THE ULTIMATE STANDER

Chapter Five

I paced back and forth in the waiting room. Just had Cameron Houston said, he gave me the amount of cash needed for my aunt's surgery. Now, I just pray and hoped the operation turned out successfully.

"Phoebe Knowles?"

"Right here." I hurried over to the doctor.

"Congratulations. The surgery was a success. Getting a heart replaced wasn't an easy task, you know," he joked. 

"Thanks, Doc," I beamed, placing my hand to my mouth. I could not explain the joy and excitement that was bubbling through me. I had waited for this day for so long. I could not wait to see aunt Mae back on her two feet again. However . . . I knew I could not wait for that long. I would have to make her stay in the hospital until I returned. And before then, hopefully, she would be able to return home with me.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

BEIJING

"This is your captain speaking. We've already started our descent procedure into Beijing airport. We expect to land at five minutes. If you want to adjust your watch, it is 3:45 p.m in Beijing now. The weather in Beijing is a bit overcast and the temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. We wish you a pleasant stay in Beijing and we hope to see you again very soon. On behalf of all our crew, thank you for choosing our company as your airline today."

By the time I got outside the airport with my duffel bag resting over my shoulder, I saw a black limousine parked in front of the exit. Cameron Houston was leaning against the car with his arms folded over his chest. He stood up straight when he saw me approaching.

"Welcome to Beijing, Phoebe Knowles. Shall we?"

I climbed into the car, sitting directly across Cameron. He grabbed and popped open a bottle of champagne and poured me a drink.

"Thanks," I mentioned, taking a sip. "So," I began, "does everyone else gets this same treatment as me?"

"We try as much as possible to make our new recruit feel welcomed."

"Including paying for the flight and everything? Wow. You guys must be making billions of cash."

"Trillions," he corrected.

"Of course."

The limousine brought us to an air field where a helicopter awaited. We climbed into the big bird and I sat putting my seatbelt on.

"How long does it take to get there?!" I belted against the whirling sound of the helicopter.

"Not for long!" Cameron responded. "Take it away Mason!" he stated to the pilot.

As we took off, Cameron dipped his hand into his suit pocket and withdrew a blindfold.

"Here, put this on!" he mentioned.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What for?!" I asked.

"This is part of the protocol!" he explained. "You are expected to be blindfolded through the entire journey!"

"Oh, I get it! Ain't want no anybody finding out where the location is!" I took the blindfold from him and put the cloth over my eyes. Everywhere went dark. All I could hear was the sound of the helicopter. I could not wait to win this combat game and the money so I could return to my aunt in New York.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

I squinted my eyes at the sudden brightness when I took off the blindfold. I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was standing in an outer place in front of a vast building. It was somewhat built in a modern Siheyuan-style architect. The fences that surrounded and hemmed this building in, were very tall ones.