Space Hoax

3 THE LIE

Kuang leaned back in his chair, defeated. He dug his fingers deep into his thick, silver hair. His last hope for changing the outcome of the failed mission to the moon was capturing the astronaut who had exposed their lies. His hope was to imprison the American long enough to force a false confession and confiscate any device that may have recorded pictures from the moon. He had just learned that the American had regrettably escaped after the Shenzhou spacecraft landed. Though CNSA and the military were combing the landing area searching for the astronaut, Kuang still had an uneasy feeling.

The director looked over at a black and white picture of his parents hanging on the wall. He narrowed his eyes on his strict father, a stern military officer who never accepted failure. Kuang reflected back to the day when as a young boy he ran home to proudly show off his fifth place award from a wushu martial arts competition. The match he lost was to one of the local boys from his village. He was disheartened when his father, in disgust, tossed his prize into the trash. His father slapped Kuang hard across the face, stating that his performance was unacceptable and had shamed the family. Kuang was sent to his room without supper. Before closing and locking the door, his father said harshly, “Always show honor to the family.” Kuang cried all night, disappointed in himself. He made a vow to never fail again.

A knock interrupted Kuang’s train of thought. “Come in.”

In walked Ming Sung. “Hello, sir.”

“Any news on the American?”

The assistant director took a seat across from his boss. “No, sir.”

Kuang looked away in anger.

“Sir, I am sure we’ll catch him. It would be almost impossible for him to flee China.”

“Almost?” Kuang snapped. Almost is not good enough. I want every available man searching. We must find him.”

“Yes, sir.” Ming looked to the floor as he rubbed his hand leisurely along the leather armrest of his chair. He gradually lifted his head as he raised an eyebrow in Kuang’s direction. “Sir, what do we tell the American government?”

Kuang tightened his fist remembering how Sie went behind his back and informed the Americans their astronaut had been rescued. They needed answers. He sat for awhile before gradually rising and walking over to the window. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. He stared out the window for a second before wheeling around on the balls of his feet with a determined look. “Say he died. State a problem occurred during re-entry, which led to the spacecraft entering ballistic. State a fire broke out in the cabin and without a spacesuit he was unable to be saved. Explain there were no remains.”

Ming stood to attention. “Yes, sir. I will have this communicated immediately.”

Kuang sternly walked back to his chair. “I want this man caught, dead or alive. Our jobs depend on it.”

Ming bowed slightly before leaving the room.

PETER WIPED THE sweat off his forehead as the forty-six year old trudged across an open field toward a wooded area. Though he was tired, his senses were on full alert as he crossed the barren landscape. He hated being out in the open where he could be spotted, but he had no choice. He needed to go west, and this was the most direct route.

For the last twenty minutes he had heard helicopters flying in the distance, which unquestionably were the Chinese militia looking for him. He needed to get to the border of Kyrgyzstan as soon as possible, and from his memory of the map on the spacecraft’s display, he estimated he had around thirty miles to go. Suddenly something appeared in the distant sky in front of him. He put his hand to his forehead to block out the sun’s glare as he squinted. His heart sank when he realized it was a helicopter coming right toward him, probably a half a mile away. Shit. He quickly took off running toward the nearest trees, which looked to be a hundred yards straight ahead. He felt like he was running in slow motion due to his body still reeling from the effects of gravity.

The helicopter was soon blocked by the treetops but still fast approaching, the roar of its chopping blades increasing in intensity. He reached an opening in the wooded area and quickly darted in. He worked his way through the heavy brush as flashes of bright sunshine shot through, occasionally blinding him. Before he knew it, the chopper sounded like it was on top of him. He dove under a large bush and quickly covered himself with surrounding brushwood. Through the cracks in the branches and trees above, he caught glimpses of the chopper as it flew precariously close overhead, its sound deafening. As the massive machine flew on and the reverberation started to subside, he let out a big exhale. As he started to get up, the noise increased. Beyond the crowded trees, the helicopter went up into a steep high bank before turning back toward him. Oh shit. Did they see him? He crouched back down as he studied the chopper through the tall brush and watched it level off before settling down in the field. Instantly the doors opened and several soldiers jumped out with guns strapped over their shoulders. The men started jogging right toward him. This isn’t good.

He swiftly jumped up and brushed off the branches before taking off and racing deeper into the woods. He continued to struggle with the Earth’s pull as he jolted through the thick brush, twigs snapping under his feet with each feeble stride. He quickly looked back to see the soldiers entering the wooded area at a fast pace. Come on, Peter. You can lose these guys. He powered through a large clump of trees into a small clearing and to his surprise saw a young Chinese woman sitting alone on a large rock next to a creek. She was obviously startled by his intrusion. Her eyes widened and she quickly bolted up to a standing position. She slowly shimmied backward in her worn straw shoes as she moved up the rock, never turning away from him. With timid fingers, she straightened her tattered gray dress before clasping her hands together. Peter was going to continue on past, but instead stopped. He needed help, and maybe this Chinese peasant girl could assist him.

Breathing heavily, he slowly turned toward her with his hands raised, palms showing. He gradually approached. As he got closer, he was surprised to see tears running down her face. Fortunately, he knew how to say hello in Chinese. “Ni hao.”

She tilted her head slightly before saying with a heavy Chinese accent, “You American?”

Shocked she spoke English, Peter put his hands down to his side as he smiled. “Yes, and I need help.”

She wiped the tears from her face. “Why?”

In between deep breaths he said, “I’m an astronaut, just back from space. Your government is trying to capture me.”

She tilted her head farther to the side, apparently not understanding.

Peter pointed to himself. “I American taikonaut.” He then pointed to the sky. “From space.”

Rustling noise caught Peter’s attention as he turned to the direction of the sound. He faintly saw movement through the heavy bush. Alarmed, he turned back and in a frantic tone asked, “Can you hide me?”

She looked toward the rustling before jumping off the rock and grabbing his hand. A determined look appeared on her face as she gave a slight smile. Without saying a word she turned and started running holding on to him. Peter’s arm was outstretched as he struggled to keep up. Soon she let go of his hand as she started zigzagging at a surprisingly high speed through the woods, Peter fought to stay right on her tail.

DMITRI HUNG UP the phone before dropping his head deep into his hands. He closed his eyes. Peter, I hope you’re in a better place. He rubbed his forehead as he shook his head. Damn, he was so close.

The terrible news had come from NASA that his longtime friend perished during landing. The worst news he could have gotten. Although Peter’s death was tough on him, it would be devastating to his sister. She had experienced a rollercoaster ride of emotions over the last week, and now the ride was ending with the most dreadful news possible. The love of her life was dead.

He lifted his head and looked in Anya’s direction to see her fidgeting with her necklace. A sudden sinking sensation filled him at the look of hope on her face. Everyone in the control room was hopeful Peter would survive. Anya caught Dmitri staring and raised both hands, questioning if he had heard anything. What was he going to say? He smiled at her and slightly shook his head no.

Dmitri put his head back down, burying his face in his hands. Should he tell her now? What effect would this have on her pregnancy? He tried to think of how to soften the blow, but no matter how he worded it in his head, the news was still going to crush her. A nudge on his shoulder broke his train of thought. He looked to see his sister towering over him.

“So, no news yet?”

With a sickening feeling of certainty he said, “Let’s go to my office.”

A flash of disappointment crossed her face. “Why? You know something?”

Dmitri kept his face expressionless. He got up and without looking at her started to walk to his office.

Anya hurriedly caught up and grabbed his shirt. “What do you know?”

Dmitri turned and saw his sister’s eyes starting to well up. “Let’s go to my office.”

Anya let go of his shirt as he turned and walked on. Not hearing her footsteps, he looked back to see her standing with a sorrowful look, a tear running down her face. His heart dropped as he opened his office door and motioned for her to enter. She hesitated for a moment, as if not wanting to hear the news. He waited. Finally, she put her head down and trudged past. He put his arm around his little sister as he escorted her in, closing the door behind them.

PETER FELT LIKE he had been running for miles when the Chinese girl finally slowed down to a walk. She looked back past Peter into the woods before looking at him with a smile. “You safe.”

Peter, out of breath, bowed slightly and thanked the girl. “Xie xie ni.”

She continued walking. “You come. I take to farm.”

Peter was exhausted and welcomed an opportunity to get rest somewhere safe. “I appreciate this, thank you.”

The girl turned and smiled. “I Ying.”

Peter, still breathing heavily, looked down at the tiny girl who looked to be in her early twenties and extended his hand. “Hello, Ying. My name is Peter.”

She stopped walking and bowed before taking his hand.

Curious why a Chinese girl so far away from a big city would speak English, he asked, “How do you know English?”

When she straightened up, he noticed her belly slightly protruding through her dress. Is she pregnant? Wow, and she ran all that way?

“Husband need for job. I help.” She turned and resumed walking.

Peter right away thought of Anya and his future child, which brought a big smile to his face. He was certain he would be seeing her soon. He called out, “Ying, are you with child?”

Ying abruptly stopped before slowly turning around with a distraught look on her face. She bowed. “Yes.”

Peter was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor. Enthusiastically he said, “Congratulations. That’s great. I just learned that my girlfriend is with our first child too. I can’t wait to see her and feel her belly.”

Ying kept her head down low and did not say a word as she turned back around and resumed walking. Peter scratched his head. Why wasn’t she happy to be having a baby? He wondered if maybe that was why she had been crying. He stopped. He had to know. He put his hand on her shoulder. “Aren’t you happy to be having a baby?”

She turned around, tears now in her eyes. “I not can have. I be forced with abortion.”

Peter was shocked. “Why?”

“This my two child. I no have birth permit.”

Peter was aware of the one-child law in China and had heard of some brutal forced abortions. But he thought it was an old law that was rarely enforced. Some of the Chinese engineers he dealt with over the last year while working undercover for SID had more than one child, but they lived in the bigger cities. Maybe the governments in rural areas were stricter. What could he say? “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“My husband work in Chongqing. I only see once a year.” She turned and solemnly walked on.

Peter put his head down, shaking it as he followed. He felt for this courageous girl who took a big risk in saving him.

DOUG ROSE ENTERED the President’s office, slightly slumped over with sadness in his eyes. It was obvious he wasn’t bringing good news. Doug had been in the Situation Room monitoring the landing of the Chinese spacecraft through NASA. The President set down the documents he was reviewing and leaned back in his chair, waiting for the administrator to have a seat.

“Did he make it?”

Doug straightened up in his chair as he glanced uneasily at the President. He shook his head. “No, sir.”

“Damn.” The President leaned forward and put his hand to his chin. He rubbed it as he studied the NASA man. “What happened?”

“Apparently he burned to death. CNSA said the capsule entered the atmosphere on a ballistic trajectory. A fire broke out in the cockpit and because Peter wasn’t wearing a spacesuit, they were unable to save him. Both taikonauts survived.”

A stab of anger flashed through the sadness. Bill took a deep breath as he gathered his thoughts. He wondered if the Chinese were telling the truth. “Are there any remains of our pilot?”

“No, sir.”

Bill shook his head emphatically. “This is bullshit. I don’t believe those bastards. They are holding something back. How do we know they’re not lying?”

Doug shrugged. “I guess we don’t. We can only confirm there was a problem when they entered the atmosphere, and they probably did enter ballistic. However, that probably didn’t cause the fire. That’s what I question. What started the fire?”

The President turned and looked out the window. Something in his gut told him their man was alive. He swiveled back around and locked eyes with the administrator. “I’m not buying it. Where did they land?”

“Western China, by the border of Kyrgyzstan.”

The President picked up his pen. “I bet you they have him locked up, or he escaped.” He brought the pen to his mouth as he lightly bounced the end on his lower lip. “We have a military base in Kyrgyzstan,” said the President as he picked up the phone.

“Who are you calling, sir?”

“The Secretary of Defense. I want to have Kyrgyzstan’s border patrolled. I’m not going to take any chances. I have this gut feeling Peter is alive, and if he escaped, he would head for that border. I also want to get inspectors to the landing site as soon as possible to inspect that capsule and review the evidence. I am not going to take China’s word on this. We owe it to Peter to confirm what happened.”

PETER WAS SURPRISED how quaint and cozy the small mud brick home was inside, considering how run down it looked on the outside. Ying’s father was sizing Peter up while a chicken ran loose around his feet on the small living room floor. The father’s intense stare did not waver and Peter did not avoid it, returning a smile instead. Behind the burly Chinese man stood a short elderly couple dressed in traditional Chinese clothing with their mouths gaped open, the woman holding a baby. Peter guessed the little guy was about a year old, given Ying’s condition; he’d sort of assumed the kid would be older. After Ying had introduced Peter, she had spoken at length in Chinese to her father. Not able to interpret what was said, he assumed she asked if he could stay for awhile.

The father raised an eyebrow as he pointed to Peter and said something.

Ying translated. “My father ask why you in space and land in China?”

Peter smiled at the father before turning to Ying. “I flew to the moon to take pictures of where America landed over forty years ago. I was about to die, but your country saved me, which is why we landed in China and why I am wearing these coveralls.”

Ying stared dumbfounded for a moment. “You were at moon?”

Peter swelled with pride. “Yes, just over three days ago.”

With a shocked look, she translated Peter’s response to her father. He watched the crusty man burst out laughing, as did the elderly couple behind. Peter was happy to have amused them. The father said something in between his laughter.

Smiling, Ying said, “My dad think you crazy. He say only Ching’e be to moon.”

Peter tilted his head. “Ching’e?”

“It ancient story. Ching’e be goddess of moon. She there with bunny.”

Peter chuckled. “Well, tell him they were visited by three Chinese taikonauts earlier this year.”

Ying just smiled as she shook her head. “Why? He not believe you.”

Peter arched his eyebrows. “Do you?”

Ying shrugged. “I not know.”

The father spoke up. Ying asked, “Dad want know why army after you?”

Peter felt his shoulders relax. “Because I proved China wrong. Your country claimed America never landed.”

Ying translated Peter’s answer before the father slightly chuckled as he gave a short response.

“Dad think army lock you up ’cause you crazy.”

Peter nodded at the father with a wink.

“Father say you can hide here for a couple day. I think he like you.”

Peter bowed before asking, “Do you have a phone or computer around?”

Ying shook her head. “Sorry, no. We have no electricity.”

The father started to speak in detail. The elderly couple participated in the discussion as the father used various hand gestures. Peter stood patiently, unable to decipher what was being said. The voices seemed to be rising in intensity.

Finally, Ying turned with a serious look. “You okay hide here until safe for travel. Then we get you to border, on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

Ying looked to the ground for a second before her father put his arm around her in a consoling manner. She slowly lifted her head. “He wish you take me and son.”

Peter took a step back. “Why?”

“So I can have baby. My cousin be force with abortion. She almost die. He not want lose his grandchild or daughter.”

Peter could see the love in the father’s eyes. The same look Anya’s seventy-five year old father, Viktor Alexandrov, gave his daughter before he joined Peter on the suicide mission to the moon. “How will we get to the border?”

Ying looked at the elderly gentleman as she pointed. “My Yeye.” She turned with an apologetic look. “Sorry, Yeye be grandfather.” She put her hands together. “Yeye often take harvest to market in our horse pulled wagon. We hide in wagon. He get us close to border.”

Peter wasn’t worried about Ying; she already proved her agility running through the woods. He questioned bringing along a one-year-old baby. A slight tear began to appear in her eye. How could he say no to this sweet girl who saved him? How could he let her unborn child be killed? Though the idea sounded risky, he thought of Anya and his own unborn child. He would want someone to do the same for him. He reassuringly nodded yes.

A big smile appeared on the father’s face before he bowed in appreciation.

LEANING AGAINST THE women’s bathroom door, face forward with his hands above his head, Dmitri mourned deeply for his sister. For the last ten minutes he had been trying to console her, hoping to get her to come out. Throughout the ordeal he heard her getting sick multiple times. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and knocked on the door as he opened it.

Dmitri called out, “Anya, are you okay?” His words echoed off the tiled walls. With only one stall with a closed door, he knew exactly where she was. He couldn’t hear a sound. He walked up to the door and knocked. “Anya, are you okay?”

Again silence. Finally, Anya’s voice cracked in despair. “I need to go to the hospital.”