpiece of Landon who probably was dictating the dialogue to him from behind as his talk was unusually pompous. The young man suddenly glanced at the television for no reason. Only seconds later came the news of Prince Michael and his future fiancée , Ms. Park Chung-Rye, appearing together before the public for the first time to visit the victims of flood in the Northern England. They got out of a helicopter , smiling and waving their hands to the crowd who were gleefully cheering while the TV anchor with sheer delight kept admiring them. Park was so gorgeous and charmed everyone with her zestfulness , making even the white people with racism overlook her Asian-ness. The young man was dumbfounded and found everything around him so benumbing while both of his eye sockets were increasingly warm as if there were fire beneath them. Only in the Philippines did he accept her proposal or persuade her to live with him somewhere in the world , he would not see such a spectacular but unsavoury view like this. Glancing sideways , he saw the nurse staring at the television too with curiosity as she was very quick in sizing up his reactions or emotions.

George said louder,

“Hello , Kett , are you with me ?”

The young man replied to him with the faint ‘umm’.

“ This is between us as the close friends and I swear I risk the future of my job to do this ,so please keep your mouth shut. Since you had developed the special relationship with Ms. Park , your former colleague or your beloved princess or whatever , I got to tell you that there are recently some intrigue to assassinate her.”

Surakiat was totally shocked while his American friend kept saying,

“ You closely monitor North Korea for months and are supposed to know that its military can’t defeat the rebels at all – some sort of war of attrition. But the media don’t reveal much that the rebels have been staunchly supported by China and Russia who feel frustrated that North Korea will inevitably become the new alliance of the West and Ms. Park’s engagement to Prince Michael will be the powerful symbol of this. From our moles in the Russian intelligence agency, they have conspired with the North Korean rebels to assassinate her before the engagement , that is while she is abroad ,which is way easier than in North Korea as she is a famous socialite who is busy visiting numerous places. They don’t care whether Prince Michael will be included in the collateral damage since they consider the UK as one of the US stooges anyway.”

The young man mumbled,

“Does the agency attempt to do something ?”

George said,

“ All we can do right now is collaborating with the intelligence agency of North Korea. Aha , you used to know its former director, Mr. Kim Jin-Kyu..”

Surakiat interrupted,

“Yes , it is so tragic that even though he still retained his position after the change of regime , some months ago , he was arrested on the charges of corruptions and power abuses, and he probably has to spend his lifetime in jail. I feel sorry for him as he was such a nice guy.”

Gorge said,

“ So do I , but friendliness can’t guarantee his honesty. Well, we’ve warned the North Koreans a few times and successfully thwarted those vicious attempts. The recent one was when Ms.Park was scheduled to visit the orphanage in Berlin, and they had planted a bomb in a car to wait for her arrival , but our operatives fortunately were there on time to defuse the bomb. I guess there is at least one mole in one of her staffs too , so they know her every routine. So pathetic that the media around the world don’t the heck know these and keep prattling on romantic relationship between her and the prince.”

Surakiat felt that his legs were quite wobbling.

“George , do you think those rebels will ever abandon this kind of plan in the end ? ”

George (probably shrugged) said,

“ I don’t know , buddy. I guess maybe after her wedding, but you’d better talk with Mr. Landon , which is still impossible now. But there is some quite bad news that recently the congress cut the annual budget of our agency. We are facing the problem of understaffing as we have to lay off many employees , so the CIA lacks enough operatives who can indirectly deal with Park’s security like your expectation.”

Surakiat interrupted,

“ You’re implying that the agency will at last abandon her ? What will happen if something happens to Ms. Park ? ”

George snickered.

“ What can we do ?  To be frank we can’t have her as our burden like in the past any longer but still support her government with some valuable information. Please have faith in her bodyguards and the intelligence agency of her country. But by any chance If she gets shot in her head, we will have the media under our influence attacking that both Russia and China are behind this. Her father will garner the overwhelming sympathies from his grieving people and have way stronger mandate from them to keep steering the country from the orbit of Mr. Putin or Mr. Hu Jintao.”

The young man almost yelled out,

“All of you are mean motherfuckers ! She has been the PR for the West for such a long fucking time !”

George’s tone of voice changed.

“Nope , don’t get me wrong , otherwise I won’t tell you about this. Kett, this is not to assign you a new job since I am just a cog in the machine while Mr. Landon doesn’t know this part of our conversation and consider you are still ‘on leave’. Kett, you’ve saved my life and now I am repaying you again but I also like her too. It depends on you now whether you will come to rescue her like the knight to the princess trapped on the tower. But I know that she ditched you cold- heartedly , so whether she lives or dies ,  does it make difference to you ?  You can either watch her majestic wedding or funeral from the television while being on a date with this nurse – quite pretty , isn’t she ?  Her name is Monthanee Jongthakaew , aged 25 , graduated from Payap University , Chiang Mai, in 2002 . And the families of those reckless boys will have the nice compensations paid by us via the village chief , so they’ll have no vendetta against you anymore. You can live here peacefully until Mr. Landon sends for you and that’s inevitable.”

The young man wondered whether this was the ploy of Landon to lure him to work with the CIA again with Park - his weakness. But it would be hilarious if Mr. Director was even telling George to scold himself in this conversation.

George said,

“Our conversation is getting too long and revealing. I fear that I have spoiled much of the plot of our movie now and have to go back to work before Mr. Landon would suspect this.  If you need my help more about this , just call me. I know you will finally find the way at last. So long !"

Surakiat hung up the phone and felt his head was extremely dizzy. Before he would do anything , he found Monthanee fixing her eyes on him in astonishment. She said with her solemn face :

“ Urg,  Wat !  I am so surprised to see you speak English much better than my English teacher in university. Who are you really ? You once told me you finished only Mattayom 3 , didn’t you ?  Are you a fraudster on the run  ? I’m going to expose you to everyone in this village !”

Surakiat was petrified but the young woman turned to smile later.

“Unless you will take me to the ice cream parlour tomorrow !”

                         25

          January 7 , 2006, Heavenly Pearl

Heavenly Pearl might not be the largest cruise ship in the world , but always did enthral the public with a perfect combination between grandeur and beautiful shape – not hulking like other cruise ships , but it unfailingly fulfilled the enjoyments of the customers who were ' hi-so' (Thai slang which meant stinking rich). Now this floating heaven cordially welcomed the match made in heaven like Prince Michael and Ms. Park Chung-Rye , his soon-to-be fiancée , chaperoned by bodyguards and entourages , making them look like an emperor and an empress. The army of reporters disturbed everyone by descending on the port and vied hysterically to take photographs and interview the couple, but they were brusquely deterred by the solemn officers. The brief bickering followed, and those reporters almost received nothing from their perseverance but a report that the couple’s destination was to travel around the Bermuda archipelagos for a week , even though the weather was quite chilly - a strange time to visit those islands but generally they still were beautiful and mystic like the overhyped Bermuda Triangle.

During the travel the fellow passengers were impressed to see how the couple was unexpectedly friendly and humble but were surprised to see that they rarely appeared together. Park many times walked with her secretary along the external corridor watching the afterglow at the sea horizon, and when bluntly asked by a curious passenger , she calmly replied to them that it was the Korean tradition that the still unmarried couple should keep quite distance from one another.

That late morning was quite blustery. Most of the passengers were in the building , watching the shows in the theatres or hanging around with their children in the amusement parks or department stores (funny that they could do these on land). But many passengers still ambled outside the building of the ship to watch and take photographs of the wonderful scenery of the glittering sea sometimes interrupted by the mountains of the little islands under the blue sky with the scattering white clouds . A crew in the control room noticed via the radar that some large objects were surging toward the ship -the helicopters. The man was about to inform the captain, but his fellow drew a pistol hidden below his desk to him before an uproar would ensue. Several crews manifested themselves as the perps and ordered their colleagues to stop working and get down on their knees, but a brave man tried to resist and was fatally shot while the captain was raising his both arms and gasping in horror. The 2 helicopters landed on the helipad at the ship’s bow although it could serve only one at a time. Some passengers became disoriented to see almost a dozen guys in military uniforms and sub-machine guns jump out of their black vehicles. Those guys had been moving adroitly like the elite troops and aimed their weapons at the onlookers while threatening them to lie down on the floor. They scattered around the front of the ship and some of them joined their fellows in the control room. All the real crews were forced to huddle at a corner of the room before one of the perps pretended to contact the station in the mainland from time to time to not arouse the authorities’ suspect. It was obvious that the cruise ship was going to be under siege soon- so fast that more than 3,000 people across the ship weren’t even aware of this.

The perps’ ulterior motive was crystal clear : half of them ran towards Park and Prince Michael’s rooms at the top of the ship but were hampered by their bodyguards who were allowed to keep their firearms in the ship. The fierce exchange of gunfire had lasted for only 15 minutes before those bodyguards were all gunned down. Some were still alive but got shot in the heads in cold blood. The couple along with their entourages walked slowly to surrender and saw their fellow passengers who heard the gunfire throng the main deck with curiosity. Again, the crowd was ordered to all lie down and one of the perps shouted in broken and rude English that they would shoot every last one of them (you motherfuckers , so he said) if even a single one showed a sign of resistance. But another fight broke out when about the 10 guards of the ship appeared from the corridor not far from the helipad and shot at them with various guns. Tragically, all they could do was to kill only one of the perps before they would be mercilessly killed like those poor bodyguards. The floors of those corridors were drenched in blood and scared everyone shitless , let alone the scattering mutilated corpses. The 2 guards surrendered but was then pushed by the perps into the sea and the latter relished watching them gradually drowned.

The leader , the tall , brawny and bald 50-something Russian,  told both Park and Prince Michael that they were about to be ‘escorted’ to somewhere but Min Hyun-Back , Park’s secretary, became hysterical. She always felt so guilty after the incident in the Philippines and blamed herself that she was ashamedly coward to abandon her boss with the kidnappers , so she wouldn’t let this happen again. The young woman screamed and incessantly scolded those men whom she accused of luring her boss and Prince Michael to get killed afterwards. The leader was irritated , kicking her to fall over and was about to permanently close her restless mouth with his sub-machine gun , but Park hurriedly ran to shield her. One of his henchmen all of a sudden shouted to him from the control room that an unidentified object was rushing toward the cruise ship, which was faster than any types of helicopter or plane.

Surakiat with sunglasses and black attire smoothly landed on the floor near the helicopters. He looked around and all at once saw Park among the crowd. He pretended to be emotionless though he was deeply touched by her who was intensely staring at him through her sunglasses. The perps were horrified but still had guts to shoot him, but the young man showed his supreme skill at catching all bullets as a warm-up. He initially was about to play the nice guy like in the prison of Belarus but quickly learnt with his super-perception how barbaric those men had been to the people in the ship. He thus succumbed to his own wraths again before moving around at extreme speed to rip those men’s bodies and weapons to shreds as usual while some received mercy by merely being kicked away into the faraway island. The nerve-racking massacre lasted only 5 minutes, and the 14 men were all gone except their leader who looked unabashed. The Russian guy dropped his weapon and began to take off his jacket.

Surakiat grinned and said,

“Sir , I remember you : you are ex-Colonel Dmitri Mendeleev who used to fight in the Afghanistan war during the 80s and volunteered for the USSR government’s program to develop the superpowers. I’ve learnt a lot about you from my instructors and feel deeply honoured to meet the living legend ,  but I wonder why you didn’t help your henchmen from getting slaughtered.  Aha , I know that you are the heartless son of a bitch who will get all money after this operation. ”

Mendeleev smiled coldly.

“And you’re also the son of a bitch who razed our operation in the Philippines to the ground. I’m not honoured to see you at all but for so long yearn to slice your limbs while you are still alive ! Did you remember the guy you killed by hitting his head in the basement  ? That was fucking my dear little brother, Andronov ! ”

Surakiat began to notice that both guys bore a striking resemblance, but it was Park who hit Andronov’s head with the sub-machine gun to save him in front of the panic room. He said,

“ Now I’m also honoured that you always think of me with vengefulness but sorry..”

Surakiat didn’t finish his sentence but flew toward Mendeleev who was too slow to intercept his punch. The veteran collapsed on the floor but still could kick him back , so Surakiat returned to the same spot. The Russian guy then swiftly sprang up, spitting a piece of broken tooth and some blood from his mouth to show his baleful smile while Surakiat braced for the Russian guy’s turn as he knew that his retaliation would be so brutal. The Russian guy ran to pepper Surakiat with the extremely fast and powerful punches , but the young man could deter some. He was punched in both stomach and chest and flung out until his back hit the building terribly. Surakiat then managed to escape the sudden attack from the Russian guy’s both knees which ruined the wall. He punched Mendeleev in the back but the latter looked intact and quickly turned around to grab his arm tightly so he could punch the young man in the face several times. Surakiat fell down and lay still on the floor , feeling too dizzy to see that the Russian guy was on the verge of pounding on him with all his body. Mendeleev suddenly flinched and found a bullet had hit the back of his head. Turning around , he saw Park dauntlessly directing a pistol at him, contrasting with the quivering Prince Michael whose face looked utterly pale. He knew that she had seized it from his deceased henchman who lay not far from her.

Mendeleev laughed manically.

“That’s you , fucking cunt !  You’re the ultimate reason why all my men had to die in vain during those 2 operations. To be frank now , it’s not a simple kidnap like it seemed to be as we were ordered to lure you and your boyfriend to be tortured to horrible deaths in our base and let the world see this via a live internet broadcast. Apart from great chagrins of your people , the Western and North Korean governments who’ve exploited you will be at a loss. But after finishing off this cockfucker , I’ll gladly rape you as a show for everyone here and rip your head off.”

He then looked around and said,

“There’re also the bombs in those helicopters , powerful enough to blow off everything here. We’ve originally the plan to sink this ship after taking that couple away and I will make this happen after being done with her. Remember all of you are the symbol of the rich with super-privileges from exploiting the poor around the world and deserve to die at this fucking moment and this’s your karma !!”

Mendeleev's bravado unwittingly gave Surakiat enough time to recover and feel baffled that this guy was such an ostentatious socialist as Putin , his boss, was also extremely rich from his corruptions. Perhaps he was hallucinating like the old commies that he was still in the era of the USSR. But his several words about Park made the young man's blood boil , so he felt his superpowers increasing rapidly- in a few seconds- even more than in Belarus. He got up to call Mendeleev angrily and punch him in the face even before the latter would fully turn back. The Russian guy staggered - perhaps his jaws were broken and had to face the repeated punches which made him cough up blood , but before he would fight back , Surakiat grabbed his body and took him away by flying in the sky. Mendeleev tried to shake him off but to no avail since the young man was seizing him firmly from behind. Surakiat knew that the Russian guy couldn’t fly and was sure that the cruise ship’s structure was strong enough to withstand the fall. He then let the guy's bulky body in a freefall to violently hit the ship's floor which was empty like he had calculated. The dust spread around the place and when it faded away , the people witnessed in terror  that Mendeleev still miraculously got up from the hole and stood to and fro like zombie. The young man thus wasted no time in jumping above his head and chopping his body in half vertically. Surakiat sneered as this was the agonizing karma for the former soldier who used to lead his troops to massacre the innocent Afghans in a village in 1987.

Fully standing up, the young man heard the hurrahs and the thunderous applauses from the people around him who were overjoyed to see all the villains dead despite how gut-wrenching their deaths were. It was the first time the young man received such admirations after killing and now realized how indispensable his anger was. Prince Michael looked more delighted than anyone and rushed to embrace Surakiat even though his arms and hands were covered with blood. The prince spluttered,

“Whoa whoa !! Thank you so much … er.. I don’t know how you did this, but you’re so awesome , extremely awesome !!”

The people also followed suit while Surakiat was greatly distracted by Park who was standing still and staring at him quietly from afar. But the more he tried to drive the people away  , the more they surrounded and squeezed him with a tight embrace until he could not see her. The young man was then saved by a loud whistle of the captain who had desperately attempted to disperse the crowd. The old man then shouted ,

“Quiet , Everyone ! I’m tremendously grateful for this gentleman who saves us all but now our radar finds out that the 2 objects are dashing toward our ship and the approximate time of their arrival is about 10 minutes. But I won’t lie to you that they are the missiles ! I don’t know where they’re coming from but was certain that if only one of them hits us , we will all  be kneeling down before God in heaven in a heartbeat.”

The crowd screamed in horror and crazily prattled with the sound like birds returning to their nests ; some were scrambling to find the way out of this cruise ship. Prince Michael pulled Surakiat’s shirt gently and implored him like a toddle :

“Can you do something , bro ? Ah , can I call you bro ? After this I’ll treat you with respect as my blood brother. It is so obvious that we don’t have enough time to escape with the lifeboat capsules now, so please save us with your extraordinary strength !!”

Surakiat thought the prince’s appreciation was a little creepy ; perhaps he was born as only child and was brought up distantly by his parents, so the young man became like his brother or even father figure in spite of a brief encounter. The young man turned around and said loudly,

“ Everyone , I’ve never coped with such formidable missiles before , so I can only guarantee that I’ll do my best even if I have to sacrifice my life."

Although it was not a completely reassuring promise, many breathed a sigh of relief, and the people began to kneel down one after another to thank him over and over again like saying a prayer to their deity until the young man saw Park standing alone. Surakiat’s eyes moistened ; he ardently longed to hug and kiss her at least as a farewell but that was impossible. Perhaps he would die from an attempt to ward off those missiles but was mightily glad to do it for the woman who he dearly loved even though she cruelly reneged her vow to love him and was to be the wife of someone else but how could he blame her when it was all his fault ?  He, however, felt that Park was crying too although she wore the sunglasses. Why did she risk her life to save him just now ? Or was it just a requital for what he had done to her in the past ?  Both had exchanged glances for a while before Surakiat rapidly leapt into the sky. 

                         26

             3 weeks later , Chiang Mai

Despite all those killings , Surakiat still considered himself a tepid Buddhist who used the religious ceremonies as a great way to remedy his restless soul and aggressiveness. The way the monks were chanting in Pali and preaching in the serene atmosphere of the temple put his mind to rest albeit for a time being.  Now his constant companion him in those ceremonies was Monthanee who helped him everything especially make merits for the souls of the persons he killed and were awaiting him with vengefulness in afterlife. She wondered why the young man was so mystic : he looked like the guy who had been abroad for a long time and spoke English so fluently although he still kept mum about his real background while working as the self-effacing and quiet security guard days in , days out. The villagers found this couple peculiar as they highly respected Monthanee almost the same as doctors (who were normally elusive in Thailand’s countryside) thanks to her benevolence to all the patients whereas Surakiat was just a reclusive blue-collar worker whom they had hardly known.

Both were walking toward the gigantic Bodhi tree quite far from the temple's hall to pour the holy water used during the ritual on its roots as a closing part of the ceremony. The young woman always stared at him adoringly , reminding him of Park. She said,

" I've never met such a guy making merits so often like you. To be straightforward, I don't actually know who you are but guess you must be such a compassionate guy who doesn't even harm a tiny living thing and perhaps the worst you can do is slap that boy who really deserves it."

Surakiat closed his eyes in shame before exclaiming,

"Urghhhh ! Don't say that. I'm not good like you think , Mon. It’s like you said : we’ve just known each other briefly."

Monthanee assumed that he was just playfully showing his humbleness. But in Surakiat's mind appeared the montages of him tearing the villains in the cruise ship to smithereens , including the Russian guy whose hefty body was cut in half vertically like action and horror films combining. The nurse noticed that he was absent-minded , so she nudged him to pour the water and said cheerfully,

"  Nah, I think I’m sharp-eyed enough. Can't imagine the things you used to do in the past which are worse than slapping. Wat , have you ever destroyed something while you’re angry , drunk or some sort ?"

Surakiat snicked.

“It was much much worse than you ever imagine. I think we’d better change the topic of our conversation now !”

Monthanee giggled as she thought he was exaggerating but Surakiat reminisced about when he flew in the sky to intercept those missiles which were on their ways to hit the cruise ship ‘Heavenly Pearl’. He then realized that he had greatly underestimated his own powers as he could land and crouch down on one of them so easily before penetrating its surface with his bare hands to dismantle all its complex circuit. He jerked his head up when feeling like being electrocuted but the missile's all power was probably being transferred into his body. The young man just let the dumb missile fall to the sea and darted to the other one. He could have done the same but changed his mind by touching its surface and harnessing it like a cute pony  - the new type of superpower he just discovered. Surakiat directed it to go back to the place it had been fired and immediately knew it was the sprawling army base on the unknown deserted island about 20 miles from the ship. Those perps in the base must have been alerted by one of their fellows who was still alive in the cruise ship about the botched operation and continued to plan B.

The young man let the missile hit the army base like the WTC in 9/11 and half of it suddenly became a wreckage. The surviving guys rushed out of the building and were aghast to see Surakiat walk absolutely intact out of the raging fire. He felt that they should receive the justice like their peers in the cruise ship , so most of them were turned into the mangled corpses no matter how fanatically they fired at him. The only survivor was their leader , the young and crafty Georgian, and Surakiat didn’t waste a minute in prodding him in the spot which caused the maximum pains during the interrogation in gentle voice.

In the blink of an eye the young man managed to learn the secret whereabout of the Korean rebels who were in cahoots with those mercenaries sponsored by the Russian government. He was certain that he could have flown there – the thick jungle in North Korea near the border of Russia in just an hour but was afraid that the tumults would reveal his identity to the world when he encountered the North Korean air forces. Furthermore, he believed that his heroism in Heavenly Pearl already helped expose him worldwide when some passengers were using the cameras to record the incident. The young man without delay went to China and disguised himself as a tourist like the first time he went there with some helps from his Chinese friends but now there were no governments authorizing this and alas , he did not have  opportunity to meet Park again. In the jungle of North Korea, he spent barely an hour wiping out the entire rebels and caught the only survivor who was the lanky and innocuous Russian chef before sending him back to Moscow with the message to Vladimir Putin to stop messing with Park. If Mr. President refused to comply with, this Asian guy would appear near his bed while he was sleeping ASAP even though his safe house was extremely confidential and guarded by the best bodyguards in the world. Funny that he had done all these just for a woman not the peace of the world or the stability of North Korea. He was also glad that a sign of China’s involvement was not found , otherwise Chairman Hu Jintao would be his next target.

Surakiat returned to work at the same warehouses and although this was quite late , he was not even slightly reproached by his boss who had always been impressed with him and thought about soon sacking Lung Pan who was dully sluggish. The young man eventually found this little community suited him fine. The 2 youngsters were compelled by their parents to show him their gratefulness after they luckily avoided jail and became the good boys by going back to school. The person filling the void in his life was Monthanee who had doted on him and felt boldened to inch toward his life as his (one-sided) girlfriend although Surakiat was not sure that he would fall in love with anyone apart from Park. Additionally, he knew that this most peaceful time in his life would end at any time if Landon summoned him , so he was afraid that he would break the young nurse’s heart if he someday left her and had never returned to this town again.

Surakiat accompanied Monthanee to the hospital which was not far from the temple as her shift was beginning in the late morning. He stumbled upon the entertainment news in the television watched by several patients who were waiting for doctors – Park’s secretary was giving an interview to the enthusiastic press in a large hall , announcing that her boss decided to call off the engagement. This hardly surprised the world thanks to the media’s redundant reports of her increasing estrangement with Prince Michael after the incident in the cruise ship. Whether this was consensual or not was still mysterious when the young Prince was firmly reticent and there was neither the announcement from Buckingham Palace nor the opinions from the senior members of the royal family including Park’s family. But everyone was certain this was the end of their relationship , dashing more than billions of people’s hopes to see how the eastern elites meticulously blending with their western peers via marriage. Surakiat nonetheless didn’t find it a pleasant news at all as he remorsefully concluded that his relationship with Park reached the point of no return , so he simply hoped that in the future she would find someone else who was worthy of her dignity and perfectness. Despite being in a hurry to work , Monthanee was surprised to see how Surakiat was immersing himself in the news of the foreigners who were a few thousand miles from here. She then surmised that Park was his type of woman and quipped that she was not much different from her, but he just chuckled.

By the time Surakiat was about the leave the hospital , someone called his name aloud from the hospital’s courtyard , flummoxing him enormously when George showed his face from a window of the parked van. The American laughed cheekily as usual and without invitation staggered out of the blue vehicle followed by a boy and the 2 girls. They looked quite haggard and moved their bodies around to ease stiffness. The young man was utterly delighted , rushing to greet them and was introduced to those youngsters that they were George’s children. His wife walked out of the van slowly ; she was visibly excited while shaking hands with Surakiat.

“I've heard a lot about you and am so thrilled to meet you in person right now . By the way , you are way less ferocious but more handsome than George’s gossips,”

She said amusedly while Surakiat glared at George who shrugged but they then laughed and embraced tightly. The young man felt utterly grateful to his American friend - without him Park would have certainly met her tragic end.

George said,

“We’ve just been coming from JFK [airport in New York City] to Don Mueang airport , connecting flight and renting the van including chauffeur over here. Kathy kept complaining why we didn’t stay in Bangkok for at least a day, but I insisted that I was dying to see you , my best friend in the world.”

Surakiat laughed ; it was the first hearty laugh since he had been here. He said to Kathy :

“Let me guess that he later would not mince his words, reminding me how much I owe him and must pay him back with something like …. being his tourist guide while travelling in Chiang Mai. That’s right , George ?”

The 3 adults burst into laughter while the children were walking around to survey the exotic country they used to see only in the pictures searched from google. Many patients in the building were gawking at them since they seldom saw farangs [the westerners] so closely like this.

George slapped Surakiat’s shoulder and said,

“Don’t know that only cutting Frank Cole’s hand would give you the psychic power to read my mind like him , buddy. Where’s your sweetie pie ? I really long to see her face as the view from the satellite was not clear enough to help me appreciate her prettiness.”

Surakiat stopped smiling.

“She’s working inside right now. Let her help those poor patients at her best and look at your wife’s face , George. Ah , where do you and your family want to visit next ? And where’s your hotel ? ”

Surakiat didn’t know whether it was heaven or George’s intention to heal his gamophobia while guiding the American family to many tourist attractions in Chiang Mai like Doi Suthep temple and the hot springs at San Kamphaeng. He was on cloud 9 , surrounded by the warm family while the children seemed to like him tremendously. Contrary to his belief, the children were not just annoying all the time ; they were also nice and deferential, and their curiosities kept him busy , far away from the loneliness which made him self-absorbed. The young man imagined what he would he feel if they were his own children and then chuckled. George told him that he would not be known to the world since the cameras of the passengers in Heavenly Pearl were all confiscated by the authorities as soon as the ship reached the destination, thus the US government succeeded in glossing over his identity by lying to the world that those perps were killed by the gallant Navy Seals. Surakiat was relieved but felt a little slighted that they had usurped the world’s admirations he deserved. He also felt worried about democracy in the US ,especially the freedom of speech, as the media were so easily manipulated by the government like this.

Regrettably, the time they shared together in Chiang Mai came to an end and everyone thanked him profusely; one of George’s daughters showed her gratitude by kissing his cheeks gently and giving him the small diary with a stuffed daisy. George told him that he and his family would continue to visit Southern Thailand since his children were eager to see the beautiful Andaman Sea and one of his friends was working around there as a covert operative dealing with terrorism. The American at last gave him a brown envelope.

“Thank you so much again , Kett. You’re one of the best tourist guides in the world although you don’t know many shits about your own hometown , ha ha. Here’s a token of my gratitude and you will learn that you’re enormously indebted to me again ; this becomes the endless circle of our friendship , so let’s think of me as the avatar of the CIA and you’ll have a peace of mind. Prepare for a summon from Mr. Landon as there’re still loads of missions that need the guy with great strength like you. Our higher-ups are currently disappointed at the efficiencies of operatives around the world ,especially when comparing them with you. The demise of the rebels in North Korea and the permanent safety of Ms. Park’s life are the solid evidence of this.”

Surakiat looked delighted.

“How do you know that she’s safe for good ?”

George grinned.

“How do I know that ? From our moles in Moscow , President Putin was once secretly hospitalized because of too much distress and after that he always stays in the underground bunker which can withstand the nuclear blasts along with the whole Russian army as his bodyguards. I know he was scared shitless of your threat conveyed by that Russian chef , ha ha. ”

Surakiat joined his laughing and embraced him including his family as a farewell.

In the dormitory the young man carefully opened the brown envelope and found the papers which were the printings from the e-mails George hacked after they had been sent from Heavenly Pearl. The first was the one Prince Michael sent to Queen Elizabeth, complaining that Park looked disturbingly distant from him like the stranger except when they were together in public  , so he couldn’t cast off the doubt that she might be using him as a social ladder or for some political gains of her country. The second paper was the e-mail of Min Hyun-Back , Park’s secretary to her sister , complaining about Park’s desperation to exact the love from the guy named Kett who was reluctant to deepen their relationship. She was marvelling at how Park was foolhardy enough to pretend to hook up with Prince Michael , leading to the future engagement which would never be true like the largest scam in the world just to make Kett jealous.

Ms. Min even had to help her boss set up the scene with the sounds to deceive that guy like a radio drama in the old days when he called her that night. It was hilarious that the supposed disco tech was Park’s own house in Pyongyang and that vibrating music was from her own radio (so it meant Park pretended to hurriedly walk away from her radio !) while Prince Michael at that time was still in the UK. Surakiat clicked his tongue , wondering why he was then so dumb in spite of his superpowers – perhaps it was the love blinding him. There was also a CD with the short clip from the hidden camera in the helicopter the couple was riding in to visit the victims of the flood in England – the one he watched from TV that night. The clip showed that Prince Michael tried to grab Park’s hand, but she bluntly declined, so the prince looked noticeably disappointed. Still ,  they got out of the helicopter to show off to the cheering crowd that they were the sweetest lovers in the world despite without holding hands.

Surakiat played it over and over again.

………………………………………………………………………..

This was the first time Park Chung-Rye managed to escape from the army of her bodyguards with assistance of her secretary. The young woman finally found peace in travelling alone although it was France, and innumerable people unashamedly fixed their eyes on her along the way. She bought a bus ticket to Claude Monet’s house in Giverny 50 miles west-northwest of Paris like her unfulfilled dream during the study here years ago. But everywhere she went , she felt Surakiat’s invisible presence and it warmed her heart tremendously : she now dared go anywhere without fears since she knew that he was like her guardian angel who would unfailingly step to rescue her from all perils.

The house of the world's renowned painter was still beautiful and mesmerizing like in the postcards Surakiat gave to her. The colourful flowers above the huddled green bushes were greeting her cordially as she was one of sparse visitors in this late afternoon and the forlorn iconic Japanese bridge was there above the pond with the crystal-clear water , partly covered with the water lilies. The young woman ambled over the bridge while incessantly capturing the verdant landscape around with her camera , but its lens suddenly met someone who was sneakily standing beside her.

Park and Surakiat both smiled broadly and began to get lost in each other’s eyes.

Even though Surakiat didn't dance with Park on the bridge like his vision before the death, he felt so ecstatic to stroll with her around Monet's house aimlessly. They simply desired to absorb each other so much that the beautiful scenery around them became unbelievably lackluster. During the vibrant conversation, the young man felt her naughty hands groping his body  whereas he restrained himself to do so as it would tarnish her reputation, and it was like heaven’s blessing that not even a single fellow tourist took a glance at them. Those people were just busy relishing the beautiful garden or taking photographs of one another.

Park apologized to the young man about her reckless prank that had hurt him since she became desperate for more of his love. He said that he had never harbored a grudge against her since he always got angry at himself that his gamophobia was surmountable, keeping her frustrated endlessly. Now that he was overjoyed that it was just a childish machination otherwise he might literally die from a broken heart. She smiled and said that she did want to marry him right now, but like her words in Philippines, she could wait for him for several years or more (but he remembered that she used to give him more time than this). He would be then nearly 40 while this irksome fear would probably be at bay. Park then reiterated (probably the 21th time) that when her father was no longer the president, Surakiat would also stop senselessly worshiping her and demeaning himself. He asked her whether she had ever given her parents a heads-up about their relationship; she declined but believed they would accept him at last. This could be surmised from the fact : although they were hugely disappointed to see her forsake her engagement, they loved her too much to reprimand her and finally respected her impulsiveness.The young woman later asked him whether he had  planned to ask her to elope with him, Surakiat lied that it had never entered his mind – the entrenched gamophobia.

The still strong sunlight in the late afternoon made them a little sweaty, so Surakiat told the young woman to sit on the bench under the tree before going to buy ice cream from the stall.  He, however, found the queue was quite long, full of boisterous children and before his turn, the sudden premonition made him look at Park: she was being surrounded by several paparazzi who were voraciously photographing her. She was irritated and tried to walk away but tripped on the pavement and fell to the greenery field while those men still mercilessly bombarded her with flashes. Surakiat was extremely furious and darted at ‘Übermensch’ speed to those men, grabbing 3 of their cameras simultaneously though they were standing quite far from one another. He squashed them to pieces and told their owners fiercely:

"The next sounds you are about to hear are from your thick skulls being crushed. I'm amazed how come the hell you guys are after money so much at the expense of innocent people. Get lost now!"

Those paparazzi were so frightened and ran away but the young man seized one of them and told him to hand him in a film cartridge, claiming that it had loads of pictures of Park taken the previous days. Exposing it to the sunlight, Surakiat walked back to Park who was cheering and clapping her hands quietly in admiration. He pulled her up and was startled to see the young woman grimacing from her sprained ankle. She was thus carried to sit on the bench again before he would take off her shoe and slowly massage her ankle. Despite the pains, the young woman was enthralled to witness the world’s bloodiest killer like him was kneeling down and treating her so tenderly with overwhelming affections. The young man looked up and their eyes met; they were captivated by each other’s eyes again. He told her in a shaky voice:

“It’s time for you to go back to your hotel now. Your news has been on every TV channel since this morning , so I know that the public, especially your parents, are dead anxious about your daredevil escape. And I will take you there in the car, aha, don’t look so surprised because I rent it just for you, Ms. Park ! I think that darn bus didn’t suit the elegant princess like you at all.”

Park looked euphoric and said in a soft voice like it was from a distance:

“I wonder why you’re so good to me, Kett. Let me sincerely say that I’d rather go to your hotel instead or anywhere in the world you want me to.”

Surakiat was mesmerized but before he would do anything, Park kissed him on his forehead. He stood up to kiss her lips passionately and when he was about to stop, the young woman grabbed his face tightly to prolong this, making him realize that he was about to be vanquished by his desire. But the young man suddenly saw the cars running en masse and pulled over not far from them; the French police officers and Park's bodyguards hysterically got out of them, behind those men was her secretary who was about to bicker with a group of photographers on motorbikes. He chuckled as he knew that this was revenge from those paparazzi when they notified the authorities of Park's whereabouts, and he did not doubt why their fellows used to play an important part in the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris’ tunnel in 1997. He grabbed Park's upper arms after breathing a sigh of relief.

“It’s not the right time yet, my princess, regarding your importance to your country. But don’t forget that we shall have each other in our hungry minds at all hours and desirously await the day we are to be reunited.”

Park grinned broadly and whispered something in his ears, giving him little goosebumps.

“Rest assured! I firmly believe that your promise is solid like a rock. But by any chance if it melts, please be aware that there'll be hell to pay, my dearest!”

End of Part 1