1.
I gave Ling Ling her bat and thirty bucks and asked her to give the guys a good meal
2.
I wanted to find out what Ling Ling could tell me about the guy who drove a Mercedes
3.
Ling Ling must have seen us coming as she appeared in the door of the small restaurant before we arrived and said, “No serve
4.
Ling Ling appeared beside our picnic table twice to hurry us along
5.
Ling Ling laughed
6.
Ilmal placed a hand on her shoulder and looked for a ling time at Laino
7.
ling ignorance and darkness in the mind
8.
ling you: ‘Look, here is truth’
9.
nervous as a ling tailed cat in a room of rocking chairs?”
10.
Frere, Ling, and Vertongen [5] have proposed that dark matter concentrations within our galactic
11.
Frere, Ling, and Vertongen [5] have proposed that dark matter concentrations within our
12.
ling ledge which took me around and up
13.
That and lodging for Ling Mai and Stone
14.
Noziak,” Ling Mai said, her voice as cultured as I remembered
15.
Once I’d settled into my chair, still shaking my head, Ling Mai continued, “The shifters who volunteered to train you were aware of the risks
16.
“In spite of what you think you know, there are and have been procedures in place to protect participants and staff from one another,” Ling Mai said, though I could hear the weariness beneath her words this time
17.
“Because I was monitoring the situation from here,” Ling Mai said
18.
“If Ling Mai had immobilized everyone, and the shifters continued to change, all of you would have been at risk,” Stone said
19.
I followed the logic of Ling Mai’s words
20.
“Not overtly,” came another of Ling Mai’s cryptic responses
21.
Another one of those sharp looks were exchanged between Ling Mai and Stone
22.
Ling Mai paused, as if debating with herself
23.
I glanced between Ling Mai and Stone but it was Vaughn who answered me
24.
The spit in my throat dried up, but I was pleased that I could scoot the paper back toward Ling Mai and lean against my chair, acting as if I read death threats daily
25.
“This is a very organized attempt to kill Alex,” she said, looking mostly at Ling Mai and myself and giving her shoulder to Stone
26.
I glanced at Ling Mai who’d kept her own counsel through the conversation
27.
It was Ling Mai who asked, “Is there something wrong, Ms
28.
“So what are you suggesting?” Ling Mai prompted, like a teacher with a recalcitrant student
29.
But I didn’t say that, mostly because the plan I’d hatched with Vaughn, Stone, and Ling Mai, we’d decided to have go down outside where there was less chance for others to get hurt
30.
May Ling was about to reply, when a disembodied Chinese male voice interrupted
31.
In spite of not understanding a word that was said, Siri had moved nearer to the image and May Ling, in a vain effort to understand something of the exchange
32.
May Ling; however, found the unexpected closeness of his body repellent
33.
Siri was sitting, staring at a screen as May Ling entered wearing very stylish and impracticable robes
34.
Now, everything had changed because of his relationship with May Ling
35.
The simple truth was that he had found happiness and contentment in the arms of May Ling and the life that they shared, protected from the horrific realities of the outside world
36.
Until May Ling had met Siri, she had been totally committed to the Peoples Republic of China machine
37.
As May Ling eased out the cramped muscles in Siri’s shoulders, he explained to her the state of play in the effort to restore Lake Victoria to health
38.
May Ling had been continually smiling behind him, and she had barely heard a word
39.
May Ling grabbed both his cheeks in her hands, her face became stern and she spoke with the voice of the Supervisor
40.
May Ling turned and, in all seriousness, proclaimed, ‘We have out contacts but, if I told you, I would have to have you shot!’
41.
That evening, Siri and May Ling were on the upper level of her residence, reclined on a couch
42.
‘I love you very much, May Ling, and as long as you are happy, this is the best news that I could have hoped for
43.
May Ling stood back and admonished him for his inconsideration
44.
May Ling seemed to be confused about her outburst
45.
A few days later, Siri and May Ling travelled the two hundred miles to Siri’s village in a military helicopter
46.
May Ling was quite charmed by Mabel and found herself thinking of her as Siri’s Mother
47.
After tea, which was a not altogether a foul tasting substitute, Lemayian showed Siri and May Ling to their accommodation, a basic mud-hut, but it had been swept clean, there was some traditional Maasai clothing for them both, laid out upon the ox-skin bed, and it was surprisingly spacious
48.
For May Ling, the whole episode of their reception had been a revelation
49.
And, whilst there was indeed a fair amount of dust and dirt, which May Ling found difficult to contend with, she was treated as an honoured guest, and the kindness of the villagers overwhelmed her
50.
During her short stay in the village, Namelok ensured that May Ling was only provided with freshly boiled drinking water, and she was always nearby to assist May Ling in the unfamiliar surroundings
51.
May Ling could see that, not only were the villagers resourceful and self reliant; contrary to the conceptions of city dwellers, the cultural life of the Maasai was as rich and as developed as their own, and she began to understand why free peoples resisted domestication and the industrial slavery that it had brought about
52.
Siri, dressed as a Maasai, and May Ling, who had declined to do the same, were happily enjoying their evening meal with his family
53.
The off duty guard sat attentively beside May Ling and he refused to eat or drink, preferring to rely on his own supplies, but the young co-pilot was happily mixing with the younger members of the village
54.
He spoke to May Ling
55.
The helicopter was equipped with protective clothing that was intended for use in the event of a nuclear or chemical attack and, after ensuring that everyone aboard was suitably protected, May Ling ordered the Pilot to land
56.
May Ling and Siri stood for a while, as they watched, fascinated, by a small fire that continued to burn through the heart of the building
57.
As she took in the implications of what had happened, May Ling spoke through her respirator
58.
May Ling looked through their protective masks into his eyes, searching for an answer, then turned and, removing her respirator, she called back to the two bodyguards
59.
May Ling led Siri towards the remains of her home
60.
They dragged the wreckage clear to uncover a floor safe which May Ling opened and, from it, she removed a leather pilot’s bag and the olive drab canvas bag that contained Hatch’s pistol, which she handed over to him
61.
May Ling and Siri climbed aboard the vehicle, and Siri started the engine
62.
Not being able to think of a better plan, May Ling finally came to terms with Siri’s suggestion to seek refuge at Kilimanjaro, and she shouted through her respirator
63.
Inevitably, the constant lurching and bumping eventually caused May Ling to begin labour and, no mater how carefully Siri drove to avoid the humps and potholes, she suffered miserably during the entire journey
64.
To one side of the building, two orderlies with a hospital trolley were waiting for them, and May Ling was rushed to a medical facility contained within the palace
65.
May Ling; however, was in no condition to think about anything outside of her suffering
66.
On arrival in the medical centre, May Ling was hyperventilating but a large, and immensely kind, native midwife had quickly taken command of the situation
67.
Within minutes May Ling had calmed, and within an hour of arriving, she had given birth to a healthy daughter who she immediately named as Jai
68.
Jai was in her cot beside the bed and Siri was stroking May Lings hand and telling her how proud he was of his beautiful wife and daughter, when May Ling was startled
69.
A chill passed through May Ling, and Siri stood and blocked the strangers path
70.
He turned to May Ling and held out his hand, and she felt compelled to return the gesture
71.
‘You have done nothing but bring me pain and trouble,’ May Ling accused
72.
As Siri and May Ling became preoccupied with their new arrival, Musab decided that his first visit had extended for long enough
73.
‘Tens of thousands must have died and more will die in agony over the years to come, and it could have killed us, Musab, killed May Ling and the baby!’
74.
May Ling was in Siri’s arms on a huge oriental couch as they watched the night sky which was adorned with the stars of the Milky Way
75.
May Ling, having lived in a secular society, thought that he was talking absolute rubbish but, nevertheless, she found herself feeling pity for Musab, and she tried to reason with him
76.
This had all occurred several hours before, and Siri and May Ling were in each others arms as they sat in a cane sofa upon their first floor patio
77.
May Ling encircled him with her arms and rested her head on his shoulder
78.
‘You have done well with May Ling
79.
Back in their suite, May Ling was sitting next to Jai’s cot when Siri returned from his meeting with Musab
80.
‘What happened,’ whispered May Ling?
81.
May Ling concentrated her mind onto the puzzle
82.
May Ling attempted to put it onto his third finger, but it was far too small
83.
After Siri reported to Musab the news of his intention to marry, and his agreement to visit Hatch, he returned to May Ling to deliver an unexpected condition
84.
Siri knew that he wasn’t helping matters but he was beginning to be amused by the whole business; however, he could see that May Ling was not amused
85.
May Ling sighed, and she reflected on their situation
86.
And, as he completed his last sentence, May Ling had grasped the nearest item at hand as Siri ducked out of the room
87.
May Ling later agreed to be married by an Islamic ceremony but, initially, she refused to be present or have any part in the proceedings
88.
At the ceremony, May Ling and Siri were standing in their own apartment with Musab and a small group of his community
89.
May Ling had not previously seen the ring and she was transfixed
90.
There was no reason for him and May Ling to leave Victoria, and they had implicated themselves as traitors by unnecessarily fleeing to Musab
91.
Siri remembered his speculations with May Ling, ‘You would call in for extra defence to protect against an airborne attack!’
92.
May Ling had heard it all before and didn’t reply
93.
This time, May Ling couldn’t resist responding
94.
‘Bloodless?’ shouted May Ling as she rose in seething anger
95.
‘No, of course not! I am sorry May Ling but, as I have said before, that was out of my control
96.
‘But where can we go that will be safe?’ said May Ling
97.
Siri, deeply shaken, returned to May Ling
98.
Siri and May Ling said nothing
99.
It was obvious that the guards wouldn’t tolerate any delay or discussion, and they both climbed into the vehicle with May Ling carrying Jai in her sling
100.
But Jai was inconsolable, and May Ling and Siri were still in the vehicle attempting to settle her, when there was a tremendous blinding flash and a deafening explosion from the palace
